'We're not giving up': Barstow clings to hopes of saving fire district despite tax measure's defeat

Barstow officials are reluctant to sound the death knell on Measure J, despite the tax measure's apparent defeat during the Nov. 7 election. City council members were adamant in stating they wouldn't give up control of the Barstow Fire Protection District so easily during their meeting on Nov. 20, despite Measure J - a half-cent sales tax meant to bolster the struggling fire district - failing to reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass.