Category: Deserts

Palm Canyon is closed between Ramon and Baristo roads indefinitely. Southbound traffic is being diverted onto Indian Canyon Drive to the west and Belardo Road to the east.        

The federal government is opening two coronavirus vaccination sites in East Oakland and East Los Angeles, two of the hardest-hit communities.        

Some iPhone users will soon be able to unlock their smartphones without needing to remove their face masks in public. There’s just one catch: it requires an additional Apple device. Apple is testing new iOS software that will allow people to unlock their iPhone’s face recognition security tool, Face ID, if they also happen to be wearing an Apple Watch. Currently, Face ID recognizes when someone is wearing a mask and triggers the passcode entry screen to appear — an update Apple started testing in May. But the latest update, which is part of a developer beta test likely to roll out broadly soon, will allow an iPhone to communicate with a synced Apple Watch when the phone is raised to use Face ID. When authentication is completed — the devices must be in close proximity — the iPhone will automatically unlock and the Apple Watch will vibrate. Apple said users will need to opt into this feature. For security purposes, the update will only work to unlock the phone; users will still need to type in a passcode to make transactions through Apple Pay, the App Store or iTunes…

U.S. Forest Service fire crews will resume a series of controlled burns in the San Bernardino National Forest around Idyllwild this week, following winter rains that reduced wildfire danger. Operations began in early January but were halted when a Santa Ana windstorm arrived, then before they could begin again, winter weather covered the area, prolonging the hiatus. Nearly 1,300 acres are targeted for reduction on the Riverside County side of the 676,000-acre San Bernardino National Forest. Most of the burns are focused just north of Idyllwild, along Highway 243, as well as Garner Valley south of Lake Hemet, and throughout the Cranston burn scar, southwest of Mountain Center. A set schedule for the burns was not announced, but the USFS said operations will be closely monitored and immediately suspended when there are signs of increasing winds or extremely low humidity. The USFS noted previously that “an overabundance of flammable brush” had built up in the last year, potentially enabling “wildfires to quickly spread toward communities and infrastructure.” Officials said that different burn methods will be utilized. One will be broadcast burning, which entails removing vegetation…

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced the nominees of the 75th Golden Globe Awards.  Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P. Henson did the honors this morning.  We’ll find out the winners on Sunday, February 28th at 5 pm PT on NBC.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host from different coasts.  Fey will broadcast from the Rainbow Room, atop the Rockefeller Center in New York City, while Poehler will host from the Globes’ usual spot inside the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Here are the complete nominees of the 75th Golden Globe Awards: MOTION PICTURES Best Motion Picture, Drama The Father Mank Nomadland Promising Young Woman The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Picture, Musical or Comedy Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Hamilton Music Palm Springs The Prom Best Director, Motion Picture Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” David Fincher, “Mank” Regina King, “One Night in Miami” Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland” Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman” Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s…

TOKYO — Japan enacted legislation allowing officials to enforce coronavirus measures by punishing violators of mandatory orders with fines. This comes as the country struggles to slow the latest wave of infections amid growing uncertainty about the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine considered key to holding the Olympics this summer. The legislation was passed by the parliament and enacted into law the day after Prime Minister Yoshihide extended an ongoing non-binding state of emergency in Tokyo and nine other urban areas by one month until March 7. Under the revised laws that take effect next week, restaurants, bars and other business owners that defy mandatory orders for shorter service hours or closures can be fined up to 300,000 yen ($2,860). Fines of up to 500,000 yen ($4,760) can be imposed on patients who refuse to be hospitalized, and up to 300,000 ($2,860) to those who refuse to cooperate with health authorities in contact tracing and other surveys. Daily new cases have declined since January, but serious cases are still putting pressure on hospitals, experts say. The health ministry reports Japan had 393,836 confirmed cases and 5,912…

(CNN) — Las nominaciones a los Golden Globes 2021, que celebran lo mejor de la televisión y el cine, se anunciaron el miércoles. Los nominados de este año son una mezcla de lo antiguo y lo nuevo, destacando lo que hemos estado viendo desde casa mientras estábamos en cuarentena. Tina Fey y Amy Poehler regresarán como anfitrionas del evento por cuarta vez. Los Globo de Oro se llevarán a cabo, virtualmente o de alguna manera, el domingo 28 de febrero en NBC. Netflix lideró en nominaciones tanto para televisión como para cine, incluido el drama «Mank», que obtuvo seis nominaciones. «The Trial of the Chicago 7» fue el segundo con más nominaciones: consiguió 5. El pionero de la televisión Norman Lear recibirá el premio Carol Burnett por su trayectoria de logros y la actriz y activista Jane Fonda recibirá el premio Cecil B. deMille por sus destacadas contribuciones a la industria. Mira la lista completa de nominados a los Golden Globes 2021 a continuación: TELEVISIÓN Mejor actor en una serie de televisión: musical o comedia Don Cheadle – «Black Monday» Nicholas Hoult – «The Great»…

