Festival season brings big boom to local transportation providers

KESQ on April 12, 2025

Athena Jreij

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — The Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival brings a business boom to hotels, local dining and also, transportation services around the Valley.

Momo Elewa with Bald Eagle Transportation says festival season is the companies busiest time of the year, with his 21 cars averaging nearly 80 rides a day.

“Some people, we take them because we want to make sure that they are safe, so we take them for free,” Elewa said.

He advises festival-goers to plan their transportation ahead of time, as catching a taxi or using ride share can cost you a pretty penny.

Indio Police are also encouraging attendees plan their transportation ahead of time and to beware of suspicious drivers on the road.

“Some people are in a hurry and they’ll flag down the ride share right in the middle of the street, and they’ll run out into the street in traffic and, put themselves in danger because they can easily be hit.”

Preparation won’t just keep you safe, it could also save you some money.

According to Uber, festival surge prices will raise rates 50% every mile and 50% every minute for rides in the greater Palm Springs area.

It’s why many are opting for a safer option, the Coachella shuttle pass.

“The cars kind of create this big traffic jam, and the shuttle is probably a much easier way to get in.”

More Central Coast High School Students are Engaging in the Election Process

KEYT on April 12, 2025

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – More high school students are getting set to vote, even if they are under the age of 18, the legal age to cast a ballot.

School districts throughout the state have used a special outreach effort to urge students who are 16- or 17-years-old to preregister to vote. That way when their election materials will arrive with the next election.

Speaking at UC Santa Barbara this week, Secretary of State Shirley Weber said there’s also jobs available for them in the election system.

“We are also offering them an opportunity to work at the polls. They can actually work and make money at the polls during the election. We want them to understand that and how important it is for them and their families to register to vote.”

Weber was at UCSB giving out a top honor for the university’s voter outreach and registration efforts.

Since the inception of preregistration in September of 2016, there have been 1.1 million new registered voters from this process.

A bill in 2014 by former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson from Santa Barbara SB 113, allowed for preregistration as early as age 16. It was signed by then Governor Jerry Brown.

For more information go to: High school voter registration

Medical professionals introduce first-of-its-kind mobile Autism diagnosis unit

KYMA on April 12, 2025

Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Wait times to get an Autism diagnosis can stretch for months in Imperial County.

A local organization is hoping to change that by bringing screenings closer to home.

Getting an autism diagnosis in Imperial County isn’t always easy. Limited providers and long wait times can leave families without answers for months or even traveling out of the county for help.

“And that’s usually due to the limitations in service providers and clinical psychologists available in our county, or transportation difficulties…If they have to reschedule and there’s nothing available, it delays them possibly getting diagnosed,” said Abby Martinez, Behavior Specialist.

But now, a first-of-its-kind mobile diagnosis unit, called George and Audrey is hitting the road. Come May, it’ll be staffed with clinical professionals trained in the gold-standard ADOS evaluation, thanks to a team effort between San Diego State and UC Riverside.

“It’s a team approach, so it makes it multifaceted, it’s not just one lens of an experienced clinician, but the lens of many,” said Martinez.

James Gonzalez with Autism Support of Imperial County says creating the mobile unit has always been about speeding up that process.

“We’re just hoping to be able to fast track a lot of families and their services, that’s the goal.” said Gonzalez.

And for families looking to learn more, they’ll get a chance this weekend.

“We’ll have the mobile unit there to give tours, and answer questions for any family, and SDRC will be there too to answer any questions.” said Gonzalez.

The unit will be at the Fourth annual Autism Fair and 5K at Eager Park, Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m., complete with live music and resources for local families.

“It’s the first of its kind in all of California…and it’s here in Imperial,” said Gonzalez.

For more information on the application process, head to ASIC.LOVE.

Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park has camping available for festivalgoers

KESQ on April 12, 2025

Cynthia White

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park is offering camping options for festivalgoers looking for nearby affordable camping options.

The park is located about 20 minutes from the festival venue. The campground offers RV, tent, and car camping sites.

Sites with water and electric hookups are available for $75 per night, while dry sites are offered at $50 per night. The campground offers scenic mountain views, a picturesque lake, showers and other convenient amenities.

Reservations can be made at RivCoParks.org or onsite. Onsite reservations must be made before 9:00 p.m.

For more information, contact the campground at (760) 564-4712.

Crews knock down vegetation fire in Thermal

KESQ on April 12, 2025

Garrett Hottle

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – An update to a fire in Thermal reported Friday evening by News Channel 3 – CAL FIRE reports that the vegetation fire broke out near Harrison Street and Airport Boulevard in Thermal around 5:30 p.m., and was successfully contained within 40 minutes.

According to CAL FIRE, the fire was burning at a slow rate of speed in a field with no structures threatened, and it grew to a 50 by 100 foot area before containment.

