Dispatch: Week of December 18
Wing N It helps the unhoused, plus Holiday Light Tour voting opens
Hello from California’s sunny, albeit dry, high desert. Fingers crossed that we get a little moisture sent our way before the end of the year.
In case you missed it: I’ve been working with a new mantra as of late, and I wanted to pass it along for anyone feeling pulled in all directions by other people. You can read it here.
Programming note: This will be the last edition of the Dispatch for 2024! It’s hard to believe we are rounding the corner on another year, but time ticks forward, as always. The Dispatch: News will be off Wednesday, December 25, and Wednesday, January 1, returning to your inbox on Wednesday, January 8. The Dispatch: Essays will publish this coming Sunday, December 22, and will be off the following two weekends. The first edition back will be on Sunday, January 12. I hope you have a lovely holiday!
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
Wing N It is holding a free event providing showers, haircuts, and free clothing to folks in need in the Morongo Basin on Thursday, December 19, starting at 10 a.m. If you are interested in providing transportation to folks in need for the event or know someone who would benefit from the event but lacks transportation, please call Angie at (442) 354-8661.
The City of Twentynine Palms Planning Commission is now accepting applications for two empty seats. Applicants must be registered to vote in Twentynine Palms and applications must be completed and sent to City Hall by 6 p.m. on Monday, January 6.
SF Gate has a must-read feature on the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s seed bank, which holds more than six million different seeds in an effort to protect the desert and its plants against a changing climate.
Voting is now live for the best holiday light displays entered in the Twentynine Palms Holiday Light Tour. Residents and visitors alike are invited to drive around to listed homes and vote for their favorites online here.
The contest’s winners will receive a gift basket worth up to $300 from local vendors.
The developer of the proposed Ofland Development — a large glamping site planned for the Indian Cove neighborhood in Twentynine Palms — told Z107.7fm that he expects to present the development’s plan to the City of Twentynine Palms in the first half of 2025, with an opening expected some time in 2027.
Z107.7fm contacted the developer after receiving a postcard in the mail that detailed specifics about the site’s affect on the neighborhood, including temporary construction jobs and potential donations on behalf of the company to local organizations.
Lane closures and flagging operations will continue on Twentynine Palms Highway east of Twentynine Palms this week. Flagging will occur between Gopher Grove Road and Gold Crown Road during the week between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Applications are now open for The Salton Sea Leadership Program, which begins in February. The program is run by the Audubon Society of California, and features immersive field trips as well as classroom experiences for folks interested in learning more about the Salton Sea ecosystem and conservation efforts.
In state news:
San Francisco was under its first ever tornado warning over the weekend as a large storm off the coast threatened to spawn a tornado. Though the tornado did not materialize in San Francisco, the city sustained ample damage from winds.
Scotts Valley, a town in the Bay Area, did have a tornado that flipped cars, ripped out trees, and damaged homes.
Here’s a helpful round-up of all the new traffic or driving laws that will take effect in 2025. A law legalizing Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés as well as one expanding “entertainment zones” also both go into effect in 2025.
State insurers have adopted new models to help alleviate restraints or lack of availability of homeowner’s insurance in fire-prone areas of the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to H5N1 avian flu, which has been detected in wastewater throughout the state and has infected multiple farms’ cattle and poultry.
Louisiana reported the first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday, with the patient hospitalized with symptoms. The patient had known contact with poultry, officials said.
In other news:
ESPN has reportedly decided to cancel its daily half-hour show Around the Horn, with the final episodes airing next summer. Around the Horn is part of the sports network’s Happy Hour programming, and the network is weighing whether to expand its counterpart — Pardon the Interruption — to the full 60-minute slot. Both shows have been on air for over 20 years.
Beyoncé is expected to perform at half-time of the Houston Texans game that airs on Netflix on Christmas Day.
A 15-year-old female student carried out a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday. The shooting was the 83rd such event in 2024, surpassing the total number of shootings in 2023, which was a record high.
Pupdate of the week: Alice’s mystery lump is no more thanks to the wonderful folks at Companion Animal Clinic. She is not pleased about wearing the cone for the next few weeks as she heals, but Oliver is there to keep her company and commiserate.
Trail tip of the week: If you feel compelled to forego the natural sounds of the desert in favor of music, I am here to remind you that headphones exist and no one else wants to listen to your personal radio station. As a trail runner, I get it — there are times when the stillness and quiet just won’t cut it. But never have I turned to a speaker, volume maxed out, to escape the thoughts circling in my bored brain while out in nature. It is impolite, first and foremost, but it is also a massive disruption to the wildlife. So if you must tune in, be sure to keep it contained in your own ears.
Read of the week: If you write in any capacity or have ever considered writing’s role in world events, I cannot recommend Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Message more strongly. Coates’ writing is always worth reading simply for its breadth and skill, and The Message is all the best of Coates’ style with a message that is crafted for this moment in history. Coates begins the book by addressing his students, and weaves practical writing advice into the larger three-part narrative that spans his first trip to Dakar, his time in South Carolina, and ending in Palestine. If there was one book I pick above all others from this year, The Message is the winner by a landslide.
Watch of the week: I’m recommending Apple TV’s Shrinking yet again because: 1) it might be a perfect show, and 2) its second season is officially wrapped up, meaning you can binge the entirety of the show in one go if you feel so compelled. Just a quick reminder of the premise: a therapist is grappling with managing his patients as he also deals with the sudden and unexpected death of his wife along with his teenage daughter. It is a masterfully kind show where each character is worth rooting for, and they almost always exceed your own expectations. You will cry and you will laugh, and you will also get a little free therapy out of it. Enjoy.
That’s it for this year! I hope you have a lovely few weeks with lots of time outside. Thank you so much for your support of The Dispatch this year, I couldn’t have done it without you!
- Megan