Your Prospective is based upon who's rose colored glasses you're wearing

Someone tell me what they think is the Downtown Core?

At the turn of the last century the downtown area was what is now known as Sullivan and Adobe. That old building on the corner is the site of the old Butterfield Stage Stop. Then in the Twenties and Thirties it was the Historic Plaza. During the '40s and thru the '80s the core was Adobe and 62. Now we have the Smoke Tree area and up at Indian Trail and Adobe as commercial centers. Kind of eclectic when you look at it from a unattached prospective. Which one of these downtowns do we save for its historical value? Which one do we redevelop for its commercial value? Do we develop a new downtown?

Canada says: Twentynine Palms may be the next Palm Springs

Like the prospectors who migrated to California more than 150 years ago, investors have been striking it rich in San Bernardino's booming real estate market over the past year, as property values increased an average of 45% between the fall of 2004 and 2005, and more than 65% over the past two years.

But nowhere in San Bernardino has this increase been greater than in Twentynine Palms. Here, for the year leading up to October, 2005, the value of real estate shot up a whopping 105% on average, making it the hottest place in the state and one of the tops in North America to buy property. MORE

US Attorney reports Former Mayor of Lynwood sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison for conviction on federal corruption charges

The former mayor of Lynwood, California was sentenced March 21st to 188 months in federal prison, which is believed to be the longest sentence ever issued in a federal political corruption case.

Paul H. Richards II received the sentence after being convicted last year of a host of federal corruption charges related to a scheme that defrauded city residents by funneling city business, including exorbitant no-bid contracts, to a “consulting company” controlled by him and his family.

Richards, 50, was remanded into custody at the conclusion of this afternoon’s sentencing hearing before United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner. Richards served as a Lynwood city councilman, which included seven stints as mayor, from 1986 until he was recalled in a special election in September 2003.

Following a jury trial, Richards was found guilty on November 1, 2005 of 20 counts of “honest services” mail fraud for depriving Lynwood residents of his honest services while serving as an elected official. In addition to the “honest services” mail fraud counts, the federal jury convicted Richards of five counts of mail fraud, extortion, eight counts of money laundering and making a false statement to government investigators. (more)

All Things Considered: Someone get the net

Well I do believe the boy lost his mind. Did you read that rambling tripe Kurt wrote in last Wednesday's Desert trail? In his editorial "What I believe and know," he reaches new heights of incoherent literary babble. I figure he was in his cups one night and allowed himself to do the finger dance on his keyboard. He must have been in a rush to fill space, grabbed the first thing in his miscellaneous document file and cut and pasted it in to Wednesday's paper.

Talk about a mixed metaphors, "Vagina Monologues" and a short paragraph away he talks about "a great yawning chasm." Come on Kurt you didn't see that one? What the hell was going through your head? Was that your Freudian slip showing? Never mix a bottle of ink with a shot of Kesslers.

The three things I could really understand from his ramblings was, people often don't see eye to eye, Kurt loves Jesus and he really really likes the "Fiddler on the Roof" (if I were a rich man....). Well whoop-te-do! He keeps this up we'll be calling the little men with the nets.

"All Things Considered," he should have tossed that little ditty in the circular file.

Let's choose a better way of choosing

In the 19 years since the city has been in existence we've hired three city managers. While we've helped those managers on their way with sterling resumes, they haven't left us with much to show for the wear and tear on the taxpayer's pocketbook. What started as a well intended idea to bring self-government to our desert community has ended up chasing away business opportunity, brought NIMBY-ism, cronyism and polar divisions about growth and the environment. The choices in leadership have a direct relation to the turmoil. Instead of uniting we have had managers who chose sides and damned the rest of us to having to live with the whims of special interest.

Well here we are again at the crossroads, and once again we have a committee of two deciding the fate of 20,000 citizens. Now you would think with the history of questionable choices made in the hiring of city managers, that the same old procedures wouldn't be the first choice in picking a new leader.

