NORCO, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Assemblyman Bill Essayli has been appointed as United States Attorney for the Central District of California by President Donald Trump, his office announced Tuesday night. “I am honored that President Trump and Attorney General (Pamela) Bondi have placed their trust in me to serve as United States Attorney for
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury selection began today in the trial of an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband’s Palm Springs home. Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019. McKernan is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing allegations
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A Banning man who sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled woman over a five-year span pleaded guilty today to forcible sexual penetration. Rene Leonel Robles Cerna, 39, admitted the felony charge under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors agreed to drop six
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CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – Former Orange County Sheriff’s Department Capt. AJ Patella was named the new chief of the Morongo Tribal Police Department this week. “We are delighted to welcome AJ Patella as Morongo’s new Tribal Police Chief,” Morongo Tribal Chairman Charles Martin said in a statement Monday. “With his impressive police career stretching back
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A fundraiser featuring artwork by canines will be held Friday in Palm Desert, officials said today. The event will be hosted by Guide Dogs of the Desert, a non-profit organization that provides mobility, companionship and independence for the blind with custom-trained dogs. The “Paw-casso” exhibit features artwork made by numerous
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GLENDALE, Calif. (KESQ) – A U.S. Army sergeant from Glendale was formally identified today as one of four soldiers who died in a training accident in Lithuania. The soldiers, who were aboard an M88 Hercules vehicle, disappeared March 25 during the training exercise in the town of Pabradé. They were found dead after a roughly
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today approved a slate of fee hikes tied to Riverside County Department of Public Health services, under a fee schedule revised to reflect inflation-driven impacts to the agency. In a 3-0 vote — with Supervisors Yxstian Gutierrez and Chuck Washington absent — the board formally signed
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will celebrate the Easter holiday with an Easter Sunrise Service at an altitude of 8,516 feet later this month, officials said today. The tramway, located at 1 Tramway, will hold the service April 20 at 5 a.m. with the first tram car to depart at
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – One person was killed and another person was injured after they fell from a 30-foot wall along the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, authorities said today. San Diego agents discovered two suspected migrants around 11 p.m. Monday after they fell from the wall, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Rediscovering the architectural uniqueness of homes and other buildings throughout Palm Springs and identifying the best means of retaining that aspect of the city’s character will be the focus of a public event at the Convention Center later this month. “Palm Springs is an international destination for architectural aficionados. Preserving
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – College students seeking paid gigs through the fall and going into the first half of 2026 were encouraged today to apply for internships at Sunnylands Center & Gardens that turn students into tour guides at the Rancho Mirage estate. “Tour guides are responsible for advancing the educational mission of The
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – Five men accused of laundering money on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel were charged in a pair of grand jury indictments unsealed today in San Diego federal court. The indictments were originally returned in 2022 against the defendants, all of whom remain at large and face drug trafficking and money
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MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – Starting this week and continuing all month, Imperial Irrigation District customers throughout the Coachella Valley will have an opportunity to attend open houses offering information regarding projects to improve services, as well as apply for access to energy payment assistance programs. The IID Board approved a rate update in January
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A Riverside County man pleaded guilty today in downtown Los Angeles to a federal charge for hosting illegal cockfights in which owners paid $1,000 to register roosters expected to fight to the death while spectators gambled on the bloody results. Isidro Chaparro Sanchez, 59, of Corona, entered a plea to one
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The family of former Los Angeles Times and Riverside Press Enterprise reporter and celebrity biographer Dennis McDougal and his wife Sharon McDougal were mourning their deaths today after both were fatally injured in a multi-vehicle crash in Desert Center earlier this month. The four-vehicle crash was reported at about 4
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – The general manager and three employees of an El Cajon-area business that was raided by federal agents this week were facing immigration-related charges today. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings’ general manager employed undocumented workers and let them live in the company’s warehouse. The general
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SANTA ANA, Calif. (KESQ) – Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu was sentenced today to two months behind bars and was ordered to pay a $55,000 fine for his guilty plea to obstruction of justice, wire fraud and lying to federal investigators about his role in the city’s effort to sell Angel Stadium. Sidhu, 67, was
Continue Reading SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – A former Navy detective and El Cajon police officer sentenced earlier this year for using excessive force on a detained sailor at Naval Base San Diego is now facing a new charge of attempting to produce child sex abuse material. Jonathan Christopher Laroche, 41, of Spring Valley, is accused in
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – The opening round of the Galleri Classic on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions circuit is underway at Mission Hills Country Club. Several past major champions are among the players traveling to the desert Friday, including Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, José María Olazábal, Yang Yong-eun, Justin Leonard, Fred Couples and Stewart
Continue Reading Update – 3/28/25 McKernan’s case has been moved to the Banning Justice Center. The case is set to continue on Tuesday. Original Report – 3/27/25 RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Trial proceedings were suspended on Thursday for an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her
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