Month: December 2012

The day after Christmas, some people shop for handbags, others shop for handguns. Dave James wants to add to his collection. “I like to go target practice shooting and skeet shooting with my shotgun, and I have my handgun for home protection,” James said. About two weeks after the Connecticut school shooting, gun sales nationwide

A family of four is left homeless after a fire destroys their home Wednesday morning. Firefighters got the call just after 9:00 a.m. when residents noticed smoke coming from a home on the 52-900 block of Avenida Alvarado. The blaze, which started in the attic, gutted the 1,600-square-foot residence, which had been home to two

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire was up by the largest amount since Nov. 25 today, rising four-tenths of a cent to $3.55. The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties had dropped 70 times in 75 days until being unchanged on Sunday, according to figures

Children can attend The Living Desert Holiday Zoo Camp starting today. Children between the ages of 4 to 14 will have behind-the-scenes tours and animal and keeper visits. All sessions are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until noon and cost $75 for members and $95 for non-members. Sessions are scheduled every day except Sunday through Jan.

A 35-year-old San Diego man got the gift of warmth for Christmas after members of the Riverside County Mountain Rescue Unit and California Department of Forestry found him shivering in his tent on the Devil’s Slide Trail near Hemet, a Riverside County sheriff’s sergeant said. The man, described as an avid, experienced and well-equipped hiker

California has lost a bid to be avoid requirements of the No Child Left Behind law. The state was notified last Friday that its request for a waiver had been denied. The state has resisted a requirement that it evaluate teachers based, in part, on how well their students score on standardized tests. The federal

Los Angeles police are offering groceries for guns in a buyback program that was moved up in the wake of the Connecticut tragedy. Police officials will be accepting weapons today at the LA Memorial Sports Arena and the Van Nuys Masonic Temple. Weapons can be turned in with no questions asked. Handguns, rifles and shotguns

Five people have been displaced out of their home after a fire in La Quinta. The fire was reported at 8:58 p.m. Firefighters responded to the 79800 block of Dandelion Drive. When they arrived, they found smoke and flames coming from the back of the 3,000-square foot single family home. Firefighters were able to contain

If you don’t believe in Christmas miracles, you may have never seen how two California Highway Patrol officers spend Christmas morning. CHP’s Chips For Kids toy drive is an annual event, but for two years now, the officers hand delivered presents door to door — on Christmas morning. For some kids, the only gifts they

It’s the day before Christmas and that means the stores are packed. A lot of people waiting to the last minute to find that perfect gift and retailers are counting on it. At Westfield Palm Desert the shopping season started out slow. Steve Cone, the owner of Moccasin West, says, “It was slow, it was

Authorities have evacuated a Wal-Mart in Southern California after shoppers say they saw a man dressed in camouflage enter the store with what appeared to be an assault rifle or shotgun. Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Morales says witnesses said that just before 6 a.m. Monday the man walked into the store and asked to

The leader of the world’s 80 million-strong Anglican Communion has thrown his support behind stricter gun control in the U.S., saying the easy availability of powerful weapons draws vulnerable people toward violence. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams told the BBC that it was hard to get into the Christmas spirit given the “lives cut so

A federal appeals court has put the brakes on a first-of-its-kind California law that bans therapy that aims to turn gay minors straight. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an emergency order Friday putting the law on hold until it can hear full arguments on the issue. The law

Chris Parnel said this still doesn’t feel like reality. “The only way I could explain it, it looked like someone opened the door to hell,” he said. As he looks at what remains of his apartment that caught fire late Saturday, he relives the details of the night. “My brother called me and told me

Joshua Hill and Kevin Dipolito sat at the Palm Springs International Airport, waiting to board their plane, and make history, on the first non-stop flight from Palm Springs to New York. Virgin America expanded its service to Palm Springs, with new non-stop flights from John F. Kennedy airport. “It’s huge. We go to New York

One week since twenty children and six adults had their lives taken by a gunman in Newtown, Connecticut– people across the United States are honoring their memory. Students at Raymond Cree middle school in Palm Springs observed a statewide moment of silence to remember the victims from Sandy Hook elementary. “We got to be part

A 29 Palms Marine continues to fight for his life after being shot in the head earlier this month. Craig Maddy was shot in the head near the intersection of Indian Canyon and 20th Ave. He remains in an area hospital, while his family waits for answers. Desert Hot Springs Police Department Commander, Ken Perry

Early Friday morning, nearly 3,000 miles away from Newtown, Conn., Coachella Valley leaders, religious figures from all faiths, and school principals read the names of all 26 victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Mourners from across the valley paid their respects in a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names

Voceros de la Patrulla de Carreteras de California inform que de hoy a las 6:00 p.m. hasta las 11:59 p.m. del martes 25 de Diciembre incrementar su nmero de agentes y patrullas en caminos de su jurisdiccin con el fin de mantener fuera de las calles a conductores ebrios. El ao pasado en el Condado

A Connecticut mom is turning to a children’s classic and her fellow knitters to help Sandy Hook Elementary students when they walk into their new school. Kim Piscatelli of East Hampton, Conn., came up with the idea to send each child a copy of “The Kissing Hand” and a pair of handmade mittens adorned with