Month: March 2014

There was quite a bit of police activity in a Coachella neighborhood Thursday morning, but it was related to a crime that was committed years ago, according to authorities. A jury in a murder case was taken to the area as part of a criminal examination. Tripoli Way and Bagdad Avenue were blocked off while

The University of California, San Francisco, is warning nearly 10,000 people that their personal information may have been compromised after desktop computers were stolen in January. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that there’s no evidence that anyone has tried to access or use the personal information contained on the machines. The unencrypted computers were

An Indio man was taken into custody after being accused in a stabbing attack outside a La Quinta restaurant early Monday morning. The Riverside County Sheriffs Department said investigators from its Thermal station arrested 31-year-old Frank Sebastian Robles on Wednesday. Members from the La Quinta Police Special Enforcement Team assisted with the arrest. Robles allegedly

International criminal enterprises follow the money, and a new report says they are increasingly focusing on California because of its wealth and innovation. Aside from long-time trafficking in drugs, guns and people, the report being released Thursday by California Attorney General Kamala Harris says criminals are turning to cybercrime to target businesses and financial institutions.

The Cathedral City Police Department said there’s been a recent increase in crime in the Dream Homes neighborhood. On Wednesday, officers hit the streets at 6 a.m. with the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and gang task force. The investigation led authorities to 24 locations. The majority of the arrests were made in

A Texas-based pizza chain is generating a lot of buzz over the naming of its new pizza. The name “La Chin*&$@,” a profanity in Spanish, can either mean something really good or something really offensive. The pizza chain “El Patron” has a location on Grapefruit Boulevard in Coachella. Franchise owner, Juan Romero says the company

Just minutes into meeting Loretta May, you quickly learn she loves telling stories, but she doesn’t usually have anyone to tell them to. “Living by yourself takes energy in the fact that you have to entertain yourself. There isn’t someone else to give you conversation. You have to be happy with yourself,” May said. Every

Travelers looking to take a road side break along Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley have had no place to stop since November. The long closure of the Whitewater rest stop has made things especially tough on truckers. “Rest areas, they’re closing those down left and right,” trucker Mike Douglas said. “That’s the only place

The on-going construction on Cook Street in Palm Desert continues to present major roadblocks for commuters, especially those who live in the area. “It’s not a normal flow of traffic, so you’ve always got a tie-up no matter what time of day,” said Dean Thompson, who lives in an apartment complex on Cook. Thompson says

A pregnant woman who was trying to enter the United States illegally nearly drowned in the All-American Canal Tuesday afternoon, according to Border Patrol agents with the El Centro Sector Station. Around 2:20 p.m., a citizen flagged down a Border Patrol agent to tell him a woman was in the canal and needed help. Two

A farewell party is planned next week for the “Forever Marilyn” statue — a fixture in Downtown Palm Springs for almost two years. The send-off for the Marilyn Monroe sculpture is scheduled from 6 p.m. to8 p.m. March 27, during the weekly VillageFest at Palm Canyon Drive andTahquitz Canyon Way. A giant goodbye card to

A sting operation was set up in Indio to catch drivers whose licenses were suspended or revoked as they left the Riverside County Courthouse on Monday morning. Officers staked out offenders who had just been told by a judge not to drive due to a suspended license. According to a release from the Riverside County

A fire at a mobile home park in Twentynine Palms destroyed a two-story residence on Tuesday afternoon. The blaze was reported to firefighters around 2:30 p.m. at the Singing Trees Mobile Home Park in the 74600 block of Amboy Road, according to officials. It took the 29 Palms Fire Department about 45 minutes to extinguish

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire dropped two-tenths of a cent today to $4, one day after surpassing the $4 mark for the first time since Sept. 19. The decrease ended a string of 28 increases in 29 days where the price rose 24.2 cents, including four-tenths

Saying taxi drivers are ambassadors for the city, Sacramento officials are proposing sweeping new rules to force cabbies to clean up their act. The Sacramento Bee says the proposed ordinance approved Tuesday by a City Council committee would require drivers to wear collared shirts, slacks and closed-toe shoes. They must drive newer vehicles and keep

A congressional committee is taking up California’s drought crisis in Fresno at the heart of the state’s agricultural region. The House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday will hear testimony from Central Valley farmers, community leaders and state water officials – all grappling with the drought. The hearing at Fresno’s City Hall is titled “California Water

Riverside city and county residents are being warned to be wary of a phone scam during which a caller claiming to be with law enforcement seeks money to clear a up a contempt of court-related arrest warrant. The scam artist poses as a police officer or sheriff’s deputy, sometimes with the rank of lieutenant, and

The twin daughters of former President George W. Bush will wrap up Rancho Mirage’s 2014 Speakers Series tonight. Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager’s talk starts at 7 p.m. at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower Medical Center. No tickets were available online as of Tuesday night; the series hotline is (760)

The La Quinta City Council said Tuesday night that they may ask residents to vote on a general tax increase. The city is operating at a deficit and says it does not have the funds to continue maintaining landscaping and lighting. Survey results revealed at the March 18 council meeting showed fewer than 37 percent

Robert Pape and Cristin Smith were back in court Tuesday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Both men have been charged with three counts of murder with special enhancements of multiple murders and personal use of a firearm against a victim. The charges stem from the deaths of 18-year old Rebecca Friedli, her