News

C. Everett Koop, who raised the profile of the nation’s surgeon general by speaking frankly about AIDS and the dangers of smoking, has died in New Hampshire. He was 96. An assistant at Koop’s Dartmouth institute, Susan Wills, says he died Monday. She hasn’t disclosed his cause of death. Surgeons general before Koop were low-profile,

Palm Desert Police are still searching for a man suspected of assaulting and robbing a woman Friday night in a parking lot behind El Paseo. Around 9 p.m., the woman had just left a restaurant and was walking to her car when the suspectapproachedher, physicallyassaultedher, and stole her purse. With the purse in hand, the

Secretary of State Debra Bowen today announced that a proposed measure increasing cigarette tax by $1 per pack may begin collecting signatures. Supporters of the new proposal estimate the tax would generate over $800 million in revenue annually, most of which would go toward expanding financial aid for students enrolled at University of California and

El operativo se llev a cabo el 21 de Febrero en la ciudad de Palm Desert, teniendo como resultado tres mujeres tras las rejas bajo sospecha de prostituirse. Se trata de Torri Wilkinson de 31 aos residente de Salt Lake City, Yunhua Le de 40 de San Gabriel y Tricia Rodrguez de 25 de Coachella.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE-Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained ANIMATED SHORT FILM-Paperman ANIMATED FEATURE FILM-Brave CINEMATOGRAPHY-Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi VISUAL EFFECTS-Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott, Life of Pi COSTUME DESIGN-Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING-Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Miserables SHORT FILM-Curfew DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT-Inocente DOCUMENTARY

Three women are facing prostitution charges this morning after police conducted an undercover sting operation. The operation was conducted on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. within the city of Palm Desert. During the operation, three women nwere arrested on suspicion prostitution: Torri Wilkinson, 31, from Salt Lake City, Yunhua Lu, 40, from San Gabriel, California

The Coast Guard is searching the waters south of San Francisco for four people who went missing after they reported their sailboat was sinking. Lt. Heather Lampert said the group, which included two children under 8, was about 65 miles off Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay when they called for help Sunday afternoon.

Opening statements will are scheduled Monday in the retrial of two men accused in the murder-for-hire of a La Quinta artist. Jesse Dean Nava and Jerry Eugene Reynolds were convicted in February 2007 of murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain in the slaying of Bernardo Gouthier on Oct. 25, 1997,

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire increased Monday for the 28th consecutive day, rising three-tenths of a cent to $4.288, its highest amount since Oct. 25. The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties has risen 57.2 cents during the streak, including one-tenth of a cent

A mobile home in Thermal was destroyed by fire, a Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman said today. The fire in the 85500 block of Airport Boulevard was reported at 10:40 p.m. Sunday, said Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann. The home was fully involved when 17 firefighters arrived in four engines, she said. The

We’re not in Hollywood but there was Oscar fever flooding the Valley on Sunday. A special screening of the Academy Awards at the Mary Pickford Theater in Cathedral City brought the glitz and glam of Los Angeles right here to the desert. “All of the lights and cameras, it’s exciting,” said Jazmin Simon, a senior

A man walking along westbound Interstate 10 in Indio was struck and killed by a sedan whose driver fled the scene, the California Highway Patrol reported Sunday. The victim was later identified by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office as Antonio Salazar, 27, of Thermal. Officers were dispatched at 11:38 p.m. Saturday to the freeway east

Bands, floats, and dancers took over Palm Canyon Drive Saturday afternoon for the 16th Black History Month Parade. Thousands of people lined the street to continue the Palm Springs celebration of Black History Month. “It brings people together from all cultures, and it brings us together to accept each other for what we are. That’s

A wildland fire broke out in heavy brush in Coachella on Saturday, burning five acres. Around 11:45, fire fighters found two acres of heavy brush on fire at Avenue 53 and Fillmore St, moving at a moderate rate. About 90 fire fighters helped put the blaze out, it was contained to five acres at approximately

China’s Xiaonan Zhang has broken the Women’s World Record for Modern Pentathlon Fencing at the USA Pentathlon World Cup in Palm Springs Saturday. This is the 20 year old’s first appearance on the world stage and she finished the event with a massive 30 victories and only 5 defeats – a new World Record. Zhang

A fire charred the garage of an Indio home Saturday and displaced a family of four, but no one was hurt, a fire spokeswoman said. Firefighters got a 911 call at 5:47 a.m. and raced to the single-story home in the 81700 block of Dalea Avenue, said Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson. The

A purse snatcher grabbed a woman’s handbag in the parking lot of a Palm Desert restaurant and fled in a waiting getaway car, evading capture, a sergeant said Saturday. Sheriff’s deputies received a call at 9:05 p.m. Friday and went to the area of El Paseo Avenue and Sage Lane. They learned that the patron

A judge sentenced 35-year-old Emilio Avalos to death for the murder of Marine Corporal Henry Lozano in 2001. The judge also sentenced Avalos to life in prison without parole for the 1994 murder of 17-year-old Jahi Collins. It marks the end of a long process for the victims’ families. “I no longer have to look

California is well known for its rich agriculture, the state produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. Friday morning, the Riverside County Ag Trail was unveiled for the world to see. The trail is 400 miles long, with more than 100 stops and promotes Riverside County’s $4 billion dollar agriculture industry. Visitors along