Dispatch: Week of June 26
Summer hours, plus hockey heartbreak
Hello from California’s high desert. It’s hot and humid out there folks, so monsoon season is officially upon us. This year, monsoon activity is forecast to be less active than average, though with a more active than usual hurricane season also predicted, we will just have to wait and see how things shake out.
In case you missed it: I’m missing one of my neighbors extra hard, so I wrote about how we met, what he brought to the neighborhood, and what’s at stake if we don’t slow down. You can read it here.
Programming note: The Dispatch will be off the next two weeks (July 3 and July 10) while I head for higher and cooler ground in the mountains. The Dispatch will be back in your inboxes on July 17.
Onto this week’s news:
In local news:
Want to look rad and also support the desert’s snake relocator extraordinaire? Friends of Danielle Wall have organized a fundraiser to help support Wall’s work this summer where the proceeds from t-shirt sales will directly benefit Wall’s donation-based snake relocation and education services.
Food for Thought Café at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center has new summer hours, a new summer menu, and day pool passes to help residents beat the heat.
The café will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., and day pool passes are available for $10 when you spend $10 at the café on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Sun of the Desert is hosting its official grand opening party on Saturday, June 29, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at its new location in Twentynine Palms.
DJ Joshr will be playing from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., and light refreshments will be provided.
Grnd Sqrl has new operating hours for summer. The gastropub will be open from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and closed on Sunday.
The owners of the puppy lost and then found days later in Joshua Tree National Park have been fined by the National Park Service for having the dog off-leash in a NPS campground. As a rule, all pets must be leashed and with owners at all times in National Parks.
Tickets for Joshua Tree National Park’s Annual Night Sky Festival on October 4 and 5 at the Sky's The Limit Observatory in Twentynine Palms go on sale Monday, July 1, at 8 a.m.
The Town of Yucca Valley is requesting public input at a meeting today, June 26, at 6 p.m. regarding the development of a sports complex in town. The meeting is located in the Yucca Room at the Yucca Valley Community Center on Dumosa Avenue.
The complex includes Brehm Park, Tri-Valley Little League, and the proposed Yucca Valley Aquatics and Recreation Center.
Interested residents can join the Zoom meeting at tinyurl.com/5ewwm4pe with meeting ID 977 5337 9899 and passcode 542412 or by phone at (669) 900-6833.
Desert Christ Park in Yucca Valley is seeking volunteers for summer work, including watering, landscape maintenance, trimming, raking, weeding, and social media.
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Roxanne Miller at 760-365-3984, go to the official Desert Christ Park website at www.desertchristpark.org, or email desertchristparkfoundation@gmail.com.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds lost 4-5 in overtime to the Hershey Bears on Monday night in the Calder Cup Championship for the second year in a row.
Federal officials are investigating residents’ claims that air quality in the Coachella Valley and surrounding areas has gotten worse over the last several years, largely due to an increase in dust storms.
In state news:
Hiker Lukas McClish, 34, was found alive after he went missing more than 10 days ago in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Palmdale is home to the largest number of residents that have to commute 90 minutes or more daily for work of any place in the country. Hesperia and Apple Valley also made the top 10 list, with most folks commuting for the more affordable locales into Los Angeles for work.
Lawmakers agreed to a state budget at the last minute this week, but the deal left some sour on promised wage guarantees and other cuts.
In other news:
The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in overtime of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night for the team’s first Stanley Cup win — sports just don’t get better than that.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made his Eras Tour debut on Sunday night at Taylor Swift’s London show, and it has been consuming almost all of my attention this week. Now, if only Swift plans to take the field this football season, I will truly be a happy camper.
It is almost Olympics season, which means now is the time to watch all the qualifying competitions for the myriad of sports represented this year.
Pupdate of the week: We’re all a little stir crazy after too many days locked inside while the sun is out, and Alice is making the most of her early morning by refusing to come inside after breakfast.
Trail tip of the week: This week’s tip comes from my own experience, and that is to make sure to alternate water with electrolyte mixes when doing any kind of activity in this heat, but especially while hiking. Drinking only water will keep you hydrated, but won’t replenish everything you lose while sweating, like salt and magnesium. Most people lose nearly 1,000mg of sodium per liter of sweat (about an hour of activity), but in hot and dry conditions that amount is even higher. Lack of electrolytes can lead to cramping and fatigue, and should be avoided if at all possible this time of year.
Read of the week: If you enjoyed Severance, the book by Ling Ma or the show on Apple TV, I am happy to recommend Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee. It is a strange, somewhat dystopian novel that follows Jonathan Abernathy, a down-on-his-luck, oblivious employee, as he tries to get his life together under a crushing amount of a debt. He takes a job that he is sure will catapult him to financial stability, though he realizes too late that the cost is too high. It’s an incredibly written novel unlike any other I have read, and I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page. It was beautiful, haunting, and real.
Watch of the week: I am once again recommending The Bear, which just had its third season premier today on Hulu and FX. The show is among the best I have ever seen (and I do not say that lightly), and follows one brother, a Michelin-trained professional chef, who takes over a restaurant from his late brother in Chicago. If you haven’t already given this show a chance, now is the time — the acting is out of this world, the writing is perfect, and the shots are works of art. It is an incredible feat and worthy of every award it will undoubtedly be nominated for.
That’s it for this week! The Dispatch will be off the next two weeks (July 3 and July 10) while I head for higher and cooler ground in the mountains. The Dispatch will be back in your inboxes on July 17. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, a great holiday, and get lots of time outside in the meantime.
- Megan