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Listen To Your News		Wednesday, September 5, 2012		News Archive

RAINSTORMS HAVE AGAIN CLOSED HIGHWAY 62 EAST OF TWENTYNINE PALMS
Due to rainstorms east of Twentynine Palms, the California Highway Patrol has announced that Highway 62 has again been flooded out and is closed from Godwin Road to SR-177. CHP says the highway will likely be closed for a couple of days. It is unknown at this time if the road has incurred damage or is simply mudded over.

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10 EVACUATED AFTER DRUNK DRIVER HITS GAS LINE
Ten people were evacuated from a Twentynine Palms mobile home park Monday afternoon after an alleged drunk driver damaged a gas line. According to a Sheriff's report, Edward Boyer, 47, was backing up in the Starview Mobile Home Park in the 5300 block of Adobe Road about 2 p.m. when he hit a block wall and damaged the gas line going in to the park. Witnesses said they could hear and smell the gas leaking. Boyer then drove south on Adobe Road and was involved in a traffic accident in the 5400 block of Adobe Road. The Twentynine Palms Fire Department evacuated 10 residents from the park for about 40 minutes while gas employees repaired the line. Edward Boyer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, and booked at the Morongo Basin Jail. The Sheriff's report notes that Boyer's blood alcohol content was .36, more than four times the legal limit of .08.

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SCHOOL BOARD HEARS FROM PARENTS UPSET WITH BUS CHANGES
It was a full house at last night's meeting of the Morongo Unified School Board. Parents upset about changes in bus schedules and stops were in full attendance. Reporter Kristy Lockhart was there and files this report...
More than 40 parents and students attended the meeting at Friendly Hills Elementary to have their say over budget cuts that reduced school bus routes by more than half. At times the discussion got heated. "This is all ridiculous." Janet Marquez says her grandchildren rely on the school bus. Since their bus stop was cut, the third and fifth graders have to walk a mile to Morongo Valley Elementary School on busy Highway 62. "My concern is their safety; that's a dangerous road." The cuts have also increased the number of parents taking their kids to school, making dropping off and picking up more congested and frustrating for parents. "My daughter was sunburned last week because I had to wait 40 minutes in line." Board members say the cuts were necessary and they are working on solutions to the transportation problems. Also at the meeting the board delayed approval on the revised budget for the 2012-2013 school year.

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TWO ARRESTED AFTER YUCCA VALLEY BRAWL
Two men were arrested after a brawl Monday afternoon in Yucca Valley. According to a Sheriff's report, Dale Doubek, 54, of Yucca Valley, Michael Bransfield, 20, of Joshua Tree, and Belinda Bransfield were arguing in the 56200 block of Onaga Trail about 3:30 Monday. The fight turned physical when Doubek threw a 5-pound dumbbell at the Bransfields, Michael Bransfield got a baseball bat and hit Doubek in the back of the head, causing profuse bleeding. After investigation, Dale Doubek and Michael Bransfield were arrested on suspicion of assault with a weapon. Dale Doubek was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center, then booked at West Valley Detention Center with bail at $50,000. Michael Bransfield was booked at the Morongo Basin Jail with bail at $50,000.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS WOMAN HELD FOR CHILD NEGLECT
A Yucca Valley woman was arrested Monday evening, accused of child neglect. According to a Sheriff's report, Kathy Newman, 25, of the 6400 block of Richard Drive, had taken so many pain medications that she was unable to care for her children, who were found at a neighbor's house. Kathy Newman was arrested on suspicion of child neglect and on a $5,000 warrant for petty theft. Newman was booked at the Morongo Basin Jail and is being held without bail.

