Michael Peterson

The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Business Employment Watch shows that small business hiring held mostly steady in February. The Small Business Jobs Index moderated -0.03 percent to 93.97. Wages are trending in a positive direction to begin 2021. Both hourly earnings and weekly hours worked had two consecutive months of growth. Hourly earnings growth increased to 2.91 percent, and hours worked growth improved 0.37 percent. Weekly earnings growth also rose above three percent for the first time since September 2020.

On January 29, 2021, at 12:40 pm, Deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded to the 39000 block of Washington St., in the city of Thousand Palms, regarding an assault with a deadly weapon call. Prior to the “911” call being made, the victim ran into a local business and reported that her estranged husband was armed with a rifle and trying to kill her.

Today, December 28 was supposed to be the day Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order expires. However, state health officials said with ICU beds still occupied the order will most likely be extended.

The 19th annual LUNAFEST, a national film festival that supports films by and about women, hosted by the Soroptimist Club of San Jacinto-Hemet Valley, will have a virtual screening this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions on public gatherings.

The phrase "defunding the police" has to be perhaps one of the worse marketing ever done in history. However, the vagueness of this term gives politicians a lot of wiggle room to use the language without defining what they will actually do.