“These projects reflect the conservancy’s commitment to collaborative science-based conservation that benefits both wildlife and local communities,” CVMC Executive Director Elizabeth King said. “We are proud to support our regional partners in advancing innovative solutions for habitat protection, climate resilience and species conservation.”

In a board meeting on May 11, board members approved of three grants through Proposition 1 and Proposition 4 funding programs.

Two institutions received funding to study and support sustainability efforts for the endangered desert pupfish. A grant of $695,751 went to the Center for Natural Lands Management for its Groundwater-Surface Water Monitoring project. This project aims to study why portions of the Simone Pond have been drying over the past two years, with the information expected to help maintain habit for the species at the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens received a conditional grant of up to $863,450 for the Desert Pupfish Conservation Refugia project on land owned by the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. This project will evaluate methods to establish sustainable refuge habitat and restore functionality to former wetland cells that has conveyed water between the Whitewater River and the Salton Sea ecosystem, officials said.

The board has approved a grant of $512,000 through Proposition 4 local assistance planning grant to Mojave Desert Land Trust for its state Route 62 wildlife crossing project, which aims to advance planning for two wildlife crossings across state Route 62, a busy corridor from the Coachella Valley to Joshua Tree National Park. Organizers said the project is crucial for public and animal safety, as documented deaths of bighorn sheep and mountain lions have been reported along the highway corridor.

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The lap pool had been expected to reopen in early February, but city officials said Thursday that delays in the arrival of pool equipment have extended the temporary closure.

The facility shut down in November 2025 for replacement of aging pumps, filters and heaters originally installed in 2011. The upgrades are intended to improve water quality, reduce service interruptions and increase energy efficiency.

Work in the equipment room is expected to be completed by mid-to-late March, pending system startup and inspection by the Riverside County Health Department.

The facility will reopen in phases starting in April, according to officials. The lap pool has a target date in early-to-mid-April, followed by the recreation pool as demand warrants. Replacement pumps and motors for the splash pad and water slides are expected to arrive in late April, with those features anticipated to open in May after installation.

“This phased approach ensures reliable operations and minimizes the risk of temporary closures due to aging equipment. We appreciate the community’s patience and look forward to welcoming residents back in time for the summer season,” city officials said.

The aquatic center is located at 73751 Magnesia Falls Drive.

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The festival will start at 2:20 p.m. Thursday with a blessing of the dates ceremony at Gate One of the fairgrounds, at 82-503 Highway 111. The festival will run through March 1.

The 78th iteration of the event will introduce the theme of “Return to the Oasis,” which will incorporate decades of heritage and fair traditions.

“The Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival is always a great time,” Supervisor Manuel Perez said in a statement. “Every year, we work to improve our fair and bring more engagement and new events and new ideas to enjoy. I invite all of you who live throughout Riverside County and beyond to come visit.”

New items this year will include the Oasis Lounge and Tiki Bar and the National Date Festival Museum inside the Sands of Time building, which will give guests an inside look at date farming, the festival’s history and the agricultural roots of the Coachella Valley.

Daily entertainment includes all-Alaskan racing pigs, “Jump!” the ultimate dog show, a petting farm and livestock exhibits.

Scheduled events will be the President’s Day grand parade on Feb. 16 featuring professional boxers from Coachella, “Out at the Fair,” an LGBTQ- inclusive day on Feb. 14 and monster trucks on Feb. 12-13.

“Return to the Oasis welcomes families back with a mix of nostalgia, new experiences and the shared joy of coming together at the Fair and Date fest,” Chris Pickering, CEO of Pickering Events, said in a statement.

More information on tickets, schedules and event details is available at datefest.org.

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Sean Allen Camba of Temecula was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail Monday on suspicion of felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. Camba is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.

His case was under review Tuesday by the District Attorney’s Office.

According to the Indio Police Department, shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, the suspect allegedly caused damage to the D.A.’s building in the 82900 block of Highway 111, adjacent to the Larson Justice Center.

The extent of the vandalism was not specified, and a possible motive wasn’t mentioned.

A witness observed the acts and followed Camba to another property less than a block away, where he allegedly perpetrated further vandalism before climbing onto the roof of the Sunline Transit Agency building near Highway 111 and Jackson Street in an apparent effort to hide, according to police Sgt. Abe Plata.

He said patrol officers arrived a short time later and requested assistance from the multi-agency Desert Regional SWAT team. In the meantime, Highway 111 was shut down between Golf Center Parkway and Salton Street for public safety.

