Jesus Reyes
News Channel 3’s First Alert Chief Meteorologist Patrick Evans was named a Riverside County Volunteer of the Year.
Patrick received an award from District 4 Supervisor Manuel Perez Tuesday during the board of supervisors meeting.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man accused of armed robbery has been arrested.
The Columbia Police Department arrested Gerion Young, 26, of Columbia, on Tuesday, according to a press release. He was charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been announced.
Police wrote in the release that officers responded to a reported armed robbery on Wednesday, April 9 in the 1400 block of Range Line Street.
The victim told police that a man pulled out a gun while the victim was walking toward his own vehicle, the release says.
The probable cause statement says that Young threatened to shoot the victim and took the victim’s wallet, bank cards, driver’s license, Chime card, CashApp card, a Bass Pro card and $40 in cash. The statement says that Young was arrested on Tuesday at the same address where the robbery took place.
Barney Lerten
Third local cultural event called off in recent days
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Another local cultural event has been canceled due to safety concerns, the third in recent days: Central Oregon Community College’s Latinx Fiesta Celebración, which was scheduled for this coming Saturday.
On Monday, April 7, the Latino Community Association canceled this fall’s Central Oregon Latino Fest in Madras and the Father’s Group called off its Juneteenth Celebration at Bend’s Drake Park, both over safety concerns and a “volatile political climate.”
Here’s COCC’s full announcement, received by KTVZ News Tuesday afternoon:
Central Oregon Community College regrets to share that the 2025 Latinx Fiesta Celebración, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 19, has been canceled. While we were looking forward to gathering in celebration of Latin American cultures, this difficult decision was made out of an abundance of caution and in alignment with similar decisions by community partners, as well as COCC’s core values of safety, inclusion and community well-being.
We recognize the importance of cultural celebration and the opportunity this event offered to uplift and share Latinx voices, stories and traditions. To those who were planning to attend — we see your excitement and we share your disappointment. Rest assured, COCC remains committed to celebrating Latinx cultures in meaningful ways and looks forward to bringing this and other community events to life in the future, when the environment allows us to do so with the safety and support all attendees deserve.
Text from original press release (April 2):
With dancing, crafts, piñata-breaking and a banquet-style meal that showcases the flavors of Brazil, Cuba, Perú, Colombia and other Latin American countries, Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) Latinx Fiesta Celebración will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the Coats Campus Center on the college’s Bend campus.
This is a family-friendly event, free and open to the public, organized by the COCC Latinx Student program and Latinx Club, and with partnership from the High Desert Museum and the Deschutes Public Library. Attendees are encouraged to park in COCC’s Barber Library parking lot.
Beginning with story time — read in both English and Spanish — along with ceramic drink coaster painting, the Mexican board game loteria, piñata-breaking and other activities from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the event features a complete lunch of Latin American flavors from 12:30-2 p.m., with dessert provided by students of COCC’s Cascade Culinary Institute, and then music and dancing from 2-4 p.m.
Lewis & Clark College’s Freddy Vilches, Ph.D., an associate professor of Hispanic studies and a talented multi-instrumentalist musician, will provide live Latin American music, accompanied by student musicians, to offer an opportunity for dancing.
Leah Rainwater
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph School District Foundation honored local educators at a banquet Tuesday evening.
The 19th Annual Tribute to St. Joseph Teachers and Staff Banquet will highlighted the Teacher of the Year, Support Person of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Apple Seed Grant recipients.
“This is actually one of our vital fundraisers that we use to raise funds for classroom grants, field trips, and just the various projects that we do,” said Julie Cobb, the executive director of the St. Joseph School District Foundation. “But we also honor some of our dedicated teachers and staff.”
Ashley Zeiler, the lead gifted teacher at Hillyard Technical Center’s Gifted Innovation Center won Innovator of the year.
Jennifer Koch, a nurse at Lafayette High School was named the Support Person of the Year.
Mary Sanders, a fourth grade teachers at Pershing Elementary was named the Teacher of the Year.
The event also served as a way for the community to come together to show their support to SJSD educators.
News-Press NOW
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local woman is among the inaugural members of an organization dedicated to serving as goodwill ambassadors for Missouri.
Marci Bennett, executive director of the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau, has been named a Missouri Cherry Blossom colonel by the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, Missouri. She also will serve as the group’s treasurer.
The Order of the Missouri Cherry Blossom Colonels was established this year to mark the 20th anniversary of the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival. It honors people who have made a significant impact on the state’s cultural, civic and historical legacy. Membership is limited to 100 people at any given time, and the colonels serve as goodwill ambassadors for both Missouri and the festival.
“This new order not only honors distinguished Missourians like Marci Bennett,†said Rev. Nicholas W. Inman, president of the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival and honorary chairman of the colonels, “it helps ensure that their stories are preserved and passed down for generations to come. We are proud to recognize individuals whose leadership and service have shaped the heart of Missouri.â€
The governor of Missouri serves as Honorary Commander of the Cherry Blossom Colonels, and the state’s living former governors, first ladies and lieutenant governors are given honorary membership.
