Sadly, on the last day of the year 2011 Desert Hot Springs Police Officers and California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a child hit by a car. Upon officer’s arrival, the victim had already been transported by family members to Desert Regional Medical Center. The 18-month old child has been confirmed dead at Desert Regional Medical Center. The victim ‘s name has not been released.

Detectives from the Desert Hot Springs Police Department, with assistance from the Califomia Highway Patrol, are continuing the investigation.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call Detective Raul Sandoval at 760-329-6411 , Ext. 330 or Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP.

The Vortex Made Me Do It,part 2 (interview with Lee Rayburn  KNEWS FM 94.3n). The Mystery and History of Desert Hot Springs by Bill Effinger.

This Book is dedicated to all of the people who have lived in, are currently living in, or are planning to live in Desert Hot Springs, California.

It is my sincere wish and hope, that one day the city and its residents will be able to enjoy the normalcy of a well balanced and financially sound community without strive, fear or angst about their future, in a relative calm and serene atmosphere, suitable for raising and educating their children in safety, or when retired, to fill out the remaining period of their lives in peace and tranquility.

It is also my sincere wish and hope that Desert Hot Springs will one day be looked upon as a good neighbor to all of the cities in Coachella Valley, and in so doing, legitimately earn the title of:

“The Shinning City on the Hill”

Bill Effinger

The book is available in Paperback and Kindle Edition for $9.95. Click this link for the Kindle Edition!

Editorial reviews:

Scholars have said that truth is stranger than fiction. Nothing could be proven more true than what you are about to read.

Since living in the city a relatively short time and moving away a few years ago, I contemplated writing the unusual history of Desert Hot Springs, and was finally jolted into doing so with this news headline:

Former Desert Hot Springs Mayor Alex Bias’ wife faces charges in two bank robberies
Desert Sun
(2:02 PM, Feb. 23, 2011)
“Carol Jean Bias, 69, has been charged with robbing the Bank of America at 5601 Ramon Road on Feb. 3, and the Bank of America at 588 Palm Canyon Drive around noon Wednesday.”……………….
After pleading not guilty Mrs. Bias was remanded to jail, released on Bail and a hearing was set in Riverside County Mental Health Court:
Former DHS mayor’s wife due to appear in mental health court
11:53 PM, Apr. 12, 2011
Written by
City News Service
****

Now if that wouldn’t make you jump out of your chair, not much would. It did me. I was a supporter of Alex’s bid to become mayor, and met with both he and his wife Carol on many occasions. She was quite small in stature, had a mouth like a truck driver, but I would never have taken her for a bank robber. When that Energy Vortex gets you, it just won’t let go. After sharing the article with my wife Diana, we decided the curious story of this community had to be told.

Desert Hot Springs is a historical place in the Imperial Desert of California resting high above the floor of Coachella Valley. The area, was once roamed by the Cahuilla Tribe’s Band of Agua Caliente Indians, and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

During 1913 the area became home to one of its earliest and most famous residents, Cabot Yerxa, whose adobe house still stands as a museum and monument to the pioneering spirit of America. It is also a place where local lore and some enthusiasts believe there is an “Energy Vortex” in the center of the city creating mystic powers for residents and visitors.

What follows, is 103-years of that history; starting with Jack Riley in 1908, purportedly the first white man to set foot in the area and then Hilda Gray in 1910, the area’s first known white settler/homesteader; followed by Yerxa in 1913.The scientific explanation of the many geological, meteorological and mystic mysteries within this desert oasis containing rare cold pure drinking water and hot mineral springs, exposes two juxtaposed natural phenomena creating a mystery of nature for the curious to experience and ponder the reasons and meaning of it all.

It is also a place where local lore and some enthusiasts believe there is an “Energy Vortex” in the center of the city creating mystic powers for residents and visitors.

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The situation in Syria is just a warm-up before a real confrontation, which will draw Russia and China into action, believes Lawrence Freeman from the Executive Intelligence Review magazine.

­Russia and China are rightly worried about what is behind the policy of the US and its allies in Syria and Iran, Freeman told RT.

“President Obama is acting on a British geopolitical plan to force a confrontation with Russia and China, a military confrontation of which Syrian and Iran would nearly be the ignition point,” Freeman explained. “But the real goal is a war to stop the progress that Russia and China are engulfed in.”

Lawrence Freeman says that the International Criminal Court is being used as an instrument to carry out regime change with a smoke screen of human rights protection.

“The Russians and the Chinese are seeing this played out again and they are beginning to respond,” he said. “Especially the Russians, they are responding militarily by sending the Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to the Syrian borders.”

It is a risky game, Freeman admits, but he thinks that Russians are aware of the danger of what could happen if they do not do it.

“This could result – and I think the Russians and the Chinese are aware of this – this could result in World War III,” he said. “So this is extremely dangerous, and measures have to be taken now to stop these policies by President Obama and the British.”

Political analyst Marcus Papadopoulos agrees that Russia will not allow the situation in Syria to end up as it did in Libya.

“The difference between Syria and Libya is the Russian factor,” he told RT. “Russia has made it very clear that what happened Libya will not happen in Syria and they’ve already vetoed a resolution at this Security Council, so of course there’s going to be a lot more talk by the UN of what can be done but I think the Russian factor will prove to be a critical one”.

He also voiced his opinion on how to resolve the present crisis.

“What needs to happen is that the international community needs to act as a mediator between the Syrian government and the opposition parties,” he said. “And unfortunately it’s not helping – how the American, British and French governments are demonizing President Assad and they’re taking the side of the Syrian opposition.”

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As the closure of Strait of Hormuz would likely suit the interests neither of the US nor of Iran, the editor of Consortium News, Robert Parry, believes the US is pushing for a large-scale war against Tehran.

“There has been a propaganda campaign in the United States, very similar to what he saw before the invasion of Iraq,” he told RT. “The major news organizations have been hyping up threats about Iran. We’ve seen questionable allegations be given a great deal of weight here in the United States.”

With Republican presidential candidates making some aggressive noises and voicing their support for a war with Iran, President Barack Obama is under a great deal of pressure not to be seen as too soft, Parry notes.

During a televised candidates’ debate Newt Gingrich said that the US should seek regime change in Iran and should bomb Iran’s facilities to prevent it from becoming a nuclear power.

Parry stresses that this kind of climate can lead to a situation where politicians are not willing to compromise. Meanwhile, on the Iranian side there is also a lot pressure from political and economic problems and strained relations with Israel, he adds, before concluding that in a situation where there are so many “combustible elements” any false move or provocation can lead to catastrophe.”

Read the whole article…