Hello from California’s brisk high desert. Welcome to 2023, and thank you for starting another year with the Dispatch. I hope you are drying out from last week’s storms — the good news is it will stay dry and sunny here for the next week. The bad news? It’s going to also stay pretty cold.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
The 49 Palms Oasis Trail in Joshua Tree National Park is closed during the week as park officials work on an ongoing restoration project for the trail. It will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the closures.
Nathan Otto, the president of Palm Springs solar company Hot Purple Energy, is recovering after sustaining serious injuries in a motorcycle accident in the Morongo Valley wilderness. Otto is expected to make a full recovery.
Z107.7 has a great summary of STR rules and regulations for towns across the Morongo Basin heading into 2023.
Third District County Supervisor Dawn Rowe was elected chair of the San Bernardino County board of supervisors on January 10.
Shane Stueckle, the Deputy Town Manager for Yucca Valley, said Chipotle is working on revisions to its application for a location in Yucca Valley, but progress is slow, per a Z107.7 report.
The Yucca Valley Transient Occupancy Tax (Measure K) increase went into effect on January 1. The 12% tax will apply to all lodging stays, including short-term vacation rentals, hotels, and motels.
The Town of Yucca Valley Recreation Department is offering a personal self-defense class on Saturday, January 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Yucca Valley Community Center. Pre-registration is required and there is a $15 fee to attend: www.yucca-valley.org.
The sewer hookup project in Yucca Valley continues to hit delays as more homeowners in Phase 1 of the project refuse to hook-up their properties to the new system.
Twentynine Palms City Council narrowly voted to reconsider the short-term vacation rental permit for a high-end boutique hotel at 68467 Sullivan Road. This was the group’s second appeal for consideration as it contends with fierce opposition from residents.
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians have agreed to co-steward Joshua Tree National Park with the National Park Service in the first formal agreement between Joshua Tree National Park and an associated tribe. Tribal Chairman Darrell Mike and Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David A. Smith held a signing ceremony Tuesday to mark the new co-stewardship agreement.
Two hikers have died in Joshua Tree National Park since the beginning of the year, tying the fatality count for all of 2022. One hiker went into cardiac arrest on the Lost Palms Oasis Trail, and the other fell while hiking in Rattlesnake Canyon following a storm.
Superintendent David Smith is leaving his position at Joshua Tree National Park for a new opportunity managing San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The 29 Palms and Joshua Tree Rotary Clubs are hosting a community farewell celebration called “The Last Hurrah” for Smith and his family today, January 18, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Community Room of the Bell Center at Copper Mountain College.
Jane Rodgers was named interim superintendent following Smith’s announcement. Rodgers is currently Joshua Tree National Park’s Chief of Science and Resource Stewardship.
The westbound left turn lane on Twentynine Palms Highway entering Encelia Ave in Twentynine Palms is closed weekdays until February 20 due to construction work on the median.
San Bernardino County is seeking comments on 106-room resort in Wonder Valley through February 7. You can submit comments to azhar.khan@lus.sbcounty.gov.
Deputies are still looking for two people, believed to be adult men, who they believe committed a string of commercial burglaries reported in Morongo Valley through to Twentynine Palms on Thursday, January 12.
In state news:
After the wet start to the year, parks across state are preparing for an influx of spring visitors due to a likely “superbloom” event.
In more wet weather news, most of the state remains in a drought even after record rainfall so far this month. Conditions and reservoir levels have improved significantly, however.
One more! The recent storms inflicted “extensive” damage to as many as 40 counties and total repairs could reach as much as $1 billion, per a Los Angeles Times report.
In other news:
Miley Cyrus is out with a new single, “Flowers,” that is quite good and petty enough to be entertaining on its own.
We are deep into NFL Playoffs after a scary few weeks of on-field injuries. Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player that was hospitalized after collapsing on the field, is expected to attend the team’s rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Hamlin collapsed early on in the Week 16 game against the Bengals following a tackle and spent days in a Cincinnati hospital while he recovered. Sunday will mark exactly 20 days since the incident.
Mark your calendars: The Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 12. Rihanna is performing at half-time.
Pupdate of the week: I accidentally ordered an artificial bone for Alice that is for a dog at least twice her size. She loves it, though, and it is great comedic relief to watch her attempt to chew it.
Trail tip of the week: After several consecutive SAR missions, some of which ended with some lucky rescues but others that ended in unfortunate recoveries, I would implore anyone even thinking about attempting some of our snow-covered peaks to think twice. Conditions are bad — we’re talking sheets of ice, huge cornices, falling ice, and wicked wind bad — and the mountain will always be there. Anyone attempting any of those hikes (Baldy, Jacinto, Gorgonio, etc.) must have an ice axe, crampons, and helmet with knowledge and training of how to use all three for self-arrest. SAR folks are almost all unpaid volunteers and are putting themselves at risk to rescue folks that are not prepared for conditions up there, so let’s do what we can to give them a break.
Read of the week: I finally got to work through my reading list over the last few weeks so we are starting 2023 off with some fresh recommendations! First up is I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. It’s a memoir from the former child actor (she was a main character in iCarly, for those of us in that generation) about her relationship with her mother before and after she died (the spoiler is in the title so I can say that). It’s a tough read, but I think it stands out among the celebrity memoir genre for McCurdy’s solid writing and self awareness throughout.
Watch of the week: If you know anything about rock climbing, I beg you to not take HBO Max’s new series The Climb too seriously and just sit back and enjoy it. It’s a bit of a ridiculous concept — accomplished climber Chris Sharma and competitor Meagan Martin goad a set of climbers to compete for a “pro climber” title prize, with cuts of Jason Momoa climbing with Sharma throughout — but I enjoyed watching climbers work through some of their hangups while being unconditionally supported by their competitors. Like I say, a bit silly, but I’m planning to watch it through anyway.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great weekend and are able to get outside and enjoy that sunshine!
- Megan