The Cherry Blossom Colonels will gather each year for a lunch the day before the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival. The inaugural meeting is on Wednesday, April 23, and members will be “coated†with an official pink suit coat.
For more information about the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival, visit www.cherryblossomfest.com.
City News Service
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Board of Supervisors today extended a moratorium on the issuance of short-term rental certificates in Thousand Palms and the nearby Coachella Valley community of B Bar H Ranch for another 10 months, to give staff time to draft regulations that address problems stemming from house parties and other activities.
The board originally implemented the temporary moratorium March 11, but that suspension was due to automatically expire on April 25. The board’s 5-0 vote Tuesday to renew the urgency measure runs to Feb. 28, 2026.
County Transportation & Land Management Agency officials are expected to draw up proposed permanent regulations well before that time, so the interim moratorium could be rescinded anytime and replaced with a formal ordinance, following public hearings.
“We definitely need quite a bit more enforcement in that area,” board Chairman Manuel Perez, whose Fourth District encompasses the Coachella Valley, said ahead of the vote.
Last month, Perez surmised that the upsurge in boisterous parties at vacation rental properties in Thousand Palms and the ranch area resulted from the “very firm” short-term rental restrictions in place throughout Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert and Palm Springs, all of which border the communities where the moratorium has been applied.
TLMA officials said there are 68 legally sanctioned short-term rental, or STR, operators in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch, which is a 240-acre space in the Seven Palms Valley northeast of Interstate 10 and southeast of North Palm Springs. Thousand Palms is a few miles farther south, also in close proximity to I-10.
Since 2022, 35 properties in Thousand Palms have been flagged for hosting short-term guests without an STR permit, while 27 properties have been flagged in B Bar H Ranch. The latter has 37 legal STRs, while Thousand Palms has 31, officials said.
Department of Code Enforcement personnel have issued numerous cease- and-desist orders in both locations over the last three years, administering fines and other penalties to stop ongoing illegal rental operations, according to the agency. Most neighbor complaints connected to code and sheriff’s calls in the area have stemmed from loud parties and roadway obstructions, including lack of parking, during hosted events.
It was unclear what amplified regulations might be established to address illicit and legal STRs in the two communities.
“We need teeth because a $500 or $1,000 fine is maybe not enough,” Perez said. “Some of these parties have sponsors. Folks just keep coming in, and the parties continue. When the promoters are making $50,000 on one party, the fines don’t really matter.”
The board implemented a slate of countywide regulations tied to STRs under Ordinance No. 927 in October 2022.
Those applying for a certificate must be at least 21 years old. The ordinance includes a 500-foot separation requirement, mandating that any newly certificated STRs be at least that distance from the nearest residence.
The ordinance included “responsible operators” and “responsible guests” at short-term rental properties as being liable for paying penalties in the event a property is determined to be a nuisance because of parties or other disturbances. Previously, only owners could be fined.
The regulatory apparatus implemented testing requirements to confirm that STR operators understand county regulations and are able to comply with them. Regulations focus on occupancy limitations, noise controls, parking designations and other health and safety provisions.
Tighter regulations were established for Idyllwild-Pine Cove and the Temecula Valley Wine Country in November 2023 in response to increasing challenges with enforcement, and to ensure that the “unique character” of the locations wasn’t drastically impacted by rentals.
Short-term rentals are defined as residential dwellings leased for a maximum of 30 days and a minimum of two days and one night.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man who was accused of robbing a south Columbia restaurant in August 2024 he pleaded guilty to two felonies and a misdemeanor.
Regis Dorsey, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Previous reporting indicates that police were called on Aug. 18 to the 3900 block of South Providence Road and locked an employee of a restaurant in a walk-in freezer, while forcing another to give him $2,350 in cash. The restaurant’s name was not mentioned in court documents.
The employee who was locked in the walk-in still had his drive-thru headset on and alerted a drive-thru customer to call 911, court documents in previous reporting say.
Surveillance video from outside the restaurant allegedly showed the Dorsey changing clothes and throwing the outfit he wore during the robbery into a dumpster, court documents say.
Mina Wahab
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Linda Krop says there are still unanswered questions after the Office Of The State Fire Marshal granted waivers to Sable Offshore back in December—waivers that will make it a lot easier for the Texas oil company to restart oil production off the Gaviota Coast.
The Environmental Defense Center filed a lawsuit against Sable and the Office of the State Fire Marshal Tuesday.
This comes after months of back-and-forth between environmentalists and state agencies about the legality of Sable offshore restarting the pipeline that ruptured back during the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
The lawsuit challenges the state waivers that the Office of the State Fire Marshall granted to Sable Offshore back in December. Those waivers allow the pipeline to operate without cathodic protection against corrosion, which was the exact cause of the 2015 spill.