Resources included six engines, a water tender, and a bulldozer.

Photos courtesy of CAL FIRE Battalion 6 RivCo

U.S. officials concerned over due process for migrants

KVIA on April 12, 2025

Heriberto Perez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week in favor of the Trump administration to use the Alien Enemies Act to keep conducting mass deportations, which has raised concerns over the migrants’ due process rights to have their cases reviewed before being deported.

“The due process is an important principle; of course we support that and we have to give Customs and Border Protection agents and everybody involved in the process, the resources they need to get the job done.” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

On Friday, Rep. Veronica Escobar, (D) Texas, said they’ve gotten zero information on what the administration is doing with mass deportation since President Trump took office.

“We are getting zero information, there’s zero transparency, and the administration is effectively creating a police state within the United States of America,” Escobar said.

For Rep. Escobar, not only is this threat against legal immigrants paying their taxes but also the Trump Administration is now creating an incentive for immigrants legally here not to pay their taxes.

ABC-7 also spoke with the Executive Director of Estrella del Paso, Melissa M. Lopez, who said all these individuals should be allowed to go through the immigration court process. This is the due process system that’s been created to evaluate claims and determine whether people should or should not be deported from the United States.

“People are scared of being caught up in the system and then not having an opportunity to speak to an attorney, the biggest thing that this is causing is a lot of confusion and a lot of fear for people.” “We try and do our best to keep them informed, but at the end of the day, each case is so different that it’s really hard to provide general information to the public that’s going to be applicable to people in their individual cases,” executive director Lopez said.

“We are going to continue to comply with the law, and we are wholly confident that every single person that has been deported under the Alien Enemies Act, every person that will continue to be deported under the Alien Enemies Act qualifies for that deportation,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Click here to follow the original article.

House party shooting trial dates confirmed

KYMA on April 12, 2025

Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – One of the young men tied to a Yuma house party shooting where two young men were killed appeared back in court Friday for a status hearing.

21-year-old Aden Arviso was involved in a house party shooting that killed 19-year-old Danny Garcia and 20-year-old Ande Blackthunder back in May of 2023.

Arviso, who is facing two counts of second-degree murder, declined a plea offer from the state back in April of last year that would have carried a 40-year prison sentence.

He will be back in court on July 11. 

His trial is set to begin this September and is expected to last four weeks.

Fatal stabbing suspect back in court

KYMA on April 12, 2025

Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A man charged with fatally stabbing another man outside of a Circle K in Yuma was back in court Friday. 

26-year-old Angel Witrado is facing one count of first-degree murder.

His attorney requested more time to review additional video evidence.

The state allowed the request and will present Witrado with a potential plea deal at his next court appearance.

The Yuma Police Department says he stabbed 37-year-old Justin Arviso outside of the Circle K on 24th street and Avenue B last October. 

Arviso was taken to Onvida Health where he died from his injuries.

Witrado was arrested after he was found in Maricopa County, where he was arrested on an unrelated charge.

He will be back in court on May 16.

Morongo Valley woman arrested; accused of illegal drug possession

KESQ on April 12, 2025

KESQ News Team

MORONGO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A Morongo Valley woman was arrested on Wednesday, accused of possessing illegal drugs – and investigators say this isn’t the first time.

On Wednesday night, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies made a traffic stop on the woman in the area of Sunburst Street and Hilltop Drive in Joshua Tree.

Sheriff’s investigators say the woman was driving with a suspended driver’s license, and deputies found her with suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Investigators also believe the woman had at least two prior convictions for possession of dangerous drugs.

She was arrested and booked into the Morongo Basin jail.

Colorado Springs Helicopter pilot explains safety concerns after NYC crash

KRDO on April 12, 2025

Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Investigators in New York City are trying to figure out what caused a helicopter to crash in the Hudson River Friday, killing a family of five tourists and the pilot. It’s the latest crash in a series of aviation accidents across the country that have gained national attention. We spoke with a helicopter tour company here in Colorado Springs to see if this string of crashes is deterring people from flying with them.

“That’s not even a factor to them,” Arapahoe Flight Club owner, Diego Blandon, said in an interview with KRDO Friday about the tourists booking flights with his company. “The excitement of flying I think is much more than any fear as a result of anything of the sort.”

We flew with Pilot Jaiden Bickamore who’s been a pilot for around four years.

He told KRDO the first job for many new pilots in the United States is actually becoming a flight instructor.

While it may seem counterintuitive to have the least experienced pilots teaching newbies, Diego added that they actually tend to be safer and more thorough since training is still fresh in their minds, they’re worried about making mistakes so soon in their career, and they haven’t gotten too comfortable yet.

Diego told KRDO the biggest concern in helicopter aviation is complacency in more seasoned pilots who might be more likely to skip safety checks. However, he did assure no one is cutting corners at Arapahoe Flight Club.