Your adjudicated newspaper for Riverside County
desert
STAR W E E K L Y
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID
Contact in the Desert UFO Conference Brings Leading Experts in Science see page 5.
Desert Hot Springs, CA PERMIT NO 00005
March 11, 2020 Vol. 16 No. 19
BNP Paribas Open Cancelled Daytona Everett This year’s BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden has been canceled due to the declaration of a public health emergency for the Coachella Valley because of coronavirus concerns. The tennis tournament, often referred to as the fifth
major and one of the few outside the Grand Slam tournaments with both men’s and women’s play, was scheduled to begin women’s qualifying play Monday and main draw play Wednesday. The seeded women’s players were set to begin play Friday, one day before
Story and Photos by Pat Krause The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens celebrated its Golden Anniversary Gala on Saturday, March 7th. Over 600 people came to celebrate with the staff and volunteers of the Living Desert. The Living Desert and Gardens put on an elegant Gala. Guests entered the complex while listening to the Citrus College Blue Note Orchestra. DJ Baz and African style drummers and music went along with the African Theme. Guests were greeted by men in top hats and tails. This was the golden anniversary, so many guests arrived in black with items in gold, like women’s tops
and scarfs and men’s ties or gold jackets. The cocktail hour was another fantasy area with tall people walking around on stilts and dancers in costumes with large gold wings all around the city. A couple ladies were posing on tall, specially built platforms. Guests were interviewed on TV by Susan Stein of Palm Springs Life Magazine and Peter Daut of KESQ news channel 3. Refreshment stands were stationed all around the area, and guests could have their photo taken by the 50th-anniversary sign. Of course, this is a Living
the seeded men’s players. The tournament was to run through March 22. A statement issued by organizers quoted USC professor of Medicine and Bioengineering Dr. David Agus. “There is too great a risk at this time to the public health of the Riverside County area
in holding a large gathering of this size,” Argus said. “It is not in the public interest of fans, players and neighboring areas for this tournament to proceed. We all have to join together to protect the community from the coronavirus outbreak,” he said. Earlier Sunday, the
Riverside County Public Health Department announced the county’s first locally acquired case of COVID-19. County officials said a patient who tested positive was being treated at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage. Continues on Page 17
The Living Desert’s Golden Anniversary Gala
Continues on Page 19
Living Desert Volunteers Maggie Johnson, Brianna Friedman, Sydney Villavicencio, Amanda ToussaintHolding a Boa,, Macy Bersamin, Angelina Johns, Angelena Saunders. Photo by Pat Krause