Friday, November 22, 2024
Jef Harmatz

Jef Harmatz

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,…

Knife-Wielding Woman Suspected of Armed Robbery, Attempting to Hijack Two Trucks in Downtown Joshua Tree

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
November 1, 2022
Knife-Wielding Woman Suspected of Armed Robbery, Attempting to Hijack Two Trucks in Downtown Joshua Tree

A knife-wielding woman is suspected of attempting to hijack two different trucks and robbing a residence in Downtown Joshua Tree on Friday morning (October 28). Just before 8 a.m, Sheriffs report that an unidentified woman attempted to open the door of a truck in the parking lot of Casteneda’s restaurant in Joshua Tree. The truck belonged to one of the restaurant’s employees, and when the employee confronted the woman, she threatened them with a 3-inch pocket knife and demanded the keys to car,…

Measure K Transit Occupancy Tax Information Sessions in Yucca Valley

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
November 1, 2022
Twentynine Palms City Council District 4 Candidate: Karmolette O’Gilvie interview

The Town of Yucca Valley is holding a series of information sessions for voters who will asked to consider Measure K on November’s ballot. If enacted, Measure K will adjust the existing Transient Occupancy Tax from 7% to 12 % and is only applied to individuals staying in hotels, motels, and short-term vacation rentals and lodging within Yucca Valley. Importantly, Yucca Valley’s Measure K is distinct from San Bernardino’s Measure K, which was voted on and approved in 2020, but is being revisited…

San Bernardino County Measure D – What You Need To Know

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 30, 2022
Twentynine Palms City Council District 4 Candidate: Karmolette O’Gilvie interview

Listen to this feature here: The controversial San Bernardino County Measure D, on which Morongo Basin residents will vote upon in November, is a manifestation of a long-simmering campaign by the County's ruling body, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to overturn a salary cap and term limits. 2022's Measure D has its roots in 2020 county ballot measure, called Measure K. In November 2020, more than two-thirds of San Bernardino county voters approved a ballot initiative,…

Twentynine Palms Water District Board of Directors Receives LAFCO Service Review at Today’s Meeting

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 26, 2022
Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency meeting agenda for Oct. 11

The county agency responsible for the formation and oversight of local governments has provided their analysis of Twentynine Palms' government agencies, and the review makes a strong case for consolidating the town's City Council, Water District, and Cemetery District. The Local Agency Formation Commission, known as LAFCO, has submitted the final draft of their review of Twentynine Palms agencies to the agencies themselves. Today, the Twentynine Palms Water District will receive and…

Downtown Joshua Tree Traffic Collision Injures Several Adults and Children

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 21, 2022

A traffic collision between two cars in downtown Joshua Tree left two adults and eight juveniles with minor and major injuries According to the CHP, Wednesday evening (October 19). At about 6:45 p.m., a Honda Accord driving westbound on Highway 62. made a left turn near Hillview road, where it crossed directly into the path of a Kia Sedona mini-van. The Kia broadsided the Honda, and the Kia overturned during the crash, ultimately coming to rest back on its wheels. The Honda sustained major…

Audi left behind after failed business heist

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 21, 2022

A failed heist led to the gang's Audi being impounded by the Sheriff. On Wednesday night (October 19), a business in the 4400 block of Old Woman Springs Road reported a break in to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Station. The business owner said that the building's alarm went off at 10 p.m., and when he arrived, he saw the rear door pried open. The business owner witnessed three male suspects flee north on Old Woman Springs Rd, leaving their black Audi parked across the street…

Telephone Scams increase in Morongo Basin, targeting seniors and other vulnerable people

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 18, 2022
Telephone Scams increase in Morongo Basin, targeting seniors and other vulnerable people

Telephone scamming continues to be a problem in the United States, and as part of our crime reporting here at Z107.7 News, we continue to see residents of the Morongo Basin fall victim to telephone scams. Scammers have been targeting senior citizens with phone calls requesting credit card numbers and bank information for a variety of reasons. A new type of scam we’ve received reports about involve a scammer pretending to be a celebrity or legitimate business person, sometimes claiming that the…

Yucca Valley Contracts Shopping Cart Retrieval Company for Beautification

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 7, 2022

If you’ve seen loose shopping carts around The Town of Yucca Valley, city officials say they are becoming more common, and so this week they announced a partnership with Cart Retrieval, Inc. in order to recover stray and abandoned shopping carts. The program is related to a Town Ordinance that was adopted in 2010, which attempts to regulate and address abandoned shopping carts. The Town has contracted with the Rancho Cucomonga-based Cart Retrieval Inc, a company that will send workers to collect…

Nude Man Next To Burning Car Wreck Attempted a Carjacking on Good Samaritans

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 6, 2022

Correction: We initially had the incorrect last name for the suspect as Alvarez - it has been corrected to Aldaz. We regret the error. A nude man next to a burning car is alleged to have attempted to steal the car of a good Samaritan before disappearing into the wilderness. The California Highway Patrol received a report Tuesday (October 4) of the attempted carjacking on Highway 62, seven miles east of Ironage Road, near the Sheephole Valley Wilderness. The report indicates that the suspect,…

Road Rage Incident Leads to Applebee’s Parking Lot and Arrest for Suspected DUI

Jef Harmatzby Jef Harmatz
October 4, 2022

A road rage incident ended in the parking lot of the Yucca Valley Applebee’s, where one man was arrested for suspicion of DUI over .08%. On Friday (September 30) afternoon, an unidentified female driving a gray Subaru called 911, indicating that she was being tailgated and followed by an unknown driver in a red Jeep while driving on Twentynine Palms Highway. The Subaru pulled into the parking lot of the Town Center Mall in Yucca Valley, where she said the driver of the red Jeep began to yell at…

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Copyright © 2024 Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree - Local News for the Hi Desert.