We would like to see the choices vetted by a bi-partisan Citizen Commission. We would like to attend Public Forums to meet the candidates and give the average citizen an opportunity to put his or her two cents in. We would like full background checks by an independent agency like the Morongo Unified School District or CMC. They have professional personnel departments that are used to cutting through the hype on a resume. Lets hire someone we can all live with not just pleasing to the same old groupies that have directed us for 19 years. I for one would like to see some progress. Come on Council didn't you get the message with the last election?

The Eternal Dustbowl

Beyond the arid vacancy of the Mojave Desert, U.S. 395 enters the austere majesty of the Owens Valley. To the east are the reddish peaks of the Cosos. The snow-covered Sierra Nevada rise along the western side. For miles ahead, the view seems endless, except for the Inyo-White range, which curls around the northeast edge of the valley. This is one of the good days, when the air is clear and crisp.

Midway up the valley, near the town of Olancha, lie the remains of Owens Lake. Back in 1904, immigrant water baron William Mulholland arrived here with Frederick Eaton, the retired L.A. mayor and water hound. They had ambitions to solve a drought and expand the city into the San Fernando Valley. In seizing their prize they could not have pictured the destruction they would cause by diverting water to Los Angeles.

Today, what once was a 100-square-mile body of water is mostly a massive blob of white alkali. Locals breathe its metallic dust; they can taste it. On a bad day, the dust rises off the lake’s skeleton in vicious, tornado-like plumes, forcing children and the elderly to stay indoors. It is the largest source of coarse-particle air pollution in the country — second in the world only to the Sahara Desert. MORE

It's like watching Monkeys romancing a football

Last chance to apply to be the Big Kahuna. We plan to keep a close eye on this one. Remember what happened the last time. Oh by the way boys Click here for the current list of Diploma MIlls.

CITY MANAGER

The City Council is seeking a City Manager who can lead a highly skilled and well functioning organization. City Departments include Administration, City Clerk, Community Development, Community Services and Public Works.

The ideal candidate will be a proven leader who is pro-active, innovative, well-informed, collaborative and decisive. The candidate needs to have a solid understanding of city finances and budget, Land Use, Economic Development, Redevelopment, and Human Resources. He/She should engender the trust and respect of the Council, staff, and community and be an active participant in economic development, redevelopment and community events and be an admirer of small town character and able to work within a small city organization.

The candidate also needs to have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and be able to address community groups and gatherings as the City's representative. A Bachelor's Degree in public administration, business administration or a related field is required. A Master's Degree is highly desirable. Experience needs to include at least five years as a local government manager, ACM or senior staff experienced in implementing public policy.

Candidates should submit a resume along with current salary and benefits and five work related references by: Friday, March 31, 2006. Submit to: City Manager Search, City of Twentynine Palms, 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Coachella votes to become an illegal immigrant sanctuary

COACHELLA - Declaring its support for undocumented immigrants coming to this agricultural, Latino community, the Coachella City Council voted Wednesday to become a "sanctuary."

One of just a few California cities to declare themselves sanctuaries, Wednesday's 2-1 decision is an attempt to prevent local police in the 97 percent Latino city of 30,000 from becoming an extension of the border patrol, should Congress pass House Resolution 4437. MORE

Home sales hit four-year low

The Coachella Valley's housing market continues in an equilibrium phase, moving in favor of buyers. But the region is far from a bargain-hunter's paradise, with only 10 percent of local households able to afford the median-priced home based on working income, according to the California Association of Realtors.

Home sales in the Coachella Valley hit a four-year low in February, while in the same month the median price of a home hit an all-time high.

The median sales price reached $418,500 - up 21 percent from a year ago, according to newly released figures from DataQuick Information Systems.

