News

Riverside County government will end the 2013-14fiscal year with a balanced budget, but fiscal challenges lay ahead for severalagencies — with the county hospital ranking highest on the list, officialssaid today. “They’re looking at a deficit of $50 to $80 million next year,” countyChief Financial Officer Ed Corser told the Board of Supervisors during areport

The mayor of Moreno Valley says he’s eager to be interviewed as part of a corruption probe involving city leaders. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that Mayor Tom Owings says he has reason to believe a grand jury will begin collecting testimony Wednesday. Owings says he will appear on the steps of the federal court building

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to revamp a California law requiring businesses to post public warnings of chemicals, saying it’s been abused by some lawyers. Proposition 65 was passed by voters nearly three decades ago and requires store owners to warn consumers of the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals. While the law has educated the public

Three hikers who vanished during a weekend hike in the San Bernardino Mountains have been found safe. A San Bernardino County sheriff’s helicopter crew found the men at about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday in the North Fork Meadows area, at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet. The Sheriff’s Department says Ryan Shankles, David Yoder and

State health officials are investigating a possible security breach involving 2,000 California birth records. The Contra Costa Times reports a reel containing names, addresses, Social Security numbers and some medical information was found in an unsecure location. The California Department of Public Health said the records were for people born from May through September of

California health officials are urging residents, especially pregnant women or families with new babies, to get vaccinated against whooping cough. The San Francisco Chronicle says the highly contagious respiratory illness tends to come in three- to five-year cycles, and California’s last big outbreak was in 2010. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, can seem like

The rain that has been falling in Riverside County this week is expected to lessen this afternoon as a low-pressure atmospheric system moves through the state and out of the region, forecasters said. Showers continued in the Inland Empire and the Riverside County valleys and mountains this morning, and forecasters expect only a chance of

A Palm Springs resident grabbed a gun and held a home invasion robbery suspect until police could arrive Sunday. Police were called to a burglary in progress reported on the 600 block of North Belardo Road at approximately 3 a.m. Sunday. A resident there said the suspect, Ronald Bryant, 37, of Long Beach climbed onto

A Cathedral city man was killed Monday after he was struck by a driverless car. Police said an unoccupied vehicle hit Jose Monjaras, 48, yesterday afternoon when it rolled down a driveway then across the street.The vehicle came to rest in the front yard of a residence. The deadly incident happened at 2 p.m. along

State authorities say there should be adequate power in California this summer, but heat waves or wildfires that damage transmission lines could lead to potential problems. The agency that operates the state’s wholesale power system said Monday that reliability could be “marginally” more challenging in Southern California, where the San Onofre nuclear power plant has

Tens of thousands of Californians believed to be mistakenly or fraudulently receiving benefits could soon be stricken from state health care rolls. The Sacramento Bee reports the California Public Employees’ Retirement System estimated last year that removing an estimated 29,000 wrongly listed children, spouses and domestic partners of government employees would save approximately $40 million

The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up for a tough wildfire season by adding to its large air tanker fleet seven planes that fly faster and will drop a bigger payload of fire retardant than in the past. The long-anticipated contracts announced Monday total $158 million and include several models of aircraft, including one for

Desert Hot Springs police were on the look-out for two men suspected in a late afternoon home invasion robbery. It happened just before 5 o’clock Monday evening on the 66900 block of Flora Avenue. A woman told police two men were wearing bandanas when they broke into her home, robbed her, then fired shots in

More than 40 teachers along with friends and family showed up to demand a new contract with more money Monday afternoon, most dressed in black to show solidarity. Kevin Colburn is a 5th grade teacher in the Desert Sands Unified School District. When asked why the teachers were wearing black he responded, “Solidarity and mourning

People in Palm Springs continue to wait for a shopping center in their city. Construction crews continue to work around the clock to finish demolishing the vacant stores at the Desert Fashion Plaza. It’s a major step in the Palm Springs Downtown Revitalization plan and it’s almost done. “They look at the back and they

In a 7-0 decision, the California Supreme Court has ruled cities and counties have the constitutional right to shut down storefront medical marijuana dispensaries. With the exception of Palm Springs, which permits three dispensaries to operate, all Coachella Valley cities ban pot dispensaries. Attorney Steve Quintanilla represents Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs.

The man convicted of 2nd degree murder in the death of long-time Frank Sinatra friend Jilly Rizzo in May of 1992 may be getting out of prison this summer. News Channel 3 has learned Jeffrey Perrotte has been found suitable for parole. An official with the California Board of Parole hearings tells us Perrotte now

West Shores High School is home to only 24 teachers and nearly 360 students in grades seven through 12. “We always want to be ahead to prove to the district we’re as good as any high school,” said Mirna Covarrubias, senior class president. Once known for having some of the lowest test scores in state,

No graduation help, no after-school clubs or tutoring: Teachers in Desert Sands Unified School District are saying “no” to extra work until the district gives them a contract. Right now, teachers are working without a contract. They say they are being asked to do more while they are getting paid less. But, the district says

Katie Couric was in Southern California last week to interview west coast stars for her daytime talk show *Katie* which is based out of New York. Because *Katie* airs on KESQ NewsChannel 3 every weekday from 3 to 4 p.m. KESQ held aFacebook contest and took a bus load of Coachella Valley viewers to watch