Month: October 2009

OAK GLEN -A small community west of the valley is keeping a watch out for storms.In Oak Glen, there are sand bags and warning signs of possible flooding and mudslides. Back in August, the hillsides were blackened by the “Oak Glen Fire.” The area has yet to be hit by heavy rains, but residents are

Abill introduced in congress last week would require homebuyers to put down a larger down payment on loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration. It would increase the minimum down payment for FHA-insured mortgages from3.5% to5%, and prohibitFHA financing of closing costs. “TheFHA is supposed to get families into homes,” said Walter Neil of Franklin

PALM SPRINGS -California’s Attorney Generalis now scrutinizing perjury allegations against DA Investigator Candette Hammond. Internal affairs documents reveal Candette Hammond’s supervisors at the DA’s Office believed she made up an entire interview while investigating a criminal case. In one of those questionable cases, the State Attorney General’s office arrested former District Attorney Investigator Luis Bolanos

LA QUINTA – Caring for an elderly parent can be a challenge, but a local woman is hoping to help. Fanny Ramirez works with the elderly in the Coachella Valley. She even started her own in-home care center almost 20 years ago and primarily cares for people with alzheimers and dementia. For Fanny, the biggest

PALM DESERT – The financially troubled Palm Desert Country Club appears to be getting another shot at working. Residents metTuesday night to talk about the future of the closed and now-run-down golf course. News Channel 3 cameras were not allowed inside the meeting. Inside, the city broke the news: the club’s investors have obtained a

THOUSAND PALMS – A valley elementary school was without water Wednesday morning after a car crashed into equipment that supplies the school’s water. According to the California Highway Patrol, a driver crashed into three water pumps in the area of Robert Road north of Ramon Road in Thousand Palms late Tuesday night. The pumps supply

OSLO – The chairman of the Norwegian committee that gave President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize says the criticism of that choice is coming mainly from Obama’s political rivals and the media. The chairman (Thorbjoern Jagland) says the decision was in keeping with Alfred Nobel’s desire that the award he established go to the

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court justices are questioning whether defendants should expect their lawyers to advise them on all the possible consequences of a guilty plea before it is submitted to a court. Jose Padilla wants his guilty plea to drug charges thrown out. The Honduras-born immigrant says he wouldn’t have made the plea if his

PALM SPRINGS – As News Channel 3 first reported on Friday, recently retired District Attorney Senior Investigator Candette Hammond faces allegations of perjury, putting many of the court cases she was involved with in jeopardy. Now, News Channel 3 has learned the county investigators and the Palm Springs Police Department turned the matter over to

DESERT HOT SPRINGS – Desert Hot Springs police today publicly released surveillance video of a man believed to have fatally shot a 45-year-old man outside a supermarket. Chi-Lu “Tony” Chen was shot about 11 p.m. Saturday outside the Vons at 14200 Palm Drive and died at Desert Regional Medical Center, Desert Hot Springs police Sgt.

PALM SPRINGS – Every two years, campaign signs sprout up all over the Coachella Valley. They fill empty lots and they even waitnext you at some bus stops. For some in Palm Springs, they’re just signs of the times. But, for others, these signs might as well be weeds. “I just hate the fact there

MECCA – Fire crewscontained a25 acre brush fire that burned in the east valley. The fire started aftera mobile home caught fire on the 64000 block of Lincoln Street near Avenue 64 in Mecca Monday just before 3 p.m. More than 145firefightersbattled the blaze, which grew to 25 acres in just a few hours.The double-wide

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating has dropped to its lowest point ever — nearly to Gray Davis levels. A Field Poll released today finds just 27 percent of California voters approve the performance of the Republican governor while 65 percent disapprove. Nearly two years ago, Schwarzenegger enjoyed a 60 percent approval rating. Schwarzenegger’s

“T-Mobile” users who may have lost data in their “Sidekick” may be able to recover some of that data. Engineers for Microsoft, whose subsidiary makes the phones, say some of the contact numbers, pictures, and other data lost may be recoverable. “T-Mobile” also says its customers who lost a significant amount of data will be

WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe says she will vote for a Democratic health care bill, breaking with her party on President Barack Obama’s top legislative priority. The Maine senator kept virtually all of Washington guessing how she would vote until she announced it late in the Senate Finance Committee debate Tuesday. Until then, she

BERMUDA DUNES – Jesus and Christina Manzano are the proud parents oftwo-month-old Diego Gael. They also have aneight-year-old son. They seea Swine Flu vaccine for both of their children as being a must. “I have sisters in the health care industry and both of them have suggested we get them vaccinated,” Christina says. But not

DESERT HOT SPRINGS -Businessman Scott Matas runs the UPS Store in town. Matas used to own the Firerock Tavern with business partners. It was the favorite spot for Desert Hot Springs election night victory parties. His bar was part of the Hotel Shilla.When the spa went bankrupt after a News Channel 3 investigation Spring of

DESERT HOT SPRINGS – A 41-year-old Desert Hot Springs man was arrested Tuesday on sexual battery and molestation charges for allegedly attacking a girl who was visiting Desert Hot Springs. Joseph Lavigne is facing two felony counts of sexual battery and five misdemeanor counts of molesting a child under the age of 18.The 41 year-old

Woolston Tae Kwon Do is an organization that was conceived on the premise of helping people in the community. This has never been a business designed to make a profit. Everyone works on a volunteer basis and is not compensated monetarily for their efforts. First of all, we are shocked to hear of the events

PALM DESERT – DesertARC is now in the retail business. The group formerly known as the Foundation of the Retarded opened its first store Thursday in Palm Desert near the intersection of Country Club Dr. and Washington St. Richard Sells, business operations director, is enthusiastic about the venture. “The store is magnificent! This store could