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TWENTYNINE PLAMS PLANNING COMMISSION SAYS NO TO SOLAR, SENDS GUIDELINES TO CITY COUNCIL
The Twentynine Palms Planning Commission sent mixed signal about solar energy fields last night. Managing editor Tami Roleff said after rejecting them, they sent them, and a lot more decisions, off to the City Council...
After holding nine meetings and study sessions on the issue of commercial solar fields in the city limits of Twentynine Palms, the Planning Commission finally took action at its meeting last night. The Commission made a strong recommendation that commercial solar fields NOT be allowed in the City of Twentynine Palms. BUT, because the Council has insisted that the Planning Commission develop a code concerning solar fields, the Commission also forwarded standards concerning commercial solar fields to the city council. The Commission recommends that solar fields not be permitted in the City's Sphere of Influence; in areas zoned multi-family and RS-3 and RS-4; on public lands and park buffers, the mesquite dunes, scenic views, and habitat corridors; and in certain areas of the Specific and Downtown Revitalization Plan. In other business, the Commission continued to a future meeting the public hearing on the storage/impound yard at 4949 Adobe Road, and a discussion of what constitutes a "caretaker unit." It forwarded to the City Council revisions to the Code on hawking and peddling. And finally, it gave the owners of 2650 Cholla Avenue—who are quite possibly dead—10 days to demolish the dilapidated buildings and swimming pool, and clean up the junk and debris on the property.

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BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT LOOKING FOR HOMES FOR WILD HORSES AND BURROS
Seven mustangs, two burros, and a mule are looking for new homes through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program. Saturday, September 8, the Sundance Ranch in Redlands will host a BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a preview on Friday, September 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. The Sundance Ranch is located at 27273 Pilgrim Road (off San Timoteo Canyon Road) in Redlands.

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MUGGY WEATHER BRINGING OUT EARLY TARANTULAS
If you think there are more tarantulas out than usual this season, you are not alone. Reporter Dan Stork went to the Hi-Desert Nature Museum for expert information...
What has eight legs, is black and hairy, and has a three-inch body?
I don't know. What?
I don't know either, but it's crawling up your leg!
ARRHHHH!
According to Stefanie Ritter, resident biologist at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley, desert tarantulas are really nothing to worry about. She says she's never heard of one ever biting a person, and added that you should consider them completely harmless, unless you're an arachnophobe. She does caution however that as a protective mechanism, one may flick some of their hairs off its abdomen; these hairs are barbed, and can be extremely irritating. If you handle a tarantula, don't touch your face, and particularly don't touch your eyes. Since we have gotten a few recent reports of sightings of the big spiders, we asked Stefanie if they are "in season." She told us that a more usual time for tarantula sightings is October to January, when males are out and about looking for mates – the females tend to stay in their burrows. So Halloween viewings are not uncommon, which is totally appropriate to their scary appearance. Stefanie speculated that recent rains may have brought some out to look for food, or for shelter to replace flooded burrows. She advises that you help out a tarantula that may have wandered onto your house or patio by scooping it up into a bucket and releasing it into shrubbery.

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CONTRACT FOR SEWER DESIGN ON AGENDA AT TONIGHT'S MEETING OF HI-DESERT WATER DISTRICT BOARD
The Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors will be asked at its regular meeting tonight, to authorize the general manager to negotiate a contract for the design of its new wastewater treatment plant. Also on the agenda is a recommendation to retire a $350,000 loan from the Town of Yucca Valley. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight at the Water District's office located on the Highway at Inca Trail in Yucca Valley.

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JOSHUA BASIN AND H-DESERT WATER BOARDS MEET TONIGHT
A busy meeting for the Joshua Basin Water District Board tonight. Reporter Mike Lipsitz said bad debts, and collection liens will be on the docket, as well as the Strategic Plan...
The Joshua Basin Water District Board of Directors meets at 7 o'clock tonight at agency offices on Chollita Road in Joshua Tree. Among the items on tonight's action agenda, the board is expected to approve plans to write off almost $21,000 in bad debt and authorize filing of liens for unpaid bills in excess of $100. Also tonight, the board will consider approval of the 2012 Strategic Plan, the District's highest level planning document. In other matters, the board will review and possibly adopt a branding statement or slogan in preparation for the District's upcoming 50th anniversary. Following those possible actions, reports and consideration of the consent agenda, directors will adjourn to closed session.

