Joshua Tree National Park is seeking public comment on fee increases for camping and Key’s Ranch Tour fees. The proposed fee updates are based on the prices of comparable public and private service providers within the vicinity of the park.  Â
The 30-day public comment period opened this weekend and remains open until June 30, 2024. Public comments can be made online at NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website or written submission through the mail to: Attn: Nathan Rhyne, Revenue and Fee Manager, Joshua Tree National Park , 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277Â
In conjunction with the USDA and the National School Lunch Program, the Morongo Unified School District is rolling out their free Summer Feeding Program for children 0-18.
With a focus on accessibility and nutrition, the Summer Feeding Program is designed to provide children with wholesome meals throughout the summer break without the burden of paperwork or cost to parents/guardians.
Families are invited to enjoy daily meals on-site or a weekly meal pick-up option is available for families whose children are not enrolled in a summer program where meals are already provided. Meals for the entire week can be collected and taken home. Families can participate in this option by either completing the online form weekly to indicate meal preferences or by simply showing up at a participating site.
The Nutritional Services department will be offering breakfast and lunch to the general public, ages 0-18, at the following locations and times:
Onaga Elementary – June 17 to July 12, Monday – Friday
Breakfast– 9:15 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.
Lunch– 12:30 P.M. to 12:45 P.M.Â
Yucca Mesa Elementary – June 17 to July 12, Monday – Friday
Breakfast– 9:15 A.M. to 9:30 A.M
Lunch– 12:30 P.M. to 12:45 P.MÂ
Yucca Valley High – June 17 to July 12, Monday – Friday
Breakfast– 8:15 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.
Lunch– 11:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.Â
Knotts Sky Park – June 17 to July 31, Monday – FridayÂ
Breakfast– 8:15 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.
Lunch– 12:15 P.M. to 12:30 P.M.  Â
Palm Vista Elementary – June 17 to July 12, Monday – FridayÂ
Breakfast– 9:15 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.
Lunch– 12:30 P.M. to 12:45 P.M.Â
Oasis Elementary – June 17 to July 12, Monday – FridayÂ
Breakfast– 9:15 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.
Lunch– 12:30 P.M. to 12:45 P.MÂ
Twentynine Palms High – June 17 to July 12, Monday – FridayÂ
Breakfast– 8:15 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.
Lunch– 11:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.Â
Luckie Park Patriotic Hall – June 17 to July 31, Monday – FridayÂ
Breakfast– 9:00 A.M. to 9:15 A.M.
Lunch– 1:00 P.M. to 1:15 P.M.Â
The Nutritional Services Department will be offering weekly meals on Tuesdays from 10:00 A.M. to 11 A.M.
Committed to enhancing community life in the Morongo Basin, the Basin Wide Foundation invites local community members, board members, staff, and volunteers to their “Good Governance” nonprofit summit. This comprehensive training session will cover essential topics such as fundraising, networking, and fundamental nonprofit management techniques. The summit is scheduled for June 6, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at the Copper Mountain College Bell Center community room at 6162 Rotary Way, Joshua Tree. An attendance fee of $40.00 will cover lunch and all training sessions,
Register at www.basinwidefoundation.org. 760-365-7219
The Town of Yucca Valley has announced their road closures for this week. The closures are related to the annual Town-Wide Crack, Slurry and Cape Seal Project, an annual affair that sees several roads closed as streets are repaved.
Today, expect closures on Hanford Ave, Paxton Rd, Aurora Dr, Diadem Rd, Prescott Ave, Palisade Dr, Palisade Way, Emerson Ave, Navajo Tr, Hanford Ave, Rubidoux Ave and Yucca Tr.
The contractor will provide notice to residences and businesses that are likely to be affected by the maintenance project. Please slow down in the work zone for the safety of all.
Monday, June 3:
Hanford Ave from Diadem Rd to Paxton Rd
Paxton Rd from Hanford Ave to Balsa Ave
Aurora Dr from Hanford Ave to Balsa Ave
Diadem Rd from Paxton Rd to Prescott Ave
Prescott Ave from Diadem Rd to Hwy 62
Palisade Dr to Palomar Ave to Palisade Way
Palisade Way from Palisade Dr to end
Emerson Ave from Ute Tr to Onaga Tr
Navajo Tr from Balsa Ave to Hanford Ave
Hanford Ave from Yucca Tr to Arcadia Tr
Rubidoux Ave from Yucca Tr to Arcadia Tr
Wednesday, June 5:
Yucca Tr from Alaba Ave to Avalon Ave (1/3 Split)
The contractor will provide notice to residences and businesses that are likely to be affected by the maintenance project. Please slow down in the work zone for the safety of all.
