By Nikki Silverstein

Hero: Consumer advocate 7 On Your Side, a segment of Bay Area TV station KGO, helped a Marin County woman recover several hundred dollars from Visa after the company shined her on. Susan Anderson purchased Visa gift cards for friends last Christmas and delivered them in person. Months later, she learned that the cards didn’t work when her friends tried to use them. Turns out that a thief near Modesto stole and used the card numbers, which resulted in the cards having a zero balance. Visa informed Anderson that they wouldn’t cover the loss, since she had waited more than 60 days to report the issue. She contacted 7 On Your Side and the TV station went to work on her behalf. Visa finally saw the light and decided to replace the gift cards.

Zero: Approximately 290,000 gallons of public water went down the drain, thanks to vandalism at the Wild Horse Water Tank in Novato. To give that immense amount some perspective, it equates to almost 5 million glasses of drinking water, or enough H2O to flush your low-flow toilet more than 18,000 times. The trouble began when the North Marin Water District (NMWD) received an intrusion alarm on Friday, July 7, which indicated that an intruder breached the tank. Although there was no evidence of contamination, the NMWD took the precaution of draining the tank. If you have info about suspicious activity in the vicinity of Wild Horse Valley Drive from 5-8pm on July 7, contact the Marin County Sheriff’s Office or the NMWD.

By Nikki Silverstein

Hero: Whales are making a splash this summer. Whether watching a pod breach near the Golden Gate Bridge, spotting them feeding inside the Bay or viewing them off our coastline as they migrate north, Marinites are enjoying the increased activity of these magnificent animals. Experts attribute the large number of sightings to humpback whales coming close to the shoreline to feed on anchovies and krill. You can learn about getting involved in whale watching and citizen science at a fascinating presentation by the American Cetacean Society-San Francisco Bay Area (ACS-SF Bay), a vital nonprofit that protects whales and their habitats through public education, research grants and conservation action. Join the ACS-SF Bay at the Bay Model in Sausalito on Tuesday, July 25 at 7pm. For more info, visit acs-sfbay.org.

Zero: Novato police are asking for your help to find the zeros responsible for a gasoline theft at the Novato Unified School District bus yard last Wednesday at about 11:15pm. A custodian observed two thieves siphoning gas from underground storage tanks used to fill school buses. Although they skedaddled before police could nab them, the custodian snapped photos of a white Ford Econoline box van or similar vehicle. A California license plate reading 7BQK347 was on the rear of the van; however, police believe it may have been stolen. The driver is described as a bald Hispanic male, in his 30s, with a medium build, and the passenger is described as a white female, blonde and heavy-set. Please call the Novato police at 415/897-4361 with any info.

By Nikki Silverstein

Hero: Two observant Marinites saw something and said something when they spotted a suspicious fellow with a Ferrari on East Francisco Boulevard. The first person called the San Rafael Police Department after the odd man attempted to panhandle gas money for his 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB.  The next caller reported that the guy was acting strangely and appeared to be showering the car with gasoline. Police arrived and questioned the man, who said that he owned the car and had left it in the shop for two years. Unconvinced, the officers contacted the Ferrari dealership, which confirmed that the car, valued at $245,000, had been stolen from their service department two days before. Police arrested Rocky Jimenez, 36, of Georgia, for vehicle theft and other charges.

Zero: Folks attending Tam High’s graduation received a peculiar welcome. Parking tickets. A meter maid and law enforcement were waiting to give tickets to visitors who dared to park on Almonte Boulevard, a side street near the school. Whose bright idea was that? Think about the decision-making process that led to sending cops to the annual event. Let’s ruin the once-in-a-lifetime celebration for seniors and their families by writing tickets or forcing a futile drive to find legal parking—in the rain. Yep. It was raining. We think it might have been a better use of resources to direct folks to areas where they were allowed to park, or better yet, the school and community should work together to devise a parking plan for their guests.

By Nikki Silverstein

Hero: Marin’s first responders received a special thank you last week on National Donut Day.  Volunteers with the San Rafael Corps of the Salvation Army delivered fresh donuts to more than 40 locations throughout the county, from the Coast Guard rescue station under the Golden Gate Bridge to the Tomales Fire Station in West Marin. Honoring our men and women in uniform by giving them donuts actually has a rich history dating back to World War I, when a group of resourceful women, Salvation Army volunteers, cooked donuts in a soldier’s helmet to bring a taste of home to our forces on the front lines. We appreciate the Salvation Army for recognizing our first responders and taking care of those in need.

Zero: John is an avid runner on the trails in the Marin Headlands, where paid dog walkers and their charges are a common sight. Sometimes as many as 20 dogs at a time rush him, bark and eventually take chase as he continues his run. The maximum number of dogs allowed with a licensed commercial dog walker is six, with at least three leashed. Unfortunately, some walkers exceed the limit and add insult to injury by packing up with other commercial walkers. With that many pooches to watch, it’s inevitable that poop is left to litter the trail. Certainly the walkers are in the dog house, but we also blame the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which fails to enforce its own rules. Ruff.

By Nikki Silverstein

Hero: A whopping 28 percent of Marin’s homeless are young men and women aged 18 to 25. Though they have many needs, the top three services that they request help with are housing, jobs and dental work. The nonprofit group Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity has assisted with housing and employment for the past 13 years, but there are no dentists on their staff. A team of local dentists came to the rescue last month by launching the Bay Area’s first free, ongoing dental clinic for this underserved population. Housed at SMA Dental in Corte Madera, the clinic has already delivered $40,000 in services at no charge. Big smiles for the generous dentists, Drs. Claudiu Marin, Laleh Sotoodeh, Richard Schmotter and Alex Schmotter, and oral surgeon Alex Kashef, MD, DDS.

Zero: Oy. Enough already with NIMBY Marinites and the Marin County Board of Supervisors that kowtows to them. Last week, the board upheld a decision by the county administrator and denied the appeals of seven vendors who wanted to open medical cannabis dispensaries. We guess they forgot about Proposition 215, passed in 1996, which gives Californians the right to obtain and use pot for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a physician. How do our ill residents do that without a nearby dispensary? Apparently, that medicinal need is secondary to the wishes of Marin homeowners who don’t want dispensaries in their town. The supervisors said they’ll consider alternatives. We certainly hope that consideration takes into account the needs of the sick folks in our community.