The Twentynine Palms High School Music Boosters invite everyone to a special extended concert in honor of Music Director Michael Mayes, who has dedicated over two decades of service to the TPHS Music Department.
The concert will take place on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the Richard Casey Memorial Gymnasium at Twentynine Palms High School. With Michael Mayes taking his final bow, this event features performances by students of the TPHS Music Department.
All former TPHS Music Department students, TPHS staff, and the community are invited to this special final concert under Mayes’ direction. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and admission to the concert is $7.
All proceeds will benefit the TPHS Music Department, supporting future generations of musicians.Â
The Northern Lights phenomenon appeared in the Morongo Basin this weekend, and though the solar storm continues this week, visibility of the phenomenon in our area is expected to diminish.
The effects of what meteorologists are calling the largest geomagnetic solar storm in twenty years are creating the phenomenon known as Aurora Borealis in areas where they are not usually present, including here in southern California.
In our area, the unusual lights were brightest on Friday night, bringing hues of lavender and violet to the desert night sky in the late hours of the night. The lights were visible to the naked eye at the further edges of our desert community, where there is less light pollution, and cameras were able to photograph the lights when they were invisible.
Traffic throughout the hi-desert was heavier than average over the weekend, as people from all over California came to Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding community to escape light pollution.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather forecast says that the solar storm is expected to gradually wane today through Tuesday, so as the sun sets and the coyotes start calling keep your eyes on the skies for what may be one last glimpse of the aurora borealis.
The Morongo Basin Healthcare District announced the resignation of Debra Savitt from its Board of Directors, leaving a vacant seat on the board to be filled by appointment until the November election.
The appointment will be made at a special board meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 15 at 10:00 a.m.The appointed board member will remain on the board through the end of the year, at which time the person elected in November will begin their term.
If you’re interested in serving on the board and live in the Morongo Basin Healthcare District’s voting zone 3, which encompasses northern parts of Yucca Valely, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, you can can learn more and apply at MorongoBasinHealth.org.
On Saturday, May 11, the Hi-Desert Nature Museum hosted a lecture by Katie Shaw, Conservation Social Scientist at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, titled “Time to Talk Trash.” The lecture focused on the dwindling number of desert tortoises due in part to the population growth of ravens. Ravens are known to eat juvenile tortoises before their shells have a chance to fully harden.
Our desert landscape faces an increasing raven population, encouraged by additional roosting places like public signage and food access from trash dumpsters. Conservationists from the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens encourages the public and businesses to mitigate these impacts.
This educational campaign, launched in 2019, involved surveying and monitoring waste management practices at 30 restaurants in Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms. Restaurants were divided into control and treatment groups, with the latter receiving guidance on securing dumpsters to reduce raven access to food waste. Results showed significant improvement in waste management practices in the control group.
It was interesting that Joshua Tree had a much higher awareness level than the other two communities. Shaw said the conservation group conducting the studies wasn’t sure if it was because Joshua Tree is a smaller, tighter community with prominent social norms or because it’s right at the park’s entrance and dependent on ecotourism.
Based on the surveys and studies, the conservation group developed a Gold Star Award packet, including display materials like window stickers and table toppers for businesses, keeping dumpsters closed 80% of the time.
As a final comment, Shaw encouraged the audience to mention the awards to the business and encourage them to continue the effort. Awareness encourages behavioral change, and we can all play a part.
Road closures are happening in Yucca Valley this week as the town conducts its annual street maintenance.
The Town-Wide Crack, Slurry and Cape Seal Project begins today (May 13) and while the project continues throughout the next several weeks, and road closures for this week have been announced.
During construction operations, detours will be provided for alternative routes. Residents and businesses who may be affected by the work will be notified in advance.
