5 Things to Know: Wednesday, September 30

By
Casey Dolan
-

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 Coronavirus

Riverside County reported 232 new cases and 10 new reported deaths in the last 24 hours.  There are 130 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, with 36 in the ICU.

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

More:

  • Cathedral City has extended their mask and social distancing mandate through at least the end of the year.
  • There’s a small chance…a very small chance…that you might get another stimulus check before the end of the year.
  • “if it can happen to a super healthy 19-year-old boy who doesn’t smoke, vape or do drugs, it can happen to anyone.” – a family is mourning the loss of a 19-year-old to coronavirus complications in North Carolina.
  • Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans has been postponed to either Monday or Tuesday after several Tennessee players and coaches tested positive earlier this week.

2) An F-35 Fighter and an Air Tanker Made Contact Over Thermal

A Marine Corps jet crashed and an air tanker made an emergency landing on Tuesday afternoon after making contact with each other in the skies above Thermal.  The incident happened near the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport about 4 pm, according to the Press Enterprise.

According to the Desert Sun, there were several non-life threatening injuries, including a pilot who was hospitalized after ejecting from a Marine F-35B jet that reportedly crashed near Salton City.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

3) The Fires

Dozens of fires continue to burn in California.   Currently, over 17,000 men and woman are taking on 26 major wildfires in the state of California.  Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 8,100 wildfires that have burned well over 3.9 million acres in California.

Some important links:

  • The LA Times is tracking each of the major fires on this online map. The San Francisco Chronicle also has a similar map to track the blazes.
  • When asked about the wildfires and global warming during Tuesday’s Presidential debate, Donald Trump went on a wild rant about “forrest cities” and exploding trees in an attempt to blame California’s management on the fires.  As many quickly pointed out, most of California’s forests are the responsibility of his administration:

4) 3 Indio Mobile Homes Destroyed by Fire

A blaze engulfed three mobile homes in Indio on Wednesday afternoon.  Firefighters were called to Avenue 46 a little after 3 pm to battle the fire:

One vehicle was destroyed in the fire and, as the Desert Sun reports, there does not appear to be any injuries.

5) The Heat

Despite it being the last day of September and technically autumn, it was a scorcher in Palm Springs and around Southern California on Wednesday.

It’s just the continuation of the longest, hottest summer ever – and for those hoping for relief sometime soon, well…

Seriously, of all the years for the heat to never end, of course it’s the one where we have also have had to quarantine for six months.  It’s shitty, it’s depressing, and we are all over it. So knock it the hell off, Mother Nature.  We deserve a nice day or two to enjoy outside already!!!!

Stay safe.  Stay smart.  Stay cool. Wear a mask.

Seriously though, wear a mask.  ??

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