Month: September 2013

The past couple of weeks, rain in the valley was hit or miss, but, in Joshua Tree National Park, it was always hit. Torrential rains left many roads washed out. Two of the three entrances to the park are closed, but the entrance to the most iconic part of the park is open. “The northern

The run-up to Palm Springs Modernism Week willinclude walking, biking and bus tours of the region’s architectural gems,cocktail parties, a lecture and a “yard sale,” the executive directorannounced today. “Fall Season Kick-Off” events, scheduled Oct. 11-14, are aimed atpriming the pump for the main event in February. Reservations are required, anda full schedule of events

A couple and their puppy were saved from flood waters this weekend after their car stalled in chest-deep water, according to a press release. El Centro Border Patrol and an Imperial County Sheriff deputy responded to the scene on Highway 111 near Hot Mineral Spa Rd in Niland after a passing motorist reported the incident.

A 26-year-old burglary suspect, arrested forallegedly burglarizing a Palm Springs home and carrying away items in a trashcan, was behind bars today. Palm Springs resident Mark Anthony Scott was arrested about 3:30 p.m.Sunday near Cielo Vista Elementary School on South Paseo Dorotea, about 20minutes after a burglary was reported at a home in the 3900

The state Senate has approved a bill making it a misdemeanor to store a firearm where it is accessible to a child. Existing laws allow charges to be filed if someone is injured. But AB231 by Democratic Assemblyman Philip Ting of San Francisco makes it a crime to store any loaded firearm where the owner

Slashing the fees that businesses pay the county tobuild commercial and residential structures will be on the Board ofSupervisors’ agenda tomorrow. Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione will ask his boardcolleagues to support another round of temporary reductions to the county’sdevelopment impact fees and will argue that developers who had to pay higherrates when fees reverted

Weekend storms knocked out power to over 1,000 customers this weekend, according to the Imperial Irrigation District. As of Monday, power had been returned to all but about 300 customers. On Saturday, a storm bringing high winds swept though Mecca near Hays Ave and Grand St, toppling at least 27 power poles in the area.

Hundreds were without electricity all Monday morning and into the afternoon after the power went out late last night in Cathedral City. According to Southern California Edison, the power went out around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night and appears to have been restored shortly after 1 p.m. 548 customers were impacted the outage. SCE says “equipment

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office has identified a man found dead in a Desert Hot Springs field. Jeffrey Schnorr was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Monday in the desert area east of Ironwood and Verbena drives, according to police and coroner’s officials. The cause of his death is under investigation, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s

El forense del Departamento del Sheriff del Condado de Riverside, revel la identidad del hombre que muri atropellado en el rea de Via Altamira y Dinah Shore Drive en Cathedral City. Se trata de Sterling Williams de 69 aos residente de la misma ciudad, quin el jueves fue atropellado y abandonado por el conductor del

Authorities say a 6-year-old girl is dead and her 26-year-old father is injured after they were shot at a family party in Riverside County. The Sheriff’s Department said investigators on Sunday had identified no motive or suspects in the shootings. Sheriff’s and coroner’s officials say 6-year-old Tiana Ricks of Victorville and her father Tyrell Ricks

The wheelchair-bound man who was struck andkilled by a motorist in Cathedral City has been publicly identified by theRiverside County Coroner’s Office. Sterling Williams, 69, of Cathedral City, was found Thursday night morethan 300 feet west of Via Altamira on Dinah Shore Drive, according to thecoroner’s office. Anyone with information about the incident was urged

An overnight storm brought rain, wind, thunder and lightning causing trees to topple. Wind gusts of nearly 50 mph hit the valley during the line of storms. Forecasters say there’s a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the Coachella Valley this morning and a better chance of it this afternoon and again this evening.

In the five weeks since he declared his support for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster has gotten an earful. One constituent told the second-term Republican that immigrants carry disease. Another said immigrants would steal jobs away from Americans. “You cannot stop illegal immigration by rewarding it,” another man said at a recent

The cause of an attic fire in Desert Hot Springs is being investigated this morning. Firefighters responded to a structure fire on the 66100 block of 3rd Street around 12:24 a.m Monday morning. Arriving crews reported flames coming from the attic of the 1,800-square-foot house. The fire was put out in under half an hour.

Two hikers were rescued after they became lost on aPalm Springs Tramway trail, a Riverside County sheriff’s sergeant said today. One hiker, 62-year-old Alejandro Escobedo of Austin, Texas, called 911on his cellphone just before 4 p.m. Sunday to report himself lost and givedispatchers some idea where he was, said Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. MikePortillo. He

California’s biggest public pension system saw retirement payouts for new retirees double between 1999 and 2012 as higher pensions established years ago started taking effect. New CalPERS data analyzed by the Sacramento Bee show state and local police officers and firefighters benefited the most. In the 14 years covered by the data, average first-month pensions

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino will host a low-cost vaccination and spaying and neutering clinic for cats and dogs Monday through Wednesday. The clinic is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day at the Indio casino and will operate out of a mobile unit run by the nonprofit Animal Action League. The group provides

Elizabeth Bartlett’s biggest wish was to marry Phillip Cape. “The Cinderella fairy tale every girl wants,” Bartlett said. Elizabeth has terminal breast cancer, and months left to live. “It’s the greatest feeling, knowing her dream has come true,” Cape said. The couple always wanted to marry, but couldn’t afford it, especially with medical pills piling

On a special anniversary for the Desert Fencing Academy, we got an up-close-and personal view of the sport. “It’s like playing chess at 100 miles an hour. Its 80% mental, 20% movement. We are constantly thinking and moving. Thinking about what our opponent will do. Mind body. A great sport,” Desert Fencing Academy owner Leslie