Month: December 2010

Courts and most municipal offices in Riverside County will be closed tomorrow for the New Year’s holiday. Law enforcement and fire department personnel will be on duty, but non- emergency local and state agencies will not be open for business again until Monday. Trash and recycling services for county residents will be suspended, except for

The California Highway Patrol will be ramping up patrols over the holiday weekend for a two-day “maximum enforcement period,” during which all available officers hit the streets looking people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The New Year’s MEP gets under way at 6 p.m. Friday and concludes shortly after midnight Monday. During

Authorities today released the name of a man who died at a hospital more than a week after his vehicle skidded off a rain-slick highway near Cabazon and overturned. Howard Susman, 77, of Morongo Valley, died Tuesday at Desert Regional Medical Center — eight days after he lost control of his compact car on eastbound

Opening statements are scheduled today in the trial of a Coachella Valley-area physician who previously admitted stealing patients’ identities to acquire pain pills for herself, but is still facing charges of filing two false documents. Dr. Lisa Michelle Barden, 41, is due in a Palm Springs courtroom at 9 a.m. Monday, according to John Hall

If there is anything Pastor Dave Hotelling knows, it’s forgiveness. “We’re not seeking revenge on the guy,” he said. “We’d like to help him if we could.” Someone broke into his church four times this month: December 11, 12, 18 and 28. The Palm Springs Baptist Church is located at the corner of El Cielo

Approval of a third Department of Motor Vehicles office for the Coachella Valley, which is meant to relive congestion at the other two offices, was delayed because of the recent storms. If approved, as expected, the new office would be in Palm Desert. The Palm Desert Planning Commission was scheduled to vote on the project

Colder temperatures have settled in across the Coachella Valley with the National Weather Service issuing a frost advisory. The advisory takes effect starting at 11 p.m. on Thursday and extends to 9 a.m. on Friday. Growers should be prepared for frost protection. People should cover frost sensitive plants or bring potted plants indoors, according to

Araby Drive at the Wash in Palm Springs is prone to flooding, according to the Police Department. The area was closed down on Tuesday morning and then reopened at 2:30 p.m. But it didn’t take long for someone to sink. “The water is too aggressive right now,” said Officer Don Dougherty, with the Palm Springs

The next time you order at McDonald’s, look up at the menu boards, and you’ll get some food for thought. You’ll get the calorie count for everything on the menu. “I think it’s a good idea,” said Stella Rawlings, of Yucca Valley. “Everybody’s counting their calories nowadays.” The new law goes into effect Jan. 1

Snow fell Wednesday in the mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley and some roads were still washed out from last week’s storms. A rainbow could be seen across scattered clouds hovering above the desert near Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, but it could also be seen throughout the Coachella Valley. Tourists downtown bundled up as soon

Two men who robbed a convenience store in Bermuda Dunes at gunpoint remained at large today. The suspects escaped with an undisclosed amount of money and merchandise from the Circle K store at the intersection of Washington Street and Country Club Drive just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a sheriff’s Sgt. Randy Vasquez.

In an effort to assist Riverside County residents affected by the recent storms, the Office of Emergency Services is gathering storm damage information. Residents living in the un-incorporated areas in Riverside County who sustained storm-related damage to their homes, businesses, and vehicles are urged to report that damage to the Riverside County Office of Emergency

Riverside County Animal Services workers rescued a horse from a mud hole Tuesday afternoon in an area near Lake Mathews, south of Corona. The horse and its rider got stuck in a muddy area around 3:30 p.m. just west of Lake Mathews and right off of Cajalco Road, near the intersection of Harley John Road.

Former First Lady Laura Bush will give the keynote address at Desert Christian Academy?s 21st Annual Auction Gala, school leaders announced on Wednesday. The dinner and auction serves as the school?s primary source of scholarship funding for families in need. Each year, the school in Bermuda Dunes provides financial assistance to approximately 75 percent of

Another blast of cold, wet winter weather will arrive in Riverside County today, ushering in the possibly of some snow in the mountains, meteorologists said. Today’s storm will be a follow-up to last week’s torrential rains and will arrive out of the northwest early this morning, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall totals from

Inland Empire motorists who neglect their driving because they’re talking or texting on a cell phone will be the focus of a special enforcement campaign planned today by the California Highway Patrol. The agency is set to conduct a daylong crackdown on “distracted drivers.” “It takes 100 percent of your attention to properly operate a

Acting Gov. Abel Maldonado sent a letter to President Barack Obama today urging him to declare a major disaster in California due to the recent series of storms, citing damage in Riverside and 10 other counties. “The storms, beginning December 18, 2010, and continuing, have brought high winds and excessive precipitation statewide and have caused

The first 10 days of a countywide crackdown on drunken and drug-impaired drivers netted more than 300 arrests, it was announced Wednesday. The Riverside County Avoid the 30 task force — named for the number of law enforcement agencies participating — began conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols Dec. 17 as part of its annual

A strong cold front pushed through Southern California on Wednesday, bringing a good amount of rain to the Los Angeles area, and a small amount to the Coachella Valley, according to the National Weather Service. One person was killed and a snowboarder is missing after the system unleashed rain on an already soggy California. While

A pothole at East Palm Canyon Drive and Perez Road prompted authorities to close a section of westbound Palm Canyon Drive near the intersection. At first, crews began working at the site to confirm a possible underground water leak. Instead, they said they found a failed pothole patch due to the recent storm. Utility crews