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Stay in the loop with what's happening in Joshua Tree

Never miss out on local news and events that matter to you.

🌱 Could your child’s school be on MUSD’s closure list?

Good morning Joshua Tree! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Could your child’s school be on MUSD’s closure list?
  • Why deputies returned to Verbena Road and left with a suspect.
  • How new staff housing could change life around Joshua Tree National Park

Also on today's calendar: David Eustace Open Studio and Artist Talk and 5 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the inventor of the knock-knock joke win? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Joshua Tree Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's best mobile network in the US, according to Ookla Speedtest. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Joshua Tree Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Joshua Tree.AdvertisementAdvertisement

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: Windy in the morning; sunny, with a high of 72 and low of 48 degrees.
  • Saturday: Partly sunny and warmer, temps: high: 82, low: 54.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny and warm, with a high of 80 and low of 57 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Closing schools: One, some, none? MUSD floats options for shuttering Palm Vista, adjusting boundaries (hidesertstar.com) — Morongo Unified is weighing five scenarios that could close up to three small elementary schools and turn Joshua Tree Elementary into a TK–8 magnet campus, reshaping boundaries districtwide. Parents and staff are pushing back, questioning whether closures are financially necessary. A public enrollment committee meeting is set for April 29 at the Joshua Tree Professional Development Center.
   

2. Joshua Tree man arrested for investigation in hit-and-run, assault (z1077fm.com) — Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 22-year-old Joshua Tree resident after an alleged early-morning assault at a Verbena Road home and a separate hit-and-run crash. The victim in Joshua Tree reported minor injuries, and the suspect now faces multiple assault, DUI, and hit-and-run related charges with bail set at $350,000.
   

3. Twentynine Palms City Council approves leasing land to house national park staff; rejects revisiting solar project (z1077fm.com) — Twentynine Palms officials just approved leasing 17 acres of city land to the Joshua Tree National Park Association to build housing and educational space for park staff, interns, and volunteers, aiming to ease housing shortages that affect Joshua Tree National Park operations. The council also backed tech upgrades for remote participation, extended transportation funding, and joined a regional affordable housing trust, while declining to revisit a previously rejected solar project.
   

4. What are California's most popular national parks? See latest visitor numbers (sacbee.com) — Joshua Tree National Park drew about 2.9 million visitors in 2025, making it California’s second most-visited national park behind Yosemite. The story breaks down how Joshua Tree briefly topped Yosemite in 2020 and where it ranks among other popular California parks. Visitor trends hint at continued heavy traffic in and around the Joshua Tree area.
   

📸 Around Joshua Tree

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Joshua Tree

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★ Featured events ★

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Other local events

📣 Joshua Tree Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Joshua Tree PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • ⚠️ Magnitude 2.72 earthquake reported
    Apr 15 at 10:49 PM PDT: 2.69 magnitude earthquake occurred near Rialto, CA. More than 184 neighbors felt it. (Nextdoor )
  • Minky photo drop!
    Dm me to build your own. Choose both sides of your blanket!! (Nextdoor Twentynine Palms - Valley View)
  • Rockwell Care posted a job opening for Housekeeping in Yucca Valley. Apply here.
  • Taco Bell posted a job opening for Taco Bell Shift Manager in Yucca Valley. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Joshua Tree here.

Ok Joshua Tree! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: The NO-BELL prize (Thank you Gina M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

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Stay in the loop with what's happening in Joshua Tree

Never miss out on local news and events that matter to you.

Stay in the loop with what's happening in Joshua Tree

Never miss out on local news and events that matter to you.