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Morongo awards $40,000 in scholarships to four Native American students

MORONGO INDIAN RESERVATION, Calif. (KESQ) – A Banning area youth is among four Native American students statewide to have each received a $10,000 scholarship from the Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Palm Springs through the Tribe’s 20th Annual Rodney T. Mathews Jr. Scholarship Program. “The Rodney T. Mathews Jr. Scholarship reflects Morongo’s commitment to

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Former Cathedral City hot air balloon festival operator agrees to stop using city’s trademarks and logos

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Fantasy Balloon Flights, the former operator of the Cathedral City International Hot Air Balloon Festival, has “disavowed the future use” of the city’s balloon festival name following a trademark lawsuit. The lawsuit centered on Fantasy Balloon Flights’ continued use of the “Cathedral City International Hot Air Balloon Festival” name to

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California minimum wage increasing in 2026

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ)  – California’s minimum wage is set to rise to $16.90 an hour on January 1, 2026 according to California’s Department of Finance. While California’s cost of living varies, recent data indicates cost of living is about 12.6% above the national average according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Some supporters said

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21-year-old killed in crash involving Riverside Sheriff’s patrol car in Cherry Valley

CHERRY VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) — A young man is dead and a woman hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash involving a Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy on Saturday morning. The collision occurred at approximately 10:03 a.m. on September 6, 2025, at the intersection of Cherry Valley Boulevard and Roberts Street. According to the California Highway Patrol, the

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