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Listen To Your News		Monday, February 1, 2010		News Archive

MURDER-SUICIDE LEAVES FATHER AND 9-MONTH OLD YUCCA VALLEY BABY DEAD
A Pinion Hills man and his 9-month-old son from Yucca Valley were found dead early Sunday morning in an apparent murder-suicide, according to sheriff's officials. Deputies from the Hesperia sheriff's station received a report Saturday that 25-year-old Stephen Garcia took his infant son, Wyatt Garcia, of Yucca Valley, during a court-ordered visitation. Garcia had threatened to kill his child and then commit suicide. Deputies found a vehicle with the bodies of a man and child at 1:19 a.m. Sunday on Old Toll Road, near Highway 189, in rural Twin Peaks. Both bodies had suffered traumatic injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Sheriff's Detective Ryan Ford or Sergeant Frank Montanez at 909-387-3589.

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18 YEAR OLD JOSHUA TREE MAN ARRESTED FOR FELONY DUI
An 18 year old Joshua Tree man was arrested for felony DUI and Child Endangerment after he slammed into the back of a pickup truck last week. CHP Officer Eric Brewer said on January 26, at about 9:30 in the morning, Joseph Champion, 18, was driving a 2001 Nissan pickup truck, accompanied by a one year old and an 18 year old passenger, northbound on Sunburst Avenue approaching Dennis Avenue. Champion rapidly approached Michael Brooks, 51, of Yucca Valley, driving a 1997 Ford pick-up traveling in the same direction. Brooks had stopped to make a left turn onto Dennis Avenue. Champion was unable to stop and rear ended Brooks’s truck. The collision caused Brook’s vehicle to be forced off road and hit a Verizon telephone junction box. Brooks received contusions and abrasions and was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center. Champion and his passengers all suffered contusions and abrasions, but refused treatment at the scene. Joseph Champion was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and child endangerment. He was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail with bail set at $200,000.

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Donna Munoz Ed Will Martie Avels Phyllis Swinnerton

SCHOOL BOARD MEETS TOMORROW AFTERNOON The Morongo Unified School Board meets in regular session tomorrow afternoon. Reporter Dan Stork says a busy meeting includes three workshops and four draft policies... The Morongo Unified School District Board of Education buckles down to work early for their regular meeting on Tuesday February 2nd, with an open workshop session at 4:30 p.m. Three workshops are scheduled, starting with one on the budget, at which the Board will come to grips with the hard decisions of what to cut during the continuing fiscal crisis. The other workshops concern a Physical Education Policy, and Single Plans for Student Achievement.

After a closed session at 6:30 addresses the usual topics of student expulsions, re-entries, and admissions, and collective bargaining with employee groups, open session re-convenes at 7. On the action agenda are one employee’s request for a temporary leave, and the approval of the Single Plans for Student Achievement from each of the District’s 17 schools. Four draft policies will be presented for their second review, covering:

• Disenrollment for Nonattendance
• Parental Notifications
• Parent Involvement, and
• the Individualized Education Program

All of this takes place at Friendly Hills Elementary School in Joshua Tree.

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COUNTY CODE ENFORCEMENT TO WRITE ADMINISTRATIVE CITATIONS
The County has started a new era of Code Enforcement with Administrative Citations. Code enforcement officers issued their first administrative citation in the Third District January 19 to a Big Bear City property owner using a single family residence as a rental property without the required short-term rental permit. On January 26, a property owner in Landers was cited for inadequate water and sanitation at a rental property. A County spokesman said One of the most difficult aspects of enforcing county codes in the past was an inability to provide enough pressure on violators to compel them to abate the nuisance in a timely fashion. The process would involve numerous warnings and court time before the offenders would comply or county workers would be allowed to abate the nuisance. Additionally, collecting fines and fees was a very lengthy process. If a particularly obstinate violator wanted to delay, they could refuse to pay until several years after a lien was placed on the property. Consequently, if the violator had no intention of moving or refinancing the property, there was very little the county could do to collect this revenue to offset the costs of enforcement. The Administrative citations allow code enforcement officers to avoid lengthy and costly court trials by empowering officers to write tickets for violations after they have received a Notice of Violation. Fines begin at $100 for the first offense and escalate further with each additional citation. The most powerful aspect of the administrative citations is that violators can have their wages garnished, bank accounts seized and income tax refunds intercepted in order to recoup these penalties.

