Welcome to Monday everyone, where we’ve got historic buildings on our minds. Specifically, we’re thinking of the buildings in Palm Springs that come up for historic designation, and the documents prepared as various governmental bodies deliberate on them. If you’ve never read one of the staff reports that contain the documents (see recent examples here and here), we encourage you to do so whenever you get the chance. These aren’t ordinary staff reports, which by nature lean on the dry side. Instead, they contain detailed nomination applications, painstakingly researched and ..read more

TGIF, everyone, where we’re here to give you the final word on the proposed roundabout at the crowded intersection of South Palm Canyon and South Indian Canyon drives: It ain’t happening. That was the clear message delivered at the end of last night’s City Council meeting, as City Manager Scott Stiles noted that the official decision to kill the project is just a formality and will likely be part of the consent agenda of a May meeting. Earlier this week, we reported that the roundabout was on hold pending further discussion. But that discussion isn’t needed. While the idea of ro ..read more

Tony Bruggemans surrounded by his wife and daughters. Well-known and celebrated hospitality professional Tony Bruggemans, whose illustrious career spanned six decades and five continents, will be remembered in a celebration of life on Monday. He was 80 years old when he passed away on Sunday, April 21. Born in Liege, Belgium during World War II, Bruggemans built an impressive resume that included stints in Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and even a year-long expedition to Antarctica in 1963. But it was his work in Indonesia during the 1990s that left perhaps the biggest mark ..read more

Happy Thursday, where we’ve got our sights set on a few local eateries, all for a good cause. Today is the annual Dining Out For Life event. Dozens of desert restaurants, bars, and coffee shops will donate a generous percent of today’s sales to DAP Health, where the money goes to support the mission of ending HIV. Despite its relatively small size, the event is so popular here that Palm Springs frequently raises more money than cities like San Francisco and New York. Want to join 12,000 other locals expected to participate today? Check out this list of all participating bus ..read more

Happy Wednesday, everyone. If you weren’t aware, we’re both kind of geeks when it comes to public transportation — especially rail. That’s why this week’s news of a groundbreaking ceremony for high-speed rail between Las Vegas and Southern California has us particularly jazzed. Combined with plans to build new passenger rail service between the valley and LA (currently in the development stage), you could someday theoretically hop a train in Palm Springs and with a little effort board one to Las Vegas an hour or so later. We’re all aboard for that!  Setting the mo ..read more

Happy Tuesday! Say arrivederci to the affogato and other specialty Starbucks Reserve drinks. The Starbucks location in the heart of Downtown Palm Springs is closing for renovations in June. We called and asked why, and they said despite the rumors of a permanent closure due to unhoused residents, the location is closing for about a week to remove the “Reserve” elements of the building and transform it into a regular Starbucks location. No word yet on the exact closure date.  Setting the mood: “The Wolves” by Madeline Edwards LEADING OFF Parks and Recreation Commission members he ..read more

TGIF, everyone. You may have noticed we’re fans of using emojis in this newsletter. Believe it or not, choosing the right ones actually causes us a bit of stress. Thankfully, a new survey can help us out. According to data from every state, is the most confusing emoji in California, so we can cross that one off our list. It’s supposed to represent perseverance, but only 5% of the population uses it as intended. Others causing confusion are , , and . And in a nod to why we get stressed about them, almost half the people surveyed said they’ve seen a misinterpreted emoji create an ..read more

Welcome to Thursday! We get a lot of press releases sent to us, but many are irrelevant to Palm Springs or simply not newsworthy. Then there is a third category — just kind of bizarre. One of those somewhat odd submissions from Carl’s Junior caught our eye this week, promoting a unique “Avocado Shake” available exclusively in Palm Springs this weekend, in a peculiar nod to Earth Day and 4/20 celebrations. Although we declined the invitation for an exclusive taste test (likely offered to all media within a 100-mile radius), it might pique your interest, so we’re passing along the ..read more

Happy Wednesday, everyone! If you’re a fan of political cartoons, you’ll be delighted to know that the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation is hosting a free event later this month that will see award-winning editorial cartoonist Mike Thompson join Desert Sun Opinion and Engagement Editor Nicky Loomis for a discussion of the history of political cartoons and newspaper opinion pages. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 30 at 2 p.m. and plan on attending the event at the Rancho Mirage library, 71-100 Highway 111. No reservations are required.   Setting the mood:&nbs ..read more

Happy Tuesday, where we’ve got veggies on our minds! If you weren’t aware, this week is dedicated to considering the benefits of switching to a plant-based diet. The Palm Springs City Council even declared it “VegWeek” during its last meeting, delivering a proclamation to longtime resident Tiffani LoBue, who asked the city to recognize the week. “I’ve been a full-time PS resident for 27 years – and have lived a vegan lifestyle since 2002,” LoBue wrote to us yesterday. “Tanya Petrovna from Chef Tanya’s Kitchen was a big part of my transition. I continue to learn more about a plant-bas ..read more