Month: February 2010

TOKYO -Toyota’s president apologized for the automaker’s global recalls and promised to beef up quality control by setting up a special committee he would head himself. Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said the automaker was still deciding what to do to fix braking problems with the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid. Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s

COACHELLA -The Coachella Valley Unified School District has pushed back a vote on approving teacher layoffs. The district could lose between 14 and 15 million dollars for the upcoming school year, but board members postponed sending out 104 pink slips atThursday night’s meeting. Parents and teachers packed the room as the board president made her

PALM DESERT – Enrollment at College of the Desert is higher than ever, up nearly 10 percent from last spring. This is a problem for many students when it comes to getting the classes they need. Students out number desks, but they’re learning to improvise. In one classroom, two students share a desk and another

INDIO – A 20-year-old man and a teenager were convicted of murder and other charges today in the death of a fellow gang member, who was shot by California Highway Patrol officers during a gunfight in the midst of a pursuit. The 10-woman, two-man jury deliberated for about a day and a half before convicting

INDIO – Through a story idea submitted to us on Twitter, an 89-year-oldwoman in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has tickets to see her “idol,” Adam Lambert. Isabel Paquette spoke to her daughter, who taped the interview, and put it on the internet. She toldthe camerathat her family loves Lambert’s music; they play it all the time,

SANTA BARBARA -Jesse James Hollywood has been sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the kidnap-murder of a 15-year-old boy that inspired the 2007 movie “Alpha Dog.” Superior Court Judge Brian Hill on Friday sentenced Hollywood to a life sentence without the possibility of parole in a Santa Barbara courtroom after denying a defense motion

PETROLIA -Humboldt County authorities say they’ve received no major damage reports a day after a magnitude-5.9 earthquake rattled the area – and residents’ nerves – for the second time in a month. Anthony Hooper, a county spokesman, says Wednesday’s quake – about 35 miles northwest of the community of Petrolia – did not feel “significant.”

KESQ.com News Services LOS ANGELES -Plans to charge Michael Jackson’s physician today with involuntary manslaughter, as had been expected, were mired in uncertainty because of a reported dispute between prosecutors and the Los Angeles Police Department over how to handle the issue. Now, prosecutors say they plan to file the charges on Monday. Spokeswoman Sandi

INDIO – Indio police arrested 16 people, this morning, in a series of raids aimed at parole violators. Helicopters hovered overhead as authorities on the ground conducted two sweeps in Indio, one at 6am, the second at 10am. The people were arrested for weapons violations, child endangerment charges, and some others that authorities plan to

LOS ANGELES -A luxury car registered to actor Charlie Sheen tumbled around 100 feet off Mulholland Drive in the hills south of the San Fernando Valley today, and police said the “Two and a Half Men” star reported the vehicle stolen. A “vehicle over the side” was reported in the 13300 block of the winding

INDIO -A judge officially sentenced a gang member who robbed and killed a man in a Cathedral City driveway, to life in prison without the possibility of parole, today, upholding a jury’s previous recommendation. Miguel Najera, 28, was convicted Dec. 2 of first-degree murder and robbery for the May 28, 2006, slaying of 40-year-old Adrian

DESERT HOT SPRINGS -At least one person was hurt this morning in a rollover crash on a road south of Desert Hot Springs, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported at 7:07 a.m. on Dillon Road at Corkill Road, the CHP reported. The vehicle briefly blocked both lanes, but was moved to

LOS ANGELES -The Los Angeles County Coroner says actress Brittany Murphy’s death was caused by pneumonia and drug intoxication. Murphy died in late December, stunning the American movie-going public. On Thursday, the Coroner’s office released a statement said Murphy had “multiple drug intoxication” and that the matter of death was an “accident.” The Coroner also

PALMSPRINGS- The Palm Springs City Council votedWednesday night in favor of easing restrictions and handing outtwomedicinal marijuana co-op permits. The two winning applicants were CannaHelp which plans to operate on 500 block of EastIndustrial Blvd and Desert Organic Solutions which plans to operate North of Interstate 10 off of Indian Avenue. City Council members stressed

PALM SPRINGS -Funeral services were pending today for Lars Hansen, whose long career as a cultural arts administrator included overseeing the Pasadena Playhouse. Hansen died of liver cancer Sunday at his home in Palm Springs. He was 60. “He had tremendous dedication to the theater, and was very much responsible for keeping the Playhouse open

LOS ANGELES -The attorney for Michael Jackson’s doctor says he is negotiating his client’s surrender to Los Angeles County authorities. A statement Thursday from attorney Ed Chernoff says talks are being held with the district attorney’s office for the surrender of Dr. Conrad Murray. Law enforcement officials have told The Associated Press that prosecutors plan

PALM DESERT – A moderate earthquake rocked Northern California, this afternoon. The quake, measuring 6.0 was downgraded later toa 5.9in magnitude. Ithit at 12:20pm PST about 47 miles west, southwest of Eureka. An employee at the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office says there are no immediate reports of major injuries or damage. Humboldt County spokesman Phil

PALM DESERT -Two men are behinds bars, this afternoon, after an armed robbery at a popular steakhouse last month. Back on January 12thpolice saytwo men robbedtwo other people in the parking lot of the “Chop House” at the corner of Highway 111 and Portola. They took cash and jewelry, then ran off. Late last night,

BEAUMONT – A ninth-grader at Beaumont High School passed away Wednesday morningafter her heart failed amid a brief-illness. Devon Christine Miller died at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning. It’s still not clear exactly what type of illness she was suffering from at the time, and what may have caused her heart to stop. Miller

NEW YORK -Stocks buckled Thursday under the growing belief that the global economy is weaker than many investors expected and is likely to stop the U.S. labor market from rebounding in the coming months. A flood of bad news, including rising debt levels in European nations and an unexpected jump in the number of Americans