Month: May 2013

More than 40 teachers along with friends and family showed up to demand a new contract with more money Monday afternoon, most dressed in black to show solidarity. Kevin Colburn is a 5th grade teacher in the Desert Sands Unified School District. When asked why the teachers were wearing black he responded, “Solidarity and mourning

People in Palm Springs continue to wait for a shopping center in their city. Construction crews continue to work around the clock to finish demolishing the vacant stores at the Desert Fashion Plaza. It’s a major step in the Palm Springs Downtown Revitalization plan and it’s almost done. “They look at the back and they

In a 7-0 decision, the California Supreme Court has ruled cities and counties have the constitutional right to shut down storefront medical marijuana dispensaries. With the exception of Palm Springs, which permits three dispensaries to operate, all Coachella Valley cities ban pot dispensaries. Attorney Steve Quintanilla represents Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs.

The man convicted of 2nd degree murder in the death of long-time Frank Sinatra friend Jilly Rizzo in May of 1992 may be getting out of prison this summer. News Channel 3 has learned Jeffrey Perrotte has been found suitable for parole. An official with the California Board of Parole hearings tells us Perrotte now

West Shores High School is home to only 24 teachers and nearly 360 students in grades seven through 12. “We always want to be ahead to prove to the district we’re as good as any high school,” said Mirna Covarrubias, senior class president. Once known for having some of the lowest test scores in state,

No graduation help, no after-school clubs or tutoring: Teachers in Desert Sands Unified School District are saying “no” to extra work until the district gives them a contract. Right now, teachers are working without a contract. They say they are being asked to do more while they are getting paid less. But, the district says

Katie Couric was in Southern California last week to interview west coast stars for her daytime talk show *Katie* which is based out of New York. Because *Katie* airs on KESQ NewsChannel 3 every weekday from 3 to 4 p.m. KESQ held aFacebook contest and took a bus load of Coachella Valley viewers to watch

More than 13 tons of unused prescription drugs werecollected in Riverside and six other counties during National Prescription DrugTake-Back Day on April 27, it was announced today. Local law enforcement agencies from Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange,Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino and San Luis Obispo counties collectedthe potentially dangerous medications from members of the public during

Aquellos hombres que sean tmidos para pedir ayuda en el dormitorio ya no tienen que visitar una farmacia para comprar esa pequea pldora azul. Por primera vez en la industria farmacutica, Pfizer Inc. dijo a The Associated Press que a partir del lunes comenzara a vender la pldora Viagra, para combatir la disfuncin erctil, directamente

A Phoenix jury is on its second day of deliberations in the trial of former Palm Desert resident Jodi Arias, who is accused of murdering her one-time boyfriend in Arizona. Jurors took a lunch break at noon Monday after three hours of deliberations. They resumed at 1 p.m. The jury began deliberating Friday on whether

A vehicle tumbled about 30 feet over a roadside todayin Beaumont, leaving one occupant hurt, a fire spokesman said. Firefighters were dispatched at 12:30 p.m. to Lambs Canyon and Dumproads, near Guarino Excavating. One person suffered minor to moderate injuriesin the single-vehicle crash, Riverside County Fire Department spokesman MarkAnnas said. Paramedics took the unidentified patient

The family of a California man held in Venezuela for nearly two weeks says U.S. officials have had no access to him during what they call the “nightmare” that has unfolded since was accused of fomenting postelection unrest. The family of 35-year-old Timothy Tracy tells The Associated Press in a statement that “we hope that

The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will faceoff at Dodger Stadium Jan. 25 in the first outdoor hockey game in California,the National Hockey League announced today. The game will also be the first outdoor regular-season NHL game playedin the United States west of the Mississippi River and the southern-most NHLoutdoor game ever, according to

Gov. Jerry Brown is defending his approach to a legal battle over the state prison system by saying California has undergone an “incredible transformation” since the federal courts took over the prison health care system. Brown spoke for the first time Monday since the state filed its plan last week to further reduce the prison

Four people were rescued after getting lost duringa hike from the Palm Springs Tram, according to a sheriff’s sergeant. Sheriff’s deputies received a call at 7:06 p.m. Sunday and went to theto top of the tram after one of the hikers used a cell phone to summon help,according to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Portillo.

The city of Riverside’s ban on storefront medicalmarijuana dispensaries is perfectly legal, according to a ruling today by theCalifornia Supreme Court, which unanimously affirmed the authority of anymunicipality to declare that pot distribution facilities “will not bepermitted.” The court’s 44-page ruling was in response to an appeal by Inland EmpirePatients Health and Wellness Center Inc.,

A convicted felon who allegedly dragged a deputythrough a Moreno Valley parking lot when the lawman attempted to reach into thesuspect’s car and detain him for illegal drug use was charged today withassault on a peace officer and other felonies. Robert Anthony Caspari, 31, is also accused of leading law enforcementofficers on a high-speed pursuit

Five people were arrested, three on suspicion of drunken driving, at a checkpoint in Jurupa Valley, police said. The checkpoint on Van Buren Boulevard, north of Clay Street, began 8p.m. Saturday and ended at 3 a.m. Sunday, Jurupa Valley police said. Police screened 1,632 drivers and gave 27 sobriety tests, arrestingthree on suspicion of driving

The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up for a tough wildfire season by adding to its large air tanker fleet seven planes that fly faster and will drop a bigger payload of fire retardant than in the past. The long-anticipated contracts announced Monday total $158 million and include several models of aircraft, including one for

The coroner’s office today released the name of a 16-year-old Coachella boy who died in a rollover crash suspected of being alcohol-related. Francisco Lopez was ejected from the vehicle in the crash, whichoccurred at 12:09 a.m. Sunday in the 86000 block of Industrial Way inCoachella, according to Riverside County coroner’s officials. Someone took the teenage