Month: November 2012

Many Anthem Blue Cross customers could see their rates jump an average of 18 percent in February, under a proposal by the state’s largest for-profit health insurer. The Los Angeles Times says the proposed increases could affect 630,000 individual policyholders, some of whom may see premiums rise as much as 25 percent. In its rate

Rescuers locate a missing couple lost in Joshua Tree National Park late Tuesday night. The pair went missing for three days after embarking on an off-roading trip in Joshua Tree National Park on Sunday. Helen Melnyk,56, and her longtime friend Anatoly “Tony” Nosow, 59, were airlifted to safety late Tuesday night from the east side

A Human Rights Campaign report rating how well cities across the country serve the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community left the Coachella Valley up in arms. Twenty-one California cities ranked in the report. Palm Springs came in 10th place, Cathedral City rolled in at 11, and Rancho Mirage finished last. “There has been no

Indio Police are searching for a man who robbed an Indio liquor store at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Police spokesman Ben Guitron says the store is located at the Parkway Market on the 43-900 block of Golf Center Parkway. The suspect armed with a knife walked in and demanded money from the clerk. As the

A 12-person jury announced that Desert Hot Springs gang member Emilio Manuel Avalos, should receive the death penalty for the slaying of 20-year-old Marine Cpl. Henry Lozano and the shooting death of 17-year-old Jahi Collins, just before noon Wednesday. Avalos was also convicted of the attempted murder of Collins’ friend, Bobby Wilson, who was left

A new report on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality has been released, and three Valley cities are included in the survey. The Municipal Equality Index was compiled by the Human Rights Campaign. Cities were rated in six categories for how well they serve the LGBT community. Palm Springs ranked 10th among the 21 California

Death and taxes, the only sure things in life the saying goes. Sadly for our area, there is probably one other sure thing, a big earthquake, long overdue. Our valley could soon have a complete early warning system for a big shaker. Not a lot of warning, but some could help. Natural disasters….hurricanes….tornadoes…earthquakes, the results

The 24th Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis with the “Director of the Year Award” for Flight. Flight is a recently-released thriller starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. You may also know Zemeckis from his work on Forest Gump, for which he also won a Golden Globe for

Joshua Tree National Park officials are confirming the death of an Illinois man in the park. The 34-year old man was found dead in his vehicle on Saturday afternoon at the Ocotillo Patch, a scenic pull-out along route 11 in the park. The man had been reported missing. The Riverside County Coroner’s office is investigating.

Riverside County supervisors today directed theExecutive Office to dig into the county budget to see if there are fundsavailable to support an alcohol-monitoring program that has proven successfulin keeping DUI offenders out of trouble. At the urging of Supervisor Jeff Stone, the county will attempt to findmoney to assist indigent defendants convicted of driving under

As Karen Blodget shopped through Kmart, we talked to her about a little known Christmas program. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to do to help people who can’t help themselves,” Karen Blodget said. The Layaway Angel program let’s you do just that – pay off someone’s layaway bill. It started in 2011 when someone

Jose “Joe” Luis Saenz reportedly killed four people, including the mother of his child. A news conference will be held at 9 a.m at the FBI headquarters on Wilshire Blvd, where authorities will speak about his capture. Saenz was known on the streets as “Zapp,” “Peanut Joe Smiley” and “Honeycutt,” among other aliases. He was

The chief executive of the Crystal Cathedral says he has enough money to move on with his ministry after a long and difficult bankruptcy proceeding. John Charles said Monday’s ruling will allow the ministry to continue. Founder Rev. Robert H. Schuller and his family will be paid less than $1 million from the bankruptcy of

The Palm Springs Police Department will begin its two-week firearms safety course today. The class, mostly about handguns, will be held at the department’s training center today, Thursday, Dec. 4 and Dec. 6. Classes are 6 to 9 p.m. On Dec. 8, a two-hour session at a firing range is scheduled. The course covers laws

Public schools here in California have faced years of spending cuts. Smaller budgets have forced layoffs, and cuts to programs. In an effort to combat continued state budget cuts, Palm Springs Unified School District is seeking out a creative, new way to raise funds. The board of education is considering selling naming rights to donors.

The defense rested today in the penalty phase of the trial of a Desert Hot Springs gang member convicted of killing a U.S. Marine and a teenager. Emilio Manuel Avalos, 35, was convicted in the Dec. 19, 2001, slaying of 20-year-old Marine Cpl. Henry Lozano and the Dec. 21, 1994, shooting death of 17-year-old Jahi

A Coachella woman is in jail, accused in a deadly hit and run crash over the weekend. Police say 31-year old Sara Rojas was the driver in a hit and run that killed a 63-year old woman Saturday night. Police say Celia Miranda was crossing Harrison Street near Avenue 49 in a crosswalk when she

A fallen California Highway Patrol officer who worked out of the Indio area office is being honored for making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. A dedication ceremony was held Monday naming the Date Palm Drive freeway overpass in Cathedral City after CHP officer Mark Thomas Taylor. Twenty-five years ago on Thanksgiving Day,

Nearly three weeks after voters went to the polls, Riverside County posted its final election results today. The final tally shows Democratic emergency room doctor Raul Ruizcollected 12,236 votes more than Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, in therace to represent the redrawn 36th Congressional District. Ruiz had 52.94percent of the vote, compared to Bono