As the nation marks National Literacy Day on Sunday, efforts to improve childhood literacy are gaining momentum across the Coachella Valley. Children in the United States are facing an unprecedented literacy crisis. Before the COVID-19 pandemic the number of children  lacking basic reading skills was decreasing. In 2020, that number rose by about 20% to 584,000,000
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The inaugural Agent Alejandro Flores Memorial Cross Country Classic is Saturday at the Eldorado Polo Club in Indio. 12 local high schools participated in the event, with both lower-level and varsity races. According to the organizers social media post, heat precautions are being taken very seriously. To prioritize safety, race organizers have reduced the lower-level
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A series of earthquakes shook Ontario on Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The first quake, with a magnitude of 3.5, hit at approximately 10:05 a.m., centered about 3 miles southeast of Ontario, the USGS said. Nearly 30 minutes later, at 10:34 a.m., a second quake with a 3.9 magnitude happened east-southeast of
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A crash caused an outage that at one point impacted nearly 1,400 customers Friday night in La Quinta. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, a vehicle crashed into a power pole at around 8:10 p.m. on Calle Tecate and Avenida Ramirez. Authorities said the driver was medically evaluated at the scene. No arrests were
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We’re onto week 3 of the local football season. Friday, September 6 Eisenhower – 14@Palm Springs – 35FEldorado – 12@Coachella Valley – 48FCitrus Hill – 12@Desert Hot Springs – 22FDesert Christian Academy – 14@Desert Mirage – 21FSerrano – 52@Yucca Valley – 28FRancho Mirage – 16@Tahquitz – 13FIndio – 0@Barstow – 35FShadow Hills – 17@Yucaipa –
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Friday marked National Food Bank Day, a day to honor the volunteers and food bank workers helping to end food insecurity. Food banks are a critical resource in our desert cities. According to Find Food Bank about 1 in 6 people experience food insecurity here in the Coachella Valley. People are encouraged to participate in National Food Bank
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The historic Riviera Resort brand is expected to soon make its return to Palm Springs. The Margaritaville Hotel and Resort in Palm Springs is expected to rebrand as The Riviera Hotel in late September. Management Changes Steven Grant, Margaritaville Resort Director of Sales and Marketing, said Apollo currently owns the hotel. “They’re the real estate
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An Indio jury began its first full day of deliberations today in the trial of a probationer accused of gunning down a Mecca man outside his home while searching for the victim’s brother — the real target of the defendant’s wrath. Â Â Gilbert Contreras Martinez Jr., 36, of Coachella, is charged with murder, being a
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A man in a father-son duo was sentenced to two years probation today for his role in running an illegal marijuana extraction operation inside their Indio home, sparking a fire that led to an explosion that injured several firefighters. Â Â Javriel Rodriguez Ochoa, 64, and Alexander Samuel Ochoa, 37, entered guilty pleas in January at
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A Beaumont man accused of causing the death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, whose remains were found in an apartment with him and the woman after they had overdosed on drugs, must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled on Friday. Tyler Lawrence Finley, 28, was arrested in 2020 following a Beaumont
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The Cathedral City Police Department has recently introduced a new and updated crime scene investigation unit. The van helps investigators gather evidence from the scene, and it works as a mobile lab. Angie Gudino, who is an evidence technician, is in charge of the mobile unit. “I have everything I need in this unit like
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Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 17-year-old from Cathedral City accused of a school violence threat posted online. The investigation began Wednesday evening. Deputies received a report a report of school violence threats posted online against Rancho Mirage High School, the Sheriff’s Office announced Friday. RSO investigators worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
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Another heat-related postponement for student-athletes this week. College of the Desert announced it will postpone its football home opener originally scheduled for Saturday due to heat and field conditions. There is no word on when the game could be rescheduled. School officials said the only rescheduled dates for hosting Glendale would be October 12th at
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A brush fire that started north of Idyllwild-Pine Cove in the San Bernardino National Forest today consumed five acres before Cal Fire aircraft slowed it down. The non-injury “Cove Fire” was reported at 2:20 p.m. Friday east of Highway 243 near the mountain communities, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The agency said that
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A brush fire that erupted today on the east end of Anza charred an estimated 122 acres, approaching the San Bernardino National Forest, before it was stopped. The non-injury Kirby Fire was reported at 12:35 p.m. in the area of Highway 371 and Kirby Road, in a field on the north side of Anza Electric
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Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Coachella Valley High School following a report of a gun on campus. The report came in Friday at 12:32 p.m. According to CVUSD Superintendent Dr. Frances Esparza, a student reported that another student on campus had a gun. When deputies arrived, they placed the location on lockdown while a
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The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert (The Center) has announced that they will be moving the location of their community food bank. The Center released a statement saying that as of September 1st, it would be leasing Building 12 on 2901 E. Alejo Road from The City of Palm Springs, and would renovate the
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The intense heat Thursday canceled or delayed some outdoor high school sports throughout the desert cities. Palm Springs and Indio High School tennis were delayed. While a golf match between Palm Springs and Redlands High Schools was cancelled. Junior Varsity High School football was impacted at both Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs High Schools
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Things are moving fast in Lithium Valley, near the Salton Sea. If you drive along Highway 111 all the way down to the southern end of the Salton Sea, you’ll see your usual puffs of white steam, chugging up from the geothermal plants. But below those clouds, underneath these plants, some ground-breaking developments in the
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Sensei Tamara Canedo Lifschutz has operated her nonprofit called Seiden-Juku in La Quinta for the past four years. Her students are taught self-defense, anti-bullying, weapons, and diversity in the art of karate-do and para-karate. “I was born into the sport. My father was actually my Shihan, which is superior to Sensei. It was never a choice. The
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