Posted on May 12, 2010 under Desert News |
Wanted to let you know and invite you to join us as the AV Wall moves out on its first display since the dedication last November.
The next display will be in Ridgecrest from May 14th-23rd and we will be heading up there starting at 0900 the morning of May 14, 2010. The wall will be moving from Park & Ride on the eastside of Sierra Hwy, just south of Grace Resource Center starting at 0800 and will take off at 0900. They expect to have an escort of about 100 motorcycles from motorcycle groups in Ridgecrest, Bakersfield, Antelope Valley and other areas.
Palmdale officials said schoolchildren, civic groups, businesses and private citizens were among those who helped raise more than $100,000 to fund construction and engraving of the wall by local company Signs & Designs. Standing about 6 feet high at its apex and measuring about 250 feet in length, the Antelope Valley wall is engraved with the names of service personnel who were killed or went missing in action during the Vietnam War.
There have been some changes to the Wall since November’s dedication, the most visible of which is a ‘wrap’ that Signs & Designs did for the trailer.
The managers of the wall, Point Man Antelope Valley, say they’d love to have a great crowd for the send off and hope that the local press will be out in force to cover this.
Posted on Feb 17, 2010 under Desert News |
ABOVE: The red nuclear density probe looked similar to this.
Someone, hopefully just some desert tweeker, stole a radioactive device at a construction site in Hesperia, according to Victor Valley’s Daily Press.
The device is a probe that measures moisture content in the soil, but it contains radioactive chemicals that can obviously be harmful to people.
Nuclear Density meters like this one are a quick and accurate way of determining density and moisture content. The meter uses a radioactive isotope source (usually Cesium 137) at the soil surface (known as backscatter) or from a probe placed into the soil (direct transmission).
ABOVE: An illustration of how a nuclear density meter works.
The isotope source gives off photons (usually Gamma rays) which radiate back to the mater’s detectors on the bottom of the unit. Dense soil absorbs more radiation than loose soil and the readings reflect overall density. Water content can also be read, all within a few minutes.
I’m not sure what someone can do with this, except get in trouble; or through sheer ignorance hurt themselves or others. It isn’t so radioactive that it can be used effectively as a weapon of mass destruction, of course. In fact, it’s available commercially.
According to the Daily Press, this particular device is in a red case with radioactive stickers on it. The probe manufactured by CPN is inside the case along with a hammer, metal plate and plastic box. It’s model number is MC3 and the last four serial numbers are 6989.
If anyone has information about this case they are asked to contact the Hesperia station at (760) 947-1500 or call WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME.
