Top Stories Archives

California Natural Resources Agency hosting virtual meeting to introduce review panel on water importation at Salton Sea

October 27, 2021 3:34 PM Jesus Reyes

The California Natural Resources Agency is hosting an online public meeting on Tuesday evening to introduce the Independent Review Panel on Water Importation. The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) is establishing an Independent Review Panel (Panel) to review concepts for water importation to the Salton Sea for its long-term restoration The Independent Review Panel will

Pitbull concert at Fantasy Springs rescheduled to February 2022

October 27, 2021 3:25 PM Jesus Reyes

Fans of Grammy Award-winning superstar Pitbull will have to wait a little while longer to see him return to the Coachella Valley. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino announced that Pitbull’s Dec. 18, 2021 show has been rescheduled to February 12, 2022. Tickets previously purchased will be honored for the new date; those who are unable to attend

Resource officers to return to PSUSD high schools next week

October 27, 2021 2:52 PM City News Service

School resource officers are anticipated to return to Palm Springs Unified School District campuses next week following the completion of a five-day training program, district officials said today. School resource officers — or SROs — have not been in place in the PSUSD since the school year began in August due to contract negotiations between

Cathedral City man charged with attacking women on trails pleads not guilty

October 27, 2021 12:31 PM KESQ News Team

A Cathedral City man charged with a trio of attacks on women in Southern California dating back to January 2020 has pled not guilty. Authorities say Robert Daniel Yucas, 51, is responsible for brutal attacks on women in Aliso Viejo where he allegedly choked them into unconsciousness and assaulted them in the bushes off a

Moderna, Johnson & Johnson COVID booster shots now available in Riverside County

October 26, 2021 11:15 AM Jennifer Franco

All residents in Riverside County who are eligible for their COVID-19 booster shot can get it starting Tuesday, following federal and state approval. Jose Arballo, from the Riverside University Health System, said Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered free of charge at the Indio Family Care Center, which is one of four

Watch: CA leaders outline efforts to increase vaccination rates and promote booster shots

October 27, 2021 10:11 AM KESQ News Team

Governor Gavin Newsom is holding a news conference at 11:00 a.m. on state efforts to increase vaccination rates and promote booster shots for eligible populations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shtChOJA0d0 You can watch it in the player above. Stay up-to-date with the latest local coronavirus news, including reopenings and closing, new case data, live news conferences, and other updates

‘He was wonderful’: Wife and children of motorcyclist mourn after suspected DUI crash on Highway 62

October 27, 2021 6:54 AM Crystal Jimenez

The family of Jon Sherwood, the 55-year-old man who was killed in a DUI crash last week, is trying to come to terms that he is no longer here, all while trying to figure out how to make a living. Jon Sherwood was killed in an accident in Desert Hot Springs last Thursday. A 23-year-old

500 rounds of ammunition found on Alec Baldwin movie set; watch news conference here

October 27, 2021 9:17 AM KESQ News Team

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies are conducting a joint news conference to discuss the ongoing investigation into the shooting incident on the movie set “Rust. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that investigators have the spent shell casing from the bullet that was fired from the

Goldenvoice announces plans to operate Empire Polo Club year-round

October 27, 2021 8:39 AM KESQ News Team

Indio’s Empire Polo Club will be operated year-round by the promoter of the Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival in a new long-term agreement announced Wednesday morning. Goldenvoice said in a statement it has plans for expanding its use of the property along with the Empire Grand Oasis special event property in Thermal. The

Kids aged 5-11 could be eligible for a vaccine as early as next week, valley parents weigh in

October 26, 2021 11:24 PM Madison Weil

Roughly 28 million schoolchildren nationwide might soon be eligible to get vaccinated. On Tuesday, an FDA advisory committee officially endorsed Pfizer’s vaccine designed for kids ages 5-11. If the FDA and CDC accept the endorsement, the shots could be available for kids in this age group as early as next week. “We certainly know that

Watch News Channel 3 Sports Director on ABC’s hit reality show ‘The Bachelorette’

