Finding a reliable Desert Hot Springs newspaper these days feels a bit like hunting for water in the actual Mojave. You think you’ve spotted a shimmering oasis of local reporting on the horizon, but as you get closer, it often turns out to be a ghost of a publication that stopped printing in 2011 or a digital landing page that hasn't been updated since the last major earthquake.
It’s frustrating.
If you live in "DHS" or you’re just visiting the mineral springs to soak away your stress, you quickly realize this isn't just another sleepy suburb of Palm Springs. It has its own rhythm. Its own politics. Its own very specific set of challenges involving wind, water rights, and a booming cannabis industry. Yet, the media landscape here is fragmented. You’ve got the massive corporate reach of the USA Today network via the Desert Sun, and then you’ve got a handful of scrappy, hyper-local efforts trying to keep the lights on.
The Rise and Fall of the Desert Sentinel
To understand why people are still searching for a Desert Hot Springs newspaper by name, you have to talk about the Desert Sentinel. For decades, it was the paper of record. If you wanted to know who won the high school football game or which council member was arguing about zoning permits, you picked up the Sentinel.
It was old-school. It was ink-on-your-fingers news.
But the Great Recession wasn't kind to local journalism. In 2011, the Desert Sentinel—which was owned by the Desert Sun Media Group—shuttered its physical office in the city. They didn't just move; they essentially folded the dedicated local coverage into the broader regional reporting of the Desert Sun. For many long-time residents, that felt like a betrayal. They didn't want "Coachella Valley" news. They wanted their news.
This created a vacuum. Nature hates a vacuum, and so does a city with high-stakes local elections.
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Where the News Lives Now (It's Complicated)
Honestly, if you're looking for a physical paper tossed onto your driveway specifically about Desert Hot Springs, you’re mostly out of luck. Most residents have migrated to the Desert Sun. It is, by far, the most resourced outlet in the area. They have veteran reporters like Sherry Barkas who have covered the valley for years. But—and this is a big "but"—they cover the entire Coachella Valley.
When you share a newspaper with glamorous Palm Springs or wealthy Indian Wells, your local park renovation in DHS might not make the front page.
Then there is the Desert Star Weekly.
This is a different beast entirely. Headquartered right in Desert Hot Springs on Pierson Boulevard, it’s a free weekly publication. It leans heavily into local lifestyle, entertainment, and legal notices. If you walk into a coffee shop or the post office in town, this is likely what you'll see in the wire rack. It fills that "community bulletin board" niche that the big dailies often ignore. They cover the local festivals, the new hotel openings, and the grit of city hall.
Digital Alternatives and the "Facebook News" Trap
Because there isn't one dominant Desert Hot Springs newspaper anymore, the news has moved to the wild west of social media.
- The Desert Hotline: This isn't a newspaper, but it functions like one for thousands of residents. It's a digital space where news breaks faster than any printing press could handle.
- Patch: Desert Hot Springs has a Patch site. It’s mostly automated or aggregated, but it’s a decent spot for crime logs and basic event listings.
- Independent Blogs: Every few years, a local activist or retired journalist starts a blog. Some, like The Desert Independent, have tried to fill the investigative gap, though keeping a blog funded is a nightmare.
The Cannabis Boom and the Media Shift
Something weird happened around 2014. Desert Hot Springs became the first city in Southern California to allow large-scale commercial cannabis cultivation. Suddenly, this "struggling" desert town was the center of a multi-billion dollar industry.
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You'd think this would lead to a newspaper renaissance.
Instead, it led to a surge in specialized trade reporting. If you read a Desert Hot Springs newspaper article today, it’s just as likely to be in a business journal or a cannabis trade mag as it is in a local gazette. The city’s identity shifted from a quiet spa destination to an industrial pioneer. The news followed the money. Reporters from the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times started showing up in DHS to write about "the town saved by weed."
But does that help a local mom know why the water rates just went up? Not really.
Why Hyper-Local Reporting Matters in the High Desert
Desert Hot Springs is unique because it’s geographically isolated. You’re up on the hill, looking down at the rest of the valley. That physical distance breeds a specific kind of civic pride and, frankly, a bit of a chip on the shoulder.
Residents feel ignored by the "down-valley" media.
When a major windstorm knocks out power or shuts down Gene Autry Trail, residents don't need a national perspective. They need to know exactly which intersection is flooded. They need to know if the Mission Springs Water District is holding a meeting tonight. This is where the lack of a robust, dedicated Desert Hot Springs newspaper hurts the most.
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The city has had its share of controversy, too. From bankruptcy scares in the early 2000s to intense political infighting, the need for an objective "watchdog" is high. Without a dedicated reporter sitting in every city council meeting, things slip through the cracks. Transparency dies in the dark, but it also dies when there’s no one around to write the story down.
What You Should Actually Read
If you are trying to stay informed about Desert Hot Springs today, you can't rely on just one source. You have to be your own editor. It's a bit of work, but it's the only way to get the full picture.
- The Desert Sun: Still the gold standard for investigative depth. They have the lawyers to fight for public records that smaller blogs can't afford.
- Desert Star Weekly: Best for "flavor" and local events. It feels like the community it serves.
- City of DHS Official Website: Honestly, their press releases are often the most direct way to get info on road closures and new ordinances.
- Cactus Hugs: For a more snarky, informal take on Coachella Valley news that often includes DHS updates.
The Future of News in the Springs
Will we ever see a daily Desert Hot Springs newspaper again? Probably not in print. The economics just don't work. The cost of paper, ink, and delivery trucks has skyrocketed while ad revenue has shifted to Google and Meta.
But there is a movement toward non-profit news.
Organizations like CalMatters or local news foundations are starting to look at "news deserts"—places where local reporting has vanished. Desert Hot Springs is a prime candidate for a digital-first, non-profit newsroom. Imagine a site supported by local mineral spring resorts and residents that pays one or two full-time reporters to just be there.
Until then, we’re left with the scraps. We piece together the truth from a Facebook post, a free weekly paper, and the occasional deep dive from the regional daily. It's not perfect. It's often messy. But in the desert, you learn to make do with what you have.
Actionable Steps for Staying Informed in DHS
To avoid being out of the loop, stop waiting for a paper to hit your porch. Take these steps to build your own local news feed.
- Sign up for "The Current": This is the Desert Sun’s newsletter. It’s free and usually hits the highlights of the valley.
- Follow the City Council Agendas: You can subscribe to email alerts from the City of Desert Hot Springs. Reading an agenda is boring, sure, but it's where the real decisions happen before they ever become "news."
- Check the Mineral Springs Water District: In the desert, water is everything. Their meetings and newsletters are arguably more important than any political coverage.
- Support the Desert Star Weekly: If you see a copy, pick it up. If they have advertisers, they keep printing. Local businesses won't advertise if they don't think anyone is reading.
- Verify Social Media Claims: If you see a wild story on a local Facebook group, check it against the Desert Sun or the official police department Twitter (X) feed before sharing. Misinformation spreads faster than a brush fire in the Coachella Valley.
The era of the monolithic hometown newspaper might be over, but the need for information hasn't changed. Being a resident of Desert Hot Springs means being an active seeker of news rather than a passive consumer. It takes more effort, but staying informed is the only way to protect the unique character of this "Spa City" on the hill.