BROUGHT TO YOU BY
We are grateful for our advertisers. Become one today
Friday, June 19 | ☀️ 97°/69°
Happy Friday, where congratulations are in order for the talented staff of Palm Springs Life magazine, which recently took home a General Excellence Award — among the highest honors in regional publishing — at the 2026 National City & Regional Magazine Awards in New Orleans. Judges praised the magazine's distinctive voice, noting it "brings life to the desert with an appreciation for the architecture, setting and Old Hollywood glamour" — a well-earned nod for a local favorite!.
🎶 Setting the mood: "Cranes in the Sky" by Solange
Leading Off
Ron deHarte, president and CEO of Palm Springs Pride, speaks during a kickoff event and check presentation for Rebuild Palm Springs in May 2025. (File photo)
Rebuild Palm Springs fund closes after raising nearly $160,000
The grassroots fund created after last year's fertility clinic bombing is shutting down, having distributed $87,000 directly to businesses and residents hurt by the blast. Organizers announced the closure Thursday, saying everyone who sought help has now been accommodated.
Driving the news: Rebuild Palm Springs was established four days after the May 17, 2025, car bombing at American Reproductive Centers on North Indian Canyon Drive, organized by a coalition of small business owners to help cover structural damage and repair costs not covered by insurance.
Founders include Bob Smiland of Desert Hand Car Wash, Liz Ostoich of FARM, Tac/Quila and Clandestino, Willie Rhine of 849 Restaurant and Lounge, Bill Sanderson of Townie Bagels and Gregory Goodman of My Little Flower Shop.
By the numbers: The fund's remaining balance is being split three ways: $34,000 for reproductive health care grants for clients with financial need, $34,000 to the Palm Springs Police Foundation for a mobile command unit, and $5,000 for small business emergency preparedness workshops.
Behind the scenes: The Desert Business Association and Palm Springs Pride served as administrative and fiscal partners, with organizers saying no administrative fee was charged and no public funds were used to run the fund.
The other efforts: Two separate recovery campaigns also responded to the bombing — the city's Palm Springs Recovery Fund, backed by a $50,000 City Council allocation in July 2025, and a $125,000 "Palm Springs United" fundraiser run by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
What they're saying: "Thank you for standing with Palm Springs when it mattered most," the organizations said in the statement.
Briefly
Volunteers with Well in the Desert serve meals at a local church. (File photo)
🍽️ Well in the Desert receives $1 million donation amid relocation search
Palm Springs-based homeless service provider Well in the Desert has received a $1 million donation to help fund the purchase of a permanent home as the nonprofit faces displacement of some of its operations from a downtown location.
President Matthew Naylor announced the gift on social media Wednesday, and later told The Desert Sun that the organization needs about $2 million to buy and renovate a suitable property and has launched a fundraising campaign to raise the remaining funds. The nonprofit served nearly 98,000 meals in 2025 and more than 250 families each week from its food bank.
Details: Well in the Desert is being displaced from its Town and Country Center space after the Palm Springs City Council authorized a $4 million purchase of part of the plaza to build a new fire station. The moving deadline has been extended to mid-August, and the group will seek a temporary location while searching for a permanent home.
A MESSAGE FROM
STUFT PIZZA BAR & GRILL
World Cup viewing. Every game broadcast at both restaurants, join our watch parties and play for prizes.
This Sunday, Treat Dad to our hand-selected, single-barrel bourbon, an incredible lineup of highly allocated wheated whiskeys, and an exceptional, hard-to-find craft tequila collection.
We’ve been holding back the good stuff just for Dad.
📆 Your Weekend
Multiple Days
XOXO Palm Springs 2026 all weekend at Various locations
Palm Springs Power Baseball at Palm Springs Stadium Today and Saturday ($10)
Today
Friends of the Palm Springs Library Book Club at Welwood Murray Memorial Library at 2 p.m.
Live in the Lobby at Ace Hotel at 2 p.m.
Foodie Fridays at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 5 p.m.
Juneteenth Unity Picnic + Concert at Palm Springs Downtown Park at 5 p.m.
"Something to Entertain You" documentary screening at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 6 p.m. ($15)
Drag Race Viewing Party at one eleven bar at 7 p.m.
Psychic Standup with Karen Rontowski at Revolution Stage Company at 7 p.m. ($35)
Ralph Porter Juneteenth Comedy Show at Agua Caliente Casino at 7 p.m. ($23)
Friday Night DJs at Ace Hotel at 8 p.m.
Martin Morrow Comedy Show at The Rock Gallery at 8 p.m. ($15)
Saturday
Palm Springs Certified Farmers' Market at Palm Springs Pavilion at 8 a.m.
Tahquitz Creek Cleanup at Tahquitz Creek at 8 a.m.
Bicentennial Cinema: "Escape to Witch Mountain" screening at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 2 p.m.
Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom Through History and Culture at Revolution Stage Company at 2 p.m.
Goth Girl Summer at The Skylark Hotel at 5 p.m. ($7–$12)
Juneteenth Pageant at James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center at 5:30 p.m. ($14)
"Father of the Bride" screening at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 6 p.m. ($17)
Palm Springs Food Truck Festival at Sunrise Park at 6 p.m.
The Not-So Newlywed Game at Center for Spiritual Living at 7 p.m. ($55)
Soulful Summer Solstice at Hotel Zoso at 7 p.m. ($45–$71)
Sunday
R&B Brunch Party at Reforma at 11 a.m. ($55)
Family+ at Palm Springs Art Museum at 12 p.m.
"42nd Street" screening at The Plaza Theatre at 3 p.m.
Screwball Sundays: "His Girl Friday" screening at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 3 p.m. ($17)
JBKO at Revolution Stage Company at 7 p.m. ($28)
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
🚠 And Finally …
Prescott Preserve’s desert makeover has some help behind the scenes: a small Sky Valley nursery growing native plants from local seed stock for some of the project’s most visible public areas.
Driving the news: In its June newsletter, Preserve staff noted they are working with Lisha Astorga and the team at Desert Strawhouse Nursery to grow native plants for buffer zones, public edges and areas next to nearby condo associations and neighborhoods — places that fall outside the Preserve’s main state-funded restoration work.
Donor members of Friends of Prescott Preserve paid for more than 1,000 of the plants now being grown for those areas.
Why the partnership: A Wildlife Conservation Board grant is funding much of the Preserve’s restoration, but it doesn’t cover every part of the site. Some areas are outside the official restoration zones, and building-related projects are not included.
Worth noting: Astorga’s nursery is not working from a generic plant list. Every species comes from an approved palette meant to reflect two native habitats: Creosote Bush Scrub, anchored by creosote, brittlebush and white bursage; and Desert Wash Woodland, featuring smoke tree, desert willow and mesquite.
In Case You Missed It
Recently published stories
👔 Kendall hates every father’s day gift guide because her dad: 1. doesn’t wear ties 2. doesn’t drink whisky 3. doesn’t golf. And that’s pretty much it for gift guides!
👨👦 Mark hopes his dad knows how much he is loved and appreciated this Father’s Day and every day!
WORK WITH US
Our network of publications has nearly 50,000 email subscribers and we send 125,000 newsletters each week! That gives advertisers unmatched reach to engaged local readers across the Coachella Valley. Click the button below to learn more or receive our rate card.
EXPLORE & SUBSCRIBE
We deliver free news to communities throughout the Coachella Valley and a roundup on Saturdays. Click below to subscribe to our other newsletters!
Proudly produced in District 1. Typos are intentional.