Top 5 Malibu Stories: John's Garden Employee Dies, Ticks with Lyme Disease, Fatal Crash

Close out your weekend with a recap of the newsiest and most popular Malibu Patch articles from last week. Here are the five stories that topped the headlines on Malibu Patch:

• this week at the age of 63. Ridgway was best known for his kindness to others and for telling every customer as they left "you be good out there." Malibu residents left a staggering amount of comments on the story. Ben Adams wrote 'I talked to Steve every single time I went to John's Garden. 'Be good out there,' he'd say, and I'd reply, 'No promises.' 'Then be safe,' he'd say with a wink and a smile. RIP, Steve. Be good up there."

• The rich and famous are still buying up pricey real estate in Malibu. A new report from Coldwell Banker Previews International shows that Malibu is seventh on the list for the for the number of homes selling for $10 million or more.

• A woman riding on a motorcycle was killed this week in Bell Gardens in a crash with a Lexus driven by a Malibu man, who was not arrested or detained. The woman was thrown to the pavement and was then run over by a vehicle whose driver kept going. 

• Ticks in the Santa Monica Mountains tested positive for lyme disease this week. Ticks fromTapia and Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas and Paramount Ranch in nearby Agoura Hills recently tested positive for Lyme disease. Three separate pools of western black-legged ticks found along the Paramount Ranch's Coyote Trail were found to be positive.

• In a heated meeting, the Malibu City Council was undeterred in its resolve to explore a proposed land swap in the face of probable lawsuit over Brown Act allegations by the Malibu Township Council. By voting to "cure and correct" the land swap vote from Jan. 14, council members hoped to avoid a lawsuit from the Malibu Township Council over allegations that three council members violated the Brown Act in early discussions over the swap. An MTC lawyer said the action was empty and that the group still plans to pursue legal action. 

Don't want to miss a single story? Want to be the first to know about news in your neighborhood?

Stay connected with Malibu Patch throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for email updates and breaking news alerts.