Indy Digest: Sept. 15, 2025
I’m taking a break from the news of the day (though there’s plenty of that down below) to discuss something MUCH more pleasant in this space: our Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll!
I spent a good chunk of last week and the weekend sorting all of the nomination round votes—so today, we could announce the finalists and begin final-round voting!
If you’re unfamiliar: Our Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll, now in its 12th year, includes 150 categories. In some ways, it’s like a lot of the “Best Of” polls that other publications and groups do—but in other ways, it’s VERY different.
For example:
• We ask readers to vote ONLY once per round. Most polls encourage readers to vote once per day, or even more often, in an effort to get more web traffic. But we’d rather have a good, legit slate of winners and finalists than get a few extra page views—so please ONLY vote once per round.
• We take steps to discourage and eliminate ballot-box stuffing. We require email verification to vote, and we track IP addresses—and our system flags groups of ballots that come from the same IP address.
• We don’t suck like the parent company of The Desert Sun, which does polls in its myriad markets using the preposterous name “The Official Community’s Choice Awards“—with the same logo and criteria in all of those markets. How very local and “community” of them! #sarcasm. (Incidentally, we’ve always done our Best Of polling this time of year. A while back, Gannett moved theirs to overlap with ours. Apologies in advance for the confusion—even though it’s their fault, not ours!)
• We partner with KESQ News Channel 3 to promote the poll, because we really ARE about collaboration and the community!
• Finally, this is not a pay-to-win poll. You, our readers, select the finalists and winners; the results have nothing to do with who advertises with the Independent, and who doesn’t.
Of course, the Best of Coachella Valley poll and its results are not perfect. (While local businesses and organizations constitute the VAST majority of the winners and finalists in our poll, I am still a little cranky that y’all selected McDonald’s as the winner in the Best French Fries category last year.) But we do it each year because 1) readers really enjoy it, and 2) to be frank, our Best of Coachella Valley issue is our biggest and most profitable edition of the year—meaning it funds a LOT of wonderful journalism.
To peruse the finalists and/or vote, head to vote.cvindependent.com. The polls are open through Sunday, Oct. 19—and remember, please only vote once!
Congrats to all of this year’s finalists—and thank you, readers, in advance for your thoughtful votes!
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Protectors of Pets: Animal Advocates Are Suing the Riverside County Department of Animal Services—but Advocates and the County Are Partnering on a Badly Needed Spay-and-Neuter Program
By Bruce Fessier
September 14, 2025
Despite pending litigation, local animal advocates are working in tandem with Riverside County Department of Animal Services director Mary Martin on a spay and neuter project to prevent overcrowding.
CV History: Angel View, Which Got Its Start Helping Kids With Polio, Has Been Assisting Disabled Coachella Valley Residents for More Than 70 Years
By Greg Niemann
September 12, 2025
Angel View, a nonprofit organization that helps disabled children throughout the Coachella Valley, was founded in 1954 on a natural hot mineral spring in Desert Hot Springs by a group of parents whose children suffered from polio.
Emotional Horror: ‘The Long Walk’ Is Very Good—but Avoid It If You’re in a Bad Mood or Dislike Onscreen Violence
By Bob Grimm
September 15, 2025
Years after a fictional American civil war, young men gather for an annual ritual that requires them to walk until just one man remains standing, winning vast riches. The catch: When you bow out, you are executed on the spot.
More News
• Well, this is horrifying. NBC News reports that, as the story’s sub-headline says, “much of the U.S. doesn’t have the protection needed to stop the spread of deadly diseases” due to childhood-vaccination decreases. Details: “One key finding of the analysis is stunning: A large swath of the U.S. currently does not have the basic, ground-level immunity medical experts say is necessary to stop the spread of measles, which had once nearly been eliminated. The data further reveals that since 2019, 77% of counties and jurisdictions in the U.S. have reported notable declines in childhood vaccination rates. The declines span from less than 1 percentage point to more than 40 percentage points. … Among the states collecting data for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, 68% of counties and jurisdictions now have immunization rates below 95%—the level of herd immunity doctors say is needed to protect against an outbreak.”
• In normal times, this would be a massive scandal, possibly worthy of impeachment and removal from office. These are not normal times. The lede of a New York Times investigation: “This summer, Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, paid a visit to the coast of Sardinia, a stretch of the Mediterranean Sea crowded with super yachts. On one of those extravagant vessels, Mr. Witkoff sat down with a member of the ultrarich ruling family of the United Arab Emirates. He was meeting Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a trim figure in dark glasses who controls $1.5 trillion of the Emiratis’ sovereign wealth. It was the latest engagement in a consequential alliance. Over the past few months, Mr. Witkoff and Sheikh Tahnoon had become both diplomatic allies and business partners, testing the limits of ethics rules while enriching the president, his family and his inner circle, according to an investigation by The New York Times. At the heart of their relationship are two multibillion-dollar deals. One involved a crypto company founded by the Witkoff and the Trump families that benefited both financially. The other involved a sale of valuable computer chips that benefited the Emirates economically.”