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OLD SCHOOL HOUSE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES NEW SCHEDULE
With the coming of the fall season, the Twentynine Palms Historical Society announced that the Old Schoolhouse Museum is returning to its fall, winter, and spring schedule beginning immediately. The museum will be open Wednesday through Sunday afternoons from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. and is located at 6760 National Park Drive, directly across from the 29 Palms Inn. The library and archival room is open to those who would like to do research on Wednesday mornings between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. For additional information or to make an appointment e-mail 29palmshistorical@gmail.com or call 760-367-2366.

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THURSDAY NIGHT SHOW OF ANNE OF GREEN GABLES AT THEATRE 29
"Anne of Green Gables, the Musical," continues at Theatre 29 through September 29th. Managing Editor Tami Roleff says the only Thursday performance is tomorrow...
Theatre 29's latest production is a new musical version of the classic L.M. Montgomery story, "Anne of Green Gables." Directed by Kathryn Ferguson and assisted by Marty Neider, "Anne of Green Gables" follows the misadventures of a wildly independent orphan with fiery red hair and a temper to match. Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to live with a plainspoken farmer and his spinster sister, who thought they were adopting a boy. She wins over the Cuthberts, and all of Prince Edward Island, with her irrepressible spirit and imagination--and wins over audiences with her warm, poignant story about love, home and family. Vanessa Walton is Anne, with Virginia Sulick as Marilla Cuthbert and Leonard Weber as Matthew Cuthbert. Emily Sheckler plays Diana Barry, with Scott Clinkscales as Gilbert Blythe supported by Analisa Pilecki as Rachel Lynde; Shelly Sheckler as Mrs. Barry, Marissa Thomas as Josie Pye, Amy Fangmeyer as Prissy Andrews and Nena Jimenez as Ruby Gillis, Jasmine Shaffer plays Mary Jo and the Neighbor lady and Ben Bees plays the Station Master, Post Master, Mr. Phillips and the Doctor. "Anne of Green Gables" runs weekends through September 22 with a Thursday performance September 6 and a Sunday matinee September 16. Tickets are $8 to $12 and are available by calling the box office at 760-361-4151 or online at theatre29.org.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL NOTCHES A WIN
The Twentynine Palms High School Ladycats Volleyball team traveled to Indio yesterday and beat the Rajahs in three sets. Coach Missy Franz said the Ladycats were led by senior Sara Lopez with six kills and junior Cherokee Turner with five kills. Shyanne Borchers had 12 assists and one ace serve. Fantastic back row play by Jaymee Candelaria, Rebecca DeGuzman, and Cierra Jenson. The Ladycats are 2-0 in pre-season play and host the Banning Broncos Thursday.

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TWENTYNINE PALMS HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS LOSES IN A SQUEAKER
Twentynine Palms High School Lady Wildcats Tennis Team hit the road to challenge the Indio High School Lady Rajahs yesterday in a pre-game warm-up. Coach Larry Battle said with a new starting line-up, the 'Cats came out sluggish, losing the first round 2 to 4. By the second and third final round, the 'Cats started playing with overwhelming confidence and tied the tournament 9-9. Both teams had to go to the score cards to count games won and the Cats lost by eight points. Number 2 single player Jasmine Smith was the team stand-out, winning three tough sets.

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCHEDULES
Coming up in high school sports tomorrow, the Twentynine Palms Lady Cats volleyball and tennis teams will host Banning High School Broncos at home. First serve for tennis is at 3:15; volleyball 4:30. The Wildcat cross-country team will travel away to Palm Desert for the September Sizzle Tournament. The first event is at 5:30.

The Joshua Springs Christian School volleyball team hosts the Lucerne Valley High School Mustangs at 5 p.m. tonight at home.

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