🌱 Reparations News + Traffic Death On Ramon, Crossley + Letter Grades

Hello there, Palm Springs! Today’s Free Comic Book Day; did you know that comic book retailer Joe Field founded it in 2001, and now there’s a ZIP code lookup to find participating stores near you? I'm here to tell you what's going on around town. Hope you all have a great day. Today's briefing includes...

• 📸 Photographs by Tyre Nichols.
• ⬅️ Letter grades for hospitals and restaurants.
• 🤔 A divided City Council.

☀️ But first, today's weather: Sunny; breezy in the p.m. High: 83 Low: 58.

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⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Around Palm Springs

• Tower Market at 3201 North Indian Canyon Drive, $4.45
• ARCO at 1717 East Vista Chino, $4.59
• 76 at 166 North Sunrise Way, $4.77

🍷 Hobby Poll!
Everybody has hobbies. If time and money were no object this summer, which new hobby would you like to learn or take up? So far, 16.7 percent pick traveling, and 5.5 percent each select horseback riding, flying, ballroom dancing, crocheting, Mahjong, basket making, dog training and showing, and fly-fishing, surfing, and watercolor. New write-ins – at 5.6 percent each – are pickleball, piloting a small aircraft, line dancing, pottery, and wine collecting.

📰 Here are the top stories in Palm Springs today:

1. Reparations update: We talked earlier about the $2 billion claim filed by Latino and Black descendants of Palm Springs residents who were forced to leave the area. The city had begun work with a reparation's consultant. This week, we learned that the City Council voted 3-2 to pause the reparations process and not move forward with the consultant contract. Mayor Grace Elena Garner criticized the vote with a concern “that this will continue to go on and on and never actually be resolved.” The councilmembers who opposed the contract intend to “focus for now solely on historical research, not reparations” citing the expense and questioning the consultant’s objectivity. Putting it plainly, Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Bernstein said, “the city cannot afford a $2 billion payment.” (LAist)
2. What caused a pedestrian fatality on Thursday evening? It happened near the corner of Ramon and Crossley roads. The driver remained on the scene, cooperated, and the Palm Springs Police Department said that “alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in this incident.” (NBC)
3. In January, 29-year-old Tyre Nichols died during a police-initiated traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee. His cause of death was ruled a homicide. Now, Nichols' photographs are part of the Palm Spring’s biennial Desert X exhibition. It is the first time for a posthumous exhibition during Desert X. Artistic director Neville Wakefield “wants people to know not just how Nichols died, but how he lived.” (CBS)
4. How does the Desert Regional Medical Center rate in this year’s hospital safety grades? It earned a solid B. It joins the ranks of 67 other hospitals statewide that received a B rating. Of course, when you dig deeper, the ranking is a mixed bag. For example, the facility performs worse than average when it comes to infection of the urinary tract. It does better than average with surgical wounds splitting open. See for yourself! (Patch, Hospital Safety Grade)
5. Speaking of letter grades, we have the latest list of Riverside County restaurants that the Department of Environmental Health temporarily shut down. You know the drill. Inspectors show up without an appointment, get out the clipboard, and start scoring. In Palm Springs, the Mizell Senior Center closed on March 14 because of “cockroach, rodent or fly infestation.” Santorini Gyro closed on March 21 and reopened on March 23 because the “food management certificate was not on the premises.” After its reopening, it scored a solid A. (Patch)

From our sponsor:

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📆 Today in Palm Springs:

• Head to the Palm Springs Cultural Center for the Farmers Market (8 AM)
• Outdoor Yoga at Drift Palm Springs with instructor Karen Salgado (9 AM)
• It's Palm Desert Day at the Palm Springs Air Museum (10 AM)
• Come to the Palm Canyon Theatre Auditions (10 AM)
• Flip Phone Events hosts a Studio 54 Drag Brunch at Reforma (10:30 AM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "We are honored to have been nominated in the CN Traveler 2023 Readers' Choice Awards! Rate your travel experiences over the last year at our bio link. We ZOSO appreciate your support!" (Hotel Zoso)
• "Due to a transition to an online application system, the Development Services counters, including the Planning Department, will be closed during the week of May 15, and will not be receiving applications during this closure. Counters will re-open on Monday, May 22." (City of Palm Springs)
• "We're thrilled to welcome Therese Lee, the 2023 Bistro Award-winner for
  Outstanding Autobiographical Show, back to our stage! Her one-woman-show, 'Riding The Bus To The Red Carpet' recalls her days in Los Angeles as an entertainment reporter too broke to own a car, and shares how her interactions with some of Hollywood's biggest stars during that time changed her life forever." (PS Underground)
• "Experience the waterfalls of Palm Springs, where fresh water continues to flow as it has for thousands of years." (Palm Springs Tourism)
• In his new play, MedgarX'nJames, playwright Joachim St. Maximilian explores the impacts and intersections of the lives and deaths of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and James Arthur Baldwin. Don't miss this brilliant and heartfelt performance. http://ow.ly/lOJZ50NFtR5." (Palm Springs Cultural Center)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Around the World in 60 Minutes Dance Class! (May 6)
• Academy of Musical Performance at The River! (May 6)
• Estate Sale (May 11)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Bee Swarm Simulator (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Palm Springs Patch newsletter? Contact me at palmsprings-ca@patch.com