Longtime Borrego Springs resident remembered for her photography, artistic leadership, and community service.

F-35B Fighter Jet Crash in Ocotillo Wells SVRA On July 29, 2021 , a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet crashed in Ocotillo Wells SVRA near Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California . The crash caused a small brush fire and led to the temporary evacuation of campers in the area as a precautionary measure. Fortunately, the pilot was able to eject safely and was rescued by a search and rescue team, later being released from the hospital after evaluation. The aircraft was part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and was on a routine training mission when the crash occurred. The incident involved the F-35B making contact with a KC-130J tanker during an air-to-air refueling exercise, which led to the crash. The U.S. Marine Corps launched a safety investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash. Though the brush fire caused by the crash was quickly contained, the crash site was closed for some time before reopening to the public.

Award-Winning Cellist Ruslan Biryukov Performs Two Concerts in Julian

By Dennis Mammana Week of Aug 2-8, 2026  One of the most profound experiences a stargazer can have is to stand under the Milky Way on a clear August night far from city lights and see the wispy bunches of stars so tightly packed that they appear to the eye as a hazy band of light punctuated not only by bright individual stars but by tiny regions that appear as hazy clumps. Aim binoculars or a small telescope toward these "faint fuzzies," as astronomers affectionately call them, and you'll walk the same celestial path as Charles Messier did two and a half centuries ago. Messier was an 18th-century French astronomer who scanned the heavens in search of new comets, hoping that such discoveries would lead him to fame and fortune. He knew that comets often first appear as faint and colorless smudges of light that drift slowly among the stars, so that's what he was seeking. Along the way, however, he encountered dozens of such smudges that did not move. What these were he didn't know and, quite frankly, he didn't care. They weren't comets, so to avoid wasting more of his time on them — and to prevent other comet hunters from being similarly fooled — he began to compile a list of all these false comets he encountered on his nightly watch. Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com .

 Learn More About Borrego Springs

Californians have only four days left to enter the “Share Your Space” Photo Contest, which closes Aug. 1. California State Parks is inviting residents to submit photos taken at any of California’s 280 state parks. Participants may enter one photo in each of five categories: A Space for All A Wild Ride Heroes and Helpers Landscape and Legacy Living Wonders Winners will be selected based on creativity, quality and overall impact, with prize packages featuring outdoor gear and California State Parks merchandise. Participants must be California residents and submit their photos through OuterSpatial by Aug. 1, 2026 . Submit Photos Here

Extreme Heat Expected as Highs Near 121°F This Weekend Triple-digit temperatures are expected to continue through the week, with highs climbing from 111°F Tuesday and Wednesday to 114°F Thursday , 119°F Friday , and 121°F Saturday , according to the National Weather Service . Need a Place to Cool Off? The Borrego Springs Library is serving as a Cool Zone , offering an air-conditioned place to escape the heat. The library has also scheduled free Saturday matinee movies during August from 2–4 p.m. , providing another opportunity to stay cool while enjoying a film. Help Is Available for AC Problems The Borrego Ministers Association is continuing to work closely with licensed HVAC professionals to help residents experiencing emergency air conditioning failures. The program provides temporary portable AC units while evaluating longer-term solutions for qualifying households. With temperatures expected to remain above 110 degrees for several days, residents are encouraged to: Stay hydrated. Limit outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day. Check on neighbors and older adults. Never leave children or pets in parked vehicles.

www.youtube.com/@Desertusa

Photo by Kamala Venkatesh

Website: paulettedonnellon.com

How One Borrego Springs Household Manages Summer Electric Costs  Borrego Springs resident and writer Shannon Cheesman , creator of Under the Borrego Sky , recently shared how her household manages electricity costs during the desert summer. Her tips include using paid-off solar panels, avoiding laundry during peak hours, raising the thermostat while away, alternating between central air and a swamp cooler, and making monthly payments toward the annual SDG&E bill. Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@under-the-borrego-sky Read more from Under the Borrego Sky, at: www.undertheborregosky.com

Santa Ysabel Art Gallery Showcases Young Creative Talent

Help Keep Borrego Springs Safe This Summer When the desert heat becomes dangerous, your support can save lives. For the past two summers, the Borrego Ministers Association (BMA) has provided emergency portable air conditioners at no cost to Borrego Springs residents whose home cooling systems unexpectedly fail. Units are delivered, installed, and evaluated by licensed HVAC professionals to provide immediate relief. Right now, 6 portable air conditioners are already deployed in homes across Borrego Springs, helping keep local residents safe during extreme heat. With demand increasing rapidly, we urgently need to expand our inventory. Your gift provides immediate protection: $1,000 provides 2 high-powered portable air conditioners $2,000 provides 4 high-powered portable air conditioners Every donation helps protect vulnerable neighbors from heat-related illness and potentially life-threatening conditions. About the Borrego Ministers Association The Borrego Ministers Association is a coalition of local faith communities working together to serve Borrego Springs through emergency assistance, community outreach, and programs that support residents in times of need. To learn more contact: Andrea McKenna 619-892-0393 Donations may also be made online through the Borrego Ministers Association.