Attempts to talk Camba down from the roof failed, and just before 2 p.m., SWAT members deployed flash bang grenades to divert his attention while other members clambered onto the roof, where they took him into custody without further incident.

Camba was not injured, nor were any law enforcement personnel.

Background information on the suspect also was not available.

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“Detections like this should serve as a reminder to wear insect repellent when outdoors,” Public Information Manager for the district Robert Gaona said. “Repellent with at least 30% of an active ingredient like DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535.”

The samples were collected near the intersections of Johnson Street and Avenue 81, Avenue 82 and Avenue 84.

St. Louis Encephalitis virus spreads when a female mosquito bites an infected bird and that mosquito can become a carrier to transmit to people, the district said. If a person becomes infected, symptoms could develop with fever, headaches, body aches and in some rare cases, death.

There is no human vaccine for a mosquito-borne virus.

With the addition of the three positive samples from Oasis, the number of positive mosquito-borne viruses in the Coachella Valley increased to five this year. However, no human cases of any mosquito-related viruses were reported in the state.

The agency urges the public to take precaution to reduce the risk of mosquito bites, which includes to dump and drain standing water around homes where the insects can breed and to use EPA-registered insect repellents when outdoors, especially at dawn or dusk. In addition, to ensure any window and door screen were in good repair and to report any mosquito problems to the district.

District officials said they will deploy additional technicians to the affected areas to conduct treatment using truck-mounted applications in order to prevent further spread of the virus and reduce mosquito populations.

More information can be found at www.cvmosquito.org.

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The massive operation consisted of 500 personnel and took place in Thermal, a rural city in Riverside County near Coachella, according to the DEA. The federal agency said the task force included the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI and the National Guard.

The DEA posted on social media that it requested help from the agencies and the Army because of the “magnitude and topography of this operation.” A DEA spokesperson said the mission was aimed at illegal marijuana farms spanning about 787 acres in the Coachella Valley town.

“The operation is authorized by federal search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge,” the DEA wrote on X.

Federal agents arrested between 70 and 75 undocumented immigrants and one U.S. citizen for impeding law enforcement.

Multiple people are being questioned for their possible involvement in the marijuana grow operation.

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“We’re so appreciative of the Berger Foundation for this grant to take us over the $1 million mark,” Guild President Angie Nelson said in a statement. “And receiving news coverage about the Guild to share our advocacy for children’s health is incredible.”

The Desert Guild, which is part of the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, pledged in 2022 to raise $1 million as part of the its Stronger Together campaign designed to advance diagnostics and personalize treatments for childhood cancers.

There are more than 2,200 children from the Coachella Valley who receive specialty care at the children’s hospital in Loma Linda and at SAC Health in Indio, according to the guild.

“The Desert Guild is extremely inspiring, and we’re thrilled to showcase how its members’ advocacy and fundraising efforts are making a difference at our area’s children’s hospital,” said Jerry Upham, general manager of Gulf California Broadcast Company.

The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, in partnership with News Channel 3, hands out the impact grants to improve the lives of people in need.

“The Guild works so hard and had come so close to its goal, we wanted to help,” said Catherine Reed, vice president of Charitable Programs for the Berger Foundation. “It was very rewarding to see these volunteers’ and donors’ faces when we surprised them with the grant that will impact kids in our valley.”

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President Joe Biden declared the national monument before leaving office in January, protecting 624,270 acres of desert habitat in Riverside and Imperial counties from development.

The New York Times and Washington Post both reported Trump’s pending action on the monument Saturday, after the White House posted a fact sheet late Friday citing numerous executive orders rolling back actions of the Biden administration, including one “terminating proclamations declaring a million acres of new national monuments that lock up vast amounts of land that lock up economic development and energy production.”

However, that item was later removed, and the White House had not issued further clarification as of midday Sunday.

The Post reported that Trump also planned to rescind the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in Northern California.

Coachella Valley leaders were advocating for maintaining the protection, and vowing to fight any attempt to rescind it.

“I hope the Trump administration doesn’t alter Chuckwalla National Monument. Chuckwalla is extremely popular across the political spectrum and was advocated for by a large, bipartisan coalition. Our local communities know that safeguarding our desert is good for the economy and is smart for the well-being of generations to come,” said Assemblyman Greg Wallis, R-Bermuda Dunes.

