On Monday (April 28), deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Morongo Basin station responded to a 911 call reporting allegations of the ongoing sexual abuse of a 16 year-old. Deputies identified the suspect as Stephen Spurlock, a 43 year-old resident of Yucca Valley.
Deputies say that Spurlock, who works as a teacher at a private school in Rancho Mirage, had been abusing the victim since they were 14 years-old. A search warrant was conducted on Spurlock’s home, the location of which the Sheriff’s Department did not specify. At the home, Spurlock was taken into custody and deputies say they found evidence of the abuse.
Because Spurlock works as a school teacher and coach, detectives suspect there may be additional victims in both San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
Spurlock’s booking photo is being released for reference.
Stephen Spurlock, 43
Anyone who may have been victimized by Spurlock is urged to immediately contact the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station at 760-366-4175.
Stephen Spurlock was arrested for investigation on multiple charges related to the sexual abuse and rape of a minor, including lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.
He is being held at the West Valley Detention Center without bail.
The Morongo Valley Community Services District Board of Directors will be holding a special 6:00 p.m. meeting Wednesday in Covington Park’s Mesquite Room.
For new business on the meeting’s agenda, it is recommended that the Board of Directors review, discuss and approve the professional services agreement between the Morongo Valley Community Services District and former Board member Matthew Campos, though what these services will be are yet to be made available to the public through the agenda. The board will also be reviewing and discussing the district’s 2025-26 budget worksheet.
During the regular board meeting of April 16, 2025, the Board of Directors discussed a project surrounding a local artist painting a mural on the Covington Park building. It is recommended that the Board discuss, review and approve the concept, outlining project parameters, and authorizing staff to move forward with planning and coordinating efforts.
Also initiated during the last regular meeting, the Board discussed community interest in establishing a dog park in Morongo Valley. It is recommended that the Board of Directors discuss, review, and approve a course of action for moving forward with the development.
Finally, the Board will discuss authorizing the $4000 purchase of a “park gator” maintenance vehicle for Covington Park.
The Joshua Basin Water District Board of Directors is holding a special session meeting on Thursday morning (5/1). The board is gathering to review and revise the budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 and consider the proposed budget for 2025-2026. The board is expected to review and revise these budgets with an eye for approval at a future meeting.
The Joshua Basin Water District Board meets on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. at their office at 61750 Chollita Road in Joshua Tree. You can also attend the meeting remotely:
The 74th Annual National Day of Prayer is Thursday (5/1) and a day of prayer will be happening locally in Twentynine Palms.
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May and invites people of all faiths to pray for the nations. The holiday was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
The theme for this year is “Pour Out To The God Of Hope And Be Filled” and is based on Romans 15:13.
The 29 Palms Ministerial Association will host three services in Twentynine Palms led by President McArthur Wright. Service times are 7:00 a.m. and Noon at Veteran’s Park located at 6136 Adobe Road. A third service will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Gospel Fellowship Christian Center Church located 5898 Adobe Road. Services are open to the public and Mayor Steven Bilderain from the City of Twentynine Palms will present a proclamation at the morning service.
Prayer topics will be led by:
Apostle Perry Ford, Apostle Melvin Brock, Pastor Jauron James and Minister Gary Horn of The Sanctuary Church Evangelist Alfreda Wright and Deacon Gerald Turner of Gospel Fellowship Christian Center Church Pastor Amy Miranda and Rev. Casey Orndorf of First Assembly of God Church-29 Palms Suzy Dick of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Pastor LeeAnn Clarke of the 29 Palms Ministerial Association Suzzy Thompson, Owner of Curves and member of the 29 Palms Aglow Community Lighthouse Eric Tili, Teacher at Twentynine Palms High School and Darla Tili, Teacher at Condor Elementary School Sandy Smith, Executive Director of the Copper Mountain College Foundation
For over a decade the soothing sounds of dogs on the march has been a springtime tradition here in the desert. The Woof Walk has typically taken place in Pioneertown but on its 11th year the parade of pooches is moving to Essig Park in Yucca Valley, a spot already popular with hi-desert tail waggers.
The event is in support of the Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter which has been in the same spot since 1982. The shelter broke new ground this year the first phase of its expansion, prepping the property for two new kennel buildings expected to go in over the summer.
Glen Harris: “Once those are complete, we will then go on to phase two and that will include new cat kennels and admin buildings. We have big plans to do gazebos where people can hang out with the animals and potential dog runs. You know… the sky’s the limit.”
