Dispatch: Week of September 18
Smokey comes to Morongo, plus check your voter registration status
Hello from California’s high desert, where it feels delightfully like fall. Though this is Southern California, so I’m sure we will be back into the 90s for our second summer soon.
In case you missed it: Last week marked my fourth wedding anniversary, and I’ve only just started to reflect on the whole whirlwind of an experience it was to try and get married amid the pandemic and one of the worst wildfire seasons in California history. You can read it here.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In local news:
A coalition of media companies in the high desert have jointly reported that the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is actively limiting information it shares with the media as well as the public by no longer sharing daily logs of deputy activity.
As has been reported by national outlets, Sheriffs’ Departments are often the only source of information when it comes to the departments’ activities, and are inherently biased given they are reporting on themselves. Other outlets across the country — including the lowly Dispatch — have opted to do away with covering Sheriffs’ Departments’ releases verbatim due to the conflicting nature of the reports and inability to verify the information provided.
With limited resources, however, many local organizations simply do not have the reporter power to independently verify every claim, arrest, or incident the department makes, creating an information vacuum in communities that are actively policed by county sheriffs and leading to a lack of accountability for the department itself. A reminder, too, that Sheriff’s are elected positions, and as such, are public servants whose job it is to serve the entirety of their constituents.
The Bureau of Land Management has extended the public comment period regarding the communications tower project in Morongo Valley by three weeks due to vocal opposition from community members.
Public comments may be submitted through the “Participate Now” function on the BLM National NEPA Register; emailed to blm_ca_ps_morongocommunicationsite@blm.gov; or delivered to “Morongo Communication Site Project EA,” Attn: Matt Toedtli, Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, California Desert District Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive in Palm Springs, CA 92262.
Justin Halstenberg, a 34 year-old resident of Norco, was arraigned on nine counts of felony arson related to the Line Fire burning in San Bernardino County on Tuesday and has pleaded not guilty on all counts. He is expected to appear in court on Monday, September 23.
The fire’s growth has stalled significantly thanks to lowered temperatures and calm winds, and many evacuation orders in Big Bear and other mountain communities have been downgraded.
Following an appearance on the most recent season of Selling Sunset, Joshua Tree’s Invisible House has been listed as a rental. The going monthly rate is a whopping $95,000.
There’s still time to get your tickets for the 29 Queer Film Festival! The weekend-long event begins on Friday, September 20, and runs through Sunday, September 22, and feature film screenings, panel discussions, and more.
California State University, Northridge, evolutionary biology professor Jeremy Yoder curated an exhibit in Lancaster that prominently features Joshua trees and their role in the Mojave desert ecosystem. The exhibit, called “Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees,” opened on September 7 and will run through December 29.
Officials have reported a rise in scammers contacting Morongo Basin residents pretending to be a representative from SCE and demanding immediate payment while threatening residents with power disconnection.
The Morongo Valley Community Services District Board of Directors, together with the Desert Region Fire Safe, are considering installing a Smokey the Bear fire safety sign in Morongo Valley.
The Yucca Valley High School wrestling team is hosting a car wash fundraiser on Saturday, September 21, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Hi Desert Air parking lot off of Twentynine Palms Highway.
The Desert Split Open Mic reading series is hosting their annual Banned Books Week celebration on Sunday, September 22, at the Beatnik Lounge in Joshua Tree from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The event will include an open mic session as well as free books for attendees.
Copper Mountain College’s Mojave Month — a celebration of desert ecology, history, culture, music, film, and literature, kicked off last week with programming that will run through October 13.
The full schedule of events can be found here.
In state news:
Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills that sought to protect performers from having their likenesses used in AI-generated images by requiring AI generators to get permission from actors, singers, and other performers prior to using their likeness in generated images.
Mountain town residents are losing home owners’ insurance faster than many other areas of California due to the increased wildfire threat in those communities.
Speaking of mountain towns, an early fall storm is expected to drop significant snowfall at higher elevations along the Sierra Nevada this week. Yosemite National Park is closing some roads ahead of the storm as a precaution.
In other news:
HBO Max’s Hacks took home the top prize for Best Comedy at the Emmy’s on Sunday. It also took the top prize for writing, besting fan favorite The Bear.
FX’s Shōgun won award after award in the drama category, including best drama, best actor, and best actress.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percent on Wednesday in hopes that the rate cut will help the slowing labor market.
Are you registered to vote? Here’s where you can check.
Pupdate of the week: Both dogs are downright gleeful at the cooler weather. Zoomies levels are off the charts and we are back in sunbathing territory without being nervous about heat stroke. Times are good.
Trail tip of the week: Hiking in recent burn areas present a few challenges, most notably once it begins to rain. Be aware of landslides in burn scars, as well as falling trees. These risks are most dangerous right after the fire has gone through before new vegetation has a chance to grow, especially when there is rain and wind forecast. Never pitch your tent under a dead tree, and be sure to keep an eye on the forecast when out in some of these areas.
Read of the week: I am absolutely devouring — pun extremely intended — Mary Roach’s Gulp., which explores the weird, the gross, and the ultimately fascinating aspects of the human digestive system. Roach is among my favorite writers, potentially of all time, for her humorous and approachable way of writing about otherwise not very exciting topics, and Gulp. is no exception. She covers everything from why humans are attracted to crunchy foods, whether you could survive being eaten by a whale, and — this is one of my personal favorites — if it is actually possible to light gas from either end on fire. If that doesn’t intrigue you, I’m not sure what will.
Watch of the week: After several recommendations, I finally sat down to watch Kevin Can F**k Himself last week and ending up binging almost the entire series. The sitcom-turned-drama stars Annie Murphy of Schitt’s Creek as a housewife married to the kind of guy you’d typically find in a sitcom — bumbling, inconsiderate, more concerned about football than anything else. The sitcom portion of the show is the husband’s perspective, while the drama portion of the show is from Murphy’s character. It’s funny, it’s incredibly witty, and Murphy’s performance is easily her best. The only drawback is that they only made two seasons — I could’ve easily entertained several. Like so many other great shows, it was gone too soon.
That’s it for this week! I hope you enjoy the cool weather while it lasts with plenty of time outside.
- Megan