Month: September 2010

A wind-fanned fire damaged a 40-yard container and a power pole in Desert Hot Springs today. The blaze was reported at 1:57 p.m. in the 13500 block of Avenida de la Familias, according to Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department. Some 14 firefighters had to contend with winds of between 20 mph and

While Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman used a visit to a Culver City beverage maker today to again accuse her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown of supporting tax increases, Brown began broadcasting two commercials accusing her of lying and received the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton. “He has supported tax increases in every single job

An Indio judge declared a mistrial today amid jury selection for one of four men charged with the financially motivated murder of a Palm Springs retiree. “It’s been in evidence since day one that I’ve needed more time,” 27- year-old Daniel Garcia, who is representing himself, told Riverside County Superior Court Judge David Downing on

Construction crews working on the Ramon Road/Bob Hope overpass project on Interstate 10 decided to swap the weeks the freeway will shut down in each direction. Kathy Boltz with the California Department of Transportation said westbound Interstate 10 from Ramon Road to Date Palm will now be completely shut down from Monday, September 20 through

A big rig that overturned today on eastbound Interstate 10 in Banning spilled nearly 20 tons of asphalt, prompting lane closures and injuring the driver. The crash was reported at 10:12 a.m. on the interstate at Eighth Street, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Beauchene. The driver, 60-year-old Jorge E. Bernal, lost control of

Foreclosure sales in Riverside County shot up in August compared to the previous month, but remained near the same level of a year ago, according to a real estate tracking firm. Bay Area-based ForeclosureRadar.com’s monthly “Foreclosure Report” showed that 2,073 repossessed properties were auctioned off countywide in August, compared to 1,862 in July — an

The number of people who text while driving in Southern California has roughly doubled since a state law went into effect banning the practice, according to an Auto Club study released today. The percentage of people who text or use electronic devices such as smart phones while behind the wheel rose to 2.7 percent in

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake centered in Baja California rattled the southern half of Riverside and San Diego Counties early Tuesday. The temblor struck at 3:52 a.m. about 20 miles south-southeast of Guadalupe Victoria, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey. There no immediate reports of damage or injury. According to the USGS maps,

A new homeless facility is in works helping more people stay off the streets and with a roof of their head. Over the weekend, a property owner blamed a fire on the homeless. The fire erupted Sunday morning just before 9 a.m. at an abandoned restaurant near Fantasy Springs Casino. The owner of the building,

The natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno last week has some people wondering how safe our neighborhoods are. And we have the threat of strong earthquakes here in the valley. Maps show how the Southern California Gas Company has transmission and distribution pipelines that cross a portion of the San Andreas fault, running through

Riverside County and the Volunteer Firefighters Association continue to go round and round on what changes should be made in recruiting qualified volunteers. Tuesday the board of supervisors tabled a vote for 60 days regarding the future of the county’s 500 member volunteer firefighter force. The core issue; Cal-Fire wants to eliminate current volunteer firefighter

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Two people were behind bars today on suspicion of domestic violence at a Palm Desert home where deputies found an assault weapon and materials used to make methamphetamine. A report of shots fired was made at 5:43 p.m. Monday in the 43000 block of Illinois Avenue, according to Sgt. Larry Sherman of the Riverside County

Two men who stole a four-door sedan at gunpoint in Cathedral City were at large today, police said. The carjacking was reported at 10:10 p.m. Monday in the area of Rancho Vista Drive and Via Olivera, according to Sgt. Carl Wolford of the Cathedral City Police Department. Two men were working on a 1982 Toyota

“The Big One” could be just around the corner, according to California seismologists. Earthquake experts from across California and around the world gathered at the Hilton Palm Springs Resort Monday for the 2010 annual meeting of the Southern California Earthquake Center. Emergency officials stressed that quakes are unpredictable and that residents should always be prepared

Arraignment set for today for a San Diego man accused of assaulting a Desert Hot Springs man as he slept was postponed until next week. Juan “Johnny” Zamora, 20, faces felony charges of residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury and battery causing great bodily injury. Riverside County Superior Court Judge

Traveling on Interstate 10 this week will get very tricky as road crews move from constructing overpasses overhead to roadwork on the freeway itself. Starting Monday night in Cathedral City, three lanes on the eastbound side of the freeway will be shut down from Date Palm Drive to Monterey Avenue from 9 p.m. to 6

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will be closed for maintenance nearly two weeks, starting Monday. The tram will reopen Sept. 25, tramway spokeswoman Lena Zimmerschied said. Crews will be replacing the 1 3/4-inch steel cables that support the counterweights. They are scheduled to be changed every 12 years, said Rob Parkins, the tramway’s general manger.

A woman was injured today when the PT Cruiser she was driving went off a road in Palm Springs and slammed into a light pole, police said. The crash occurred about 12:15 today on South Palm Canyon Drive at East Mesquite Avenue. The car sent the light pole crashing down into the road, blocking all