Glen Harris is the co-president of the Joshua Tree No-Kill Shelter, which is currently the only shelter in the area that has no-kill status, a status they gained in 2005.
Glen Harris: “We will always be no-kill. And we are now working with a lot of the other local animal organizations because we really hope to create a basinwide animal alliance, we all need to work together because we all want the same thing. We’re all here for the same reason. And we all certainly can support one another to make life a lot easier for these animals.
“This is a fundraiser, first and foremost. So every penny goes directly towards the building of the new shelter. And we expect our community is going to support us like they always do.”
There will be twenty five local vendors at the Woof Walk with all sorts of local goodies for pets and their owners. Animal rescue and resource groups like The Animal Action League, Save the Meow Meows and Feathers and Fur will be there.
There will also be food from local eateries The Dez, Desert Baked, Sully’s Crepe Co., JT Desert Drifters, Cowboy Churros, Yum Yum Tacos, and Mas o Menos will be there slinging some canine-themed craft cocktails.
Glen: “I think I can say one of them being the barkarita.”
You can bid on a silent auction with fifteen raffle items and there will also be a $20-per-ticket cash raffle where one winner will be taking home a cool thousand bucks. The day begins at 10:00 a.m. when registration opens, and by 11:00 a.m. its time to get those dog paws marching.
Glen: “People can come with their dogs and register, and we do a big dog parade and I encourage everyone to bring their dogs in costume. We’re going to have some costume contests and we’re going to have a contest for the dog that looks most like their owner. We have really fun prizes and we are doing a ton of different raffles. Wolf Walk is for kids of all ages and certainly dogs of all ages. It’s going to be really fun and it is not only a celebration of all things dog it’s also a big celebration of our community because our community is one very special community.”
Woof Walk Schedule:
10:00 Registration opens
10:45 Blessing of the Dogs
11:00 Woof Walk around the park
11:30 “Best Sit” Pet Contest*
11:45 “Best Trick”*
12:00 “Best Costume”*
12:15 “Looks like Owner”*
1:45 Raffle Drawings
2:00 Silent Auction Closes
2:15 Cash Raffle Drawing
*Winners of these contests will receive a $25 gift card to Happy Tails
You can get more information on the Woof Walk and the Joshua Tree No-Kill Shelter at their website www.JoshuaTreeNoKillShelter.org.
This Friday (5/2) Copper Mountain Community College will be hosting a CMC Creative Showcase in the Greenleaf Library’s Bagley Room, an event that will include announcements of award winners.
Sponsored by AHA Projects and Hi-Desert Arts, join CMC’s Student Creative Showcase art exhibition with readings from the latest issue of CMC’s literary journal HOWL. Awards will be announced for select Howl contributors as well as a series of visual arts awards for the student art exhibition from the Hi-Desert Artist Group with support from AHA projects. Visual art jurors include Caroline Partamian of Compound YV, Juan Thorp of Space Truckin’ Gallery, Mark Todd of Hey There Projects, and Sant Khalsa of Joshua Tree Center for Photographic Arts.
This opening reception runs from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
Denim Day is coming up on Wednesday, April 30th, and local advocates are asking the community to wear jeans to support survivors and protest harmful myths about sexual Violence.
Denim Day is more than a fashion statement — it’s a global campaign to raise awareness about sexual violence and victim blaming. The movement began in Italy in 1992 after a driving instructor raped an 18 year-old. When Italy’s Supreme Court overturned his conviction, claiming that tight jeans implied consent, women in the Italian Parliament protested by wearing jeans to work. That spark ignited Denim Day.
Each year, people around the world wear denim in solidarity with survivors — and to challenge the idea that what someone wears can ever invite or justify assault.
This year, Denim Day is Wednesday, April 30th.
Partners Against Violence will be at Starbucks in Yucca Valley from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Stop by to learn more, show your support, or donate to help local survivors of sexual assault.
The Hi-Desert Artists Gallery (HDA) has appointed Katie Nartonis as its new gallery director.
Katie Nartonis
A respected curator, writer, and arts advocate, Nartonis brings decades of experience in 20th-century design, documentary filmmaking, and arts leadership to the role. She is known for her recent books “Glimpses of the Joshua Tree Dream” and “California Desert Artists.”
Her most recent curation is an exhibition at the Maloof Foundation, Handwork: Crafting the Counterculture, featuring early works by California design figures Garry Knox Bennett and Nicki Marx and runs through May 2026.
Nartonis said, “I’m thrilled to join HDA, where the democratic, artist-led model fosters true community and equal opportunity. I look forward to curating dynamic exhibitions and amplifying the voices of our talented artist members.”
