Welcome to 5 Things to Know – a daily rundown of things you might want to be aware of if you live in, visit, or just like being aware about what’s going on in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. As always, thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

1) The Coronavirus

Riverside County reported 63 new cases and 10 new reported deaths in the last 24 hours, but the big news is that the county has moved to a new tier, allowing for the reopening of some sectors.  More on that below, first here is what is going on locally in regards to cases and deaths:

September 22 — #COVID19 in the #CoachellaValley (+/- from day before):

14,322 reported cases (+21)
337 deaths (+2)
13,524 recoveries (+71)

461 active cases (-52)
-131 last 7 days

The number of active cases continues to decline. More in thread below. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/qOYotHE1NT

— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) September 22, 2020

That said, here’s one more look at “my” case rate calculation. If it’s primarily a matter of the state/county having more detailed info about when patients likely became infected, I would expect the case rate to decline in my calculation too, over the next several days. (3/3) pic.twitter.com/9dIrb2923u

— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) September 22, 2020

More:

• The state of California moved Riverside County into the red tier on Tuesday.  The move allows for the reopening of indoor stores and shopping centers, museums, zoos, aquariums, churches, movie theaters, gyms, and indoor dining (all with reduced capacity).  In addition, nail salons are now allowed to open around the state, with approval from the individual counties:

County of Riverside approved to move to COVID-19 Red (Substantial) Tier; Certain businesses and services may now operate indoors at limited capacity. https://t.co/UYGnUo09TH pic.twitter.com/B4Kv4w1Whd

— City of Palm Springs (@CityofPS) September 22, 2020

• San Bernardino County remains in the purple tier, but could also be added to the red tier as soon as next week.
• Congress approved $1 billion in tax dollars in March that the Pentagon was to use to build up the country’s supplies of medical equipment.  As the Washington Post reports, that money was instead mostly funneled to defense contractors and used to make things such as jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms.
• This…

Q: Why haven't you said anything about the US hitting 200,000 coronavirus deaths?

TRUMP: "Go ahead. Uhhhhh. Anybody else?" pic.twitter.com/gUv1kgG9OT

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 22, 2020

2) The Snow Fire

The Fire burning near Palm Springs has burned over 6,000 acres and is predicted to be 100% contained by October 1.  Firefighters shared details on Tuesday about how they used the Palm Springs Tramway, followed by a 2.4 mile hike to save the nearly 100-year-old ranger station located at over 9,000 feet in the San Jacinto mountains:

3) The Other Fires

Dozens of fires continue to burn in California, Oregon, and Washington.   Currently, 18,700 men and woman are taking on 27 major wildfires in the state of California that have burned over 3.1 million acres:

Today over 18,700 firefighters continue to battle 27 major wildfires in California. The latest numbers on all active wildland fires at: https://t.co/6s2QmGvwFi pic.twitter.com/j4MTNp9yWs

— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 22, 2020

The fires in California have claimed 26 lives this year:

We want to take the time to reflect on the 26 lives that have been lost this year in the wildfires. As we continue to battle these large and devastating fires we are keeping them and their families in our thoughts. pic.twitter.com/XCAbWkBkgj

— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 22, 2020

Some important links:

• The LA Times is tracking each of the major fires on this online map.
• The El Dorado Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains has now scorched over 22,588 acres and was 60% contained as of Tuesday morning.
• A procession was held Tuesday for the firefighter who died while battling the El Dorado Fire. Charles Morton, 39, was a Big Bear Interagency Hotshot squad boss who had been with the Forest Service for 14 years out of an 18-year firefighting career:

Breaking: Southland fire crews have lined up in Orange to bring home a hero. RIP Big Bear hotshot Charles Morton @cbsla #cbsla ⁦@ClevelandNF⁩ #hotshot #firefighter #bigbear pic.twitter.com/XJDBb71zfR

— michele gile (@CBSmichelegile) September 22, 2020

4) Indio Home Sells for $3.9 million to trust tied to Tyga

Rapper Tyga drops $3.9 million on Indio retreat https://t.co/TlLFWjpH6N

— LA Times Real Estate (@LATrealestate) September 21, 2020

A 6,000-square-foot Indio a waterfront retreat recently sold for $3.9 million to a trust tied to hip-hop star Tyga for $3.9 million, reports the LA Times. The house was purchased by RAWW INVESTMENTS LLC, a limited liability company that shares a tax address with another company owned by the Tyga, though an attorney representing the rapper said the home was purchased by a family member.

Whoever is moving in will enjoy four bedrooms, a swimming pool, spa and some killer views.

5) Get Registered to Vote

Tuesday marks National Voter Registration Day.  If you have moved recently, are not registered, or just want to check to make sure you are good to go to cast your vote in the upcoming election, here are some important links:

• You can check if you are registered to vote here.
• You can register to vote here.
• You can get information on mail-in voting here.
• You can track your mail-in ballot here.
• You can apply to be an election officer here.

Stay safe.  Stay smart.  Wear a mask. Vote. 💚🌵