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Listen To Your News		Tuesday, February 2, 2010		News Archive

Mara Cantelo

LOCAL ICON INJURED IN TRAFFIC CRASH IN JOSHUA TREE Mara Cantelo, founder of Tender Loving Christmas, TLC, was injured last night in a traffic crash in Joshua Tree. Sources said she was driving east on State Route 62 near the High Desert Cultural Center around 5 p.m. yesterday. A second car pulled out from a side street near the playhouse. Cantelo swerved to avoid the other car but ended up slamming into it. TLC Volunteers said Cantelo was taken to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs where she was admitted to ICU with eight broken ribs. Cantelo did not have any internal bleeding or back injuries. It’s unknown if the other driver or any passengers were injured. Despite Cantelo’s injuries, tonight’s thank-you dinner for TLC volunteers will be held as scheduled at the Sportsman’s Club in Joshua Tree.

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FATHER WHO KILLED HIMSELF AND 9 MONTH OLD BABY LEFT FACEBOOK MESSAGE
A San Bernardino County man who killed his 9-month-old son from Yucca valley and himself left a Facebook message saying he did it out of love. Sheriff's officials say 25-five-year-old Stephen Garcia of Pinon Hills was on a court-ordered visit with his son Sunday when he drove to a dirt road in Twin Peaks, killed the boy and committed suicide. The Daily Press in Victorville says Garcia left a message on his Facebook profile about eight hours after his body was found. The note, apparently posted on his behalf by someone else, says Garcia had been thinking of the crime for months and wanted to punish the baby's mother for leaving him. Garcia says the deaths are the only way he and his son can be happy without her and says he did it out of love to protect the boy.

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Bill Neeb Chad Mayes George Huntington Lori Herbel Frank Luckino

YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL MEETS TONIGHT, 12 PROPERTIES, PFF BUILDING, AND A RAISE The Yucca Valley Town Council will meet tonight, reporter Tami Roleff says the agenda includes negotiations for 27 properties, giving the town all the community development block grants, and then giving themselves a raise... The Yucca Valley Redevelopment Agency will meet at 5:00 in the Yucca Room of the community center. On the consent agenda is a request to purchase property on the northwest corner of Twentynine Palms Highway and Inca Trail for $305,000.

The RDA will then hear department reports about the Serenity Village Project, hold policy discussion on the agency’s 5-year implementation plan, and hold a policy discussion on the future use of the PFF Bank building. The RDA will then go into closed session for negotiations on 12 pieces of property, including Hutchins Harley-Davidson, property located on the highway and Trojan Way, on the east side of Fox Trail and Yucca Trail, the Park and Ride lot, and on the north side of Antelope Trail west of Dumosa Ave. The Yucca Valley Town Council will meet in closed session at 5:30 in the Town Hall Conference Room to discuss litigation against the Town, and to discuss property negotiations for 27 pieces of property, including Blue Sky Country Club, property on the west side of Sage Ave. and south of the highway, the Boys and Girls Club, and property on the south side of Buena Vista Dr east of Highway 247. The Council will hold a public hearing on allocating the Town’s entire Community Development Block Grant toward the community center playground and splash park. The Council will also vote on raising their salaries to $538.72 per month. Finally, the Council will hold a policy discussion concerning the future use of the PFF Bank.

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NEVER MIND GROUNDHOGS, WHAT ABOUT MOJAVE MAX THE TORTOISE
Punxsetawney Phil, the internationally known weather prognosticating groundhog, saw his shadow this morning and predicted six more weeks of winter. Phil has seen his shadow 98 times since 1887, hasn't seen it 15 times, and there are no records for nine years. Officially, the vernal equinox occurs at 1:32 p.m. March 20, marking the arrival of spring six weeks, four days from today. While many celebrate today’s Groundhog Day as a way of determining when spring will arrive, local residents use the date and time of the tortoise Mojave Max’s emergence as the local predictor. Mojave Max is a live tortoise. Like Punxsetawney Phil, Mojave Max’ response to weather heralds the arrival of spring in the California desert. Like all desert tortoises, Mojave Max goes to sleep in October or November, sleeps five or six months and then emerges from her burrow sometime in the spring. Temperature, daylight, and an internal clock are the three critical factors that determine when Mojave Max will exit from her burrow. Mojave Max lives in Palm Desert at the Living Desert. Last year Max emerged February 24. The Desert Managers Group and The Living Desert host the annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest. The contest encourages students to study the behavior of desert tortoises and guess when Mojave Max will first exit her burrow. Students in nine Southern California counties are eligible for awards. For more information and contest entry log onto deserttortoise.gov.

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REACH-OUT’S PARADE OF HOMES FEATURES UNIQUE DWELLINGS
The upcoming Reach-Out Morongo Basin’s Parade of Homes features some very unique local residences. Reporter Dan Stork tells you more about them....
This year's Reach-Out Morongo Basin Parade of Homes, the biggest annual fund-raiser for the neighbors helping neighbors organization in the Morongo Basin, features an eclectic mix, according to Parade Chairman Kurt Schauppner. In Twentynine Palms, the tour will include a look inside the former home of Desert Trail founders Bill and Prudie Underhill, also known as Broadview. The other Twentynine Palms home on the tour, Schauppner noted, is a former homestead cabin whose architectural eccentricities have to be seen to be believed. Another former homestead cabin, turned into a showplace by its current owners, is one of two Joshua Tree homes on the tour, the other being a spectacular H-shaped home. Two large estates in Yucca Valley, one in the southwest pueblo style in the Western Hills Estates and the other a Spanish-style hacienda on Yucca Mesa Road, round out the tour. For information about purchase locations for the $25 tickets for the February 14th afternoon tour, call Reach-Out Morongo Basin at 760-361-1410 or 760-369-8671. Addresses and directions to homes will be available at ticket outlets and on the Reach-Out Morongo Basin Web site at www.reachoutmb.org.

