Cactus Thorns

In a partisan world the office of the Board of Supervisors is supposed to be a non-partisan position.

If you followed all the hype about Brad Mitzelfelt you would think the fix is in on the vacant 1st District seat on the Board of Supervisors.

As a solid and faithful Republican I'm a little more than offended that the County Republican Party's web site has turned into being nothing more than a public relations vehicle for Bill Postmus and his hand picked successor and chief of staff Brad Mitzelfelt for the position of 1st District Supervisor.

The County GOP Central Committee web site has become a tool to promote one individual's political agenda above the Party and the County's good.

They are now using FlashReport.org a new blog on the block to back their hype. FlashReport.org is filled with wonks and bull slingers backing Mitzelfelt. Talk about self promotion, FlashReport.org tells us they are "hugely popular" I'm a blogging fool and I never heard of the site before today. Like I said, I'm solid GOP, but this site is more for blowing smoke up Republican insiders skirts than promoting Republican Party Principals.

Mitzelfelt along with being Postmus' chief of staff also wrote for this FlashReport.org. He recently quit and put in his place his buddy and underling Adam Aleman (also a Postmus operative) to take over his blogging duties. The way Aleman writes in support of Mitzelfelt, his boss is almost weird. Its like reading literary brown nosing. You can almost smell ass in the air when you read him.

I've worked in the trenches for over 40 years. As a thirteen year old, I passed out Goldwater buttons and stuffed envelopes. I served on the County GOP Central Committee. I've pounded signs, walked the precincts and worked on many of a campaign committee, but I've never taken seriously some pasty faced young turk with some 3rd tier political science degree dictating his take on real world political realities.

If we let these guys be in charge, the California Republican Party will always remain a minority party. Talk about out of touch with the voters.

Here is what bothers me. The GOP Central Committee should be neutral when it comes to the running of fellow Republicans for a non-partisan position. The GOP 11th commandment has always been in campaigns, "if you can't say something nice about a fellow Republican say nothing at all." At the same time the County GOP should not be promoting one Republican above the others in what is in reality a non-partisan local office.

It's time we Republicans get a grip and put a stop to the hijacking of our County Central Committee and County Government. If Postmus wants to be the next Boss Tweed, lets not march lockstep with him. I'm not for a new era of political favoritism.

This is not a dynasty where the King picks his replacement. This is a Republic and as such I want a person who can represent the People as a whole. We need new blood, new ideas and new leadership in the 1st District. We don't need a puppet.

I've given it a lot of thought. Politics sometimes makes for strange bed fellows. Probably you never thought I would say this and come to think of it neither did I, not withstanding our long history, Jim Bagley can be a positive force in County Government. No one can say he lacks experience or political savvy. When given the choice between the other candidates for the position of 1st District Supervisor Jim Bagley is the only logical choice.

The Butcher of Baghdad Hanged

Special Meeting to be held to back Bagley

Sources close to city hall tell us that a special meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council will be held. The meeting is scheduled on January 2nd to pass a resolution in support of the appointment of Jim Bagley to the position of Supervisor of the 1st District.

The 1st Supervisory District is the largest of the five districts. It encompasses most of the Hi-Desert.

Sysops computer crashed.

My computer is down at the house so I'll be off line for the next couple of days until I figure out how to fix it.

UPDATE: Have my old laptop booted up on a ancient copy of Windows 98 SE. Its slow but I'm online.

Six Vying for Supervisor Position

Applications for the 1st District supervisorial seat must be submitted by Friday. At a special meeting on Jan. 8, Postmus' four colleagues will select a new High Desert supervisor from among the applicants.

Through last week, six people have submitted complete applications:

Applicants have until noon on Dec. 29 to submit applications for the position. Applications should be sent to the attention of Dena Smith at 385 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

By Francis P. Church, first published in The New York Sun in 1897. The history of this the most famous editorial ever written can be had at the National Christmas Center.

Merry Christmas

On behalf of the Cactus Thorns team, we'd like to wish you all the best for the holidays, regardless if you're celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus, dancing naked in the forest, or just having a great time with the ones you love!

That's the Holiday Spirit: Atheist sets self on fire for Christmas

This comes under the title of, Never send an rabid atheist to do a religious fanatic's job.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - A man doused himself with flammable liquid and set himself afire, apparently to protest against a California school district's decision to change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter vacation. More

It appears he was unable to get it right. He ended up with 1st degree burns instead of the required 3rd degree burns to put him on a par with, Vietnamese Buddhist Monks let alone Joan of Arch. Next time use Premium.