“We have an expert that says the waivers aren’t safe. The county did a study that shows this pipeline can’t be operated safely, but the fire marshal didn’t consider any of that. And who knows what other information may have come forward. So what we’re asking for in this lawsuit is a public process,” said Chief Counsel of the Environmental Defense Center Linda Krop.
“This pipeline can affect major sources of water supply. It goes directly through a suburban neighborhood and built in the fire marshal’s office. Didn’t hear from any of those people that would be impacted by the possible restart of this pipeline,” said Staff Attorney Jeremy Frankel.
The Fire Marshal granted the waivers because Sable promised to implement robust safety measures, including 27 emergency shutoff devices, enhanced leak detection and increased inspections, among other measures.
But attorneys with the Environmental Defense Center say that these safety measures are not enough to prevent an oil spill. “ The pipeline, contrary to what the Fire Marshal says, will not be as safe or safer than if it had cathodic protection, this technology that prevents corrosion,” said Frankel.
In its lawsuit, the Environmental Defense Center says the State Fire Marshal has failed to comply with both federal and state law. “Those laws require a public hearing. They require environmental review. They provide, you know, a meaningful opportunity for the public to comment, because if we had had that opportunity, we think it’s likely the fire marshal may not have approved the waivers,” said Krop.
Krop says the State Fire Marshal is the one agency that can authorize the corroded pipeline to operate without a system to prevent more corrosion.
We’ve reached out to sable and are waiting for a response. They’ve consistently maintained they are using state-of-the-art systems to prevent a potential spill. The State Fire Marshal says it cannot comment on pending litigation, but they did send us a statement today that read in part “ Sable has recently completed several tests on a section of pipeline 325a as required by the state waiver and the Office Of The State Fire Marshal return to service requirements. Additional pipeline sections will be tested in the following weeks for pipeline integrity.” Both entities have 30 days to respond to the lawsuit.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A California, Missouri, man has been charged with a felony after he allegedly pulled out a gun on Monday during a road rage incident in Cole County.
Samuel Spinner, 40, was charged on Tuesday with unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.
According to the probable cause statement, a Cole County deputy was called at 6:46 a.m. to the 8100 block of Highway 50 for an alleged weapons incident. The alleged victim told the deputy that a man driving a silver GMC Terrain pulled out a gun and pointed it at him during a road rage incident, the statement says.
Law enforcement was given the license plate number of the GMC and were able to contact Spinner at his work on Route C, the statement says.
Spinner allegedly told law enforcement that the victim laughed at him and stuck out his tongue while they were driving side-by-side. Spinner claimed he pulled out the gun and pointed it at the roof of his vehicle to intimidate the other driver, court documents say.
Seth Ratliff
The following is a press release from the Eastern Idaho State Fair:
BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – Dust off your boots and tighten your cinch—because the Eastern Idaho State Fair is back and this year’s theme is a full-blown invitation to Saddle Up! From August 29 to September 6, 2025, fairgoers are in for nine rip-roarin’ days of entertainment, food, and fun that’ll have you hollerin’ “yee-haw!” all the way home.
This year’s Bank of Commerce Grandstand has a stampede of a lineup that’s bigger than a prairie sky. Whether you’re into rodeos, wrecks, or rockstars, there’s something for every kind of cowboy and cowgirl:
· August 29 – Country chart-topper Dylan Scott kicks things off with a boot-stompin’ concert
· August 30 – Hang onto your hats for the Bull Riding Championships
· August 31 – Feel the horsepower at the Western Truck & Tractor Pull
· September 1–3 – The Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo rides into town for three nights of world-class action
· September 4 – Comedy outlaw Jeff Dunham brings his posse of puppets for a wild night of laughs
· September 5 – Multi-GRAMMY winners Train take the stage with their chart-bustin’ hits
· September 6 – Wrap it all up with a bang at the September Slam Demolition Derby
Tickets are ONLY available at FunAtTheFair.com —so grab ’em before they high-tail it outta town.
In addition to the nighttime lineup, fairgoers can enjoy daytime attractions including the Indian Relay Races, Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing, livestock exhibitions, and culinary creations from hundreds of local vendors. Of course, it wouldn’t be the fair without the fried food, blue-ribbon livestock, belly-laughin’ attractions, and good ol’ family fun that’s been a tradition in these parts for 123 years.
“This year’s theme, Saddle Up, isn’t just about horses—it’s about takin’ life by the reins,” said Brandon Bird, Eastern Idaho State Fair General Manager. “We’re callin’ on everyone to show up, join the ride, and make memories worth their weight in gold.”
Don’t miss the chance to be part of Idaho’s biggest, boldest, and boot-kickin’est event of the year. For tickets, schedules, and event details, visit FunAtTheFair.com.