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TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR ANNUAL COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE ART AUCTION
Tickets are now available for the annual Copper Mountain College art auction. Reporter Tami Roleff tells you how to get tickets...
More than 40 artists will be featured at the 12th Annual Alumni Association Art Auction on February 27 sponsored by the Copper Mountain College Foundation Alumni Association. There will be both a live and silent auction of artworks donated by area artists. The auctioneer will be Z107.7’s own Gary Daigneault, who will be joined by college president Dr. Roger Wagner. Proceeds from the auction will support scholarships and the art department at the college, and the Boys and Girls Club. The auction will begin at 6 p.m. in the Helen Gray Education Center at the Hi-Desert Medical Center. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a hosted bar with beer and wine will be available. Tickets are $15 per person, or $25 per couple. Register online at www.theCMCF.org. For more information, call 760-366-3791 extension 5012.

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Jay Corbin

JAY CORBIN ANNOUNCES BID FOR TWENTYNINE PALMS CITY COUNCIL Jay Corbin has announced his candidacy for the Twentynine Palms City Council. In a prepared statement Corbin said, "I am running for city council because I believe I can make a positive contribution to the community." Corbin promises a positive but aggressive campaign saying, "This campaign will be a campaign that gives voters a reason to vote. Ours will be a campaign grounded in the issues." Corbin cited the need for the community to focus on increasing economic prosperity, saying, "Twentynine Palms needs more commercial growth, more restaurants, retail stores and housing opportunities for military families. And, most importantly, we need more Jobs! He also siad he would like the city to capitalize on geothermal resources, make the city more tourist-friendly and rebuild the trust of the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce to ensure that the Chamber and the city are always working together. Crobin says he will be working to protect groundwater, preserve the night sky, and retain the city’s unique character and natural environment. "As a council member, if elected, I will be fiscally conservative and I will limit the role of outside consultants to make certain we do not out source critical decisions impacting our future". He said. The 57 year old Corbin has lived in the city for more than twenty years and worked as the city’s Community Development Director from 1996 to 2005. The 2010 election will be held on Tuesday, November 2.

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Abigail Lombardo

WE MEET MISS YUCCA VALLEY CANDIDATE ABIGAIL LOMBARDO Today we hear from Abigail Lombardo, one of the four young woman who are striving for the title of Miss Yucca Valley. The Scholarship Pageant, being held in the Joshua Springs Thunderdome February 6. Managing Editor Karl Gardner spoke to Abigail and this is what she had to say... Today we visit with Abigail Lombardo a Junior at Joshua Springs High School and candidate for Miss Yucca Valley. Tell us, who is the prominent woman you’ve been mentoring with and what you have learned? "My propionate lady is Misses Alexia Lawson who works for Edward Jones Investments and she has taught me to be confident in my success; confident with myself and to be persistent in my endeavors; to be persistent you get so much". What have you learned from your experience with Miss Yucca Valley? "The Miss Yucca Valley Pageant has taught me so much about myself; how challenges make you a better person and learning more about yourself". Anything else you’d like to say? "For any girls who are thinking about this pageant, it is a really big commitment but has great results." Tickets to the Miss Yucca Valley Pageant are $10, $5 for students with ASB cards, and are available at the door, here at Z107.7 on Hallee Road in Joshua Tree, the offices of Dr. Sheldon Hough in the Airway Medical Center in Yucca Valley, or at the Yucca Valley Chamber Office.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL BEATS YUCCA VALLEY
Friday night the Lady Wildcats Varsity Basketball team defeated Yucca Valley to raise their record to 17 and 6 overall and 4 and 1 in league and a tie for first place with the Trojans by a score of 59 to 37. Twentynine Palms High School Coach Tim Stanford said The 'Cats' defense was outstanding on the night. Another key on the night was the Wildcat's ability to make 3 point baskets, Erin Stanford had two threes on the night and Rosie Graham added 2 more; Alexa Herrera, Catherine Mount, and Irie Engesser each made one for a total of 7 threes on only 18 attemps. Leading the stat sheet on the night were: Mount with 15 points and 8 assists, Graham with 14 points, Engesser with 9 points and 12 rebounds, Stanford with 8 points, and Herrera with 8 points. Wildcat of the week for the Wildcats is Sophomore Rosie Graham. Rosie has had an outstanding week scoring 19 points against Desert Mirage and 14 points against Yucca Valley.

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ACTION
In local high school sports today, the Joshua Springs Lighting boys’ basketball team go up against Joshua Springs alumni, in the Old versus New game at Lighting gym, tip off is at 6. Tomorrow the Yucca Valley High School Lady Trojan soccer teams travels down the hill to Palm Desert to face the Xavier Prep Saints, that game starts at 5. The Twentynine Palms High School Wildcat boys and girls soccer teams are at home versus the Desert Hot Springs High School Golden Eagles, the girls take the field at 3:15, the boys at 5.

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