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Dramatic video has captured the helicopter rescue of a hiking couple that ran out of water in Joshua Tree amid California’s triple-digit heat wave.
A man called 911 from an area known as Painted Canyon on June 9 and reported that his girlfriend was weak and dehydrated, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office wrote on a social media post.
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The department’s Rescue 9 helicopter was dispatched to the hikers’ location, and rescuers spotted the couple huddled in a dry creek bed. The man could be seen attempting to shield the woman’s body from the blistering heat and wind.
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Video from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department captured a man shielding his dehydrated girlfriend from the blazing heat and wind after the couple ran out of water in Joshua Tree on June 9.(Riverside County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The pair were hoisted one by one into the helicopter and flown to a nearby landing zone. There, the department said, an aeromedical helicopter rushed the woman to a hospital “due to her severe condition.”
The department told SFGATE that the man was driven in an ambulance to get medical attention.
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According to the National Weather Service, the Painted Canyon area saw high temperatures ranging from 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
This week, the agency issued Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories across California’s Central Valley and the Desert Southwest.
The couple were hoisted into a helicopter one-by-one and whisked to area hospitals, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. (Riverside County Sheriff’s Office )
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Nearly 19 million people in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and South Texas were issued these warnings — the most extreme form of heat alerts issued by the NWS — this past week.
“Please remember as the temps increase take more water than you think you will need, have a hiking plan, and tell two people where you are going,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in its social media post.
HAMILTON, Mont. — By the turn of the 20th century elk populations in North America were at desperately low levels.
Years of unregulated hunting had decimated elk numbers.
But there was a healthy population of elk in Yellowstone National Park.
In 1912, a herd of elk from Yellowstone were transported to Hamilton.
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Now mounts believed to be from the original Yellowstone elk are being celebrated at the new fire hall.
Taxidermist Kurt Kohn has restored the mounts of two of Hamilton’s most famous bull elk.
NBC Montana met the taxidermist at his shop where he showed us his work.
He restored one of the trophies in 1998.
He just completed the restoration of the second one.
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Both bulls are believed to be important touchstones in modern elk populations.
“The elk were hunted to near extinction at the turn of the century,” said Kurt. “I had the rare privilege to restore one of the most historic elk in the United States, certainly in Montana but probably the United States as well. This is believed to be one of the original elk that were reintroduced to the Bitterroot Valley in 1912.”
To restock elk numbers in the valley, sportsmen and supporters initiated an ambitious effort in 1912 to transport dozens of elk from the park to Hamilton by train.
The first transport ended tragically when curious crowds stressed the already nervous elk.
“The first one was a failure,” said Kurt. ” A lot of the elk were killed due to a stampede and a crowd that was in Hamilton, Montana. It became a public spectacle.”
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The next transport was successful.
“They let them go in the middle of the night,” said Kurt. ” Nobody else knew that it was happening other than the people involved in the reintroduction.”
The elk were held in an enclosure at the Bitter Root Stock Farm to become acclimated,” said Kurt, “before being released into the wild.”
The animals dispersed to the east in the Sapphire Mountains and propagated new generations of elk.
Kurt said it’s believed the elk he remounted are likely forebears of the elk we see today.
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Pointing to the new mount he said, “this elk is important because it’s a piece of history. Generally, all the elk in Montana are probably related to this elk in some way.”
“There’s likely to be a strong connection to this elk,” he said,” and the elk introduced in the Bitterroot to all of the elk in Montana, and around the United States.”
The trophies had been mounted at Hamilton’s old fire hall for as long as anyone can remember.
Those mounts were treasured by generations of firefighters.
But the force outgrew the historic building downtown, and moved to a new location across town.
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Since then, both mounts have been in Kurt’s taxidermy shop, waiting for transport to the new fire hall.
Hamilton Fire Captain Travis Walker helped Kurt move the mounts from Kurt’s shop to their new home in the new fire hall.
Travis calls the mounts a “memento to the fire department.”
Moving the bulls from the taxidermy shop was a delicate process.
The men had to be careful to make sure the elk’s racks were protected.
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They loaded both mounts into the pickup, securing the elk so they wouldn’t be jarred on the trip.
