Skip to content Skip to Content

Investigative

I-Team: Most local school buses are now air-conditioned but students aren’t guaranteed a cool ride home

Students are returning to classrooms around the Coachella Valley this month as our summertime desert temperatures remain well-embedded in the triple digits. For parents with children who ride school buses to and from school each day, concerns about hot buses have long been a reality. Those who ride school buses at the start and end of their

Continue Reading

I-Team: Coachella Valley has more fentanyl-related deaths than anywhere in Riverside County

Our extensive coverage on the fentanyl crisis continues with some explosive new information from the  Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. So far this year, there have been more fentanyl-related deaths in the Coachella Valley than in any other part of Riverside County.  I-Team Reporter Karen Devine speaks with the people on the front lines of the fentanyl fight

Continue Reading

I-Team: City of La Quinta issues 60-day deadline as Talus resort developer claims essential construction financing secured

An I-Team Investigation reveals developers still cannot say precisely when La Quinta’s Talus resort development, formerly known as SilverRock, will get the money needed to complete its construction. Construction crews have made little progress on the main resort since last summer. And the city has now issued a 60-day deadline. The Robert Green Company promises

Continue Reading

I-Team digs into what really happened in the forced removal of Section 14 families in Palm Springs

The debate over racial reparations continues to intensify in Palm Springs. It’s centered on one square mile of land known as Section 14 next to downtown Palm Springs which was cleared for new development over 50 years ago. The attorney representing Section 14 families and their descendants pointed out that Palm Springs apologized for its role in the

Continue Reading

Fatal Flaw: I-Team investigates efforts to combat local efforts to combat Fentanyl crisis

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin says weak California laws are partially to blame for an epidemic killing people right here in Riverside County. Reporter Karen Devine’s I-Team Investigation shows how severe the problem is and asks what it will take to make changes to this “Fatal Flaw.” Jennifer Loza of Bermuda Dunes lost her

Continue Reading

I-Team: Sewer district cancels plans for rate hike that would have seen customer bills soar 400%

In an I-team investigation, a local wastewater treatment district is backing off plans to raise customer rates dramatically. “On this proposal, we had out, that is completely out,” said Debra Canero who serves as Board President of the Valley Sanitary District. The district’s 400 percent rate hike is postponed indefinitely, according to a release issued Thursday afternoon.  That was

Continue Reading

Courting Injustice: Why are so many local court cases being dismissed?

Since October, more than 1,700 court cases have been dismissed in Riverside County. These dismissals include cases involving child sexual assault, attempted murder, DUIs, and domestic violence. This is due to a backlog caused by the pandemic. Riverside Superior Court officials cited a lack of available judicial resources and courtroom space as they reinstated defendants’

Continue Reading

College of the Desert paid $1.1M to hackers in 2020 ransomware attack, doing more now to cyber safeguard its IT systems

An I-Team investigation reveals College of the Desert paid more than a million dollars in digital ransom to recover data after a 2020 malware attack.  And as KESQ News Channel 3 has extensively reported the college suffered another malware attack this past summer. That second July attack may have compromised the personal data of hundreds

Continue Reading

‘Safety Matters’: Local school officials didn’t follow safety protocols in reported weapons incidents

A News Channel 3 investigation has uncovered that district officials didn’t follow safety protocols in multiple incidents when weapons were reported at valley schools. In response to outraged parents, scared students and KESQ’s questions, the district says it made changes. But are they working? Repeated reports of weapons Three east valley schools and thousands of

Continue Reading

How local school districts are using emergency funding to handle rising mental health challenges

As kids struggle with mental health challenges in school after pandemic distance learning, educators across the nation are reporting an increase in anxiety, bullying, and violence among student populations. For Brianna Garcia, a mother of two elementary school kids in Indio, she’s doing her best to help her girls catch up. And that means tutors, along with a

Continue Reading

I-Team Wasted Water Woes: Fines have CVWD customers seeking to conserve and save money

Some Coachella Valley homeowners and communities are saving water and meeting new state-mandated water conservation targets by taking a number of dramatic actions to avoid costly drought fines. But in an I-Team In-depth report, some higher-than-expected monthly bills from the Coachella Valley Water District, or CVWD, are taking customers by surprise.  Jeff Stahl spoke with

Continue Reading

Hardening School Security: I-Team investigates what’s being done to keep kids safe on campus

News Channel 3 is looking at the safety of students on campus and seeing some security changes underway. This follows several instances of end-of-the-school-year violence most notably in Uvalde Texas. As parents get ready to send their kids to classrooms around the Coachella Valley the requested details, dug through documents, and went one-on-one with heads

Continue Reading