Water Returns to Owens River, Reclaiming "the Switzerland of California" from the Desert

In the early 1900s, agents of the City of Los Angeles, posing as businessmen and ranchers, bought hundreds of thousands of acres of the Owens River Valley land and water rights, so that the city could turn itself into a bustling metropolis. This is a story of stealth and deception that was the inspiration for the 1974 movie "Chinatown" and numerous books and movies.

On December 6, 2006, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa turned a control knob to open a steel gate at the diversion dam to redirect the water flowing through the 233-mile Los Angeles Aqueduct back into the Lower Owens River. This reclamation effort would conclude the most notorious and well-known water war in America’s history. The water has flowed into the Aqueduct since 1913. A boom in the 1960s prompted the DWP to pump out the city’s groundwater. The Second Los Angeles Aqueduct was opened in 1970.

Once called "The Switzerland of California", Owens Valley was turned into a desert. The city also drained the Owens Lake, which left behind a vast salt flat that is laced with heavy metals, leaving the flat prone to choking dust that spreads across the valley on windy days. Springs that fed the Valley and turned it into a rich marshland for birds, deer, and elk dried up. The salt grass and cottonwoods all dried up. Under the current plans, the River will only run about two feet deep. That will be sufficient, however, to allow some habitats to regenerate and sagebrush and salt grasses should begin to flourish. It is expected to take years before the wildlife makes a comeback. The hope is that as the river starts flowing again, so will the tourists. Residents believe that new opportunities for hunting and fishing, hiking will help boost the economic situations of the small towns located in the Valley. MORE

Mike Evans, Actor, Writer, Producer 57

Another popular member of the Twentynine Palms Community has passed this month Mike Evans. Mike would every so often haul that big old 70s sled by the house, we will miss him.

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (AP) _ Actor Mike Evans, best known as Lionel Jefferson in the TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," has died. He was 57.

Evans died of throat cancer Dec. 14 at his mother's home in Twentynine Palms, said his niece, Chrystal Evans.

Evans, along with Eric Monte, also created and wrote for "Good Times," one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast. MORE

WE REMEMBER MIKE EVANS: TV veteran, best known as the first Lionel on ‘The Jeffersons’ and co-creator of ‘Good Times,’ died earlier this month at age 57.

Judge blocks law giving LA mayor partial control of city schools

A judge ruled Thursday that a state law granting Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa partial control of the nation's second-largest school district is unconstitutional.

With the decision, Superior Court Judge Dzintra I. Janavs blocked implementation of the law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

The judge ruled the legislation violated the state constitution by interfering with the governing authority of the locally elected Los Angeles Unified School District board. MORE

California no longer population magnet-

High cost of living seen as culprit in driving people away

California's population growth rate slipped for a sixth year in a row as tens of thousands of residents left for other states, according to new estimates the state released Wednesday.

Demographers said many of those who left probably were seeking a lower cost of living. New arrivals from other countries and babies born in California more than offset the departure of residents for other states, bringing California to an estimated total population of 37.4 million on July 1. More

Holidays bring more losses

This holiday season has to be one of the toughest years in memory. We have lost so many pillars of the community this year. We wish all those with a loss during this season and over the last year peace and our prayers are with you.

This week in the Desert Trail:

Kelly O'Sullivan has written a wonderful article this week in the Trail about the "Huge Hole" in our community fabric this month.

Its cold enough to....

Well it's been a little cold this week. With temps dropping down to the 20s this has to be one of the colder Decembers on record. To show you just how cold it was, I thought I would let you see how the pet monkey handled it.

Our Brass Monkey Freeze Indicator is more than an attractive desk ornament and paperweight. When exposed overnight to below freezing temperatures, an amazing phenomenon occurs.

Board of Supervisors votes to seek clarity and appeal marijuana ruling

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors today voted to forge ahead in its effort to resolve a conflict between federal and state marijuana laws by appealing a San Diego judge’s ruling earlier this month on the County’s medical marijuana case.

Proposition 215 requires counties to issue identification cards to medical marijuana users to shield them from arrest for the cultivation, possession, or use of the substance. However, federal laws prohibiting marijuana possession and use do not make allowances for medical applications. This creates a conflict for County law enforcement officers, especially those serving on joint narcotics task forces charged with enforcing federal law.

