The announcement and presence of a DUI checkpoint in Joshua Tree on Friday night (August 30) served as an effective deterrent, and no arrests were made. Announced on Thursday (August 29) and shared by Z1077, the California Highway Patrol’s Morongo Basin office set up a sobriety and license checkpoint on Twentynine Palms Highway and Bonair Road from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The CHP reports that they screened 462 vehicles. 11 people total were evaluated for driving under the influence but throughout the…

Jurors in the Morongo Basin are about to get a raise. San Bernardino County’s court system has been selected to participate in a state program that will significantly increase the amount that jurors are paid, increasing from $15 per day to $100 a day. The pilot program begins today, and is the result of State Assembly Bill 1981, which hopes to increase the participation and overall diversity of juror pools. Beginning on their second day of service, each juror’s daily pay rate will increase to…

Today September 2 is Labor Day, a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States. This is your reminder that government offices at the national, state, county, and city levels are all closed today. If you are celebrating, please celebrate safely, and if you’re imbibing, don’t be driving.

California's insurance market has seen costs increase for car, home and health insurance increase dramatically, state and county officials are holding a meeting to provide insight and answer questions. California State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will join San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair and local 3rd District Representative Dawn Rowe for a virtual town hall about the changing insurance market. After the County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution calling on…

On September 28th, the Annual Joshua Tree National Park Association Bighorn Benefit Dinner & Auction is being held to Benefit the Desert Bighorn Sheep Surveying Program. Tickets are already on sale on joshuatree.org The HWY 62 Open Studio Art Tours are the first three weekends in October: 5/6, 12/13, and 19/20. The event is free and amazing. The Mojave Desert Land Trust’s Fall 2024 Native Plant Sale will be Saturday, October 26. Don’t forget it’s 10% off for members, and depending on how…