STATE BUDGET MOVING AHEAD
Gov. Schwarzenegger said progress was being made in
negotiations to close California's $42 billion budget gap,
an assembly floor vote is set for Saturday morning, the
state Senate has not indicated when it would vote. It's not
clear whether the plan has enough Republican support to
pass. State Sen. Bob Dutton, who represents the Morongo
Basin, said, "To tax people in the middle of a recession is
ridiculous." The proposal calls for roughly $14 billion in
tax increases, $15 billion in cuts and $11 billion in
borrowing. Voters would have to approve a state spending cap
and selling bonds based on the state lottery. The proposal
contains tax credits for businesses and relaxes
environmental rules for transportation projects. If a budget
deal is reached today, layoff notices to some 20,000 state
workers may not go out. Here are details from the latest
budget proposal: Increase sales tax by 1 percent, Raise fees
for licensing vehicles to 1.15 percent of market value, up
from the current 0.65 percent, Add a 12-cent per gallon
gasoline tax, a one-time 5 percent surcharge on personal
income tax, and reduce the amount taxpayers claim for
dependent-care. The budget would reduce education spending
$8.6 billion over two years, forcing schools to lay off
teachers, slash salaries and postpone spending, continue a
two-day-a-month furlough for state workers, trim overtime
pay and eliminate two paid state holidays. Finally, It would
eliminate annual cost-of-living increases for CalWORKS and
for Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary
Payments.
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YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL MET LAST NIGHT, IT’S
YOUR SIDEWALK, NO DRAINAGE SOLUTION
The Yucca Valley Town Council met in a busy session last
night. Just who is responsible for sidewalks and drainage
issues dominated the meeting. Reporter Dan Stork was there
and files this report-------
After quickly dispatching a consent agenda that included the
appointment of Douglas Haubert to replace the retiring Naomi
Silverglide as Town Attorney, the Council voted to allocate
the entire HUD Community Development Block Grant of about
$125,000 to the first phase of the Community Center
Playground & Splash Park project. Some programs that receive
small funds from this grant in the current year will be
supported from the General Fund. The Council voted 4-1, Chad
Mayes dissenting, to assign the responsibility of
maintenance of existing sidewalks to property owners
adjacent to the walks. The Council agreed unanimously to
move its regular meeting times to the 2nd and 4th
Tuesdays of each month. More than half of the 2-hour meeting
was devoted to discussion of how to pay for drainage
projects. At one juncture, council members Harrington and
Mayes favored benefit assessment districts, through which
drainage facility costs would wind up on property tax bills.
Council members Neeb and Herbel wanted developers to bear
costs, either in full or through increased Developer Impact
Fees. Mayor Luckino disparaged all alternatives, saying "But
there’s not any option there that I like". Tongue in cheek,
Neeb suggested "Maybe people will be encouraged to find nice
level properties without serious drainage problems".
Finally, the Council gave up trying to settle the issue at
this meeting, and voted to ask staff to present model
resolutions for consideration at a future meeting.
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MAN PUSHED THOUGH 29 PALMS BURGER KING WINDOW,
3 SOUGHT
Sheriff’s investigators are looking for 3 juveniles who
threw another through the front plate glass window of the 29
Palms Burger King. Deputies say at about 6:00 Wedenesday
evening, 2 of the suspects attacked the victim while a third
held the door closed so no one could help. The victim
suffered a deep cut of 3-4 inches on his arm and was taken
for medical attention. the suspects fled in a gray colored
4-door vehicle and were seen at the 7-11 shortly after.
Authorities expect to locate the suspects soon, one also
sustained an injury and another left his cell phone at the
crime scene.
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AN ARREST FOR CHILD CRUELTY IN 29 PALMS
A 29 Palms man was arrested for investigation of child
cruelty after deputies were notified by school officials.
Investigators were called by the school resources officer to
Palm Vista Elementary in 29 Palms at about 1:00pm Wednesday.
After investigation, Charles Fanning, 35, was arrested for
investigation of physical abuse to his children. Charles
Fanning was booked into the Morongo basin Jail.
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DRUNK OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE RIDER TRIES TO OUTRUN
SHERIFF, ARRESTED
An off-road rider found out the hard way that it is not a
great idea to try to outrun a sheriff’s patrol car while
driving under the influence. Deputies tried to stop a quad
in the area of 29 palms Highway and La Contenta at 1:18am
Wednesday morning. the driver, later identified as Eric
Edwards, 29, refused to stop and attempted to flee, only to
get stuck in soft dirt. Sheriff’s blood techs were summoned
and Eric Edwards was tested for both alcohol and drugs and
placed under arrest for driving under the influence.