In ordering the appeal of San Diego Superior Court Judge William R. Nevitt Jr.’s Dec. 6 ruling, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors made it clear that it was not passing judgment on the medical benefits of marijuana or even seeking to overturn Proposition 215. The County simply wants the courts to resolve the apparent conflict for law enforcement, as Judge Nevitt did not consider the issue of local law enforcement officers who are cross-deputized to also serve as federal law enforcement officers as part of narcotics task forces.

"I am very pleased with the Board’s decision to appeal," said San Bernardino County Sheriff Gary Penrod. "This is a bad law that is set up for abuse. This law opens the door to expanded cultivation of marijuana, which is a violation of federal law."

"We support the Board of Supervisors’ effort to resolve this conflict between state and federal law," said Ontario Police Chief Jim Doyle, president of the San Bernardino County Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association. "We need more clear direction."

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors also expressed concern that the identification cards required by state law effectively sanction the violation of federal laws and create the false impression that people who hold the cards are completely immune from arrest when in fact they would be subject to arrest under federal laws.

Review extended on County General Plan Update

The Board of Supervisors has conducted two workshops on various aspects of the General Plan Update Program on December 5 and 12. A third workshop has been scheduled for January 23, 2007. The Board canceled a public hearing scheduled for December 19, 2006, and continued review of the Update to a third workshop in January. This will allow time for final consideration of the Program by the County Planning Commission on January 11, 2007.

After three and a half years of work, the San Bernardino County General Plan Update Program is nearing completion. The Program consists of an update of the County General Plan text, several minor revisions to zoning designations within the unincorporated areas of the County, the preparation of 13 community plans, a complete update of the County Development Code, and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

All documents for this project and the hearing schedule for both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors are posted on the Land Use Services Department web page at www.sbcounty.gov/landuseservices. Follow the links under “General Plan Update Program” on the left-hand side of the web page under “Our Documents.”

Bill Round, 75th Ranger, 57

My best friend of 15 years died Monday Morning unexpectedly. I've published this for his wife and family and the many mutual friends who frequent this site. I pray for his wife Penny, who has always been a close and dear friend.

ORIENTAL, NC -- William Dean Round died Monday, Dec. 18, 2006, at his home near Oriental. He was 57.

He was born June 3, 1949, in Warren, Ohio, the first child of Bonnie Jean (Garrett) and William Finley Round. The family moved to Houston, Texas, shortly after his birth. Bill attended Jones High School in Houston, and the American School in Mexico City before graduating from Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C.

He was an Airborne Ranger in Vietnam during 1969-70, where he served as a radio operator with D Co. and F Co. of the 75th Ranger Regiment. He was awarded a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Air Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and a Parachute Badge.

Upon leaving the Army, he pursued his lifelong love of boats, both recreationally and professionally. He worked as a pilot on tow boats on the Ohio River, then worked his way up from deckhand on oceanographic research vessels to captain. He held a 1,600-ton master’s license for all oceans.

Health problems kept him from realizing his dream of sailing to Belize and beyond aboard the Caper Dreams, his 36-foot Colvin-designed steel schooner.

Before dropping anchor in New Bern, then Oriental, he and his wife, Penny, lived in the Colorado high country for 16 years. While there, Bill pursued artistic and creative endeavors. He was an accomplished beadworker, self-taught sketch artist, outstanding soapmaker and had recently begun teaching himself silversmithing.

He is survived by his widow, Penny Handras Round, one sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Jim Little, of Houston, Texas; one brother, Richard Keith Round, of Cleveland, Ohio; niece Rachel Anne Little, of League City, Texas; nephews John Marshall Little and Michael Cole Round, of Houston; stepdaughter Alexis Nicole Turner, of Portland, Oregon; stepson and daughter-in-law Zachary Jon Turner and Phuong-Thu Nguyen, of Houston, Texas; an aunt and numerous cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Michael Todd Round.

He will be cremated, and his ashes scattered at sea.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the 75th Ranger Regiment Association, P.O. Box 10970, Baltimore MD 21234.

Arrangements by Bryant Funeral Home, Alliance, N.C.

With lethal injection halted, let's reconsider the noose.

California's procedures for execution by lethal injection -- described by a federal judge as broken but repairable -- will require a new commitment of energy and resources from state officials, starting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, several analysts said Saturday.

"If the governor says this is a high priority, it's going to get the attention it needs from top-level officials,'' said Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation and a supporter of capital punishment.

The key to compliance with U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel's ruling is "a different attitude,'' said Deborah Denno, a professor at Fordham University School of Law in New York and an opponent of the death penalty. "Judge Fogel is putting the onus on the governor.''

