Imperial irrigation District issues conserve alert in light of extreme heat

KESQ on August 7, 2025

Peter Daut

In light of the extreme heat, the Imperial Irrigation District has issued a conserve alert.

The alert went into effect Tuesday and lasts through Friday. People are encouraged to voluntarily conserve energy to help take stress off the electric grid during the period of extreme heat.That includes avoiding the use of major appliances between peak hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. 

If you’ve noticed your electric bill is higher than it was last summer, there’s a reason.

Robert Schettler, IID Spokesman says, “IID is planning for the future. So the board of directors looked at where we are now, and where we need to be, so they made a rate adjustment. So yes, the rate you’re paying for electricity rate now is higher than last year.”

People are also encouraged to turn off all necessary lights, and lower the blinds.

IID says that energy is in high demand during heat waves and they want to make sure the power stays on. While there are resources in place, dialing back on the amount of stress placed on energy grids helps ensure working power. 

IID reports internal generation is currently stable and with the help of an energy conserve, the organization will have a greater ability to continue providing energy for customers in the Coachella Valley. 

For more information, stay with News Channel 3.

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First day of school at Palm Springs Unified School District

KESQ on August 7, 2025

Allie Anthony

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s the first day of school for students in the Palm Springs Unified School District, and with high temperatures expected this week, district officials are asking families to take precautions.

Parents are encouraged to ensure their children dress appropriately for the heat and bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the day. To protect students from the extreme temperatures, schools will be keeping children indoors during the hottest parts of the day.

The district’s new superintendent, Marcus Funchess is looking forward to the year ahead. He’s encouraging families to start the year strong by sending students off with confidence and positivity.

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Pinyon Pines residents ride out Rosa Fire without power or water

KESQ on August 7, 2025

Garrett Hottle

PINYON PINES, Calif. (KESQ) While much of the firefighting focus remains on the Rosa Fire’s containment progress and Highway 74’s extended closure, some of the most revealing moments are unfolding quietly inside the evacuation zone where a handful of neighbors never left.

News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle spoke with two residents who chose to stay behind as flames crept dangerously close to their mountaintop home.

Mario Salazar and Alana Maudsley live in Pinyon Pines, at the edge of the ridge where the fire first broke out. Their property now overlooks blackened hillsides and pink streaks of flame retardant. Despite the evacuation order, they decided not to leave.

“He got the ping. He said he was on his way,” Maudsley explained. “And when I knew that, I went out and started wetting down the back just in case there were any embers… not even 30 minutes into watering, the power went out. And I’m like, oh man.”

With no electricity or running water, the couple is surviving on generators, They’re using gasoline sparingly balancing between survival and preparation.

“I figured with the light wind that we had, it was probably going to spread before they really got a handle on it,” Salazar said. “I really didn’t think we were in any danger.”

The view from their porch offers a sobering sight charred ridgelines and the fading echo of a fast-moving fire. But through it all, they say they were calm, calculated, and prepared.

“We weren’t worried one bit,” Salazar said. “We took in the totality of the circumstances the fire units assigned to the area, the weather, lack of strong winds, and our own preparedness.”

While others were unable to return due to closed roads, Salazar has taken on the added responsibility of caring for neighbors’ animals.

“So I’ve been going around, watering and feeding the chickens and watering a mule across the street.”

He estimates about half of the residents in Pinyon Pines stayed behind and like them, weren’t alarmed.

The Rosa Fire is still active, but with containment increasing, officials expect Highway 74 to remain closed through Saturday. Meanwhile, for those still living without power or access, life continues not in panic, but in purpose.

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Columbia looks to fund Fire Station 5 replacement as station nears end of its lifespan

KMIZ on August 7, 2025

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is looking to replace one of its busiest and oldest fire stations.

Columbia Fire Station 5 — located on Ballenger Lane — is nearing the end of its lifespan, according to Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Heidenreich, leading to the department to request a replacement.