But the total 789 homes sold during the month was the valley's lowest tally since February 2002. At the same time, the number of unsold homes - now at over 7,300 properties - continued to grow and it took longer to sell a property than it did a year ago. MORE

Willie Boy Part III: Taft takes back seat

On the 10th day in the wilderness, Willie Boy was stumbling westward from Surprise Spring, his tongue swollen, the sun beating relentlessly down between distant thunderclouds. He crossed a rise and looked down on a full dry lake. But clouds reflected on the surface-a thunderstorm had poured water into the shallow basin. He ran and fell face forward into the brown, life-saving liquid!

The 11th day, Willie Boy was again at Rock Corral. Taking the Swarthout Ranch gunnysack of food, he made his way south, up the canyon toward Ruby Mountain. Hiding behind a natural fortress of great boulders, he ravenously ate canned peaches and tomatoes, even though his stomach ached from retching up uncooked lizards-raw because he had used the last of his matches. He lay there resting, utterly exhausted, for he had traveled on foot an incredible 150 miles over some of the most difficult, inhospitable and arid county in the entire West.

Then Willie Boy saw them, five weary posse men riding up the canyon-animals and men dust-colored with caked dirt and sweat. Heads down, they threaded through the rocks and brush, now within easy rifle range. MORE

The War on Terror: Diploma mill linked to Liberian diplomats

SPOKANE – Three Liberian diplomats were paid more than $43,000 to provide bogus accreditation for an online diploma mill, according to documents filed in federal court.

The diplomats were given cash payments in Liberia, Ghana and Washington, D.C., according to documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court as Richard John Novak pleaded guilty to conspiracy and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. MORE

Michael Gibson, 45

TWENTYNINE PALMS ---- Michael Alan Gibson, 45, died of congestive heart failure Thursday, March 8, 2006, at his home.

Born Dec. 18, 1960, in Camp Pendleton, he went to elementary through high school in Oceanside.

Mr. Gibson was preceded in death by his brother, Robert D. Gibson; and grandparents Joe and Eula Malatino and Elaine Wright. He is survived by his mother, Marti Gibson of Oceanside; father and stepmother Don and Ellen Gibson of Twentynine Palms; sisters Beverly Gibson of Vista and Donna Gibson of Oceanside; daughter Sandi Gibson of Aliso Viejo; sons Michael A. L. Gibson II and Robby Gibson, both of Twentynine Palms; grandfather Keith Wright of Fort Myers Beach, Fla.; and one granddaughter.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Elk's Lodge in Twentynine Palms.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the VNAIC, Yucca Valley Hospice Program.

There's Gold in them hills!

By Carol Park, The Business Press, San Bernardino, Calif.

Mar. 20--Gold was worth $554 an ounce March 16, nearly double its value a decade ago. This fever of sorts is enticing mining companies to reexamine mines given up for dead.

Bullion River Gold Corp. plans to purchase the Mission Gold Mine near Twentynine Palms from TKM Corp. in Palm Springs for $1.5 million by September 2007.

Headquartered in Reno, Nev., Bullion River Gold explores for gold and silver deposits in the Western United States. Bullion has seven properties in Nevada and California including the North Fork Mine near Alleghany and the French Gulch Mine near Redding.

The Mission Gold Mine may have a minimum of 280,000 ounces or $154 million worth of gold at today's prices. Bullion River plans to test and explore the Mission Gold Mine to verify the claim and hopes to find more gold.

"We are confident that we will find at least 750,000 ounces of gold because there are 10 old gold mines that have historically produced there," President Peter Kuhn said. Bullion staked 25 more claims around the mine where old mines exist. Bullion will spend up to $25 million to mine the site and plans to hire 20 people including miners, geologists and safety managers if enough gold ore is found and permits are received.

"The hope is, after capital costs, that we can recover the gold for significantly less than what its value is," Bullion River Gold Geologist Scott Tregaskis said.

