Dispatch: Week of May 22
Joshua Tree's Zillow Gone Wild debut, plus Yucca Valley road closures
Hello from California’s high desert, and welcome back! I hope you didn’t miss The Dispatch too much while I was away.
In case you missed it: While I was away, I realized I wasn’t compulsively taking pictures throughout the trip, something I used to do but has faded significantly over the past year or so. So, naturally, I wrote about why I think that is for last week’s essay. You can read it here.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the area earlier this week as part of a campaign to increase the size of Joshua Tree National Park and formally establish the Chuckwalla National Monument in the low desert.
HGTV’s new show Zillow Gone Wild, based on the internet-famous account that chronicles strange homes for sale, features not one but TWO Joshua Tree properties: The Rainbow House and the Bonita Domes.
California Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler introduced legislation that would rename the Joshua Tree Visitors Center in Cottonwood after the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Tickets are still available for Joshua Tree National Park Association’s annual fundraiser, Beneath the Desert Sky. The concert begins at 5 p.m. on June 1, and tickets start at $68. You can purchase them here.
Joshua Tree National Park is seeking volunteers for two upcoming positions. First is a position to help with graffiti removal in the popular Hall of Horrors hiking area for National Trails Day on June 1. The other is an ongoing position to analyze visitor data, and can be completed as an internship.
The Town of Yucca Valley’s Grubstake Days kicks off this Friday, May 24, with its annual golf tournament and mixer. Other highlights for the weekend include the 5k race on Sunday, May 26, and a parade on Saturday, May 25. The full schedule of events can be found here.
Joshua Cobb was removed from his Marines service after threatening to carry out a mass shooting in online posts dating back to 2022. Cobb is now in federal custody following his removal.
Road maintenance season has arrived in the Basin! Z107.7 has a handy list of this week’s closures and maintenance schedule in Yucca Valley.
The multi-sport court at Luckie Park officially opened to residents on Monday, May 20. The court includes configurations for both tennis and pickleball, and is first come, first served.
A Twentynine Palms man received a live rattlesnake in the mail. Federal officials have yet to identify the sender but are investigating the incident.
In state news:
A new state bill that would require new cars sold in the state to beep at drivers going 10 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit (similar to the alert that goes off when seat belts are not properly secured) passed its first vote on Tuesday.
Because California represents the nation’s largest automotive market, federal officials are paying attention and many car manufacturers would likely implement the safety devices in all vehicles in order to comply.
The California Supreme Court is hearing challenges to Proposition 22, a voter-passed and heavily funded proposition that reclassified gig workers as independent contractors, though it looks unlikely to overturn the rule.
The median price for a home in California has reached $900,000, an all-time high.
In other news:
Scarlett Johansson is publicly fighting with Silicon Valley company OpenAI, which debuted a new version of its ChatGPT software that uses Johansson’s voice. The actress says she never granted the company permission to use her voice or likeness, though they asked to do so multiple times.
The Fall Guy, a fun non-blockbuster, non-superhero or Marvel movie, is now streaming just two weeks after its theatrical debut. You can rent or purchase the movie on a variety of streaming services today.
Pupdate of the week: Oliver did very well with his surgery last week, though he is absolutely livid about being in a cone. He is healing up well and will be back to causing mayhem in no time.
Trail tip of the week: I discovered several, very lost hikers during my trip last week, which is a great reminder to always download an offline version of the map you need while out and about. In last week’s case, the trail was flooded and/or covered in snow, making it hard to follow without consulting a map for navigation. You can always purchase paper or non-rip maps, or I tend to use AllTrails offline version, even with all its imperfections.
Read of the week: This month’s book club book was up my alley. The Sun is a Compass by Caroline Van Hemert follows her journey from northern Washington to the far northwestern corner of Alaska, all under her own power through a combination of canoes, snowshoes, skis, and hiking boots. She takes the journey following her dad’s medical diagnosis and a feeling of static in her academic career studying birds, with the goal of trying to figure out what she wants to do next. It’s an interesting read, full of wanderlust and animal biology. Though, I’ve heard the audiobook is not the greatest.
Watch of the week: HBO Max’s hit comedy Hacks is back with a new season after what feels like a very long HBO drought due to last year’s strikes. The show follows an older comedian who is paired with a young, up-and-coming comedy writer in what feels a bit cliché but in practice is fresh, fun, and hilarious. Both leads are incredibly well-acted, and if you haven’t seen the first season yet, I can tell you that the backroad to Vegas does indeed make an appearance.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend with plenty of chances to get outside.
- Megan