Heatwave Pool Party Returns for an Evening of Music, Swimming, and Summer Fun Looking for a unique way to celebrate Independence Day in Borrego Springs? The Palms at Indian Head is hosting its annual Heatwave Pool Party on Saturday, July 4, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. , inviting guests to enjoy an evening of swimming, music, and poolside fun at one of the community's most iconic destinations. Known for its mid-century modern architecture and rich Hollywood history, The Palms at Indian Head has welcomed visitors to Borrego Springs for decades. Today, the boutique hotel continues to blend its historic charm with new experiences, including the recently opened Dive Bar, the award-winning Coyote Steakhouse, and special community events throughout the year. This year's adults-only celebration encourages guests to bring a swimsuit and towel and enjoy the Olympic-size pool under the desert evening sky. A no-host bar will be available, while Coyote Steakhouse will be serving food and beverages throughout the event. Outside food, drinks, and coolers are not permitted. The Heatwave Pool Party takes place at The Palms at Indian Head, 2220 Hoberg Road, Borrego Springs. For more information or to RSVP, call 760-767-7788.

By Dennis Mammana Week of June 28 - July 4, 2026 It was bound to happen: The heat of summer has arrived at my desert home. As I write these words, it's 115 F outside, and it's just the beginning of the blistering heat we'll experience for months. This is no surprise, of course. We're all quite familiar with this seasonal pattern; in fact, most of us learned in grade school about the seasons and what causes them, but you'd be surprised how little some people remember of those basic lessons. I was stunned when I first heard of a 1987 video in which filmmakers Matthew H. Schneps and Philip Sadler of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics interviewed recent Harvard University graduates, faculty members and alumni — some with science backgrounds — and asked them a simple question: What causes our seasons? Twenty-one of the 23 people interviewed did not know the answer. This is Harvard, people. Harvard! If you can't believe it, watch it online here. Oh, sure, they offered elaborate explanations and tried to be convincing, but it's obvious they had no clue. The most common reason they cited for the summertime heat was that the Earth lies closest to the sun at that time of year, and the cold of winter is caused by our greater distance from the sun. Sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it? But it's wrong. So very wrong. Now it is true that our planet orbits the sun not in a circular path but in an elliptical path, and that our distance from the sun varies throughout the year, but only by about 3%. What seems counterintuitive, however, is that we're closest to the sun not during our Northern Hemisphere summer but during our winter! In 2026, the Earth will reach its farthest point from the sun ("aphelion") on July 6, when we will lie 94,502,961 miles from our star. This occurs during the Northern Hemisphere summer. The Earth's nearest point ("perihelion") won't arrive until Jan. 2, 2027 (during our winter), when we'll be 91,406,556 miles from the sun. Of course, if you happen to live in the Southern Hemisphere, where seasons are reversed from those north of the equator, our planet's perihelion does occur during their summertime. But that's a story for another time. So, if our distance from the sun doesn't cause seasonal temperature changes throughout the year, what does? Well, as we all learned in third grade, it's the tilt of the Earth's axis. Our planet is tipped about 23.4 degrees to the plane of its orbit around the sun. From mid-March to mid-September, the Earth's Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, allowing solar rays to beat directly down upon us. During these longer days, heat accumulates in our atmosphere while having little time to escape into space during the much shorter nights. In other words, it's not our changing distance from the sun that causes the buildup of summer heat; it's the tilt of our planet that produces long days and short nights — just as it always has. Unfortunately, few still seem to understand this simple phenomenon, and I suspect if we did this same interview today, we'd see even less informed answers than four decades ago! 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

