Month: March 2009

A 19-year-old La Quinta man is in custody on suspicion of the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy in Indio last month, police said Wednesday. Jose Luis Garcia was booked Tuesday on suspicion of murder after police served search warrants in the 87300 block of Church Street in Thermal and the 52100 block of Avenida

RIVERSIDE – A former Beaumont mechanic who ignited a deadly 2006 wildfire does not need psychiatric care, a Riverside County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday, whichcleared the way for the penalty phase of the defendant’s trial to resume. After reviewing a psychological assessment of Raymond Lee Oyler, Judge W. Charles Morgan said it was obvious

It’s a full blown war you’ve likely never heard of. There is a battle between leaders of the Church of Scientology and a group of activists with both sides sworn to fight to the end. This is war; in the shadow of a cross, and behind the gaze of a mask. Like any war, there

An video from “Anonymous” posted on YouTube last year states, “Hello. Leaders of Scientology. We are Anonymous. Over the years, we have been watching you. The extent of your malign influence over those who have come to trust you has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided your organization should be destroyed.” It’s

Continued road work on Fred Waring in La Quinta could slow down drivers en route to the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens during the BNP Paribas Open. The La Quinta city officials say major construction is for the section of Fred Waring from Adams Street to Washington Street. The upcoming work will not permit East or

BEAUMONT – A 12-year-old Beaumont boy will not be charged with murder in the shooting death of his 12-year-old friend last week, as police had originally sought. On Monday, the Riverside County district attorney’s office charged the boy with involuntary manslaughter, assault with a firearm and unlawful possession of a concealable firearm related his friend’s

Many people get guns to protect their homes and families. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says about 40 percent of homeowners also own a gun. But many times, people should choose a different option. “There’s less lethal ways of making yourself safe and your family safe,” says Cpl. Robert Pickowitz. Pickowitz recommends using a taser,

INDIO- An 84-year-old woman died early Tuesday of internal injuries she suffered hours earlier in a four-vehicle crash in Indio, authorities said. Maria Espinoza of Indio died at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs at 3:20 a.m., according to the Riverside County coroner’s office. The crash was reported about 5 p.m. Monday on Jackson

PALM SPRINGS- A motorist killed in a rollover crash on Interstate 10 in Palm Springs was identified Tuesday as a 37-year-old La Quinta resident. Sean Blomquist, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the crash scene on westbound I-10, just east of Indian Avenue, about 8:20 p.m. Monday, according to the Riverside County coroner’s

PALM DESERT – It’s time to spring forward and set our clocks an hour ahead. This is a tradition the United States adopted nearly 100 years ago, but how much do you really know about this switch? Most people say ” daylight saving(s) time,” but it is actually ” daylight saving time.” There is not

California’s financial crisis is forcing schools to cut their budgets, but, after last year’s cuts, there isn’t a lot left to cut. Now, more teachers and other school employees may lose their jobs. Local schools cut millions last year. Now, Coachella Valley Unified School District will cut slightly more than $8 million from the 2009-2010

Jo and Alan Rosen had 18 wonderful years of marriage. Shortly after getting married, Alan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive and debilitating neurological disorder. Jo says in a short time, A vibrant strong architect went from living a full life to struggling with even some of the things that used to come easy

NEW YORK – Since his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease cut short his acting career, Michael J. Fox has every reason to be a pessimist. Instead, he’s doing a special for ABC in May about the nature of optimism. Fox explores science and his own personal experiences – he says the past decade since his diagnosis

MURRIETA – Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco Monday touted the success of the three-year-old Gang Task Force, which in 2008 logged 2,129 arrests, most of those gang members. The task force also seized 188 illegal weapons, filed 1,001 criminal cases with 437 gang enhancements, conducted 1,992 probation searches and served 226 search warrants last

SAN DIEGO- Torrey Pines Golf Course will host an LPGA Tour event for the first time in 27 years under an agreement to hold the Samsung World Championship on the South Course in September. The Samsung World Championship, to be held Sept. 17-20, features a 20-player field that includes the four major champions and top

Singer Amy Winehouse will be kept from performing at this year’s Coachella Music and Arts Festival. The troubled British pop singer was one of the biggest names on this year’s line-up. Winehouse was supposed to make her big comeback at this year’s three-day rock concert at the Empire Polo Fields. But Winehouse’s spokesman Monday said

“It’s a quiet neighborhood,” Beaumont resident Jodi Fisher observed a day after gunshots rang out on Helen Avenue. Police received a 911 call from a 12-year-old in a home on Helen Avenue around 10:40 a.m. Thursday who said he heard a gunshot and that his friend was injured. Police arrived on scene moments later and

INDIO – The Coachella Valley Chapter of the NAACP demanded today that Cathedral City police wrap up their investigation into the death of an 18- year-old pregnant woman struck by an alleged hit-and-run driver last month. “It’s already a month since this event occurred. To draw it out any longer is ridiculous,” said Kenneth Booth

LA QUINTA – LifeStreamblood centerintrouced the Tanner family to Kathrine Meyers and Tyler Johnson, the blood donors who saved their two-year-old daughter’s life. Natalie Tanner was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer atthree-months-old. No more than 350 cases are diagnosed each year. LifeStream blood donors provided the lifesaving components Natalie needed during her

Raevin Rossi and other students at Colonel Mitchell Page Middle School in La Quinta can’t get over the excitement of seeing their neighborhood ice cream man Pablo. “Everybody missed him so much and we really, really wanted to know if he was OK and if he was going to come back,” Raevin said. Last week,