News

Occasional showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected today as gusty winds blow through Riverside County, including the Coachella Valley, forecasters said. The rain was brought on by upper low pressure and is expected to stick around through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The low pressure system also will generate gusty winds in the

The sound of bagpipes and whispers of “Amazing Grace” filled the Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church on Saturday as 600 friends and family and brothers and sisters in law enforcement remembered former Riverside County Sheriff Larry Smith. Smith, of La Quinta, was 68 years old and the father of three. “It was gratifying to see

“Being separated from families means you can stay in the U.S. for years without seeing your family,” activist Anita Nicklen said. The “Caravan of Hope” hopes for an end to that. Internationally renowned migrant rights activist and Mexican priest, father Alejandro Solalinde, is leading 35 people in an “Interfaith Caravan of Hope for Immigration Reform

One man was fatally shot and another was wounded in apredawn shooting Sunday in Coachella, a sheriff’s sergeant said. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at 4:10 a.m. to the 83000 block ofSerpentine Way where two men were found suffering from gunshot wounds,Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Erickson said. One of the victims died at the hospital

Park rangers at Joshua Tree National Park extended closures to the vandalized Rattlesnake Canyon for another 30 days. Volunteers and rangers continue efforts to clean up graffiti left on seventeen different areas of the popular hiking and day use area. The closure includes physical access, public entry and use to protect the canyon from continued

A major change in weather calmed a huge wildfire burning in Southern California coastal mountains Saturday, and firefighters were hopeful that a predicted chance of rain would become reality during the weekend. High winds and withering hot, dry air was replaced by the normal flow of damp air off the Pacific, significantly reducing fire activity.

Jury selection is expected to wrap up next week forthe trial of a Riverside gang member accused of gunning down a 23-year-oldfather of three in a racially motivated attack that could land the allegedshooter on death row if he’s convicted. Jesse Manzo, 25, is charged with first-degree murder, gang activity and being a convicted felon

The widow of author Harold Robbins will sign copies of her new memoir at a Palm Springs bookstore this afternoon. Grace Robbins is scheduled to appear at Just Fabulous from 2 p.m. to 4p.m. to talk about and autograph copies of “Cinderella and the Carpetbagger: my Life as the Wife of the World’s Best-Selling Author

A convicted DUI offender accused in an alcohol-fueledcollision that fatally injured a 70-year-old bicyclist pleaded not guilty todayto second-degree murder and hit-and-run charges. Brandon Royce Melton, 27, of Palm Springs was arrested April 13 afterallegedly killing Edward James Shaieb in a collision in the 67300 block of EastPalm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City. Along with

Beer lovers can sample from an array of craft brewsduring the 4th annual fundraiser for The Living Desert zoo and botanical gardenin Palm Desert, a spokeswoman said today. Samplings from 45 restaurants and craft breweries will be offered duringthe ”Brew at the Zoo” event from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, LivingDesert spokeswoman Nyla Patzner

Hotel Zoso, the soon-to-be Hard Rock Hotel, will create a new look all around from the rooms, lobby and pool area, all of the way to its staff. About 90 Hotel Zoso employees received a notice of termination on Friday, according to general manager Hector Moreno. A copy of the letter was sent to us

Fire season is coming on early and coming on strong. “We are experiencing mid summer in mid spring right now,” said Capt. Fernando Herrera with Calfire. The lack of rain in April is bringing May wild fires. “It’s a very volatile environment that we are in in Southern California,” said Fred Pena, US Forest Service.

More people now die of suicide than from car crashes. What’s causing so many people to take their own lives? Leaders and experts on mental health issues gathered at the CSU San Bernadino Palm Desert Campus, the goal, early prevention through education. “Once you know that you aren’t alone and you get this information out

Law enforcement agencies throughout Riverside Countywill be ramping up patrols this weekend to nab Cinco de Mayo celebrants oranyone else who decides to drink and drive. The county’s Avoid the 30 task force, named for the number participatingagencies, will conduct an anti-DUI campaign beginning Saturday evening andwrapping up shortly after midnight Monday. Saturation patrols and

Eastbound I-10 was closed at Wabash Ave near Redlands today after another fire broke out in the area. The blaze grew to 20 acres before firefighters stopped forward spread of the fire, according to the Cal Fire twitter feed: 20006634 20006340

Damage was estimated today at $2 million from a second-alarm fire that gutted the packing area of a date company in Thermal anddestroyed a nearby Nextel tower. Firefighters dispatched at 12:19 p.m. Thursday to the Jewel Date Co. inthe 84500 block of Avenue 60 arrived to find flames charring date packing boxesstacked 25 feet high,

The federal government will cover around three-quarters of the costs of fighting a roughly 3,000-acre wildfire near Banningthat destroyed a home and threatened hundreds more, it was announced today. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a Cal Fire request forreimbursement of expenses tied to “managing, mitigating and controlling” theSummit Fire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon

Twenty library/classroom books were donated by the Soroptimist of Palm Desert club to Abraham Lincoln Elementary. This follows a long tradition of donating the books to the school in honor of the club’s speakers at their monthly luncheon meetings. The school recommends book titles for library and classroom usage according to their needs. Presentation of

A World War II-era mortar shell was uncovered today at anIndio car dealership when a work crew dug underneath the concrete, a policeofficial said. Indio police were dispatched at 8 a.m. to the Fiesta Ford dealership at78990 Varner Road, where the crew was working near a car display. As they dug, workers found the 30-inch

A motorist suspected of drunken driving was arrestedafter barreling through a gas station in Rancho Mirage and into a fire hydrant,a sheriff’s sergeant said today. Sheriff’s deputies received a call at 7:30 p.m. Thursday about the crashat a Chevron station parking lot near the intersection of Bob Hope and GeraldFord drives. The driver, Salvador Ibarra