Monday, May 13, 2024
Carmelita Ave from Nelson Ave to end of street
Nelson Ave from 120’ east of Carmelita to Indio Ave
Indio Ave from Nelson Ave to Barren Rd
David Ave from Indio Ave to east end
Paxton Outer Hwy from Del Monte Ave to Indio Ave
Hermosa Ave from Paxton Outer Hwy to 150’ north
Goleta Ave from Paxton Outer Hwy to 150’ north
Fortuna Ave from Paxton Outer Hwy to 150’ north
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Diadem Rd from Balsa Ave to Prescott Ave
Indio from Hwy 62 to 170’ north
Richard Dr from Hwy 62 to 170’ north
Linda Lee Dr from Hwy 62 to 170’ north
Ronald Dr from Hwy 62 to 170’ north
Outer Hwy 62 North from Balsa Ave to Hanford Ave
Hanford Ave from Hwy 62 to Diadem Dr
Indio Ave from Business Center Dr to north end
Outer Hwy 62 South from Hwy 62 to Prescott Ave
Richard Dr from David Ave to 170’ north of Hwy 62
Ronald Dr from David Ave to 170’ north of Hwy 62
Indio Ave from David Ave to 170’ north of Hwy 62
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Prescott Ave from Hwy 62 to Palisade Dr
Natoma Tr from Chippewa Tr to end
Pueblo Tr from Chippewa Tr to end
Hermosa Ave from Delano Tr to end
Arcadia Tr from Rubidoux Ave to Avalon Ave
Mountain View Tr from Balsa Ave to Hanford Ave
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Balsa Ave from Hanford Ave to Yucca Tr
La Habra Ave from Sunnyslope Dr to Alta Mesa Dr
Taos Tr from Balsa Ave to Hanford Ave
Taos Ct from Taos Tr to end
Megan Ct from Taos Tr to end
Alaba Ave from Pueblo Tr to Onaga Tr
Frontera Ave from Pueblo Tr to Yucca Tr
Friday, May 17, 2024
Goleta Ave from Hermosa Ave to Delano Tr
La Mirada Tr from Goleta Ave to end
Arcadia Tr from Goleta Ave to end
Camarilla Ave from Yucca Tr to end
Balsa Ave from Onaga Tr to end
Delano Tr from Balsa Ave to Palomar Ave
Emerson Ave from Yucca Tr to Arcadia Tr
La Habra Ave from Yucca Tr to Arcadia Tr
Avalon Ave from Yucca Tr to Arcadia Tr
Lane closures are scheduled for the week of May 13th–May 17th.
During construction operations, traffic will be allowed in one direction at a time and will be performed by the contractor with flaggers for the following streets:
Twentynine Palms High School has been granted a six-year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
WASC accreditation is a voluntary process that institutions undergo to demonstrate they meet certain standards of quality and integrity in education. This accreditation is highly respected and can affect things like the transferability of credits, eligibility for federal financial aid and more.
This six-year accreditation awarded to Twentynine Palms High after a rigorous evaluation process is the highest accreditation status granted by WASC, reaffirming TPHS’s dedication to providing high-quality education and fostering student success.
TPHS principal Mike Ruggiero said, “This is the first time in my career TPHS has received the highest level of accreditation which goes out to less than 10 percent of the schools in California. We are thrilled to receive this accreditation, which reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire school community.”
The WASC accreditation process involves a comprehensive self-study, peer review and evaluation by a team of experienced educators. It assesses various aspects of the school, including curriculum, instruction, student support services, leadership and school culture.
Dedicated to acquiring, preserving, and protecting sacred Native land, the Native American Land Conservancy recently celebrated their twenty-five-year anniversary. In the wake of acquiring their most recent land back—a shaded creek deep in Morongo Valley— I volunteered to tend to their land last Friday and while on a break, chatted with NALC Education and Stewardship Program Manager Liz Paige.
There is an unexpected soothing creek running through the former Sherman Shady Springs, a private property hidden deep in Morongo Valley, whose previous owner reached out to the NALC to sell the land once he learned it was sacred tribal territory.
Elizabeth Paige, NALC’s Education and Stewardship Programs Manager, Photo by C. Pino
“This is a Serrano area. Each of these locations where you have a lot of water, good coverage, and resources, are areas where any Native indigenous group—Serrano, Cahuilla, Chemehuevi—would be traveling through this shared traditional territory. These places are identified in songs and stories over generations,” said Paige.
Originally from the Coachella Valley where her Cahuilla roots run deep, Paige got involved with the NALC after years of leading guided hikes to educate people on ancestral lands, which led her to volunteering with Friends of Desert Mountains, Whitewater Preserve, and the MDLT—the latter which got her more comfortable working in the high desert, leading her to her current position as NALC’s Education and Stewardship Program Manager, currently focusing on the future of the Morongo Valley shaded creek bed. When asked what the objective for the land is, Paige replied:
“Making it more productive for our food and medicine. There’s mesquite, a lot of different medicines available here. We want it to be a gathering area for not only Native folks, but an educational area. The cabin you see here is going to be an educational center where we’ll host workshops, lecture series, events. But this will come with a couple years of work rehabilitating the area… I’m a basket weaver, so I want to have a resource here to bring my fellow weavers here for weaving circles. Everybody is really excited. My community just got a little preview of the area, and they were really taken aback how beautiful it is.”
