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Walking, cycling on the rise in Marin A 2009 Marin County study by the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program confirmed that more Marin residents are bicycling and walking than in recent years. According to the survey, weekday bicycling rates have increased an average of 6 percent between 2008 and 2009 and 118 percent since 1999; weekend bicycling has increased an average of 10 percent since last year and 125 percent over the past decade. Weekday walking rates increased 26 percent over last year and 51 percent between 1999 and 2009; weekend walking increased 1 percent between 2008 and 2009, and 5 percent since last year. A summary report is available on the Walk Bike Marin website: www.walkbikemarin.org .

All-female Novato council swears in On Dec. 1, an unprecedented all-female Novato City Council was sworn into office. When Denise Athas and Pat Eklund took the oath in council chambers, joining Carole Dillon-Knutson, Madeline Kellner and Jeanne MacLeamy, it marked a Marin County first—and the second time in California history—to have all city or town council seats filled by women. In 1992, the San Mateo city of Pacifica became the first in the state to have an all-woman council. The first female Novato City Council member was Lucile Cannon in 1962. Marin County officially changed the term "councilman" to "council member" in 1985.

Highway 37 tragedy update; victims' home burgled The driver of the car that collided with a minivan on Highway 37, killing a family of four, has also died from the accident, according to the California Highway Patrol. The family from Sonoma was killed on the evening of Nov. 28 as a result of a multi-car crash about two miles east of Novato. The fatal collision occurred when a Mini Cooper driven by 19-year-old Steven Culbertson of Lakeport ran a red light at the intersection of Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway, broadsiding the minivan, which carried Jonathan Maloney, 45, his wife, Susan, 42, and their children Aiden, 8, and Grace, 5. The Maloney family died from the impact; Culbertson died Nov. 29 at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Jonathan Maloney had worked for San Rafael tech company Panamax and, more recently, at SolarCraft in Novato. In June 2007, Culbertson had been involved in a crash in Lake County, followed a month later by a DUI, which resulted in his license being suspended for a year. Pending toxicology reports, authorities say there does not appear to be evidence of drugs or alcohol in the crash. In even more shocking news on the tragedy, Sonoma police are now investigating a post-crash burglary at the Maloney family home. On Dec. 1, police apprehended Amber Marie True, 29, and her boyfriend, Michael Vincent Gutierrez, 26, of Redwood City, for allegedly ransacking the home the night before, and taking off with the Maloneys' 2006 Nissan 350Z that had been parked in the garage. Both are being held at Sonoma County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Shorts... Larkspur officials approved the first set of plans for the transformation of the Larkspur Landing shopping center. The new Marin Country Mart at Larkspur Landing will begin implementing refurbished landscaping, as well as a fire pit, picnic tables, benches, several public gardens and a children's playground over the next several months.—Samantha Campos