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Palm Springs Police Department to unveil state-of-the-art intelligence center

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Police Department is unveiling a new asset that it said will “enhance emergency response and crime prevention throughout the Coachella Valley.” It’s called the Coachella Valley Real-Time Intelligence Center, or CVRTIC. The public safety hub integrates several data sources, including body-worn cameras, license plate readers, drones, social media

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More than 200 people cited during large traffic safety operation throughout Coachella Valley

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – More than 200 people were cited today during a multi-agency traffic safety enforcement operation throughout the Coachella Valley.   The operation was held from 6 a.m. to noon Thursday in the cities of Palm Desert, Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Twenty-two law enforcement officers

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Opening statements begin in deadly 2019 La Quinta shooting case

Update – 2/3/26: Jorge Andres Huerta Arias was cleared of all charges, the jury ruled. Original Report – 1/15/26 INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man accused of fatally shooting a Halloween partygoer in La Quinta more than six years ago intentionally initiated hostilities, a prosecutor claimed today, while the defendant’s attorney argued his client encountered

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Nellie Coffman Middle School Principal named Riverside County principal of the year

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) Melissa Galataud, principal of Nellie Coffman Middle School, has been named Riverside County’s Principal of the Year. The surprise announcement was made Thursday morning during a principals’ meeting at the Palm Springs Unified School District District Service Center in Palm Springs. Riverside County Superintendent Edwin Gomez presented the honor alongside district

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Democrat activists hold Social Security Day of Action amid budget cuts and personnel reduction

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Dozens of Democrats of the Desert and friends activists gathered Wednesday afternoon in front of the Social Security Administration (SSA) building in Indio. Organizers said they’re trying to draw attention to what they describe as growing turmoil within the agency and threats to the program’s ability to serve Americans. Debbie Green,

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Rainfall has erased drought from California. What does that mean for the Coachella Valley’s aquifer?

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Recent rainfall has pushed the entire state out of drought conditions for the first time in a quarter century.  The Coachella Valley has long been known to rely on its own aquifer, managed by water authorities like the Coachella Valley Water District. The underground source of water is finite; natural annual rainfall

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Felony hit and run case against Silvercrest CEO pushed to March

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) Silvercrest CEO William Frank Rodriguez appeared in court Wednesday in connection with a 2024 deadly hit-and-run crash in Cathedral City. Rodriguez faces a felony hit-and-run charge tied to a crash that killed 60-year-old Christina Barrington. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez fled the scene without stopping to render aid. The hearing was continued until March

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KESQ News Channel 3 confirms Jake Haro’s transfer to state prison; Rebecca Haro due back in court

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KESQ) News Channel 3 has confirmed that Jake Mitchell Haro, convicted in the 2025 killing of his 7-month-old son Emmanuel, is currently housed at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. Haro was transferred from Wasco State Prison, where he was first sent following his sentencing last fall. Haro pleaded guilty

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Former CVUSD janitor arrested on suspicion of child porn possession, invasion of privacy

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) – A former Coachella Valley Unified School District janitor was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography, authorities confirmed Wednesday. The 20-year-old Coachella resident was arrested on Jan. 7. He remains in custody at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of invasion of privacy and possession of child pornography.

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Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs listed on the National Register of Historic Places

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Administered by the National Park Service at the U.S. Department of Interior, the National Register helps identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and

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