5 Things to Know: Thursday, October 29

By
Casey Dolan
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Welcome to 5 Things to Know – a daily rundown of things you might want to be aware of if you live in, visit, or just like being aware about what’s going on in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. As always, thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

1) The Election

Election Day is next Tuesday, but a whole lot of people weren’t content to wait around for it.  Riverside County confirmed that nearly 450,000 mail-in ballots have been returned as of Thursday – which is just over one-third of the total sent out countywide.  The county registrar told the Desert Sun that mail-in ballots will still be counted if they’re received within 17 days of Election Day, but they must be postmarked Nov. 3, but, just to be safe, if you can, you might want to go ahead and drop it off at an official drop off location at this point.

2) The Coronavirus

Riverside County reported 253 new cases and one additional death on Thursday. There have been 1,305 reported deaths from coronavirus this year in Riverside County.

Here is the latest on what’s going on in the desert:

More:

  • County health officials are discouraging traditional trick or treating this year in favor of celebrating the holiday at home and / or online.
  • Dr. Anthony Fauci warned in a TV interview that coronavirus cases are rising in 47 states and patients are overwhelming hospitals across the US. “If things do not change, if they continue on the course we’re on, there’s going to be a whole lot of pain in this country with regard to additional cases and hospitalizations, and deaths,” he said on CNBC Wednesday night.
  • Ralphs stores are now offering antibodies tests for $25.
  • The US saw its highest number of reported cases in a single day on Thursday:

3) Cathedral City is hiring 4 people to police short-term rentals

Short-term rentals, which everyone seems to think are great until they live near one, have seen complaint calls against them skyrocket across the Coachella Valley this year. Cathedral City is now hiring four full-time short-term vacation rental compliance officers to patrol the units.

4) The Rose Parade isn’t happening, but they are giving you something to watch New Year’s Day

The Rose Parade was cancelled months ago, but Thursday organizers announced a “live-to-tape” special that will include musical and marching band performances, celebrity guest appearances, Rose Bowl Game football highlights, equestrians, spectacular floats from years past, and more.

The TV special will air at 8 am on New Year’s Day.

View this post on Instagram

We're excited to announce our two-hour TV entertainment special to air on New Year’s Day. ? ? The show — "The Rose Parade's New Year Celebration presented by Honda" — will air during the time slot traditionally reserved for live coverage of the Rose Parade® presented by Honda and will feature a reimagined New Year celebration, including live-to-tape musical and marching band performances, heartwarming segments related to the Rose Parade, celebrity guest appearances, special Rose Bowl Game football highlights, equestrians, spectacular floats from years past, a behind-the-scenes look into the making of a float and a chance for you to be a part of the show! ? Stayed tuned for more exciting details and be sure to tune in to one of our six broadcast partners beginning at 8:00 a.m. PST on Friday, January 1, 2021! ? ???

A post shared by Rose Parade® (@rose_parade) on

5) Don’t be alarmed if you see helicopters shooting nets onto Bighorn Sheep in Palm Desert this weekend

It’s just a tagging operation, everyone…

Updates will now pause until next week.  Have a spooky, safe and Happy Halloween, everyone!

Stay safe.  Stay smart.  Practice Social Distancing.  Wear a mask.  

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