Robbery, flood concerns highlight headlines

• Winter returned with a vengeance this week. Commuters faced wet roads and strong winds early in the week, leading to a number of fender-benders in Marin and Sonoma counties. There were no reports of power outages or serious damage due to the winter storm.

The storm also left snow on top of Mt. Tamalpais, much to the delight and surprise of Marin residents.

Another storm system is expected to hit Monday, raising concerns of possible flooding.

• The Marin Municipal Water District has a lot to consider now. The district held a public forum Wednesday during which it discussed a possible 4 percent rate increase for customers. The idea of higher rates didn't sit well with many people in the packed board room, which made for some lively exchanges. The district's finances and strategies were also covered in the forum.

The MMWD Watershed Committee met Thursday to hear details of a plan to turn Phoenix Lake into a flood detention basin. The county's Flood Control Board is hoping to get the water district to agree to the plans before the deadline to send in an application for a $20 million state grant.

• A suspect walked away with an undisclosed amount of cash during a robbery at Bank of America's branch in the Bon Air Center on Friday. The suspect, who did not reveal any weapons, is described as a light-skinned African-American male, age 30-35, medium build.

The suspect walked up to a teller and demanded the money, then left after he had the cash. The same branch was the victim of an armed robbery by three suspects in September.

• Redwood High School's boys and girls basketball teams were bounced from the Marin County Athletic League playoffs Tuesday. Redwoods boys lost a nail-biter on their home court to rival San Rafael. The girls lost on the road against Justin-Siena.
Marin Catholic's girls squad emerged with the MCAL crown after a 33-29 victory over Branson in Saturday's finals. The Marin Catholic boys lost in Friday's semifinals to Drake.

• Redwood's Dylan Morris was named the MCAL's Most Outstanding Wrestler on his way to the title at 162 pounds Saturday. Redwood will take six wrestlers to the North Coast Section tournament next weekend.