“This is a heavily self-reliant community people… most people that live in the desert choose to live out here because of the solitude, and while we have a very social community we also live in a place where people like their space. With that said a lot of those people are the very first people to stop and help…”

That’s Justin Merino of the High Desert Emergency Action Alliance. We were talking about the hi desert’s propensity to help one another – and during a rising fentanyl epidemic how the overdose drug Naloxone (or the brand name Narcan) may be a good thing for a desert dweller to carry in the car. 

Naloxone is a drug that used to reverse an opioid overdose. It’s been available at the Hi Desert Emergency Action Alliance, or HDEAA.  The drug is administered as a nasal spray and can bring people out of an overdose if administered in time. The HDEAA gives out the Naloxone for free with no questions asked –  but you do have to understand how to use it. With every box of Naloxone given out Merino runs through a short demonstration and walks through the simple steps of administering the drug. So far, he says the program has seen success –

Justin Merino:  “In the year we’ve done it, we’ve had 4 people come back and tell us that they’ve administered Narcan In and it reversed the overdose. That lead us into the testing strips, which we thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if people didn’t have to use the Narcan in the first place.”

Read more:
– Yucca Valley Man suspected of fentanyl overdose revived by Naloxone
– Sheriff’s Deputies use Naloxone to save overdosing man in Joshua Tree

Fentanyl can show up in many drugs – including ones that some consider recreational. It’s those drugs: ecstasy, cocaine, Xanax or marijuana – that can also benefit from the free test. The test itself is well-designed – in Europe the packaging says – and appears easy to use. Justin walked me through it: it only takes a small amount of the drug your testing to get a result which will hopefully encouraging more testing more often.

The HDEAA will be at the 29 Palms Farmer’s Market this Saturday with a booth, distributing Naloxone as well as the fentanyl tests. They will also be at the Community Health Fair in Yucca Valley on the 27th.

You can also visit the High Desert Emergency Action Alliance at their location in Yucca Valley – or visit their website for more info.

https://getfreenarcan.com

Join the Earth Day celebration at the Industry Of All Nations Undyed shop on April 20 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. This event promises a delightful fusion of literature and music in honor of our planet.

Yasmine Marrero, the manager of the Undyed shop, has curated an afternoon of inspiration and entertainment. Highlighting the event is a special reading by Janet Tucker, author of “How to be a Minimalist Gardener in the High Desert.”

Marrero said, “I wanted to do something local to celebrate the people in the community that are doing really great things. So I asked Janet (Tucker), if she would read from her book.”

Tucker will share her insights on creating a thriving garden in the challenging environment of the High Desert. She employs space-consciousness and water-efficient techniques like soaker hoses. Her approach, described as sculpting space, transforms outdoor areas into living extensions of our homes.

Tucker said, “I love the idea that someone” ‘s home isn’t just indoors but extends as much as possible to the outdoors and the high Desert garden takes that extension as far as possible.

In addition to Tucker’s reading, attendees will be treated to musical performances by Sunny, Singer/Pianist of WildLife Freeway, whose indie-folk melodies with jazz influences promise to captivate the audience. Earth Girl Helen Brown’s inclusive and expansive platform aims to channel energy and resources towards causes committed to earth science, life practices, and the arts. Her music and performance will express her holistic commitment to the planet.

Join the celebration on April 20 from 3 pm to 5 pm at the Industry Of All Nations Undyed shop. The shop is at 61675 Twentynine Palms Highway, Unit 1, in Joshua Tree.

Blood supplies are low in the Morongo Basin, and Lifestream will be holding a blood drive tomorrow (April 20) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Center for Healthy Generations, located at 57121 Sunnyslope Dr. in Yucca Valley.

Healthy individuals at least 15 years of age may donate blood. (Everyone under 17 years of age must provide LifeStream with written parental consent.)

Donors receive a free mini-physical (including readings for blood pressure, pulse, cholesterol levels, iron level and temperature with results being posted on the donor’s private online portal.) Please set an appointment by calling LifeStream at 800-879-4484 or visiting LStream.org

Last night, the Morongo Valley Community Services District held their regular 6 PM meeting in Covington Park’s multipurpose room.

On the action item of Preliminary Budget Options, the Board discussed the looming SB525, which has yet to be decided whether it will raise salaries of the Morongo Valley Firefighters June 1st. Vice President Lynn Watts reported the Labor Commission isn’t currently prioritizing the law and that even Governor Newsom has “taken a step back” as to when the law will take effect due to a state budget deficit, and that he won’t implement any increases until the budget is backed.