“It’s becoming functionally obsolete when it comes to the fire service and the modern expectations and requirements on size, space and other necessities of stations,” Heidenreich said.

The city is now amending its fiscal year 2026 budget to include $6 million for a replacement, according to city spokeswoman Sydney Olsen. The funding will come from capital improvement sales tax investment income.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Jacque Sample told ABC 17 News she was told by a resident the building could have been built on an old coal mine. Sample said the city is now working to determine if that is the case.

“It’s really important for us to do a land survey to make sure that we don’t rebuild and have the same problems in the future,” Sample said. “I know the city is looking at digging into kind of some historical records to determine if that is the case and remap out where those potential old coal mines might be.”

Sample said it isn’t clear when the city will conduct the survey. The station was built in 1971 and is the third busiest station overall in the city. The only busier stations are located downtown and Fire Station 2 on Worley Street, according to Heidenreich.

However, the deteriorating and sinking conditions of the station is taking a toll on firefighters, who have to spend time documenting and repairing the station.

While the station is acceptable as far as current state and living conditions, Heidenreich said the department had to think about whether it makes sense to continue pouring money into the place.

“We’ve had to invest a considerable amount more in time and money addressing physical issues with the station,” Heidenreich said. “Multiple attempts at raising or stabilizing the foundation and concrete repairs that we haven’t had to do at other stations.”

ABC 17 News took a tour of the fire station, noticing several cracks in walls and floors, broken windows and brown spots in ceiling panels created from a build-up in humidity. Heidenreich said a moisture build-up in the attic drips into the ceiling tiles, creating the brown spots.

The tiles were replaced in December, and the department will have to replace them again soon to avoid running into issues with mold. Firefighters have also resorted to adding a fan hanging from the ceiling, as well as a dehumidifier to try and pull additional moisture from the attic to minimize damage to the ceiling.

The station had a major remodeling in 2019, but was stopped mid-progress due to station settling.

The station has continued to deal with those settling issues over the years, now leading to the recent sticking of a door within the station, as well as another door that wasn’t able to open or close until crews put in additional lag bolts.

Another issue the station is battling: The community bunk room. The room was a common practice in the fire service for a long period of time, but the trend has since moved to include individualized bunk rooms.

“As our workforce grows and the diversity of our workforce increases, we think it’s important to invest in individualized bunk rooms, or individualized rooms for our firefighters and our members for privacy and safety and sleeping concerns,” Heidenreich said.

Heidenreich said that was an issue for the fire department during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they weren’t able to separate firefighters from one another to prevent it from spreading.

The fire department also deals with discolored water coming from its sink and ice, as well as low water pressure that can become problematic when filling up their fire trucks.

The bay area has experienced problems of its own. Fire equipment has gotten substantially larger over time, including the firetrucks. Heidenreich said the trucks have become wider over the years, and the trucks have limited clearance up top and on the sides when parking in the bay.

Firefighters have made contact with the sides of the garage due to the issue, leading to visible damage to the garage.

“We’re talking about inches on each side of the truck every single time they go out,” Heidenreich said. “And since this is the busiest, single company house in the city, they’re running you know, sometimes 10, 15 calls a day coming in and out this bay.”

Firefighters also have to coordinate with one another when getting into the trucks, due to a lack of space in the bay when the door of the truck is opened. There is also severe settling and cracking on the bay floor, despite the concrete being replaced in 2023.

Heidenreich said other stations fire stations 4 and 6 are also on the decline, but station 5 has seen the worst of it. The department also wants to improve its reliability percentage, but is also running into problems with that.

“One of the next steps we take once a station and an engine become substantially busy to the point that the reliability slips under 90%… as an example, this station (fire station 5) is close to 80%. We look at the possibility of adding an additional staffed fire apparatus. And so for our deployment model that would be a ladder company, and a ladder company isn’t able to fit into stations 4, 5, and 6,” Heidenreich said.

