In an I-team investigation, a local wastewater treatment district is backing off plans to raise customer rates dramatically. “On this proposal, we had out, that is completely out,” said Debra Canero who serves as Board President of the Valley Sanitary District. The district’s 400 percent rate hike is postponed indefinitely, according to a release issued Thursday afternoon. That was
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Since October, more than 1,700 court cases have been dismissed in Riverside County. These dismissals include cases involving child sexual assault, attempted murder, DUIs, and domestic violence. This is due to a backlog caused by the pandemic. Riverside Superior Court officials cited a lack of available judicial resources and courtroom space as they reinstated defendants’
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An I-Team investigation reveals College of the Desert paid more than a million dollars in digital ransom to recover data after a 2020 malware attack. And as KESQ News Channel 3 has extensively reported the college suffered another malware attack this past summer. That second July attack may have compromised the personal data of hundreds
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A News Channel 3 investigation has uncovered that district officials didn’t follow safety protocols in multiple incidents when weapons were reported at valley schools. In response to outraged parents, scared students and KESQ’s questions, the district says it made changes. But are they working? Repeated reports of weapons Three east valley schools and thousands of
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It’s becoming harder than ever to find a place for people to call their own. Rising costs have made home ownership, or an apartment, too expensive for more people struggling to deal with higher costs for everything. An I-Team in-depth report shows how some local cities are doing more than others to increase the number
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As kids struggle with mental health challenges in school after pandemic distance learning, educators across the nation are reporting an increase in anxiety, bullying, and violence among student populations. For Brianna Garcia, a mother of two elementary school kids in Indio, she’s doing her best to help her girls catch up. And that means tutors, along with a
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Some Coachella Valley homeowners and communities are saving water and meeting new state-mandated water conservation targets by taking a number of dramatic actions to avoid costly drought fines. But in an I-Team In-depth report, some higher-than-expected monthly bills from the Coachella Valley Water District, or CVWD, are taking customers by surprise. Jeff Stahl spoke with
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Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry, it’s happening worldwide including right here in the Coachella Valley. In Tonight’s I-Team Investigation: Trafficked and Terrified, hear firsthand from a woman forced into the sex trade for more than a decade, and how a county task force is now working to rescue and save the lives of those
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Throughout the pandemic, millions of Americans quit their jobs or retired in what came to be known as “the Great Resignation.” But there are new signs many people are rethinking their choices. With inflation the highest it’s been in decades and predictions of a coming recession, many retirees are now going back to work, including
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The Coachella Valley Association of Governments is moving ahead with new plans to build some short bridges and culverts through the Whitewater Wash on Indian Canyon Drive along with two other major roadway connectors. The idea is to keep the roads open and clear of sand and flood waters. Feb. 2019 photo of Indian Canyon
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News Channel 3 is looking at the safety of students on campus and seeing some security changes underway. This follows several instances of end-of-the-school-year violence most notably in Uvalde Texas. As parents get ready to send their kids to classrooms around the Coachella Valley the requested details, dug through documents, and went one-on-one with heads
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A Palm Springs man is speaking out, alleging the county’s Public Health Department mishandled his case. I-Team investigator Peter Daut sat down with Evan Goldfarb, who not only wants to warn people about the severity of monkeypox, but also wants answers from the county. The 56-year-old is finally feeling better after becoming the county’s first
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The 1994 Northridge earthquake killed nearly 60 people and injured more than 9,000. The 6.7 magnitude quake destroyed or severely damaged tens of thousands of homes, apartments, and businesses, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. In addition, eleven hospitals suffered structural damage or became unusable. Not only were those hospitals
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An I-team investigation reveals that despite the statewide drought declaration and additional water restrictions, the Coachella Valley’s water supply is dramatically better off than most other areas of California right now. It’s not the message you’re hearing from state leaders, but experts say our local water supplies are plentiful and well-managed as they have been
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Clean water is something many of us take for granted. While new luxury housing developments, surf wave parks, and lagoon resorts in the Coachella Valley quickly obtained approval for clean water, some of the Valley’s poorest communities still can’t get clean water from the faucet. Once or twice a day, Mecca resident Roberto Gomez said
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We’re less than three weeks away from the June primary and some local races are beginning to take shape. Candidates are stepping up their fundraising games to get their message out ahead of June 7. Visit Our “Your Vote” Section for Election Coverage TV ads are hitting the airwaves, people still working on putting signs up,
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An I-Team investigation reveals truck drivers are responsible for more wrecks on Coachella Valley roads than their numbers would suggest. This follows a tough past month for truckers on our local roads. One was involved in a Banning wreck where an overturned pickup truck was struck by a big rig on April 19th. Two big
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“Thank God I’m still alive,” said Leonard McGensy while talking to News Channel 3’s Jeff Stahl in his temporary apartment located in downtown Cathedral City. It’s a new feeling for McGensy to have a roof over his head and not be living on the streets of Indio. An I-Team investigation is uncovering the successes and failures
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Is crime on the rise in the Coachella Valley? If you regularly scroll through the social media site “Nextdoor” you might believe it’s true. While there are daily posts about lost pets or questions about how to find a handyman, the most popular have to do with crime. I-Team Reporter Karen Devine spoke with La Quinta resident Ray
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An I-team investigation reveals Critical Race Theory lessons, also known as CRT, were assigned to some local students. CRT is a divisive subject and is a subject the district says it doesn’t teach. I-Team investigator Jeff Stahl reveals the Desert Sands Unified School District has admitted some recent lessons involving race, gender, religion, and other
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