Dispatch: Week of January 26
Yucca Valley offers free rapid at-home tests while supplies last, King of the Hammers prompts OHV closures, and today's climbing management plan public meeting
Hello from California’s high desert. It’s been a mild winter in keeping with this year’s La Niña weather pattern, but I hope we get a bit more rain before spring officially kicks off. Much of the state is no longer in the exceptional drought category, which is great news, but we still have a long way to go to get out of the drought entirely. Here’s hoping.
Thank you all for the feedback on last week’s newsletter. It appears many of you like the new format so I will keep that going forward. I am going to think through how to incorporate the essay portions in future editions as well since there were some vocal supporters for those as well. I may experiment with sending multiple newsletters in the coming weeks to see how those go, but I promise to never spam you or overwhelm your inbox. If you have a strong opinion one way or another, please let me know!
In COVID-19 news:
The town of Yucca Valley is now providing free at-home rapid test kits. Households can get a maximum of two tests and can pick the tests up from Yucca Valley Town Hall Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Tests will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
San Bernardino County is averaging 5,516 new cases per day over the last week, according to New York Times data. That is down about 16% from an average of 6,594 cases per day recorded on January 17.
Last winter, average new cases maxed out at an average of 5,541 per day throughout the county.
This count does not include positive cases detected by rapid at-home tests.
Residents have started receiving the free COVID-19 at-home rapid tests in the mail this week.
All US households are provided four free tests that are delivered via USPS. You can still submit your order here.
Planning to go to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles next month? SoFi stadium will provide all spectators with KN95 masks regardless of vaccination status to comply with LA County COVID-19 policies for large-scale events.
“Masks are required at all times to enter all of the events, to be in common areas, to purchase at concession stands and at indoor shops,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the Los Angeles Times.
The Food and Drug Administration is halting the use of some monoclonal antibody treatments because data shows they aren't effective against omicron, the agency announced Monday.
No, CBD probably won’t protect you from COVID-19 in real life.
In state news:
The Los Angeles Rams will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC championship game at 3:30 p.m.
When tickets for the game went on sale, Ticketmaster implemented a restriction to limit the number of San Francisco fans in attendance at the game in Los Angeles by only allowing those with Los Angeles-area ZIP codes to purchase tickets. The restriction was later removed.
Save the Redwoods League is returning a 523-acre property, formerly known as Andersonia West, to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, the groups announced Tuesday.
The Council has granted the League a conservation easement to permanently protect coast redwood forestland within Sinkyone Tribal territory on the Lost Coast in Mendocino County, California.
San Jose City Council overwhelmingly approved a measure to require gun owners to carry liability insurance.
It is to be the first measure of its kind in the United States.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a deal to restore up to two weeks of supplemental paid COVID-19 sick leave.
Leave would be available to those quarantining or experiencing vaccine side effects who work for a company that has more than 25 employees. The benefit previously expired on September 30.
In local news:
San Diego teacher Michael Spitz, 35, died in a climbing accident in Joshua Tree National Park on January 17.
Spitz was seriously hurt a little before 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Sentinel Rock Formation, and his body was found just before 10 a.m. Monday, according to a news release issued by the Riverside County coroner's office.
Riverside County resident Roberta Totten, 56, was air rescued from Black Rock Canyon on Sunday after she fell off a horse and suffered severe lower back trauma.
She was transported by Air Rescue 306 to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment and local residents found the horse shortly after.
The Bureau of Land Management will temporarily block access to the Johnson Valley OHV Recreation Area for the upcoming King of the Hammers off-highway vehicle race.
Registered race spectators, participants, and race officials are exempt from the closure. For more info, contact the California Desert District Office at 760-833-7100 or the Barstow Field Office at 760-252-6000.
Black Luck Vintage is open in its new building in Morongo Valley. The former Yucca Valley vintage and vinyl shop is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Its new address is 49950 Twentynine Palms Highway in Morongo Valley (the old C S Feed location).
Joshua Tree Distillery is cohosting a community meeting tonight with Friends of Joshua Tree for local climbers to discuss the proposed Climbing Management Plan in Joshua Tree National Park.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and will include pizza, beer, vodka, and whiskey. Attendees are asked to bring their own chairs.
Joshua Tree Distillery is located at 58945 Business Center Drive, Suite G, in Yucca Valley (off Yucca Trail).
Twentynine Palms City Council approved the 78,000 square-foot property sale to the Greens Group, a hotel developer and operator based in Irvine that is expected to build a Hilton in the space.
The sale was just under $439,000, Z107.7 reports.
Joshua Tree Street Market, the area’s latest Saturday outdoor market, opens this weekend. It is anchored at Joshua Tree Brewery and includes arts and crafts vendors, food, and a beer garden.
In other news:
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is planning to retire at the end of this term in June, NBC reported today.
Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh died at age 95.
The College Board, the group that administers college entrance exams, announced Tuesday that the SAT will be a two-hour long digital exam in 2024.
I’d recommend not looking at your 401(k) after this week’s wild stock market shifts. Definitely don’t look at your crypto portfolio if you have one.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged US citizens in Ukraine to "strongly consider leaving" the country as tensions over a potential Russian invasion continue to rise.
Thanks for reading! That’s it for this week, but please let me know if there are any parts of the old format you’d like to see return. I am all ears!
I hope you have a great weekend and get to enjoy the sunshine outside.
- Megan
I may be bias but I miss the updates of the pups. And also the local business posts