The court granted a defense motion on Friday to place Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Christian J. Lopez in a misdemeanor diversion program for his alleged involvement in the 2023 crash that killed bicyclist Christopher Thomas. According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, District Attorney Mike Hestrin was opposed to the motion. The court ruling
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Some parents with students at Desert Sands Unified School District said they were unable to reach schools as well as the District office on Friday. District officials say they are aware of the issues with incoming calls to DSUSD placed from wireless carriers. They state the District’s carrier Frontier has confirmed the problem is related to
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Thousands continue to flee the wildfires in LA County, many of their homes destroyed or in evacuation zones. News Channel 3 is catching up with some of those evacuees calling the Coachella Valley their temporary home. LOCAL ASSISTANCE FOR LA FIRE VICTIMS + HOW YOU CAN HELP(From City of Palm Springs) Relief Offers in the
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A person was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a four-vehicle crash Friday afternoon in La Quinta. The crash was reported at around 3:30 p.m. near Calle Tampico and Washington Street. CAL FIRE confirmed there were four patients in the crash. Two people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. One
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A Palm Springs Police Department employee accused of fatally rear-ending a 31-year-old motorcyclist, another off-duty PSPD employee, pleaded not guilty today to second-degree murder and other offenses. Juliana Leigh Granados, 25, of Cathedral City allegedly killed 31-year-old PSPD Community Services Officer Nicholas Griego on Thanksgiving. Along with murder, Granados is charged with DUI gross vehicular
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Following concerns that firefighters lacked resources and dealt with low water pressure to combat the devastating Palisades Fire in the initial stages of the crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom today ordered an independent investigation into the matter. In a letter addressed to the heads of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and L.A. County
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An April 7 trial date was confirmed today for a 23-year-old man accused with two others in a shooting at a Coachella Valley residence. Caillou Marcus Renteria of Coachella is charged with attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and a sentence-enhancing gun use allegation for the 2022 attack. During a status hearing at the
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UPDATE: THE Palm Springs Police Department says 911 Services has been Fully Restored. In a social media post, the Department said all technical issues causing the temporary disruption have been resolved, and services are now functioning as intended. PREVIOUS STORY: The Palm Springs Police department updates on Thursday that all wireless 911 calls are being
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One person is in the hospital in critical condition after being shot Thursday night in Coachella Riverside Sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene to Avenida Reforma, off 54th Avenue, after receiving a call about an assault with a deadly weapon around 7:30 p.m. They found a person with a gunshot wound and evidence of a shooting
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Firefighters from across the state and across state lines were in LA County on Thursday, continuing to work tirelessly to tame the blazes through windy and dry conditions. News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle was on scene in the area of the Palisades Fire to report the progress, gather more information, and talk to some who
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A 20-year-old has been arrested in connection with a shooting at a park in downtown Palm Springs that left two people hospitalized last year. Felipe Vargas was arrested on Jan. 2 at a residence in North Palm Springs, police announced on Thursday. He was charged on Monday with two counts of attempted murder. He pled
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While the death toll from the various wildfires ravaging parts of the Los Angeles area remained unclear today, relatives of four people who died in the Eaton Fire near Altadena and Pasadena paid tribute to their lost loved ones. One of the people who died was identified by his daughter as Rodney Nickerson, 82, of
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The Kenneth Fire in Calabasas is being investigated as a possible arson incident with a person being detained, the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD officials said at around 4:30 p.m., they received a call regarding a possible arson suspect. “A man called in stating a suspect was ‘attempting to light a fire’ in the area
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Entire neighborhoods have been ravaged as a result of the ongoing fires in Los Angeles County, resulting in the destruction of more than 1,000 buildings and the displacement of some 100,000 people In response to the disaster, a number of hotel and accommodation options, including here in the Coachella Valley, are supporting the community with offers
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As several fires rage on in LA County, several experts say rising temperatures and drier conditions from climate change have worsened the ongoing disasters. Professor Monalisa Chatterjee with the University of Southern California highlighted the unpredictability of weather patterns and conditions because of climate change. People can no longer rely on the expected seasonal weather
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The American Red Cross Southern California Region has deployed 25 volunteers to assist victims of the fast-moving wildfires in Los Angeles, with additional volunteers likely to join in the coming days. Though no volunteers from the Coachella Valley area have been deployed yet, recruitment efforts are ongoing, according to the organization’s Disaster Services team. Volunteers
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Two suspected vandals accused of causing more than $10,000 of damage to public and private property in Coachella Valley made initial court appearances today. Austin Levens of Desert Hot Springs and Jayce Creeden of Rancho Mirage, who were 27 and 23 at the time of arrest, respectively, each pleaded not guilty to a felony count
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By Alexandra HutzlerABC News President Joe Biden on Thursday announced the federal government would cover 100% of costs for the initial disaster response to the Los Angeles wildfires. Meeting with federal officials at the White House, Biden said the funds would go toward debris removal, temporary shelters, salaries for first responders and more for 180 days. Biden said he
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Authorities continued investigations today into a multi-vehicle traffic collision that killed a driver Wednesday night in Palm Desert. Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to a “major injury” collision shortly after 9:45 p.m. Wednesday on Country Club Drive, according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department statement. Deputies observed three vehicles in the westbound lanes,
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A group of local residents held what they called a “Hands off our Healthcare” rally at Republican Congressman Ken Calvert’s office in Palm Desert, urging him to oppose any potential cuts to Medicaid. Local seniors, patients and healthcare workers were among those that gathered on Wednesday for the rally, one of many statewide opposing Medicaid
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