RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A felon accused of carjacking a motorist at knifepoint in Calimesa and leading law enforcement officers on a chase into the Coachella Valley must stand trial on kidnapping and other charges, a judge ruled today. Steven Christopher Mata, 33, of San Diego, was arrested last month following the pursuit by Riverside
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 54-year-old man who killed three people in a multi-vehicle wreck in Palm Springs because he was driving while intoxicated in a sandstorm was sentenced today to 11 years, eight months in state prison. Shawn Michael Kirkpatrick last month admitted three counts of DUI gross vehicular manslaughter, as well as
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SNOW CREEK, Calif. (KESQ) – A hiker was airlifted from a trail in the unincorporated area of Snow Creek Friday afternoon. The hiker sustained a medical emergency on the trail., which is located west of Palm Springs. “The patient has been hoisted via helicopter to an awaiting ground ambulance for transport to a local area
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley Firebirds have officially clinched home-ice for the first round of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. Their opponent is still up in the air, however, they will either face the San Jose Barracuda or the Calgary Wranglers next week at Acrisure Arena. It will be decided following the
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies are seeking the public’s help after several vehicles were broken into and burglarized throughout Palm Desert Thursday morning. The report first came in at around 6:45 a.m. “… deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to reports of vehicles being damaged and broken
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Update – 12:25 p.m. All lanes are back open, CHP confirmed All lanes now open. https://t.co/VatKgrAiJE— CHP Indio (@chpindio) April 18, 2025 Update – 11:55 a.m. The #2 lane has opened, CHP announced before Noon. Westbound traffic remains heavily backed up to Jackson Street. Original Report – 4:45 a.m. PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Cali (KESQ) – Update: An 8-year-old girl abducted by her father was safely recovered early Friday morning following a vehicle pursuit that ended in Palm Desert, authorities said. Oscar Landeros, 33, took his daughter during a limited court-ordered visit Thursday evening and made threats to harm himself and the child, according to
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif (KESQ) – The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is setting the standard for mental health and substance use treatment with an expanded model of care. The foundation reported it’s seen an increased number of patients enter Hazelden Betty Ford clinics for substance use treatment with multiple health conditions. They report 79% of patients
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DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Hot Springs Police say they arrested a man following reports of a suspicious person wearing a ski mask and carrying a handgun. Officers located the man hiding by the dumpsters near a local hotel early Thursday morning. Police report the suspect was still wearing the ski mask and
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A Palm Desert man was arrested and charged with possessing child pornography after separate incidents in the bathroom of a local restaurant, authorities announced. Joseph Seiders, 44, of Palm Desert, was arrested on April 9 at the Chick-fil-A on Dinah Shore Drive in Palm Desert, according to county jail records.
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A much less frustrating beginning for thousands of campers. You may remember last week’s scenes, with some people waiting for hours and hours, trying to get into the camping areas. As a result, organizers addressing staffing shortages and adding 12 new toll plazas to keep traffic off the roads. Gates to
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The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway in the heart of La Quinta is less than two weeks away, and you still have a chance to win it for just $100! Tickets are going fast for this stunning 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath home valued at $720,000. Located in The Cove near Fritz Burns Park and Old Town La
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As temperatures climb in the Coachella Valley, mosquito season is starting to take hold—and this year, Palm Springs is earning some national attention for all the wrong reasons. A recent report from Terminix ranks Palm Springs at No. 17 on its list of the 50 most mosquito-infested cities in the U.S. But local experts say
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It’s a murder case 15 years in the making. News Channel 3 I-Team Investigator Karen Devine has been covering this story since 2008 when Palm Springs resident Clifford Lambert was murdered. He was stabbed to death in his kitchen by what others have described as a group of “gay grifters.” This story is complex and
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COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) — For some, Coachella Valley’s festival season means late night concerts, rave wear and a boom in tourism for the desert. But offshoots of the popular Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival, like ‘Farmchella,’ are hoping to show appreciation for forgotten parts of the Coachella Valley, field laborers. The annual event, presented
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two Camp Pendleton-based Marines who were killed earlier this week in a vehicle accident while deployed in New Mexico, including one from Riverside, were publicly identified today. Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera, 22, of Riverside, and Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, of Fresno, died Tuesday following a solo vehicle crash
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Crime across several key categories in Palm Springs declined during the first quarter of 2025, according to statistics released this week by the Palm Springs Police Department. Larceny-theft cases totaled 237 from January through March 2025, down from 312 during the same period a year ago, while vehicle-related thefts dropped
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Update 1:50 p.m. Police said in a news conference that two people were killed, five others were injured in the shooting. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is in custody and hospitalized. Ikner is a student and the son of a Leon County Sheriff’s deputy. Police said he had access to his mother’s gun
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brings nearly 125,000 people to the Empire Polo Club per day, and with two weekends of festival fun, there’s a potential for increased medical emergency visits. JFK Memorial Hospital saw nearly double the number of people in need of care with 100 people compared
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – College of the Desert is celebrating today after earning honors for its communications and marketing efforts from the Community College Public Relations Organization. The college announced Wednesday it had received three gold and two bronze awards for communication excellence at the annual community college conference. College officials said the gold
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