The Disabled American Veterans out of Loma Linda has a weekly, round-trip rides program in the Morongo Valley to transport veterans to their appointments at the Loma Linda VA facility.
If you would like to schedule a pickup time and place call Darrell Bush at 909-583-6116.
It’s swamp cooler season! Even though I resist as long as possible, these hotter days are making me realize it won’t be long until I’ll be itching to flip the switch and let that swampy air rain down on me – wrapping me in cool a blanket of humidity,
I know there are mini-splits now, but swamp coolers have been taking my temperature down since I was a kid, and there is something about cold humid air that for me, brings down the heat faster and cheaper.
If you are the DIY type and haven’t done a service on your swamp cooler, or this is your first time with one of them sticking off the side of your house or roof – fear not, it’s relatively easy to wake up a sleeping swamp cooler from it’s winter slumber.
An ultra-fast primer on swamp coolers: it uses the evaporative cooling effect to make hot, dry air feel like cold, damp air. It’s the same principle as putting a wet towel in front of a fan.
Aspen swamp cooler pads
A standard roof mounted swamp cooler will usually have four pads on the side. Depending on the age or brand of your swamp cooler, or just personal preference, you can get the evaporative pads made out of different material. The cheapest and perhaps most common are the aspen pads that are filled with curls of wood from the aspen tree. They naturally hold water pretty well and can last a few seasons.
The other parts of a swamp cooler are pretty basic – a small pump to keep the water dropping down the pads, an electric motor and a fan to blow the cool air into your home, along with a belt connecting the two.
You’ll want to check the pads on your swamp cooler to make sure they aren’t full of calcium deposits – sometimes referred to as scale.
Calcium is harmless in our drinking water, but it can leave a white residue on things over time, building up on things like glasses, or the pipes in your home, or the swamp cooler. If you notice the pads have a chalky white dust on them and don’t have that “wet wood” smell when you first fire up the swamp cooler, you’ll have a cooler summer if you swap out the pads.
Other things to check are the belt – which can be easily replaced if you remember to take it with you to the hardware store so you can get an exact replacement. A little oil on moving parts doesn’t hurt, and if there is any excessive scale in the bottom tub of your cooler, get rid of it before you turn on the tap.
I live and work in Joshua Tree – so the Joshua Basin Water District is where I get my H2O.
I spoke with David Shook down at the District about that calcium scale. You may have also heard of it described as “hard water” – which generally means water with lots dissolved minerals in it. David said that while the Morongo Basin has calcium present, it’s classified as about medium on whatever scale they measure water hardness on. It’s also not something that’s included in the annual water quality report as it’s pretty naturally occurring in almost all water – at least at some level.
There are a couple other ways to mitigate the calcium deposits over the summer. Making sure your system has a bleed off line will help remove some of the extra-concentrated calcium-rich water out of the evaporative cooler’s system. Capture the bleed off water in a bucket or collection system to use on thirsty plants.
If all this sounds too daunting, there are lots of businesses in the area that will service your swamp cooler for you – especially helpful if you don’t feel comfortable getting on the roof.
This Saturday night the moon will be at a waning crescent, and temperatures look to be lovely for a night of stargazing at the Joshua Tree Astronomy Art Theater.
Starting at 8PM and going until 11 – five seasoned astronomers will be scanning the night sky for star stories and tales of mythology. The spring and summer season has a multitude of celestial sites to see – Ursa Major, M51, The Sombrero and the Hercules Cluster are just a few of the many wonders you’ll be able to get a better glimpse at this Saturday.
The Joshua Tree Astronomy Arts Theater features a large screen for easy live viewing of the stars – but there will also be telescopes set up so you can go see it with your own eyes and chat with the astronomers behind the telescopes.
The night also features a musical engagement with Lee Scott and Art by the Black Hole Collection of Fine Art, and eclipse photos by Mitch Miller.
The Star Party is this Saturday, June 1st at 2601 Sunfair Road right – right inside the Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground.
Gates open at 7:45 and the show starts at 8. It’s $10 at the door, and please leave your pets at home.
For all visitors traveling into the Morongo Basin this weekend, Joshua Tree National Park has announced their Seasonal Campground Closures. Effective May 29th, Belle, White Tank, and some portions of Black Rock, Indian Cove, and Cottonwood campgrounds will temporarily close during the slower summer season, though most campsites will remain open. As always, reservations can be made on recreation.gov.
Tickets are still available for the nun-ny funny musical “Nunsense” at Theatre 29 tonight.
