Dispatch: Week of April 6
El Dorado Fire closure lifts, Coachella is coming, and a real-life Schitt's Creek
Hello from California’s high desert. This week’s weather will remain warm and breezy, but we’ll be back to normal by early next week. If you haven’t made a trip out to see some wildflowers yet, I highly recommend it.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In COVID-19 news:
The good news — COVID-19 hospitalizations are at an all-time low across the country.
The less good news — cases are ticking back up in major cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York) across the country.
Cities tend to see earlier peaks than other parts of the country, but are often a good indicator of what to expect in the next few weeks.
The San Bernardino County testing site in Joshua Tree is operating on reduced hours. The center is open from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. Appointments are still heavily encouraged.
The site provides PCR tests with results in less than 3 days. You can also order rapid tests for pick up from the site.
In local news:
The Swordfish Pub will host its last round of Trivia next Wednesday (April 13) before moving on to “other waters.” Trivia starts at 6:30 p.m.
The Pub was in the back of the Sportman’s Club in Joshua Tree, which Z107.7 reported was sold to outside investors last year. Escrow on the property was expected to close in May of this year.
The El Dorado Fire closure on and around San Bernardino Mountain has ended. Trails, picnic areas, and some campgrounds are now accessible.
Hikers and picnic-ers are advised to use caution when walking around any burn areas as there is still some rockfall and treefall risk. Much of the areas signage was burned as well so visitors are asked to bring a physical map or location device when they are out.
Yucca Valley saw a 16% increase in tax revenue in the second half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
It is unclear whether the jump is due to increased tourism, new residents, or the lack thereof in 2020. However, the increases were more than the town expected.
Coachella starts on April 15. Consider this your forewarning.
The festival in Indio runs for two weekends and is its first show since cancelling in early 2020, so things might get a little crowded and rowdy across the desert.
Here is the full list of closures and delays for next weekend.
Joshua Tree National Park has found no significant impact for its plans to construct a new West Entrance station near Joshua Tree, meaning the project can move forward.
The new fee station will be further inside the park and have more booths in a bid to reduce congestion on Quail Springs.
Next up, the park will begin accepting bids for the project, which they plan to start in late summer or early fall.
In state news:
Authorities have arrested two individuals in connection with a mass shooting in Sacramento over the weekend that killed 6 and injured 15.
Parts of the state are under Red Flag Warnings this week due to high winds, low humidity, and high temperatures.
It is unusual for Red Flag Warnings to crop up this early in the year.
Relatedly, state water conservation levels are looking grim.
There’s a real-life Schitt’s Creek on the Central Coast. Harmony (population: 18) is 100 miles south of Monterey on Highway 1 and was purchased by a businessman back in 2014.
I assume they don’t have a Rose Apothecary, but the Harmony Valley Creamery looks right up my alley.
In other news:
The White House today extended the student loan repayment freeze until August.
The freeze was originally scheduled to end in May.
The ship that was stuck in the Chesapeake Bay? Yep, it’s still stuck, and it’s charging the companies with cargo on board to help get it un-stuck.
It was a weird week for Twitter. Elon Musk purchased a large stake in the company, then he took a board seat at the company, and then its team announced it was testing the much awaited Edit button for Tweets.
The Kansas Jayhawks beat the North Carolina Tarheels in a nail-biter of a NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday.
Editor’s note: Go Heels!
Pupdate of the week: We turned the ceiling fan on for this first time this year and Alice was transfixed. She must have blocked last summer out entirely, so we’ll see how this goes. Oliver has been in heaven sunbathing in the backyard.
Trail tip of the week: It’s been warmer than average so this is my annual reminder to look before you step! The snakes and other critters are out and often use trails and rocks for sunbathing, so pay careful attention to your footwork while out hiking or working in the yard.
Book of the week: Under the Banner of Heaven is a Jon Krakauer true crime story that is being made into a TV series on FX and Hulu. It was first published in 2003 and followed a double murder investigation into two brothers that followed a fundamentalist version of Mormonism. It’s been on my to-read list for months and I am finally moving it up so I can finish it before watching the show.
Show of the week: Severance on Apple TV has been one of the weirdest shows I’ve seen in a while but somehow, it pulls it off. It follows a group of coworkers that have had their memory altered so their “work selves” are entirely separated from their “outside selves” with no memory of either once they arrive at or depart their office. The season finale is this Friday, so you still have time to catch up.
That’s it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend and get a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather outside.
- Megan