By Miriam Raftery - www.eastcountymagazine.org June 26, 2026 (San Diego’s East County)— The Society of Professional Journalists’ San Diego Chapter last night presented four Excellence in Journalism awards to ECM editor Miriam Raftery and associate editor Karen Pearlman. The awards honored ECM’s coverage of issues involving the El Capitan Dam in Lakeside, aerial firefighting readiness, the impacts of mass deportations, and our guide to travel in San Diego County’s desert regions. Raftery received a first place award for an audio feature titled “ Who will be there when they come for you ?” Hear the interview with immigration attorney Nora Milner, which aired on East County Magazine’s radio show on KNSJ. You can also read a summary of that interview by Alex Schorr. In the interview, Milner voiced alarm over blatant denials of due process for immigrants under the Trump administration, warned that even citizens are not safe, and offered tips for those concerned about being visited by ICE or detained for potential deportation. Pearlman took second place for investigative/enterprise story in the daily reporting category for “ Proposed Lakeside sand mine owner sues city of San Diego for damages from water release at El Capitan Dam .” Her investigative reporting detailed the dangerous conditions of the old earthen dam and the potentially catastrophic loss of life if it were to rupture. He report spotlighted how the city’s failure to repair or rebuild the dam necessitated releasing water which raised the water table, resulting in a downstream property owner suing the city for destroying the site’s sand-mining potential. Third place for investigative/enterprise reporting went to Raftery for her article, “ Does the San Diego region have adequate aerial firefighting capability for the coming season? ” Raftery initiated the investigative report after learning that Cal Fire’s Ramona air base would be closed for nearly a year and that an SDG&E air crane on which fire authorities had relied for aerial firefighting support was no longer available to the manufacturer declining to renew the lease. Pearlman and Raftery shared a third place award for travel writing for their comprehensive piece titled “ Our Guide to San Diego’s desert destinations .” The article was written as part of a series of regional guides for East County Magazine’s newly launched “ Visit East County ” section highlighting travel and tourism destinations in San Diego’s inland region.

Written bids are due July 20 for ongoing landscape maintenance services beginning Aug. 1, 2026.

Borrego Sun youth intern Mia Garcia shares a poem about courage and her first live performance.

FY 26/27 application and instructions will be available on July 1, 2026.

The Emmy Award-winning host called the sculptures "the most remarkable metal sculptures to be found anywhere in the world."

Circle of Art Continues a Tradition of Art and Giving in Borrego Springs

Soroptimist International of Borrego Springs representatives Sally Theriault, Scholarship Committee Chair, and Jenny Huntley, Treasurer, present scholarships to Borrego Springs High School graduating seniors during Awards Night.

Reserve a guided night sky tour with astronomer Dennis Mammana

Classic musical offers six performances at Julian High School's Little Theater

California Newspaper Publishers Association Merit Awards presented to the Borrego Sun for Best Front Page in 1966 and 1967.

Diane Johnson thanks guests and shares upcoming events during Borrego Art Institute’s Summer Solstice gathering.

Renowned plein air artist Geoff Allen found inspiration in one of Borrego Springs’ most iconic locations: The Palms at Indian Head pool.