“Nunsense” is the original Off-Broadway musical by Dan Goggin that became an international phenomenon, launching a large series of nun related musicals featuring the indefatigable Little Sisters of Hoboken. The show is a hilarious spoof about the misadventures of five nuns trying to manage a fundraiser.
Appropriate for audiences aged 10+, “Nunsense” will run weekends at Theatre 29 through June 9th with performances Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:30pm.
Tonight, at The Palms waaay out in Wonder Valley you can get even further out with psychedelic space art rock of Landroid, Alien Probe, and Yvonne Champagne.
The long-standing Landers two-piece group Landroid is a dark and dreamlike melancholic, inspired by the desolate isolation of the desert. Alien Probe is a performance art ensemble spewing loose facts and answers to all your probing questions about aliens. And Yvonne Champagne is a mysteriously masked female fuzz-laden trio who combine early UK art-punk with timeless American twang. It all starts at 7 PM, $10 donation for spaceship fuel to get these invaders back home down the road. But if you’ve never been to the Palms, we’re warning you—it’s so much fun you’re not going to want to leave.
This Sunday June 2nd will be the Landers monthly Open Air Market from 9 AM to 1 PM in the upper parking lot of the Moose lodge at 58266 Reche Rd. Landers. With a great mix of vendors from handcrafted and homemade goods to everyday yard sale items. Open to the public. Vendor spaces are free, though space is limited. Setup from 7:30 to 9. Any questions contact Randy at 760-974-6475.
The Splash Pad at the Joshua Tree Community Center is open for the summer. Kicking into full summer hours this week, the Splash Pad, which provides free water fun and activities to kids throughout the Morongo Basin, is open today and every day from 9am to 7pm, with the exception of Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The splash pad will keep these hours until Labor Day, so go cool down at the splash pad, located at 6171 Sunburst Ave in Joshua Tree.
Twentynine Palm’s Luckie Park’s Pool will be open this weekend from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Daily Public Swim schedule will begin on June 8, running every day from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. until August 11. Following this, the Luckie Park Pool will be open for the weekends of August 17, 24, and August 31 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Remember that Luckie Park pool is a cash-only facility. Children (aged 2-17) and adults will be charged $4.50 per visit, while seniors (aged 55 and above) can enjoy a discounted rate of $2.75. For regular visitors, a 20 Entry Punch Pass will be available for purchase at $40.25. This pass is exclusively valid for public swim sessions and will be punched per person upon entry.Â
Additionally, an Adult Lap Swim and Adult Swim Session Pass can be acquired for $34.50 each.
For additional information, please contact the City of Twentynine Palms Parks & Recreation Department at (760) 367-7562 or visit their website.
Cactus Sew-ables Quilt Guild will meet at the Yucca Valley Community Center, Monday June, 3rd at 1:00. Doors open at 12:30. Theme will be Patriotic Picnic. Please wear red, white or blue in keeping with the theme. Guests are welcome for a $3.00 fee at the door.
A Twentynine Palms man wanted for attempted murder in Arizona led a violent pursuit through the Morongo Basin before he was captured in a lethal force encounter.
On Tuesday night (May 28) at around 9:30 p.m. the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was notified that a suspect in an Arizona attempted murder was leading a pursuit heading toward Twentynine Palms from Mojave County.
The suspect, identified as Brent Soster, a 43 year-old resident of Twentynine Palms, failed to yield during a traffic stop in Needles, and initiated the pursuit heading west.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was notified that Soster was driving a 2005 Dodge pickup, heading toward Twentynine Palms. The say that Soster drove onto State Route 62, and began throwing smoke grenades and shooting at deputy vehicles.
As the pursuit continued through Twentynine Palms and into Joshua Tree, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s helicopter was dispatched. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Soster began firing at the helicopter, at which point deputies used lethal force. They say that they apprehended Soster after the lethal force incident. The Sheriff’s Department did not provide details about the type of force used, and did not specifiy which agency used lethal force measures.
Investigators searching Soster’s vehicle found several firearms, a tactical ballistic vest, a gas mask, additional smoke grenades, and several rounds of ammunition.
Soster was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of lacerations. Brent Soster was discharged from the hospital and arrested for investigation into attempted murder. He is being held at the West Valley Detention Center, with bail set at $1.3 million dollars though he is on a fugitive hold and is not expected to be released.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Deputy Joshua Young, Specialized Investigations Division at (909) 890-4904. Callers can remain anonymous and contact We-Tip at 800-78CRIME or www.wetip.com.
An officer from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center was honored with a prestigious award this week.
