Consumers using SNAP EBT Cards can now use them for Certified Farmers’ Market food purchases.
February 22, 2010, Palm Springs, CA – The Palm Springs Cultural Center’s Certified Farmers’ Markets are now accepting SNAP EBT Cards at all three of its Coachella Valley Locations. “We’ve been hoping to make this a reality for some time,” said Paul Palodichuk, Market Manager. “The SNAP Program provides crucial support to needy households, and to those making the transition from welfare to work, by subsidizing food purchases and encouraging healthy food choices. Accepting SNAP EBT Cards at the Certified Farmers Markets means the people using the program will have access to healthy, locally-grown fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses and poultry.”
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SNAP (the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is administered at the Federal level by the USDOA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), and by State Agencies at State and Local levels. SNAP EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) Cards allow program participants to purchase approved food items using a plastic card similar to a debit card. It is estimated that the program puts healthy food on the table for as many as 31 million Americans in any given month. Children under 18 make up approximately 49% of program beneficiaries, and the elderly (those over 60) make up 9%.
Sidebar:
The Certified Farmers Market is sponsored by the Palm Springs Cultural Center. It operates in three locations, and on three different days of the week, as follows:
- On Saturdays in Palm Springs, from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, adjacent to the Camelot Theatres in the Palm Springs Mall parking lot at 2300 E. Baristo Road at Farrell.
- On Sundays in Old Town La Quinta, from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, at 78100 Main Street, just a few blocks west of La Quinta City Hall off Calle Tampico.
- On Wednesdays in Palm Desert, from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, at the Palm Desert Visitor Center, 72-567 Highway 111.
The Palm Springs Cultural Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which was established to encourage the development of the cultural arts in the Coachella Valley with a specific focus in the areas of film, fine art, live performance, dance, music, and community festivals. The Center is dedicated to advancing education, to nurturing community-wide participation in the cultural arts, and to sponsoring scholarship awards for deserving individuals.
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CHAMBER GOLF TOURNAMENT TO KICK-OFF PALM SPRINGS WILD WESTFEST
PALM SPRINGS, CA - To kick-off the Frank Bogert Memorial Rodeo and Palm Springs Wild WestFest the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce is hosting a golf tournament and Western Reception at the famous O’Donnell Golf Club.
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Open to the public, the event is scheduled for Thursday, March 11 with play to begin at 1PM at the oldest golf course in the Coachella Valley. Located in downtown Palm Springs, O’Donnell uniquely combines challenging golf with a casual, relaxing atmosphere in the heart of downtown. Beautiful mountain vistas and impeccable conditions make this a truly fun course to play.
If golf isn’t your skill challenge, a western themed reception will follow at the picturesque setting and is open to all for a nominal fee.
A limited number of slots are still available to play golf on a first come basis. Tournament fees include the reception.
Cost is $300.00 a foursome or $75 for a single. The public can attend the western reception for $10 per person and reservations are required. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Call Chamber CEO John Pivinski for sponsorship details.
The registration and reception RSVP form can be accessed from the Chamber’s website at www.pschamber.org. For more information call the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce at (760)325-1577.
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BENEFIT FOR WE CARE FREE MAMMOGRAM PROGRAM TO BE HELD MARCH 2
PALM SPRINGS, CA – Dink’s Restaurant & Ultra Lounge and Boyz to Girlz Productions will hold a benefit for Desert Women For Equality’s “We Care” Free Mammogram Program on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2080 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.
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Entertainment for the event will be provided by David Muscato as Miss Victoria impersonating such legendary stars as Ethel Merman, Connie Francis, and Barbra Streisand with special guest artist Miss Carol Kamenis. Showtime is 6 pm sharp.
Tickets are available for a $25 donation and can be purchased in advance at HYPERLINK “mailto:PS4MissVictoria@aol.com” PS4MissVictoria@aol.com or by calling (760) 328-5503. Willcall tickets are available at the door. Tickets may also be purchased at the door via check only.
The “We Care” Free Mammogram Program travels to a different local Valley city each month and utilizes mobile mammography equipment to provide free mammograms to all women who have no other means to participate in life-saving preventive medical care. To date the program has provided 1790 free mammograms to Coachella Valley women.
To learn more about the “We Care” Free Mammogram Program, view up-coming clinic info, or to donate, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.desertwomenforequality.com” www.desertwomenforequality.com.
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State Of The City Luncheon
The Annual State of the City Luncheon with Mayor Steve Pougnet will be held Tuesday, February 9th from 1130 am to 130 pm at the Renaissance Palm Springs, 888 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. Come out and hear the Mayor give a recap of 2009 and where we are headed in 2010. $40 per person or $350 per table of 10. RSVP by phoning 760-325-1577. |
Fraud Suspect Wanted For Creating Phony Palm Springs Travel Agency
By Vicki Lawson
PALM SPRINGS, CA- Police in Palm Springs are searching for a phony travel agent who has targeted members of the Hispanic Community throughout the Coachella Valley as well as the Los Angeles Area.
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Salvador Rodriguez Meza was involved in a travel agency scheme where he accepted money from unsuspecting victims to purchase airline tickets to various countries while operating a fictitious travel agency known as Palm Springs Travel, located at 3700 E. Vista Chino Road. Meza targeted primarily the Hispanic community because they are known to pay in cash. Meza falsified documents as receipts of airline confirmation numbers and when the victim’s went to the airport to board their flights they were denied boarding because their itineraries did not exist. Meza accepted over $56,000 from these victims causing financial burdens and inconveniences to their travel plans. Meza fled the area before he could be caught only to move to Oregon to continue his scheme. Meza has not only defrauded victims in the City of Palm Springs but also in the City of South Gate as well as communities in Oregon like the City of Woodburn and the Counties of Marion and Washington.
