A Yucca Valley man is in custody, accused of trying to murder his estranged wife at her home in Big Bear. According to the Sheriff’s department, Marvin Engebretson, 71, of the 7500 block of Palm Avenue, forced his way into his wife’s home, threatened to kill her with a gun, beat her, and held her against her will. His wife finally managed to convince Engebretson to let her go and she notified the Big Bear Sheriff’s department. Marvin Engebretson was arrested at his home January 15 and arraigned last Thursday on charges of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, threatening a crime, felony spouse abuse, and burglary. Marvin Engebretson is being held at the West Valley Detention Center with his bail set at $1 million.

Citizens groups have formed in Morongo Valley to recall three members of the Morongo Valley Community Services District in the wake of the firing of CSD Manager Meg Foley. Now, reporter Mike Lipsitz says another group is forming to oppose the recall…
Last night, almost 20 Morongo Valley residents gathered in the living room of Chuck and Debbie Harris for a hastily called meeting in support of the Community Service District Board. The meeting came in response to cries by some for a recall of the CSD board following their decision to terminate General Manager Meg Foley. Speaker after speaker expressed confidence the board was acting in the best interest of the tightly knit community. The Brown Act, California’s Open Meeting law, prohibits the board from disclosing details of the closed session employee evaluation. Among those in attendance was Foley’s assistant at the CSD, Charlie Cioffi, who said, “There’s not a one of us who don’t love Meg; she’s helped everyone here at some point, but this is bigger than Meg.” Heads nodded and Laurie Geeson added, “Things were swept under the rug for so long the lump became too big for anyone to get around.” Whether or not the facts of the case ever come to light, the group has vowed to oppose any recall effort.

If you’re traveling to or from Arizona on Route 62 this week, be aware of continuing work on the $29 million Colorado River Bridge Project. Crews are laying the base for asphalt this week on SR-62 in Big River and the asphalt will be placed next week. Hours of operation this week are between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Paving will occur next week between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Traffic control will be in effect. Be prepared to follow the flagmen’s direction or be taken through the site by pilot car. Plan ahead and add extra time to your driving plan.

COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE SUCCESS CENTER
The Copper Mountain College Success Center supplements the regular offering of the college with many free services. Managing Editor Tami Roleff gives a sampling…
Copper Mountain College’s Student Success Center offers a variety of tuition free educational programs including English as a Second Language, Adult High School Diploma and GED Prep. Participation in the Adult High School Diploma Program allows students to obtain a diploma with fewer credits than needed in a traditional high school. Students can use the program as a bridge to college and can earn credits towards college while taking high school diploma classes. Some students in the program take college and high school classes at the same time. For students in the Adult High School Diploma Program, a three-credit college class can count as ten high school credits. CMC’s English as a Second Language Program is a needed community resource offering English at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Classes are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday evenings. For information on classes offered by CMC’s Student Success Center call 366-3791, extension 4246.

Effective last year, the Internal Revenue Service no longer mails paper income tax packages to taxpayers. In an article on irs.gov, the IRS said that in early October of 2010, it sent a postcard to individuals who filed paper returns the previous year and did not use a tax preparer or tax software. The information explained how to get the tax forms and instructions they need for filing their return. The article said that the IRS took this step because of the continued growth in electronic filing and the availability of free options to taxpayers, as well as to help reduce costs. Forms are available online at irs.gov, or at IRS offices, and at participating libraries and post offices.

We feed and love them. Pets may be man’s best friend; however, they are not the best friend of the wild. They can become prey to wildlife and are vulnerable to prickly plants and desert environments. Our furry companion can also be a predator, and though they behave at home, their hunting instincts will be elevated in the wilderness. They exert pressure on many species and cause wildlife to expend precious energy reserves that may mean the difference between life and death. Stop in at any visitor center for other options on where to walk your pet within the park. And please remember:

Pets are not allowed on any trails or in wilderness areas.
They must be on a leash no longer than six feet at all times.
Pets must be within 100 feet of a campground, roadside or picnic area.
For Z107.7, this is Park Ranger Pat Pilcher encouraging you to visit your neighborhood national park.

The Combat Center will have another power outage Monday. The power outage will begin at 8:30 Monday night and is scheduled to last until 6:30 a.m. However, Southern California Edison warns that its work may not be completed by 6:30 a.m., and so all base personnel and residents on the base should be prepared to be without power for more than 10 hours. During the outage, critical and emergency essential facilities will receive power from the Co-generation plant or emergency generators. To facilitate this, Public Works will be placing mobile generators at key facilities off the co-generation grid starting at 1:00 p.m. on 23 January. At 3:00 p.m., power to non-essential facilities in the core area of the base (generally from 1st street to 9th street) will start to be shut down and will remain without power for the duration of the outage. The remainder of base will continue to have power until SCE shuts off the power at 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 830-6100 or 830-3718.

The special for Sunday breakfast at the Joshua Tree Veterans of Foreign Wars tomorrow from 8 to 11 is sirloin steak. And don’t forget Taco Wednesday from 11 to 1. The VFW is located at 6402 Veterans Way in downtown Joshua Tree.

The Star Twirlers Square Dance Club is hosting a plus level square dance at the Yucca Valley Elks Lodge, located at 55946 Yucca Trail, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 21. Doug Stanley will be doing the calling. Lines will take place at 7:00 p.m. and between tips.

The Twentynine Palms High School golf team is coming off a very successful season. ROP Broadcasting student Valintino Neder gives us a preview of this year’s prospects…
The Twentynine Palms High School golf team is looking to take the De Anza league once again. According to Coach Gary Bell, the Twentynine Palms High School golf team was 8-0 in league and 14-2 overall last year. Bell is looking forward to seeing some of his key returning players: Andy Wipple, Austin Airitaks, Daniel Douglas, and Morgan Cole, push the young Cats to another successful season. Bell also stated, “The DeAnza League is improving and with inexperienced plays, this year it’s going to be challenging.

