CORONER IDENTIFIES SECOND VICTIM IN FEBRUARY 16 MORONGO
VALLEY CRASH
The
County Coroner’s office has have released the name of a
woman who died February 16th in a crash on Highway 62 in
Morongo Valley. Kimberly Renee Heil, 34, of San Diego, died
when the 2003 Honda Element she and another 34-year-old San
Diego resident, Christopher Lee Rubino, were in spun out of
control. The driver, Rubino, was driving Westbound at a high
rate of speed when he hit water in the road, hydroplaned,
lost control and slid into the eastbound lanes, striking an
Eastbound pickup driven by a Pioneertown woman, Michelle
Wright, head on. Wright was taken to Desert Hospital in Palm
Springs with major injuries. Rubino and Heil were pronounced
dead at the scene.
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JOSHUA TREE RESIDENTS VICTIMS OF PAVING SCAM
A
warning to area residents, con men are trying to run the old
" I’ve got some left over paving materials" scam, are
victimizing our local communities, Z107-7 news spoke with
several people who were victims in the Joshua Tree area.
Reporter Dan Stork says it is a classic rip-off -------
A time-honored home-improvement scam has apparently surfaced
in the Morongo Basin. On a recent afternoon one or more
people worked their way through the Monument Manor
neighborhood of Joshua Tree, approaching residents with this
story: They claimed to be from 29 Palms, and had excess
paving materials, with which they offered to surface home
driveways. We don’t know of anyone who agreed to this offer,
but this sort of "business" is described on the web site of
the Contractors State License Board. According to the web
site, scammers raise the price after a homeowner agrees to
an initial offer, use defective materials, and/or do poor
work, be it paving, roofing, or painting. They often ask for
payment upfront or will cash checks and leave the area
before victims know they've been ripped off. A legitimate
contractor will be able to provide a pocket CSLB license
upon request, which can be checked on the Board’s web site.
If you are approached with such an offer, and are able to
collect identifying information, you can check it out at
cslb.ca.gov, or call the Statewide Investigative Fraud Team
(SWIFT) at (562) 345-7600.
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LOCAL RED
CROSS OFFER 1ST AID/CPR CLASS [AUDIO ONLY]
PIONEERTOWN WATER PLAN HAS RESIDENTS CONCERNED
Even
as the county gets ready to bring water from the Landers
area into Pioneertown, some affected residents are not happy
with the plan. Managing Editor Karl Gardner spoke with one
-------
The county’s plan to run a pipeline to solve Pioneertown’s
water issues, high natural arsenic levels, has some
residents up in arms. It’s not just the estimated 1 to 3
million dollar cost; it’s where the county wants to put the
pipe that is raising hackles. One resident, Pam Naylor who
lives along the proposed pipeline path, says the route
"literally goes through my front yard and driveway". "There
is no reason for the pipe line", Naylor said, adding that
she believes there are many cheaper methods available to the
county and residents of Pioneertown to deal with a problem
that have been around for several years. Last week the
Bighorn Desert View Water Agency issued a letter of concern
to the county, which spurred the county to extend the
project’s public review period to May 10th.
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ASSEMBLYMAN COOK REFUSES $40.00 PARKING TICKET
PAYBACK
State
Assemblyman Paul Cook, former mayor of Yucca Valley, said he
is rejecting a $40 refund on a parking ticket because he
fears he's getting special treatment. The Yucca Valley
Republican complained on Assembly letterhead when he got a
ticket for parking his state vehicle over the curb outside
his Sacramento residence. Sacramento parking officials sided
with Cook after reviewing his letter and sent back his
money. But they said he's getting no special consideration.
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COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE SETS SPORTS CENTER
GOALS
Even
as construction has started at the new bell multi-use sports
complex at Copper Mountain College will be a challenge.
Reporter Tami Roleff was at a recent college board meeting
that outlined the costs -------
Last week, Copper Mountain College Superintendent/President
Dr. Roger Wagner gave the Board of Trustees and the college
Foundation a presentation about the Bell Center, the
college’s sports and multi-use complex. Wagner said, "My
immediate goals is to get that building open and fully
equipped and that’s about a $1.2 to $1.5 million project."
He said, "We have a clear plan to sustain this building once
it’s built." He proposes adding a portable stage to the gym,
which would give the college a place to hold graduations,
conferences, plays, recitals, and other cultural events.
Some of the ways he plans to sustain the building are "by
shifting some of our academic programs into the facility,
expanding our community education programs, and
incorporating cultural programs that will be of benefit to
the entire Morongo Basin." Using the rooms in the Bell
Center for classes frees up rooms in earlier phases of the
college, and they can now be used for other classes.
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COLLEGE ART AUCTION A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
A
packed house filled the Helen Gray Center in Joshua Tree
Saturday night for the 11th annual Copper Mountain College
Alumni Association Art Auction. Almost 100 artworks by over
40 local artists were auctioned off in a fast-paced live
session. The bidding was lively with some of the donated art
going for prices well in the hundreds of dollars. The Art
Auction event provides funding for 33 scholarships,
including 16 awarded annually to seniors at four local high
schools. One piece was auctioned off to benefit the Boys and
Girls Club. At the event, a new art scholarship named in
honor of the late 29 Palms artist Terry Waite, was
announced. Waite’s widow, Vickie Waite, was there to
acknowledge the honor.
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RECYCLING RELATED ART WANTED AT HI-DESERT
NATURE MUSEUM
Artists who use or feature recycling in their work are being
sought by the hi-desert nature museum. Reporter Dan Stork
joins us again and puts out the call -------
From March 11th through April 25th,
the Hi-Desert Nature Museum is staging an exhibition titled
"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", and is soliciting pieces for it.
The exhibition features artwork made from recycled or reused
materials – paintings, sculpture, mixed media, photographs
of recycled products, or any art-related objects that
exploit the theme of reuse and recycling. The exhibit is
intended to make people rethink our throwaway society by
sharing an innovative use of reused and recycled materials.
Individual and group projects are welcome, and children are
encouraged to participate. Projects must be brought to the
museum on March 7th or 8th. To learn
more about the exhibit, go online to
hidesertnaturemuseum.org, and click on Exhibits. The exhibit
description has another link to an information sheet about
art project submission guidelines. You can also get the
information sheet at the museum, which is in the Yucca
Valley Community Center complex, and is open Tuesday through
Sunday from 10 to 5. Or, call 369-7212.
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VFW
OFFERING MEMBERSHIP RELATED SCHOLARSHIPS [AUDIO ONLY]
TALKING SEWERS TOMORROW AT "COFFEE WITH THE
MAYOR" IN YUCCA VALLEY
The
proposed new sewer system for the yucca valley area will be
the primary subject of tomorrow morning’s "coffee with the
mayor" event. Managing Editor Karl Gardner has your
invitation ------
Join representatives from the Hi Desert Water District, as
they headline the status of the Wastewater Treatment project
at this month’s Coffee with the Mayor meeting being held in
the Joshua Tree Room at the Yucca Valley Community Center,
tomorrow morning starting at 7. Yucca Valley Mayor Pro-Tem
Chad Mayes will speak on current issues of the Town, and
field your questions. Sponsored by the Town and Yucca Valley
Chamber of Commerce, Coffee with the Mayor is an informal
and free event open to the public.
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DESERT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH HAS CORN BEEF AND CABBAGE
[AUDIO
ONLY]