Gold costs $300 to $400 an ounce to mine, he said. MORE ON THIS STORY

Treasurer elected to help clean up South Gate admits resume fib

SOUTH GATE, Calif. - The treasurer elected to help clean up this corruption-tainted city has acknowledged fabricating his college experience on his resume, according to a published report.

Rudy Navarro, 26, admitted he did not graduate from San Diego State University as he had claimed on the resume that's posted on the city's Web site, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

"I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid," said Navarro, adding that until this week he hadn't even told his parents he had yet to finish college. "Maybe it was the pressure to make myself look better than the previous person. My intention was really to come out and help."

Navarro was seen as a fresh-faced, honest alternative when he challenged and defeated former Treasurer Albert Robles in 2003.

Robles was convicted last year by a federal jury of 30 public corruption counts for soliciting more than $1.8 million in bribes from bidders on municipal contracts and funneling the money to friends and family. Prosecutors say Robles' misdeeds cost South Gate $12 million - nearly half its annual budget of $28 million.

Navarro said he'll resign from his part-time, $600-a.m.onth job if that's what people want. City leaders said they were disappointed with his fib but nobody has called for him to quit.

"I told him, 'You came charging down that highway on a big white horse, and you get rid of the devil and then you lied to the people,'" said City Councilman Henry Gonzalez, 70. "He's young and he was impetuous."

Navarro said he was about a year short of graduating and intends to get his degree.

He was re-elected treasurer last year. LINK

California Infrastructure Boondoggle: Highway Robbery?

By Assemblyman Bill Maze

Infrastructure and capacity. Is our infrastructure sufficient, and do we have the capacity to deal with 36.8 million people in this state? And what about the 12 million new Californians expected in the next 25 years? Anyone traveling on California highways can attest the horrendous state of disrepair and inadequate capacity of our roadways. We have overcrowded schools, dangerous levees, and an insufficient water supply. So what solution do we hear from Sacramento? Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed some $68 billion dollars in long-term infrastructure bonds in an attempt to fix our state. This is the same so-called “solution” that we’ve heard for all of our problems: we need more of your money.

But this is a Faustian bargain. You don’t get something for nothing. In fact, we’re getting far less by issuing massive bonds for the infrastructure proposal than by righting the state ship and instituting a pay-as-you-go plan that includes design-build and reasonable environmental waiver components. We have the capacity within our budget to do this. We now need the political resolve to do the people’s will. MORE

Crash victim dies; Evans faces manslaughter charge

WONDER VALLEY - A man who was seriously injured March 11 by an allegedly drunk driver has died.

Lloyd W. Viney, 87, of Hoodsport, Wash., succumbed to his injuries March 14 at Desert Regional Medical Center.

The driver accused of running into Viney, Joseph H. Evans, 63, of Twentynine Palms, will now face a charge of manslaughter.

According to the California Highway Patrol accident report, Evans was driving westbound on the highway west of Godwin Road when he collided with Viney.

Evans's passenger, 41-year-old Lisa Evans, was also seriously injured and transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. MORE TO THE STORY

Lockyer scheduled to speak at forum on open records

By Danielle Samaniego
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is among several speakers scheduled to talk at a Benicia educational forum that will shed light on how sunshine laws work and what open government means.

The Benicia chapter of the League of Women Voters is hosting one of 14 forums nationwide in honor of National Sunshine Week. The chapter received a grant from the national chapter as part of its efforts to raise awareness about open government.

"One of the interesting things about the Brown Act and public records act is, if it weren't for them, there'd be a lot of things people wouldn't know about," said Belinda Smith, co-director of the Benicia event on Saturday. "Part of what we do as a league is to educate the public in issues like this, so it's really exciting for our league." READ MORE

DA declines case of leaky Council

Here is a story that could serve as an idea for some in town wanting to place controls on the General Plan. Read the whole story click here.

By LEROY STANDISH/Staff Writer Victorville Daily Press

APPLE VALLEY — The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office has declined to investigate the release of a document deemed secret by the Apple Valley Town Council.

