WX

COACHELLA VALLEY WEATHER TUESDAY JUNE 18^TH

.TODAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 103 TO 108. WINDS SOUTHEAST 15 MPH IN THE
MORNING BECOMING LIGHT. NEAR BANNING PASS AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10, WINDS WEST 15 TO 25 MPH.

.TONIGHT...CLEAR. LOWS 68 TO 75. WINDS NORTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH.
 NEAR BANNING PASS AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10,  GUSTS
TO 40 MPH.

.WEDNESDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 101 TO 106.  WINDS NORTHWEST 15 MPH IN THE
MORNING BECOMING LIGHT. NEAR BANNING PASS AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10, WINDS WEST 15 TO 25 MPH.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...CLEAR. LOWS 69 TO 76.  WINDS NORTHWEST 15 TO 20
MPH. GUSTS TO 25 MPH OVERNIGHT. NEAR BANNING PASS AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10,  GUSTS TO 40 MPH.

.THURSDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 101 TO 106.

.THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 68 TO 76.

.FRIDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 102 TO 107.

.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR IN THE EVENING...BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 69 TO 77.

.SATURDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE MORNING, BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 104 TO 109.

.SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 70 TO 78.

.SUNDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 105 TO 110.

.SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 69 TO 78.

.MONDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 103 TO 108

FIRE UPDATE

FIREFIGHTERS IN THE SAN GORGONIO WILDERNESS WILL FACE STRONG WINDS TODAY, AS THEY BATTLE THE HATHAWAY FIRE.

IT HAS SCORCHED MORE THAN 38-HUNDRED ACRES, AND IS

78 PERCENT CONTAINED.

FIRE OFFICIALS ARE STILL EXPECTING FULL CONTAINMENT BY NEXT MONDAY.

NO STRUCTURES ARE THREATENED.

NINE FIREFIGHTERS HAVE SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES.

750 FIREFIGHTERS REMAIN ON THE REMOTE SLOPES WHERE THE FIRE IS BURNING, NORTH OF BANNING.

TEASEL WEED

THE LOCAL MOUNTAINS ARE BEING INVADED BY A NEW   ENEMY THAT THREATENS PLANT LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

BUT YOU HAVE UNTIL NOON TOMORROW TO SIGN UP TO TAKE UP ARMS AND ERADICATE THE INVADER.

ITS NAME IS TEASEL, AN AGGRESSIVE WEED THAT HAS SPRUNG UP IN THE BONITA VISTA AND GARNER VALLEY AREAS.

LOCAL BOTANISTS ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SNIP THE HEADS OFF THESE INVASIVE PESTS.

THE PROSPECTIVE DATES FOR THE BATTLE AGAINST THIS WEED ARE FRIDAY JUNE 21^ST, SATURDAY JUNE 22^ND AND TUESDAY JUNE 25^TH.

WHICHEVER DATE GETS MORE PEOPLE SIGNED UP, WILL BE THE DATE THE ASSAULT ON THE TEASEL WEED WILL BEGIN.

SEND AN E-MAIL TO JPRADO@DESERTMOUNTAINS.ORG BY NOON TOMORROW, TO JOIN THE FRONTLINES.

IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND RATTLESNAKES, STAY HOME, AS THERE ARE PLENTY OF SNAKES IN THE AREA WHERE THE TEASEL WEED HAS TAKEN ROOT.

SHORT FEST

THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FEST IS UNDERWAY  AT THE CAMELOT THEATRE IN PALM SPRINGS.

MORE THAN 300 FILMS WILL BE SCREENED AT THE 19TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL, WHICH RUNS THROUGH JUNE 24^TH.

FOR INFORMATION, TICKETS, AND A LISTING OF THE FULL LINEUP, GO TO WWW.PSFILMFEST.ORG , OR  CALL (800) 898-7256.

 

RIVCO BUDGET/JAIL

RIVERSIDE COUNTY'S PLANNED BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR HAS TAKEN ANOTHER STEP FORWARD. MONDAY,  COUNTY SUPERVISORS GAVE PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE FOUR-POINT-SEVEN-BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.

