The push to remove the statue of Palm Springs’ first elected mayor, Frank Bogert from the entrance of City Hall, has gotten the attention of another former mayor. Ron Oden, elected in 2003 was the first openly gay, black mayor in Palm Springs. He’s speaking out to News Channel 3’s Karen Devine about the “State
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With its vast farm fields, quiet roads, and sparsely-populated communities, it’s almost hard to believe that Imperial County, with only 180,000 residents, has the highest-per capita infection rate of coronavirus in all of California. According to its public health department, the county has had about 6,200 cases among 30,700 people tested, a positive rate of
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The ripple effects of coronavirus and the economic shutdown may be felt for a long time to come here in the Coachella Valley. Last week we reported that plans for a new sports and entertainment arena in downtown Palm Springs are on hold. Now, we’re learning about other projects in the Coachella Valley. The Delano
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The California Department of Public Health’s website shows which counties meet the state’s threshold criteria for coronavirus and which do not. Visit KESQ.com/Coronavirus for more local coverage A green check means a county meets the criteria for a certain category, which includes “elevated disease transmission,” “increasing hospitalization,” and “limited hospital capacity.” For example, San Bernardino
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We learned on Friday that nearly half of the combined staff and residents at Vista Cove at Rancho Mirage, an assisted care community, have tested positive for coronavirus. That a total of 15 employees and 27 residents. News Channel 3’s Karen Devine takes an in-depth look at the facility in an I-team exclusive. Karen Devine
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Riverside County health officials still expect the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus to grow in the coming weeks. As of Friday, June 12, the county has had 10,490 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 383 deaths related to the virus. More than half of those infected have already recovered. Go to KESQ.com/Coronavirus for daily updates
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In an exclusive Skype interview with News Channel 3 I-Team Investigator John White spoke with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco about the economic impact the coronavirus is having on public safety funding. The economic downturn could result in stopping the new Indio Jail from opening. “If they cut anything from my department, unfortunately, the Indio
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A special election next Tuesday, May 12 will decide who will represent the 28th district in the state senate in Sacramento. Democrat Elizabeth Romero, who is a Riverside County Board of Education Member, is facing Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez in the run off election. Both candidates say coronavirus has redefined the election. “I’ve never been
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The coronavirus pandemic and state health emergency orders have changed the way just about everything is getting done around town and at local businesses. It’s no different at city halls around the desert where elected leaders and city staffers are operating in new and unfamiliar roles. Palm Springs City Hall is normally a busy place
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People who live close to Palm Springs International Airport may be noticing how quiet things are right now. Air traffic is down dramatically with the number of flights going from about sixty a day down to five or 10. The numbers show that the total number of travellers to go through the airport in March
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It’s widely known that opioids such as fentanyl are driving our nation’s drug overdose deaths. But more people are abusing the powerful stimulant methamphetamine around the desert, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Other law enforcement agencies will tell you it’s a drug problem that’s never really gone away. The Coachella Valley is in the
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The John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio will give Riverside County nearly 1,300 new jail beds to keep criminals off the streets. Eventually. Completion of the new jail is now running more than two years behind schedule. In August 2018, Rob Field, Assistant County Executive Officer, told us there had been, “A couple of
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For the first time we are hearing from Rebecca Modrall’s young daughter Ryan. Modrall has been missing for over a year, last seen in La Quinta. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is treating this case as a homicide. “I really want justice for my mom cause I know that’s what she would want,” says Ryan,
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A Rancho Mirage cosmetic surgeon who pleaded guilty in a multi-million-dollar insurance scheme was extradited from Israel to Santa Ana, California last night, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. David Morrow has been on the run for months after he accepted a plea deal in federal court to charges including fraud. According to federal
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2019 was a year marked by a surge in violent deaths around the desert. 32 people were killed this year, up double from last year’s total and a decade high. The previous high was back in 2014 with 31. There were six homicides this year in Palm Springs, One in Indio, Seven in Cathedral City,
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The News Channel 3 I-Team has obtained bodycam footage showing an altercation between former Cathedral City Police Chief Travis Walker and a teenage suspect. The Cathedral City Police Department released the video through the department YouTube channel late Tuesday morning, after months of requests by I-Team investigators. The incident occurred in January 2019. The video
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“I’m asking if you would like to f*** her.” That’s the opening line meter reader Alfonso Cruz says a supervisor used in October 2016 about his own wife. The woman was a fellow employee and senior human resources specialist at the Coachella Valley Water District. A lawsuit filed in March in Riverside Co. Superior Court
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Los Angeles County is deploying health care workers to homeless encampments trying to reverse a troubling trend. New statistics show the number of homeless people dying in L.A. County nearly doubled in 5 years — starting in 2013. In Riverside County, the coroner’s bureau didn’t start keeping track of homeless deaths until the beginning of
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A mother’s mission to find her daughter continues on the six month anniversary of Rebecca Modrall’s disappearance. August 5, 2019 marks six months since Rebecca Modrall was last seen.The last time she spoke with her family, or interacted with her friends. “We care more about finding her body than we do about someone being arrested
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“She was a very beautiful, beautiful little girl…She woke up in the morning smiling ready for the day,” reflected Sarah Modrall from the sofa in her home in Portland Oregon. Sarah Modrall speaks in the present about her daughter, Rebecca. “She turned 34 on April 15th.” But no one has heard from Rebecca for more
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