February 17 is the last day to apply for a Small Business Administration disaster loan to repair or replace property damages caused by high winds between November 30 and December 4 of last year. Applicants may apply online using SBA's secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Disaster loan information and application forms are also available by calling SBA's Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955, e-mailing [email protected] or visiting SBA's Web site…

A desert conservation organization is having a contest. Report Lenore Roberts issues the notice to desert photographers... Are you permanently attached to your camera? You're in luck because Save Our Desert is pleased to announce its first photographic competition! All photographic submissions will be included in an exhibition at Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace at Save Our Desert's Spring Fundraiser on Sunday May 20th from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the…

Yucca Valley California Welcome Center is currently exhibiting the works of local artist Scott Monteith, who is known for his vibrant paintings of desert wildlife and watercolor landscapes of the desert Southwest. The CA Welcome Center is located in Yucca Valley at 56711 Hwy 62, and is open Mon- Fri 9am-5pm and Sat & Sun 8am-4:30pm. For info call 760-365-5464 during business hours.

This is the weekend that artist Gosia Wlodarczak is producing her "Frost Drawings for Joshua Tree" at BoxoHOUSE, located at 62732 Sullivan Rd, Joshua Tree. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow, you are invited to meet the artist and witness the making of the works, which are created on glass. Between Thursday February 2 and Monday February 6, there also will be spontaneous performances at various sites across the area. To get to BoxoHOUSE, turn south off Route 62 at Whitefeather…

A motorcycle rider suffered a broken leg in a traffic accident in Yucca Mesa Thursday. About 3 p.m., an unidentified Yucca Valley man in his 20s was riding his motorcycle westbound on Sun Mesa Drive near Warren Vista. Another man driving a pick-up truck, was creeping out into an intersection of Sun Mesa and a small side street. As the motorcycle rider drove by, he clipped the truck, breaking his leg. The motorcycle rider was taken to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs. The truck driver was…

The annual Miss Yucca Valley Pageant, organized by the Yucca Valley Noon Rotary Club, is 6:00 Saturday night at the Joshua Springs Thunder Dome in Yucca Valley. Tickets are available at the door. Twelve juniors at area schools will be competing. They are (with the prominent women interviewed in parentheses): Ninarae Kieffer YVHS (Natalie Carpenter) Cassie Cannon YVHS (Pam Naylor) Katie Davis YVHS (Debbie Wagner) Kenzie Collins YVHS (Valerie Aversa) Aerielle Burnet JSCC (Dawne Edwards) Charlotte…

The California Highway Patrol advises you to select a designated driver before the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl tomorrow. "We hope everyone can enjoy the fun by designating a driver before the game begins," said Morongo Basin CHP Area Commander Lieutenant Tim Tompkins. "The safety of your family, friends, and other motorists should be your priority." Last year on Super Bowl Sunday, CHP officers throughout the state arrested a total of 452 motorists for driving under the…

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCHEDULES In other high school sports today, the Twentynine Palms basketball teams travel to Big Bear. Tip-off for the girls is at 5; boys at 6:30. The Yucca Valley High School basketballs teams host the Desert Mirage High School Rams. The girls' game starts at 6; boys' at 7:30. The Joshua Springs Christian School boys' basketball team travels away to play the Calvary Chapel Christian School in Moreno Valley. Tip-off team is at 6:30.

FREE BREAKFAST IN JOSHUA TREE TOMORROW Joshua Tree Community United Methodist Church will provide a free Community Breakfast Buffet Saturday morning from 9-10 a.m. Clothing, shoes, coats and blankets are free to those in need as supplies last. The community is invited. The church is located at 6213 East Parkway in Joshua Tree.

FREE MEAL AND FELLOWSHIP IN TWENTYNINE PALMS Breaking Bread Ministry in Twentynine Palms is serving up a free meal and fellowship tomorrow afternoon from 3 to 5 at the Little Church of the Desert Community Hall. On the menu is a baked chicken dinner. The meal is prepared and served up by the Twentynine Palms High School Interact Club.