On Wednesday, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has filed 15 counts of Embezzlement, 14 counts of Grand Theft, 1 count of Passing a Fictitious Check and 1 count of Fraudulent Applications under false pretense against Salvador Rodriguez Meza with a total bail amount of $50,000.00. A bench warrant is currently being processed by the County of Riverside.
Please contact Detective Simon Min at (760) 323-8129 if you have any information about the whereabouts of Meza. He may have reportedly fled the country, but his wife and children still live in the Coachella Valley.
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A Look Into Odyssey Nine: A Neat Band With A Big Sound
By Leslie Andrews
PALM SPRINGS, CA- Odyssey Nine, a four-piece psychedelic rock band from Indio, put together a raw performance Saturday night at J. Dee’s in Palm Springs.
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William Wolf, Odyssey Nine’s lead vocalist, gave it his all singing his originals like “Chasing Jesus”, “Blackwater Woman”, “Over You” and “God’s Revenge”. For him, his band is all happening so quick in the six months they have been together and all four members have accomplished a lot so far.
“I thank God that we all met and that we can continue carrying on,” said Wolf. Plus, the band has recorded a CD together. Most of his songs came from the heart as well as from the band having jam sessions together. “We have a really great time playing.”
Wolf was previously in a San Diego-based band called Soul Plow before returning to the desert to form Odyssey Nine. Besides Wolf, the band consists of Alfredo Campos on Bass, Mike Martinez on drums and Grant Granados on guitar, all growing up in the Indio area.
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Changes Coming To Local Radio This Week
By Harriet Brindle
PALM SPRINGS, CA- As you noticed on your radio dial, three Coachella Valley radio stations will be making major changes this coming week.
KDES-FM, the valley’s premier oldies station since 1988, will move its frequency from 104.7 (where it’s been since 1963) to 98.5 on the FM dial beginning Midnight on Tuesday, February 2nd. Announcers at the station have been talking about the changeover for several weeks, as the 104.7 frequency has been purchased and will be leaving the Coachella Valley for the Redlands/San Bernardino area. No word on what format the new station will be at this time.
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As for KWXY-FM, one of the Palm Springs area’s heritage stations, they will relocate back to their old frequency on the AM dial positioned at 1340 AM, where they used to be simulcast up until 2006 when RR Broadcasting purchased it. Since 1976, the station had been using the 98.5 frequency, reaching listeners as far west as Beaumont, as far north as Yucca Valley and as far south as El Centro. Glen Barnett, the station’s owner explained that the station had been sold and now he’s retiring at the tender age of 86. KWXY featured old standards, beautiful music instrumentals and news 24 hours a day.
For listeners of KAJR-FM 95.9 (Jack FM), as of 10:00 a.m. on Monday, the station flipped formats to “The Oasis”, featuring the light adult contemporary standards from the 1960s and 1970s. RM Broadcasting, which owns this station, also owns KPLM-FM (The Big 106, a country station), KJJZ-FM (Jazz) and KMRJ-FM (The Heat, Classic Rock). The previous Jack FM format featured Top 40, Classic Rock, Oldies and occasional country music. KCBS-FM 93.1 in the LA area, available beyond Cabazon, will still play the Jack FM format as they have been doing since 2005.
All other radio stations in the Coachella Valley will remain the same at this time.
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PALM SPRINGS OPERA GUILD
PRESENTS:
12th ANNUAL OPERA IN THE PARK
www.palmspringsoperaguild.org
Palm Springs, CA-February 1, 2010...Building on an eleven year tradition of presenting the most talented young opera singers this year’s Palm Springs Opera Guild’s production of Opera in the Park, will be another crowd pleaser. The 12th annual Opera in the Park will spotlight the Southwest’s brightest up and coming opera stars in what is sure to be one of the top collections of performers to ever grace the stage of this FREE public event.
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Opera in the Park, Sunday, March 28 from Noon-5:00pm will be a day-long concert of arias which will be held at Sunrise Park in the City of Palm Springs located on Sunrise Way between Ramon Road and Baristo Road. Shuttles will be provided from designated parking lots, but public transportation and car pooling is strongly encouraged as this event draws a capacity crowd.
“Co-sponsored by the City of Palm Springs, Opera in the Park is one of the premiere public events in the Coachella Valley. We are particularly grateful to all of our generous sponsors and in-kind supporters. Under the skillful guidance of our Music Director, Mona Lands, I feel that our level of performers has been elevated to new heights and I’m certain that our talented singers will captivate the audience,” said George Klauss, President, Palm Springs Opera Guild.
This festive day in the park will consist of food and wine sales (by the bottle or glass) by Jensen’s Finest Foods along with a variety of other restaurant and food booths. This year, there will be an expanded variety of non-profit organizations, artisans and unique art vendors along with Opera in the Park logo t-shirts, hats and sundries.
Furthering the mission, the Palm Springs Opera Guild provides Opera Outreach programs to children residing in the desert. The 2009 outreach presented musical programs to over 12,000 students from kindergarten to high school seniors attending schools and academies throughout the Coachella Valley.
The main goal is to enrich the lives of children by providing them access to opera which in turn will allow them to find their own musical passion.
For more information on sponsorships, booth space or volunteering at the 12th Annual Opera in the Park, contact Jeff Hocker, Executive Producer at 760-320-5272 or jeffhocker1@gmail.com. To support the Palm Springs Opera Guild’s annual mission or to become a member, contact Marylou Harris at 760-325-6107 and online at www.palmspringsoperaguild.org
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