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Listen To Your News		Monday, January 11, 2010		News Archive

HOUSE FIRE IN JOSHUA TREE
An early morning house fire in Joshua Tree. County Fire officials said around 5:41 this morning, firefighters from Joshua Tree Station 36 responded to a house fire in the 61500 block of Division Street. Arriving fire crews found the flames limited to the interior of the home. The home was equipped with a smoke detector, but without batteries, it did not alert the occupants. 3 people living in the house had to escape through a window in one of the bedrooms. One of the people suffered a cut finger during their escape. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to other homes. Damage to the structure was estimated at around $50,000, the contents of the house, including valuable music equipment was lost as well. The exact cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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Jeff Ohlfs

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK RANGER RECEIVES AWARD FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH Joshua Tree National Park District Ranger Jeff Ohlfs received a Special Thanks for Achieving Results, or STAR, Award December 8 from the National Park Service for his ongoing project to document details of every Park Service employee who has died on duty. Ohlfs also received a special commendation from National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. Ohlfs was presented his STAR Award by Park superintendent Curt Sauer. Since 1998, Ranger Ohlfs has carefully researched details surrounding the deaths of all National Park Service employees who are known to have died while on the job.

In 1993, the Park Service created a memorial honoring employees who died on duty in a hallway of the Department Interior Building in Washington, D.C. When a newspaper account of the memorial appeared Ohlfs knew that the wall was not complete and contained a number of inaccuracies. He began to collect information in a desire to ensure that the memory of Park Service employees who died for their work was preserved and remained part of the agency. The earliest name on the list is that of Virgil McGoodwin, an employee at Platt National Park who in 1908 was killed after being struck in the head by a drill There is one Joshua Tree National Monument employee on the list. In 1942, Peter Mahrt, a roads foreman was killed by smoke inhalation while fighting a park wildfire. Ranger Ohlfs has now documented stories for 223 park employees who have died in service to the agency. His research led to a new, updated memorial being placed in the Department of Interior Building last year.

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Brad Mitzelfelt

SUPERVISOR MITZELFELT SUPPORTS HUNTING IN MOJAVE PRESERVE County 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who represents the Twentynine Palms area, is coming out in favor of hunting the nearby Mojave National Preserve. Reporter Dan stork says Mitzelfelt recently wrote to the fish and game commission with his recommendation...

1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt has weighed in on the side of hunters, following an effort by environmental groups to limit hunting in the Mojave National Preserve. The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and other groups in November of 2009 re-submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to restrict hunting in the Preserve to large game and upland birds, and to the months September through January. The petition claims that more extensive hunting is a threat to the endangered desert tortoise population. In his letter to John Carlson, Executive Director of the Fish and Game Commission, Supervisor Mitzelfelt worked to refute several of the petition’s points. The petition argued that:

• the National Park Service has failed to implement recommendations of the 1994 Clinton-eraTortoise Recovery Plan;
• authority over hunting policies is shared with the state agency;
• studies in the 80s showed high tortoise mortality from gunshots; and
• human traffic in the Preserve, particularly in the spring and summer, endangers tortoises.

Mitzelfelt’s letter countered that:

• a 2007 Bush-era draft revision of the Tortoise Recovery Plan has no hunting restrictions;
• authority lies with the Park Service, and not with the state agency;
• the shooting vandalism of earlier decades has been reduced by education and enforcement, and
• there is no scientific evidence supporting the petition’s claims of endangerment by humans.

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ARTS COUNCIL NAMES NEW OFFICERS
The Morongo Basin Community Arts Council shuffled the deck last week, reorganizing its board for the New Year. Mita Barter is the new Arts Council President, Terry Hone continues as Treasurer, as does Bonnie Brady as Hospitality Director. Also retaining a position on the Art Council Board, Ted Quinn as Music Director. Ed Keesling will head up Youth and Education Programs, and Past President Scott Monteith will continue his role as Exhibitions Director.

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CLASSIC COMEDY, "BLITHE SPIRIT", OPENS FRIDAY AT THEATRE 29
The classic Noel Coward comedy, "Blithe Spirit" opens this Friday at Theater 29 for a 5 week run. Reporter Mike Lipsitz says individual show and season tickets are now available...
A hard working cast and crew are preparing to raise the curtain on "Blithe Spirit" January 15th. The classic Noel Coward comedy runs through February 13th with a 7 p.m. curtain on Fridays and Saturdays. There is a Thursday night show January 28th and a matinee Sunday, February 7th. "Blithe Spirit" is to be the final show directed by Theatre 29 veteran Butch Pelfrey as he prepares to retire to North Carolina. Pelfrey has developed a reputation for his natural sense of comedic timing and eye for detail. "Blithe Spirit" tells the story of Charles Condomine, an author who makes contact with the spirit of his vengeful first wife at a séance. Once the séance is over, the comedy begins because the glamorous ghost won’t go away. Tickets for "Blithe Spirit" are $12, less for Seniors, Military, Kids under 12 and Students with ID. Savvy theater goers will save with a 2010 Theater 29 season subscription. Call the Box Office at 760-361-4151 or go to theatre29.com.

