Month: November 2012

Federal agents have arrested Haki Dervishi, and have searched his home and business. The Office of the Inspector General is investigating possible food stamp fraud at the One Stop Shoppe in Indio. “We were here at 8 o’clock and they were here already,” said Tony Gowda, a vender for One Stop Shoppe. FBI and US

The public safety budget could not be spared from Cathedral City’s controversial budget cuts last July. Two million dollars came out of the fire department alone. The city manager told the fire department, unless it came up with a way to cut costs, he would make personnel cuts and close a station permanently. So, the

Sharla Johnson remembers the exact day and time she kicked her smoking habit. “August 23rd, 2000, at 3:30 in the afternoon,” Johnson said. The certified personal trainer smoked her last cigarette twelve years ago.Snuffing out the habit proved just as challenging as the once heavy smoker thought. “In the beginning, I liked it because of

In these tough economic times, there are many people who can’t afford a Thanksgiving dinner. That’s why the Morongo Band of Mission Indians is helping those less fortunate, by donating turkeys. “We’re trying to help families who don’t have turkeys so that way they can have a turkey for this Thanksgiving,” explained young tribal volunteer

For the sixth year, SunLine Transit Agency’s annual food drive, “Fill the Bus” took donations for Valley charities ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Parked at three different locations, 40-foot SunLine busses were ready to be filled with food and other necessities for those in need. “We have two storage rooms that are 20X10 and they’re

The family, of Allen DeVillena II killed by Palm Springs Police on Saturday, posted on facebook that there will be a candlelight vigil in honor of the marine tonight at 6pm The family posted the announcement early this morning and say it will take place at the downtown parking garage on Indian Canyon and Baristo

Federal prosecutors say five Southern California men have been arrested for allegedly running a $5 million scam on the unemployment system. The indictment announced Wednesday alleges that between January 2008 and March 2011, the defendants registered fake companies with the state and recruited people to pose as laid off employees. The phony employees then filed

Barry Manilow’s “Gift of Love” concerts are becoming a bit of a holiday tradition, in the desert. The musician says this is the perfect time to give back to the community he holds close to his heart. That’s right, Christmas is just around the corner! In fact, it’s just 40 days away! Manilow says, “I

Former and current workers at a Jurupa Valley warehouse that handles Walmart goods were set to picket Thursday morning outside the facility to call attention to what they allege are hostile working conditions. The demonstration organized by Warehouse Workers United, which is supported by the Service Employees International Union, is scheduled to get under way

Francisca Mendoza, of Indio, says she made an easy-fix lunch at home to take to the Salton Sea for her and her father on Wednesday. Before taking a bite she found a shiny and sharp surprise wrapped in her tortilla. “When I tried to cut the weenie, it was something hard. I was in shock,”

The Mirada Custom Lot Association donated a quarter of a million dollars to The Bighorn Institute in Rancho Mirage Wednesday morning. The original Mirada homeowners association set up the fund ten years ago. Andy Gladstein is the current HOA president, he’s extremely proud the association has the power to make a difference and present the

An invasive beetle that attacks oak trees has been found in a California black oak tree in the Riverside County mountain town of Idyllwild. The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday that the presence of the goldspotted oak borer was confirmed through DNA analysis of larvae extracted from under the bark of

The 36-day downward slide of decreasing gas prices in Riverside County came to screeching halt today when the average price of self-serve regular gasoline remained unchanged at $3.84 cents. The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties decreased 85 cents during the streak, including four-tenths of a cent on Tuesday, after rising 52.4 cents

A pedestrian killed in a big rig crash in Mecca intentionally stepped into the path of an oncoming semi-tractor trailer, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office. The 41-year-old Massachusetts man was struck by a tractor trailer Tuesday afternoon on Highway 111 at Salt Creek Beach, according to the California Highway Patrol and the Riverside

Gov. Jerry Brown is set to make his first appearance at a University of California board meeting where he’s expected to urge UC officials to control costs and avoid raising tuition. Brown is expected to attend the UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday, a day after university officials heeded his request

California is debuting its new, landmark cap-and-trade program with an auction of greenhouse gas pollution permits, despite an eleventh-hour lawsuit filed by the state’s largest business group. The California Chamber of Commerce filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court. It was not expected to halt Wednesday’s auction. The suit challenges the California Air Resources

Parents and students crowded the Desert Sands Unified School District at Tuesday’s board meeting in La Quinta, many of them asking for a high school bus line to make it’s way back into the Indio Hills area. “It shouldn’t be something we should be asking for,” said Liliana Murillo, of Indio Hills. Murillo warns the