Dispatch: Week of September 4

Telecomms tower project community meeting tomorrow, plus jury duty bonus

Hello from California’s high desert, and welcome to September. I hope you had a lovely Labor Day weekend, but those of us on the West Coast know summer is only just getting started.

In case you missed it: I thought I was being overly social by loading up my 2024 calendar with trips to visit friends, but instead I settled into an increasingly heavy loneliness. I wrote about why that is, and what I’m trying to do about it, in last week’s essay.

And now, onto this week’s news:

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In local news:

• The Bureau of Land Management is hosting a meeting this Thursday, September 5, in Covington Park’s multipurpose room to discuss residents’ concerns over a proposed telecommunications tower construction project currently proposed for Morongo Valley. The project is currently within the 30-day public comment period.

• A group of Morongo Basin residents are heading to Boron this Saturday, September 7, to protest a proposed solar energy farm that will destroy thousands of Joshua trees and affect the nearby desert ecosystem. If you’re interested in joining the protest, reach out to Casey Kiernan at (480) 282-0408 or info@joshuatreeonfilm.com.

• You might want to think twice about trying to get out of jury duty. San Bernardino County was selected to participate in a statewide trial program that increases juror daily pay from $15 to $100. The pay bump went into effect this week.

• The Town of Yucca Valley is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Aquatics and Recreation Center — also known as ARC — at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 11, on Little League Drive in Yucca Valley.

• Yucca Valley’s annual “Holiday Craft Faire” is set for December 7, and organizers are currently seeking interested vendors. Tables are $25 per vendor, and can be reserved in person at the Yucca Valley Community Center or via phone at (760) 369-7211.

• The Los Angeles Times has a lovely profile on the Joshua Tree National Park Preventative Search and Rescue team, and all they do to protect visitors and locals during the summer months.

• Highway 62 Studio Art Tours kick off in about a month! The Basin-wide art show starts on October 5 and runs for the first three weekends of the month. The catalogue of participating artists, map, and other information is now available here.

• San Bernardino County Firefighters are hosting a pancake breakfast fundraiser for Unity Home, a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic abuse, during Pioneer Days this year. The breakfast will run from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 19, at Station 44 in Twentynine Palms.

• A county clerical error is to blame for the removal of one Twentynine Palms Town Council candidate from this November’s election. Officials are expecting legal challenges to potentially reinstate the candidates across the county who were affected by the error.

In state news:

• Sorry folks, but there’s nowhere to really escape this week’s heat wave, which is enveloping most of the state and our neighbors.

• Residents in Ranchos Palos Verdes are watching in horror as their homes slowly slide into the ocean. Utilities are shut off, and many residents have been forced to evacuate.

• State officials are sounding the alarm over a rapid rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases timed with the beginning of the school year in most parts of the state. Officials expect this current surge to only get worse before it abates.

In other news:

• The updated COVID-19 and annual flu boosters are now available for little to no cost. You can make an appointment to receive your boosters at all participating local pharmacies.

• Vice President Kamala Harris is set to debate former President Donald Trump live on ABC next Tuesday, September 10, at 6 p.m. PT.

• This year’s highly anticipated NFL season kicks off this Thursday, September 5, with the championship Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Baltimore Ravens at 5:20 p.m. PT.

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I aspire to achieve this level of unbothered.

Pupdate of the week: It only took several years, but I finally wrote a true introduction for Oliver, my spiteful little soul dog who I have happily shared the last decade with. You can read his full piece here.

Trail tip of the week: Summer isn’t quite over here in the desert, but soon the tarantulas will be out and officially mark the beginning of fall. Be sure to watch your step, bike tires, and furry friends’ toes during tarantula mating season — the spiders are not aggressive, and tend to become trail-side road kill quite easily during their busier months.

Read of the week: I’m not usually a big fan of celebrity memoirs, but I have to say that I did thoroughly enjoy Peloton instructor and ultramarathoner Susie Chan’s memoir Trails and Tribulations immensely. Chan is a late-in-life runner who opted for the biggest races around as her training ground as she navigates divorce, remarriage, raising her daughter, and a cancer diagnosis. It was told perfectly in Chan’s voice, and the vividness of her ultramarathon experiences only pales in comparison to her wit and humor. Even if running isn’t your thing, Chan has a little something for everyone.

Watch of the week: Nothing on ABC, ESPN, or any other Disney channels, I guess! I have DirecTV, which is currently in a dispute with Disney over a new contract that resulted in all Disney-affiliated channels coming off the air for DirecTV subscribers. The channels all went dark this weekend, minutes ahead of a heavily anticipated college football game and in the middle of the U.S. Open, and one week before the start of the NFL season.

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That’s it for this week! I hope you safely weather our latest heat wave and are still able to get a few moments outside.

- Megan