News

Last year’s Fifth of July marked the worst one-day tally for dead animals picked up by Riverside County officers. The Fourth of July remains one of the most dangerous for domestic animals – but owners can take several steps to prevent their pet from adding to the sobering statistics after the patriotic holiday. Last year,

Wax is the current hot topic, a national story that’s received local attention. “It was an invasion of her privacy and a lot for someone to ask from their employee,” licensed aesthetician Lori Crete said. Jennifer Finley of Pennsylvania saw just how personal waxing can get. She was part of a group of new hires,

A Glendale man accused of hacking into hundreds of Facebook, Skype and email accounts, then coercing women to strip for him, has agreed to plead guilty next week to federal computer fraud charges. Karen “Gary” Kazaryan, admitted in a signed plea agreement that he hacked his way into online accounts, using personal information and nude

The Palm Springs City Council is expected to vote Wednesday night on whether to let voters decide if the city should impose a marijuana tax on the city’s legal medical marijuana dispensaries. Organic Solutions of the Desert, C.A.P.S. and Desert Organic Solutions would be the dispensaries effected by what amounts to a business tax. The

An acclaimed Palomino named Bucky died Wednesday morning after an accident on Interstate 10 just west of Blythe. Riverside County Animal Services employees and good Samaritans tried to save the 30-year-old horse for about four hours at the site of the crash. But, brain injuries caused Bucky to start thrashing and a veterinary doctor humanely

Comprehensive immigration legislation passed by the Senate would reduce illegal immigration into the U.S. by one-third to one-half beyond what would happen under existing law, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. That’s a significantly greater reduction than the nonpartisan budget office said would have resulted from an earlier version of the bill approved by the

A panel of federal judges has rejected Gov. Jerry Brown’s request to delay its order that California release nearly 10,000 additional inmates by year’s end. The 24-page decision issued Wednesday cited the “long history of defendants’ noncompliance” in the ongoing legal battle. The case is focused on improving inmate medical care by reducing the prison

Law enforcement agencies throughout Riverside Countywill be ramping up patrols today and through the weekend to nab drunken anddrug-impaired drivers as part of a Fourth of July holiday crackdown. The county’s “Avoid the 30” anti-DUI campaign — named for the numberof police agencies involved — will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at 11:59 p.m.Sunday.

A Banning man who allegedly ignited nine fires thatburned a total 670 acres throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties wascharged today with multiple counts of arson and other allegations. He plead notguiltyto all charges and will appear in court again on July 17th. The defense asked he be ordered to take apsychiatricevaluation. Steven Taylor Rutherford,

The state Assembly has approved legislation that would block members of California’s Public Utility Commission from serving on nonprofits created by the commission. Lawmakers approved the compromise legislation Wednesday as part of a budget-related bill. Current PUC President Michael Peevey is chairman of two nonprofits created by the agency. Under the legislation, he could not

Dogs and cats can be adopted from the Palm SpringsAnimal Shelter at a special fee of $17.76 tomorrow through Sunday. “The number of animals in our shelter is very high right now,” shelterdirector Patrice Brayer said. “We are hoping our $17.76 Independence Dayspecial will encourage people who have been thinking about adopting a pet to

A woman was robbed at gunpoint today at the Sam’s Club gas station in Palm Desert. According to the woman’s son,his mother was robbed of cash she has just withdrew from the Wells Fargo ATM moments before. She was pumping gas at the Sam’s Club gas station when a man approached her at the pumps

The state Assembly has passed further changes to an economic development program that was overhauled last week. Legislation approved last week redirects the enterprise zone program’s $750 million in tax credits to three new economic development efforts. Those include revised hiring tax credits and a sales tax exemption for manufacturing and research-and-development equipment. On Wednesday,

For the 16th straight year, the Automobile Club of Southern California will offer its free Tipsy Tow service for intoxicated drivers during the Fourth of July holiday, beginning Wednesday night. A free tow home of up to seven miles will be available by calling (800) 400-4222 and telling the operator, “I need a Tipsy Tow,”

Egypt’s military moved to tighten its control of key institutions Wednesday, sending troops backed with armored vehicles to the heart of Cairo and slappinga travel ban on President Mohammed Morsi and top allies in preparation for an almost certain push to remove the Islamist president with the expiration of an afternoon deadline. 20825054 20825160 Just

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regulargasoline in the Inland Empire dropped today for the ninth consecutive day,falling 1 cent to $4.021. The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties has decreased7 cents over the past nine days, including three-tenths of a cent on bothMonday and Tuesday, according to figures from the

A Southern California man claims he also had teenage sex with a teacher who allegedly had a baby by a 16-year-old student. Twenty-three-year-old Michael Cooper tells KABC-TV that he was a 17-year-old junior in Laura Whitehurst’s English class at Redlands High School when they began a sexual relationship in 2007. He says it lasted nearly

A state report reveals 2.5 million Californians have had Social Security numbers, credit card and bank accounts and other sensitive information exposed in 131 data breaches dating back to 2010. The San Jose Mercury News says the disclosure was made Monday by Attorney General Kamala Harris, in the first report of its kind in the

A Banning man poured gasoline in his house, locked hisgirlfriend inside, then threatened to it on fire, police said today. Amador Dean Bates, 37, was arrested in a foot chase near the home in the900 block of West Cottonwood Road Sunday night. Banning police got a report of what was happening about 9:55 p.m.Sunday, according

The Board of Supervisors today authorized RiversideCounty Sheriff Stan Sniff to seek a $445,413 grant from the U.S. JusticeDepartment in support of programs that enhance public safety. Funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant can beused for training, equipment and initiatives that reduce drug abuse, offerresources to victims of crime and protect minors.