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

TWENTYNINE PALMS MARINE KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a 29 Palms based Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind., died Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. The DoD said The incident which killed Birchfield is currently under investigation.

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ALCOHOL SUSPECTED IN ROLLOVER CRASH IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
Alcohol is suspected after a rollover crash in Joshua Tree National Park early Monday morning trapped one person inside a pick-up truck. California Highway Patrol spokesman Rob McCloud said about 4:45 Monday morning, 4 people in a 2004 Toyota Tacoma pick-up were driving south on Split Rock north of Park Route 12 inside Joshua Tree National Park. As the truck rounded a curve, the driver, a 17-year-old female, lost control, rolling the truck over. One passenger, Emily Bacalan, 21, of Yucca Valley had her arm trapped in the window and had to be pulled free by firefighters. Bacalan was taken to HI Desert Medical Center for treatment. Two other passengers, Ricardo Vuerda, 20, of Thousand Oaks, and David Goldberg, 22, a marine stationed onboard the Twentynine Palms Marine Base, sustained minor injures. The CHP is investigating and suspect the use of alcohol in as the cause.

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Bill Neeb Chad Mayes George Huntington Lori Herbel Frank Luckino

YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL MEETS, TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS ON TAP The Yucca Valley Town Council meets tonight. At the meeting two public hearing will be held, one on requirements for business expansion, the other on requirements for farmer’s markets. Reporter Tami Roleff outlines the business at hand for the council tonight... The Yucca Valley Town Council will meet at 6:00 tonight in the Yucca Room of the Community Center. On the consent agenda, the board will be asked to appropriate $200,000 from the Catastrophic Events Fund for storm clean up expenditures.

The Council will then hold two public hearings. The first public hearing will be about changing the ordinance that dictates what improvements or changes a business must make to lighting; parking; drainage; utility undergrounding; and landscaping when it expands its existing building. The second public hearing will be about changes to the ordinance that will permit farmers markets and other special events. Next up, the Council will be asked to approve commercial design guidelines as amended by the Planning Commission. Finally, the Council will appoint a new member to the Planning Commission.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS CHAMBER WILDFLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY CONTESTS
The Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce is celebrating Wildflower season with a pair of photography contests. The first is a traditional photography contest, judged by members of the community. Everyone is welcomed to enter; simply submit a photo taken in the month of March 2010, of one of the many local wildflowers (time stamped or digital file dated). The top three photos receive cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25. The second is a photo scavenger hunt. The first five individuals to submit time stamped or digital file dated photographs of each of the six colors of local wildflowers will receive a prize. For a list of flowers included in each color category, visit www.29chamber.org and click on the wildflower link at the bottom right. A detailed listing of the local flowers included in each color category is available at the Chamber offices as well. Participants in either contest may submit their photos in person at the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce office in downtown Twentynine Palms, or electronically by emailing the photos to admin@29chamber.org. The contest runs through March 31st, and is open to all who wish to participate. Contest judges will be members of the local art community. Winners will be notified by mid-April. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce at (760) 367-3445 or 29chamber@29chamber.org.

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Donna Munoz Ed Will Martie Avels Phyllis Swinnerton

SCHOOL BOARD TO HEAR PLANS FOR NEW JOSHUA TREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL The Morongo Unified School Board meets in regular session tonight, reporter Dan Stork says plans for a new Joshua Tree Elementary School may be revealed... The Morongo Unified School District Board of Education meets in regular meeting on Tuesday March 2nd at Friendly Hills Elementary School in Joshua Tree. A closed session starting at 6:10 p.m. deals with individual student and employee issues, as well as a bargaining conference with employee groups. The 7 p.m. open session begins with recognition of the members of the Measure O Citizens Oversight Committee who have completed their term of office, plus reports from board, staff, employee, and student representatives.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Walker will present information about Joshua Tree Elementary School, which has been slated for a new location due to an earthquake fault under its current site. The Action Agenda for the meeting includes a credentialing waiver for one instructor, approval of a waste removal contract, change orders for upgrade work being done at several schools, and declaration of the first week of March as Week of the School Administrator.

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MORONGO BASIN SENIOR SUPPORT CENTER ASSET PROTECTION SEMINAR THURSDAY
Morongo Basin Senior Support Center will host a 1 hour Asset Protection Seminar this Thursday March 4th at 2:30 p.m. Topics include: Common Investor Mistakes, Market Changes Are Unpredictable, What is Asset Allocation, What are Asset Groups, The Mix and Asset Profile. For reservations contact Fran Chapman at 760-365-9661 for reservations.