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HOSPICE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS MEETING
The Morongo Basin Chapter of The Compassionate Friends will hold their monthly meeting Wednesday, January 13, 2010, from 4:30 pm to 6:00 p.m. at Hospice of Morongo Basin in Joshua Tree 61675 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree. The group is facilitated by Kristin Martin. The Compassionate Friends is a national support organization reaching out to parents who have experienced the death of a child. Start the New Year with encouragement as we support each other in our grief journey and realize that "we need not walk alone". The Compassionate Friends reach out to each other with love, with understanding and with hope. For questions or more information, call Kristin at 760-250-7295 or Hospice of Morongo Basin at 760-366-1308.

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TOWN OF YUCCA VALLEY TO OFFER DOG OBEDIENCE TRAINING
The Town of Yucca Valley is offering Dog Obedience Training beginning January 15th. This class is training and behavior modification training for dogs and their humans. The first session will be for humans only, giving an overview of the class with handouts regarding house breaking and behavioral issues. The next five weeks will cover Heel and Sit, Sit/Stay, Down/Stay, and Come with reviews each week. Week 6 is Graduation. Each participant needs to provide a collar and leash. For details call instructor Gayle at 660-5211 prior to pre-registration online or at the Community Services Office. Classes are for those 18 and over the cost is $100 for 6 sessions held on Fridays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Yucca Valley Community Center.

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ROP BROADCASTING CLASSES START HERE NEXT WEEK
The next semester of ROP Broadcasting classes start here next Tuesday. Reporter Tami Roleff tells you how to sign up for the popular free classes...
If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at radio stations, then you may be interested in the Regional Occupation Program for Broadcasting Occupations. The ROP class will cover basic broadcasting operations, newsgathering, advertising, how to be a disk jockey, and more. The next Broadcasting Occupations ROP class will start Tuesday, January 19. The 18-week class will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 5 at the Z107.7 office on Hallee Road in Joshua Tree. For more information, call the radio station at 760-366-8471.

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YUCCA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL BEATS DESERT HOT SPRINGS
The Yucca Valley High School Lady Trojan basketball team cruised to a 75-33 win last Friday in their De Anza League opener at Desert Hot Springs. Coach Jess Geeson said the girls stormed out to a 18-2 first quarter lead, then expanded it to 50-18 at the half, using a stingy man to man defense. Sophomore Lindsay Sullivan posted a game high 16 points and 14 rebounds, while junior Tabitha Vigen knocked in 15 points and sophomore Latreya Ross was solid with 11 points and 5 steals. The Yucca squad is now 1-0 in De Anza league play and is 9 and 7 overall, with a early league showdown with the Twentynine Palms Wildcats tomorrow in Trojan Gym. The junior varsity game tips off at 5 p.m. with the varsity following at 6:30 p.m.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL BEATS DESERT MIRAGE
Friday the Twentynine Palms Lady Wildcats Varsity basketball team defeated the Desert Mirage Rams 58-37. The 'Cats are 1 and 0 in league play and 13 and 4 overall. Coach Tim Stanford said Shining brightly for the Lady Cats on the night were freshman Jaymee Candelaria who had a season high 15 points and Catherine Mount who added 10. Wildcat of the Week this week is Jaymee Candelaria. Stanford says Jaymee set the pace of play in the Desert Mirage game playing wonderfully on defense as well as on offense. Jaymee is a positive teammate and an outstanding athlete.

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YUCCA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL HONORS THEIR TEAM
The Yucca Valley High School Lady Trojan Volleyball Team, the 2009 DeAnza League champions, honored their players Sunday night at the annual banquet and awards ceremony. Ten players were named as Scholar Athletes with a 3.5 Grade point average or higher. Named as All DeAnza League were:

• Honorable Mention – Brittany Fluet
• Second Team – Morgan Shippey
• Second Team – Rebecca Jennings
• First Team – Elizabeth Slaughter
• First Team – Suzanne Chambless
• First Team – Lindsay Sullivan
• Most Valuable Player – Ali Ratkowiak

Varsity Team Awards

• Frasher’s Sportsmanship Award – Rebecca Jennings
• Most Improved – Lindsay Sullivan and Taylor Adair
• Most Inspirational – Brittany Fluet
• Coach’s Award – Morgan Shippey & Suzanne Chambless
• MVP Offense – Ali Ratkowiak
• MVP Defense – Elizabeth Slaughter

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YUCCA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL JV WRESTLING
The Yucca Valley JV Wrestling Team competed Saturday, at the Desert Mirage Classic wrestling tournament. Coach Brandon Whitbread says Congratulations to Lupe Garcia for placing 4th at his weight class, and to Dylan Masterson, Daniel Hopper, Daniel DelGuidice, Rene Hernandez, and Derek Olson for also winning matches at the competition. The Trojans are now set to compete in the "Trojan War" JV tournament at Yucca Valley High School Saturday morning at 9:00.

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COMING UP IN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
It’s a cross basin battle as the Twentynine Palms High School Wildcat soccer team goes up against the Yucca Valley High School Trojans, at Yucca Valley, Tuesday. The girls hit the field at 3:30, the Boys at 5.

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