Police ask for public assistance in locating missing California woman

Thursday, July 29, 2010

An elderly California woman, who was traveling with family through Mesquite on Sunday (July 25), to St. George, Utah, has officially been reported as missing to Mesquite Police.

According to MPD Public Information Officer Robert W. Everett, 70-year-old Sonja Ellis, who was in her own car, apparently got separated from other family members and never made it to St. George. Her brother, who was traveling in another car, has reported filed a missing person report. She has not been seen or heard from since they were separated in Mesquite.

Sonja is described as a white female, approximately 5 foot-4 inches, 108 lbs., blonde shoulder-length hair and green eyes. She was driving a 2005 Toyota Avalon, gray in color with Utah license plate Z067MS. Ellis may have become disoriented once she got separated in Mesquite and is unable to find her family.

If anyone has recently seen, or is in contact with Sonja Ellis, or has seen her vehicle, please contact the Mesquite Police Department or the local police department in the city where contact was made.

The Desert Tortoise

Like many desert creatures, desert tortoises spend most of their lives "holed up." In spring and summer, they roam grazing on grasses and wildflowers, then head for their burrows when it gets too hot. In fall and winter, when it is cold and there is not much to eat, they stay burrowed in for six months or more at a time.

If you see a desert tortoise, you are seeing an endangered species. Please watch out for them on the roads. Tortoises live in washes and valleys where the soil is soft enough for them to burrow into, yet stable enough so they do not collapse. Remember, desert tortoises are protected under the Endangered Species Act and may not be handled or removed.

Golf in the Desert

The city of Mesquite combines calm, small-town flavour with big-city attractions and championship golf. The Palms and the Oasis Golf Clubs are only two of the half-dozen challenging courses in the area.

Golf Highlights in Mesquite

Golf built on the dramatic Virgin Foothills of Nevada makes for a unique landscape and golf setting.
Enjoy a spa treatment at the Spa at Casablanca or the Spa at the Oasis.
Mesquite serves as a gateway to the national parks of Southern Utah and Zion National Park, which is less than two hours away.

View more information about golf courses in Mesquite

The Speedy RoadRunner

Called paisano in Mexico, the roadrunner is a well-known desert resident that only superficially resembles its popular cartoon portrayal. The greater roadrunner has adapted to life on the run. Though it can fly well, it prefers to use its strong legs and X- shaped toes to run rapidly over the desert landscape. Active predators, roadrunners aggressively chase insects, lizards, snakes, small birds and mammals.

Tolerant of humans, they sometimes nest in protected eaves and garages when they are not building large stick nests in desert trees. Their vocalizations include bill clicking noises and a mournful cooing made during breeding seasons. They do not meep-meep.