TWENTYNINE PALMS (CBSLA.com) — A Camp Pendleton-based United States Marine was killed and three others were injured on Monday when a tank caught fire during a training exercise east of Palm Springs. Corporal Nick Sell, 21, was killed when the tank he was in reportedly caught fire during an exercise at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. The three other Marines involved in the accident received emergency care. A nearby fire station was reportedly called to provide assistance around 11:42 a.m., arriving shortly after noon. Sell’s cousin, Petty Officer 3rd Class Matt Mc ..read more

TWENTYNINE PALMS (CBSLA.com) —  The owners of a modest home near Twentynine Palms lost their cherished possessions after a bank mistakenly foreclosed their residence. A crew broke into Alvin and Pat Tjosaas’ desert home and took everything after being directed by Wells Fargo to secure the structure. The couple, however, didn’t have a mortgage on the home. Alvin said the deputy sheriff said, “Good news, we know who took (your possessions)…Wells Fargo. Bad news, your stuff is all gone.” All the married couple has now are three generations of memories. Alvin, a retired mason, built the ..read more

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Marine Corps has admitted its failure to cut down sexual assaults within its ranks. Just last year, there were 88 reported sexual assaults at Camp Pendleton and 24 at Twentynine Palms’ Air Ground Combat Center, according to a Marine Corps report cited by the Los Angeles Times. In spite of an aggressive assault prevention program – which includes better training for all ranks, a better reporting system for victims and setting a “command climate” that discourages assaults – there were 333 sexual assaults in all in the Marine Corps, with a total of 346 victims. In mos ..read more

TWENTYNINE PALMS — Officials say a Marine has collapsed and died after a day of training in the California desert in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. The Marine Corps announced Sunday that the Marine, part of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., collapsed during personal time Saturday night at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. He was flown to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he was pronounced dead. The death is under investigation and the Marine’s name is being withheld while relatives are notified. The unit was ..read more

There’s no place in California quite like Joshua Tree National Park. Trees reminiscent of Dr. Suess’ truffula trees, rock formations perfect for climbing, and striking views are just some of the beautiful things you’ll see here. Camping in Joshua Tree can be enjoyed by most campers, but make sure you go prepared. Only 2 out of the 9 campsites have water and flush toilets (the others have pit toilets and you have to drive to find water). But when you wake up and see the sun rising through a break in the rock formations, it will be worth all of the effort that went into getting ready. How To Ge ..read more

TWENTYNINE PALMS (AP) — A 1,560-building mock city has risen in the Southern California desert. The $170 million Marine Corps urban training center at the Twentynine Palms military base, some 130 miles northeast of Los Angeles, is roughly the size of San Diego. The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center facility uses mock cities and role players to prepare Marines and sailors for urban terrain missions. The Palm Springs Desert Sun says the new center, debuting Tuesday, expands on a similar training program called Mojave Viper, which launched in 2005 to prepare troops for the war and life i ..read more

TWENTYNINE PALMS (CBSLA) — Explosives that disappeared from the Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms have been recovered, military officials say. Naval Criminal Investigative Service officials announced this week that they recovered the explosives that went missing in January. The military did not divulge where they were found, no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed. An investigation was launched in January after nearly 10 pounds of the composition C-4 used for training exercises, could not be accounted for. The announcement comes the same week after the Associated Press pu ..read more

TWENTYNINE PALMS (CBSLA) – The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department seized 3,901 marijuana plants and 652 pounds of processed marijuana after serving five search warrants and arresting six suspects. Deputies with the Marijuana Enforcement Team discovered the plants Thursday in various locations in the Twentynine Palms area. The investigation revealed the cannabis cultivations were not in compliance with California’s Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) and San Bernardino County’s ordinance prohibiting Commercial Cannabis Activity, investigators said. Sa ..read more

LANDERS (CBSLA) — Discarded mail, including voter ballots, were discovered Wednesday in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, according to San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials. A citizen told San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies with the Morongo Basin Station that they found the discarded incoming mail, including voter ballots, in the 6500 block of Winters Road in Joshua Tree. More discarded mail was found in the 6500 block of Encelia Avenue in neighboring Twentynine Palms. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) The recovered mail was apparently stolen from a cluster of mailboxes within th ..read more

TWENTYNINE PALMS (CBSLA) — A shelter-in-place order for the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms has been lifted after reports of an active shooter Tuesday. #BREAKING: The shelter in place order for the installation has been lifted. An individual sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound at approximately 8:30 a.m. (1/2) — U.S. Marines (@USMC) July 7, 2020 Gunshots were first reported at about 6:30 a.m. The Marine Corps says military police immediately cordoned off the area. At 9:30 a.m., the Marines said one person had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That person ..read more