Calculating the toll of a summer heat wave in the desert

A total of 14 people died from heat-related causes across Riverside County between July 15 and July 29, the most heat-related deaths recorded over a two-week period over the past five years. During that two-week period, daily high temperatures exceeded 115 degrees for every day but one, peaking at a high of 120 degrees on July 21. Nighttime lows offered little relief, with temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s. 

In California’s hottest county, a race to prevent heat deaths among unhoused people

When the forecasted temperature in Imperial County hits 113 degrees or higher, Maribel Padilla loads up her van with water bottles and a cooler full of ice pops and cold washcloths and hits the road, stopping at encampments and downtown areas in Calexico and El Centro to drop off supplies to people who are homeless in the region who need a way to cool down. 

Train between the Coachella Valley and Los Angeles could happen within the next decade

The long-discussed dream of connecting the Coachella Valley to Los Angeles via daily rail service now feels closer than ever, with billions in federal funding on the table for passenger rail and a renewed sense of urgency around improving public transportation as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “This is as close as we have ever been,” said Aaron Hake, deputy executive director at the Riverside County Transportation Commission. 

Imperial County, home to ‘Lithium Valley,’ has among the fewest EV chargers

Imperial Valley is poised to potentially play a major role in helping the state and federal government meet their clean energy goals ― the region, nicknamed "Lithium Valley," sits on top of what is likely one of the world’s largest deposits of lithium, a key ingredient needed for electric vehicles. But Imperial County itself is lagging behind the rest of the state when it comes to electric vehicle charging infrastructure. As of January, Imperial County had the fewest chargers per capita in the state.

Why aren’t there more bus shelters in the Coachella Valley’s unincorporated communities?

For the past month, riders boarding SunLine’s buses at the intersection of Avenue 66 and Harrison Street in Oasis were greeted with a colorful sight: a rainbow-painted bus shelter providing seating and shade. The bus shelter prototype was part of a month-long demonstration project. . . The shade structure was set to be removed in early November, and like many other bus stops in unincorporated communities in the eastern Coachella Valley, the Avenue 66 and Harrison stop will again be marked only by a SunLine sign in a dirt shoulder along the side of the road. 

Cadiz offers free water to Salton Sea and Torres Martinez tribe, opponents skeptical

A controversial water project in the Mojave Desert — known for decades as the Cadiz water pipeline — is back in the spotlight with a promise that it will provide water to disadvantaged communities near the shrinking Salton Sea in addition to its long-held ambitions of selling desert water to urban Southern California. Critics say the free water offer is a public relations stunt aimed at garnering political favor for the project, which has been criticized for over two decades as damaging to the desert's natural and cultural resources. They say using groundwater from the Mojave Desert to address the crisis at the Salton Sea is like “paying off one credit card with another credit card.” 

Near the Salton Sea, residents want the federal government to address health concerns

Residents living near the Salton Sea say they understand the much-hyped potential of the area for lithium extraction, but they want the federal government to understand the existing health concerns plaguing the community caused by the receding Salton Sea, and want to make sure the new industry doesn't exacerbate those issues. They expressed these concerns during a visit to the area by U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, likely the first official visit of a presidential cabinet member to Imperial Valley.

Are Inland Empire warehouses moving toward the Coachella Valley?

For years, warehouses have proliferated in the Inland Empire. But the logistics industry is now creeping east along Interstate 10, toward the San Gorgonio Pass and the Coachella Valley. Local cities are changing zoning regulations to accommodate warehouse projects, as demand surges for warehouse space along with the growth of the e-commerce industry.