Sunday, December 22, 2024
Mike Lipsitz

Mike Lipsitz

Behind on your Joshua Basin Water District bill? Assistance available Thursday 7/20

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 19, 2023
Behind on your Joshua Basin Water District bill? Assistance available Thursday 7/20

Last month, a number of qualified low-income customers of the Joshua Basin Water District attended the first Low Income Household Water Assistance event for a combined savings of more than $16,000. Ratepayers who missed that event will get another opportunity this Thursday. A second Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) for households served by the Joshua Basin Water District has been set for this Thursday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the water district office on Chollita…

Volunteers spring into action as Landers food distribution almost derailed by power outage

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 18, 2023
Volunteers spring into action as Landers food distribution almost derailed by power outage

Every month local community organizations, in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture, and the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County distribute surplus food to needy households throughout Morongo Basin. Normally, their all-volunteer-run events operate very smoothly, but that’s not what happened yesterday in Landers. For years, volunteer Bonnie Trezona has managed the USDA Food Distribution at Landers’ Belfield Hall. When she unlocked the door about 8 a.m. yesterday…

Historical Highlight: A desert airport becomes Landers, California

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 16, 2023

Landers lies on the northern edge of our Morongo Basin. The small community began as a remote airstrip in the 1950s. In today’s historical highlight, reporter Mike Lipsitz tells us how Landers first took off… Newlin Landers beside his water truck - 1965. Los Angeles inventor, manufacturer, and amateur pilot, Newlin Landers came across the area in a 1947 news story related to Giant Rock. From the air, he found a natural airstrip there and became fascinated with the area. Newlin contacted seven…

County Supervisors appoint Lynn Watts to MVCSD Board

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 12, 2023
Morongo Valley CSD Board Director declares resignation, once conditions are met

At this morning's (July 11, 2023) meeting of the county supervisors in San Bernardino, the board appointed Lynn Watts to fill the open board seat on the Morongo Valley Community Services District. In a single, swift action, county supervisors selected Lynn Watts from among seven candidates vying to fill the unpaid volunteer board seat on the Morongo Valley Community Services District. The county stepped in to make this appointment because the CSD has been unable to move…

Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency meeting tonight (7/11)

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 11, 2023
Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency meeting agenda for Oct. 11

At tonight’s (July 11, 2023) 6 p.m. meeting of the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency’s directors, the board will hold two important public hearings and related votes. Tonight’s first public hearing is to hear comments on the agency’s plan to place property tax liens on 77 “excessively delinquent accounts” or those owing greater than $300 as of this past February. The second public hearing concerns the agency’s establishment of stand-by and availability fees for 2023 water services in the Goat…

Board of Supervisors to Appoint Morongo Valley CSD Director

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 10, 2023

At tomorrow’s (July 11, 2023) 10 o’clock meeting of the county supervisors in San Bernardino, the board will have to take unusual and necessary action on behalf of the Morongo Valley Community Services District. Supervisors are expected to fill a vacancy that was created by a resignation in April. The Morongo Valley Community Services District is run by a five-member board of unpaid volunteers.  The CSD had 60 days from April 19 in which to appoint a new board member or call for a special…

How you can help maintain a clean and plentiful Aquifer in the Morongo Basin

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 7, 2023
Mojave Desert Land Trust adds 6,601 acres of protected desert land in 2022

Z107.7 News reported that for customers of the Hi-Desert Water District, Joshua Basin Water District, and the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency independent analyses shows their water exceeds minimum safety standards for more than 100 different contaminants. And while our local water agencies do all they can to maintain those high standards, you also play a role in the safety of our water. The public can assist local districts to keep our drinking water safe by keeping pollutants out of the…

Morongo Basin annual water report looks at tap water quality and safety

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
July 6, 2023
close up photo of water drop

Every year water agencies up and down California publish the results of state-mandated, rigorous analyses of the water they pipe to your home. That water must meet or exceed drinking water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and enforced by the State Water Resources Control Board. Water analysis findings are published in each district’s Consumer Confidence Report. The 2023 reports detail results from 2022 samples. For the Hi-Desert Water District, Joshua Basin Water District,…

Mountain Lion struck by car in Yucca Mesa area

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
June 30, 2023
Mountain Lion struck by car in Yucca Mesa area

Cougar, puma, and mountain lion are all names given to the same big cat. And while they are considered the most widely distributed large wild mammal in the Western Hemisphere their solitary nature and avoidance of humans make encounters with them extremely rare. When one of these primarily nocturnal creatures does come in close contact with people, it is most often because they’ve been struck by a motor vehicle. Such was the case around 12 p.m. noon last Saturday (6/24) when an adult female…

SB County contract renewals benefit Morongo Basin interests

Mike Lipsitzby Mike Lipsitz
June 27, 2023

At this morning’s (June 27, 2023) 10 o’clock meeting of the county supervisors in San Bernardino, several interests in Morongo Basin will benefit from contract renewals with the county. Supervisors are expected to almost double the contract amount with Reach Out Morongo Basin to $470,000, and extend that contract one year through June 2024. Also extending is the county’s lease agreement with Valley Star Behavioral Health for over 10,000 square feet of office and clinic space on the highway in…

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