Three local elected officials — councilmembers Ed Pack and Rita Vogler and school board member Robert Kirk — have announced they will not seek reelection this November. They share their ac... Full story
My introduction to the Mojave Desert was as a guest of the family who become my in-laws. I had recently arrived from Chicago and was accustomed to blue Lake Michigan only a short bike ride from home; so I was unimpressed with this hot, arid, undevel... Full story
U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual hospital rankings. The publication looked at a total of 5,000 hospitals, and two of the three local medical facilities — St. Mary Medical Center and Desert Valley Hospital — were a... Full story
When Hesperia’s first city manager, Robert Rizzo, left in the early 1990s we didn’t exactly know what we were losing. Years later it’s clear that his departure was our city’s gain.
After leaving Hesperia, Rizzo landed in the ... Full story
And everyone take a step back. Let’s put the kids first for once. Let’s see who is robbing who. I think it is your upper echelon union goons and thugs, but what the heck, it could be Riley, Kirk and Black. Who knows, it could be the clown... Full story
Sitting on the Hesperia Governing Board for the past 19 months has been one of the most frustrating experiences of my entire life. I ran because I wanted to open HUSD operations up to public scrutiny and proactively engage and incorporate parents int... Full story
By now you’ve almost certainly read the news: The Hesperia Unified School District is on a list of state public school districts having a particularly tough time meeting their financial obligations.
In fact, the HUSD is one of 174 that might n... Full story
It’s not surprising that the tax with the longest track record is the one on Real Property. Land and structures permanently attached to the land are hard to hide from the tax collector and impossible to move to out of state or to offshore tax h... Full story
One of my favorite people, Flo Collier, is retiring from her position as secretary to City Manager Mike Podegracz after 16 years of service to the city.
Whenever we run into each other at events, Flo and I kiddingly say, “We are very close to ... Full story
The other day I was in a local mini-mart and was miffed that they didn’t sell cans of cranberry sauce.
“Why don’t they have a suggestion box?” I thought to myself as I walked away empty-handed.
Then it occurred to me that I ... Full story
You may have noticed a new writer’s name in this week’s Star, Alaina Bird, known by most as Lainie Bird.
Lainie, who just finished her freshman year at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, has come aboard as a intern for our news... Full story