Month: September 2010

A firefighter was injured while fighting a fire that destroyed a restaurant today. The firefighter was rushed to a hospital by fire department medics with minor injuries, said the fire department’s Jody Hagemann. No name was released. The blaze was reported at 8:54 a.m. in a 7,000-10,000-square-foot restaurant next to the Holiday Inn at 84096

Students at Riverside County public schools scored 767 in standardized state testing — up nine points from the previous academic year’s aggregate score, the Riverside County Office of Education reported today. The Academic Performance Index scores range from 200 to 1,000, with a performance target of 800. “The data in the latest (California) Accountability Progress

(KABC) A 59-year-old man suspected of murdering an Apple Valley couple decades ago was arrested in Kentucky on Saturday. Investigators said Harold Toney killed his boss Hulon Hughes and his wife, Elaine in October 1988. Toney had an argument with Hulon, and later that day, the couple was found shot to death in their Apple

A national safety campaign is aiming to help people utilize their cell phones during an emergency. It’s called the “Text First, Talk Second” campaign. Emergency crews want people to send short text messages like, ‘I M OK’ to loved ones letting them they’re safe, instead of calling. According to Palm Springs Fire Chief Blake Goetz,

A man was seriously injured today when he was riding his bicycle and an unknown person ran up to him, pushed him over, stabbed him repeatedly and then ran away. The victim called the police at 1 a.m. on his cellphone just after the attack on the 31800 block of Sky Blue Water Trail near

Hundreds of first responders put their lives on the line in an effort to save those injured in the attacks on September 11, 2001. Nine years ago Saturday Kelly Lyons was one of those men on the front lines. He was a New York City Police officer at the time. Lyons spent the September 11th

On Sept. 11th, 2001, Barbara Keating was on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles on her way home to Palm Springs after visiting family. The plane she was on was hijacked by terrorists and crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Elizabeth Raynes, a parishoner at St. Theresa Catholic

The summer heat is slowly starting to cool down, and the cooler temperatures are bringing people back to the desert Some claim Labor Day weekend is the unofficial start of “the season” — when business and tourism picks back up in the desert. Stores closed for the summer are starting to reopen their doors. Some

At a rally in Murrieta today, conservative activists and political candidates will rail against illegal immigration, gay marriage and other hot button issues, while voicing their support for local government reform initiatives. The “We the People Freedom Rally” is being held in coordination with the 9/12 Taxpayer March on Washington organized by FreedomWorks, Tea Party

The College of the Desert Roadrunners were able to stop a second half run by the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs to win their home opener. C.O.D won by a final of 21-19. The Roadrunners were paced by their sophomore running back Ricky Smith (El Central, CA), who will likely see some D-1 offers when

Oprah Winfrey isn’t just walking onstage for the first show of her final season, she’s dancing ? with John Travolta. The 25th and final season of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” starts airing today on KESQ News Channel 3 at 4 p.m. In recently released video of the first episode, the TV talk show host and

A Palm Springs gang member convicted of the fatal beating and robbery of a 66-year-old security guard was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jerrett Lewis, 21, was found guilty in May of first-degree murder and robbery charges stemming from the June 9, 2007, attack on Bower Security Co. guard

One person was injured today in a house fire in Desert Hot Springs, a fire official said. The blaze was reported at 8:50 a.m. at a home on Buena Vista Avenue, according to Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department. The fire was out when firefighters arrived, Hagemann said. One person was treated for

Sheriff’s deputies were serving 11 warrants and conducting parole and probation compliance checks in eastern Riverside County on Thursday. The operation began about 7 a.m. in Mecca and Northshore, said Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, which confirmed calls from KESQ News Channel 3 viewers on Thursday morning. Deputies, along with other

The Riverside County Sheriff Deputies recovered nearly a dozen birds they say are used for cockfighting from a Mecca home during Operation Thunderbird. Deputies searched a home on the 91-000 block of Katherine Drive in Mecca. Deputies recovered 10 roosters and four hens. Cockspurs and other items indicative of illegal cockfighting were located at a

Local race teams are gearing up for Saturday’s race in Lucerne Valley. It will be the first race in the high desert since the deadly California 200 crash in August that killed eight people. The guys at Indio Dune Buggy Center have been prepping their clients’ cars as well as their own. Their race team,

The U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” is unconstitutional, according to a ruling handed down Thursday by a federal judge. The policy bans openly gay Americans from serving in the military. But U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips said she will issue an order to stop the policy from being enforced. The battle for

Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Young will host a 9/11 commemoration service today, featuring patriotic music and speeches by several local officials. The “Patriot Day” ceremony is planned at 8 a.m. outside the superintendent’s administrative building at 3939 13th St. According to Riverside County Office of Education spokesman Rick Peoples, the public service will

Law enforcement agents took a man into custody on Friday afternoon for a parole violation. Members of the Coachella Valley Gang Impact Team, which is run by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, found him living on the 66100 block of Flora Avenue in Desert Hot Springs at 3 p.m. Michael Sequiera, 32, was taken

Below are some of the events taking place throughout the Coachella Valley marking the anniversary of the September 11 attacks: LA QUINTA Hadley Villas 78875 Avenue 47, La Quinta Saturday, Sept. 11 9 a.m. CATHEDRAL CITY 31121 Avenida Maravilla, Cathedral City Runs all day with evening display of two towers of light PALM DESERT Palm