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Demi Lovato, 28, shared on Instagram that she recently spent a few days in Joshua Tree with Dr. Steven Greer — “one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject of UFOs, ET intelligence, and initiating peaceful contact with ET civilizations,” according to his Instagram bio — and a group of close friends to connect with aliens. “Over the past couple months I have dug deep into the science of consciousness and experienced not only peace and serenity like I’ve never known but I also have witnessed the most incredibly profound sightings both in the sky as well as feet...

Against a backdrop of jumbled boulders and spindly trees, former Joshua Tree National Park Supt. Curt Sauer joined dozens of people at a rally in this high desert enclave on Saturday to express their anger over the economic and physical damage caused by the partial government shutdown to the park and the surrounding community. President Trump signed a short-term spending bill on Friday that will reopen the government until Feb. 15. But the 35-day shutdown has already taken a heavy toll on the economy of this dusty refuge for nature lovers, rock climbers and artists at the main gateway to...

The questions were coming fast and frantic: How strong was the earthquake? Was it on the San Andreas? Is the Big One coming? A massive temblor had struck near Joshua Tree shortly before 10 p.m., causing buildings to sway all the way to Las Vegas. As the public braced for more shaking, the media flocked to Caltech that night in 1992. One woman seemed to have all the answers. It was a magnitude 6.1, explained U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones, and the odds of a larger quake in the next three days stood at 15%. She shifted her weight...

Officials say the graffiti started with just a few markings, but quickly spread. They blame vandals who posted pictures of their handiwork on social media sites, which enticed others to the same spot and leave their own illicit marks.

A timelapse journey with nature.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two conservancies paid $13.2 million to purchase 4,520 acres of sensitive desert habitat once slated to become the site of a new city, the conservancies announced Thursday. In addition, the Nature Conservancy and the state-owned Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy said they would buy about another 4,000 acres as part of their plan to protect sand dunes and palm oases and to create a wildlife corridor between the nearly 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park and the 20,000-acre Coachella Valley Preserve in southeastern California. The land was once slated as the site of the Joshua Hills development, which...

The sound of Australia in Joshua Tree's outback By Sara Munro / Hi-Desert Star Bet you didn't know that the International Didgeridoo Festival is happening right here in your own backyard. It's true, but "What's a didgeridoo?" you ask? Not only is it really a word, it's a unique wind instrument with an eerie, hypnotic sound that conjures up the myth and legend of Australia's ancient history and people. Its mysterious, droning tones are weird and wonderful. "It was the coolest thing I had ever heard," says event organizer Grahm Doe of the time he happened upon the didgeridoo...