News

An independent commission led by a former U.S. surgeon general has concluded there “is no compelling medical reason” for the U.S. armed forces to prohibit transgender Americans from serving. It’s urging President Barack Obama to lift the ban by executive order. The five-member panel was convened by a think tank based at San Francisco State

An industry spokesman says Americans spent an all-time high of $55.7 billion on their pets in 2013 and will creep close to spending $60 billion this year. Bob Vetere of the American Pet Products Association told buyers and exhibitors at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla., Thursday that food accounted for $21.6 billion of

Riverside County’s top DUI enforcement officers were honored Wednesday in a ceremony in Riverside. The 2014 Law Enforcement Recognition & DUI Training Seminar was held at the Riverside Convention Center and sponsored by the California Office of Traffic Safety, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Avoid the 30, Riverside County’s coalition of law enforcement agencies targetting

“It was bad for the neighborhood. People starting locking their doors and stuff like that,” said Win Platzer, a resident of the Pinyon Pines neighborhood where the triple murder happened in 2006. Neighbors in the tight-knit community of Pinyon Pines are still reeling years after the murder shook their sense of security. “They have other

A shooting victim was being treated at a local hospital Wednesday night after a report of gunfire in Indio. Indio Police say the shooting happened after 9:30 p.m., outside a home near Kenner and Smurr Street, west of Jackson Street and south of the freeway. Police say a man was taken to the hospital before

More than 7 years after 18-year-old Becky Friedli, her mother Vicki Friedli, and Vicki’s boyfriend John Hayward were found dead and burned at a home in Pinyon Pines, two men are now charged with their murders. Cristin Smith and Robert Pape made their first appearance in court in Riverside, where a judge read them the

Open houses in San Diego are becoming targets for drug abusers looking to get their hands on free prescription drugs. Authorities and realtors there say they’re posing as potential buyers and rummaging through cabinets stealing medications to feed their addictions. Homeowner and real estate agent Don Gilmartin held a open house in Palm Springs Wednesday.

“I can’t believe we spend the last set in Nobu instead of in our seats,” said Linda Nadler, a resident of La Quinta. Restaurants at the BNP Paribas Open are feeling the love. Nobu, Piero’s Pizza Vino and Chophouse made the tennis garden their temporary home for the first time this year. “The response has

It’s about that time to dip your toes in and make a splash. “The sun is always shining in Palm Springs but we love to cool off,” Wet ‘N Wild general manager David Andrews Jr. said. Starting this weekend, you can do that at Wet ‘N Wild on Gene Autry Trail. The forecast shows we

Two men accused in the Pinyon Pines triple murder case appeared in a Riverside courtroom Wednesday morning. KESQ & CBS Local 2 were the only television outlets in the courtroom, where just before 10:30 a.m., a Grand Jury indictment was unsealed. Robert Pape and Cristin Smith have been charged with three counts of murder for

Han pasado ms de 7 aos de la brutal muerte de Becky Friedli de 18 aos, su madre Vicki y el novio de su mam John Hayward. Ayer martes arrestaron a dos hombres en coneccin al triple homicidio ocurrido hace ms de 7 aos. Los sospechosos son Robert Pape y Cristin Smith ambos de 25

An Indio man is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the head Tuesday morning and police are still gathering information as they search for suspects, according to Ben Guitron with the Indio Police Department. The shooting happened on the 82-400 block of Mountain View Avenue around 10:50 a.m. Police said the victim is

Milos Raonic rode his big serve to a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Andy Murray in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open, giving the young Canadian his first win over a top-10 player since September. Raonic fired 15 aces Wednesday and held triple match point when he ripped a crosscourt forehand to close

Zookeepers have confirmed that The Living Desert’s female giraffe Dadisi is pregnant and they anticipate their newest arrival in the upcoming weeks. Dadisi continues to grow larger in the right places and officials invite everyone to learn more about giraffes and participate in a birth date and time guessing game. Submit your guess online or

From Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Deputy Armando Munoz: On March 11th, 2014 at 2:14pm investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Central Homicide Division along with investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office arrested Cristin Smith at the Palm Springs Airport. Also on March 11th, 2014 at 4:09pm, investigators with the

While officials are calling for conservation in the face of an ongoing drought, 42 California communities are lagging in installing the most basic tool of water management: water meters. The San Jose Mercury News says that means more than more than 255,000 homeowners and businesses statewide can still use all the water they want without

Seven inmates were injured as violence broke out among some 200 inmates at a state prison in southwestern California. A statement from Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County says the brawl broke out in a yard Tuesday. Guards fired warning shots, pepper-spray rounds and rubber bullets, quelling the melee after about eight minutes. Seven inmates

High pressure expanding into the Great Basin will bring gusty offshore winds to the Banning Pass and Western Riverside County through early this afternoon. Dry conditions will present a high wild fire danger as well. The Wind Advisory has been cancelled for the Coachella Valley but it remains in effect for the Banning Pass area

Positive news on the jobs front at home. A new proposed FedEx distribution center is expected to help create dozens, if not hundreds of brand new jobs in Palm Springs. “The FedEx business is growing and you know the valley is growing. They needed a larger facility so they proposed this larger facility,” said Director

Debra Doran has her hands full with three kids and a job, so having her sons and daughter buy lunch at school is the easiest option. “It’s usually about $2.75 and I give them a check every two weeks. Sometimes they spend over the amount I gave them, and she was short a quarter and