By Lex Harvey, Esha Mitra, CNN (CNN) — Bill Gates has pulled out of delivering his keynote address at an AI summit in India Thursday, his foundation said, as the billionaire faces scrutiny over his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI
Continue Reading
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A Coachella Valley local, Rose King, is competing in the Ms. Senior California of America pageant this Saturday. King has a progressive condition called retinitis pigmentosa and is completely blind. She lost her sight at the age of 40. “I live a normal life. I dance, I go out, I
Continue Reading
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Students from Xavier College Preparatory High School in Palm Desert won the 21st annual Academic World Quest competition, which challenges students’ knowledge of world affairs, hosted at Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert, officials announced today. Team members MacKenzie Johnson, Haleigh Liles, Luke Macwan and Trey Morrison won first place
Continue ReadingBy Sophie Tanno, CNN (CNN) — A man accused of leaving his girlfriend to freeze to death on Austria’s tallest mountain went on trial on Thursday in a case that could have major implications for mountain climbers and how liable they are for the safety of companions. The 36-year-old man, named in local media as
Continue Reading
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Pretrial motions got underway today ahead of jury selection for the trial of an ex-instructional assistant for the Coachella Valley Unified School District accused of perpetrating lewd acts during online contact with a female student. Edward Noel Alvarado Valadez, 31, of Coachella was arrested in 2019 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s
Continue Reading
LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — Golf is an outdoor sport, and the weather forced The Prestige to finish earlier than expected on Wednesday at the Greg Norman Course at PGA WEST. The annual college golf tournament was called early due to windy conditions, deemed unplayable by rules officials. We got trees falling and the Tree
Continue Reading
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Fire Department is giving the media a first look before it hosts an Open House event next Monday. News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson reported last night on the push from nearby businesses to stop the fire station due to concerns about parking. Fire Chief Paul Alvarado said
Continue Reading
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs city leadership is considering a switch back to directly electing a mayor, if approved by voters. Since 2019, the city has rotated mayors every year from 5 elected city council members, after threat of a hefty lawsuit due to a lack of Latino representation. The current mayor is
Continue Reading
COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Strong overnight winds tore through the Coachella Valley, leaving a trail of damage and debris across several communities by early morning. One of the hardest-hit areas was Parkview Mobile Home Estates, where powerful gusts knocked down fencing, overturned trash cans and furniture, and scattered debris throughout the property. Residents woke
Continue Reading
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – We continue to get more additions for festival season in the Coachella Valley. On Wednesday, Stagecoach released the lineup for Diplo’s Honkytonk stage. This year, the lineup includes Dillstradamus (Dillon Francis & Flosstradamus) Juicy J, Marshmello, Loud Luxury, DJ Pauly D, Rebecca Black, comedians Theo Von and Caleb Pressley, Dillstradamus, Two
Continue Reading
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – The former chief operating officer of a nonprofit that contracted with San Diego County to distribute the anti-overdose medication Narcan has been charged with embezzling funds from the organization. Â Â Amy Knox, ex-COO of Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, is accused of taking over $130,000 in public funds to
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The city of Malibu today sued the state, the city and county of Los Angeles and other entities today, accusing them of various failures that led to the start and proliferation of the Palisades Fire that destroyed hundreds of Malibu homes along with municipal facilities and infrastructure.  “This decision was not
Continue Reading
By Alexandra Skores, CNN (CNN) — Smoke in the passenger cabin of a JetBlue plane that made an emergency landing Wednesday night at Newark Liberty International Airport led to passengers evacuating onto the tarmac and temporarily shut down the airport. JetBlue flight 543 took off shortly after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday heading to West Palm Beach,
Continue Reading
Update 2/19/26 The man was found safe. He is back with his family. Original Report 2/18/26 PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A 28-year-old man with medical issues has been missing since Monday in Palm Desert, loved ones told News Channel 3. Grant Yu was last seen Monday at around 6 p.m. along Monterey. According to
Continue Reading
Update 2/18/26 The suspect, Diego Gallardo, 32, was officially charged with attempted murder along with other charges, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center. Gallardo is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 27 for a felony settlement conference. Original Report 2/12/26 DESERT HOT
Continue Reading
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The Trump administration today moved to join a lawsuit alleging that Los Angeles Unified School District discriminates against white students under its decades-old desegregation policy. Brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, a Billings, Montana-based conservative group, the federal civil rights suit contends the district’s allegedly racially discriminatory policies systematically disadvantage certain
Continue Reading
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A Jurupa Valley woman partly responsible for her 1-year-old son’s ingestion of a deadly dose of fentanyl was bound for state prison today to serve a sentence of 12 years, four months behind bars after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and another felony. Sandy Alyssa Acuna, 25, admitted the manslaughter count,
Continue Reading
By Kristen Holmes, Kevin Liptak, CNN (CNN) — The US military is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, though President Donald Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether he’ll authorize such actions, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. The White House has been briefed that the military could
Continue Reading
Update 2/23/26 Phone services at the Palm Springs Police Department’s dispatch center were operating normally today following temporary connectivity issues caused by wind-related disruptions last week. Original Report 2/18/26 PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs police reported intermittent phone connectivity issues today due to wind-related service disruptions and urged residents to be patient and
Continue Reading
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Salton City man accused of the murder of a missing 17-year-old girl pleaded not guilty to all charges in his first court appearance on Wednesday. Abraham Feinbloom, 51, is charged with murder and resisting a peace officer in connection with the T’Neya Tovar case, a teenager reported missing on
Continue Reading