Dispatch: Week of July 27
COVID hospitalizations surge again, Well 14 comes back online, and housing sales fall county-wide
Hello from California’s high desert where we got some very welcome rain earlier this week. Less welcome is the humidity, which I am very much waiting to disappear.
The Dispatch was off last week for a very exciting reason — I hiked Mt. Whitney! It was a grueling 18-hour day, but the views were stunning and we had near-perfect conditions. I haven’t been emotional on a hike in a while, but this one really got me.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
Riverside and San Bernardino counties have reached "high" transmission levels of COVID-19, but neither county has indicated its intent to bring back mask requirements indoors.
San Bernardino County hospitalizations rose to nearly 300 last week, the highest level since February.
In Riverside County, that number was closer to 240.
Meanwhile, San Bernardino County confirmed its first case of monkeypox this week.
Riverside County has three confirmed cases and 10 probable cases, county officials said.
Riverside County has enough doses of the monkeypox vaccine for roughly 500 people, but has been slow to make doses available.
The Joshua Basin Water District has activated Well 14, its largest water-producing well, for the first time since 2017.
It was undergoing repairs to the tune of $1.5 million while it was off-line. It is the primary water source in Joshua Tree.
The city of Twentynine Palms is now accepting submissions for its annual Pioneer Days button design contest.
All artwork must fit on a three-inch diameter button and incorporate the theme of “Let Freedom Ring!” The annual festival runs October 13 through 16, and the deadline for submissions is August 12.
You can send submissions to sclinkscales@29palms.org.
Housing sales are cooling county-wide from a peak last year, though payments are up in the same time frame.
One-fifth fewer San Bernardino County homes sold in June compared to 2021, and house payments soared 53%.
In state news:
The Oak Fire near Midpines was roughly 26% contained as of Tuesday evening, officials reported.
The wildfire is burning near Yosemite National Park and has burned more than 55 structures over more than 18,000 acres since it began over the weekend.
Smoke has been drifting into the basin from this fire throughout the week.
COVID cases are surging statewide and some counties, including Los Angeles County, have opted to reinstate mask requirements indoors.
In other news:
Klondike’s Choco Tacos are officially discontinued.
Instagram is rolling out some changes to its mobile app, and people are not happy about it.
Pupdate of the week: The dogs are loving the cooler temps in the mornings and it is getting harder and harder to convince them to come back inside, which is really not a fun game to play at 5 a.m.
Trail tip of the week: Now that it’s monsoon season, be sure to start and end all your hikes on the early side if you are gaining any kind of elevation. Thunderstorms and lightning often develop in the afternoons and can come on quick, so be sure to head to lower ground after 12 p.m. most days.
Show of the week: I finally started Abbott Elementary, a Parks and Recreation-style sitcom on ABC. It follows a group of teachers in a Philadelphia public school through some low-stakes drama with fantastic writing and a talented ensemble. You can watch it on ABC or stream on Hulu.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great weekend and have a chance to get outside.
- Megan