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COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BOARD GETS
ACCREDITATION UPDATE, TORTOISE PRESERVE
The Copper Mountain College board got an update on their
accreditation challenges yesterday. Reporter Tami Roleff
also says the college board approved a tortoise
preserve-------
At yesterday’s meeting of the Copper Mountain College Board
of Trustees, the board received an update on its progress
report to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,
which warned the college last summer that is was in danger
of losing its accredited status unless it met seven
recommendations. One of the recommendations was to improve
its campus climate by fostering trust and respect among its
employees. To show that it is making progress in meeting
that goal, the Board received the results of a mini survey
taken last fall of all college employees. The 12-question
survey measured changes in the morale and campus climate at
the college since the last survey in Spring 2008. In
general, more managers, faculty, and classified employees
had more positive views of the college climate than they did
a year ago, in large part due to the presence of the
college’s new Superintendent/President, Dr. Roger Wagner.
The board also received an update on its progress in meeting
several other recommendations, and was assured it was on
track. In other business, the board approved the transfer of
title of 80 acres of private land near Interstate 10 to the
National Park Service. The college purchased the land in
2006 as part of its habitat conservation plan for the desert
tortoise.
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BILL POSTMUS’ CAREER OVER AT NOON
As of noon today, Assessor Bill Postmus' employment with the
County should be over. Postmus announced last week that he
was resigning effective at noon today, saying he needed to
focus on his health because of substance abuse. So will end
Postmus' career in county government. The 37-year-old man
who once led both the Board of Supervisors and the county's
Republican Party has been involved in controversy over the
past two years, leading to a district attorney's
investigation into possible political malfeasance and abuse
of power. That investigation led first to the arrest of Adam
Aleman, Postmus' assistant assessor, on felony charges of
destroying and altering evidence. Postmus himself was
arrested in January when investigators serving a search
warrant at his Rancho Cucamonga home reportedly found
methamphetamine. Assistant Assessor Dennis Draeger is
running the Assessor's Office, a replacement for Postmus has
not been named.
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YUCCA
VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN MEET AT NOON MONDAY [AUDIO ONLY]
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TOWN GETS STIMULUS PROJECTS READY
With the federal stimulus package getting debated in
Washington, the mayor of Yucca Valley, Frank Luckino, says
the town has to have it’s projects ready. Reporter Karl
Gardner says the mayor made the remarks last week-------
At a recent Coffee with the Mayor meeting, Yucca Valley
Mayor Frank Luckino has strong words to say about the
pending Economic Stimulus package, working its way through
Washington, saying "That’s one thing we the town of Yucca
Valley has to be ready for." Depending on how the dollars
will be divvied out, Luckino said "We the Town of Yucca
Valley have to get shelf ready projects ready", meaning the
town needs to have its priorities set, if funding becomes
available.
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VALENTINES
DANCE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS TOMORROW [AUDIO ONLY]
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FREE MEAL
AND FELLOWSHIP IN 29 PALMS TOMORROW [AUDIO ONLY]
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ENCHANTED FOREST AT THE HI-DESERT NATURE MUSEUM
The Hi-Desert Nature Museum has been transformed into an
enchanted forest for a special family fun day tomorrow.
Reporter Tami Roleff invites you to enjoy some fairy tale
fun-------
Join the Hi-Desert Nature Museum Saturday from 10 to 4 for a
day of free fairy tale fun. Enter the enchanted forest for a
day of fairy tale readings, activities, hands-on crafts, and
a scavenger hunt. Puppet show performances are scheduled for
11 a.m. and 1 pm. Meet Cinderella, Scheherazade from 1001
Arabian Nights, the Big Bad Wolf, queens, fairies, and more!
Attendees are encouraged to wear fairy tale costumes. For
more information, call 369-7212.
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YUCCA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER TIES WITH
BIG BEAR
The Yucca Valley High School girls' varsity soccer team
played a tough, physical game against Big Bear High School
Wednesday. Coach Scott Phillips said the Lady Trojans struck
first with Jennifer Micklus scoring off of a great assist
from Courtney Ambrosius. There were many other opportunities
for scoring that just missed as the game continued. In the
70th minute, Big Bear was able to get the equalizer off of a
free kick. The game ended with a 1-1 tie. The Lady Trojans
now wait for CIF to determine their playoff lives. The JV
team finished their season undefeated in league with a 1-1
tie.
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YUCCA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLERS IN CIF DUAL MEET TOMORROW
The
Yucca Valley Trojan Wrestling squad travel down the hill to
Mission Hills, competing in the CIF Duals meet.
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