October 26, 2021 10:56 AM KESQ News Team

Coachella Valley fans of ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” have seen familiar locations on the hit reality programs for years. On Tuesday, you can see a familiar face: News Channel 3 Sports Director Blake Arthur. In the second episode of the current series, bachelorette Michelle Young went out on a group date to play

Palm Springs closing park to address ‘health issues’: drug paraphernalia, human waste, and litter

October 26, 2021 9:52 AM Marian Bouchot, KESQ News Team

Baristo Park on Calle Encilia in Palm Springs features playgrounds for kids, a basketball court, and picnic tables. But residents who use the recreational area have been increasingly concerned that a visit to that park may also be unsafe. The City of Palm Springs is now planning to temporarily close the park to make some

Officers to return to Palm Springs & Desert Hot Springs high schools as PSUSD board approves new contract

October 26, 2021 7:46 PM Jesus Reyes

The Palm Springs Unified School District board of education unanimously approved new SRO contracts for Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs high schools. The Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs city councils for both cities approved new contracts with the district during meetings earlier this month. Both cities included new amendments in the contracts. Palm

Supervisors seek federal money to further Coachella to Los Angeles railway project

October 25, 2021 1:38 PM City News Service, Jesus Reyes

Riverside County supervisors voted today to submit a request to the federal government seeking funding to complete environmental studies associated with a 144-mile commuter rail project linking the Coachella Valley to San Bernardino, Orange and Los Angeles counties. “This has been an ongoing desire for decades — connecting the Coachella Valley to Los Angeles,” Board

FDA advisers endorse Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11

October 26, 2021 1:26 PM Associated Press, Jesus Reyes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. moved a step closer to expanding COVID-19 vaccinations for millions more children as a panel of government advisers on Tuesday endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s shots for 5- to 11-year-olds. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously, with one abstention, that the vaccine’s benefits in preventing COVID-19 in

‘El Super’ grocery chain cited for COVID sick leave violations; includes Indio store

October 26, 2021 4:30 PM City News Service

The California Labor Commissioner’s Office announced today that it has cited a Southern California grocery chain for failing to pay or delaying supplemental paid sick leave to 240 workers affected by COVID- 19 at 38 stores, including four stores in Riverside County. Bodega Latina, which does business as El Super, was cited $1,164,500 after an

San Diego proclaims Oct. 26 ‘Nichi Aviña Day’ in honor of local California Teacher of the Year

October 26, 2021 3:50 PM Jesus Reyes

The city of San Diego is honoring a Palm Springs teacher who was named a 2022 California State Teacher of the Year. On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted to proclaim October 26 as “Nichi Aviña Day” in the city of San Diego. Nichi Aviña is a teacher at Cielo Vista Charter School in Palm

Woman admits to $22.8M fraud scheme involving Coachella Valley hotel & condo project

October 26, 2021 2:47 PM City News Service

An Arcadia woman pleaded guilty today to soliciting over $22.8 million in funds for a condominium and hotel complex in the Coachella Valley, then spending part of the money on luxury cars, travel and designer clothing. Ruixue “Serena” Shi, 37, entered the plea to one federal count of wire fraud, which carries a sentence of

Supervisors OK use of a $30 million state grant to relocate residents of the troubled Oasis Mobile Home Park

October 26, 2021 2:18 PM City News Service, Jesus Reyes

The Board of Supervisors approved the use of a $30 million state grant for efforts to relocate hundreds of people from the hazard-plagued Oasis Mobile Home Park in Thermal, though the process of clearing the 60-acre space is already facing potential hurdles. “There’s nothing to stop the current owners and operators from allowing other

Yucca Valley residents hospitalized after a head-on collision in Maine

October 26, 2021 1:40 PM Jesus Reyes

Two Yucca Valley residents were rushed to the hospital after being involved in a head-on collision in Maine. The crash happened Monday afternoon in the coastal town of Searsport. According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, Ken Bailey, 74, and his passenger Deborah Bailey, 66, both from Yucca Valley, were traveling northbound along Route 1. At