Dispatch: Week of November 27
Happy Thanksgiving
Hello from California’s high desert. Happy Thanksgiving Eve.
In case you missed it: Just in time for the holiday season, I’ve been thinking a lot about the culture of entitlement so many folks feel as customers, and how that sense of entitlement has spread far beyond the stores they frequent. You can read last week’s essay here.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
Beloved local institution Sky Village Swap Meet is closing due to legal action for infractions at the site that leaves it out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The final day of sales will be on Sunday, December 1. Vendors have not currently made public plans to reopen in another location.
Christy Holstege officially conceded the race for Assembly District 47 to Republican Greg Wallis, the incumbent. Holstege was down about 5,000 votes prior to her concession.
Morongo Unified School District is holding a winter clothing drive until December 19 in partnership with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
MUSD is seeking donations of the following items in any size in new or gently use condition: jackets, coats, sweaters, hoodies, gloves, hats, scarves, and socks. The full list of drop-off locations can be found here.
Blight Sites organizer Kaz Newman is hosting a clean-up event at the Johnson Valley Painted Rock Restoration area on Saturday, November 30, at 10:30 a.m. Check-in will be at the intersection of Old Woman Springs (CA-247) and Ghost Road.
CalTrans will halt work on the Twentynine Palms Highway construction project east of Twentynine Palms starting Wednesday, November 27, and running through Monday, December 2. Work will resume after the holiday break and include intermittent closures and single-lane signaling.
The 29 Palms Art Gallery’s Holiday Market will be held on Saturday, November 30, from 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Admission to the market is free, and the market will feature local artists and crafters.
Joshua Tree National Park is closing two popular trails for the winter to accommodate construction projects. The Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Walk will be closed from December until March, and the 49 Palms Oasis Trail will be closed Monday through Thursday each week through March for ongoing trail maintenance.
In state news:
Governor Gavin Newsom has indicated that the state will step in to provide consumer tax credits for electric vehicle purchases within certain guidelines should the incoming Trump Administration curtail existing federal incentives.
Officials found raw milk contaminated with bird flu and have issued a voluntary recall for products distributed by Raw Farm. Products will now be regularly tested to prevent further contamination, officials said.
The finding comes after the state reported a human case of bird flu in a young child that did not have any known exposure to infected animals, indicating a human-to-human infection.
Pupdate of the week: Ella, our favorite Seattle-based chiweenie, is in town for the holiday, and is a wonderful addition to our little pack. Alice is a little unsure about having a dog that small around, but she loves her just the same.
Trail tip of the week: The wind has arrived in the Morongo Basin! When planning a hike, take care to check how exposed the trail is to try to blunt the wind’s affect as much as possible. Hikes in canyons or near large boulders typically help shield hikers from the worst of it, while hikes to high points or across flat expanses tend to get the worst of it.
Read of the week: I’m taking it easy this week and focusing mainly on working through new and old favorites out of my cookbook collection. I am a big fan of Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings collection, but I also find myself turning to Old World Italian, Bitter Honey, Six Seasons, and Jubilee often.
Watch of the week: This will be short and sweet. Go see Wicked. See it once, see it again, and then tell everyone you know to go see it. It is a delight of a movie musical, the entire cast is exceptionally talented, and I am already excited for Part Two. It is currently playing at Paradigm Cinema in Yucca Valley.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a lovely holiday and spend more time outside than in front of a computer this weekend.
- Megan
Cheering for household fave Six Seasons :D