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OARward Bound Rower and Santa Barbara High Grad Missing Following Rowing Accident

KEYT on August 7, 2025

Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A former Santa Barbara High School graduate and Marine is missing and presumed dead after a training accident on a Montana lake—just months before he was set to begin an ambitious, record-setting ocean row to raise money for veterans. Now, his twin brother is leading a private search and recovery effort, hoping to bring him home.

James “Dingo” Dominguez, 58, was training with the OARward Bound team to row 16,000 miles across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in a multi-year journey from Morocco to Tanzania. The mission aimed to raise awareness and funds for nonprofits including the Wounded Warrior Project.

But on July 15, during a training session on Flathead Lake in western Montana, a powerful wave storm capsized the boat he was aboard. Two people were rescued, but Dominguez was swept away. His brothers, Jerry and Armando, are now searching for his remains after officials called off the official rescue.

“That wind was pushing the rowboat, and I don’t think he could keep up,” said Armando Dominguez. “So the challenge that we are having right now is the resources to go back and look for him.”

Jerry Dominguez said the crew took every precaution. “It wasn’t like they willy-nillied the whole thing. I have every confidence in the captain, the lead person on the boat. They did their due diligence with weather checks—everything they had to do before they got on the water for training.”

Dominguez, a 1985 graduate of Santa Barbara High School, was recently married and living in Wyoming. His wife’s life is now in limbo, awaiting confirmation of her husband’s death.

“I understood that he had to do so many hours of training—it was probably about 200-plus hours that he needed to get in to participate,” Jerry said. “The boat had just gotten wrapped, meaning they put the logos and sponsor names and so forth.”

Jerry has since created a GoFundMe page to raise money for a private search and recovery effort. The family plans to rent a boat and deploy a waterproof drone to resume the search.

This tragedy is the latest to strike the family. Loved ones say they are also related to the man who was fatally stabbed on State Street during this year’s Fiesta celebration.

Dominguez’s family is now taking search efforts into their own hands. The GoFundMe page reads:

“Our efforts were temporarily postponed due to limited equipment and resources, but the search will soon be back on — and I plan to be back out on the lake to assist personally.”

For more information about Dominguez and OARward Bound visit, https://oarwardbound.com

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An Army sergeant is in custody after 5 soldiers were shot at Fort Stewart. Here’s what we know about the suspect

KIFI on August 7, 2025

CNN Newsource

By Danya Gainor, CNN

(CNN) — An active-duty Army sergeant was taken into custody Wednesday on suspicion of opening fire at his workplace on the sprawling Fort Stewart military base in Georgia, wounding five of his fellow soldiers, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Sgt. Quornelius Samentrio Radford, 28, was subdued by nearby soldiers after he began shooting with a personal handgun, striking coworkers, according to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division.

All five soldiers are in stable condition, Lubas said at a news conference Wednesday. Radford’s motive is not known.

The shooting is among at least 262 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It comes within days of shootings at a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper and a neighborhood bar in rural Montana that left multiple people dead.

Here’s what we know:

A disagreement with a coworker

Radford had a disagreement with one of the shooting victims on Tuesday, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the case. He followed that coworker to a maintenance area and shot him in the chest before shooting four others.

It’s unclear what the disagreement was about.

Other soldiers “prevented further casualties” by tackling Radford before police arrested him, Lubas said.

“Soldiers in the area that witnessed the shooting immediately and without hesitation tackled the soldier, subdued him. That allowed law enforcement to then take him into custody,” he said.

The suspect’s father, Eddie Radford, told The New York Times that he hadn’t noticed any unusual behavior by his son recently, and didn’t know what might have motivated the shooting.

He said his son had complained to the family about racism at Fort Stewart and had been seeking a transfer, according to the Times, which did not publish any specifics.

Fort Stewart declined to comment on the racism allegation and whether Radford had requested a transfer. “The circumstances that led to the events today are currently under investigation,” a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division told CNN.

CNN has reached out to Eddie Radford for additional information.

The suspect had a previous DUI arrest

Radford, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, joined the Army in 2018 as an automated logistical specialist and was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, the US Army said. His role involved handling supplies and warehouse operations.