After arriving at the hall, Kurt wrote a dedication on the back of a mount.
“That will be here for the next hundred years,” he said.
The mounts were installed on the kitchen wall, where crews spend a lot of time.
The elk have been mascots to fire crews for well over a hundred years.
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“The Bitterroot is known for its big game species of hunting and most of the guys on the fire department are big hunters as well,” said Travis. “They would be our mascots. They’re part of our heritage of being firemen and the hunting part of the Bitterroot. “
Kurt said we don’t know exactly what happened to these elk, whether they were harvested in a hunt or died by other means.
The only parts of the mount that are original are the antlers and the skull plate.
Kurt’s son Kameron Kohn provided the cape for one of the elk.
It came from his successful bow hunting trip.
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“I think it’s a really cool way to be able to honor the history of elk in the Bitterroot Valley,” said Kameron. ” It’s a great way to honor the memory of that hunt with me and my wife. It came from a similar sized bull and it’s a beautiful cape.”
“I think they needed to move with their fire people,” said Travis of the mounts, “They were lonely.”
Now, the Yellowstone bull elk are finally home, to be cherished at Hamilton Fire Department headquarters.
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Viking Mines is officially transitioning from paperwork to power tools at its Linka tungsten project in Nevada, lodging a formal Notice of Intent with the US Bureau of Land Management for an expansive 63-hole drilling campaign.
The move marks a pivotal shift for the company as it prepares to launch the first exploration drilling at the historical site in more than four decades, aiming to breathe new life into a project that last saw production in 1956.
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The company says the upcoming blitz will test the Linka system at scale across 48 drill pads, focusing on three distinct technical objectives to unlock maximum value.
A company geologist inspecting historical workings at Viking Mines Linka tungsten project in Nevada, US.
At the “Linka Main” target, Viking will chase confirmation of historical high-grade intercepts to fast-track a maiden resource. The company is out to replicate some serious old-timer hits, including 9.8 metres at 0.5 per cent tungsten trioxide from one hole, and another of 7.9 metres at 0.9 per cent tungsten trioxide. Not to be outdone, a channel sample previously delivered a chunky 8.5m at 1.0 per cent tungsten trioxide.
‘This 63-hole programme targets near-surface opportunities in a strategic US tungsten district.’
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock
The second phase of the attack will target the “Linka Southwest” extension. This high-potential zone sits under younger shallow cover where the mineralisation appears to continue for at least 800 metres beyond the known historical workings.
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Viking plans to drill four sections spaced between 125 metres and 150 metres apart to confirm bedrock geology and the continuity of skarn mineralisation. Surface samples in this neck of the woods have already returned up to 0.6 per cent tungsten trioxide, suggesting the system has plenty of room to grow.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock said: “Lodging the NOI marks our transition to active sub-surface exploration. This 63-hole programme targets near-surface opportunities and the 800m southwest extension, building a growth pipeline in a strategic US tungsten district.”
Lastly, regional reconnaissance drilling will push further afield to test the scale of a broader intrusive body flagged by magnetic and gravity surveys. Shallow vertical holes will be used to pierce the cover and reach the underlying bedrock, to define the contact positions where tungsten mineralisation typically congregates.
Viking Mines says an expanded geophysical survey recently revealed a much bigger intrusive system at Linka than previously believed.
A deeper dive with the magnetics outlined a tungsten-bearing body stretching two kilometres wide, wrapped in a sprawling contact zone that runs for more than seven kilometres – a prime hunting ground for mineralisation.
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The size of the contact zone is important since it marks the boundary where hot, metal-charged fluids from the intrusion collide with surrounding carbonate-rich limestone, setting up the perfect chemical trap for tungsten to precipitate in classic skarn-style mineralisation.
With federal nods expected this month, Viking is also in the final stages of contractor selection and expects to mobilise to the site during the June quarter.
The timing of the drill program looks spot ahead of the December 2026 REEShore Act mandate, which bans Chinese-origin tungsten from US military supply chains. The company is aiming to carve out a strategic foothold in the US, targeting a market that remains structurally short of domestic supply and increasingly hungry for secure, homegrown tungsten.