A man on parole for violent felonies was arrested for investigation into domestic violence.
Early Thursday morning (April 24) just after midnight, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of domestic battery near the intersection of Twentynine Palms Highway and Palm Ave in Yucca Valley. Court records show that the suspect, identified as Ivan Aguilar Gaytan, 25, was contacted by deputies and found to be on probation. He was taken into custody. The Sheriff’s Department did not provide information about the nature of the attack nor the status of the victim.
In 2024, Gaytan entered guilty pleas on charges of burglary and making criminal threats.
Ivan Aguilar Gaytan was arrested on suspicion of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and violation of felony parole, and is being held at the West Valley Detention Center without bail.
Several sex offenders throughout San Bernardino County were arrested during a targeted sweep conducted by the Sheriff’s Department.
Called Operation Spring Cleaning, the Department’s initiative identified and arrested suspects who sought to use the internet to contact and abuse children and ensure that registered sex offenders were compliant with their registration requirements. The operation ran from April 5 through April 19.
20 residential search warrants were served across San Bernardino County and more that 480 compliance checks were conducted. 73 arrests were made for charges that included rape, lewd acts with a minor, contacting a minor, possession and distribution of child pornography, failure to register as a sex offender, and more.
Z107.7’s monitoring of arrests suggests that throughout the Morongo Basin several registered sex offenders were contacted but no arrests were made in our area.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department asks that anyone with information related to out of compliance sex offenders contact investigators at (909) 387-8313.
A new exhibit brings curiosities of the sea to Twentynine Palms. Mojave Moon Apothecary in the Twentynine Palms Historic Plaza is debuting a new exhibit featuring maritime antiques, rare oceanic fossils, and deep sea vibes. Called “The Nautilus Room,” the exhibit is in the apothecary’s backroom. Follow your nose through the aromas of the shop’s tinctures and incense and prepare for a deep dive into aquatic history.
Mojave Moon owner Heather Basile explained the project, starting with why she decided to put the exhibit together.
“Well, I think it’s important to bring the ocean to Twentynine Palms because there’s probably a lot of children here that have never gotten to experience it firsthand. We don’t have a lot of sea life, seashells, stuff like that. As a kid, I grew up going on vacation down in Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and hunting for seashells and sand dollars. And it’s one of my happiest memories of my childhood. I thought it’d be really cool to let people experience that firsthand in the middle of the desert.
“Visitors will see lots of vintage ships. They will see lots of antiques. They’ll see an authentic metal diving helmet, in addition to all kinds of different specimens, coral, sea urchins, seashells, starfish, fossils, some of which are over 65 million years old, which I find to be fascinating.
“People are welcome to come to the exhibit and shop because some of the things are going to be for sale. But there’s no pressure to buy anything. But if you do purchase any of the specimens, 10% of our sales will go to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro for ocean conservation and preservation.”
The exhibit opens this Saturday (May 3) at Mojave Moon Apothecary at 5688 The Plaza in Twentynine Palms, and runs until June 31.
A cosmos-themed music event is coming to the Hi-Desert Nature Museum for a one-time show on Saturday.
Musician Matt Venuti will stop at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum during his US tour to perform his acclaimed AmeriCosmos show, featuring improvised live electronic and acoustic music that creates a soundtrack for breathtaking footage of nature from across the U.S. filmed by Venuti himself.
The footage ascends to space and a cosmic journey ensues, enhanced by NASA and Webb telescope imagery. Featuring an array of rare electronic and acoustic instruments that Matt was among the first to bring to the stage, AmeriCosmos has captivated audiences in theaters, planetariums, and a diverse range of venues nationwide.
The performance is on Saturday (May 3) at 5:00 p.m. at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum.
Pre-registration is required and tickets can be purchased online at hidesertnaturemuseum.org for $20 each.
An empowering summer camp program for young girls is coming to Twentynine Palms this July, and it’s being funded in part by Nike.
Camp Girls on the Run is heading to the hi-desert, and promises to bring a week of fun, physical activity, and life-skill development. The weeklong program focuses on developing friendship, confidence, self-expression and more through games, storytelling, and crafts for girls entering grades 3 through 5.
Two weekly sessions will be held at Luckie Park, from July 21–25 and July 28–August 1, and costs only $15 thanks to additional funding from National Recreation and Park Association and Nike.