Palm Desert City Councilman Evan Turbee, who owns Big Wheel Tours, said his business, which takes visitors out to experience off-roading adventures in Chuckwalla, depends on the protected land.

“Hundreds of business owners like myself advocated for Chuckwalla National Monument to be protected and removing those protections would be deeply, deeply unpopular. There is nothing partisan about it — it’s something our community really fought for,” he said.

“Chuckwalla National Monument isn’t just a stretch of land — it’s a historic military training ground where American troops honed their skills in the unforgiving desert before heading into battle during WWII. It’s a place of deep significance where veterans and civilians alike find recreation, reflection, and refuge. Taking a sledgehammer to it would throw open the gates to corporate interests and the highest bidder,” said Janessa Goldbeck, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and CEO of Vet Voice Foundation.

Iris Gutierrez, executive director of the High Desert Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said she is one of more than 300 business leaders who called for the Chuckwalla National Monument to be established.

“We should protect this economic engine, not put it on the chopping block. Any attacks on our public lands will be a setback for local businesses and threaten the local quality of life we all enjoy,” Gutierrez said.

Along with the Chuckwalla National Monument, the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument near Mount Shasta in northern California was also included in the plans to be rescinded, according to reports from the New York Tines and the Washington Post.

Both the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla monuments were established under the Antiquities Act of 1906, and it was unclear under what legal authority Trump could roll back their designations.

Attempts to reach the White House for comment over the weekend were not immediately successful.

Advocates for the national monument said last year that they were seeking to protect the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan and Maara’yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave (CRIT Mohave), Quechan and Serrano nations.

“Since time immemorial, we have called the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument home,” said Secretary Altrena Santillanes of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “These lands contain thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.”

Advocates said it would also “protect important heritage values tied to the land, such as multi-use trail systems established by Indigenous peoples and sacred sites,” in addition to further recognizing tribal sovereignty and allow new ways for tribes to co-steward their homelands with federal agencies.

They said added protections for public lands would increase equitability in accessing the natural parts of the eastern Coachella Valley and surrounding areas, such as Mecca’s Painted Canyon trail and the Bradshaw Trail in southeastern Riverside County.

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OPHELIA LIVES! by Gillette Elvgren

CV REP | Contributed

Coachella Valley Repertory announces the student cast and crew members for its 2023 Youth Outreach Production, OPHELIA LIVES! These annual productions are produced through CVRep’s Community Outreach Programs. OPHELIA LIVES! was written by Gillette Elvgren and deals honestly and openly with issues that affect today’s teens, such as suicide, depression, self-esteem, substance abuse, cutting, etc. It also touches on constructive paths to resolution. The cast was selected through a traditional audition process, and includes FAITH COBURN (11th grade, Cathedral City High School), GENESIS ESPEJO (11th grade, Cathedral City High School), GALILEA HUERICA INEZ (12th grade, Cathedral City High School), Yahajaira Pazand (11th grade, Cathedral City High School), IRAM HUERTA (12th grade, Cathedral City High School), FIDENCIO ROMERO AGUILERA (12th grade, Cathedral City High School), LAUREN CRUZ DE ARMAS (10th grade, La Quinta High School), SOPHIE HUGHES (10th grade, Rancho Mirage High School), and ARIANA JENKINS (10th grade, Palm Springs High School), and KYMANI FEGURGUR (10th grade, Palm Springs High School),.

Set backstage in a high school theater, the drama class is rehearsing Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The plot suddenly twists when the teacher, Ms. Peters, discovers an unsigned letter from a student who is considering suicide. As they examine Shakespeare’s complex characters, the students discover their personal inner strength, which leads them through hurt and pain to positive, healthy choices.

OPHELIA LIVES! is receiving a fully professional production. In addition to performing on the CVRep stage in front of audiences, students are working with professional designers, directors, and backstage crew. OPHELIA LIVES! is being directed by HOWARD SHANGRAW, Director of the CVRep Conservatory and Community Outreach Programs. Shangraw is an award-winning director, composer, performing arts administrator, instructor and coach. His professional acting career includes productions off-Broadway, summer stock, feature films, episodic television, day-time soap operas and regional theatre productions.