In the meantime, the CSD’s preliminary budget workshop scheduled for this Sunday has been moved to Wednesday, May 1st at 6 PM.

Until the district can afford a retirement plan for its firefighters, The Board passed a Payroll Deduction plan, essentially an optional pre-taxed savings account to help budget their future spending.

While there was no action taken whether the Board should continue its monthly “meet and greets,” where Board members appear at various local establishments to answer questions for the public, the decision was made to take advantage of the upcoming Morongo Daze music festival in Covington Park on Saturday, May 4th, where community members will be able to speak to the Board at their own designated booth.

This Friday, April 19^th starting at noon, Joshua Tree’s Beatnik Lounge will be hosting a Book Fair, for writers, readers, and listeners alike.

Starting at 12PM, local writers will be displaying their books for a meet and greet. At 2 PM there will be a writing workshop, open to all writers to read their work and receive feedback from the group. Followed by an open poetry and short story reading at 4 PM, then finally, there will be a happy hour accompanied with live entertainment.        

For more info about the event, displaying your book, or playing music, please contact: JTBookfair@gmail.com

As more visitors come into the Morongo Basin and the National Park – San Bernardino County Search and Rescue prepare for the possibility of lost hikers or campers in the nearly 1500 square miles of the Morongo Basin.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s aviation unit has upgraded a major part of their search and rescue operation. According to their newsletter – the new helicopter is a Bell 412 EPX medium lift twin engine which has increased payload capabilities and important for the hi-desert: better performance at high altitudes with hotter ambient temps.

It also has the greatest range of any of the other helicopters in the fleet.

The new chopper is equipped with a moving map, a day/night HD camera system with infrared capabilities, a searchlight, rescue hoist and a belly tank for firefighting operations.. and even skid attachments that assist with landing in snow conditions. 

The Sheriff’s Department says that the new helicopter was acquired to replace an aging single engine Bell UH-1 – more popularly known as the Huey. A helicopter originally built in 1968 and just can’t match the performance and safety of the new twin engine 412.

Previously reported:

An investigation into a verbal altercation in Yucca Valley led to the arrest of two people and the seizure of several illegal firearms and tools allegedly used to create “ghost guns.”

Yesterday morning at around 8:20 a.m., County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a verbal altercation in the 7200 block of Palo Alto Avenue. Deputies were told that Latisha Richardson, 25, had brandished a weapon and threatened to kill the victim.

When deputies arrive, they say Richardson’s boyfriend, Kweisi Thomas, 25, arrived, and since neither of them had a weapon, deputies received a search warrant to search their shared residence. Deputies report finding 12 firearms, four of which were found to be unserialized firearms, otherwise known as “ghost guns.” Deputies say three of the firearms were found to be assault weapons, and that they also found Materials and tools used to manufacture ghost guns and a large quantity of binary explosives.

Latisha Richardson was arrested for investigation into making criminal Threats and Assault with a Deadly Weapon. She was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on $50,000 bail. Kweisi Thomas was arrested for investigation into Possession of an Assault Weapon, Manufacturing Assault Weapons, and possession of a Destructive Device. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center and has been released on bail. 

A hiker injured in the wilderness outside of Morongo Valley was located and airlifted to safety on Monday morning (April 15).

At around 7:40 a.m. on Monday morning, an unidentified person hiking the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail requested assistance for a sprained ankle. The hiker said that they were unable to walk any further, and they were in the wilderness 20 miles northwest of Morongo Valley.

The hiker was able to use their phone to provide coordinates to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, who dispatched a rescue helicopter to the area. The hiker was located and airlifted to a road, where Morongo Basin Ambulance transferred them to Hi-Desert Medical Center for treatment.

A man out on bail for suspicion of driving under the influence was arrested on Saturday for investigation into domestic battery.

Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to Twentynine Palms responded to a report of domestic assault from Cheyenne Michaels, 27, in the 6000 block of Cahuilla Ave in Twentynine Palms from. Michaels told deputies he was attacked by his pregnant girlfriend, and that she bit him on the arm.

Responding deputies spoke to Michaels and the girlfriend, and their investigation determenined that Michaels was the aggressor in the incident, physically holding her against her will. 

Deputies report that Michaels had been drinking. Michaels was arrested on suspicion of DUI on April 9, when law enforcement report seeing him driving the wrong way on Twentynine Palms Highway near Larrea Ave Saturday night.

Cheyenne Michaels was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery and held on $25,000 bail. 

Previously reported: