July 8 Daily Briefing: Where to volunteer in and around the city, lip sync event again wows crowd, and more

Happy Monday, where we hope you’re rested (and cool) after the long holiday weekend. If the recent heat has you considering relocating to a cooler climate, might we suggest going nomadic? A climate scientist in Alaska has mapped out a few paths where you have the best chance of always being someplace where the temperature is about 70 degrees. It’s a bit of a hike — roughly 8,000 miles depending on which of two options you choose — but can be done in monthly segments. So, get busy booking those Airbnb’s or loading up your RV for the ultimate road trip!

🎶 Setting the mood: “Master Blaster” by Stevie Wonder

LEADING OFF

Looking to volunteer? Here are dozens of local opportunities

As Palm Springs transitions to a year-round destination, local nonprofits face a growing need for volunteers, especially after seasonal residents depart. 

Driving the news: One resident, Jeff Pluth, saw the need and began compiling a list. We jumped in to help. In the end, we were able to identify more than 80 organizations that need a helping hand.

• Check out the list online here.

Zoom in: While many large organizations are well-known, smaller nonprofits struggle with public awareness and need just as much support.

• Organizations like Desert Compost, Bridge Hospice Palm Springs, and March to Equality are always seeking volunteers and donations, Pluth said.

What they’re saying: “Volunteering not only benefits the community but also offers you a chance to connect with your neighbors, make a difference, and enrich your own life in the process,” Pluth wrote.

Up next: If you know of a lesser-known volunteer opportunity that’s not on the list, please email editor@thepalmspringspost.com and we’ll include it.

Read Henry Braun’s complete story here.

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IN OTHER NEWS

🏘️ The attorney for a group of former residents and others with ties to Section 14 has submitted a new offer to the city seeking $42 million in total compensation. She had earlier asked for more than $100 million in cash payments alone after the city offered $4.2 million.  [Desert Sun]

🚨 The county coroner has identified all three people involved in what has now been confirmed as a murder-suicide late last month near North Indian Canyon Drive and Garnet Avenue. [KESQ]

🏛️ The city’s Historic Site Preservation Board voted last week to recommend designating the former Gas Company building as a Class I historic site, citing its significance as a rare local example of brutalist architecture. [Palm Springs Post]

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Monday Men’s Coffee
5 p.m. | Play Lounge PS
Come have coffee and chat with other men about issues that are on your mind. No RSVP required — just drop in!

Human Rights Commission
5:30 p.m. | City Hall 
This city commission meets most months on the first Monday. View all of the commission’s agendas and past meeting videos here.

Jazz in the Pines
7:30 p.m. | Idyllwild Arts Academy
Idyllwild Arts Academy’s annual fundraiser takes place through July 13. For a complete schedule of performances, turn here.

SAVE THE DATE

• Board of Education meeting at PSUSD headquarters Tuesday at 6 p.m.
  
  
• Jazz in the Pines through July 13 in Idyllwild.
  
  
• Happy Hour for a Star fundraiser at Wildest Restaurant on July 14.
  
  
• Desert Wildlife Center Breakfast Fundraiser on July 20.

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AND FINALLY …

Congratulations are in order for all the contestants, organizers, and judges who took part in Sunday’s ONE-PS Lip Sync Battle, which once again proved that pound-for-pound, the city has more talent than any other its size.

Driving the news: More than a dozen acts representing a wide variety of city departments and local organizations took to the stage at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, wowing the packed house during the two-hour event. Check out some pictures from the event here and here.

• Ultimately, the crew assembled by the city’s HR director, Stephanie George, took home the top prize, as decided by judges comprised of last year’s event participants. 

Why it matters: Put on by Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs, and coordinated by Shann Carr, the event helps raise funds for youth events in the city and ONE-PS activities. 

• The “Better Together” theme helped showcase multiple community organizations and City Hall employees doing important work in the city. 

What they’re saying: “We live in an amazing city and seeing the community come together makes me so incredibly proud of the diversity, connectivity, inclusiveness, and dedication everyone has to making Palm Springs be all that it can be.” — Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein