Month: July 2013

A former youth soccer coach who pleaded guilty to sex-related counts involving a 12-year-old boy was sentenced today to 14 years and eight months in state prison. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Leslie Swain also ordered Jorge Luis Dominguez, 27, of Los Angeles, to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life,

More than a thousand firefighters, friends, and family members of Christopher Lee Douglas honored his life of service at the Bridge Church in Murrieta. A traditional life lost in the line-of-duty service was held to celebrate the life of the 41-year-old Temecula resident. “You want to know who Chris Douglas was?” said his Battalion Chief

We met partners Chad Gardner and Roly Carvajal, of Palm Springs, two weeks ago, the eve of the Supreme Court’s rulings overturning Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. Since then, some things have changed. “We got married on Tuesday, July 2,” said Gardner. It didn’t take long for gay marriage opponents to step

A 19-year-old man who got lost with a friend while hiking in Trabuco Canyon pleaded guilty today to possession of methamphetamine in a plea deal that will allow him to enter a drug-treatment program with a chance of getting the conviction cleared from his record. Before Nic Cendoya pleaded guilty to possessing 497 milligrams of

Police say a woman who claims to be a psychic led them to the Terry Smith’s body. She called a tip-line about her vision and police asked her to join the search. Pam Ragland, an Orange County psychic, describes herself as “an intuitive.” Local psychic, Johanne Verville, who has more than 25 years of experience

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has made the decision to file a charge of murder against 16-year-old Skylor Atilano in connection with the death of his 11-yearold half-brother, Terry Smith Jr. The juvenile petition is in the process of being filed in Riverside County Superior Court, juvenile division. The DA’s Office is also requesting

A memorial service will be held today in Murrieta for Riverside County firefighter Christopher Douglas, who was struck by a pickup truck a week ago in Thousand Palms. The service at The Bridge Church at 38801 Calistoga Drive will begin at 3 p.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The 41-year-old Temecula resident was

A Coachella man is facing DUI charges Friday morning after taking off from the scene of a crash on Thursday. Police responded to a report of a wreck about 10:30 p.m. at Fredrick Street and Bellissima Avenue in Coachella. When officers arrived, the driver had already left the scene. Twenty-two-year-old William Calderon was taken into

Step out of the air conditioning for just a moment, and you feel it. Monsoon season is among us. “We’ve had a lot of humidity, which is rare for the desert, so that makes things a little uncomfortable,” reflects self-proclaimed “desert rat”, and College Golf Center manager, Tony Manzoni. He’s been in the Valley for

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire rose 1 cent today to $4.022, the largest daily increase since June 22nd. The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties is nine-tenths of a cent more than one week ago, 6.3 cents higher than one month ago and 36.7

For more than 15 years The Well in the Desert in Palm Springs has been a pantry for the homeless, elderly and struggling families. “We provide daily hot nutritious meals, 125 people a day, sacked lunches and home deliveries,” said Well in the Desert President Arlene Rosenthal. Just last week the organization was flooded with

When the father of 11-year-old Terry Smith Jr. learned his son was reported missing on Sunday, he says he suspected right off the bat that something didn’t add up to the boy’s disappearance. “The longer he was gone, the more I knew there was more to the story than met the eye,” said Terry Smith

The threat of rain is a concern in Cathedral City, where last summer a storm sent a wall of water down onto East Palm Canyon. The mud and water damaged businesses and closed East Palm Canyon. Since then, the city and the county have been working on flood control. Construction began on the Eagle Canyon

Charges in the suspected murder of an 11-year-old Menifee boy could be filed as early as tomorrow according to the district attorney. Police arrested a 16-year-old family member after human remains matching a description of Terry Smith Jr. were found on the family’s property. The coroner could also officially ID the remains by tomorrow. The

An absolute outpouring from the community of Menifee on Wednesday as the town is turned out for Terry Smith Jr. Over 1000 people volunteered to help look for the boy and even more showed up to pay their respects as Menifee begins to grieve. A wave of shock and sadness swept through Menifee wednesday as

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department arrested a 16-year-old family member on suspicion of murder in the case of a missing 11-year-old autistic boy. Menifee police Chief John Hill said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that human remains matched the description of Terry Dewayne Smith Jr. were found partially exposed in a shallow grave on

A four-day ballroom and Latin dance competition will start in Palm Desert on Thursday. Professional, amateur and youth dancers will compete at the Desert Classic DanceSport Championships at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa starting at 8 a.m. The event is part of the World Pro-Am DanceSport Series, a network of 80 events

When a chain link fence went up across the back yards of nine mobile homes, the residents of Scenic View Road said goodbye to their scenic views. “It ruins our view of the mountains,” Steve Haynes said. “It generally just makes you feel like you’re in a prison yard when you’re out the back door

If you’re diving into the pool or simply out and about under the sun, the summer heat and desert winds can sure put stress on your eyes. “We live in the dry eye capitols of the world. It’s also a time when UVB light at it’s highest intensity,” said Dr. Michael Roth, optometrist at Milauskas