The Coachella Valley Number ‘One’ Desert Local Newspaper
desert
STAR W E E K L Y
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA
Guardians of the Galaxy is playing in theatres now, read about it on page 6.
PERMIT NO 00005
August 6, 2014 Vol. 7 No. 58
Humidity Helps Wildfires (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez). Pat Campbell, of Callahan, Calif., cuts down a tree damaged by the Eiler Fire, Monday, Aug. 4, 2014, near Hat Creek, Calif.
Increased humidity caused by thunderstorms helped fire crews make progress against two wildfires in Northern California BURNEY, Calif. (AP) Thunderstorms that brought light rain and increased humidity to Northern California helped fire crews make progress Tuesday against two wildfires that were threatening hundreds of homes, but also raised the possibility of new lightning-sparked blazes in the region. The two fires were burning
in the Lassen National Forest. The smaller of the two was within sight of the small Shasta County town of Burney, though officials said it remained about 4 miles away after showing almost no growth overnight. The small town of 3,000 was filled with smoke from the blaze, but businesses were open as usual. Flames at the top of a
mountain crest were no longer visible from a nearby vista point. Crews increased containment on the nearly 45-square-mile blaze from 10 to 20 percent. The fire has destroyed eight homes and was threatening a little more than 700 others, some of which were evacuated. The nearby Bald Fire, which
Seaman Chris James
Serving on the USS Somerset, a warship named in commemoration of the 9/11 attacks By Desert Star Staff SAN DIEGO CA. -Seaman Chris James, a boatswain’s mate from Temecula, Calif. and 2011 graduate of Chaparral High School, is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard USS Somerset (LPD 25), one of the world’s most modern, networked, survivable, and transformational warships. USS Somerset is named in commemoration of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The name honors the
passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 whose actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their intended target, forcing the airplane to crash near Shanksville, S o m e r s e t C o u n t y, PA . Approximately 22 tons of steel from a crane that stood near the Flight 93’s crash site was used to construct Somerset’s bow stem, embodying the strength and determination of the people of the United States: to recover, to rally, to take
the fight to the enemy. The San Diego-based USS Somerset is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, protecting and defending America on the world’s oceans. Tens of thousands of young American men and women are deployed around the world doing just that, and they are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times. Continues on Page 4
has burned through 62 square miles, forced the evacuation of about a dozen homes. Containment on that fire jumped from 20 percent to 30 percent overnight, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jim Mackensen said. He said officials were looking to lift the evacuations, though he didn’t know when
residents might be allowed to return home. More lightning was forecast for the area, though Mackensen said he was hopeful the rain and damp conditions would prevent the blazes from starting fires. The Eiler and Bald fires began within a day of each Continues on Page 8