News

California lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment that would affirm the public’s right to inspect documents held by local governments while clarifying who should pay for making them available. The amendment was written in response to a media outcry over a bill that loosened requirements on how local governments handle requests for public information. The

California’s Supreme Court says a divorced man doesn’t have to share his pension increase with his ex. The San Francisco Chronicle says the court on Monday ruled in the case of Timothy and Julie Green. Before marriage, the Contra Costa County man was in the Air Force. He became a firefighter but his pension plan

The Supreme Court handed down a mixed ruling a major affirmative action case. Justices are sending Abigail Fisher’s case back to a Federal Appeals Court, ordering the court to take another look. She claimed her race prevented her from getting admitted to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. The justices did rule that

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act cannot be enforced unless Congress comes up with an up-to-date formula for deciding which states and localities still need federal monitoring. The justices said in 5-4 vote that the law Congress most recently renewed in 2006 relies on 40-year-old data

Historic immigration legislation cleared a key Senate hurdle with votes to spare on Monday, pointing the way to near-certain passage within days for $38 billion worth of new security measures along the border with Mexico and an unprecedented chance at citizenship for millions living in the country illegally. The vote was 67-27, seven more than

Cathedral City’s mayor pro tem denied embezzlement chargestoday at his arraignment for allegedly spending funds from an employeecomputer loan program on himself. Charles Frederick Vasquez, 58, is charged with three felony counts ofembezzlement by a public officer. He entered his not guilty plea at the LarsonJustice Center in Indio and is due back in court

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 140 points, or 0.9%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq lost more than 1% each. Earlier in the day, all three indexes were down between 1.5% and 2%. Bond yields also eased back from earlier levels. The 10-year yield finished the day at 2.56% after rising to a 22-month

“We’re already sort of a gay mecca out here as far as tourism,” Reggie Cameron from the Skylark Hotel said. Palm Springs might soon be a wedding mecca. At least that’s what some local businesses think as the Supreme Court considers two same-sex marriage cases. “I lived in San Francisco when Prop 8 was brought

Border Patrol agents seized 8.5 pounds of methamphetamine last Friday after asuspectednarcotics smuggler was caught traveling through the Highway 86 checkpoint between Westmorland and Salton City. At about 2:40 p.m. on June 21, the 22-year-old suspect was approaching the checkpoint when a canine unit alerted agents to search her car, a 1999 Chrysler Cirrus. During

The state Senate is sending a bill to the governor to fix previous legislation that threatened to reduce public access to government documents. Lawmakers approved a bill Monday to replace legislation lawmakers approved as part of the state budget that made complying with the California Public Records Act optional for local agencies. The change would

The Supreme Court on Monday waded into a complicated dispute over a law aimed at keeping immigrant families together in a case that underscores the occasionally tense relationship between immigration proponents and the Obama administration as Congress debates immigration reform. The justices said Monday they will hear an appeal from the Obama administration arguing that

The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce will honor local businesses and entrepreneurs, including prominent restaurant owners Barbara and Jerry Keller, at its annual Installation and Awards Luncheon Tuesday. The event starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Renaissance hotel. The Kellers, owners of LuLu in Palm Springs and Acqua Pazza in Rancho Mirage, will be named

Hoy alrededor de las 6:15 a.m. se volc un semais en el rea de Gene Autrey Trail y Va Escuela en Palm Springs causando retrasos en el flujo vehcular ya que la polica tuvo que cerrar algunos carriles mientras el vehculo era removido. A las 7:50 todo volvi a la normalidad. No se mencion si

Velma Morrison, a philanthropist who was known as a patron of the arts, has died of a heart attack at the age of 92. Morrison’s daughter, Judyth Roberts, said Morrison was at her home in Rancho Mirage when she died Thursday. Several buildings around Boise, Idaho – including the Velma V. Morrison Center for the

Two people were arrested on suspicion of drivingunder the influence during a DUI checkpoint in Palm Springs this weekend,police reported today. Palm Springs police conducted the checkpoint from 8:30 p.m. Friday to2:30 a.m. Saturday on South Palm Canyon Drive at Morongo Road. Almost 800vehicles passed through the checkpoint, and 19 cars were sent to an

A newly renovated terminal at Los Angeles International Airport will make it tough to remember there’s a plane to catch. When it opens in August, the cavernous Tom Bradley International Terminal will highlight the excesses of Los Angeles, with its lineup of duty-free shops featuring luxe boutiques such as Hermes and Gucci. In addition, its

In one of Wimbledon’s greatest upsets, an ailing Rafael Nadal was knocked out in straight sets Monday by a player ranked 135th – the Spaniard’s first loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam event. Steve Darcis of Belgium stunned the two-time champion 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 6-4. He ended Nadal’s 22-match winning streak

The Palm Springs International ShortFest & ShortFilm Market will wrap up today. More than 300 films were screened at the 19th annual festival, whichstarted Tuesday. There will be several “best of the fest” screenings today,starting with animation shorts at noon. A total of $110,000 in prizes were given in 19 categories on Sunday.Jury award winners

A widespread power outage has darkened most of California’s Central Coast. Pacific Gas and Electric Company tweeted that 145,000 of its customers were without electricity Sunday night and that crews were working to restore power. The cause of the outage wasn’t immediately known. A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment. Santa Maria