The city of Palm Springs will rehire more than a dozen positions that had been eliminated from its budget during the pandemic, including several police officers and firefighters. The city council agreed Thursday evening to fill 7 firefighter positions and 6 positions within the city’s police department. The police jobs include 2 police sergeant positions,
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No matter where you vote in the Coachella Valley, your ballot will end up more than 60 miles away inside an 18,000-square-foot warehouse in Riverside. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters Office processes roughly 80,000 ballots a day which, by the time the election is over, should total more than 1.2 million ballots. “We hope
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The Riverside County Registrar’s office recently upgraded its elections tabulation equipment made by a company called Dominion. In the June primary, problems arose in the state of Georgia where the high tech voting equipment also made by Dominion misfired.I-Team Reporter Karen Devine speaks with the Registrar about concerns regarding accuracy and how they are making sure every vote
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The race for Palm Springs city council district four has taken yet another heated turn in one of the most contentious races in the valley. Watch: Palm Springs District 4 council candidates report personal attacks, vandalism The latest chapter in the race revolves around two very different TV ads, including one by the Palm Springs
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Some Snowbirds will stay home this winter and skip their annual winter migration south to the Coachella Valley for our sunshine and warm temperatures. How many won’t come? Nobody knows quite yet, but fewer travelers from the north will cost local businesses money. And pandemic concerns and uncertainty can be blamed for the decisions to
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Several nurses at Desert Regional Medical Center make a number of claims against the hospital, which they allege is not doing enough to protect them from coronavirus. But the hospital maintains that is not true. The three nurses did not want to show their faces. “Management tends to retaliate against the people that do speak
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All registered voters in California will be getting a vote-by-mail ballot for this November’s election. President Trump has repeatedly claimed that sending ballots to everyone, even those who don’t request them, will lead to wide-spread fraud. But, millions of people were already voting by mail in California. “Riverside County is already at 75 percent vote-by-mail
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Face coverings, outdoor-only operations, and social-distancing are all part of Palm Springs’ new order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The city made sure the message is hard to miss with banners, electronic message board and poster, in both English and Spanish, can be seen all over the city. And who makes sure the
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In the race to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Riverside County has hired more than 360 contact tracers to help identify and contact people who have been exposed. This has not been without difficulties for a county of its size and diversity. In this I-Team exclusive Karen Devine speaks with health officials about the
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UPDATE – 8/7/20: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed on Friday that Jade Kemerer and Venessa Vlasek have been found safe. DETAILS: Two of the six missing people last seen near Idyllwild area found safe Original Report – 8/5/20 The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Wednesday night that over the past five months, six people
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If you take a stroll through downtown Palm Springs, you might encounter a police officer reminding people to put on a mask. There are also electronic warning signs encouraging people to cover their faces. The city has made masks and social-distancing mandatory in many public settings and specifically in and around businesses. We looked at
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The ripple effects of coronavirus may be felt for years to come in the Coachella Valley. Delays in large developments could make for difficult days ahead. In Palm Springs, multiple projects are on hold including plans for a sports and entertainment venue downtown. Construction fencing around the site has been removed and the Agua Caliente
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Your grocery store produce aisle may look different this fall and winter when our Coachella Valley summer crops are harvested. The fields are being planted right now. But local farmers, like the rest of us, are having to make major changes to their operations just to stay in business. Jeff Percy of Ocean Mist Farms
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The push to remove the statue of Palm Springs’ first elected mayor, Frank Bogert from the entrance of City Hall, has gotten the attention of another former mayor. Ron Oden, elected in 2003 was the first openly gay, black mayor in Palm Springs. He’s speaking out to News Channel 3’s Karen Devine about the “State
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With its vast farm fields, quiet roads, and sparsely-populated communities, it’s almost hard to believe that Imperial County, with only 180,000 residents, has the highest-per capita infection rate of coronavirus in all of California. According to its public health department, the county has had about 6,200 cases among 30,700 people tested, a positive rate of
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The ripple effects of coronavirus and the economic shutdown may be felt for a long time to come here in the Coachella Valley. Last week we reported that plans for a new sports and entertainment arena in downtown Palm Springs are on hold. Now, we’re learning about other projects in the Coachella Valley. The Delano
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The California Department of Public Health’s website shows which counties meet the state’s threshold criteria for coronavirus and which do not. Visit KESQ.com/Coronavirus for more local coverage A green check means a county meets the criteria for a certain category, which includes “elevated disease transmission,” “increasing hospitalization,” and “limited hospital capacity.” For example, San Bernardino
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We learned on Friday that nearly half of the combined staff and residents at Vista Cove at Rancho Mirage, an assisted care community, have tested positive for coronavirus. That a total of 15 employees and 27 residents. News Channel 3’s Karen Devine takes an in-depth look at the facility in an I-team exclusive. Karen Devine
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Riverside County health officials still expect the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus to grow in the coming weeks. As of Friday, June 12, the county has had 10,490 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 383 deaths related to the virus. More than half of those infected have already recovered. Go to KESQ.com/Coronavirus for daily updates
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The coronavirus pandemic has financially impacted nearly everyone. including city governments. From police to firefighters, to libraries, museums, parks, landscaping and so much more the pandemic is taking a financial toll on services throughout the Coachella Valley. The Coachella Valley, which relies heavily on tourism, has been hit especially hard. Palm Springs is facing a
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