News

The Mountain Fire was 99 percent contained today, twoweeks after it broke out due to electrical equipment failure on privateproperty northeast of Idyllwild. Fire officials expected the 182 personnel still working the smolderingfire to fill in all of the gaps by Tuesday, according to the U.S. ForestService. The fire has scorched 27,531 acres since it

A three-day nationwide operation focusing onunderage victims of prostitution — including raids in Los Angeles, Orange andRiverside Counties — resulted in about 150 arrests of alleged pimps and othersuspects and the recovery of 105 sexually exploited children, the FBI announcedtoday. The sweep took place in 76 cities and was carried out by the FBI inpartnership

A coalition of business, housing and local government leaders says a plan to rewrite California’s landmark environmental law could lead to more, not fewer, lawsuits. The influential group outlined its concerns to Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. It includes the California Chamber of

A 26-year-old Palm Springs man suspected oftargeting people for burglaries based on their ethnicity and sexual orientationwas behind bars today. Paul Claudio Piermartiri, 26, was arrested shortly after 5:30 a.m.Friday at a local hospital, where he’d sought treatment for an injury. Earlierthat morning, a 49-year-old man told police he was sleeping in his residence inthe

Una residente de Palm Springs enfrenta cargos de DUI por manejar bajo la influencia de las drogas o alcohol, invadir carriles contrarios sobre el Hwy 111 e impactarse con un vehculo. El percance fue reportado a las 2:40 p.m. sobre el Hwy 111 y Paxton Road en Rancho Mirage, segn confirm el Sargento Aaron Eller

Pope Francis reached out to gays on Monday, saying he won’t judge priests for their sexual orientation in a remarkably open and wide-ranging news conference as he returned from his first foreign trip. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis asked. “We

A 25-year-old man remained in jail today pendingarraignment on felony child endangerment charges stemming from the near-drowning of a toddler in his care. Pedro Rangel of Palm Desert was supervising three children between theages of two and six at an apartment complex in the 44800 block of Las PalmasAvenue on Saturday, said Palm Desert police

The FAA is advising all foreign airlines to use a GPS system instead of visual approaches when landing at San Francisco International Airport in the wake of the deadly Asiana Airlines crash. The San Francisco Chronicle says the Federal Aviation Administration issued a recommendation on Sunday that the airlines use the GPS system when landing

Police say eight people have been arrested after a rowdy crowd surged through downtown in the Southern California city of Huntington Beach after the U.S. Open of Surfing, fighting and damaging property. It happened Sunday night. Lt. John Domingo tells KNX-AM a large fight broke out, and when officers tried to break it up, the

A Palm Springs woman suffered moderate injuriesand faces DUI charges after driving her car into oncoming traffic and collidingwith another car on Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage, police said today. The collision was reported at 2:40 p.m. Sunday on Highway 111 at PaxtonRoad, Rancho Mirage police Sgt. Aaron Eller said. “The investigation revealed the driver

A trailer home, a vehicle and an outbuildingwere destroyed today by an early-morning noninjury fire that displaced a DesertHot Springs family of five, authorities said. The blaze at the home in the 69500 block of Dillon Road in the HolmesHot Springs Manufactured Housing Project was reported at 2:42 a.m., saidRiverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Melody

A man who was kidnapped in San Bernardino County has been found dead in a burned-out car. The Riverside Press-Enterprise says firefighters doused the blaze and found the body of 40-year-old Alejandro Padilla Friday night inside a car in Rialto. Police say the Fontana man vanished at 5 a.m. that morning and a 911 caller

A 64-year-old Sky Valley woman is expected to be arraigned this afternoon on animal cruelty charges for allegedly neglecting dogs on her property. Mary Bernadette Schwenn was arrested at the Indio branch of the Riverside County Law Library on Thursday in connection with 30 animal cruelty-related counts filed Wednesday by the Riverside County District Attorney’s

Three people are behind bars after Palm Desert police targeted repeat DUI drivers Saturday night. Hector Ignacio Laurias, 24 of Palm Desert, was arrested when police witnessed a single vehicle traffic collision. Laurias was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and fleeing the scene. While investigating that crash, another arrest was made when

Ten-year-old Daneyda Martinez swims twice a day, and says she’s always careful. Saturday afternoon, though, she saw what can happen if you’re not. “We all started looking outside and that’s when we saw the baby drowning,” Martinez said. It happened in the pool at the Taos Palms Apartments in Palm Desert. Police say 25-year-old Pedro

For decades, the “Elvis House” attracted fans from all over, but, for the past six months, it’s been all chained up. Not anymore. “I want to fix that section of the house and fix over here,” Randy Racevic said. Raicevic is the owner of the Elvis Estate, after the Superior Court in Indio’s July 22nd

The River in Rancho Mirage will run dry, again. The popular dining and shopping center began the process of draining its main water feature. The “river” provides the backdrop for patio seating at Acqua Pazza. Manager Michelle Gernand says it’s one of the best seats in the house. “Not only do you have a great

A Valley woman says Palm Desert police officers killed her son. Now, she hopes to finally get justice. “I lost my son, everyday for the last 3 years I think about him, I cry, I try to do everything I can to get through life,” says Carole Krechman. Krechman says her son 48-year-old Robert Appel,

Fire officials are pushing back the estimated containment date for the Mountain Fire by four days. Citing extreme terrain that is making fire-line construction difficult, crews now expect to fully surround the flames by Tuesday. The fire has scorched more than 27,000 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest since it broke out south of