The Man Who Helped Shape Borrego Springs

Full-Time, Part-Time and Seasonal Positions Available

Free Summer Movies Continue in Borrego Springs This August

Originally published on www.kpbs.org Several groups are formally pushing back on San Diego Gas & Electric’s request to raise customer rates by 8.6% in 2028, citing affordability concerns. Under the proposal , an average electric bill would jump about $14 over 2027 estimates, while a natural gas bill would rise about $8. Edward Lopez, executive director of the San Diego-based Utility Consumers’ Action Network, thinks that’s too high. He cited a California Public Utilities Commission report that found SDG&E’s average residential electric rates have already risen 98% over the last decade. “Coming on the heels of the ever-increasing requests, at some point, isn’t enough enough?” Lopez said. “We all feel the pain of these rates. They’re getting out of hand.” About 20% of SDG&E residential customers are at least a month behind on their power bills, according to same report. The Utility Consumers’ Action Network and several other ratepayer advocacy groups filed formal protests against SDG&E’s rate request with the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday. It’s part of a complicated four-year regulatory process, called a general rate case , to determine how much money the utility can collect from customers starting in 2028. Now, organizations “intervening” in the regulatory proceedings on behalf of SDG&E customers are hiring experts to dig into the utility’s thousands of pages of application materials in order to answer some top-line questions. “What is the utility doing? What are they proposing to do more of? Is it reasonable? What are the costs associated with that? Are those costs reasonable?” Lopez said. SDG&E wants to collect about $3.8 billion from customers in 2028, a roughly 8% bump over next year’s estimated revenue requirement. The utility says inflation, rising medical benefit costs and wildfire-related expenses are driving the increase. For SDG&E and other privately-owned utilities in California, shareholder revenue is partially based on the return from infrastructure projects. Malinda Dickenson, executive director of the San Diego-based Protect our Communities Foundation, contends SDG&E could lower its requested rates by prioritizing local power generation. The foundation’s protest filing calls for greater consideration of small-scale solar generation and storage in order to reduce costs tied to hardening grid infrastructure against wildfire risk. “You're not going to need these transmission upgrades and new transmission lines to bring power from faraway places to urban centers where the power’s used,” Dickenson said. “So what Protect our Communities will be doing in this proceeding is presenting alternatives to SDG&E’s heavy capital expenditures.” SDG&E has until July 30 to respond to intervening groups’ protests. In a statement, the utility acknowledged affordability is top of mind for customers. “Our proposal reflects a focused, disciplined plan to keep energy safe and reliable while managing costs responsibly on behalf of the customers and communities we serve,” spokesperson Anthony Wagner said. “We support the transparent regulatory process that allows customers, community members and other stakeholders to provide input as the [California Public Utilities Commission] reviews our request.” The commission’s five voting members will ultimately decide whether to grant or adjust SDGE’s rate request.

By Dennis Mammana Week of July 26 - Aug. 1, 2026 In a couple of weeks, I'll be telling you about the annual Perseid meteor shower. It should be a good one this year since moonlight won't reduce our view. Of course, if you've read my column regularly, you already know that stargazers will almost always see more meteors in the hours before dawn than during the evening, so that means we must rise early or stay awake all night. I know either can be quite a challenge for some, so this week I present to you an opportunity to practice getting up early and heading outdoors. Not for meteors — though you will almost certainly spot some early Perseids in the early morning sky — but to see two planets that haven't been visible during the evening hours for quite a while. During early dawn this week, early risers have the chance to see the only two planets of our solar system whose names begin with the letter M: Mars and Mercury. Before sunrise, look midway up in the eastern sky, and you'll spot a fairly bright reddish-orange light. Many people may think that's the Red Planet, but I assure you it's not. It's actually a star named Aldebaran, and it marks the fiery red eye of Taurus, the bull. Betelgeuse, in Orion, the hunter, also appears the same color. It's true that Mars also appears reddish-orange, but at this time, it appears 1.5 times fainter than Aldebaran and can be found to its lower left. Because it's so faint, you may have a tough time seeing its color easily, but aim binoculars or a small telescope in its direction and its ruddy hue will become quite apparent. Mars changes its distance from Earth, and therefore its brightness, quite dramatically over its orbit around the sun. It can go from about 35 million miles from us at its best oppositions; the next of these won't occur until September of 2035, when it will lie just 35.8 million miles from us. That will be a great time to view the planet with a small telescope, but right now, Mars lies nearly 186 million miles from us and appears quite small and faint. The other planet visible in the early morning hours this week is the elusive planet Mercury. I use the word elusive because this planet is the closest to the sun of all our solar system's worlds and, as such, never strays far from its glare. With its orbital motion combined with that of the Earth, Mercury flips from dusk to dawn about every three or four months, but it's always rather tough to spot. It's been said that the great 16th-century Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who overturned the long-held notion that the Earth occupied the center of our planetary family, had never actually seen this world with his own eyes. Now I don't know if this is true, but it makes sense given what we know about weather conditions in Eastern Europe and how challenging Mercury is to spot. This week you can achieve something even the great Copernicus never could ... but you've got to get up pretty early to do it! Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com . 

Jeff Sloan, Christmas Circle Community Park Board President