Inyo Register
Inyo County blowin’ in the wind
A huge wind event turned into a dust storm over Bishop and other Eastern Sierra communities Sunday afternoon, downing trees and powerlines, and keeping first responders and county staff busy with numerous calls for service. The National Weather...
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Model coach, strike a pose!
Bishop Union High School athletic director Stacy Van Nest’s (standing) announcement that the California Interscholastic Federation selected varsity football head coach Arnie Palu (in gray shirt at rear of room) as the 2025-2026 Model Coach of the Year...
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No more truckin’ in Bishop?
Gearjammers in downtown Bishop could be driving around the city rather than through it in the future. After hearing a presentation from Mayor Stephen Muchovej regarding how the number of big rigs rolling down Main Street already has exceeded...
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Changes coming to Bishop downtown parking landscape
About a dozen Bishop residents got to learn about the city’s upcoming plans regarding parking in the downtown area during a public workshop held at the City Council Chambers on April 29. Two representatives from the Wood Rodgers engineering, planning...
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National Day of Prayer
One of the busiest intersections in Bishop, where Main and West Line streets cross, was the stage for a National Day of Prayer gathering Thursday evening. Organized by the Eastern Sierra Pastors Association, the interdenominational event brought...
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‘Walking the talk’ of stocking the lake
The praise for Crowley Fish Foundation Tuesday morning from dozens gathered on the Hilton Bay shore of Crowley Lake was as plentiful as the spring rain that had been falling steadily since the night before. Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce board...
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Spring fever continues
The spring fever that began in April is lingering into May with no sign of abatement, and those “stricken” with it — which seems to be just about everyone in the Eastern Sierra — are getting out and enjoying sunshine, warmth and community to the...
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Cameras on chopping block?
Bishop Police Chief Nate Derr will be reviewing automated license plate reader technology vendor alternatives after residents voiced concerns about Flock Safety’s company’s questionable business practices this week. Derr first proposed installing 10...
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Model mules at the museum
A new link to the “King of the Cowboys,” Roy Rogers — besides the one that naturally exists at Lone Pine’s Museum of Western Film History — has surfaced in Inyo County, this time in Bishop. Laws Railroad Museum & Historical Site recently received a...
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‘A sacred and horrific site’
The 57th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage took place Saturday at Manzanar National Historic Site, one of 10 relocation centers for Japanese Americans during World War II, which many have since called concentration camps. Some of the activities showcased in...
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Judicial candidates appeal to voters
The Independence Civic Club hosted an Inyo County Superior Court Judge candidate forum Wednesday evening at the American Legion Hall in Independence, with participation from all four candidates who are vying for two six-year-term seats in the June 2...
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Living the Carnegie Hall dream
Editor’s Note: Earlier this month, 32 of the 40-member Eastern Sierra Community Chorus traveled to New York for an April 13 performance at Carnegie Hall featuring the music of Grammywinning contemporary choral composer Eric Whitacre. Whitacre conducted...
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Celebrating Mother Earth
“April is the cruelest month,” says the opening line of T.S. Elliot’s famous poem, “The Waste Land.” Well, in the Eastern Sierra, April might just be the busiest month for two reasons: the weather is pleasant, inviting locals and visitors to get...
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‘High’ times in the Eastern Sierra
I don’t smoke pot. However, I have been aware of the expression “420” for a number of years, and had a vague idea of its association with the date April 20 (or 4/20) and cannabis culture. I also know that there are a number of highly visible and...
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Bringing the farm to school
The Inyo Farm@School on the Bishop Elementary School campus recently harvested 189 pounds of carrots grown by the students during the winter months and served in the school’s cafeteria last Monday and Tuesday. “Our school farm is an outdoor classroom,...
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Expressing love for Mother Earth
April is Earth Month, and nature-loving Eastern Sierra locals are pulling all the stops to celebrate Mother Earth throughout the entire month with Earth Day celebrations, educational outings, litter cleanups, and community science efforts. Following...
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Disappointment as big as a desert landscape
The disappointment was palpable in the media release received from local Tribes and conservation organizations about the Bureau of Land Management’s decision Monday to allow gold mining exploratory drilling on Conglomerate Mesa following years of local...
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‘Creating some kind of good work’
The Inyo Council for the Arts will celebrate the opening of “Drew Wickman: Getting Here,” a solo retrospective art exhibition highlighting the expansive career of local artist Drew Wickman, with a public reception from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, April...