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LIVING TRUST SEMINAR THURSDAY IN YUCCA VALLEY
The Morongo Basin Senior Support Center is hosting a 1-hour living trust seminar, Thursday afternoon at 2:30, at the center 57121 Sunnyslope Drive in Yucca Valley. Topics will include Probate, wills home transfer to heirs, trust privacy, and much more. All homeowners, married or single are encouraged to attend. Reservations are required. To RSVP call Fran Chapman at 760-365-9661.

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FREE HEART DISEASE SEMINAR SATURDAY
Hearts of Yucca Valley invite all woman and their families to a free heart disease education day, Saturday from 10 to 3 at the Yucca Valley Community Center. Free blood pressure checks, health and fitness demonstrations along with free information on heart healthy goods and services. On hand will be Yucca Valley Heart Physicians, County Fire Paramedics, Dr. Edith Jones-Poland and more. Drop on by and enjoy both ballroom and Polynesian dancing exhibits, or join in the many exercise groups and learn how exercise can be fun.

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Tiffany Caricchio

WE MEET MISS YUCCA VALLEY CANDIDATE TIFFANY CARICCHIO Four young woman make up this year’s participants in the annual Miss Yucca Valley Scholarship Pageant, being held in the Joshua Springs Thunderdome February 6. Among the candidates vying for the Title Miss Yucca Valley is 16 year old Tiffany Caricchio, a Junior at Joshua Springs High School. Managing Editor Karl Gardner spoke to Tiffany and this is what she had to say... Today we visit with Tiffany Caricchio 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 Nancy Fields. She owns the Color Bar and Down the Road Motors, and I’ve just learned so much from her, she’s a great person and we’re very relatable, and I’m so thankful she’s my prominent lady." What have you learned from your experience with Miss Yucca Valley? "I have learned how to be successful; how to have confidence, and communications with others. 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, at the offices of Dr. Sheldon Hough in the Airway Medical Center in Yucca Valley, or at the Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce.

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GRUBSTAKE DAYS GRAND MARSHALL NOMINEES SOUGHT
The Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominees for the 2010 Grubstake Days Grand Marshal. The Chamber is asking the community to submit the name of the person they feel should be honored for this position and a brief paragraph stating why they feel the person deserves the honor. The Grand Marshal will be the guest of the Chamber in the May 29, 2010 Grubstake Days parade. This will be the 60th year for this community celebration. Submit your nominee to the Yucca Valley Chamber office no later than noon Friday, February 19, by dropping it off at 56711 Twentynine Palms Highway, or fax 760-365-0763 or e-mail us at chamber@yuccavalley.org. The Board of Directors will review the nominations and decide who will receive this honor at the March 9th Board meeting. For more information call 760-365-6323.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS PLANNING COMMISSION MEETS TONIGHT
The Twentynine Palms planning commission meets tonight, reporter Dan Stork joins us again with a closer look...
The regular meeting of the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission on Tuesday February 2nd has two public hearings on its agenda. The first concerns an application for a Temporary Use Permit to allow a Construction Office trailer and a Home Sales Office trailer in the Turtle Rock subdivision. Then the Commission will consider an amendment to the Development Code, establishing the procedures and circumstances whereby the City may process and dispose of "abandoned property". The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in City Hall chambers on Adobe Road.

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WINS FOR YUCCA VALLEY AND TWENTYNINE PALMS HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
Friday night in front of a big, loud, and excited crowd the Yucca Valley Trojans and Twentynine Palms Wildcats met for a De Anza League game in Wildcat gym. The 1st quarter which ended with the Trojans up 8-6. Twentynine Palms Coach Larry Bowden In the 2nd quarter the Wildcats found their shooting touch and went up 33-22 at the half. Then in the 3rd quarter Sophomore Chris Fui Fui scored 16 of his game high 19 points and helped the Wildcats cruise to a 76 to 50 Victory. Fui Fui was followed by Juwan Rice with 14 points and Robert Caldwell with 13. The victory put the Wildcats on top of the De Anza League with a 5-0 record. The Yucca Valley High school boys basketball team defeated the Big Bear Bears at home Monday night. Leading the team were Jake Batin with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Nicholson with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Jesse Suddreth chipped in with 9 points and 9 assists to pace the Trojans to a 63- 51 victory.

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ACTION
In local high school sports today, the Yucca Valley High School Trojan Boys’ basketball team is on the road to Redlands to face the Citrus Valley High School Blackhawks, with tip off at 6. The Twentynine Palms High School Lady Wildcats basketball team travels down the hill versus the Desert Hot Springs High School Golden Eagles, that game starts at 6:30. Joshua Springs Lighting boys and girls basketball teams travel away to Victorville versus the Excelsior Education Center Eagles, the girls tip off at 6, the boys at 7:30. Tomorrow, rescheduled from January 22, the Twentynine Palms Wildcat boy’s soccer team will face West Shore High School at Twentynine Palms, with players on the field at 3:15.

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