Hello from California’s high desert. We’re drying out from last week’s storms just in time to welcome 2024!
I’m not exactly a resolution person, but I do like to set an intention for the upcoming year. Resolutions always feel negative — the implication being you have something that needs fixing in the new year. Intention feels more appropriate — I can set goals or check off bucket list items as long as I am present and enjoying each one. In 2023, I selected a word as my intention, and that was “courage.” Courage to try new things, courage to take a leap of faith in my career, and courage to build community here in the desert. Looking back now, it’s almost eerie how accurate that was, and I lived a very courageous year.
I’m planning to repeat that exercise again this week to help guide my 2024. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, you can look through the online workbook here.
Editor’s note: The Dispatch will be off the month of January while I flee to summer in South America. I cannot thank this community enough for the support you’ve given me all year, and I hope you get a chance to rest and recharge before the new year. The Dispatch will be back in your inboxes on February 7.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
Furstworld is holding a shoe drive now through January 18 to collect lightly used shoes for unhoused children in the Morongo Basin.
Donations are accepted at Cliffhanger Guides, Frontier Café, The Dez, Soul Connection, Harrison House, and Sky High Pie. You can also donate directly to the drive — $25 will buy a new pair of shoes. QR codes will be posted around town starting on December 30 to donate directly.
The Yucca Valley Planning Commission approved construction of a five-unit apartment complex at 7120 Palo Alto Avenue last week. A breaking ground date has not been set.
A San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder mobile office will be stopping in Joshua Tree the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be located outside of the Bob Burke Government Center in Joshua Tree.
January 15 is the first fee-free day for Joshua Tree National Park, and all other national parks, of 2024. Here is the full list of fee-free days in 2024.
On the heels of the New York Times piece about the Morongo Basin, Twentynine Palms gets the feature treatment in the Daily Bulletin. You can read the piece here.
Mojave Threads is hosting a grand reopening party this Saturday, December 30, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at 6470 Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms.
Kitchen in the Desert is hosting a New Year’s Day Brunch on Monday, January 1, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are encouraged.
Pioneer Bowl is hosting its first Big Lebowski New Year’s Eve party on Sunday, December 31. Tickets are $125 and include drinks, dinner, a costume contest, raffle entry, midnight champagne toast, movie screening, and chance to bowl a game on the historic lanes.
In state news:
Pizza Hut is laying off more than 1,200 delivery drivers in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in 2024. The pizza chain blamed a new state law that boosts the fast-food minimum wage by $4 to $20 per hour for the cuts.
Speaking of new laws, here is a complete list of everything going into effect on January 1 in California, including fees for not showing up to a booked campsite, protections around marijuana use for employees, changes to conservatorship, and a ban on non-compete agreements.
Another storm is on its way to the California coast. Coastal areas will see rain, while the Sierra Nevada may finally get some measurable snowfall due to the colder temperatures associated with the storm. Prepare for travel delays if you’re heading out West or into the mountains later this week.
In other news:
Prime Video customers will start seeing ads on original content in January, Amazon announced on Tuesday. Video subscribers, which are currently bundled through the regular Prime membership, can pay an additional $2.99 per month for an ad-free streaming service.
Starting Jan. 1, the National Park Service will only allow one person to hold an Interagency Annual Pass in an effort to “curb abuse” of the family-style passes currently available. Annual Passes allow free entry to all NPS and other federal sites for $80, and typically pays for itself in three visits.
Pupdate of the week: Oliver is mad that we went out past his designated curfew this weekend and has been acting out ever since. The old man likes his routines. Alice had the best birthday and enjoyed her first peanut butter Kong.
Trail tip of the week: Hiking is fun! Sometimes it can seem complicated, or hard, or dangerous, but at the end of the day it’s important to remember that hiking is also very, very fun. It’s great exercise, and getting out in nature is good for everyone regardless of ability level. So consider this your reminder to take hiking a little less seriously and enjoy yourself while you’re out and about!
Read of the week: I am making an exception this week and repeating a recommendation from earlier this year because it has become a regular reference in my daily life. It might be the nerdiest thing I’ve ever read, but it was also my favorite book of the year by a mile. I’m talking about An Immense World by Ed Yong. Ed is among the best science writers, if not the best, currently out there, and his exploration of different animals’ sensory capabilities is incredibly human and touching. It gave me an entirely new perspective on the world around us, and an appreciation for the plants and animals that have thrived in ways we can’t even comprehend. If you want something that will blow your mind, this is it. Better yet, Ed is working on his third book, out in 2025, about extremes in the animal world and I am truly psyched to read it.
Watch of the week: The only acceptable musical option this week is Rent, which is both a Christmas and New Year’s movie. I will not be taking any questions, and will be having a good cry before the end of the year.
That’s it for this week, and for this year! Thank you again for another great year at the Dispatch. I hope you have plenty of opportunities to get outside and savor these last few days of 2023.
- Megan