In Friday's 17-page decision, Fogel cataloged the flaws in the state's execution methods that were aired at a four-day hearing in September: Prison staffers are poorly trained and supervised, work in dimly lit and overcrowded conditions and deliver chemicals they know little about into a sealed execution chamber at San Quentin where they cannot hear the inmate and can barely see him. MORE

Eminent Domain Averted

In a few minutes of meaningful discussion a subcommittee of Steve Flock and Steve Spear (heretofor known as the Stevedors) met with Ken Hoffman concerning potential eminent domain litigation. They sat down talked man to man and solved the problem.

A problem that took over 4 months of wrangling by lawyers and staff took 30 minutes by the Stevedors to solve. Everyone left the table happy. Not bad for only two days into the new Council.

If this is a sign of things to come, we're in great shape.

Bagley wants to be your Supervisor

Desert Trail-TWENTYNINE PALMS — Former Twentynine Palms mayor Jim Bagley wants to represent the 1st District on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. ...In a press release announcing his intentions, Bagley touted his decades of public service experience from an extensive background of elected positions throughout the desert area. More

If I was to guess the politics of the 1st District and the County, I'd confidently say that Mr. Bagley should not be quick to measure the drapes in his San Bernardino Office.

Supervisor tells Cops, "Shoot first ask questions later."

thefeedblog-- San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales closed a spontaneous address to hundreds of county staffers Wednesday with an unexpected and somewhat shocking message to county public safety employees.

"Shoot first and ask questions later," she said. "I'll take care of the lawsuits."

The comment came at the end of a county training seminar, in which County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer stressed the value of good customer service by county employees.

The seminar is part of the county's Service First program, and all county staffers must attend.

After Uffer finished his presentation, Gonzales spoke for a few minutes and thanked attendees for coming.

She made the "shoot first" statement while urging sheriff's deputies to be safe in the holiday season.

- Go to the article

Tuesday Night: New Council Installed

Janet Breuer, 66, Passes Away

Our dear friend Janet Breuer born May 7, 1940, mother of John, Joey, Jimmy (d.1988) and Josh passed away Saturday night. Survived by brothers Steve, Mickey, Pat, and Danny McGrorty, and sister Cindy Cunningham. A tower of strength and a heart as big as all outdoors Janet was a pilar of this community. A resident since 1952 she attended 29 Palms High School. She was owner of Thomas Towing, and at one time owned Fountain of Flowers and Country Corners. She was preceded by her husband John in 1967 and her son Jimmy in 1988.

UPDATE: The services will be held at the Blessed Sacrament Church on Saturday December 16, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers send donations to Morongo Basin Hospice.
Thank You All Again,
Josh

Bolo: Check Scam

There is a person placing ads in local newspapers asking for assistance cashing Travellers Checks or Cashiers Checks. This person says he has an agricultural business in Belfast Ireland and he has checks that need to be cashed in the United States. Anyone willing to assist with this task will be allowed to keep 10% of the amount of the checks. All they need to do is receive the checks, cash them at a bank and send the funds back via a money gram.

According to Deputy Jarrod Burns, the Victorville Police Station has received three reports this week of people that became caught up in this scam. In each instance the bank recognized that the checks were fraudulent and none of the checks were cashed. The first two reports indicate that the amount of the fraudulent checks totalled $2,000.000 each and the latest report indicated $6,500.00 for a total of $10,500.00.

If you have been a victim of this fraud please contact the Victorville Police Department (760)241-2911.

Daigneault Jumps Into The Pit

Its nice to see Gary Daigneault belatedly running with the "Borrow Pit Mine" story we did almost a year ago. We thought we could help him out by refering him to our original stories with all the documentation. We thought that might help him flesh out his current story line.

We hope this will save Gary some time in research since we've covered this story from the beginning, actually got the city to shut them down and have followed its progress to an eventual approved reclamation plan. But hey Gary its better late than never, glad to see you found the story worthy of your valuable time.

Final Reunion for Pearl Harbor Survivors Association

By Kirsten Scharnberg
Tribune national correspondent
Published December 7, 2006

HONOLULU -- Donald Robinett came directly to the sign-in area for Pearl Harbor survivors when he arrived here this week.

"I am trying to find my shipmates," the 89-year-old veteran announced excitedly. "I want to see which ones are here."

A volunteer at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, one of the groups organizing a massive reunion to mark the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on U.S. forces here, began flipping through a log book until she came to Robinett's ship, the USS Tracy, a small mine-laying vessel that had been in port that infamous day. "Sir," she said sadly, patting the old sailor on his shoulder, "you're the only one here."

