Faces & Jackets set to host

Places: First Scots in football

Palo Verde Valley Times
&
day of school opener/A5
Quartzsite Times /A8

Palo Verde
92nd YEAR Facebook.com/BlytheNews
38th EDITION Today’s high: 108° Details on A14

Valley Times
$1 serving blythe,california Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Blythe’s cannabis ordinance moves forward

By Uriel Avendano
Times Editor
With the State’s planned is-
suance start date slated for
this coming January, the
Blythe City Council moved
forward with the development
of Cannabis Ordinance No.
883-17 by providing some fine-
tuning at a public Study Ses-
City council’s study session irons out amendment details
sion held on Aug. 15 at City
Hall.
As presented by Interim
City Manager Mallory Crece-
lius, the ordinance’s amend-
ments as required by State
law included:
• The ordinance’s section
outlining license issuance
specifies the category of “dis-
pensaries” will have a maxi-
mum of two available; “culti-
vation” will have an unlimited
number permitted; “manufac-
turing” will have an unlim-
ited number permitted; “test-
ing” will have a maximum of
two; and “distribution” will
have a maximum of two. The
category of “transportation,”
as previously reported, has
been removed and will not be
a license option in the City of
Blythe.
• “Youth center” shall have
the same meaning as stated in
California’s Health & Safety
Code Section 11353.1 (To be
defined as, “[Any] public or
private facility that is primar-
ily used to host recreational
or social activities for minors,
including, but not limited to,
private youth membership
organizations or clubs, social
service teenage club facili-
ties, video arcades, or similar
See pot/A9

Solar
Blythe In Focus

watch
DPA students enjoy
their first eclipse
experience
By Cathyleen Rice
Times Reporter
At approximately 10:30 a.m.
on Monday, the peak of the
solar eclipse was seen by Des-
ert Preparatory Academy stu-
dents as they stood in awe of
the moon passing between the
Earth and the Sun.
Excited about watching the
first solar eclipse in their life-
time, students created their
very own glasses, with paper
plate head attachments to safe-
ly view the unique experience.
According to The National
Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration (NASA), “The
last time the contiguous U.S.
saw a total eclipse was in
1979.”
Beginning in Lincoln Beach,
Ore., and ending in Charles-
ton, S.C., students from DPA
were among millions of ob-
servers watching the moon
cover the Sun.
To celebrate the unforget-
table experience, La Paz and
eastern Riverside County stu-
dents received live and inter-
active radio feed, sponsored
by the health, education and
community initiative, MyLa-
Paz.
Joined by MyLaPaz rep-
resentative Heather Caton,
W8GEM, in conjunction with
Meet the
candidate:
Mark
Bolliger
Bollinger talks
priorities, economy
and experience
By Uriel Avendano
Times Editor
With the Nov. 7 general
election roughly two months
photoS by cathyleen rice/palo verde valley times
Desert Preparatory Academy students,  Adeline Brumfield, Amanda Bowman, Connor Coverdale, Adin Hillman away, the city of Blythe’s
and Montana Loyd marveled at the once in the lifetime sky phenomenon taking place on early Monday morning, as the City Council candidates
moon passed between the Sun and the Earth. are gearing up to introduce
themselves to their local
the new Desert Amateur Radio community constituents. 
Network, elementary school The four candidates will
students in La Paz County, be vying for three seats at
along with students from DPA the helm of the city; accord-
were able to ask questions and ing to the Riverside County
learn more about the eclipse Registrar, incumbent Joey
from certified astronomers. DeConinck, Joseph Halby,
Seated as a special guest on Johnny Rodriguez, and
the live, educational broad- Mark Bolliger will have a
cast, Dr. Nidhi Patel of the total of 4,521 registered votes
Palo Verde College helped up for grabs this coming
students from Bouse, Ehren- election.
berg, Quartzsite and Salome The Times reached out to
Elementary learn about astro- all candidates for a Q&A on
physics, by answering general Desert Preparatory Academy staff  and students stood in awe of the who they are; their experi-
questions about the eclipse full solar eclipse taking place 92 million miles above their heads. Creating ence; their priorities; the
and sharing fun facts. DIY solar eclipse glasses, students were able to experience the moon economy; goals; and more.
Radioing in and out on dif- passing between the Sun and the Earth, as it was their first time seeing such Of the four candidates, Mark
ferent frequencies, students occurence. Radioing with My La Paz educational broadcast, students were Bolliger was the only one to
asked Patel questions like, also given the opportunity to ask questions about the solar eclipse and receive make the deadline for this
See eclipse/A9 live radio responses from areas like Bouse, Quartzsite and Salome. See CANDIDATE/A9

The Times hosts first business mixer

By Cathyleen Rice
Times Reporter
Have you thought about paying
it forward and maximizing the
stance of local businesses in the
community?
Well, the Palo Verde Valley
Times did.
With the news of many busi-
nesses closing in previous months
or closing in the coming weeks,
it’s important that the residents
help do their part, by keeping the
doors of local businesses open.
Hosting its first business mix-
er at the Emerald Lounge last
Wednesday, The Times welcomed
city leaders, business owners and
employees to meet in a comfort-
able atmosphere and contribute
their ideas on ways to keep the
heart and soul of Blythe’s econo-
my prosperous.
Enjoying social hour compli-
mented by mixed drinks and
snacks, mixer attendees went
around the room introducing
themselves and shared what
Blythe meant to them, as either
a native of the area or simply a
place of employment.
As the mixer’s theme was ti-
tled, “We Heart Blythe…” PVVT
employees shared with local busi-
nessmen and women how they,
too, can help instill hope in the
community and implore people
to shop local.
Best known as a city that comes
together in time of need, there are
many ways people in Blythe can
help support their friends and
neighbors who take the risk of op-
erating a business that employs
many of the residents in town.
As a call to action to help make
this community’s vitality stron-
ger, the Times asked each busi-
ness representative in attendance
to hang shop local support signs
in their windows, to encourage
individuals to invest.
Did you know, buying local
adds value to the community
and that it strengthens the city’s
economy, by keeping all the dol-
See MIXER/A9

Palo Verde Valley Times hosted  its very first business mixer at the Emerald Lounge on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Thanks to Ryan
and Aditi for hosting the social event, business men and women came together to share their love for Blythe and ways everyone
can help do their part in making the city of Blythe economically viable.

loaned photo