Sept. 25 Daily Briefing: Fighting for a good cause, Blue Zones update, vision visit, and more

Welcome to Monday, everyone, where one of us is celebrating both National Quesadilla Day and National Lobster Day by — you guessed it — making lobster quesadillas for dinner. Of course, that first requires finding fresh lobster, which may be easier said than done here in the desert.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Autumn Almanac” by The Kinks. 

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LEADING OFF

PSPD sergeant to fight for pride, charity

When Mike Torres steps into a boxing ring in Cathedral City on Oct. 14, he won’t only be in there with his opponent and a referee. He’ll be thinking of the countless hard-working volunteers who helped train him, the nonprofit he’s raising funds for, and a city he’s sworn to serve that he hopes to make proud.

Driving the news: Torres, recently promoted to sergeant with the Palm Springs Police Department, is fighting in the main event at Battle in the Desert, an evening of amateur boxing featuring a dozen bouts, against Santa Monica police officer Carlos Madrid.

• Both are undefeated, with Torres now a three-time defending champion at the desert event that dates back to 2016.

Why it matters: Proceeds from the event will be going to charity. Torres is raising funds for Grandparents Love, a nonprofit organization that supports grandparents raising their grandchildren.

• Torres became familiar with the organization’s work while serving as vice president of the Palm Springs Police Officers Association (PSPOA).

Behind the scenes: Torres, who works the narcotics beat in Palm Springs, begins training for the charity boxing events about four months in advance. He credits his training and success to Antonio and Joel Diaz, Jamaal Brooks at Elite Boxing Academy, and Benjamin Hernandez at Innovative Athletics.

• He also acknowledges the support of the city of Palm Springs, his department, and the PSPOA.

What they’re saying: “We’re all one unit,” Torres said Saturday during a media day for the upcoming fights. “We’re all one team.”

Details: Battle in the Desert will take place at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheatre on Saturday, Oct. 14. Tickets are $40 and available at the event. Gates open at 5 p.m. Supporters can purchase a shirt to support Team Torres and Grandparents Love by clicking this link.

Dive deeper with our full story here.

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BRIEFLY

🏃🏽‍♀️ City out of Blue Zones effort?

• After approving an initial investment of $85,000 to explore whether the city would benefit from being part of the Blue Zones Project, the answer appears to be no.
  
  
• Participation in the program, designed to help educate the public on specific lifestyle changes that could lead to healthier, longer lives, could have taken several years and cost several million dollars. 
  
  
• However, after receiving a report from the company behind Blue Zones outlining how the city could move forward with participation, there has been no further action from elected leaders, and none is currently scheduled. The city is also not listed among Riverside County participants on the company’s website here.  
  
  
• Bottom line: “The program promotes good diet, exercise, social interaction, and moderate drinking,” said Peter Sipkins, chair of the ONE-PS neighborhood organization, which voted against city participation. “I think a lot of people here are already doing that. We also have hospitals and other organizations here that are clearly promoting these types of lifestyle changes.”

🏈 PSHS notches season’s first win

• The Palm Springs High School football team earned its first win of the season last Friday night, downing Palo Verde Valley 35-22.
  
  
• The Indians were led by Jordon Johnson’s two-touchdown performance and now have a 1-4 record. The win was the first under new head coach Darryl Goree.
  
  
• Up next: PSHS starts league play this Friday at home against Rancho Mirage. That game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

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TODAY’S EVENTS

Parks & Recreation Commission
5:30 p.m. | City Hall and online
The commission meets for its monthly regular meeting at City Hall. An agenda for the meeting can be found here.

Adult tap classes
6:30 p.m. | Leisure Center
Adult intermediate tap starts at 6:30 p.m., and “absolute beginners” adult tap is at 7:30 p.m. Two left feet are optional. ($20-$25)

Bingo with Bella Da Ball
7 p.m. | Kings Highway at Ace Hotel
Join Bella as she hosts this event. Reservations via OpenTable are strongly recommend. ($30 minimum purchase)

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SAVE THE DATE

• PSUSD Diversity and Racial Equity Conference on Sept. 30 at Palm Springs Convention Center.
  
  
• Boo2Bullying Wellness Festival on Sept. 30 at Sunrise Park
  
  
• Coachella Valley Filipino Festival on Oct. 8 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center
  
  
• Evening Under The Stars benefitting AAP – Food Samaritans on Oct. 14 ($200)
  
  
• Center Stage 2023, benefitting The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, on Oct. 20. ($350)
  

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AND FINALLY …

👓 Dozens of students at Visa Del Monte Elementary in Palm Springs are now the beneficiaries of the efforts by a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide free eye care to students in need throughout the US.

Driving the news: Palm Springs Unified School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Tony Signoret and members of the district’s Board of Education were joined by Austin Beautner, the founder of Vision to Learn, at the school on Sept. 22 as 86 students received free eye exams and 61 were provided with free glasses.

Why it matters: Since its founding in 2012, Beautner’s organization has helped children in more than 750 low-income communities in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Eye care professionals have administered more than 2.6 million exams and handed out nearly 400,000 pairs of glasses, all at no cost.

• About one in four children will naturally need glasses, the organization notes on its website. Lack of access to eye care professionals in their communities can lead to misdiagnoses, learning difficulties, and higher dropout rates. 

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🎂  Kendall wishes a very Happy Birthday to her dad on this fine Monday morning!!

🍽️ Mark is learning to cook with tofu (a bit reluctantly).

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