Lubas said Radford had not deployed to a combat zone and had no known behavioral incidents in his military record. However, the general acknowledged that Radford had been arrested for driving under the influence in May – an arrest that his chain of command was unaware of prior to the shooting.

The DUI arrest “was unknown to his chain of command until the event occurred, and we started looking into the law enforcement databases,” Lubas said.

Radford was out on bond in the DUI case, according to online court records for Liberty County, Georgia. He was scheduled to be arraigned on August 20.

Personal handgun used in shooting

Radford used a personal handgun – not a military weapon – in the shooting, Lubas said.

The firearm is a 9mm Glock that the suspect bought in Florida in May, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the case. The gun was recovered at the scene along with numerous shell casings, the official said.

Authorities are unsure how Radford got the gun through the base’s high security before carrying out the shooting at his place of work.

“At our gates, we have armed guards and protective equipment,” Lubas said. “We’re going to have to determine how he was able to get a handgun to his place of duty.”

Carrying personal firearms on base is typically prohibited by military regulations.

The shooting was at suspect’s place of work

The US Army’s Fort Stewart trains and deploys active and reserve Army units.

Law enforcement was dispatched to the incident at 10:56 a.m. ET, according to a social media post from Fort Stewart Hunter Army Airfield. Less than ten minutes later, the base was locked down.

At 11:09 a.m., emergency personnel were sent to treat the five soldiers who were shot.

While all five soldiers are in stable condition, three of them required surgery, Lubas said, confirming that the shooting did include Radford’s coworkers.

Radford was apprehended at 11:35 a.m., the Fort Stewart social media post said.

The lockdown of the “main cantonment area” was lifted 35 minutes after that, according to the post.

Since the shooting, Radford has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and now sits in pretrial confinement as he waits for a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel, Lubas said Wednesday afternoon.

The Fort Stewart community

In addition to military training grounds, Fort Stewart is home to thousands of families who live on base with their family members assigned there. The base supports more than 10,000 people, including soldiers, family members and Army civilian employees, according to the Army.

The shooting happened in an area of the base that houses the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, also known as the Spartan Brigade.

The brigade was first constituted in 1917 in North Carolina, and entered combat during World War I, according to an archived Army webpage. Though the Spartan Brigade was disbanded before World War II due to Army reorganization, several of its units participated in key American maneuvers during the war.

In 1963, the Spartan Brigade was reconstituted and has since been positioned in Germany, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout Africa for military strikes, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts.

In 2016, the Army chose the Spartan Brigade to convert to the 15th Armored Brigade Combat Team, a modernized tank brigade, according to the page and Army press releases.

Following Wednesday’s shooting, authorities said they’d prioritize the well-being of the victims and community at Fort Stewart.

“Our primary focus is first on caring for our injured soldiers and their families and also supporting the soldiers of the Spartan brigade,” Lubas said. “All of the families of the victims have been notified, wrapping our arms around them and ensuring we provide them all the support that we can.”

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Mark Morales, Elizabeth Wolfe, Tori B. Powell, Jo Parker, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, John Miller, Natasha Bertrand and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.

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HousingWorks holds grand opening to celebrate completion of College View affordable apartments in SW Bend

KTVZ on August 7, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Housing Works, the regional housing authority for Central Oregon, held a grand opening event on Wednesday to celebrate the completion of a 59-unit rental community in southwest Bend.

Housing Works said it was thrilled to celebrate the opening of the College View Apartments at 198 SW 18th Street with a myriad of partners who have helped make the community possible.

The site was declared a public surplus by Deschutes County and purchased by Housing Works in 2022, as part of a joint development application with RootedHomes. On site is the Housing Works rental community, adjacent to 40 future homes for affordable ownership to be managed by RootedHomes.

The development was further supported by the City of Bend, Oregon Housing and Community Services, and Bend Park and Recreation District, as well as PNC Bank and WaFed Bank. This property is the first rental LIFT (Local Innovation and Fast Track) community funded by the state in Bend.