In addition to camper registration, Camp GOTR is actively recruiting volunteer Coaches and Junior Coaches (high school girls ages 16–18). All coaching volunteers will receive comprehensive Girls on the Run training to lead lessons, facilitate activities, and inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident. Coaches will also receive a stipend for their time and commitment.
A teddy bear allegedly stolen from an ice cream store led to serious criminal charges for a Twentynine Palms man.
On Saturday (April 26) at around 3:45 p.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the reported theft at a business in Twentynine Palms. Employees at the Cold Stone Creamery at the intersection of Twentynine Palms Highway and Adobe Road told deputies that a large stuffed teddy bear that serves as the store’s mascot was taken from the lobby.
Staff told deputies that they followed the suspect out of the store, and the staff was able to recover the teddy bear before they contacted deputies.
The suspect was identified as Joey Baca, a 49 year-old resident of Twentynine Palms.
Baca has an active warrant for investigation into possession of a controlled substance and was located by deputies and taken into custody.
The teddy bear was uninjured.
Joey Baca was arrested on suspicion of petty theft with two convictions and possession of a controlled substance and is being held at the West Valley Detention Center on $31,000 bail.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meets in regular session Tuesday morning (April 29). On their agenda is a resolution to form a new camping site in the Landers area. The boundaries of the proposed camp site are near Sunburst Street, and near the intersection of Adele Lane and Mercury Drive.
The county would take on road grading, operations and maintenance services for the new camp site. The Board is expected to set a public hearing regarding the creation of the camp site at their June 10 meeting. Notices of the public hearing will be mailed to community members in advance.
A pet adoption event held by the Town of Yucca Valley led to new homes for 31 animals over the last month.
Called “Pet-A-Palooza,” the adoption event began on March 22, and saw 17 dogs, nine cats and five pigs find new families. The event, which concluded on April 21, saw one donor cover the fees for ten adoptions at the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter.
California’s Summer EBT program known as SUN Bucks is returning in 2025. This food program provides families $40 per month for food in June, July, and August when children do not have access to school meals.
California was one of the first states in the nation to launch SUN Bucks in the summer of 2024. In its first year, nearly $500 million in food purchases were made, and the families and caregivers of more than 4.3 million California children activated their SUN Bucks cards.
Over 4 million eligible California children will automatically receive SUN Bucks EBT cards that can be used to purchase groceries starting in June, and each eligible child will receive $120. Most children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through a school meal application or Universal Benefits Application, or get CalFresh, CalWORKs, and/or Medi-Cal, are automatically enrolled.
SUN Bucks is administered through a partnership between the California Department of Social Services and the California Department of Education. Find our more on the SUN Bucks website.
On Wednesday, April 23rd Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a suspicious device in the area of Shoshone Valley Road in Twentynine Palms. After an investigation by deputies the device appeared to be an unexploded 40mm combat munition round, which prompted the San Bernardino Bombs and Arson detail to respond and take over the investigation scene. The unexploded ordinance was rendered safe and removed from the area, and the Sheriff’s department says that as a “matter of routine practice” they notified the Marine Corp Air Ground Combat Center’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) of the device.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says the munition appears to have been randomly discarded by the person who had illegally possessed the device.
If you find a firearm, ammunition or a suspicious device, you can report it immediately by calling 911.
There are also cases where you may have come into possession of a firearm or ammunition and want to dispose of safely. You can contact the Sheriff Department’s non-emergency line and a deputy can meet you at your location to safely handle and take possession of the firearm or ammo. The non-emergency number is 760-956-5040.
If the firearm or ammunition is in your possession and you want to dispose of it, you can turn it in at the Sheriff’s station. However, do not enter the station with the firearm or ammunition. Talk to the deputy on duty at the front desk and let them know the situation, and the deputy can facilitate the turnover from there.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers are invited to a special volunteer orientation at the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) on Monday, April 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The activity is being held as part of the Force of Nature program and includes a tour of MDLT headquarters, their Native Plant Restoration Nursery, and the Mojave Desert Seed Bank. Participants will have the chance to learn more about desert conservation, become a registered MDLT volunteer, and find out about upcoming activities tailored for veterans and active-duty servicemembers.
Force of Nature offers uplifting outdoor activities and volunteer opportunities for veterans and active-duty servicemembers. This project is made possible through the Veterans and Nature Grant Program, from the National Environmental Education Foundation in partnership with the USDA Forest Service.
The Mojave Desert Land Trust says that the hi-desert volunteer community contributed over 3,400 hours of service across a range of projects including stewardship, seed cleaning, native plant propagation, administration, and outreach.