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary, the first Latino and immigrant to serve at the helm of the department. His confirmation will fill a critical role in the new administration and he’ll be expected to swiftly begin rolling back Trump administration immigration policies while juggling the response to a global pandemic and national security threats, along with restoring a department that’s been rattled by leadership turnover and vacancies in recent years. The Senate also voted Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary. Buttigieg’s confirmation elevates the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to a top post in the federal government. The choice vaults a candidate President Joe Biden spoke glowingly of after the primary into a top job in his administration and could earn Buttigieg what many Democrats believe is needed experience should he run for president again. The role of transportation secretary is expected to play a central role in Biden’s push for a bipartisan infrastructure package. Before Tuesday, just four of Biden’s 23 Cabinet-level nominees requiring Senate approval had so…

A Murrieta man accused of killing a 25-year-old motorist in an alcohol-fueled wreck in Palm Springs must stand trial on second- degree murder and other felony charges, a judge ruled Tuesday. Michael David Torrez, 36, declined to challenge the government’s evidence at a preliminary hearing Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The move prompted Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke Strunsky to rule there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the murder count, as well as two felony counts of driving under the influence resulting in injuries. Torrez then re-entered not guilty pleas, as is required following a preliminary hearing. Torrez, who remains in custody in lieu of $1 million at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, is scheduled to return to court on March 8 for a trial-readiness conference. The defendant was allegedly driving at nearly double the legal blood- alcohol limit of .08 when his pickup truck crashed into two cars on March 16, 2018, killing Mario Garcia of Palm Springs. Torrez was later charged with murder rather than vehicular manslaughter because he was previously convicted of driving while…

Internet access remained blocked Monday in several districts of a state bordering India’s capital following violent weekend clashes between police and farmers protesting controversial agricultural reforms. Online access would be suspended in at least 14 of 22 districts in Haryana state near New Delhi, until 5 p.m. Monday, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations of Haryana on Sunday. That order was first imposed Tuesday in three Haryana districts for 24 hours, but has been extended every day since. A 48-hour internet shutdown was also imposed in three other areas around Delhi’s borders late on Friday, with India’s Ministry of Home Affairs saying the move was “in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency.” According to officials, those blackouts should have lifted on Sunday night, but Paramjeet Singh Katyal, a spokesperson for Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body representing protesting farmers, said the internet was still not working as of Monday. The internet restrictions came after violent scenes last week as demonstrations continue against three agricultural laws passed in September. Since late November, hundreds of thousands of protesters have gathered…

President Joe Biden vowed that no one in his extended family will have sway over government decisions in an interview with People magazine published Wednesday. “We’re going to run this like the Obama-Biden Administration,” he said of ethics requirements pertaining to government appointees’ family and friends to avoid the semblance of wrongdoing. “No one in our family and extended family is going to be involved in any government undertaking or foreign policy,” he added. “And nobody has an office in this place. They always have access to Pop and Nana but nobody (will have an office).” Biden shared an anecdote of previously rejecting personal benefits that could have been paid by the government, professing his commitment to steering clear of impropriety. “I remember years ago an accountant said, ‘You know, you can charge (the Senate) part of the gas you use in the vehicle at your home.’ And I said, ‘No,’ ” Biden said. “Here’s how I look at it: The foul line is 15 feet away from the basket. Never get me closer than 17 feet, because it really is a matter of the…

The Department of Animal Services is offering dog owners an amnesty program through Feb. 15 to incentive them to get their canines licensed, which is a state requirement. Late fees and unpaid past licensing fees will be waived during this period.        

The former San Diego mayor said California had been transformed under Newsom from a lodestar for opportunity to “the land of broken promises.”        

A 23-year-old man accused of robbing a man of his wallet at gunpoint and assaulting him in Cathedral City was arrested Tuesday, but police were still searching for his alleged accomplice. Danny Hood was arrested at his home in the 68000 block of Encinitas Road in Cathedral City on suspicion of robbery, criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon and booked at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains held in lieu of $30,000 bail. The robbery was reported in the area of Vista Chino and Avenida La Paz at about 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 16, according to the Cathedral City Police Department. The victim “reported being assaulted and robbed by two Hispanic adult males,” according to a police statement. One of the perpetrators was allegedly armed with a gun during the robbery, police said. After stealing the man’s wallet, the two suspects drove away in a gray or white car. Police did not specify how they connected Hood to the crime. They are still searching for Hood’s accomplice. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt at the time of the…

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Joe Biden told Senate Democrats at lunch Tuesday that he wants a “big, bold package” on Covid-19 relief and that he told Senate Republicans that their $600 billion proposal is “way too small.” It was a point White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated during her briefing — there are certain “bottom lines” that Biden wants to be in the next round of Covid-19 relief, including direct payments reaching more Americans than what the Republican proposal would include. “His view is that at this point in our country, when 1-in-7 American families don’t have enough food to eat, we need to make sure people get the relief they need and are not left behind,” Psaki said. She again said the administration views the risk “is not going too big, it is going too small.” The discussions come as Biden lobbies to pass a $1.9 trillion relief package — one currently too large to garner Republican support — and Democrats are laying track to use a complicated Senate procedure that will allow them to pass it along party lines. Schumer said that despite Biden’s conversations…

The decision announced by the Kroger Co. follows a unanimous vote last month by the Long Beach City Council mandating a 120-day increase of $4 an hour for employees of supermarkets with at least 300 employees nationwide and more than 15 in Long Beach.