• So many events with a lot of Mexican-American participation are being cancelled due to fears about ICE raids. Last week, some local news outlets reported that organizers have cancelled this year’s local Our Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage. Now a big event in Perris is being cancelled, per The Press Enterprise: “As Hispanic Heritage Month approaches, some Latino community events in the Inland Empire are being canceled because of fears about immigration enforcement. The Perris-based TODEC Legal Center, which provides immigration and labor services to migrant farmworkers across the Inland region and Coachella Valley, canceled its Festival Monarca amid continuing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. ‘We do this with heavy hearts but with absolute clarity: our first responsibility is to protect our community,’ organizers said in a social media post announcing the cancellation. ‘With heightened immigration enforcement on the ground and credible fears of ICE raids in our area, we cannot in good conscience invite our families into a space where they could be at risk.’ The annual cultural festival was set for Sunday, Sept. 28, in downtown Perris.”
• Our partners at Calmatters report that, as the headline says, “As RFK pushes MAHA, federal cuts shut down California health and nutrition programs.” More info: “Earlier this year, Selena Peña spent her days helping Kern County residents learn how to lead healthier lives through nutrition and fitness classes. She was part of a public health team focused on reducing high rates of obesity and heart disease. But in July the county eliminated the program, citing the loss of $12.5 million in federal public health funding. It was early in a series of cascading cuts to Kern’s health programs this year. Other counties are making similar decisions. Across the state, county health and human services departments have made significant reductions to bread-and-butter programs as a result of the Trump administration’s funding cuts and freezes. Kern, San Luis Obispo, Orange and Los Angeles counties, as well as the city of Long Beach, are among those reducing health services. The state’s budgetary crisis and subsequent public health cuts have also strained local resources. California cities and counties have closed public health clinics, eliminated family planning programs, stopped dental services, reduced appointment availability for immunizations, instituted hiring freezes and laid off dozens of local health workers. At the end of the month, because of cuts in Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, most county health departments will shut down nutrition programs focused on teaching low-income families how to stretch their food stamp dollars and cook healthier food.“
• Also from Calmatters: A lot more incoming college students in California are applying for financial aid … and this is being presented as a good thing: “Nearly three-quarters of California public high school seniors applied for federal financial aid this year, soaring past last year’s figures by 11 percent and giving further indication that California’s efforts to get more students to apply for federal grants are paying off. This time last year about 307,000 high school seniors completed a financial aid application. This year, that number is around 340,000. The California Student Aid Commission that oversees college aid in the state released the information today. In 2023 a slightly higher share of seniors completed aid applications—about 74% to this year’s 72.7%. In 2024, the figure was 64%. ‘We must take a moment to reflect and celebrate this achievement for California’s future,’ said Daisy Gonzales, the commission’s executive director and who formerly led the state’s community college system, said in a statement. ‘With more high school seniors applying for financial aid, we can expect our higher education segments to serve more students.’”
• Today’s recall news involves … Corvettes! And this is a serious one, as The Drive reports: “Current-gen Chevy Corvette Z06s and ZR1s may be at risk of catching fire while refueling. It sounds like, if enough gasoline spills into the pocket where the fuel filler is, the left-side cooling fan can waft it toward the engine and cause some external combustion. GM says it’s issuing a voluntary recall while forums are tracking a stop-sale from dealers. The issue specifically affects 2023-2026 Chevrolet Corvette Z06s and 2025-2026 Corvette ZR1s in North America.”
• And finally …today’s recall news also involves … vegan mac and cheese! The Independent (U.K) says: “Mac and cheese lovers should be on the lookout for a new pasta recall, after eight reports of allergic reactions. Gooder Foods, Inc. is recalling two of its Goodles pasta, a boxed mac and cheese that’s packed with nutrients like fiber, protein, and prebiotics to support gut health. The products are being recalled because they may contain ingredients that were not listed on the label, posing an allergy risk. The recall includes five lots of Vegan Is Believin’, a plant-based white cheddar mac and cheese, which may actually contain milk, an ingredient that’s not on the box. In addition, three lots of Here Comes Truffle, a creamy black truffle cheddar pasta, may contain cashew, which is not listed on the box.”
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