Paige reminds us of the importance of planting native species, as part of the work in the spring will remove the non-native orchards planted by the previous owner.
“These non-native species drink a lot of water, and native plants don’t—they just take what they need. We’ll be removing all the irrigation lines too.”
The NALC have been taking volunteers at the spring every other Friday, the next dates being May 17th and May 31st from 10 AM to 3 PM and will continue into the summer at a possibly earlier time on Saturdays to beat the heat. To RSVP to volunteer contact the NALC through their Instagram at @nalcorg or email: [email protected].
The Northern Lights made an appearance in the hi-desert last night (May 10), and if you used a camera, you could snap a photograph of the dark desert sky shimmering with shades of fuschia and violet.
The effects of what meteorologists are calling the largest geomagnetic solar storm in twenty years are creating the phenomenon known as Aurora Borealis in areas where they are not usually present, including here in California.Â
Throughout the hi-desert and most of southern California, the storm isn’t quite visible to the naked eye, but cameras are able to pick up on the electromagnetic energy that is filling the sky.
The storm continues throughout today until 2 a.m., so as the sun sets, keep your eyes open and your cameras pointed to the sky.
The second Saturday Art Crawl will be taking place in downtown Joshua Tree at various participating galleries and businesses, all showings free and open to the public.
The Beatnik Lounge presents The Ēkhṓ B&B Show, featuring the works of Brenda Littleton and Bruce Carleton facing each other across the gallery space. Ēkhṓ is the Ancient Greek root of our “echo,” and was also the name of the mountain nymph who had only the ability to reflect sounds back to their source. From the pre-echo of dreams connecting us with stimuli from the outer world, our expressions as artists, our work, our ekphrasis, lies on top of our own lived experiences like a reverberating echoplex effect. Opening at 6 PM.
La Matadora Gallery presents Defiled: Part 6, a group show featuring new works of altered thrift store art, in part of La Matadora’s 7-year anniversary celebration as well as the 8-year anniversary for their neighbors at the Beauty Bubble. Fake Band Names show in the front room with MTV videos and cake! 80s fashion encouraged. Opening reception from 6-9 PM.
Hey There Projects presents All for Everything, featuring Adam Shrewsbury and Melissa Monroe. Shrewsbury is a Michigan-based ceramicist influenced by ancient ceramics in its shape and modern contemporary culture on its surface, where themes of life and death are often found together. Monroe is a self-taught multi-disciplinary artist creating visions in textiles, sculpture, and acrylic paintings that place the viewer in places no one can remember, places that have not yet been, they act as puzzles leading to the future. Opening reception from 6-9 PM.
From 12 noon to 6 PM, Rock & Rapture Jewelry Gallery at the former Joshua Tree Art Gallery (JTAG) will be hosting “Tarot & Trunk Show,” featuring Rock Star Jeweler Alexandra Camacho of famed Acid Queen Jewelry. Tarot Reader Angela Izzo with her Mystical Creatures Tarot Decks, photography, and art reading from 5-8 PM.
It’s high-traffic season here in the hi-desert, and in addition to tourists, area roads are being filled with lost and scared dogs, cats, horses, pigs, and if you’re in Wonder Valley, the occasional emu.
The weather is warming up, and as pets spend more time outdoors, the likelihood that they may get loose increases too. Strong spring winds can knock down fences, blow open gates, and even spook your pet into making a bolt for it.
Here at Z107.7, we’ve received a dramatic increase in lost pet reports over the last several weeks, and I’ve personally encountered stray dogs several times in the last few days.
If you see a pet or animal in a place it’s not supposed to be, please report it.
The first thing to do is figure out where you are. If you’re in Yucca Valley, call the Yucca Valley Animal Control at 760 365 1807. If you’re in Twentynine Palms, call the Palms-n-Paws Animal Shelter at (760) 367-6799. If you’re in unincorporated areas like Joshua Tree, Morongo Valley, Landers or Wonder Valley, call the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s non-emergency dispatch number at 760 956 5001. If it’s after hours in Yucca Valley or Twentynine Palms, call the Sheriff’s non-emergency dispatch number, which is once again 760 956 5001.