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SPAGHETTI DINNER AT COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE TO BENEFIT RELAY FOR LIFE
Volunteers for the Relay for Life, scheduled in April, are holding a fund-raising spaghetti dinner this Friday evening. Organizer Daniel Valenzuela says the dinner will be held at Copper Mountain College’s "Bruce's Coyote Kitchen" on Friday the 5th from 6 to 8 p.m. The price for each plate is $5 and is all you can eat. This includes spaghetti with meat-sauce or marinara sauce, salad, and garlic bread.

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TOWN TO REVIEW NEW 87 ACRE SUBDIVISION, BURRTEC EXPANSION
The Town will be looking closely at a proposal to subdivide 87 acres near Cholla and Carlyle, and a major expansion of the Burrtec facility on Skyline Ranch Road. Reporter Tami Roleff says the plans will be reviewed tomorrow at 1:30...
The Yucca Valley Development Review Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Community Development Department Facility, 58928 Business Center Dr., in the Monterey Business Center. On the agenda, the committee will hear a request to divide 87 acres, at the southwest corner of Cholla Avenue and Carlyle Drive, into 60 numbered residential lots and 4 lettered lots. Next up, the committee will hear a request for a conditional use permit by Burrtec to develop 7 ½ acres on the north side of Skyline Ranch Rd approximately 1000 feet west of Old Woman Springs Road. Burrtec wants to build, in two phases, an office, truck maintenance building, a refueling station with a canopy, recycling load out pit, container storage, citizen recycling drop-off area, a secondary maintenance building, and a wash pad with a canopy.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING NIGHT SKY LIGHTING AND RESIDENTIAL CLUSTERING
It will be hearings on night sky lighting and residential clustering at the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission meeting tonight. Reporter Dan Stork explains...
The Twentynine Palms Planning Commission will look at the Night Sky Ordinance and Residential Clustering at its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 2, beginning at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road. In a public hearing to address Night Sky Lighting Standards, the commission will consider changes to the language for Fully Shielded Outdoor Lighting Fixtures, Decorative Pedestrian Lighting, Parking Lot Lighting, as well as exterior light fixture direction, wattage, and height. There will also be an attempt to limit and clarify how lighting may be displayed on private property. The intent of the changes is to balance concerns about light pollution and safety, while achieving better enforcement of the city’s Night Sky Ordinance. A second public hearing, on Residential Clustering, is about how to allow higher concentration of development within portions of defined residential projects. The idea is that clustering in one part of a development can serve to protect desert view sheds, wildlife corridors, sensitive areas, and drainage systems, while minimizing infrastructure needs.

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DR. SEUSS BIRTHDAY TONIGHT, READING TOMORROW, AT YUCCA VALLEY LIBRARY
This evening at 6:00, everyone is invited to the Yucca Valley library to sing Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss, who wrote so many wonderful books for children. There will be birthday cake and crafts and the reading of Green Eggs and Ham. Please join us for lots of fun. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Yucca Valley Library. For more information, call 228-5455. Tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the Great and Popular Authors group will meet in the Yucca Valley Library program room to listen to Marcia Pfingsten read from the book To Build a Fire by Jack London. This short story tells of a man traveling alone in the Klondike in 50 below temperatures struggling to build a fire. Please join us for an hour of reading and discussion. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 760-228-5455.

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FUNDS SOUGHT TO HELP ABUSED DOG
A nearby animal rescue group is raising fund to help a dog that was badly abused. ROP broadcast student Dahlia Jackson puts out the call…
A Southern California animal sanctuary is asking for the public to help to raise funds for a mutilated dog from Mexico. All the Same Wild and Tame Sanctuary, that specializes in saving injured animals, received the Pit-Boxer puppy around July of 2009. The have named the now 10 month old puppy Dahlia. Dahlia’s ordeal has been animal cruelty at its worse. To help with Dahlias medical expenses, you can donate by contacting Mary Miller at 1-866-883-5327 or you can visit on line at allthesamewildandtame.com.

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LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
The Yucca Valley High School Lady Trojan Softball teams will be in action Wednesday through Saturday, competing in the Palms Springs Tournament at Palm Springs High School, game time to be announced.

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