Month: December 2009

PALM DESERT -An earthquake has shaken California’s border with Mexico, felt here in the Coachella Valley. Preliminary information from the California Integrated Seismic Network says the 10:48 a.m. Wednesday quake was magnitude 5.9 and was centered about 100 miles east of San Diego, about 20 miles southeast of the Mexican city of Mexicali. Locally, viewers

INDIO -A reputed Coachella gang member accused of gunning down a 16-year-old boy near the Coachella Boys and Girls Club pleaded not guilty today to a murder charge. Angel Anthony Esparza, 25, is due back in court Jan. 11. He was arrested Thursday at a home in the 8000 block of Sunnyside Avenue in San

PALM DESERT -An updateon a new earthquake early warning system. TheCREWS quake system is already in place at our local fire departments and being expanded to schools throughout the valley. A chief seismologist for the seismic warning systems, incorporated says the system worked as planned during today’s moderate earthquake. Ifwe got hit with a major

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Some abandoned local Chihuahuas are preparing to catch a flight across the country in search of a new home. Dozens of Chihuahuas were dropped off at a cargo warehouse in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning in preparation for their long journey. Animal rescuer Laurel Kinder is behind the effort to get

WASHINGTON -The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the manufacturers of Thomas the Train toy will pay $1.25 million civil penalty for allegedly violating the federal lead paint ban. RC2 Corporation of Oak Brook, Illinois, agreed to the settlement. The claim states the company imported and sold various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway toys with paints

PALM DESERT – Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 19 year-old Gerardo Herrera for allegedly stabbing an 18 year-old two times in the upper chest. It’s unknown why the fight started just before 2p.m. Mondayinside the Westfield Shoppingtown in Palm Desert. A witness says the the victim was stabbed because he accused Herrera of inappropriately touching

PALM SPRINGS- All Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets 100 count bottles with the EZ Open Cap are being recalled. The bottles can be identified by a distinctive red “EZ-OPEN CAP,” according to the company. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, consumers reported an unusual moldy, musty or mildew-like odor in five lots of the

PALM SPRINGS -Three hikers have been lifted off towering Mount San Jacinto near Palm Springs after becoming lost. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says an extensive aerial search located the hikers at the 10,300-foot level Monday and they were hoisted up and flown to safety. All had early stages of frostbite and hypothermia, but declined

PALM SPRINGS – With the intensified security at airports in the U.S. and abroad, officials at Palm Springs International Airport recommend travelers arrive at least an hour and a half before their flight’s departure. As for security measures being taken here and elsewhere, passengers should expect the unexpected. “That’s the whole idea, vary from airport

PALM SPRINGS – The list of presenters at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala looks just as stunning as the list of honorees. Michelle Pfeiffer will present the Desert Palm Achievement Award to Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart.” Morgan Freeman will hand off the Career Achievement Award to Helen Mirren for her role

LAKESIDE -Two people were fatally shot at the East County offices of the Barona Gaming Commission today in an apparent murder-suicide carried out by a former agency employee who was fired last month. The assailant, identified by sheriff’s officials as 38-year-old Donnell Roberts of El Cajon, entered a personnel trailer office at the Lakeside-area complex

NILAND, Calif. – Agents working at the Indio Border Patrol checkpoint station on Highway 111 seized more than 26 pounds of methamphetamine, last night. Canine units signaled something was wrong when a red luxury sedan entered the checkpoint, prompting agents to conduct a more thorough exam. A scan of the car using a large-scale imaging

CATHEDRAL CITY – Don’t feel alone if you think the traffic is worse than usual on Highway 111 (East Palm Canyon Drive) in Cathedral City. Southern California Gas Company is working in the area between Golf Club Drive and Perez Road, bringing traffic down to one lane in each direction. Police suggest you use Vista

RIVERSIDE -At least 262 drivers have been arrested so far for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Riverside County during a coordinated holiday crackdown by 30 county law enforcement agencies, officials said today. The campaign, which aims to bring down the number of impaired drivers on the roads and reduce drunken driving-related

DESERT HOT SPRINGS -A Cathedral City man was stabbed in the neck today outside a Desert Hot Springs apartment complex, but was expected to survive, police reported. The 23-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was attacked about 11 a.m. at 66718 Eighth St., said Sgt. Dan Bressler of the Desert Hot Springs Police Department. The

LA QUINTA -A Coachella woman was taken into custody today for allegedly stabbing her ex-boyfriend in the back, a sheriff’s sergeant said. Megan Stevens, 23, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon around 2:30 a.m. at a La Quinta home in the 55000 block of Laurel Valley Way, said Sgt. Anthony Baur

PALM DESERT – Good news for homeowners wishing to sell their homes. The number of homes sold across the Coachella Valley rose 26.5% in November, comparing it to last November. Prices fell a modest 6.3%. “The desert ‘season’ is one reason why valley sales year over year are outpacing the statewide year over year sales

PALM SPRINGS -Palm Springs police warned residents today not to celebrate the new year by firing their guns in the air. The department will increase patrols and anyone caught discharging a firearm during the New Year’s holiday will be arrested and could be charged with a felony, said Officer Melissa Desmarais of the Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS – Marion Cotillard will be in Palm Springs next week to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award for her performance in “Nine,” and Quentin Tarantino will be here to receive the Sonny Bono Visionary Award for his directorial work in “Inglorious Basterds.” “Following a distinguished career in French cinema, Marion Cotillard has

DESERT HOT SPRINGS – Detectives arrested a Desert Hot Springs man who had a stolen TV in his child’s room and a stolen laptop computer in his living room. Police had been working a burglary case since December 9 when a home on Nicole Court had been broken into, and a flatscreen TV and laptop