In the decades since the bombing of Pearl Harbor, countless survivors have made the long journey back to Hawaii every five years to remember comrades who were lost and to catch up with those who lived but later went their separate ways. They drink Scotch and tell war stories; they brag and weep. They often just sit together and say nothing at all.

But this year's reunion holds an urgency that hasn't been part of gatherings past: Most Pearl Harbor survivors, nearing their 90s or even older, say it will be their final trip back to this place that changed the course of their lives and their nation forever. Event organizers--many of them children of survivors who are ailing or already have died--pragmatically are calling this the "final reunion." MORE

Gov. Schwarzenegger Joins Broad-Based, Bipartisan Coalition to Support Redistricting Reform

Continuing a three year effort to return power back to the people of California, Gov. Schwarzenegger joined the Voices of Reform coalition in supporting legislation where an independent citizens commission would utilize a fair and open process to redraw California’s political boundaries and reinvigorate the connection between elected officials and Californians.

“We must bring competition back into the political process to guarantee that our elected leaders represent the full diversity of California and the will of the people,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “This is exactly the kind of political reform I promised the people of California when I became Governor three years ago. I said that we will bring the trust back to government and make our democracy strong. Last year, we came very close to getting redistricting reform done so this year I know we can do it.”

SB Sun:New study shows 22 states' residents in better condition

Despite its image as the land of sunshine and tofu, California ranks 23rd in the nation for healthy living, down a notch from last year, according to a study released Tuesday.

The good news: The Golden State has among the lowest rates of smoking, infant mortality and cancer deaths.

The bad news: California has a relatively low rate of immunization coverage, high rates of infectious diseases and a high proportion of residents lacking health insurance.

And in a marked finding, nearly one in four Californians is obese, up from one in 10 in 1990. MORE

Congress Votes to Save Internment Camps

Notorious internment camps where Japanese-Americans were kept behind barbed wire during World War II will be preserved as stark reminders of how the United States turned on some of its citizens in a time of fear.

As one of its last acts, the Republican-led Congress on Tuesday sent President Bush legislation establishing a $38 million program of National Park Service grants to restore and pay for research at 10 camps where the government sent people of Japanese descent after the attack on Pearl Harbor. MORE

Election Is Now Certified

A quick look at the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters and it's now Official. The CERTIFIED FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS tell us that the winners of the 2006 Twentynine Palms City Council Race were Kevin Cole with 1267 votes, Steve Spear with 1066 votes and Steve Flock with 995 votes. In a rather un-Twentynine Palms anomaly only 49.33% of resgistered voters bothered to go to the polls.

Cops Sting Suspended Drivers

The Victorville Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement deputies conducted a sting operation on Tuesday, November 28th, 2006. The operation began at about 2:00 pm and concluded at about 5:00 pm. The traffic enforcement deputies sat inside the courtroom and observed courtroom testimony and the judge ordering defendant’s not to drive on their suspended license. Deputies followed the defendants out of the courtroom and if the defendant drove a vehicle after being ordered not to drive, officers were waiting nearby to stop and arrest the driver. A total of seven (7) persons were followed from the courtroom and observed to drive after being ordered not to drive by the judge. Three persons followed the judge’s order and had someone else drive them from the court. One person stopped was found driving without a license for the third time. This drivers’ only concern was if we were going to impound her vehicle; not for ignoring the judge’s order. The vehicle being driven was impounded for 30 days! Impounded vehicles cost about $2,000 to retrieve after the 30-day impound time period. More

Santa Cruz Fire department one of first to pass policy on Web degrees

SANTA CRUZ — A Santa Cruz County fire department was recently caught in one of the fastest-growing scams on the World Wide Web.

A degree from an online university — unaccredited, requiring no tests or classroom time, and selling diplomas for as little as $199 — proved enough to grant an employee a $7,000 raise and promote him to assistant fire chief under the Central Fire District's policy of paying more to employees with higher education.

District leaders, having discovered the loophole in June, revoked the extra pay that came with the degree, and to make sure they weren't caught off guard again, put on the books specific guidelines to steer them through the quagmires of the Internet age.

"We found a problem and we fixed it," district Fire Chief Bruce Clark said. MORE

Sherrie Gibson on the election and her moving on...

A candid conversation with Sherrie Gobson about politics, family and her planned departure from Triad Realty.

