PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Bighorn Cares will award more than $800,000 in grants to 53 Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations next month in Palm Desert. The funds will be presented at an invitation-only awards dinner Jan. 20 at The Vault, a state-of-the-art car museum inside the Bighorn Golf Club at 255 Palowet Drive, officials said.
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The California Highway Patrol today reminded motorists that a series of new traffic and safety laws will take effect in the new year, affecting everything from e-bikes to school zones and autonomous vehicles. Under Assembly Bill 486, it will be a misdemeanor to possess a key-programming device, key-duplicating device or signal
Continue Reading
THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A motorist possibly speeding along a roadway in Thousand Palms today lost control of his SUV, causing it to overturn and roll, leaving the driver injured. The crash was reported at 1:55 p.m. Thursday on westbound Varner Road, between Monterey Avenue and Boca Chica Trail, paralleling Interstate 10, according to
Continue Reading
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Authorities today were continuing their search for a 47-year-old felon accused of perpetrating numerous thefts at hospitals throughout the region, netting tens of thousands of dollars of equipment while posing as an employee at each facility. Jason Suniga Brauner of San Jacinto was due to appear for a hearing at the
Continue Reading
PINE COVE, Calif. (KESQ) – A person was burned today in a fire at a Pine Cove property, requiring an airlift to a regional trauma center for treatment.  The fire was reported at 12:53 p.m. Thursday in the 25200 block of Wrightwood Drive, less than a quarter-mile west of Highway 243, according to the Riverside
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – In response to a series of powerful storms impacting California during the Christmas holiday, Gov. Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a state of emergency, unlocking resources and state assistance for Los Angeles County, Orange County and four others. “California is acting early and decisively to do all we can to get ahead
Continue Reading
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Two people were arrested in Palm Desert for allegedly stealing a vehicle, authorities said today. Â Â Deputies located the reportedly stolen vehicle at 3:25 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Highway 74 and El Paseo Drive, according to Lt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. They later conducted
Continue Reading
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Two drivers were arrested for allegedly driving on DUI-suspended licenses during a DUI checkpoint in Cathedral City, authorities said today. The checkpoint was conducted from 7 p.m. Friday until 1 a.m. Saturday on Date Palm Drive at Victoria Drive, according to the Cathedral City Police Department. Eight people were cited
Continue Reading
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Drive safe, sober, and obey the speed limit during the upcoming Christmas holiday or face consequences, the California Highway Patrol warned today. The agency will initiate its annual Christmastime “holiday enforcement period” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, when all available officers will deploy to catch drunk or drug-impaired drivers, speeders and other
Continue Reading
THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – Two Temecula residents have been arrested for allegedly stealing a horse valued at around $80,000 from a ranch in the unincorporated community of Thermal, authorities said today. Â Â The suspects, a 22-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, were arrested Monday and booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion
Continue Reading
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KESQ) – A single-engine airplane went down today in the Cleveland National Forest west of Lake Elsinore, but the pilot walked away unscathed after apparently deploying a parachute attached to the aircraft. Â Â The “aircraft emergency” was reported at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday in a canyon adjacent to the Ortega Oaks Campground, along
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A power outage left 100 Imperial Irrigation District customers without electricity today in Indio. Â Â The outage was reported at 2:18 p.m. Tuesday in the area of John Nobles Avenue, Padua Circle, Rubidoux Street, Olivera Way and Chia Circle, according to IID. There was no immediate estimate on when service would
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Three young men accused of opening fire on a crowded Thermal home, unleashing numerous rounds in a drive-by attack that continued even after sheriff’s deputies arrived to investigate, pleaded not guilty today to multiple counts of attempted murder and other offenses. Eric Orozco Diaz, Guillermo Alexander Martinez and Gustavo Isbojet Barrera
Continue Reading
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs International Film Festival unveiled the lineup Tuesday for the return of its Book to Screen program slated for next month. Deadline’s Matt Grobar will moderate Q&As with directors and screenwriters responsible for bringing written stories to life on the big screen. The first event will take place
Continue Reading
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Fans tossed more than 20,000 teddy bears onto the ice during the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ fourth annual Teddy Bear Toss Night at Acrisure Arena, the hockey team announced today. Â Â The toss occurred after Firebirds’ forward Oscar Molgaard scored the first goal 2:30 into the first period during the team’s
Continue Reading
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside, the state’s fourth-most populous county, had a population of 2,485,007 persons in fiscal year 2025, an increase of 0.20% over 2024’s figures, according to data released today by the California Department of Finance. The county’s population of 2,479,957 last year increased by 5,050 in 2025, data showed. Overall, California’s population
Continue Reading
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Healthcare District and Foundation awarded more than $1 million in grants to five nonprofit organizations in the Coachella Valley designed for mental and behavioral health services and programs, along with a pair of other unrelated grants. On Tuesday, the District and Foundation Board approved $1,039,139 to five out the
Continue Reading
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KESQ) – On the fourth day of jury deliberations following a two-month trial, the parents and widow of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs reached a settlement today of their wrongful-death lawsuit against the Major League Baseball franchise over Skaggs’ 2019 overdose in a Texas hotel room. No details of the settlement
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-cop accused of roughing up two boys while arresting them after they fled an alleged burglary at Desert Hot Springs High School pleaded not guilty today to felony charges. Johnny Acosta, 30, was arrested last month following a year-long Riverside County Force Investigations Detail Task Force probe into the allegedacts
Continue Reading RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two people were arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts in public following a public safety enforcement operation at Rancho Mirage Community Park, authorities announced today.  The suspects, a 45-year-old from Thousand Palms and a 62-year-old from Rancho Mirage, were booked at Benoit Detention Center in Indio, according to
Continue Reading