Five Things You Need to Know: Feb. 7

1.    The place to be Saturday night in Malibu was . About 150 people (I'm terrible with crowd estimates, so don’t get mad at me if I am off on that one … Suzanne Guldimann from the assured me it was more than 100) gathered at the restaurant for a fundraiser of the opponents to the Malibu Lagoon project. The project to restore/destroy (opinions vary) 14 acres of the Malibu Lagoon has received all the necessary state approvals. It is expected to get going in June, but a lawsuit has been filed by those who do not think the project is as environmentally friendly as others do. Judging from the crowd at Coogie's, there is a substantial amount of people in the opponents’ corner, or at least there are many people interested in hearing from the opposition (and/or getting free food at Coogie's).

2.    The term "breaking news" appears to be one that is used loosely by some in Malibu. So just in case you were confused by seeing the "breaking news" tag given to stories that appeared in the local media late last week containing information you thought you had already seen on Malibu Patch and media throughout the world, I assure you that you are not crazy. For your personal review, please find the non-breaking news stories from several days ago that are still relevant today:

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3.    The Los Angeles Times has reported that a 4,000-square foot Malibu Colony home will be up for auction Sunday. The opening bid will be $3.7 million for a home once listed for $8.4 million. The newspaper reported that this is believed to be the first auction for a Malibu Colony home.

4.    Next school year will begin earlier than usual, and the school year for 2012-13 will start even earlier. The Board of Education approved the new schedule at its meeting Thursday at . For more on the schedule, and the reasoning behind it, go .

5.    It should be a sunny day with a calm wind, according to the National Weather Service. The high is expected to be near 72. At night, "increasing clouds" are expected, with a low near 51. Patchy fog should appear after 4 a.m.