Recent candidate for council, business woman, and educator Sherrie Gibson sat down with us for her thoughts on the recent election and her future;

Cactus Thorns: What did you think about the final battle between Jim Harris and Steve Flock?
Sherrie: I like them both, so for me it was a coin toss. I think Steve Flock will be a solid addition to the council.
CT: Any hard feelings about not winning the election?
SG: No. It was an honor that so many people felt confident that I could do the job and it was a great experience for me. I have nothing but friends here.
CT: Even Owen Gillick?
SG: Owen is a consummate gentleman and he and Audrey have wished me well. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them both.
CT: We understnad you are leaving Triad Realty? Why?
SG: It was time. I have been saying that I was going to explore other avenues for quite some time. When I started teaching over at Copper Mountain I found a new field that I’ve enjoyed.
CT: How does Mike[Duncan] feel about that?
SG: Crushed, heartbroken, and near suicide I’m sure! I’m kidding. He has always respected my decisions and he wishes me well.
CT: Will you run again?
SG: Absolutely, I’ll be on the Republican ticket opposing Hilary in ’08!
CT: No answer huh, just like a politician. So, what’s next for you?
SG: I will take a year off and travel. I’ll be a mom and start exploring other aspects of my career. And, I will work on fundraising for our family’s foundation. I would like to award more housing grants and scholarships next year.
CT: Good luck to you in all of your future endeavors.
SG: Thank you.

Final thought on the election

It's nice to know that once every so often good guys finish first, well in this case third, but still in the running. Who would have thought that it would have taken almost a month to count the votes that would decide who would fill the council seat held by Dawn Benton Jr.?

I gave a call to the apparent winner Steve Flock this morning to congratulate him on his win. He was still in the glow of, "What do I do now?" I got this feeling Steve Flock is going to do just fine.

For the many of us that have been here for more than 10 years and were called upon for jury duty, we remember Steve Flock. He was the Bailiff for Judge McGuire. Now we will get to know him as our Councilman Steve Flock. Let's all wish him all the luck in the world and pledge our support for him and the others on the Council.

I believe we can finally put the past to rest and as Sherrie Gibson always says, "Let's Move Twentynine Palms forward!!!"

SB Sun: New town planned for desert

Community could feature 25,000 homes

A Corona developer plans to build a brand-new town on 11 square miles of desert between Barstow and Victorville.

"We're looking at 3.5 residential units per acre on the average," said Peter Johnson, president of SunCal Cos. San Bernardino County Division, the developer. "We must have smaller lots to create the (housing) density needed for a viable community. Our goal is to provide affordability."

Thousands of future homeowners are turning to the High Desert for homes in their financial range. A potential mixture of single-family houses, condos and apartments in the proposed development could add up to 25,000 homes.

Still in the preliminary planning stages, the 7,350-acre development - bounded by Interstate 15 and National Trails Highway, between Lenwood and Hodge roads - envisions a large lake to hold recycled water for landscaping, commercial and entertainment sectors, two golf courses and parks. MORE

It's Final! It's Official! It's FLOCK ! !

What an Election, a long haul for both Steve Flock and Jim Harris both qualified and both hell of a nice guys. This has been a real nail biter. In the final weeks, days and hours Steve Flock squeaked out the victory. We would like to thank all eight of the candidates for what has to have been the most exciting election in the history of our fair city.

Last Update: 12/1/2006 10:59 PM (bull)
Next Update: FINAL POSTING

Indio: Official denied turn as mayor

INDIO - Four Indio City Council members Wednesday voted to block colleague Mike Wilson from becoming mayor next year.

Under council rules adopted in 1993, the mayor's office typically rotates each year among the five council members.

Wilson, who has clashed with other council members for months, was scheduled to become mayor pro tem next month. The mayor pro tem is next in line for the mayor's chair, meaning Wilson would become mayor in December 2007.

Mayor Gene Gilbert said a federal lawsuit Wilson filed in August against the rest of the council and against City Manager Glenn Southard and City Attorney Edward Kotkin showed he is unable to work constructively with others. MORE

Why does it takes so long to count the votes?

California State law requires an official canvass, which is an internal audit of the election to ensure accuracy of the results. This entails numerous manual processes that verify the accuracy of the computer count, including a hand tally of ballots cast in 1% of the precincts. During the canvass, absentee and provisional ballots not counted on election night are researched to verify their eligibility. The eligible ballots are added to the election night tally. When complete, election results are certified to the various jurisdictions, which then declare the winners. California election law allows 28-days following an election for the election official to conduct the official canvass and certify the election results. All aspects of the canvass are open for public inspection. Following are the major components of the official canvass:

San Bernardino County 1st District Choice: Ending a Dynasty before it begins