Dispatch: Week of December 6
CHP ups patrols on Old Woman Springs, plus Twentynine Palms Farmers Market expansion
Hello from California’s high desert, and welcome to December. I’m wishing anyone who celebrates a very happy Hanukkah, with plenty of light and peace, this year.
Onto this week’s news:
In local news:
California Highway Patrol is increasing patrols on CA-247 following another serious vehicle crash on Tuesday. Similar to other recent fatal and serious collisions, Tuesday’s incident involved a driver crossing over the double yellow lines to pass in a no-passing zone and hitting another car head-on.
Z107.7 has a full look at CA-247’s deadly history over the years.
The Youth Orchestra of Joshua Tree is hosting a holiday concert Friday, December 8, at the Desert Hills Presbyterian Church in Yucca Valley. The free concert begins at 7 p.m.
Yucca Valley Elementary School won The Golden Bell Award in the Family/Student/Community Engagement category for its Outdoor Classroom Project launched in 2019.
Twentynine Palms Farmers Market is expanding into Joshua Tree with two weekly markets on Wednesday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center.
It will still host its main market in Twentynine Palms on Saturday mornings.
The Joshua Tree No-Kill Shelter has started its end-of-year fundraising drive to help fund new projects and new building construction in 2024.
Donations to the campaign, supporting both current operations and the building fund, can be made online or by mail at PO BOX 1234 in Joshua Tree, 92252.
In state news:
Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is leaving Congress months after being voted out as Speaker of the House.
The Biden Administration approved $3 billion to help fund a high-speed rail project from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Imperial County is back in the news after experts uncovered larger stores of lithium than were previously expected. Lithium mining is poised to become a booming industry thanks to the mineral’s use in electric vehicle batteries and other devices.
In other news:
A reminder that it’s always a good time to check and see if you are an organ donor. You can check your status and sign up to donate at registerme.org.
McDonald’s is bringing back Snack Wraps, a popular menu item it removed roughly seven years ago. It will first have a McCrispy wrap in all locations around the world by the end of 2025.
Tesla’s new Cybertruck is more expensive, more delayed, and more dangerous than we all thought.
Pupdate of the week: Both dogs are enjoying some well-earned down time napping in the sun after a few weeks of visitors and excursions.
Trail tip of the week: Tarantulas are still out in some areas, so please slow down if you are out enjoying nature on a mountain bike or dirt bike. I recently came across several squished friends that were too slow to get out of the way, so please keep an eye out when possible.
Read of the week: You knew this was coming. Taylor Swift was named Time’s Person of the Year, and the interview is everything I wanted and more. Enjoy.
Watch of the week: I’ve been running around Orange County playing tourist with friends this week, including a stop at Warner Brothers Studios in Los Angeles one day. It inspired me to take a look through the studios’ catalogue of older movies — Casablanca, Rebel Without a Cause, Cool Hand Luke.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend with plenty of chances to get outside.
- Megan