OPHELIA LIVES! will be performed at CVRep for Coachella Valley school students at 2 p.m. September 19-22 and 26-29 at 2 p.m. Student performances are FREE, and CVRep will pay for buses to take students to and from their schools. There will be one public performance on September 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets for that performance are $10 and available online and by calling the CVRep box office at (760) 296-2966. All performances will be followed by a Q&A with the cast, crew, and CVRep Artistic Director Adam Karsten. The actors will talk about their experiences, opening a dialogue that can continue long after leaving the theater.

Shangraw said, “Our Youth Outreach Programs are taught and mentored by theatre professionals who encourage students to let their imaginations soar. Our production of OPHELIA LIVES! bravely and honestly speaks to several sensitive and perplexing personal issues that teens deal with. Through the brilliance of Shakespeare and the medium of theatre, we hope that everyone will gain a real understanding of the challenges facing our young people and inspire them into making positive, healthy, and constructive choices.”

GILLETTE ELVGREN – playwright

Award-winning playwright Gillette Elvgren has penned numerous plays for schools, teens, and family audiences. His writings tackle topics such as AIDS, chemical abuse, child abuse, and teenage sexuality. Putting those issues on stage “is a very good way to get the message across,” says Elvgren, whose “social action” dramas have been produced by acting groups all over the country.

Coachella Valley Repertory thanks the Anderson Children’s Foundation for a grant that has helped make this year’s Youth Outreach Production possible.

YOUTH OUTREACH PRODUCTION: OPHELIA LIVES!

Produced through CVRep Community Programs

School Performances: September 19-22 and 26-29, 2023

Public Performance: September 31 at 2 p.m.

Location: Coachella Valley Repertory

28510 East Palm Canyon Dr., Cathedral City, CA 92634

Tickets: Student performances are free; public performance tickets are $10

COACHELLA VALLEY REPERTORY is a non-profit, professional regional theater. It is the only theater in California’s Coachella Valley that has Small Professional Theatre (SPT) status with Actor’s Equity.

CVRep produces professional theater and educational programs that present thought provoking theatre of substance. It also offers professional level theatre training for young people and adults in its Conservatory, Writing Competition, and other meaningful, socially, and culturally relevant children’s outreach programs. As a member of the Coachella Valley community, CVRep is committed to enriching the quality of life for all residents and to providing memorable experiences for the Valley’s many visitors.

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The regenerated Cathedral City Rep Company remains the brightest star in the East Riverside theater community. They reached across a continent and ocean with their most recent gem. ONCE is a musical play with complexities at every turn. In a world of folks who are seeking a meaningful life, their encounters often clash with unexpected results.

Essentially it is an emotional journey involving a star-crossed love affair without the Shakespearean ending. Ken Allen Neely (Guy) is a well-seasoned actor from New York who has experience on stage, screen and television. He has recently split with his girlfriend and his only occupation is that of a vacuum sweeper repair man who has become a drifter looking and doesn’t seem to know for what.

His co-star, Claire-Frances Sullivan (Girl), goes solo because her husband is in absentia. Her close companion is a piano. What seems to be the obvious appears to be a woman looking for a temporary affair until her husband returns. But it is much more than that.

Guy has a guitar and his voice and not much of anything else, but oh how he makes them work like nothing else. A brilliant voice and a strumming guitar create his only hope and companions.

The setting, on a Dublin cobblestone and an Irish pub, is ideal for the choreography because of its vast space. How director Adam Karsten managed to keep an Irish company of wild dancers together is a task in and of itself, the Irish being a rambunctious bunch anyway. There was nothing missing in the staff’s performance. From lighting to costumes, it could not have been more original.

For those who might not know, ONCE was originally a very low-budget film that surprised everyone with the 45 million dollar return for their effort.

Back to the plot. Guy has all but given up on life and despite what might seem like a lonesome girl running into a lonely guy with a guitar, she gives him hope that there is something better and that he can find a better life through music. A recording of the music won numerous awards. It is compelling, moving and in a way, mesmerizing. In the end, despite his disillusionment and feeling used by the girl, all turns out well. The guy rekindles his former romance and the girl welcomes her husband home.

It is so refreshing to see actors actually present real-life performances and every actor in this play did so. The jealousies, pains, happy moments and sense of neighborhood are there. One could be down at his local bar and experience such a life.

One thing I noted. There was no one in the theater below middle age. Young people want something else and apparently, they don’t find it in this musical. To me, it was almost a modern-day take-off from West Side Story.

However, having said all this, if you ever have a chance to experience this wonderful musical extravaganza when it comes your way- to enjoy it and you will find there is something there you relate to that no other play or musical has. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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