Dispatch: Week of February 8
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Dispatch: Week of February 8
The spring Gem & Mineral Show gets cancelled and Joshua Tree Music Festival lineup is released
Hello from California’s high desert. I don’t know about you, but the birds seem to think spring is near. Let’s hope they’re right!
Onto this week’s news:
In local news:
State park officials closed some hiking areas near Lake Elsinore to protect the rare super bloom occurring across the park’s area.
Crowds often crush the flowers in pursuit of the perfect Instagram shot.
If you end up flower hunting this spring, please always remember to stay on the trails and leave no trace.
Jessica Almendarez, 48, was found safe Tuesday, two days after she was reported missing in Morongo Valley.
A 28-year-old woman from Yucaipa died from injuries she suffered in a crash late January at the off-highway vehicle area in Johnson Valley during King of the Hammers.
Milk Thistle hosted its grand opening over the weekend. The new Yucca Valley business is an herbal apothecary, gallery and workshop space, and zine library.
It is located at 56332 Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley. It is open Thursday through Monday starting at 11 a.m.
This year’s Palm Springs Modernism Week includes tours of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center on Feb. 19 and 20.
Tickets to tour the Retreat Center are $65 per person and advance registration is required at www.modernismweek.com.
The lineup for the spring Joshua Tree Music Festival — its 21st — is here.
The festival runs May 18 through May 21 at the Joshua Tree Lake RV and Campground in Joshua Tree.
The California Fish and Game Commission is meeting today and tomorrow in Sacramento to resume deliberations over the protected status of the Joshua tree.
The spring Joshua Tree Gem and Mineral Show is cancelled, but the Sportsman’s Club Organization President Wayne Hamilton confirmed he is working to secure a new location for the fall.
Hamilton said that an agreement could not be reached between the new owners of the property at 6225 Sunburst Ave in Joshua Tree, the vendors, and the Sportsman’s Club Organization.
The Joshua Basin Water District is planning stiff increases in water rates over the five years, per Z107.7.
The proposed hikes will be the subject of a public hearing and protest vote deadline set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, at the district office on Chollita Road in Joshua Tree.
In state news:
California is fighting six other states on an agreement for management of the Colorado River amid the ongoing drought.
The state is expanding mortgage relief to more California homeowners. The program now covers second mortgages and loan deferrals, with a maximum total grant of $80,000.
Winter storms have brought more snow to California’s mountains than any winter in the last 40 years.
Yes, but: a recent study found that California’s fir tree populations are dying at an alarming rate.
In other news:
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the Syria-Turkey border Monday. The death toll currently stands over 11,000, with more expected as rescue organizations continue to search for missing people.
Here is a great guide to donating or helping victims in any way you can.
Harry Styles took the top honor, Album of the Year, at the Grammy’s on Sunday over favorites Beyoncé and Lizzo.
Beyoncé cemented her status as the GOAT by winning best album in dance/electronic music for Renaissance, netting her the most Grammy’s ever won by an artist.
She also announced her Renaissance tour for this summer.
Microsoft is relaunching its search engine, Bing, with help from popular AI software ChatGPT.
LeBron James became the scoring leader in NBA history on Tuesday night with 38,388 career points. The record was previously held for 38 years by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Pupdate of the week: Alice decided she had a taste for socks last week, so we made the journey down to the emergency VCA in Indio on Thursday. The staff were incredibly kind and gracious in a stressful situation, and Alice was a staff favorite as usual. She is all healed up and back to munching on questionable items in the yard.
Trail tip of the week: It’s getting warmer in the desert, so be sure to be aware of snakes, lizards, and other reptiles while you’re out and about. Make sure to watch your step and take a look before resting your hand on any rocks.
Read of the week: Another fabulous memoir is on the menu this week. I’m late to the game, but I cannot speak highly enough of Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. The book follows Michelle, who is half Korean, as she deals with her mother’s cancer diagnosis. Stuck between her worlds, Michelle looks for ways to comfort her mother during treatment and ultimately lands on learning to cook all the Korean dishes her mother loves. It is an incredible feat of emotional story-telling, and it will completely change the way you look at kimchi regardless of whether you like it or not.
Watch of the week: After a very weird season, the NFL caps off the year with a face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at 3 p.m. At the very least, the commercials promise to be interesting and Rihanna is performing at half time.
That’s it for this week! I hope you get outside to enjoy the sunshine this weekend.
- Megan