To further bolster the development case, the company is working with Mineral Technologies on a modular plant design and evaluating historical above-ground stockpiles, which have recently returned samples of 0.8 per cent tungsten trioxide.
While Linka is the immediate focus, Viking continues to monitor its other strategic interests, including the Canegrass vanadium project in Western Australia. However, the immediate prize is clearly in the Nevada desert.
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Viking appears to be wasting no time in its bid to become a serious player in the critical minerals space. With the drill rods about to spin at Linka in a world-class jurisdiction and tungsten prices nearing record highs, punters will likely be keeping a close eye on the company’s unfolding Nevada story and eagerly watching for the first batch of assays to land.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
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Santa Fe residents’ desire for cleaner, better-maintained parks was on display during a recent meeting about this year’s Fourth of July fireworks show at Franklin Miles Park.
Several people asked if the city would make improvements to the park ahead of the celebration. One man didn’t mince words: “Right now, it’s pretty awful,” he said.
Mayor Michael Garcia’s administration is set to present this week the proposed city spending plan for fiscal year 2027, which he has said will shift work away from contractors to in-house city staff, including in the Parks and Open Space Division.
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Garcia said he believes the transition — which won’t happen overnight — should allow the city to ultimately receive a higher level of service for less money.
Paige Grant, right, takes one for the team as she teaches fifth and sixth graders from Aspen Community School about the watershed by getting doused during a gardening event at Alto Park.
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Jim Weber/The New Mexican
He noted, however, requirements baked into the city’s land use code have expanded the number of city parks with new developments — without increases to the parks division’s budget. With 77 parks, Santa Fe has roughly one park for every 864 residents, based on recent population estimates. That’s more than double the rate in Rio Rancho, which has one park for every 1,753 residents, and much higher than Rio Rancho, which has one park for every 2,359 residents.
The heavier demand on Santa Fe park maintenance crews comes this year as the Garcia administration strives to balance a laundry list of priorities with a flat budget.
Last year’s mayoral election came in a political environment dominated by dissatisfaction with the status quo. Park maintenance was a top priority for many Santa Fe residents, along with hard-hitting topics such as crime, homelessness services and housing.
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Without an influx of new revenue, Garcia said, additional park maintenance would likely mean less money for investments in other areas.
The mayor hopes to have a communitywide conversation after the budget is finalized about whether the city could find ways to “reenvision” some parks to make upkeep of the public spaces less labor-intensive or rethink how properties are used.
“These are going to be hard conversations, but I want to ensure that we are setting up the city to successfully meet the needs of the residents,” Garcia said.
For example, he said, the city should ask if residents believe every park needs to have grass.
“If the answer to that is ‘yes,’ residents have to understand that is going to require more maintenance,” he said. “It’s going to cost more, and the city ultimately has to figure out where those resources are going to come from.”
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Councilors are expected to receive the budget proposal Wednesday. It is scheduled for introduction at the May 13 council meeting, followed by two days of budget hearings.
Ongoing conversation
Santa Feans have long been frustrated about the condition of city parks. In 2008, city voters approved a $30.3 million bond for parks and trail upgrades. But a 2015 report found the money was seriously mismanaged, and at least one project on the list never materialized.
The New Mexican created a “report card” of city parks in 2017, assigning grades based on appearance, cleanliness and the quality and condition of amenities. The newspaper surveyed 29 parks and gave more than half a C or D grade.
In an interview the following year, then newly elected Mayor Alan Webber included improved park maintenance as part of a broader “family-friendly” agenda at City Hall. But his two-term administration continued to face criticism about park conditions, including complaints from families about trash, needles and poorly-maintained play equipment.
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The City Council discussed parks at length in spring 2025 while preparing the spending plan for the current fiscal year, and councilors added $633,900 into the $479 million budget to hire an additional contract crew for median maintenance, so city staff could focus more heavily on parks.
City residents “expect a higher level of service than we are providing at this moment,” Councilor Jamie Cassutt said at the time.
Parks and Open Space Division Director Melissa McDonald said the proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 includes funding for the contract crew.
“We’ve now brought all of our parks up to a little higher standard, and this is going to help us continue to stay at a good level,” she said.
