By Heidi Simmons
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Mary Coin
By Marisa Silver
Fiction
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The iconic image of Dorothea Lange’s Depression Era photo “Migrant Mother” is the inspiration for Marisa Silver’s new novel, Mary Coin (Blue Rider Press, 324 pages.) The public domain photo, a concerned and desperate mother and her children, is colorized for the cover. Beautiful and intriguing, the picture reflects the nature of the...
by Rachel Montoya
Opening Night on Friday, celebrated the Centennial of the Stanley Kramer "films that changed the world", paying tribute to Sidney Poiter, Spencer Tracey, and Katharine Hepburn in the classic shown in every country "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". It was the film that changed marriage laws in 16 states and raised more awareness to prejudice and racism....
Support and Education for Local Music and Arts, Coachella Valley Chapter 1, would like to thank Coachella Valley local, Alan Gough, of Alan's Award Winning Instant On Screen Photography and Video. Alan is intent on supporting local charities and creating employment for local photographers. He will be showcasing the experience that is his Award Winning Photography at the Palm...
Save The Date! Saturday, March 1st, 2014
Empire Music Ventures is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Rhythm, Wine and Brews Experience on Saturday, March 1st, 2014 at the Empire Polo Club. Live music will set the tone as guests enjoy an extraordinary afternoon of wine and beer tasting at one of the most beautiful venues in the Coachella Valley.
This year...
By Haddon Libby
Thanksgiving as we know it became an annual national celebration in 1863 thanks to Sarah Josepha Buell Hale.
Following the death of her husband in 1822, she went on to become an author having written one of the first books critical of slavery. Based on the success of this book, she moved from New Hampshire to Boston to...
By John Paul Valdez
I have had at least ten calls about local scams in as many days.
First, there is the whole gamut of lending scams. I had a client who really needed a short term business loan and had been denied a more traditional loan. Looking on the internet he found a “lender” who, for a small sum, would...
By Dale Gribow
On November 18, 2013 I was asked to speak to the Coachella Valley Association of Government (CVAG) on how to SHUTDOWN DRUNK DRIVING. A few days earlier I joined members of law enforcement at the Coachella City Hall to speak about the young girl who was jogging and killed by an alleged drunk driver whose family I...
By Bruce Cathcart
You have located what looks like a great house in a great neighborhood for rent. Hopefully you are working with your trusted real estate agent, but even if you are going it alone there are some important questions that you need to ask before you sign on the dotted line! Here are some suggestions from a conversation...
Thanksgiving signifies the beginning of the Holiday Season and many of us will be spending more time in the kitchen preparing for the Holidays over the next week according to Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. “Let’s start thinking safety as Thanksgiving Day is the leading day for home cooking fires, with three times as many occurring on Thanksgiving as any...
Are you an entrepreneur who is stuck in startup mode? Thanks to entrepreneur.com, here are five ways to get out of the rut and take action for real business growth.
Delegate. Start investing in people to do tasks you can no longer do. It’s not true that people cost money. In reality, lack of production and not having the time...
By Jennifer Tan AKA Mrs Fett
Knack, the story of a small creature made of relics, with the ability to grow to limitless sizes, put me to the test in both patience, compassion, and my ability to button mash. The game set in a world entirely fictitious, pairs you with the Professor who created you, and his assistant, a...
Week of November 21
© Copyright 2013 Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The poet Charles Baudelaire prayed for help, but not to God -- rather he prayed to the writer Edgar Allan Poe. Novelist Malcolm Lowry sometimes pleaded with God to give him insight, but he also prayed to the writer Franz Kafka. I really like this approach to seeking...
Dr. K, I was recently diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. I am 58 and have never had one before, but my girlfriend has them all the time. I was prescribed antibiotics and told to drink cranberry juice. Why don’t men get urinary tract infections and does cranberry juice really work? -Betty, Desert Hot Springs
Betty, urinary tract infections are...
By Heidi Simmons
Young and hip, Jaci Fitzsimonds, President of Cord Media, is hungry -- and not for a meal. She and her company have a plan and she is eager and excited to see it come to fruition. A resident of the Coachella Valley for ten years, she has been focused on building a successful advertising business.
“I bought out...
By Heidi Simmons
Very pretty with an easy confidence, Kate Spates, President of Graphtek Interactive, is a self-made, self-actualized woman. She works hard to make a difference in the CV. Her story is impressive as well as inspiring.
Spates has been in the Coachella Valley since 1980. She is a graduate of Palm Springs High School, College of the Desert and...
By Heidi Simmons
Vivacious and beautiful, Patti Gribow, CEO of Gribow Entertainment, is a force of nature. She is her own brand, unafraid to morph and change with the times, she stays relevant to make a difference. Reinventing herself again, Gribow has a new mission.
“More than ever, I recognized the need of asset protection in an estate plan and the quest...
By Denise Ortuno Neil
In a male dominated industry, Charissa Farley has paved her own way with her construction company, Farley Interlocking Paving Stones, making her the leader in Pavers in Southern California.
Farley was set in a successful career in construction management in L.A. when the “91” recession hit. All at once, the effects of the times resulted in her...
