UPDATE 4/16/2025: INDIO (CNS) – A pool serviceman accused of fatally beating a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman during a robbery took steps to prevent forensic evidence from surfacing that might link him to the crime, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms is charged with first-degree murder, burglary, forgery and special
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — Whether it’s rhinestones, western accessories or blast from the past styles, Thriftology in Palm Desert is welcoming locals and visitors to shop festival fashion. “People are gravitating towards cowboy boots. Always having hats and scarves and bandanas to cover your face from the dust and then just anything that’s wild,
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LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — A Goldenvoice representative apologized Tuesday for a chaotic start to Coachella Weekend One, where traffic delays left thousands of festivalgoers stranded for hours during a desert heatwave. The trouble started on Thursday, when long lines of festival campers tried to stream into the festival’s onsite campgrounds. Many ran out of
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Unified School District Board of Education is seeking input from the district community as it begins the hiring process to replace Dr. Tonatiuh ‘Tony’ Signoret who will retire from the District on June 30. The Board sent a survey on Wednesday to parents and guardians, students, staff
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – “CHELLA,” a free community music event in downtown Indio in partnership with Goldenvoice will make its return on April 16. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Center Stage (82881 Miles Avenue). This year’s CHELLA lineup includes El Malilla, Bolo, Gasolina Party
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)– The city of Palm Springs is hosting its 2nd annual fair with Coachella Valley local governments and agencies on Wednesday morning. It’s taking place from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at the Palm Springs Convention Center at 277 N. Avenida inside the Caballeros, Primrose and Oasis Ballrooms. The free event will feature
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Blowing sand and dust has already caused Gene Autry and Indian Canyon to close this morning, and air quality is in the “UNHEALTHY” range in many areas due to the gusty winds. We have issued a First Alert Weather Alert is in place through tomorrow night. The travel impacts are already making traffic in and
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – College of the Desert is down to four semi-finalists who advanced to the final stage in the search for the school’s next Superintendent/President. COD officials said they received 73 qualified applications from across the country following an extensive recruitment process conducted by AGB Search, LLC – a national firm specializing
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JFK Memorial Hospital is less than three miles away from the festival grounds. We’re learning more about the emergency room visits there during weekend one of Coachella. Emergency Department Director Evelin Millsap says staff saw the same medical issues they’ve seen in previous years – including dehydration, heat related illnesses, and substance abuse. But Millsap
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Local state Assembly Member Greg Wallis is pushing to make solar energy the official state energy source. He announced one of his new bills – Assembly Bill 1334 – on Tuesday at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. California has several dozen state symbols, including the official state crustacean and
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CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A report released last month showed Californians lost $3.54 billion to cybercrime in the form of scams, fraud, and ransomware. While it’s easy to brush off this data and think you’d never fall victim to an online scam, one Cathedral City man, Bill Lewis, learned his lesson the hard way. Just a
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Hot Springs, long known as a hub for cannabis in the Coachella Valley, is making a dramatic move to help struggling dispensaries – cutting the city’s cannabis tax from 10% to 5%. The proposal for the tax cut came as local cannabis businesses face rising pressure from high
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Hot Springs City Council voted Tuesday night to remove Public Safety Commission member Michael Rizzio, who says he is being terminated from the position for doing his job in protecting the public. Rizzio says he requested an emergency Public Safety Commission meeting April 6 to discuss police brutality
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today signed off on Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s initial plans to establish a permanent aircraft hangar at March Air Reserve Base, granting the sheriff’s request to allocate $655,255 for architectural, design and engineering services provided by a San Diego firm. In a 5-0 vote without
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The City of Desert Hot Springs is welcoming the new Chief of Police, Steven Shaw. Shaw had been acting as interim Chief since February of this year, when former Chief Jim Henson retired after 30 years in law enforcement. In Tuesday’s swearing in at the Desert Hot Springs City
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Easter could cost you more this year. Last month, the average cost for a dozen eggs in the U.S. rose to $6.23, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year, the average price was $2.99. As a result, many are ditching eggs altogether and looking for cheaper alternatives to avoid
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Parks and Recreation Department is inviting the community to dive into the exciting spring celebration of the Egg-cellent Duck Dive this coming Saturday. This is a free family-friendly event, which features a pool rubber ducky hunt, arts and crafts, and prizes. The event is this Saturday, April
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today tentatively approved an ordinance restricting where electric bicycles can be operated, generally prohibiting them from being driven on pedestrian walkways, along sidewalks or on nature and equestrian trails in unincorporated communities throughout Riverside County. The E-Bike Safety Ordinance was drafted at the request of Supervisor Chuck
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Wink Martindale, who became one of the most well-known and recognized television game show hosts of his generation by helming programs such as “Tic-Tac-Dough,” “High Rollers” and “Trivial Pursuit,” died today at age 91. According to a statement from his family, Martindale died in Rancho Mirage “surrounded by his family
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MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Prosecution testimony got underway today in the trial of a 21-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and trying to kidnap a Thermal girl as she walked home from school. Christian Daniel Arreola of Coachella was arrested in 2022 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the alleged attack on the
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