STORM DAMAGE AFFECTS COUNTY TELEVISION SERVICE OPERATIONS

Morongo Basin residents who rely on the county’s over-the-air digital television signal for TV programs have been increasingly frustrated after days of intermittent service interruptions were capped off yesterday by a total loss of signal. October’s big storm damaged the electrical system that powers the county’s over-the-air digital television equipment atop Pinto Mountain in Joshua Tree. A gas-powered backup generator at the site has been in use since the equipment failure. But to make matters worse, efforts to refuel the backup generator and to make repairs to the electrical system up there have been hampered because of extensive storm-related damage to the one access road to the site. According to the county special districts department, the broadcast equipment should be up and running again by tomorrow, bringing an end to the interruptions and outages.