By Haddon Libby
Caroldean Ross, owner of Resale Therapy attributes her success in the retail trade to her mother and grandmother. When visiting her grandmother in London, Caroldean would be exposed to fashions that had not yet come stateside. When returning home, she would return with a suitcase of clothing and shoes unlike any worn by her classmates. This initiated...
By Heidi Simmons
Warm and personable, Stephanie Greene believes in the adage: “Say what you mean and do what you say.” As owner and CEO of FG Creative, Inc., a full-service advertising agency, she has a strong work ethic and a fierce loyalty.
“It’s just how I was raised,” said Greene. “You work until the work is done. When the work...
By Denise Ortuno Neil
Lani Garfield has always had an affinity for photography. She has taken her love for the art and turned it into a successful career spanning over a decade in the Coachella Valley.
Garfield was born in Hawaii and grew up in Northern California. The Coachella Valley had always been a place of beauty for her when visiting...
By Heidi Simmons
When you are one-on-one with Kim Waltrip, you have her complete attention. She is friendly and focused. One would never know she is in the process of completing hundreds of details that require her immediate care. As Vice Chair of Kim and Jim Productions, she is always working.
In the last five years, Waltrip has produced 12 movies....
Dancing With The Desert Stars Contestant
By Heidi Simmons
There is a spring in Heather Coladonato’s step as she moves about the Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.
When we sit down for this interview, Coladonato wants to know about her competitors in the Desert AIDS Project’s Dancing with the Desert Stars. I share very little, but Coladonato reads between the lines....
Dancing With The Desert Stars Contestant
By Heidi Simmons
As the Mayor of Palm Desert, Jan Harnik has her hands full and her feet busy. Beside her Honorable duties, and her regular presences in board meetings, she will be “Dancing with the Desert Stars” for the Desert AIDS Project.
Harnik has been involved in Leadership for years here in the CV, but...
Dancing With The Desert Stars Contestant
By Heidi Simmons
Born and raised in Southern California, Katharine Johnson’s parents never dreamed she’d be a firefighter. A tomboy who played soccer, Johnson was on the swim team and loved surfing. It never occurred to her parents to put her in dance classes.
Now Johnson will be performing two ballroom dances in front of a...
Dancing With The Desert Stars Contestant
By Heidi Simmons
You notice Valerie Powers Smith when she walks into a room. She is 5’8” and she wears heels. She is blonde with a wide smile and a cheerfulness that makes her open and approachable. Powers radiates confidence.
But that confidence will be tested when she takes the dance floor at the Desert AIDS...
Devine career inspiration came from a college advisor.
By Judith Salkin
There are a couple of if/then statements (computer nerds understand this) that have shaped Karen Devine’s career.
If she hadn’t been a member of the San Jose Cinders team, then she wouldn’t have been offered a scholarship to run track and cross country at UC Irvine.
If the coach at UCI hadn’t...
By Craig Michaels
As a young child, DJ Angelique wanted to be a writer. She envisioned herself writing novels and screen plays but would eventually start writing rap songs. While still in her teens, she picked up the guitar and would begin to rap music before it was even being played on the radio. One of the highlights of her...
By Phil Lacombe
Name: Jay’e Jones
Where you tat: Strata Tattoo Lab, owner & tattoo artist
Why you started tattooing: Tattooing sort of discovered me by accident. At the ripe old age of 16, I had graduated high school and began attending college. I majored in English, and had every intention of becoming a teacher- (as the majority of my family had...
By Heidi Simmons
First thing you notice about DeAnn Lubell is her calm, relaxed demeanor. A Public Relations Consultant and independent writer, Lubell has been a presence here in the Coachella Valley since 1991. She has written for popular publications, represents some of the valleys most important organizations, and she’s a novelist.
“The story found me. I didn’t go seeking it,”...
By Heidi Simmons
Soft spoken and filled with wisdom, Janet Newcomb of Newcomb Media is a woman of simplicity and elegance. She has carved out a niche in her marketing and public relations business, spending the majority of her time writing about food and representing the agricultural industry and the best of the valley’s restaurants.
“A restaurant is a very expensive...
By Judith Salkin
Owning and running one successful restaurant is more than enough for most people. For Mindy Reed, stopping at one wasn’t an option. She is the sole owner of two popular Palm Springs eateries, less than a block apart – Zin American Bistro and Alicante Spanish Mediterranean Cuisine.
For Reed, a woman who raised two sons as a single...
By Patte Purcell
I first met Joy Brown Meredith at Crystal Fantasy in Palm Springs, a place I frequent on a weekly basis. I enjoy the store as I've been into metaphysics for years and they have the nicest inspired gift selection I've ever run across plus some very talented spiritual teachers and psychic readers. We've become Facebook friends over...
By Raymond Bill
This is the story of a woman, mother, entrepreneur and friend- a woman with a remarkable presence in our valley who is known and loved by many. Jacqueline Leon-Babington is best known as proprietor of Neil’s Lounge in Indio but there is much more to her story. I am proud to introduce you to my friend, Jackie.
After...
