Another party we weren't invited to.

The Wonder Valley Olive Oil people are making news with a party they threw:

"I saw Jay Carroll swig two things straight from the bottle: One was tequila; the other was olive oil. His capacity for tequila at an all-day party was impressive!"

I suppose one of those things is associated with Wonder Valley. (Hint: It's not the olive oil.)

This from the online journal Healthyish!
http://www.bonappetit.com/story/summer-dinner-party-desert

Wonder Valley Food Distributions for the remainder of 2017

All at the
Wonder Valley Community Center
80526-1/2 Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277

COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP
July 18, 2017, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

August 22, 2017, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

September 19, 2017, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

October 17, 2017, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

November 21, 2017, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

December 19, 2017, 10:30 a.m. - Noon

These events will now be on Tuesdays, instead of Mondays. The boxes will be ready to pick up when you arrive. No more waiting!

SALVATION ARMY
June 28, 2017, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Cancelled
July 26, 2017, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
August 23, 2017, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
September 27, 2017, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
November 22, 2017, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
December 27, 2017, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

PICKING UP FOR A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBERIf you want to pick up food for a Wonder Valley resident living at a different address, download and print the form below, have that person fill it out and sign it, and bring it with you to the next distribution. If it's filled out correctly you'll be allowed to take a box of food to them.
Alternate Pick-Up Request Form (Community Action Partnership)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tkdbn45e55p9q9s/food_distribution_pickup_form.pdf?dl=0

or here if the link above does not work:
http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/entres/forms/English/EFA15.pdf

The form above also contains the Emergency Food Assistance Program 2016 Guidelines for qualifying monthly and annual household income for household size. Low-income Wonder Valley residents self-certify on site. No documentation is required.

Please come and take a break from the heat.

The Wonder Valley Community Center will be open additional hours this week due to the heat:

Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Cold water will be available. Bring food if you'll need a snack, and a blanket if you want to lie down on the floor to rest. We have books and jigsaw puzzles available, and WIFI, too.

The regular hours for the WVCC are: M, T, W - 9 am - 2 pm.Wonder Valley Community Center
80526-1/2 Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277

WV Community Meeting - July 8, 2017 - CANCELLED

THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Everyone is invited and welcome to attend and participate in the

Wonder Valley Community Meeting

11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Saturday, July 8, 2017, at the

Wonder Valley Community Center

80526-1/2 Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277

The agenda will be posted by Monday, July 3, 2017.

There will be pastries and French Roast coffee.

We didn't have a June meeting because I was had the flu, so there is a lot to catch up on. I hope you will attend.

Today's food distribution...

...is postponed until tomorrow - Tuesday, June 20 - at 10:30 a.m. The truck broke down.

If you volunteered to help with the food distribution, do not come today. Please come tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.

Desert Trail, June 15, 2017

Our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road near Blower Road, is now open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will also of course be open for any scheduled meetings, presentations, etc. Call Ric at 760-367-9880 for further information.

The USDA Food Distribution will take place on Monday, June 19 at our community center from 10:30 to noon.

We send out Rainbows-of-Pearls-and-Roses to Josiah Bevins (8), Jerry Peek and Donny Pixley who celebrate their special days this week. Happy birthday to all of you!

Darlene’s Commentary: I love to read, and when I find a great book full of very useful information that’s been written in clear, plain English, I’m happy to share it with others. This book is titled “The Thyroid Solution,” written by Ridha Arem, M.D. and published by Rodale. I personally have experienced a “thyroid storm,” hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and Grave’s Disease.  According to this book, as people get older, many changes occur in their bodies and organs. If you are experiencing excessive tiredness, weakness, memory problems, foggy thinking or depression, perhaps you have a thyroid problem. Even people who are already on thyroid medication might benefit from requesting blood work that includes TSH, T3 and T4 hormone levels.

Karen’s Commentary: First of all, coupons went out this week to U.S. Army and Marine bases in Germany, Belgium and Japan. Having said that, my next subject is the bright green bike lanes in Joshua Tree. I think they are absolutely fantastic! They immediately grab your attention, there’s no question as to where you should or shouldn’t drive, or where you are allowed to cross the bike lanes with a vehicle. I firmly believe that those green bike lanes should be everywhere. It should be the same all over the nation, just like yellow stripes dividing the roads in half and white stripes marking the lanes. Whoever thought this up should get some kind of award!

If you’d like to learn more about Wonder Valley’s happenings and history, go to www.WonderValley.org. Ken and Teresa Sitz do a great job of keeping this website up-to-date and interesting.

Handy Hint: Beware of installing replacement vehicle batteries in modern cars yourself because disconnecting the battery without providing an alternative power source can create havoc by erasing module memories. This may cause your vehicle to need diagnostic scanning and reprogramming.

Thought for Today: So you think you are having a bad day? Consider the man who went to a McDonald’s drive-through in just a shirt and underwear, thinking he wouldn’t be seeing anyone. He got into a car crash.

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.

Hot, yes, and LOUD, too.

The Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center "will be conducting a 29-day integrated training exercise called ITX 4-17. The exercise will conduct battalion-size, live-fire maneuvers and will incorporate combat support, combat service support, and aviation units," according to Z107.7.

Expect it to be loud.

MARINE TRAINING EXERCISE WILL BRING NOISE TO THE AREA

To make a comment on the exercise and sound levels, go to:

http://www.29palms.marines.mil/Staff/G5CommunityPlansPAO/SoundReporting.aspx

Call: (760) 830-9222
Email: SMBPLMSG_5SOUNDREPORTING@usmc.mil

Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

Please review. When in doubt, call 911.

