LOCAL
SCHOOLS GET 2 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FROM DOD
In the
midst of uncertainty about State budget cuts, some very good
news today for our local public schools. The Department of
Defense Education Activity awarded a $2 million grant to
Morongo Unified School District through a grant program
aimed at assisting schools that serve children of military
families. The Invitational Grant Program is specifically
focused on schools in remote locations, that support
military installations with frequent and/or sustained
deployments. "Morongo Unified School District was a perfect
fit for this grant initiative" said the Chief of DoD EA’s
Educational Partnerships Branch, Kathy Facon. The school
district serves students whose families are stationed at the
Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. Units stationed there
have deployed every six months with many on their 5th Iraq
deployment . The school district serves 9,630 students with
2,162 military connected students, or 23% of the student
population, in its 17 schools. "This grant will help all of
the students in the Morongo Unified School District, and it
is a great example of what can happen when the military
partners with their local school districts," said, Base
Community Plans and Liaison Officer Jim Ricker. "The Morongo
Unified School District is thrilled to have received this
DoD grant," said Tom Baumgarten, Assistant Superintendent of
Instructional Services. The National Defense Authorization
Act provides DoD EA the authority to expand its reach to
military students that do not attend DoD EA Schools.
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RASH
OF LOCAL FIRES PROMPT FIRE SAFETY REMINDER
An
uptick in small fires locally have safety officials
concerned. Reporter Tami Roleff has these reminders ------
There have been a rash of house and wildfires in the Morongo
Basin over the past couple of weeks. A fire can quickly
engulf most homes with little warning. Fires kill more
Americans than all natural disasters combined, with 85
percent of all fires occurring in homes. A few simple steps
may save your life and the lives of your loved ones. First,
make sure you have working smoke detectors installed on
every level of your home and near the bedrooms. Smoke kills
3 out of 4 people in house fires. Keep fire extinguishers in
easy-to-reach locations and know how to use them. Have an
escape plan. Know at least 2 ways out of your house, and
know how to get out when there is little or no light. Always
store gas and other flammable liquids in safety containers
and keep them outside of the house and garage. Keep lighters
and matches out of the hands of children. And most
importantly, never smoke in bed. Simple rules, but rules
that can save lives.
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BRUSH
FIRE NEAR BEAUMONT CONTAINED
A near
by bush fire has been contained after spreading across 85
acres west of Beaumont in Riverside County and shutting down
seven miles of State Route 60 in both directions for more
than 3 hours. County fire officials say the fire was likely
started by downed power lines around 3 PM Wednesday and was
put out at about 6 PM after leaving hundred of travelers and
truck drivers stranded. About 230 firefighters took on the
blaze and many of them remained into the night to douse hot
spots. The fire burned into a wildlife preserve but never
came near homes.
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BEES
CLOSE DOWN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK CAMPGROUND
Swarms of bees have prompted the temporary closure of a
campground at Joshua Tree National Park. Campers at Jumbo
Rocks have been pestered in recent days by "non-aggressive,
but persistent, swarms of bees seeking moisture," said park
spokesman Joe Zarki. Jumbo Rocks Campground will remain
off-limits until August 10 while park biologists monitor the
bee activity. The park has re-opened Ryan Campground, six
miles west of Jumbo Rocks, in the meantime. That campground
was closed June 14 because of a diminished demand for summer
camping there. Zarki said the bees are seeking moisture from
any available source, including car radiators, coolers,
drink containers, trash cans, restrooms and even human
sweat. For more information on Joshua Tree campgrounds, call
367-5500.
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TOWN
OF YUCCA VALLEY TAKING BUS TO SAWDUST FESTIVAL
Yucca
Valley recreation is taking a bus to the Sawdust Festival in
Laguna Beach this month. Reporter Dan Stork tells you how to
be on it -----
Travel to the seaside on an adult excursion on Friday, July
17 to the 43rd Annual Laguna Beach Sawdust
Festival. This trip is sponsored by the Town of Yucca
Valley. Enjoy the cool sea breeze while visiting booths with
hand-blown glass, ceramics, surf art, metal sculptures,
paintings, jewelry, textiles, wood, scrimshaw, photography,
and more. An escorted motor coach will depart from the Yucca
Valley Community Center at 7:30 am. The cost is $52. Trolley
service between the Sawdust Festival and downtown Laguna
Beach will be available. For more information call the Town
of Yucca Valley Community Services office at 369-7211.
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HAND-ON
HISTORY AT HI-DESERT NATURE MUSEUM TOMORROW
Join the Hi-Desert Nature Museum tomorrow in celebrating the
Independence Day holiday as they teach you about the
American Revolutionary War and our Founding Fathers. Kids of
all ages will enjoy play acting, singing and craft making
while learning about early American history. This program is
being held on Friday, July 10th, from 10:00 AM to
noon and is free to the public. The Hi-Desert Nature Museum
is located in the Yucca Valley Community Center Complex. The
Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00am-5:00 PM.
Admission is free; donations support the educational mission
of the Museum. For more information, contact the Hi-Desert
Nature Museum at 369-7212 or see our web site at
hidesertnaturemuseum.org.
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LOCAL
HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALERSHIP RECOGNIZED
The
Hutchins Harley-Davidson dealership in Yucca valley was
awarded Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s 2008 Bronze Bar &
Shield Circle of Achievement Award. Hutchins Harley-Davidson
earned the award based upon their motorcycles and related
product sales performance, an evaluation of customer service
and satisfaction, and various operational measures. "One of
the primary reasons the Harley-Davidson brand has such
tremendous customer loyalty is because of the efforts of
dealers such as Hutchins, said Harley-Davidson’s Vice
President and General Manager of North American Sales, Jeff
Merten. "We’re really proud to have Hutchins as part of the
Harley-Davidson family." Hutchins Harley-Davidson, 55405
Twentynine Palms Highway, has been in business in the Yucca
Valley area since 1979.
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MOVIE
IN THE PARK TONIGHT IN TWENTYNINE PALMS
It’s
Thursday, that means in movie in the park night in
Twentynine Palms. Reporter Desiree Weston tells us what will
be on the screen -----
The Twentynine Palms Recreation Department’s Summer Movies
in the Park series presents its next showing, the 1998
comedy The Great Outdoors, on Thursday, July 9th.
The Ripleys, a family from Chicago, is vacationing in
Wisconsin, when their rich, uppity in-laws forgo their own
plans in Europe, to crash in on and impose upon the Ripley
family. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs, and enjoy this
free film. The movie will be shown at the Luckie Park soccer
field, beginning at dark.
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TWENTYNINE
PALMS RECREATION OFFERING BASEBALL CAMP
The Twentynine Palms Recreation Department is offering a
Baseball Camp. Twentynine Palms High School baseball Coach
Mike Fontana has partnered with the Twentynine Palms
Recreation Department to offer baseball camp to girls and
boys ages 7-14. Registration will be taken at the Twentynine
Palms Recreation Department through August 7th. The fee is
$65, which includes a camp T-shirt. The camp will run from
August 10 through August 14 from 8 to 12:30 and will be held
at the Luckie Park Junior Field. For additional information,
call Coach Fontana at 808-5782
or Larry Bowden at 367-7562.
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