Desert Star Weekly June 29, 2018 issue

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Your adjudicated newspaper for Riverside County

desert

STAR W E E K L Y

PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA

BREAKING NEWS: Five dead in Annapolis paper shooting, gunman in custody see page 7

PERMIT NO 00005

Friday, June 29, 2018 Vol. 12 No. 52

New Reign at Pendleton

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Michelle I. Macander, left, incoming commanding officer of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, receives the colors from Lt. Col. Christopher M. Haar, offgoing commanding officer of 1st CEB, during a change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. (Lance Cpl. Audrey C. M. Rampton/Marine Corps)

1st Woman Takes Command of Marine Ground Combat Arms Unit By KMIR News History is being made at Camp Pendleton. The first woman to command a Marine ground combat arms unit has taken charge. Lt. Col. Michelle I. Macander took over as commanding officer of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion,

1st Marine Division during a change of command ceremony on June 22. “It is a privilege to carry on the legacy of this storied battalion and continue to provide support to the largest and most decorated Division in the Marine Corps. I’m honored to be a part of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion

KMIR Kitty Alvarado It’s never too early to start planning for the brutal desert heat, that often reaches triple digits in the dead of summer. Supervisor Manuel Perez says many don’t have the option of just staying home and running the A.C., “We have folks out there that whether they may be homeless or whether they’re individuals working out in the fields or even just senior citizens that just need a cool place to go to.” Perez together with the Community Action Partnership held a ‘Cool Centers Kick Off event at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center to remind people they don’t have to suffer in a hot house this summer. “If they don’t have

the ability to keep their air conditioner all day they have a place they can go … Play some games, have some refreshments and stay cool,” says Brenda Salas Freeman, the executive director of CAP. And if you’ve shied away from cooling centers in the past because you couldn’t take your pet, don’t worry, Freeman says more centers allow pets, but call ahead to make sure. She says they must be crated and well behaved. Sally Smith who moved to the desert from Northern California says these centers will save lives this summer, “We have so many people especially in our neighborhood

team,” Macander said. Retired Marine Corps Col. Jane Siegel called the change of command a win not just for Macander, but for the United States Marine Corps. “I see this as a great step, a giant step for womankind,” Col. Siegel said. The road to this milestone for women in the Marine Corps

has been a long one. Infantry opened to women in 2012, and the Pentagon opened all jobs at the end of 2015. According to the Marine Corps, 38 women have tried to become infantry officers and only eight have gotten into the grueling Infantry Officer Course. The second woman Marine to complete the course did so

on June 23. She intends to be a ground intelligence officer. Woman Marine veterans said it is essential for both junior women and men in the Marines to see a woman in command and they hope this will be the new normal. Siegel said, knowing Continues on Page 3

Beat The Heat: Cooling Centers Open Across The Valley

Continues on Page 3


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Desert Star Weekly June 29, 2018 issue by The Desert Star Weekly - Issuu