The document is a Nov. 2 legal opinion written for the town by the law firm of Rutan & Tucker. Part of the document was read aloud during a Town Council meeting by a resident who had obtained it through unknown channels. The next day Mayor Mark Shoup, claiming the document's release was a violation of the Brown Act, asked the District Attorney's Office to investigate.

"I consider the matter closed because the District Attorney has made a determination that the release of the document was improper and it is a civil matter," Shoup said. "It is best that we put this behind us. We have other things to worry about now."

Shoup said he will not pursue the matter further. MORE ON THIS STORY

Ecoterrorism

During the past two decades, radical environmental and animal rights groups have claimed responsibility for hundreds of crimes and acts of terrorism, including arson, bombings, vandalism and harassment, causing more than $100 million in damage. While some activists have been captured, ecoterror cells - small and loosely affiliated - are extremely difficult to identify and most attacks remain unsolved. Although it has been overshadowed by Islamic terrorist threats since September 11, ecoterrorism remains one of the country's most active terrorist movements. Read More

29s connection to NC murder

Randy Linniman, 40, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, is on trial for first-degree murder in connection to James Taulbee’s death.

Newspaper articles about the slaying of a retired Marine were accessed via the Internet from a computer at the Marine Corps base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., just a few days after James Taulbee was found shot dead in his Jacksonville home in January 2004, a computer forensic expert testified Thursday in Onslow County Superior Court.

The Jacksonville Daily News Web site was accessed by someone logged onto the network in Twentynine Palms with the user name “Linniman RJ.” But John Davidson, a computer forensic expert for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, couldn’t say for sure that Randy Linniman is the person who searched the newspaper’s Web site. MORE

Citizens Assembly: Challenge to the status quo?

A few days after the 2004 election, Michael Kinsley, then opinion editor for the LA Times, had an interesting idea: a new political TV talk show, sort of an anti-"Crossfire" (since canceled). It would be called "Cease Fire." Rather than goading people of divergent views even further apart, guests would be required to find common ground.

Kinsley says CNN wasn’t interested – not dramatic enough, perhaps. But I think TV is missing an opportunity here. How much fun would it be to see Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner – or even Tom DeLay – forced to agree on something and find a solution on air. Can’t you just see the set jaws, tight smiles, and reluctant handshakes?

That’s not a dynamic politicians are used to. The system lends itself to set-piece skirmishes, where advantage, not compromise – certainly not the public good – is the goal.

Hoping to upset that apple cart, two members of the California Assembly, Joe Canciamilla (D-Martinez) and Keith Richman (R-Northridge) are proposing a state constitutional amendment, ACA 28, that would create a citizens political reform commission empowered to rewrite the rules of the game.

A "Citizens Assembly" composed of 170 members selected more or less at random from around the state would take a year to come up with ideas that could completely revamp California’s electoral system. With the exception of judges terms, they would be free to consider any ideas for reform, such as independent redistricting, open primaries, public financing of campaigns, expansion of the legislature, and even proportional representation. The result of their deliberations would then be put to a statewide referendum. (more)

Are sodas the new cigarettes?

By Elizabeth M. Whelan
Published March 16, 2006

Judging from recent media coverage, soda is quickly gaining on cigarettes for the title of No. 1 Public Health Threat.
Soft drinks now stand accused of being largely responsible for an epidemic of obesity in America -- especially among children. Public health advocates, university scientists, legislators and litigators claim because of an overwhelming and consistent array of scientific evidence linking obesity with soda consumption, the time has come for punitive action against beverage manufacturers and their nefarious products.
The purported solution to obesity in America? Ban soda in schools, put a stiff "junk food" tax on these drinks, put stringent restrictions on where the product can be sold and slap a stern health warning label on all the cans and bottles.
This demonization of soft drinks as the culprit in the obesity crisis urgently cries out for some perspective:
(1) True, obesity is a serious public health risk in America. A growing number of both adults and children are overweight to the point that their heath is jeopardized. Obesity raises the risk of a full spectrum of ailments including diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, including breast cancer in older women. MORE

