Dispatch: Week of May 1
Community meeting for Flamingo Heights development, plus N. Indian Canyon reopens
Rabbit rabbit, from California’s high desert. Welcome to May.
In case you missed it: It was a bit windy this weekend, which inspired me to write about what remains one of the most hated, but most ubiquitous, weather phenomenon across the planet. You can read my piece here.
Onto this week’s news:
In local news:
North Indian Canyon Drive will reopen on Friday. It has been closed to make repairs from the damage incurred last August during Hurricane Hilary.
The Flamingo Heights Community Association is asking for folks to show up and speak out about a proposed development project slated for the lot directly next to La Copine on Route 247. The hearing will be held on Saturday, May 4, at 3 p.m. at 55977 Perris Street in Yucca Valley.
Are you subscribed to The Desert Advocacy Media Network — the publisher of the 90 Miles from Needles Podcast — yet? No? How about you just go ahead and fix that when you finish reading.
The Morongo Basin Historical Society is hosting an educational event on May 4 at 11 a.m. with local legend Danielle Wall focusing on the importance of relocation and respect for the area’s snake population. You can RSVP to attend the event here.
The Town of Yucca Valley is seeking input from residents about the future of town initiatives, including affordability and safety. You can fill out the survey here.
Musicians Post Malone and Morgan Wallen were spotted filming a music video around town last weekend ahead of their appearances at the country music festival Stagecoach in the low desert.
Speaking of big names performing in the desert, here is a video of part of Slipknot’s performance at Pappy + Harriett’s last week, for the many of us that were unable to attend.
The Town of Yucca Valley is relocating its welcome sign to the intersection of Twentynine Palms Highway and Camino Del Cielo, citing safety and privacy concerns with the sign’s current location.
The 29 Palms Art Gallery is hosting a free reception on Saturday, May 4, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. in celebration of its May exhibition, “Mohave Metal and Fiber.”
State Route 18 is down to one lane following closures through the end of this week. Folks driving to or from Big Bear are warned to expect delays during travel.
Ben Glaser was named Southern Region School Bus Driver of the Year by California Highway Patrol thanks to his actions after a traffic collision involving his full bus and another driver in 2023.
Pioneer Bowl will be open for bowling on Saturday, May 4, starting at 4 p.m. Lane reservations are encouraged and include a $10 reservation fee to hold your spot for groups of up to six people. You can reserve a lane here.
In state news:
The state’s population increased for the first time since 2019, per a recent state estimate. Southern California counties drove a large portion of the increase.
Tesla chargers are now open to all electric vehicles, Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week. The news was overshadowed, however, by Elon Musk’s decision to lay off the majority of its team in charge of Superchargers.
The state legislature is considering a bill that would allow the attorney general to block hedge funds and private equity firms from acquiring health care businesses in the state, which the bill’s sponsors say lead to increased costs for patients while lowering the standard of care.
In other news:
The Biden Administration is reportedly considering changing the federal classification for marijuana, which would make it possibly easier to obtain in states where it is legal and where medical marijuana is allowed.
It would move from a Schedule I drug — the most severe classification, which includes drugs like heroin — to a Schedule III — a lesser classification that includes tylenol with codeine, ketamine, and testosterone.
Musician Billie Eilish is touring later this year, including three nights in Los Angeles. Tickets for the tour go on sale May 3.
Some iPhones experienced a glitch on Tuesday morning that rendered many alarms useless. Now that’s a good excuse to be late, if you ask me!
Pupdate of the week: Alice has decided that she doesn’t want to cooperate around her bedtime bathroom break, and resorts to waking up the entire neighborhood with her antics. Here’s hoping she gets over this phase soon.
Trail tip of the week: Snacks! We love them, we hoard them, we need them now that temps are soaring and the sweat is coming. Salty snacks are best to help replenish all the salt you lose in sweat — I love snacking on salmon jerky and string cheese while I’m out and about. On the flip (sugary) side, I can never pass up a good Rice Krispie treat or gummy worms for a little energy boost. It’s about balance!
Read of the week: On what is, unfortunately, a newly relevant topic, Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson looks at the politics surrounding adoption over the last two decades. The book is built on Sisson’s ground-breaking research that follows mothers that have relinquished children and the circumstances that led to their decisions. It is a first-of-its-kind look at how policy has enabled adoption, who adoption ultimately benefits, and what its future could look like in the U.S.
Watch of the week: I watched one of my favorite movies of all time this past weekend, an all-time classic that I now have on DVD. The Shawshank Redemption, if you haven’t seen it, follows the case of a man convicted of killing his wife and his wife’s lover and sentenced to jail time at Shawshank Prison in 1947. The movie unfolds over years, then decades, while he is in prison, and is ironically one of the more “feel-good” movies I enjoy. A woman I worked with many years ago spent hours explaining how it was her favorite movie, her everyday movie, and I’ve never been the same since.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a fabulous weekend that’s largely spent outside.
- Megan