News

California’s unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent in May, marking the first time in nearly five years the jobless rate has dipped below 9 percent. The state Employment Development Department reported Friday a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from 9 percent in the previous month. The drop in May puts California’s unemployment rate at the

Brazil awoke Friday to city centers still smoldering after a night that shocked the nation: 1 million anti-government protesters took to the streets in scores of cities, with clusters battling police and destroying swaths of storefronts and government buildings. President Dilma Rousseff called an emergency meeting about the protest with top Cabinet members Friday, after

A onetime Palm Springs resident accused of flying tothe Philippines to have sex with boys he met online pleaded not guilty todayto federal charges and was ordered detained pending trial by a Los Angelesjudge who found the former USC professor to be a “danger to the community.” Walter Lee Williams appeared in court shackled, handcuffed

Tickets to Coachella Valley resident TimothyBradley’s defense of his World Boxing Organization welterweight championshipagainst Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas will go sale today at noon. The 12-round fight is scheduled for Oct. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Centerand will be shown live on HBO. Bradley, a Cathedral City High School alumnus, is 30-0

Thursday was a bad day for the Dow. Stocks closed down more than 353 points, the second day of a major sell-off that left the market behind by more than 500 points. So, should you worry about your 401-K? From the opening bell, Deja-vu of plunging stocks- the worst day of the year on wall-street

Congressman Raul Ruiz joined a bipartisan majority to vote on what could directly affect residents of the Coachella Valley. The House voted to reject a new version of the Farm Bill which would have made significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. The Congressman said, “Cutting money from the food stamp program

There’s a new look for some police cars patrolling the valley. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is testing two cars that could soon be added to the fleet. It’s a big change after the Ford Crown Victoria’s been a trademark of the department for more than a decade. “It’s been around a long time, we’re

Candace Rochelle Duran, 25, was sentenced to 12 years inprisontoday for voluntary manslaughter of her 40-year-old handyman in 2007. Three additional years were added to the sentence as part of a plea deal to bring the total to 15 years. Duran was convicted of manslaughter in April in what her attorney described as an actof

Gov. Jerry Brown says he will ask the courts to stay what he calls an “unprecedented order” to release nearly 10,000 prison inmates by year’s end. A panel of federal judges on Thursday rejected Brown’s attempt to circumvent its long-standing order to reduce California’s prison population. It’s the latest step in an ongoing legal drama

We are learning more tonight about a high level arrest of a man who was connected to one of the FBI’s top ten most wanted criminals caught earlier this week in Mexico. On May 14th at 6 p.m., Cathedral City Police say they received a tip that Richard Arlington, connected with Walter Lee Williams, was

We’re nearing the first day of summer here in the desert. The snowbirds flew home and only the brave stay for the heat. As population drops — so does business for the tourism industry. Businesses throughout the Coachella Valley want to get more customers in the summer season, and that’s good news for locals. As

Gov. Jerry Brown is challenging his allies in the nation’s largest nurses union to look beyond their own immediate concerns and help organize a movement to address global climate change. The Democratic governor spoke Thursday to a packed room of nurses wearing red shirts at the National Nurses United conference in San Francisco. The union

Representatives from well-known studios, filmfestivals and publications will serve on panels and forums starting tomorrow atthe Palm Springs International ShortFest. ShortFest started Tuesday and ends Monday at Camelot Theatres in PalmSprings. The discussion starting tomorrow will cover “emerging trends and newpractices in the global film community,” according to festival organizers. “Building on the success of

Threeseparateincidents Wednesday culminated in local border patrol agents seizing nearly $400,000 dollars worth of drugs, including over $300,000 in meth alone. 66.9 lbs. of marijuana seized At around 4 p.m., a 27-year-old woman was moving through the Highway 86 checkpoint when a K-9 unit alerted officers to search her Ford Explorer. Upon inspection, agents discovered

Hoy a las 3:15 a.m. la polica recibi una llamada que reportaba que durante una fiesta en una casa ubicada en la cuadra 83-100 de Sonora Avenue en Indio se haba desatado una pelea entre varios sujetos. Cuando los agentes llegaron al lugar encontraron sin vida a un joven y a varias personas heridas, por

A Central Coast strawberry farmer has agreed to pay a fine and destroy some of his berries after state regulators found he used an illegal pesticide on them. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation announced a settlement agreement with Lorenzo Lopez of Watsonville-based V.L. Farms on Thursday. They say Lopez acknowledged illegally using the insecticide

A fight at a house party between relatives in Indo leaves a teenager dead. It happened at a home on the 83100 block of Sonora Avenue between Jackson and Palo Verde. Indio police says after hours of partying a disagreement turned deadly. “I think its terrible,” said neighbor Janeth Hernadez-Patino. Evidence markers show where 17

About 100 organizations that serve teenagers andyoung adults will participate in a forum in Rancho Mirage today. Oasis Community Services’ Desert Region TAY “UnConvention,” whichstarts at 9 a.m. at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at EisenhowerMedical Center, is meant to create awareness of the resources the groups offerin eastern Riverside County. The county Department

Firefighters continue to make slow but steady progressas they inch their way toward full containment of the Hathaway fire in the SanGorgonio Wilderness east of Banning. At last report, the fire was 83 percent contained, having scorched 3,823acres, the U.S. Forest Service reported. The blaze broke out in the northern part of the Morongo IndianReservation