By Scott Pam
Many people have goals and plans. Some take action to make them reality. After celebrating the two year anniversary as the owner of Plan B, Jeannette Krehbiel is realizing her dream of having a class act venue for the music scene.
Plan B, located in Thousand Palms, sits in a non- descript building that hides the true size...
By Lola Rossi-Meza
Originally from Westchester, California, right near the Los Angeles Airport, Carrie Lennon-Wilson grew up in a somewhat musical family, being cousin to the famous Lennon Sisters. “I took Dance Production and was more of a dancer than a singer in High School. In my senior year, a friend told me that I had a really nice voice....
By Lola Rossi-Meza
Born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado with one brother, Kymm Galvan remembers listening to a wide variety of music ever since she was a child. “My Mother always encouraged me to sing and play instruments. She listened to Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones; my Father listened to Rockabilly; my Grand Parents loved Blue Grass and the Grand...
By Laura Hunt Little
When her second child was about a year old, Linda Lemke started noticing signs that something was "off" for her son. At first he appeared to be advanced in vocabulary and highly coordinated in motor skills. However, just a short while later his inability to handle sensory input prevented them from even leaving the house. By...
By Ellwood Reppert (Woody Retro)
While at a local club recently, I had the pleasure of discovering R&B rockers Scarlet Roads, a group of six very talented, twenty-something’s, who performed well beyond their years. Their set was a pleasant mix of vibrant soulful songs written by the band and a varied selection of cover tunes they had re-worked putting their...
By Scott Pam
Katie Cathcart started on plastic drums when she was 4; Santa brought her a more realistic set when she was 6. “I knew that all I wanted to do was drum even when I was a kid,” said Cathcart in her band’s custom built rehearsal space in Bermuda Dunes.
Watching her hit the skins for one of the...
By Noe Gutierrez
Giselle Woo is a bona fide performer in the desert region. Born in Palm Springs and raised in Cathedral City she does not shy away from her femininity by any means. She also does not allow that to define her. “It's not always easy to be a lead woman in this industry but hey, at the end...
By Eric The Red
Many people claim to have played music for most of their lives. Laramie Eve, bassist for Blasting Echo, is one of the few people who can back this up with factual information. The La Quinta native is the personification of dedication and perseverance. She started playing piano at a very young age, quickly moved on to...
By Lola Rossi-Meza
Born and raised in Woodbury, New Jersey, with one younger brother, Nicky Vallee, loved music ever since she was a child. “Music has always been near and dear to my heart. I played piano and started playing guitar when I was thirteen,” said Vallee. “My brother is also a musician.” She attended Villanova University and majored in...
By Janet McAfee
Lindi Biggi is a tireless, eloquent advocate for homeless animals in the Coachella Valley. The organization she founded in 2009, Loving All Animals, has become a major player in the world of animal welfare. The organization's goal is to bring together local and national animal welfare groups to work together for the benefit of domestic animals, and...
By Rick Riozza
There’s no way one can resist this title for a column on the vino gals who head up and run Tulip Hill Winery and their Tasting Room that is located at “The River” Mall on Bob Hope Dr. and Hwy 111 in Rancho Mirage—right across from the Yardhouse Restaurant.
And what a pleasure it was to come by...
By Denise Ortuno Neil
Tracy Worthington is well rounded in the world of beauty, and with her two successful shops, Wink Lash & Beauty Bar and Just Blow Drys, she is helping to make the Coachella Valley an even more beautiful place.
Worthington is originally from the Coachella Valley, a Palm Springs High girl, she moved away for some time experiencing...
By Bronwyn Ison
Living Well and healthy is the precise amenity Dr. Nicole Ortiz, ND is providing in our Coachella Valley. Recognized as one of the top 25 Most Influential Woman in the Valley, Ortiz strives for the greatest in every aspect of her life. Her entrepreneurial spirit, since childhood, afforded her the drive and ambition to embark on a...
By Denise Ortuno Neil
Long gone are the days when women had limitations on how to make themselves beautiful, and with Sheryl Taffolla’s New Age Glamour, new age beauty is here.
Born in New Orleans, Taffolla came to the desert as a young lady back in 1968 with her mother. She started her beauty career by doing electrolysis and was successful...
By Haddon Libby
Born in New York City and raised in Parsippany, New Jersey, Dr. Suzanne M. Quardt (also known as Dr. Q), was encouraged by her parents to study hard. While her father, an educator, simply wanted Suzanne to be happy with whatever she did in life, her mother pushed her to do more with her life. As an...
By Haddon Libby
When moved to the desert seventeen years ago and opened her dental practice, she immediately stood out from the rest.
Where most dental offices were sterile, clinical places inflicting unpleasant oral experiences on the typical patient, René was creating a markedly different experience that was nearly unheard of in the profession.
Now termed Spa Dentistry, René was a pioneer...
Along with featuring the amazing 35 Women in this issue I also thought it was time for our readers to get to know the Women who write for CV Weekly.
By Publisher Tracy Dietlin
BRONWYN ISON (Mind, Body & Spirit Columnist)
Originally from Lake Tahoe, NV, Bronwyn Ison moved to the CV in 1985. She graduated from Palm Desert High School...