News

The latest winter storm is bringing more snow to our local mountains. Idyllwild began receiving its second snowfall of the season Tuesday night. Because things can get slippery in town and on surrounding roads, people who live and work in the area know how important it is to have chains on the tires of their

The “Safe Ride Home” taxi program begins on New Year’s Eve, December 31, and continues on New Year’s Night, January 1. Three local taxi companies are joining forces to provide free rides for patrons to get home safely from local restaurants, bars, and hotels after consuming alcohol. The taxi rides will be provided one way,

A rash of burglaries at Palm Springs Baptist Church have police stumped today. The church, 1696 S. El Cielo Road, has been burglarized four times within less than a month, most recently on Tuesday, according to Palm Springs police Officer Rhonda Long. The first burglary took place Dec. 11, when two laptops and a projector

The eighth consecutive daily increase pushed the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire to its highest amount since Oct. 18, 2008 today. The half-cent increase boosted the average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to $3.295, 3.1 cents more than a week ago, 17.3 cents more than

A robbery suspect allegedly threatened to blow up a bank in Banning Wednesday but was quickly taken into custody, police reported. Brian Clough, 52, of Bell, allegedly demanded cash from tellers at the Chase bank branch at 1118 W. Ramsey St., saying he would detonate explosives if the employees did not comply with his request,

With the dispute settled to his satisfaction, Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco today dropped his lawsuit against the county over its initial refusal to “unfreeze” a dozen positions on his staff. Lawyers for the D.A. submitted a motion asking Superior Court Judge Paul Bryant to dismiss the case, which he did, canceling all future

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado signed an executive order today to waive fees and other regulations involved in recovery efforts from the rainstorms of the past 10 days in Riverside County and elsewhere in California. Among other things, officials involved in recovery efforts were ordered to cooperate with the California Resources Agency and state Environmental Protection

Governor-elect Jerry Brown will be sworn in Monday at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium ? the same place Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took the oath of office four years ago. The swearing in will take place with new California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye presiding, Brown’s transition team said. The ceremony will be followed by a private

The arrest of a San Jacinto man on suspicion of distributing child pornography was based on an investigation that began more than 2,000 miles away, according to Riverside County sheriff’s officials. Jeremiah Allen Gifford, 34, was arrested without incident at his home in the 900 block of Bergamo Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, said sheriff’s Sgt.

One person was transported to the hospital on Friday after a big rig truck collided with another car sending the truck into a canal, according to the California Highway Patrol. The accident happened at 9:40 a.m. near the intersection of County Road C/D and the 10000 block of 6th Ave. Cal Fire crews launched a

Courts and most municipal offices in Riverside County will be closed tomorrow for the New Year’s holiday. Law enforcement and fire department personnel will be on duty, but non- emergency local and state agencies will not be open for business again until Monday. Trash and recycling services for county residents will be suspended, except for

The California Highway Patrol will be ramping up patrols over the holiday weekend for a two-day “maximum enforcement period,” during which all available officers hit the streets looking people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The New Year’s MEP gets under way at 6 p.m. Friday and concludes shortly after midnight Monday. During

Authorities today released the name of a man who died at a hospital more than a week after his vehicle skidded off a rain-slick highway near Cabazon and overturned. Howard Susman, 77, of Morongo Valley, died Tuesday at Desert Regional Medical Center — eight days after he lost control of his compact car on eastbound

Opening statements are scheduled today in the trial of a Coachella Valley-area physician who previously admitted stealing patients’ identities to acquire pain pills for herself, but is still facing charges of filing two false documents. Dr. Lisa Michelle Barden, 41, is due in a Palm Springs courtroom at 9 a.m. Monday, according to John Hall

If there is anything Pastor Dave Hotelling knows, it’s forgiveness. “We’re not seeking revenge on the guy,” he said. “We’d like to help him if we could.” Someone broke into his church four times this month: December 11, 12, 18 and 28. The Palm Springs Baptist Church is located at the corner of El Cielo

Approval of a third Department of Motor Vehicles office for the Coachella Valley, which is meant to relive congestion at the other two offices, was delayed because of the recent storms. If approved, as expected, the new office would be in Palm Desert. The Palm Desert Planning Commission was scheduled to vote on the project

Colder temperatures have settled in across the Coachella Valley with the National Weather Service issuing a frost advisory. The advisory takes effect starting at 11 p.m. on Thursday and extends to 9 a.m. on Friday. Growers should be prepared for frost protection. People should cover frost sensitive plants or bring potted plants indoors, according to

Araby Drive at the Wash in Palm Springs is prone to flooding, according to the Police Department. The area was closed down on Tuesday morning and then reopened at 2:30 p.m. But it didn’t take long for someone to sink. “The water is too aggressive right now,” said Officer Don Dougherty, with the Palm Springs

The next time you order at McDonald’s, look up at the menu boards, and you’ll get some food for thought. You’ll get the calorie count for everything on the menu. “I think it’s a good idea,” said Stella Rawlings, of Yucca Valley. “Everybody’s counting their calories nowadays.” The new law goes into effect Jan. 1

Snow fell Wednesday in the mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley and some roads were still washed out from last week’s storms. A rainbow could be seen across scattered clouds hovering above the desert near Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, but it could also be seen throughout the Coachella Valley. Tourists downtown bundled up as soon