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Eastern Sierra becomes ‘Easter’ Sierra
Expressions of Christian believers’ faith abounded throughout Inyo and Mono counties from Good Friday through Easter Sunday, as churches observed solemn celebrations of Christ’s death and resurrection in Passion plays, sunrise services, worship, and...
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From the Eastern Sierra to the Big Apple
Echoes of the Eastern Sierra will be heard on the East Coast in less than two weeks, when the Eastern Sierra Community Chorus performs in one of the nation’s most famous concert venues: New York City’s Carnegie Hall. On Monday, April 13, some 32 of...
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Donations encouraged for unpaid local TSA officers
The concern was evident in the email sent last Wednesday to local service clubs and media outlets by Joe Pollini, guest host and information supervisor at the Bishop Chamber of Commerce. It followed an urgent round of phone calls he had already made...
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Nearly 900 gather for No Kings 3.0
People driving between Southern California and Mammoth Lakes or vice-versa on Saturday likely encountered one, two or all three of the peaceful protests that took place in Independence, Bishop and Mammoth, as part of the 3,300-rally-strong No Kings 3.0...
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Witness Stations of the Cross drama on Good Friday
For the past 13 years, members of the group Renacer Católico (Catholic Rebirth) of Bishop’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church have hosted a reenactment of the Passion of the Christ on Good Friday. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the faith...
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‘Celebrating Desert Communities’
The only “vole” sighted at the Vole Fest Saturday was Inyo County Fifth District Supervisor Will Wadelton posing for a photo with his face poking through a human-sized vole cutout board in the parking lot of the Tecopa Community Center. Nevertheless,...
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Call of the ‘Wild Spirits’
Feathered and reptilian “ambassadors” of animal rescue stole the show at Wildcare Eastern Sierra’s Wild Spirits Annual Fundraiser Sunday, while their human handlers/ spokespersons shared animal care fun facts and useful tips with about 100...
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California leaders now reckon with Chávez’s past
César Chávez, the legendary California farmlabor activist and MexicanAmerican civil rights icon, has for decades been a figure intertwined with state and national Democratic politics. Former President Joe Biden had a bust of Chávez inside the White...
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World peace coming to Lone Pine
A group of Tibetan Buddhist monks will be in Lone Pine from March 24-29 as part of their 2026 Sacred Harmony World Peace Tour. The monks of Gaden Shartse Monastery Phukhang in South India seek to cultivate intercultural understanding, peace, and...
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Prepping for maximum vole-tage
Friends of the Amargosa Basin is hosting its third annual Vole Fest, which it calls “a daylong celebration of the diverse communities of life that call the Amargosa Basin home,” on Saturday, March 21, in Tecopa and Shoshone. Named after the Amargosa...
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Three vying for District 3 seat
A colorful race for the Inyo County Board of Supervisors Third District seat is in store as part of the June 2 Primary Election. In the running are incumbent Scott Marcellin, along with former Bishop Paiute Tribal Chairman Steven Orihuela, and The...
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Field trip showcases Round Valley herd
More than three dozen people joined Eastern Sierra Land Trust staff and California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Inyo and Mono County Unit biologist Dan Taylor last weekend for a mule deer migration corridor field trip. For a couple of hours...
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Warding off a mollusk apocalypse
Using PowerPoint graphics that could very well be publicizing a horror film titled “The Invasion of the Golden Mussels,” Mono County Sustainable Recreation Superintendent Marcella Rose effectively delivered a workshop on these marauding mollusks to the...
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Kiley to run in new district
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, has chosen to seek re-election in a left-leaning Congressional district where he will face off with a crowded field of Democratic contenders. In a statement on Monday morning, Kiley said he will be running in the 6th...
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Is Kevin Kiley shifting away from donald trump?
Nearly four years ago, a surprise endorsement from President Donald Trump helped propel Kevin Kiley from the state Assembly to Congress. “He doesn’t wait for the fight, like the donothing RINOs who have watched California get absolutely destroyed by...
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Almost top dogs!
Three Inyo County Sheriff’s Office deputies and their canine partners earned top-five rankings in a variety of categories during the 2026 Murrieta Police K9 Trials held on Feb. 13-15. The event featured 47 teams competing for the prestigious Top Dog...
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Healthcare district could face bondholder takeover
Northern Inyo Healthcare District’s current failure to meet loan terms on outstanding bonds could lead to bondholders taking over the hospital even as administration works on long-term plans to ensure the facility’s solvency. District CFO Andrea...
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Keeping track in the snow
Sixteen people from across the Eastern Sierra and as far away as Death Valley gathered Saturday for an all-day wildlife tracking workshop in the snow in Round Valley hosted by Eastern Sierra Land Trust and Sierra Forever. Participants learned how to...