If you’ve lost or found a pet, you can always let Z107.7 know about it. We read out a list of “Cruisin’ Critters” every day at 10:30 and 2:30 p.m. You can submit a lost or found pet right here.
Keep an eye on your pets if they are in your yard, and keep them hydrated. If you’re out on a walk, keep them on a leash, and if you’re going into the park, keep them off of trails unless otherwise noted.
Stephens' kangaroo rat, Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS, https://www.fws.gov/banner/stephens-kangaroo-rat
Last month the Bureau of Land Management announced a $3.1 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will seek to restore wildlife habitat in 6 western states. That’s good news for the west coast and even better news for public land loving Californians.
The first is taking place in the Santa Ana wash area of San Bernardino County – located about 50 miles west of us as the crow flies. The BLM will be focusing on restoring the habitat for the endangered slender-horned spineflower along with the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat – which is one of the variations of the famous furry fellow that you can find scurrying around the hi-desert and sunrise and sunset.
Then just south of us in the shrinking Salton Sea – a success for another variation of the species – this one called the Stephen’s Kangaroo rat. The BLM has been protecting the habitat of the subspecies for over 30 years, and they report that they have partially recovered in population and are being reclassified from endangered to threatened – a nice little level-up for them.
And the third isn’t Morongo Basin related but definitely hits on a topic familiar to any desert resident, and that’s invasive species. The BLM will be working on removing annual invasive grasses from the Lahontan Watershed in the Great Basin Desert, which they will then reseed with native species to try and restore core sage grouse habitats and ecosystem.
Please join BoxoPROJECTS for an immersive experience in Joshua Tree National Park May 11 & 12.
Conni McKenzie, a Bay Area-based producer, is a multidisciplinary artist with a primary focus in dance theater, video production, mixed-media, and photography. Her production of “Borrowed” addresses the urgent need for action against climate change and its impact on marginalized communities.
This immersive performance art experience enables audiences to examine how humanity has disproportionately used Earth’s resources, “borrowing time” from the planet, marginalized communities, and ourselves. Through nature and the arts, “Borrowed” offers a unique opportunity for self-discovery and aims to increase synchrony between the community and the environment.
Performances will be Saturday, May 11th at 4pm and Sunday, May 12 at 10am at at Black Rock Nature Center in Joshua Tree National Park. Admission is free as is entry to the park entrance at Black Rock.
After colliding with another car, injuring the driver and downing a powerline, a suspected DUI driver attempted to flee the scene but was stopped by heroic bystanders.
On Wednesday night at 8 p.m., County Sheriff’s Deputies say that a Mercedes sedan driven by Blake Barton, a 40 year-old resident of Twentynine Palms, was heading north on Adobe Road near Didsbury Road at high speeds. Deputies report that the Mercedes collided with the rear of a Toyota SUV driven by a 20 year-old woman from Bridgeport, Connecticut, sending the Toyota into the dirt shoulder of the road then another 600 feet into telephone pole.
Witnesses at the scene told deputies that the downed power line was emitting sparks, and that the Toyota was leaking fuel nearby. Southern California Edison said that the damage caused a power outage for customers in Twentynine Palms. A severed cable line saw Spectrum users lose internet access as well.
Deputies responded and say that Barton attempted to the flee scene after the collision. Witnesses told deputies that they saw an open alcoholic beverage in Barton’s Mercedes and that they were able to stop and detain him, keeping him at the scene until deputies arrived.
The driver of the Toyota sustained non life-threatening injuries and was taken to Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital for treatment.
Barton was transported to Hi-Desert Medical Center for treatment for non life-threatening injuries. During their investigation, deputies determined that he was driving under the influence of alcohol and caused a collision resulting in injury.
SCE estimated the damage to the power pole and lines at $50,000.
The Twentynine Palms Channel Culvert Project at El Rey Avenue has reached completion pending the installation of a pedestrian fence, which project supervisors expect to be finished by the end of May. El Rey Avenue is still open for public use.
In an announcement, County Supervisor Dawn Rowe described the Twentynine Palms Channel Culvert Project as a testament to the collaborative efforts of the City of Twentynine Palms and the San Bernardino County Public Works Flood Control District.