Neo-Puritanical political activists

California’s Proposition 99 created a enormous bureaucracy that has “taken on the garb of a religious crusade,” according to former state assemblyman Isenberg. Currently, the “crusade” is for a “smoke-free society,” but this is obviously just a stepping stone to restricting and outlawing other kinds of politically-incorrect behavior as well. As Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights co-director Julia Carol  told The Washington Post, if tobacco “magically disappeared,” they would “simply move on to other causes.” In just the past few years, neo-Puritanical political activists have issued reports condemning hot dogs, movie theater popcorn, beer, steak and even golf courses!

California’s Proposition 99 established a trend, Americans can expect to see more of their tax money used by neo-Puritanical political activists to whittle away at their personal freedoms. For, as economist Ludwig von Mises once said, “Once the principle is admitted that it is the duty of government to protect the individual from his own foolishness, no serious objections can be raised against further encroachments … If one abolishes man’s freedom to determine his own consumption, one takes all freedoms away. The naïve advocates of government interference with consumption … unwittingly support the cause of censorship, inquisition, intolerance, and the persecution of dissenters.”

How Saint Patrick charmed the snakes out of Ireland.

Dr. George Johnson

Today, on Saint Patrick's day, my mind turns not to shamrocks and green beer, but to snakes. My mother, a wiry Canadian with four Irish grandparents, was more Irish on Saint Patrick's day than anyone born on the Emerald Isle. She died a few years ago at 84, but it is her voice I hear today. Her eyes both serious and merry as only the Irish telling tales can manage, she is explaining to my youngest daughter Suzanne how Saint Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland. "Charmed them into the sea, he did," she would say, her voice ringing with pride. In memory I see my daughter listening wide-eyed. She knew her grandmother wasn't much for legends or fairy tales -- a very no-nonsense old lady -- and so the firm conviction in grandma's voice carried special weight.

Stupid Politician Tricks

LA MESA – The public-comment portion of a city council meeting is one of the rare opportunities people have to address their elected leaders face to face. For a few uninterrupted minutes, they can pester, praise or entreat a captive audience of those who represent them.

Few might expect those representatives to strike back with legal action, yet city officials in La Mesa are threatening to do just that.

The city attorney has sent a letter to resident Chris Tanner accusing him of defaming council members during a Jan. 24 meeting, when Tanner hinted that the city might be cozy with developers.

The letter asked for a public retraction and an apology, threatened legal action and promised that the council would discuss the matter in closed session.

“The message conveyed by your remarks . . . is wholly inaccurate and defamatory – and thereby unacceptable,” states the letter, dated Jan. 31.

Tanner, who has spoken at three council meetings since moving to La Mesa in 2002, was appalled. MORE

Copy of the Letter

 March 1, 2006

LA MESA – Stung by mounting public criticism, City Council members last night said they should not have threatened a resident with legal action over comments he made at a public meeting.

Most council members said it was wrong to send a letter to resident Chris Tanner accusing him of defaming the La Mesa council at a meeting Jan. 24. Tanner hinted council members may be too chummy with a developer. MORE

Bearly Remembered: Willie Boy goes on the run

Willie Boy and Lolita tramped along the Southern Pacific tracks to the east. When a train thundered by around 3 o'clock, they hid in the brush out of sight. Later, a vineyard at Cabazon furnished some grapes. Here the couple left the railroad to reach One Horse Point Spring at the foot of San Jacinto Peak, where they found water and a few hours sleep.

Meanwhile, Constable Ben De Crevecouer of Banning had been alerted, and by 4 o'clock had roused his good friend Joe Toutain. Clara D. True, Indian Superintendent at the Morongo Reservation, was called and asked to send some American Indian police to the Gilman ranch. At the ranch, De Crevecouer interviewed the family and soon a posse of 11 men and two buggies were on the trail.