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Tahoe avalanche victims identified
Details began to emerge Thursday about the people killed in a deadly avalanche at Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe four days ago. Many of those killed belonged to a tight-knit group of Stanford University graduates, The New York Times reported. Reports are...
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Kiley rules out return to Legislature
Rep. Kevin Kiley, Rocklin, remains undecided on his looming Congressional re-election campaign, but he has ruled out a return to the California Legislature. Kiley offered the latest update to his reelection campaign at a live event Tuesday night...
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Love in the air in Independence
Cupid’s arrow didn’t strike as many local couples as Inyo County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar and Commissioner of Civil Marriages Danielle Sexton would have liked on Saturday. But it was, after all, the first time the county offered Valentine’s Day...
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SIGHT brings back ‘Live Full, Die Well’ series
Living fully and dying satisfied are goals many people say they would like to realize. Well perhaps exploring films on the subject with like-minded others can help one get ideas for a life fully lived and a death well planned. SIGHT – A Natural Burial...
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Tears flow in ‘Land of Flowing Water’
Editor’s Note: This tribute contains parts of a profile story on Kathy Bancroft that was originally featured in the spring 2023 issue of Friends of the Inyo’s Jeffrey Pine Journal magazine. Many are direct quotes from an interview conducted with...
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Preventing a species from ‘mussel’-ing in
If the golden mussel invasion that already is expanding throughout much of California hits the Eastern Sierra, the damage it will bring will ripple far beyond recreational fishing, according to state officials. Nick Buckmaster, an environmental...
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Residents spell frustration ‘D-M-V’
Groundhog Day in the Eastern Sierra came with balmy weather and a call to action on social media from a local policymaker regarding the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Bishop Office, which serves Inyo and Mono counties. “Good morning on this...
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No ‘love’ lost in court debate
Pickleball and tennis players exchanged volley after volley last week over how courts should be used at City Park. The City of Bishop’s Community Services Department is currently resurfacing courts at the park, with the lower courts having been...
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Illegal off-roaders sought
Death Valley National Park is seeking the public’s help to identify the individuals responsible for illegal off-road driving on Eureka Dunes on Dec. 17. More than five miles of unauthorized vehicle tracks caused significant damage to at least 74 rare...
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Bishop Chamber seeks return to City Park
The Bishop Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has passed a resolution urging for the repair or rebuild of the A-frame that housed the visitors center in City Park, the agency’s first official action regarding the structure’s fate since its Main...
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NIHD celebrates updated pharmacy and infusion center
Northern Inyo Healthcare District celebrated the opening of its new pharmacy and infusion center Thursday, with close to three dozen staff, board and community members in attendance. In his remarks, New CEO Christian Wallis, with help from others...
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No support for Death Valley land transfer
Citing a financial hit to area schools and a continued decline in private property ownership, Inyo County supervisors said they couldn’t support a proposed land donation from U.S. Borax to Death Valley National Park on Tuesday. According to staff,...
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‘Hero, dad, best friend’
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part story. The first part was published on Jan. 15. The sea has to be mighty cold for a body to freeze onto the life ring that is keeping it afloat. But the Barents Sea, off the northern coasts of Norway...
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Great haste makes green waste
For Jeanine Lomaintewa, green waste clearance is a weighty, ongoing task. She is a steward and fuel reduction coordinator with the Three Creeks Collective, a rare five-acre oasis returned to Indigenous care that lies between Big Pine and Independence...
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NIHD to tackle anticipated struggles
Henry Ford once said, “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’re going to always get what you’ve always gotten.” Northern Inyo Healthcare District Chief Executive Officer Christian Wallis quoted the auto industry magnate when describing...
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‘A Living Legend’
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part story. When Bridgeport resident Richard “Dick” Burbine came into the world a century ago in Melrose, Mass., a number of things we take for granted today, like nylon, radar, ballpoint pens, Teflon,...
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Residents want ‘Ice Out For Good’
Eastern Sierra communities joined “Ice Out for Good” protests that were carried out throughout the country over the weekend, following last Wednesday’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis mom Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
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ESBRC Leadership Development Program graduates 27 local leaders
A first-of-its-kind business leadership training effort in the Eastern Sierra culminated in the graduation ceremony of 27 local professionals who completed the Eastern Sierra Business Resource Center’s fivemonth-long Leadership Development Program...
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New USPS rule could affect mail delivery dates in California
From election ballots to tax returns, a new U.S. Postal Service rule could change how quickly important mail reaches its destination in California. According to the Federal Register — the federal government’s official journal — the Postal Service is...