Excessive Heat Warning

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for the Twentynine Palms, and other desert areas.

Please read the complete warning at the link below, take precautions, and check on your neighbors.

https://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=98a3ae515fdacce8&hl=en&gl=US&source=web

IMPACTSThe hot temperatures will create a dangerous
situation in which heat illnesses are possible; especially for
the elderly, children, homeless, and those unaccustomed to the
heat.

The Wonder Valley Community Center, at 80526½ Amboy Road, will be open from 9 a.m.  to 2 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Feel free to come hang out in the cool air.

COOLING CENTER.
The only official cooling center near Wonder Valley is the Twentynine Palms Senior Center, at 6539 Adobe Road, across from the Fire Station, in Twentynine Palms. It doesn’t become a cooling center until the weather hits 115 degrees or higher, or there’s a power outage and the City orders it to open. The best thing to do if you’re not certain it is open is to call: 760-367-5780.

If you’re just looking to get out of the heat for a spell, consider the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526½ Amboy Road. They’re open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If you can make it to Twentynine Palms, the public area of the Post Office (not the counters where you buy stamps), at 73839 Gorgonio Drive, is open 24/7 and they have great air conditioning. Staters is also open 24/7 if you don’t mind pushing a cart around while you cool off.

Also, if you can, start making extra ice now. You may need it.

Gardening in Wonder Valley

Click on the link below for long-time resident and gardener Ellie Greenwood's planting times. You may live in an area that has a slightly different microclimate, so your mileage may vary:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4nzqrp26bwsutal/wv_planting_guide.pdf?dl=0

WV Fire Station 45 funded for fiscal year 2017/2018

Good news, everyone.

This from Assistant Fire Chief Tom Marshall:

"Today the fire district budget was approved and Station 45 was part of that budget."

So we are guaranteed our fire service for another year.

Two felons going back to prison / jail

From Z107.7 News, June 13, 2017

TWO TWENTYNINE PALMS FELONS ARRESTED WITH GUNS AND AMMO

Two Twentynine Palms men, who are convicted felons, were arrested Sunday after they were found with guns and ammunition. According to a Sheriff’s report, about 1 p.m., deputies were called to an area north of Pinto Mountain in Wonder Valley for reports of shots fired. Deputies saw a Nissan Frontier leaving the area, which tried to flee, but got stuck in the sand. Two men, later identified as Victor Guerra, 33, and Robert Prudholme, 28, then fled from the vehicle into the desert. They were detained after a short foot pursuit. A records check revealed Guerra was a convicted felon on parole and Prudholme was also a convicted felon on probation. Deputies searched the vehicle and located a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, a .38-caliber revolver and 400 rounds of ammunition.
Victor Guerra and Robert Prudholme were both arrested for investigation of being a felon in possession of a weapon and ammunition, booked into the Morongo Basin Jail, and are being held without bail for violating the terms of their parole and probation.
- - - - -
Some of you express skepticism about calling the Sheriff's Department on these kinds of violations, but people kept calling on this and it paid off. These two will not be back any time soon.

When you call the Sheriff's Department, ALWAYS ask for an incident number.

Live music at The Palms, June 17, 2017

Desert Roots Music and The Alternate Root presents:
NOCONA
Calico the Band with Rick Shelley

Saturday, 6:00 p.m., June 17
The Palms
83131 Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277
$10 at the door - Free Camping - All ages - Cookout starts at 6:00 p.m.

Crime Stats for MAY 2017

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department logged the following:

CALLS : 79
REPORTS : 6
ARRESTS : 2

There was one fire logged. There were three complaints of shots heard or illegal shooting, and two calls for off road vehicle abuses.

Of the two arrests, one was for a traffic stop, the other for use of a controlled substance.

Of the reports, one was for a tow, one was for grand theft, and one was a follow up on an animal protective services call.

This is how May 2017 compares to the last two years:

Whenever you call the Sheriff's Department, always ask for, and record, an INCIDENT NUMBER.

The fate of Fire Station 45

Station 45 started out as an
agricultural inspection station.

The article in Friday's Desert Trail is titled "Fire station gets closer to closing," but the dye is not yet cast.

San Bernardino County Local 935 President Jim Grigoli seems to be going to bat for Wonder Valley, lobbying for its importance in serving communities to the north and east of its borders.

"WONDER VALLEY — In a new budget for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the Wonder Valley Fire Station is not included. 

"The county does not plan on continuing service out of that station." 

Read more...

During a series of meetings in 2015 and 2016, the Community of Wonder Valley balked at a proposed tax increase of $347 or $489 per property per year for a 2-person or 3-person staff respectively.

Of 57 fire calls in the month of April, 44 were outside the boundaries of Wonder Valley. The County has not proposed how these "unfunded liability areas in the county" might contribute to the costs of the Fire Station in Wonder Valley.

Each property in Wonder Valley pays an assessment ($33.80, about $152,000 annually) for FP-4 (Fire Protection District 4) which may only be spent within Wonder Valley. Each property is also taxed through the ad valorem tax for fire service (about $17,000 annually). This money goes into the general fire budget. There has continued to be a shortfall of about $1.3 million per year.

If you're concerned about this situation, please educate yourself on what has already been discussed. Visit the FIRE tab. All the meetings we had with County Fire, LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission), the California Department of Insurance, and others are listed there in order, with agendas and notes.