A deputy who thought a car looked suspicious ended up arresting at least two people Thursday night. A deputy doing a patrol by the Boys and Girls Club in Yucca Valley about 11 p.m. Thursday noticed a car parked in front of a residence on Little League Drive with its lights on. When the deputy turned the patrol car around to check on the suspicious vehicle, the driver left and pulled into a driveway in the 7100 block of Palm Avenue. The deputy was familiar with the address and made a vehicle check of the car and its occupants. David Vasquez, 38, was found to have two meth pipes in each sock and a wallet and identification that did not belong to him. His companion, Bree Lewis, 20, had three outstanding warrants. David Vasquez was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and taken to the Morongo Basin Jail where he was cited and released. Bree Lewis was arrested on her burglary warrants and was taken to the Morongo Basin Jail with her bail set at $35,000.

A family argument resulted in the arrest of a Twentynine Palms man. According to the Sheriff’s department, Roy Houff, 60, was arguing with his girlfriend in the home they shared in the 73800 block of South Slope Drive. The police were called to keep the peace and determined that Roy Houff was displaying symptoms of being high. Roy Houff was arrested for investigation of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Roy Houff was transported to the Morongo Basin Jail where he was cited and released.

There were tires all over the road Thursday in Twentynine Palms. Shortly after 7 p.m. Manny Fonseca and Laura Humenik were driving their Ford Explorer with a trailer filled with used car tires on Adobe Road north of Two Mile Road. Some of the tires fell out of the trailer. Damani Farquharson ran over the tires in his Lincoln sedan, causing damage to the car’s front bumper. Other tires hit cars parked along the road. The incident is under investigation.

Outstanding students at Copper Mountain College can see their efforts recognized through the colleges’ honor societies. Managing Editor Tami Roleff tells us what Alpha Beta Gama and Phi Beta Kappa are about…
Copper Mountain College’s two honor societies, a chapter of the national Alpha Beta Gamma Honor Society and a chapter of the national Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, offer CMC students outstanding leadership and scholarship opportunities. The Alpha Beta Gamma chapter recognizes outstanding work by students majoring in Business, Economics, Computer Information Systems, and Computer Science. Those who meet the rigorous academic requirements are invited to join each spring. The school’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter is an honor society for community college students with a GPA of 3.5 and above. Being a CMC Honor Society member helps the admission process when transferring to a four-year school. Students Interested in joining one of these honor societies can contact a faculty advisor.

After a three-month-long trial, closing arguments were presented in court Thursday in the trial of Sherhaun Brown. Sherhaun Brown, 34, of Palm Springs, is accused of the horrific murder of Kristy Vert in May 2007. He is accused of brutally raping and slashing the throat of Vert’s daughter-in-law, who, with her two young sons, lived with Vert in the 57000 block of Canterbury Street in Yucca Mesa. After the attacks, Brown is accused of stealing the rape victim’s car. He and the car were spotted later the same day by Sheriff’s deputies in Moreno Valley, where he was arrested. If convicted, Sherhaun Brown could face the death penalty. Because the Joshua Tree courthouse is not set up to handle death penalty cases, Sherhaun Brown’s trial was moved to Victorville.

The Twentynine Palms Lady Wildcats basketball team raised their record to 14 and 7 overall and 4 and 0 in league play while taking over sole possession of first place in the De Anza League yesterday by defeating the Big Bear Bears by a score of 67 to 36. Coach Tim Stanford said the Wildcats shared the ball well with a total of 17 assists on the night. Wildcats standouts for the game were: Erin Stanford with 22 points, 11 steals, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds; Johnette Brown turned in another double double with 17 points and 14 rebounds; and Rosa Graham was also in double figures with 11 points and 4 assists.

Coach Tee Vallo said the Yucca Valley High School boys Soccer team traveled to Thermal to play Desert Mirage, bruised and broken, with five players playing with some sort of injury, and one starter not playing at all. Vallo said the Rams have a great team this year and they played well against Yucca Valley. Final Score, Rams 6, Trojans 0.

In high school sports today, the Twentynine Palms High School basketball teams travel away to Indio to play Shadow Hills High School. The girls’ game starts at 5, boys at 6:30.

The Yucca Valley High School Trojans host the Big Bear Bears basketball teams tonight. The girls’ game starts at 6; boys at 7:30.

Coming up tomorrow, the Yucca Valley High School wrestling team travels to West Covina for the West Covina High School Invitational Meet

CHEMICAL REACTION AT HI-DESERT NATURE MUSEUM SCIENCE SATURDAY
Educational fun at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley tomorrow. Reporter Derwood Andrews says the free Science Saturday presentation is all about chemical reactions…
If there’s any budding scientists out there that want to find out about chemical reactions, and witness a mini volcano exploding, come along to the Hi-Desert Nature Museum at 11 in the morning, Saturday January 21. Chemical reactions are all around us, even a rusting steel garbage can is a chemical reaction. This lecture by Crystal Mason is FREE and doesn’t require pre-registration. For further information call 760-369-7212 or visit hidesertnaturemuseum.org.

Joshua Tree Community United Methodist Church will provide a FREE Community Breakfast Buffet EVERY Saturday morning 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 the heart of Joshua Tree.

The Joshua Tree VFW will be serving up a Swiss steak dinner tonight from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Post at 6402 Veterans Way. Sunday breakfast is a sirloin steak special from 8 to 11. And don’t forget Taco Wednesday from 11 to 1.