News Headlines

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)  – Update 9/24/2025 In a new statement to News Channel 3, Tamara Wadkins, The Desert Sands Unified School District Public Information Officer, said: “There were two separate situations involving two different students. Both are being addressed, and the school is working closely with the families to provide care and support. In the

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Democrat Lucas Piñon of Palm Desert announced Tuesday he is throwing his hat into the ring to run for the 47th Assembly District, challenging incumbent Greg Wallis. Piñon currently serves as Director of Special Projects for Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA). Raised in Palm Desert, Piñon also served in Afghanistan

SKY VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley Water District tabled a decision that would have shifted water service responsibility in unincorporated areas east of Desert Hot Springs to Mission Springs Water District. During Tuesday’s meeting, CVWD boardmembers made it clear this process isn’t being driven by them. CVWD Statement: The CVWD Board of Directors

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Ex-Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Oscar Rodriguez, 44, received probation after being convicted of manslaughter in the 2014 shooting of a romantic rival. Despite prosecutors’ objections, the judge sentenced Rodriguez to one year in county jail, with 194 days subtracted for time served, sparing Rodriguez from serving any time in state prison.

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man accused of intentionally setting a fire that fatally injured a 43-year-old Coachella woman must stand trial for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled today. Richard Michael Carmona, 41, was arrested in December following an extensive investigation into the alleged arson attack that killed Arlene Danielle Avila. At

THOUSANDS PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Jimmy Kimmel Live! is set to return to the airwaves Tuesday night, according to the Walt Disney Company. His return follows a suspension due to comments he made about Charlie Kirks suspected killer. Now Coachella Valley comedians are discussing their reactions to the suspension and now return. The suspension of

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Desert Library is embracing Emergency Preparedness Month and bringing it into story time with local families.  The library is bringing in the city’s public works team to demonstrate how they keep the city safe and clean with their trucks. They’ll also be joining story time for local children,

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A 64-year-old woman who went missing from her Twentynine Palms home was located Monday after a search led by Morongo Basin Sheriff’s deputies and their K-9 unit Naji. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to a missing person report after the woman’s daughter discovered her mother,

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Some Palm Springs residents are raising concerns about a proposed nine-story hotel and condo project that would become the city’s tallest building. The Nexus Hotel, planned near the Palm Springs Convention Center, cleared the Planning Commission last week, but Stephen Dixon and other neighbors said the project is out of scale

FOREST FALLS, Calif. (KESQ) We’re learning new numbers tonight on just how destructive last week’s September debris flows were in the San Bernardino Mountains. The San Bernardino County Fire Department reports a total of 14 homes, one commercial building, and four outbuildings were damaged across Forest Falls, Oak Glen, and nearby areas. That includes three homes destroyed,

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Los Angeles Times analysis identified the City of Indio as a spot that saw some of the worst income growth of any community or city in the state from 2017 to 2022. That’s according to tax records from that time period, which compared the average adjusted gross income (AGI) of all communities