Sheriff Frank Wilson of Riverside was also notified by telegraph and Coroner C.S. Dickson headed for Banning in an automobile. Wilson climbed aboard a Southern Pacific switch engine at Banning and steamed up to his posse at Cabazon around noon where he assumed command. MORE

Palm Vista Elementary School: Discipline or Assault?

Some angry Twentynine Palms parents say an aggressive teacher assaulted their children.

Several parents at Palm Vista Elementary School in  Twentynine Palms say their children suffered cuts and bruises from a fifth grade physical education teacher.

Pictures taken by parents show the injuries. They say were caused by john bucko.

We tried to reach Bucko, but could not get his comment on this story.

Principal Joe Crites says the school is in contact with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. MORE

How Do you feel about this?

Comment Section

Attention: You'll have to scroll down to the story you are commenting to to read the new posts. For a couple of days until they show up again on the right hand side in the comment section. We had a Spam attack Last night and I had to delete about 200 spams. Thanks for the understanding.

Dan O 

Why I love the Action at the Court House

Deputies subdue baton-wielding woman

"Her husband simply apologized to me," Spear said.

A woman wielding a baton-like weapon burst into a courthouse Monday screaming "Let my people go," before sheriff's deputies subdued her, authorities said.

Vickie Hill, 53, of Twentynine Palms, entered the front of the courthouse at 9 a.m. carrying what looked like a 16-inch plastic baton, said San Bernardino County sheriff's Sgt. Steve Spear. More

You've got to love Texas Politics

DALLAS (AP) - An independent candidate for Texas governor rode in a St. Patrick's Day parade car Saturday with his trademark black hat and burning cigar - plus a beer in his hand, an apparent violation of the state's open container law.

Kinky Friedman's spokeswoman acknowledged that he drank from a can of Guinness handed to him. Photographs taken by The Dallas Morning News showed Friedman, who wasn't driving, holding the beer and appearing to take a drink.

State law prohibits opened alcoholic beverages in the passenger area of a motor vehicle. The Class C misdemeanor carries a maximum fine of $500. More

Kinky is the composer of many satirical Texas Swing Tunes that include such regional hits as, "Asshole from El Paso." 

ORV: Reality Check

California is the largest state in the country in terms of off-road vehicle owners as well as off-road recreation oriented businesses, with the largest concentration of off-road related businesses in the country. Upwards of 18% of California residents enjoy off-road vehicle oriented recreation. The economic impact of off-road recreation exceeds $7 BILLION dollars and is responsible for upwards of 50,000 direct industry employment jobs, extrapolated from a 1991 economic impact study done by the California State University, Sacramento.

New Report Shows Huge Increase In Off-Road Recreation

SACRAMENTO – Registrations of all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, dune buggies, sand rails and dirt bikes in California have more than doubled in the last 20 years, according to new publication examining the challenges facing California’s off-highway vehicle recreation program, the largest of its kind in the nation.

The publication found that in addition to the 108 percent increase in the OHV green sticker registrations since 1980, there has been a 74 percent increase in street-licensed four-wheel drive vehicles in California since 1994. In the last six years alone there has been more than a 60 percent increase in the sale of sports utility vehicles in the state, according to the report, “Taking the High Road: The Future of California’s Off-Highway Recreation Program.”

While off-highway vehicle use is growing in popularity, the amount of available acreage for the sport has been shrinking, the report found. Since 1980, there has been a 48 percent decrease in acreage available for OHV recreation in the California Desert, for instance. (more)

Public access battle more intense than ever before

A long time ago in a canyon not so far away, two United States senators from Nevada promoted the building of a steep, narrow road into what would become a raging, rip-roaring silver mining camp called Panamint City.