The building is designed to meet the Earth Advantage Platinum standard (the highest standard available) and includes large, high-efficiency windows to support natural daylighting, LED lighting with occupancy sensors,a 34 KW solar system, a whole-house fan system that provides filtered air into the building, and mini split heat pumps.

Building to the Earth Advantage Platinum standard will reduce operating costs and increase comfort for residents.

The development was designed by the Pinnacle Architecture/Ashley Vance engineering team, and has been constructed by local general contractor CS Construction Co.

Houesing Works is the largest affordable housing provider in Central Oregon. It provides people with quality, safe and affordable homes; and through a number of collaborations, it provides the resources to help people stabilize their lives. Housing Works developments in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras and Sisters have won awards for innovation, economic impact, design, and beautification. For more information, visit www.housing-works.org.

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3 indictments filed in separate federal Mid-Missouri cases

KMIZ on August 6, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three people were indicted in separate federal cases in Mid-Missouri, according to a Wednesday press release from the Department of Justice.

The release says Joanna Fabian Rivera, 33, of Arizona, was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. She was allegedly found with packages of cocaine and heroin in her vehicle on May 3, the release says.

Alex Mills Zoll, 42, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was charged with three felonies and was accused of child enticement, attempted to produce child pornography and sending and selling obscene material across state lines, the release says. The case was investigated by the Boone and Callaway county sheriff’s offices.

Aaron James Kipper, 34, Columbia, was charged with illegally owning two guns. The release says he is a convicted felon and was found with two guns on June 27.

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Fire department responds to call for leg impaled by steel rod in west Columbia

KMIZ on August 6, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A patient had their leg impaled by a steel rod on Wednesday morning in a west Columbia neighborhood, according to a press release from the Columbia Fire Department.

The release says firefighters were called at 10:10 a.m. to the 300 block of Parkwood Court for a report of a fall injury. Identifying information about the patient was not given in the release.

“A patient had sustained a mechanical impalement to the leg by a piece of a reinforcing bar, a steel rod commonly used in concrete construction,” the release says.

A truck that was “equipped for technical rescue operations” was sent and crews removed  “a portion of the metal and railroad ties” to prevent more injuries occurring, the release says. The patient was brought to an area hospital with a portion of the bar still in their leg, the release says.

“This is exactly the type of call we envisioned when we made the strategic decision to distribute heavy rescue capabilities,” Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said in the release. “The quick, coordinated response and specialized tools on our ladder truck made a real difference in the outcome for this patient.”

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Palm Springs Animal Shelter Not Taking Cats Due to Contagious Virus

KESQ on August 6, 2025

City News Service

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is not taking in any cats or kittens until next week due to a contagious virus in the facility.

The shelter said a temporary pause was instituted on July 31 because of an outbreak of oral ulcers present only in cats.

Oral ulcers, or stomatitis, were described as sores in the tongue, gums or inner cheeks, and most commonly spread if a feline isn’t vaccinated or an underlying cause isn’t treated in time.

A staff member told City News Service on Wednesday that the virus was present only at the Palm Sprints shelter and spread quickly due to overcrowding. It was not affecting operations at the four shelters run by Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Normal operations at the Palm Springs shelter should resume by Aug. 13, officials said. Residents who find cats within the city before then were advised to contact the admissions team at 760-416-5718, and they will provide additional options for the feline.

Like other shelters in Southern California, the Palm Springs facility continues to experience overcrowding, and will host a Clear the Shelters event to battle overpopulation for large dogs and cats, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 16-17 at 4575 E. Mesquite Ave.

All adoption fees will be waived that weekend due to generous members of the Coachella Valley community.

In addition, NBC Palm Springs will broadcast the event, and all adoptions will come with two free tickets to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert and an adoption package from Tailwaggers Pet Food and Supplies.

Officials said kennels currently house about three dogs each and faceovercrowding especially with larger dogs.

More information can be found at psanimalshelter.org.

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