Photo: The City of Twentynine Palms
The project included a triple reinforced concrete box, concrete rock slope protection, and curb, gutter, and sidewalk upgrades. These enhancements are designed to mitigate the risk of roadway flooding during storms and bolster flood protection for nearby structures by enhancing drainage.
The Joshua Tree No-Kill Shelter (formerly Morongo Basin Humane Society) have some dogs they’d like you to meet.
The shelter will set up a booth at tomorrow morning’s (May 11) Cars and Coffee Cruise-In at the Yucca Valley Jack in the Box, and they’ll have two dogs in need of adoption.
Come out to meet these dogs, see some classic cars from around the Morongo Basin at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Before public transit hit the hi-desert, Morongo Basin residents in the 1930’s got around in a bus that is still here nearly a century years later, thanks to the efforts of the Twentynine Palms Historical Society.
If you’ve been out to the Old Schoolhouse museum where the society is headquartered, you may have seen the small outbuilding that houses the Hastie Bus – a 1928 Chevrolet that was affectionately known as “Old Betsy” back during the depression. Twentynine Palms resident Johnnie Hastie drove the bus everyday from Twentynine Palms to Banning, with stops in Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, and Morongo Valley. If you didn’t have a car, horse, mule, or good walking shoes back then – the Hastie Bus was the only way to get around the Morongo Basin.
The Hastie bus circa the 1950’s, image courtesy of Twentynine Palms Historical Society
Back in 2014 volunteers at the Historical Society restored the bus and built the exhibit building in which it now sits. You can stop by the museum anytime to see and read about it, but if you are like me and have always wanted to learn a little bit more about this beautiful bus and the routes it rambled down, then tonight is your night at the Old Schoolhouse Museum.
At 7 PM tonight, Hastie Bus expert and 2023 Old Timer of the Year Les Snodgrass will be holding an informative and free lecture on the Hastie Bus and the man who racked up those daily desert miles – Johnnie Hastie.
If you made it to last weekend’s Desert Rat Convention at the Old Schoolhouse, you got to see the Hastie Bus up close as it served as a great backdrop to the convention and the Wild West Show that the Bravados put on to kick off the event.
I spoke with Twentynine Palms Historical Society President Dana Bowden, who said the return of the Desert Rat Convention was a certified success, drawing visitors out for a day of fun and fundraising. The event was in support of securing some funds to put some lights in the parking lot – which will be on a switch and will only be used when folks need it… like a Friday night lecture series.
A waste collection event is happening this weekend at the Copper Mountain Mesa Community Association.
In association with San Bernardino County, the waste event is on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and is open to residents of unincorporated communities.Â
Bring your household trash, bulky items, green waste, tires, and even electronics such as TVs, computer monitors, cell phones, and small appliances for disposal. They will not be collecting hazardous waste.
The Mojave Desert Land Trust is hosting an event this Saturday (May 11) to get the community outside and celebrating the desert.
This fun-filled morning in Yucca Valley’s Jacobs Park will fill you in on how and where to safely explore the desert environment. Mary Cook-Rhyne, the Education Programs Manager of the MDLT will present an activity-filled day filled with maps, collectables, and giveaways all focused on native plantlife and public lands.
This family event runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Jacobs Park, 55680 Onaga Trail in Yucca Valley. Mary Cook Rhyne’s program begins at 11.Â
If you like classic disco hits, then Tortoise Rock in Twentynine Palms is the place to go tonight as they continue their Live at the Rock concert series.
This evening classic disco band “Inferno” takes the stage to power through a number of 70’s hits as part of Tortoise Rock’s free concert series.
There will be BBQ ribs and chicken available at the event, made just they way you like it.
This event is happening tonight and is open to all adults ages 18 and up.Â
A woman was arrested at a Twentynine Palms Hotel for investigation into child abuse, and is now facing additional charges of spousal abuse.
Early Monday morning just before 3 a.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to Twentynine Palms contacted Sada Bolden, 38, at the Best Western Inn in Twentynine Palms, located at 71487 Twentynine Palms Highway.
Representatives from the Sheriff’s Morongo Basin Station said the incident was reported by staff at the hotel. Both the child and adult victims were seen and released by medical personell.
Shada Bolden was arrested for investigation into inflicting corporal injury on a child, and booked into the West Valley Detention Center on $60,000 bail. She is expected to be arraigned in San Bernardino County Court today on additional charges of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, committing battery on a spouse, as well as an additional charge of willful cruelty to a child.
