Jef Harmatz is the co-host of Z107.7’s “Morning Show with Cody and Jef” and Z107.7’s News Director. He has worked as a journalist, cartoonist, chef, and delivery driver. He is known nationally for his writing and comics in publications like TimeOut,…

Car stolen in Yucca Valley with owner sleeping in backseat

A man jumped out of his own car after waking up in the backseat to find it was being stolen. On Wednesday (May 10) at approximately 5 a.m., County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a traffic collision involving a pedestrian. When they responded, they discovered the victim, a 39 year-old resident of Yucca Valley, had jumped out of his own car, sustaining minor injuries. The victim told Deputies that he was asleep inside of the vehicle, when the car was broken into and driven away by an…

CHP motorcycle patrols issue tickets in the triple digits yesterday in Morongo Basin

126 citations were issued across the Morongo Basin yesterday (May 10) as part a special enforcement detail was conducted in the Morongo Basin by the California Highway Patrol. The special enforcement was announced early Thursday morning, and more than 10 additional motorcycle officers from surrounding CHP offices were brought in to step up enforcement of the laws that govern our highways.  The special enforcement period lasted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., meaning an average of 21 citations were issued…

Trammell Evans – missing in Joshua Tree National Park since Saturday, May 5

Updated 5/9 @ 6:30AM The search for missing hiker Trammell Evans is ongoing, and Joshua Tree National Park and Joshua Tree Search and Rescue are asking for your help. Evans, a 25 year-old male who was last seen at Black Rock Campground on April 30, was declared “missing” on Saturday, May 5. The search now includes several agencies, including the County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Land Management, and California Highway Patrol Helicopter. These agencies have asked members of the…

“Brandon Act” mental health support approved by Dept. of Defense

The Brandon Act is a law that creates a self-initiated referral process for service members seeking a mental health evaluation and aims to reduce stigma by allowing them to seek help confidentially. The Brandon Act is named after Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta who died by suicide in 2018. The legislation was made law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. The new policy will put into place procedures to establish protocols and provide procedures for…

Supervisor Rowe Discusses “Alt” Camping Sites

On Last week's Z1077 Up Close Show, host Gary Daigneault spoke with County Board of Sueprvisors Chair Dawn Rowe about what are commonly being called "alt" camping sites. These "alt" sites feature uncoventional structures, like trailers, box trucks, tents, and bubbles, on otherwise undeveloped private land, and they are becoming more and more prevalant here in the Morongo Basin. Rowe said, "For better or worse, and folks are going to yell at me for this, it is not an…

County Votes to Cover Half of $1.1 Million Ransom After Sheriff’s Office Hacked

San Bernardino County officials said that they paid a $1.1 million dollar ransom to a hacker who took control of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's computer systems. The attack was first acknowledged by a press release the office of County Sheriff Shannon Dicus on April 9. The press release described the attack as a "network disruption" that was being investigated in conjunction with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Dawn Rowe, Chair of the County…

Free Comic Books in the Hi Desert this Saturday, May 6

Free comic books are coming to the Morongo Basin this Saturday (May 6), courtesy of a local literacy organization. Superliterate will be distributing packages of comic books completely for free at locations all over the high-desert as a means of encouraging reading among young people and adults. Anyone can visit one of five locations in five areas of the desert, Black Luck Vintage in Morongo Valley, Goat Mountain Co. in Yucca Valley, The Station in Joshua Tree, Table-Top Heroes in Twentynine…

Mojave Trails National Monument seeking public’s input for future planning

A management plan is being put together for the Mojave Trails National Monument, and the public is being asked for input. The management plan, overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, seeks to create an overarching approach to preserving and protecting the 1.6 million-acre monument that extends across San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The public is invited to contribute their ideas for what is essential to that management plan as it is being developed, and BLM is asking specifically for…

Missing Person Found Dead at Sunfair Dry Lake Bed

A man reported missing in April was found dead last week at the Sunfair Dry Lake Bed. Daniel Lindell, a 51 year-old resident of Chehalis, Washington, was reported missing by his family on April 17. He last made contact with his family on April 8, and was last seen at the Wal-Mart in Yucca Valley. Lindell was reported to have been travelling in a mortorhome, and was known to contact his family when he stopped into a town for supplies. Lindell's family reported that the missing man suffered…

“Point in Time Count” shows increase in unhoused Morongo Basin residents

Listen here: Results are in from Point In Time Count, which contacts and counts people who are experiencing homelessness. Organized on the national level by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Point in Time Count asks volunteers to make contact with and collect biographical information from unhoused people in their community on one single day in January. This year, volunteers across the nation conducted their survey on January 26, and in San Bernardino County, which is…