Month: November 2011

A home located in The Canyons at Bighorn in Palm Desert just sold with a closing price of $9.75 million, signaling there may be an end soon in the region’s wobbly real estate market. Spokeswoman Julia Countryman said the 9,798-square-foot home sits on a 2.25-acre lot and was designed by Guy Dreier, whose award-winning designs

A Banning couple accused of beating the woman’s 2-year-old son, who later died from severe head trauma, were charged Wednesday with murder and other felonies. Andrew Lee Payne, 24, and Davia Damanique James, 22, could each face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of killing the toddler, who was declared brain dead and

The man accused of abducting and killing Moreno Valley teenager Norma Angelica Lopez pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a murder charge and a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a kidnapping. Jesse Perez Torres, 35, of Long Beach could face the death penalty if convicted in the July 2010 death of the

A kitchen fire damaged a Chinese restaurant in Indio this afternoon, a county fire spokeswoman said. Fire was coming from the roof of the Wok restaurant at Dr. Carreon Boulevard and Highway 111 when firefighters arrived about 2:40 p.m., Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Tia Wilson said. The fire was contained to the kitchen duct

The Coachella Valley is home to the latest milestone in clean energy. SunLine Transit Agency unveiled their newest hydrogen-fueled bus at their headquarters in Thousand Palms. The 7th Generation Hydrogen Fueled Vehicle, “The American Fuel Cell Bus” joined the fleet of SunLine’s busses at the cost of approximately $10 million with funds from the Federal

Nine-thousand turkeys were all packed and ready to go to the 75 nonprofit organizations that were selected for the annual Thanksgiving outreach program at the Morongo Indian Reservation. More than 100 volunteers met around 8 a.m. to get the turkeys to their new homes. Anne Robinson is the Co-Chair of the Morongo Charities committee. “I’m

Indio police say officials in Arizona have found a 4-month-old child, who was abducted by her mother from a daycare center Friday morning. The child’s father says 36 year-old Sybil Jenkins does not have custody of their child, Sophie Trice. Police spokesman Ben Guitron told News Channel 3 they found the mother’s vehicle around 11:27

A fire broke out at a Cathedral City home Saturday afternoon, according to fire officials. It started around 2:40 p.m. at a mobile home at 345 Via Don Benito, in the Date Palm Country Club. A man was transfering gas from a generator to a storage container, when some of it spilled and somehow caught

Next week the Riverside County Board of Supervisors is expected to formally pass an ordinance allowing the county to charge prisoners a fee for every day they spend in jail. The cost is $142.00 for each day. County Supervisor Jeff Stone came up with the idea in an effort to save the county 3 to

Votes in the November 2011 election were tallied before midnight on Tuesday for the first time in recent years, which made for a restful night for those who won and many voters. Riverside County Registrar of Voters Kari Vergil released new vote totals every hour on Tuesday with the first round of numbers released just

California State University students would see a 9 percent tuition hike for the next academic year if the state Legislature does not allocate an additional $138 million for the 23-campus system in its upcoming budget. University spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp said Tuesday the board of trustees is set to vote on the tuition increase at a

Riverside County supervisors approved a proposal to assess per-acre fees on solar power providers — and offer various incentives to reduce the companies’ costs. Supervisors voted against the 2 percent flat assessment in preference of a $450-per-acre fee. That was lower that the original $640-per-acre fee for each acre used in the power production process

A woman wearing dark clothing as she cross a busy State Route 62 in Yucca Valley was killed Monday night after she was hit by possibly three vehicles. A spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Deborah Gerdes, 54. of Yucca Valley, was crossing SR 62 around 6:40 p.m. when a car driven

People in the east valley kept an eye to the sky Saturday, not for rain, though, but instead for planes. The eighth annual Jacqueline Cochran Air Show filled the skies in Thermal Saturday. There were more than 50 food, merchandise, and specialty booths for people to enjoy. The show featured military fly-bys, stunt pilots, and

Indian Wells City Council voted unanimously to give outgoing city manager Greg Johnson a severance package worth $427,592. As city manager, Johnson was making $254,000 a year. He resigned after he was accused of getting a local resident fired from his job. The man had raised questions about the Johnson’s salary and benefits at a

Coachella Valley residents who do not want to vote Tuesday in the general election can do so Saturday. Early voting will be available at the Westfield Palm Desert shopping center, 72-840 Highway 111, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Absentee voters will have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return the completed ballots, or

Stagecoach country music festival organizers announced today that the 2012 festival has added 400 tent camping spaces, which go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. “We understand many fans were unable to purchase camping passes. To accommodate more campers, we made the decision to reallocate land creating 400 additional tent camping spaces,” concert promoter Goldenvoice

Double-digit spending cuts and hundreds of layoffs are possible to close an estimated $80 million gap in Riverside County’s budget next year, officials told the Board of Supervisors today. “There will be cuts across the board,” assistant county Executive Officer Jay Orr told the board during a first-quarter budget report on the 2011- 12 fiscal