McDonald said the budget proposal also includes funds for more park workers. If the funding is approved, the division could start hiring when the new fiscal year begins in July.
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The national average of park maintenance employees for a city of Santa Fe’s size is 71, McDonald said. Santa Fe has fewer; the budget proposal would get the city up to 58.
Fifth and sixth graders from Aspen Community School paint rocks to decorate the pollinator gardens at Alto Park during an event last month.
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Jim Weber/The New Mexican
Many employees in the division have worked with the city for close to 20 or 30 years and are nearing retirement age, she said, creating opportunities for others interested in building a career at the city.
The ideal parks employee? Someone who likes being outside and wants to give back to their community.
“For somebody who really wants to have an immediate impact, this is a great place to work,” McDonald said.
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Meeting service goals
Over the past year, McDonald said the parks division has improved its output, using a methodology called “level of service goals,” which ranks all parks and medians based on certain criteria.
On a scale of 1 to 5, with a score of 5 being the poorest, McDonald said the average level of service at parks citywide was a 3, comparable to a C grade. Since then, she said, the parks division has achieved its goal of raising 50% of its parks to a 2.5 level of service in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
As part of the assessment process, maintenance crews evaluate criteria including equipment, weeds, graffiti, turf aeration, trash, restrooms and benches.
Some parks have seen significant improvement, McDonald said, including Fort Marcy park, Alto Park, Ragle Park, Salvador Perez and Amelia White Park on Old Santa Fe Trail, which has undergone a major renovation in partnership with volunteers from the Santa Fe Garden Club.
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But the division continues to wrangle with a growing number of parks as new housing developments lead to more green spaces being dedicated to the city.
Several developments underway will come with additional park land, including the long-planned Los Prados housing complex on South Meadows Road, as well as additions to the Las Soleras and Tierra Contenta subdivisions on Santa Fe’s south side.
Fifth and sixth graders from Aspen Community School painted rocks to decorate the pollinator gardens at Alto Park.
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Jim Weber/The New Mexican
A report prepared by Garcia’s transition team said the city will need to increase its maintenance crews to keep up with the level of demand without service levels dropping.
Garcia said he believes the open space requirements in the land use code need to be overhauled.
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“As these parks are developed, the city has to then take on maintenance,” he said, straining its capacity.
How Santa Fe compares
Garcia said it is no surprise the city is struggling to keep up with maintenance needs, given its number of parks, in comparison with those in other cities.
The New Mexican examined the number of parks in five other municipalities in the Land of Enchantment: Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Roswell and Farmington. While several other cities have more total parks than the 77 in Santa Fe, the City Different’s number per capita is significantly higher.
What counts as a city park also differs from city to city.
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A spokesperson for the city of Farmington said that city has 58 “park properties,” which include trails and sports fields, while a spokesperson for Roswell said it has 26 official parks, “plus numerous sports fields and recreational trails.”
Las Cruces spokesperson Maddy Leatherwood wrote in an email the city has 99 park sites, but the total rose to 152 with the inclusion of sports fields, trails, medians and landscaped buildings.
Santa Fe’s 77 parks do not include trails and other open spaces the parks division oversees or properties like the Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe golf course and Municipal Recreation Complex.
City budgets and staffing also vary dramatically, with Albuquerque’s parks budget for the current fiscal year at $52 million and Rio Rancho’s at just $2.6 million, while Santa Fe’s is $16.2 million.
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Employees also vary, with cities providing different breakdowns of seasonal and full-time workers.
Employee numbers for the Santa Fe Parks and Open Space Division have fluctuated over the past 10 years, according to city data, but a 1-to-1 comparison is difficult because of changes over time to how positions have been classified internally.
The Public Works Department, which includes the parks division, has struggled in past years with high vacancy rates, but McDonald said more recently it has seen successful recruiting efforts, including attracting younger workers.
The workers’ level of expertise also makes a big difference in the quality of parks, she said, noting the division is putting more focus on training supervisors and rank-and-file staff.
Despite the heavy workload, she was optimistic about the division’s future: “We’re continuing to constantly improve and create really great spaces for our community.”