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Impromptu action taken
Members of the South County Advocates organization gathered at Spainhower Park in Lone Pine Sunday to protest the Trump Administration’s military action in Venezuela over the weekend. Early Saturday morning, U.S. troops seized Venezuelan President...
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A final look back at 2025
Sept. 20: Trustees say policy does not align with district mission — A proposal to consider banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports was rejected in September, with Bishop school leaders stating the move does not align with the mission to...
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Another look back at 2025
May 1: Golden mussel threatens Eastern Sierra — While it had yet to be detected in the Eastern Sierra, officials began warning the public about an invasive species that could have a devastating effect on the local economy. The Bishop Chamber of...
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A look back at 2025
Jan. 7: Missing hiker’s body found on Mt. Whitney — The body of an Inyo County resident Taylor Rodriguez was found on Mt. Whitney days after he set out to summit the peak. Rodriguez was located half a mile northwest of Upper Boy Scout Lake at an...
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Later is better for end-of-holiday sale
While it may be true that the early bird catches the worm, the late shopper — as in the one that waits to hunt for discounts after Christmas — might just be the one to swoop in on the best bargains. The Inyo Register made the rounds earlier this week,...
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Climber to serve 6 months in jail
Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of domestic abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. Prominent California rock climber Lonnie Kauk has been sentenced to six...
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Nuttier than a fruitcake
The colorful wackiness of the Mad Hatter and many other “Alice in Wonderland” characters manifested mightily at the Independence Legion Hall Saturday, during “The Mad Hatter’s Fruitcake Party,” which was the theme of this year’s Fruitcake...
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Local ‘water protectors’ sue LADWP
The three member organizations of the Eastern Sierra Water Alliance filed a joint lawsuit Wednesday against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, claiming the utility has failed to comply with legally required vegetation mitigation work in the...
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‘Mad Hatter’s Fruitcake Party’ promises zany fun
The Independence Fruitcake Festival may outdo itself in theme zaniness this year, as organizers get ready to host “The Mad Hatter’s Fruitcake Party” Saturday for the 18th annual celebration of a rich holiday treat that has been around for...
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Shopping with the cops
It took two counties, more than a dozen law enforcement agencies, scores of volunteers, countless monetary donations from the community, and generous accommodating retailers to put on the Eastern Sierra Shop with a Cop event in Bishop Saturday. But...
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Bishop abuzz with Bronco fever
Will stomping hooves stampede to victory today, or will sharpened talons claw their way to a win? The Bishop Union High School Broncos will face off against the Calaveras High School Red Hawks in the California Interscholastic Federation State Finals...
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A difficult year for wildlife
The annual newsletter of local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation nonprofit Wildcare Eastern Sierra issued last Friday does not pull any punches: 2025 has been “A difficult year for wildlife,” as its headline proclaims. The culprit? “Human-related...
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Bringing holiday cheer to Bishop
Good cheer inundated the streets of Bishop Saturday, with the fun holiday hustle and bustle of the Community Christmas Parade and Downtown Festivities served up by the city and participating businesses, agencies and nonprofits. The fun started early...
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Nurses, techs ready to strike
Union employees at Northern Inyo Healthcare District have given notice of intent to strike beginning Monday, Dec. 15, in case state mediation with the hospital scheduled for Dec. 9 fails to meet resolution over staffing and wage disputes. Employees...
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Small town, holiday spirit, good cheer
Nothing says “small town” like a parade. And nothing says “small town with a big backyard for the holidays” like Bishop’s annual Community Christmas Parade & Downtown Festivities, set to bring good cheer to all on Saturday, Dec. 6. “Bishop’s...
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One more game to go
The Bishop Union High School varsity football team is one victory away from the state finals. The Broncos are headed to their first California Interscholastic Federation Regional Championship in six years next weekend after defeating Woodlake High...
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What’s in a new name?
It began with the need to get new uniforms, Marisa Gierlich explained. The executive director of adaptive sports nonprofit organization Access Mammoth was talking to a full house at Mammoth Coffee Roasting for the Nov. 12 Mammoth Lakes Chamber of...
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Giving a helping hand
Coming on the heels of self-pampering through food and football on Thanksgiving Day and shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday is a selfless call to refocus. This day of generosity that manifests primarily through online giving to...
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Here’s when to fly and drive for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is days away. Whether you’re roasting a turkey, watching football or gathering with family, be ready for recordbreaking traffic and big crowds in California. AAA predicts a surge in holiday travel this year, with nearly 82 million people...
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