As reported by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Serive, Twentynine Palms-based Chief Warrant Officer 3 Deacon Holton, the battalion gunner for 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, was recently chosen as the 2023 recipient of the Gunner Henry Lewis Hulbert Trophy for Outstanding Leadership.
The Hulbert trophy is presented in memory of Henry Lewis Hulbert, who earned the Medal of Honor as a private and was one of the first 20 Marines selected to serve as a Marine gunner.
With words, music, and lyrics all written by Dan Goggin, the musical first debuted off-Broadway in 1985, “Nunsense” tells the tale of five of the Little Sisters of Hoboken, a former missionary order, and their plight to raise money for the burials of four of their fallen sisters after a bout of food poisoning: a task they take on with humor.
The show offers a fresh look at the sisters, who have more spunk than one might anticipate from a missionary order, given the circumstances. Much of the dialogue is fresh, clerical puns. Sister Mary Hubert, played by Lisa Hodgson, notably offered her lines with a naturally wry delivery.
The sisters decide to organize a variety show to help their cause, though the order’s novices are also putting on a production of “Grease.” For this reason, the set is in classic 1950s theme with records, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe cut-outs, whose pinup pose is hastily covered up by the nuns. All the sisters were dressed convincingly in traditional habits, although Sister Mary Leo, played charmingly by Melissa McNiel, tugged her slippers on underneath in a quest to become the first ballerina nun.
Reverend Mother Sister Mary Regina and Sister Robert Anne, played by Laura Harwood and Kimberly Sonntag, did impeccable jobs retaining their different accents throughout the entirety of the dialogue and song numbers. This was particularly impressive during Mary Regina’s humorous monologue when she finds an illicit substance that causes her to feel light on her feet.
Sister Mary Amnesia, played by Tiffany Crocker, spent much of the production as the tail of many jokes. However, Crocker put all that to rest with her powerhouse performance of “I Could’ve Gone to Nashville” in the second act. “Lilacs” was a sweet, evocative number that tied together the characters’ different pasts, and all of the sisters did an excellent job in “Tackle That Temptation with a Time Step,” the tap number that closed out the first act.
With engaging actors, punchy song numbers, and too many laugh-out-loud moments to count, I was very impressed with the cast’s production of this clerical, cheeky tale.
“Nunsense” performances run on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Theater 29 and continues its run through June 9. Tickets can be purchased online at theatre29.org, or by calling the Theatre 29 Box Office at 760-361-4151.
VOYAGER, a Journey cover band, is going to be rocking Tortoise Rock Casino tonight with a free show.Â
The show is open to everyone – small town girls living in lonely worlds, city boys from Detroit or other non-desert destinations, or just anyone who just wants to ESCAPE into a night of ROCK AND ROLL.
VOYAGER starts playing at 8 tonight at Tortoise Rock Casino in Twentynine Palms – bring a chair
This free concert series, called “Live at the Rock,” is running every Friday and features a fantastic tribute band playing hit songs at the casino’s outdoor stage.
All shows begin at 8 p.m. at Tortoise Rock Casino in Twentynine Palms.
It’s the first Saturday of the month – time for another Community Breakfast at the Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center. The all-volunteer staff invites you to enjoy all your breakfast favorites and locally roasted coffee from Desert Rat Roasters tomorrow morning (June 1) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Community Center, located 65336 Winters Rd in North Joshua Tree.Â
Morongo Valley’s Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is celebrating Black Birders Week beginning this Saturday, June 1st from 8 AM to 12 noon.
To highlight Black nature enthusiasts and to increase the visibility of Black birders, Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management and the Wilderness Society providing a free, family friendly introduction to birding. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is an internationally known birding site with over 240 species of birds being recorded. Join The Wilderness Society’s California Community Partnership Manager Alicia Thomas, Manager of Sand to Snow National Monument Jihadda Davis, and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve Ranger Kaeliegh Watson who will lead this introduction to bird watching, looking for migrating birds as well as year-round residents. If you don’t have binoculars, staff will have some pairs on-hand so you can closely observe these wonderful avian friends.
Registration is limited, please reserve a space using this link: bit.ly/3QOsPQa
For more information, please call Kevin Wong, Executive Director, at 760-792-1843. Please visit our website at www.bigmorongo.org to learn more about Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and its resources.
The Yucca Valley High School Trojans Wrestling team is holding a fundraising car wash and yard sale tomorrow. The team hopes to raise money to send team members to summer wrestling camps.
The event is tomorrow morning (June 1) at Hi Desert Air, located at 56460 Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley. and runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Come down, get a clean car, and support the Yucca Valley High School wrestling team.
