News

California is close to passing a sweeping overhaul of its energy regulations that could affect electrical rates for millions of customers and rewrite rules on solar power usage. The Los Angeles Times says AB327 was approved by the state Senate Monday and by the Assembly in May. The measure faces one largely procedural vote in

Concerned that some developers were caught off guardby recent rate increases, Riverside County supervisors voted today to halve thefees paid by small and large interests to build or expand commercial andresidential structures. “We need to have these fees phased in over time for the benefit of thesmall developer — the mom-and-pop operation,” said Supervisor JohnTavaglione.

A bill that would make California the first state in the nation to ban lead bullets for all types of hunting is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. The Assembly approved AB711 by Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Rendon of Lakewood on Tuesday. Proponents of the bill say the ban will protect condors and other wildlife that

Lawmakers are sending Gov. Jerry Brown a bill to require parole hearings for inmates who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for crimes they committed before they turned 18. SB260, by Democratic Sen. Loni Hancock of Berkeley, requires youth offender parole hearings for juveniles who were prosecuted as adults. The Senate approved the bill 22-14

Apple says it will release two new iPhone designs later this year — one that comes in five colors and one that can read a fingerprint. The iPhone 5C has a 4-inch Retina display and is powered by Apple’s A6 chip. It also has an 8-megapixel camera, live photo filters and a rear cover that

The equity firm controlled by billionaire Ron Burkle announced today it is buying El Segundo-based Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market — which has a distribution hub in Riverside — from U.K.-based Tesco, but terms of the deal were not released. The deal, in which Yucaipa Cos. will assume the Fresh & Easy’s debt, is expected

Ayer a las 4:20 p.m. un sujeto lleg a la sucursal de Wells Fargo Bank que se ubica en el 49200 Grapefruit Blvd en Coachella e intent cambiar un cheque fraudulento. Johnny Artis de 27 aos, residente de Indio, fue reconocido por el gerente de la sucursal bancaria quin de inmediato llam a la polica,

An Indio man is behind bars today accused of trying to cash a fraudulent check in Coachella. Police responded to a call Monday at 4:20 p.m. at the Wells Fargo bank on the 49200 block of Grapefruit blvd. The bank manager recognized 27-year-old Johnny Artis from a previous attempt to cash a fraudulent check. When

The past two and half weeks around the Coachella Valley have seen an array of issues created by the hot and muggy weather. This weekend was no exception as storms knocked out power to over 1000 people. The higher humidity is a bit different from what most tourist expect but it’s not keeping them from

The past couple of weeks, rain in the valley was hit or miss, but, in Joshua Tree National Park, it was always hit. Torrential rains left many roads washed out. Two of the three entrances to the park are closed, but the entrance to the most iconic part of the park is open. “The northern

The run-up to Palm Springs Modernism Week willinclude walking, biking and bus tours of the region’s architectural gems,cocktail parties, a lecture and a “yard sale,” the executive directorannounced today. “Fall Season Kick-Off” events, scheduled Oct. 11-14, are aimed atpriming the pump for the main event in February. Reservations are required, anda full schedule of events

A couple and their puppy were saved from flood waters this weekend after their car stalled in chest-deep water, according to a press release. El Centro Border Patrol and an Imperial County Sheriff deputy responded to the scene on Highway 111 near Hot Mineral Spa Rd in Niland after a passing motorist reported the incident.

A 26-year-old burglary suspect, arrested forallegedly burglarizing a Palm Springs home and carrying away items in a trashcan, was behind bars today. Palm Springs resident Mark Anthony Scott was arrested about 3:30 p.m.Sunday near Cielo Vista Elementary School on South Paseo Dorotea, about 20minutes after a burglary was reported at a home in the 3900

The state Senate has approved a bill making it a misdemeanor to store a firearm where it is accessible to a child. Existing laws allow charges to be filed if someone is injured. But AB231 by Democratic Assemblyman Philip Ting of San Francisco makes it a crime to store any loaded firearm where the owner

Slashing the fees that businesses pay the county tobuild commercial and residential structures will be on the Board ofSupervisors’ agenda tomorrow. Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione will ask his boardcolleagues to support another round of temporary reductions to the county’sdevelopment impact fees and will argue that developers who had to pay higherrates when fees reverted

Weekend storms knocked out power to over 1,000 customers this weekend, according to the Imperial Irrigation District. As of Monday, power had been returned to all but about 300 customers. On Saturday, a storm bringing high winds swept though Mecca near Hays Ave and Grand St, toppling at least 27 power poles in the area.

Hundreds were without electricity all Monday morning and into the afternoon after the power went out late last night in Cathedral City. According to Southern California Edison, the power went out around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night and appears to have been restored shortly after 1 p.m. 548 customers were impacted the outage. SCE says “equipment

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office has identified a man found dead in a Desert Hot Springs field. Jeffrey Schnorr was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Monday in the desert area east of Ironwood and Verbena drives, according to police and coroner’s officials. The cause of his death is under investigation, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s

El forense del Departamento del Sheriff del Condado de Riverside, revel la identidad del hombre que muri atropellado en el rea de Via Altamira y Dinah Shore Drive en Cathedral City. Se trata de Sterling Williams de 69 aos residente de la misma ciudad, quin el jueves fue atropellado y abandonado por el conductor del

Authorities say a 6-year-old girl is dead and her 26-year-old father is injured after they were shot at a family party in Riverside County. The Sheriff’s Department said investigators on Sunday had identified no motive or suspects in the shootings. Sheriff’s and coroner’s officials say 6-year-old Tiana Ricks of Victorville and her father Tyrell Ricks