Prepared with information from ABDNHA's Dark Sky resources, Michael Poirier, Astrophotographer, and the Sky Calendar from Michigan State University. Learn more about Borrego Springs dark skies at: https://abdnha.org/darksky/sky / Note: You can subscribe to the Sky Calendar from Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University, 755 Science Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824. Borrego Springs offers some of the darkest skies in Southern California, making summer an excellent time to observe the Milky Way, planets, meteor showers, and other celestial events. Here's what to look for in June and July 2026. Early June Sunrise: 5:38 a.m. Sunset: 7:50 p.m. PST Day Length: 14 hours 12 minutes June Highlights June 1 (Monday) Venus and Jupiter appear within 8° of each other in the west-northwestern sky after sunset. June 3–16 Milky Way viewing conditions are excellent, with dark, moonless skies after nightfall. The Milky Way rises at 10:57 p.m. on June 7 and as early as 10:30 p.m. on June 14. It remains visible for up to 4 hours and 29 minutes. June 6–13 Grand Canyon Star Party, Arizona. Learn more at www.grandcanyon.org . June 11 (Thursday) Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury span their shortest angle in the evening sky, just 13.2° apart. June 15 (Monday) New Moon — one of the darkest nights of the month for stargazing and astrophotography. June 15 (Monday) Mercury reaches greatest elongation, 24.5° from the Sun, making it the best evening appearance of the year shortly after sunset. June 21 (Sunday) June Solstice marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the longest day of the year with 14 hours and 20 minutes of daylight. June 22–July 2 June Bootids Meteor Shower. June 29 (Monday) Full Moon rises at 8:17 p.m. and sets at 5:04 a.m. June 30 (Tuesday) Asteroid Day. Early July Sunrise: 5:41 a.m. Sunset: 7:59 p.m. Day Length: 14 hours 18 minutes July Highlights July 5 (Sunday) The Milky Way rises at 9:38 p.m. and remains visible for 3 hours and 58 minutes. July 12 (Sunday) The Milky Way rises at 9:34 p.m. and remains visible for 3 hours and 35 minutes. July 14 (Tuesday) New Moon — ideal conditions for stargazing and astrophotography. July 15 (Wednesday) Mercury reaches greatest elongation, 24.5° from the Sun. July 28–29 (Tuesday–Wednesday) Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower peaks. July 29 (Wednesday) Full Moon rises at 8:17 p.m. and sets at 5:04 a.m. The Planets and the Milky Way in June Evening Planets Venus and Jupiter dominate the western sky after sunset throughout June. Around June 8–9, the two planets appear in conjunction, creating a striking close encounter in the west-northwestern sky. Venus, often called the "Evening Star," shines brilliantly as it moves from Taurus toward Gemini and climbs higher in the evening sky each night. Jupiter remains nearby and is also easily visible. Mercury becomes visible low in the western sky during the second half of June. June 15 offers the best viewing opportunity, as Mercury reaches its greatest elongation and highest apparent position above the horizon. Morning Planets Saturn and Mars are visible before sunrise. Mars remains low in the east-northeast, while Saturn rises higher from the east to east-southeast. Early June provides a chance to see the two planets relatively close together. Summer Milky Way Summer is the prime season for viewing the bright central core of the Milky Way. From June through August, the galaxy's core rises in the southeastern sky and becomes one of the most spectacular sights available to dark-sky observers. June Bootids Meteor Shower The June Bootids occur annually from June 22 through July 2 and peak around June 27. Most years produce only one or two meteors per hour. However, this shower has occasionally surprised observers with dramatic outbursts. In 1998, rates briefly reached approximately 100 meteors per hour. The shower originates from debris left by Comet Pons-Winnecke, which orbits the Sun every 6.3 years. June Bootids are known for their unusually slow speed, entering Earth's atmosphere at approximately 14 kilometers per second. Asteroid Day – June 30 Asteroid Day is a United Nations-sanctioned global awareness campaign held annually on June 30. The event educates the public about asteroid impacts, planetary defense, and ongoing research into near-Earth objects. The date commemorates the Tunguska Event of June 30, 1908, when a massive airburst explosion flattened approximately 830 square miles of Siberian forest. The blast is estimated to have released energy equivalent to between 3 and 50 megatons of TNT, making it the largest recorded impact event in modern history. For more information, visit www.un.org. Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower The Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks on the night of July 28 and the morning of July 29. This annual shower can produce up to 20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions and is associated with debris from Comets Marsden and Kracht. The shower runs from July 12 through August 23 each year. Unfortunately, the 2026 peak coincides with a Full Moon, which will wash out many fainter meteors. Patient observers may still catch some of the brighter meteors throughout the night. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius but can be seen anywhere in the sky. Learn More About Borrego Springs' Dark Skies Borrego Springs is California's first International Dark Sky Community and one of the best places in Southern California to experience the Milky Way, meteor showers, planets, and other celestial events. To learn where to observe, dark sky etiquette, upcoming programs, and more about stargazing in Borrego Springs, visit the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association's Dark Sky resources: https://abdnha.org/darksky/sky/