THE FINAL VERSION EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED IN SEPTEMBER.  ANALYSTS SAY DISCRETIONARY REVENUE IN THE BUDGET IS EXPECTED TO RISE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007.  THE COUNTY IS EXPECTED TO COLLECT MORE IN PROPERTY AND SALES TAXES.

SUPERVISORS ALSO SPARRED OVER A PROPOSED COUNTY JAIL IN WHITEWATER.

THAT PROPOSAL DIED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, FALLING TO INCREASED PRESSURE FROM PALM SPRINGS TOURISM OFFICIALS WHO CLAIMED THE JAIL WOULD DRIVE TOURISTS AWAY FROM THE CITY.

BUT THE COUNTY HAS SPENT 23 MILLION DOLLARS OF TAXPAYERS MONEY JUST ACQUIRING THE PROPERTY WHERE THE JAIL WAS PROPOSED.

FOR NOW, SUPERVISORS HAVE AGREED TO EXPAND EXISTING COUNTY JAIL FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE ONE IN THE HEART OF INDIO.

NEW LAB

THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CATHEDRAL CITY HAS A NEW TECHNOLOGY LAB.

THE LAB IS AT THE NEWLY RENOVATED TEEN CENTER ON WHISPERING PALMS TRAIL.

THE NEW LAB SPORTS 23 NEW PERSONAL COMPUTERS,

AND 4 VIDEO PRODUCTION STATIONS.

THE FACILITY IS READY JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER CAMPS WHICH BEGIN THIS WEEK.

THE TECHNOLOGY LAB WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT FROM THE H.N. AND FRANCES C. BERGER FOUNDATION.

SCHWARTZ PASSING

NOTED TELEVISION WRITER ELROY SCHWARTZ HAS DIED IN PALM DESERT FOLLOWING COMPLICATIONS FROM SURGERY. HE WAS 89.

OLD TIMERS WHO REMEMBER BOB HOPE, AND GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, WILL REMEMBER SCWARTZ’ WORK, AS HE WROTE SCRIPTS FOR BOTH.

SCWARTZ WOULD HAVE TURNED 90 NEXT WEEK.

HOUSING AWARD

A NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN DESERT HOT SPRINGS HAS WON AN AWARD OF MERIT FOR BEING THE BEST AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT WITH UNDER 30 UNITS PER ACRE.

THE BRISAS DE PAZ RECEIVES THE GOLDEN NUGGET AWARD FOR OFFERING 62 UNITS ON FEWER THAN FIVE ACRES OF LAND.

IT WAS A DEVELOPMENT MADE POSSIBLE BY THE COACHELLA VALLEY HOUSING COALITION.

ROUNDABOUT

CONSTRUCTION OF A TRAFFIC ROUNDABOUT IS UNDERWAY IN LA QUINTA AT EISENHOWER AND CALLE SINALOA.

THERE ARE 2 PARKS NEARBY, FRITZ BURNS PARK AND               LA QUINTA COMMUNITY PARK.

EXPECT DELAYS THROUGH OCTOBER.

BRIDGE MEETING

EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT PALM SPRINGS CITY HALL ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT JUNE 26^TH.

THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION  WILL BE TWO PROPOSED BRIDGE PROJECTS SPANNING CATHEDRAL CITY AND PALM SPRINGS.

ONE PROPOSAL WOULD BUILD A BRIDGE OVER THE WHITEWATER RIVER WASH ON VISTA CHINO DRIVE.

THE OTHER PROPOSAL WOULD WIDEN THE BRIDGE ON RAMON ROAD, JUST WEST OF LANDAU BOULEVARD, OVER THE CIMARRON GOLF COURSE.

THE MEETING STARTS AT 6 IN THE EVENING IN THE LARGE CONFERENCE  ROOM AT PALM SPRINGS CITY HALL. PUBLIC INPUT IS WELCOME.

STAFFERS FROM PALM SPRINGS, CATHEDRAL CITY, THE COACHELLA VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS, CALTRANS,  AND THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION WILL BE ON HAND WITH DRAWINGS AND EXHIBITS ABOUT THE PROJECTS.