Dispatch: Week of September 6
Coachella Valley Assistance Center opens, plus Joshua Tree's tourist boost
Hello from California’s high desert, and welcome to September.
Onto this week’s news:
In local news:
The Local Assistance Center is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting today through Friday, September 8, at the Cathedral City Library Community Room to help residents impacted by Hurricane Hilary.
Staff members from the city’s storm response and recovery efforts will be available to meet with residents from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Study Room at the library to address concerns and questions and provide resources from local and state levels.
The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve remains closed after Friday’s storm unleashed more flooding that damaged the area still cleaning up after Hurricane Hilary.
You can donate to the Preserve’s clean-up efforts here.
The Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo is accepting artwork for its 11th annual art show through September 15.
Interested artists can enter up to 3 pieces with the $35 submission fee.
A new National Park Service study estimates that park visitors spent roughly $171 million at local businesses last year, enough to support roughly 2,000 jobs.
Speaking of the National Park, Joshua Tree National Park is seeking volunteers for a road clean-up effort on Public Lands Day, September 23.
You can sign up here if you’re interested in volunteering.
Dove hunting season is in full swing and runs until September 15. Z107.7 has more information on the season’s rules and locations here.
The Morongo Basin Healthcare District and the City of Twentynine Palms is seeking vendors for their joint health fair on Saturday, October 14, at Freedom Plaza in Twentynine Palms.
There is no fee for vendors, though interested groups must be healthcare-related. You can apply to be a vendor here. Applications close September 29.
Joshua Tree National Park is hosting a virtual museum exhibit featuring people and communities of the desert.
Anyone can access the exhibit remotely for free here.
Gene Autry reopened Tuesday following a closure related to a fatal accident during last week’s dust storm. Indian Canyon remains closed.
It is officially fall! La Copine is back open after summer break and the menu looks as incredible as ever.
We also have a new spot in Yucca Valley called Snakebite Roadhouse in the old Route 62 Diner location. The beer selection is almost as excellent as the food!
In state news:
Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley have joined the ACC collegiate athletic conference after the PAC-12 conference fell apart. Both schools will join the ACC in 2024.
A group of Silicon Valley billionaires bought a town in Solano County for $800 million. Their stated goal is to create a “self-sufficient, utopian” city that prioritizes climate change. Voters and city officials have yet to vote on the proposal.
The California DMV is now offering a “digital driver’s license” to the first 1.5 million people that sign up for the organization’s app.
The digital license can be used for TSA at some airports and in select retail locations in Sacramento while the state evaluates the technology.
In other news:
Burning Man attendees are starting a long journey home after being trapped at the Nevada festival for several days due to flooding.
The festival instituted a shelter-in-place warning on Friday and cancelled organized events, warning attendees to conserve food and water until they could safely leave.
One person was confirmed dead, and officials are still investigating the incident.
Joe Jonas has reportedly filed for divorce from wife Sophie Turner. The musician married Turner, who is best known for her role in Game of Thrones, 4 years ago and the couple has two young daughters.
Singer and margarita lover Jimmy Buffet died Friday after a battle with Merkel cell skin cancer. He was 76 years old.
The Margaritaville Resort in Palm Springs flew flags at half-staff this weekend in honor of the legendary figure.
Runner Courtney Dauwalter won the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, a 106-mile race across the Alps, completing her quest to become the first person to win the Triple Crown of Ultra-Trails this season.
Dauwalter also won the Western States 100 and the Hardrock 100 earlier this year. She is the only person, not just woman, to sweep all three races.
Pupdate of the week: Oliver is back to his morning walk routine now that the temperatures have dropped enough for that to be a pleasant experience for everyone. Alice is also doubling her morning playtime, so everyone is coming out of this a winner.
Trail tip of the week: Even though the weather has cooled a little bit, the sun is still quite strong and you will indeed need to reapply sunscreen multiple times if you are out and about for a while. This tip courtesy of my sunburn from this weekend.
Read of the week: The last several years have produced some great reporting about wildfires in California, and California Burning by Katherine Blunt is no exception. Her well-reported look focuses entirely on Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility company that serves a majority of Central and Northern California. Blunt’s reporting found that the century-old company favored budget cuts and investor returns over safety, passing along costs of their settlements to customers in a bid to keep investors happy. It’s supposedly required reading for PG&E staff, and I can definitely see why.
Watch of the week: Thank you to the eagle-eyed readers that spotted my omission in this area last week! I have admittedly been away from screens the last few weeks due to travel. Combined with the ongoing strikes and I’m just finding it more and more difficult to turn on the television. That said, we’re about to embark on a great time of year for sports. The MLB playoffs are a few weeks out, the NFL and college football both kick off shortly, and NHL games are around the corner.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy some time outside in this lovely weather.
- Megan