Month: May 2013

Indio High School students and staff were evacuated this morning after a fire broke out in the attic of the boys locker room. The fire started just before 9 a.m. Firefighters contained the blaze to the 3500 square foot room at around 10:08 a.m., according to Cal Fire. There were no reports of injury. Information

While under federal court oversight, California’s prison mental health system has been spending far more on anti-psychotic drugs than other states with large prison systems. Figures compiled by The Associated Press through a state Public Records Act request show that California has been spending a far greater percentage on anti-psychotic medication for inmates than other

A Southern California man has been sentenced to jail for filing phony paperwork to obtain free government license plates for a dozen vehicles. The Riverside Press-Enterprise says Patrick Colleary of Canyon Lake registered the vehicles as belonging to a phony fire agency called the “Menifee Wildomar Fire District.” Riverside County actually handles fire service for

Authorities say they need more time to clean up graffiti that’s marred an historic Native American site at Joshua Tree National Park. Rattlesnake Canyon, a popular hiking spot in the Southern California desert park, was closed for cleanup earlier this year after graffiti was found spray-painted on ancient boulders at 17 sites. Rangers say taggers

A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire will go into effect this morning in parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties — though not the Coachella Valley — because of high heat, gusty Santa Ana winds and low humidity. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning set to take effect

Northbound Highway 111 was shut down for a short time Wednesday morning just north of Gateway Drive after a big rig overturned and began leaking fuel. Hazmat crews made their way to the site and cleared the area before the road was reopened just after 7:30 a.m. There was no word on injuriescausedby the accident

One person is dead and a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy is in the hospital after a wreck in Twentynine Palms. Firefighters were were called to Highway 62 at Encelia Avenue at 7:30 Tuesday night. That’s where the deputy was driving eastbound on 62 when the vehicles collided. A motorist in the other vehicle died

The American Red Cross is helping seven people out of their home this morning after an overnight fire in Desert Hot Springs. Emergency crews were called to the 66600 Two Bunch Palms trail just after 1:30 Wednesday. Arriving firefighters found a single story home engulfed in flames. Crews were able to put the fire out

As Jodi Arias’ trial wraps up this week, the crux of a first-degree murder conviction – even second-degree or an unlikely acquittal – rests, in part, on the testimony of expert witnesses as jurors will no doubt grapple with the sheer volume of evidence, and struggle to come to grips with the defendant’s ever-changing version

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has received some hopeful news from County Chief Financial Officer Ed Corser. He says the county’s 1 billion dollars in unfunded pension obligations will be reduced over time, thanks in part to improvements introduced last year in the county’s retirement system. But Corser warned the supervisors that even though

A Menifee man who fatally shot his girlfriend in the head during a drunken rage is expected to be sentenced Tuesday to 50 years to life in prison. Adam Michael Starkey was convicted April 3 of first-degree murder with a sentence-enhancing gun use allegation and a misdemeanor charge of illegally possessing a firearm for the

Governor Jerry Brown has until Thursday to come up with a plan to solve the ongoing issue of prison overcrowding in the state. A federal oversight committee threatened Brown with contempt of court if he doesn’t give them an answer. At the jail level, the Riverside County Sheriff’s department has found a solution to ease