Merry Manilow

Need another reason to love Barry Manilow? He'll give you five in early December.

The Palm Springs entertainer announced this week that he would present five charity Christmas concerts at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert — after he recovers from hip surgery.

“A Gift of Love ...” will include full orchestra with horn and string sections to perform songs from his three Christmas albums and some of his greatest hits.

Philanthropy is not a new tune for Manilow. He donated $500,000 worth of musical instruments and sheet music to 20 Coachella Valley schools in September 2008 with sponsorships from the Yamaha music company, Hal Leonard Music and the Toys R Us Children's Fund. He is expanding the program in Los Angeles.

Performances are scheduled for Dec. 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9. Tickets go on sale Oct. 26 at www.mccallumtheatre.com.

On the road to a compromise

It's great to hear that Rep. Mary Bono Mack will intervene to solve a dispute involving Indio, the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

And The Desert Sun appreciates that the city has come forth with details about the disagreement.

The FHA demanded the city return $970,000 because, it alleged, the city began to obtain rights-of-way before completing the environmental review.

The city contends that the rights-of-way acquired is not a violation because it is not related to the preliminary engineering work for which the money was earmarked.

Meanwhile, Caltrans has paid the federal agency on behalf of Indio and now seeks reimbursement from the city.

This is where the Palm Springs Republican needs to step in. We wish her success, because this $77.8 million project is far too important to be delayed or derailed by a bureaucratic squabble.

Good news for the Palm Desert Country Club and its residents

We don't usually expect good news from bankruptcy court, but the city of Palm Desert and residents of the Palm Desert Country Club got some this week.

The U.S. Central District Court in Los Angeles approved a $300,000 loan so the club's main golf course can be reseeded and possible be ready to open in November.

City officials want to see health and safety concerns addressed first, such as overgrown grass and stagnant ponds.

That should be the priority, but the prospect of green grass and golfers is excellent news for residents. Potential income from the course could certainly help owners' financial outlook.