Ron Parks

A man recently died of swine flu in Marin. He was over seveny years of age and was said to already have medical conditions that made him more susceptible to the virus.

In related news, a student at Windsor High School, located in Sonoma County, has caught swine flu and is currently out of school until he fully recovers. The kid began having symptoms late last week and missed school on Friday. Parents have been phoned or emailed alerting them to the potential risk, however, classes will resume as normal.

Three nonprofit organizations teamed up this week to launch Marinhelpers.com. The website connects household employers and temporary workers in a database by phone and email. Workers register with the website and are entered in a database, which the project manager, and sole employee, uses to find suitable workers for homeowners who call in. The homeowner and workers negotiate payment. So far, about 100 workers have registered, including some without immigrant status documentation. Legal Aid of Marin spent months researching the legalities of the website’s policies. The project has been funded largely by the San Francisco Foundation, the Marin Community Foundation, and the Zellerbach Family Fund.

More Information - www.dsama.org

The downtown area of San Anselmo in Marin County, will be graced with the 4th annual "Hot August / Cool Cars" show this Sunday from eleven to five. The show has been put together by the Downtown San Anselmo Merchants Association and will feature some wonderful vintage cars and world-class hot rods.

The food will consist of regular refreshments and delicious barbeque, plus lots of music. Later in the evening, at eight o'clock, there will be a view of the film "Duel".

All proceeds go to benefit businesses in downtown.

Well, for some rather entertaining news.......police found two California parolees hiding in a Marin vineyard. The police had been in a high-speed chase of more than 100 mph that took place from San Rafael to Sonoma.

After the parolees ditched the car they apparently ran into the vineyard to hide, but were soon spotted by a police helicopter. They are now, once again, in jail in Marin County.

A Mill Valley resident will be featuring his watercolor artwork a week from today, on August 14th. Ian Wilson has lived in Marin for a quarter of a century and originally came to the area from South Africa. The artist will showcase his talents at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library located at 1501 Tiburon Blvd.

The award-winning artist only began his painting career 5 year ago, when he retired. His artwork features dazzling composite landscapes. He is currently a member of the Marin Society of Artists.

If you live in the area make sure to come out and support your local community.