In December two very different United States senators from California threw their weight behind the idea that what's left of that road 130 years later should remain closed to vehicle traffic and allowed to return to its natural state.

... On the other side of the debate are... MORE

State switches decision: Sheriff will get off-road grant

YUCCA VALLEY - In a reversal of a previous state decision, California's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division this week awarded the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department a $67,000 grant to enforce off-road laws in the Morongo Basin.

Grant money will pay for law enforcement on holiday weekends and in response to trespass and other illegal activities.

Money will also be used for education and to erect signs.

The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission approved the grant for the Morongo Basin sheriff's station in December, but that award was later overturned by the California State Parks Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. MORE

Well we will not have old Slobodan to pick on anymore.

Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president known as the "Butcher of the Balkans", died in his cell at the UN tribunal detention centre in The Hague yesterday.

The 64-year-old former Serbian strongman, who brought torture camps, terror and death to tens of thousands in a series of "ethnic cleansing" campaigns throughout the 1990s, was reported to have died of natural causes, months before his trial for genocide and war crimes was expected to conclude. MORE

ORV: Who's the Thug?

Back on March 3rd, 2006 the Hi-Desert Star printed an editorial by Philip M. Klasky of Community ORV Watch. In his rant titled "Off-roaders act like thugs with impunity," he vilified, criminalized and berated the entire Off Road Community. This guy went way beyond the pale in his colorful story of his lost President's Day weekend. I thought it was a scene out of "Red Dawn." His brush was so wide and dripping with venom you would have thought that there was a conspiracy by Off Roaders and the Sheriff Department to make his life a living hell. To be honest at the end of his attack I thought that he might need a couple of days of observation at Arrowhead Regional.

This week Gwen S. James of Yucca Valley wrote a thoughtful and balanced response to the tirade of Klasky. In her "Many off-roaders make great community members" she brings everyone back to Earth on the realities of the desert way of life and fairly depicts the huge ORV community. While Klasky focused on a very small group of scofflaws, she lets us remember that Off Roading is a legal and positive use of our desert resources. Klasky believes all Off Roaders are "Thugs" while Ms. James makes clear that Off Roading is a healthy way for families and friends to commune with nature.

On any given weekend tens of thousands of Off Road Enthusiasts come out to the Desert with wallets full and spend millions of dollars in local economies. These tourists are as valuable as any rock climber, artist or hiker. They are hard working families who have just as much right to public lands as any rabid environmentalist. We do not need the likes of Klasky and his Community ORV Watch biting the economic hand that feeds us.

Good things about 29 Palms

Over the years we have been often accused of never having a nice thing to say. I thought it high time that we pointed out a few things and people who make living in Twentynine Palms a joy. Every so often we'll be posting some of the good things about Twentynine Palms just to keep you off guard.

I was reminded this evening as I watched California Gold, just what a treasure we have in our own Huell Hoswer.

Everyone has their own Huell story. Not one of those stories I've ever heard, is not filled with love and admiration for the man from Tennessee. Easy going and approachable, Huell's habit is to befriend all he comes in contact with. His unwavering support of local causes is legend. When the chips are down he can be depended on.

In my case, you just have to love a man with a bullet proof fence and the single best collection of Hawaiian shirts this side of the Big Island. I told my wife, if I win the lottery I'm taking Huell with me down the hill shopping.

Its been awhile but I count him as a friend.

USFS Editorial: Respect Your Natural Areas & Preserve Your Chosen Sport!

Press Release by Benjamin vonDielingen
San Bernardino National Forest Association

Riding an OHV through the mountains on a beautiful day is just one way to experience such freedom. The way the wind hits you as you accelerate up a hill, the smell of chaparral, the taste of dust in your mouth, the way your machine becomes an extension of you own body—moving in synchronicity as you wind your way along the trail. This sense of freedom in nature is the reason many of us visit our public lands, but we must remember that with freedom comes responsibility. MORE