By Andy Rose, Alisha Ebrahimji, Emma Tucker, CNN (CNN) — In the days after Christmas Eve, a Texas family clung to desperate hope they would be reunited with their missing teenager — even as they waited in grueling uncertainty while investigators worked around the clock searching for her. That hope gave way to grief on
Continue Reading
Karina Bazarte IMPERIAL VALLEY, Calif. (KYMA) – A press conference began Monday morning after a well-known Imperial Valley farmer was arrested for murder. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) shared that 59-year-old Kerri Ann Abatti‘s nephew found the victim shot at her home in Pinetop, Arizona. She was pronounced dead at Show Low Hospital in
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Hundreds of bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom are set to take effect in California in 2026. Â Â The list of new laws, most of which take effect Thursday, include a minimum wage increase, a ban on plastic grocery bags and new ingredient for tortillas. Other new laws among
Continue Reading
COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is urging everyone to plan ahead by having a sober driver get them home safely. ABC is also partnering with other agencies to make safety a top priority. News Channel 3’s Peter Daut spoke with ABC’s public information officer Devin Blankenship
Continue Reading
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – Five animal welfare laws aimed at protecting pets while strengthening veterinary care statewide will take effect Jan. 1, San Diego Humane Society announced today. Officials with the animal-welfare organization said the new laws are the result of lobbying efforts by a coalition of advocacy groups. Â Â According to SDHS:Â Â —
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Federal prosecutors today were considering whether to appeal a judge’s order dismissing a case against a South Los Angeles man who was charged with assault on a federal officer after a confrontation with agents in October in which he was shot. Carlitos Parias, 44, better known as TikTok streamer Richard LA,
Continue Reading
LANCASTER, Calif. (KESQ) – Authorities today found a body in a partially submerged car following heavy flooding in an isolated area of Lancaster. Â Â Los Angeles County Fire Department aerial fire crews located a blue sedan at 9:45 a.m. Friday in an area near 58th Street East and Avenue H-10, according to the county sheriff’s
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
Jarrod Zinn SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard was arraigned in Department 9 of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria today. With Public Defender Adrian Galvan representing her, Ashlee entered a plea of not guilty and a denial of any additional allegations, causing a stir among the audience. Galvan also made
Continue Reading
By Meteorologists Mary Gilbert, Chris Dolce, Andrew Freedman, Alaa Elassar, Taylor Romine, CNN (CNN) — A powerful storm carrying a strong atmospheric river laid siege to California over the last several days — setting records in parts of the state — with evacuations orders still ongoing Thursday because of the risk of life-threatening flooding and
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
By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — Eighteen Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new Trump administration policy seeking to bar transgender care for minors at federally-funded hospitals. The new proposal and the legal fight it has provoked is the latest front in the battle over transgender rights and
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
By Josh Campbell, Michelle Watson, Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN (CNN) — The multi-state hunt for Melodee Buzzard, a missing 9-year-old California girl, came to a close when her remains were discovered in a rural area of southern Utah, authorities announced Tuesday. Members of the sheriff’s office and the FBI arrested Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee’s mother, Tuesday morning
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – In an effort to crack down on excessive speeding and prevent deadly vehicle collisions, the California State Transportation Agency announced a pilot program today to immediately review drivers cited for driving more than 100 mph. The state transportation agency is working with the Department of Motor Vehicles and California Highway Patrol
Continue Reading
By Karina Tsui, Chris Dolce, Mary Gilbert, CNN (CNN) — An even more potent atmospheric river-fueled storm is on a collision course with California after a first storm triggered deadly flooding and evacuations over the weekend in Northern California. The new storm and another after it are prompting new evacuations in the Los Angeles area’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
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
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A customs broker who siphoned more than $5 million from businesses that ship goods into the U.S. and who dodged paying at least $1 million in taxes was sentenced today to four years and three months in federal prison. Frank Noah, 64, of Corona, was sentenced Thursday in downtown Los Angeles
Continue Reading
By Angélica Franganillo DÃaz, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked US Immigration and Customs Enforcement from enforcing new rules limiting congressional oversight visits, finding that Democratic lawmakers are likely to succeed in their claim that the policy violates federal law governing congressional access to detention facilities. Judge Jia M. Cobb granted
Continue Reading