State law fast-tracks affordable housing project in Palm Desert, sidestepping council vote

KESQ on November 18, 2025

Luis Avila

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A major affordable housing development has been approved in Palm Desert — but the decision came without a city council vote or any opportunity for community input, leaving many residents with mixed reactions.

The 298-unit project, planned for the corner of Cook Street and Frank Sinatra across from the Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert campus, is moving forward under Senate Bill 35, a California law that requires cities falling behind on state housing goals to fast-track qualifying developments. The development will feature three- to four-story apartment buildings and will include units designated for low-income and extremely low-income residents.

Carlos Flores, Palm Desert’s Deputy Director of Development Services, explained that the city has no discretion under SB 35 as long as the project meets existing municipal code requirements.

For nearby residents, news of the project has been met with mixed emotions. Some community members say they should have had a chance to weigh in before the project advanced.

“There should be a little bit of input, but at the same time we really need people to have places to live.”

Josh Israel, Palm Desert Resident

Others feel affordable housing developments have become too frequent and that notice to residents is insufficient. One neighbor, Lulu, shared her frustration after a previous housing project near her home impacted her.

“I think it’s saturated. They’ve built so many and the community doesn’t know until it’s half done. They told us it would be two stories. Now my only sunset view is gone. All I see is windows and people.”

Lulu, Palm Desert Resident

Flores acknowledged concerns about the lack of community input but says residents can push for changes to the city’s development standards if they want a greater say in future projects.

“They can make their voice heard. We can still change the standards within our code — they just have to be objective standards.”

Carlos Flores, Palm Desert Deputy Director of Development Services

Despite concerns, city officials say the project will have a major impact on Palm Desert’s ability to meet state housing requirements. Flores confirmed that once built, the project would help the city fulfill all of its “very low-income” housing obligations and bring it close to meeting its “low-income” goals — putting Palm Desert at about 75% of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).

Construction on the project could begin as early as the first quarter of next year.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more. 

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Simpson backs effort to codify Trump’s reintroduced Presidential Fitness Test for American students

KIFI on November 18, 2025

Seth Ratliff

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KIFI) — Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson announced he is cosponsoring a bill to permanently establish the Presidential Fitness Test in national schools, as the program begins to roll out in states like Mississippi and Virginia for the 2025-2026 school year.

On Monday, Nov. 17, Congressman Simpson publicly joined the effort to codify President Trump’s June 2025 executive order, which reestablished the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and the corresponding fitness assessment. The executive order aims to counter rising national rates of “obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition” among American children by fostering “a new generation of healthy, active citizens.”

The bill, known as the Make America’s Youth Healthy Again Act (H.R.5404), was introduced on September 16, 2025, by Congressman Greg Murphy (R-NC). Its primary goal is to codify the terms of the executive order, ensuring that a future administration cannot easily revoke the council or the test.

The original Presidential Fitness Test was established in 1966 and was discontinued during the Obama administration following the 2012-2013 school year.

“Study after study has shown that obesity, chronic health conditions, and depression rates have skyrocketed in America’s youth over the last decade,” stated Congressman Simpson in a news release. “Revitalizing the Presidential Fitness Test in schools should not be a political issue, as it is a step in the right direction to combat these concerning statistics.”

While H.R.5404 works its way through Congress, the reintroduction of the test is already moving forward in some parts of the country. Following President Trump’s order, Mississippi and Virginia began implementing the fitness assessment during the current 2025-2026 school year, with other states preparing to roll out the program the following year.

Congressman Simpson concluded, “I applaud President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again in the classroom and beyond, which is why I am proud to codify this critical executive order.”

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$10 Christmas Tree permits available now from BLM in southeast Idaho

KIFI on November 18, 2025

Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is offering Idahoans an early cup of holiday cheer! Through December 24, 2025, the BLM is issuing $10 Christmas tree permits, allowing the public to harvest one tree per family from designated BLM-managed public lands in southeastern Idaho.

These permits are valid for BLM-managed public lands within the boundaries of the Pocatello and Upper Snake field offices, including traditional Christmas tree harvest areas such as the Deep Creek, Pleasantview, and Samaria Ranges.

Permits can be purchased online at forestproducts.blm.gov or over the counter at the BLM Pocatello Field Office, located at 4350 S. Cliffs Drive. In-person purchases are available Monday through Friday, from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Restricted Harvest Areas

Trees may not be harvested in the following areas:

BLM-administered campgrounds

BLM Wilderness Study Areas:

Sand Mountain

Black Canyon

Appendicitis Hill

Snake River Islands

Henrys Lake

Petticoat Peak

Worm Creek

Wolverine Canyon

White Knob Mountains

Hell’s Half Acre

Hawley Mountain

China Cup

Cedar Butte

Burnt Creek

You must have a valid permit to cut or remove trees from public lands. Please note that tag prices and restrictions are different for trees cut on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service lands. Be aware there may be other areas where Christmas tree cutting on public lands is not permitted. For more information, contact the BLM Pocatello Field Office at 208-478-6340.

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Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair announces candidacy for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District

KTVZ on November 18, 2025

KTVZ – News Team

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ). — Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair announced this morning her intentions of running for the republican nomination for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District Representative.

The current seat holder is Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, who won her 2024 election against Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-Deremer.

See Patti Adair’s Press Release below:

Today, Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair declared her candidacy for the Republican nomination for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. Announcing her candidacy, Commissioner Adair stated the following:

“I am a proud mother, wife, businesswoman, philanthropist, and Deschutes County Commissioner who has spent my entire life in the service of others. From being involved in 4-H growing up, to raising millions of dollars for schools, hospitals, and other charitable causes across the West Coast, to representing over 200,000 of my neighbors on the Deschutes County Commission, I have always cared deeply about my community and improving people’s lives. That is why I am running for U.S. Congress: because I love Oregon and Oregon deserves representation that will actually deliver for us in Washington D.C. 

I am running for Congress because I understand firsthand the challenges that families and communities in the 5th Congressional District are facing. I am running for Congress to address rising electricity costs, to help make healthcare more accessible and affordable for working-class families, to support sustainable management of our natural resources, and to support policies that help businesses thrive in Oregon.

I am running for Congress because the 5th District needs a proven problem-solver in D.C, not an extreme partisan like our current Representative. Throughout my career, I have always focused on uniting people to deliver solutions to the problems facing our community. In Congress, I will do the same. 

In Congress, I will work across party lines to deliver real results that improve the lives of Oregonians across the 5th District. Unlike our current Representative, I will put people and problem-solving first, not partisanship and obstructionism. 

Time and time again, our current Representative has proven that she is extreme and out of touch. She voted to shut down the government and voted against a bipartisan bill to reopen it. She voted against paying our troops, federal law enforcement, and federal employees. She voted against funding SNAP and Head Start, as well as against important grants that support our first responders. Because of her partisan obstructionism, Oregonians and their families have needlessly suffered. Our district deserves better.

The 5th Congressional District deserves a truly independent leader with courage who will fight for us in D.C. and deliver. I am that leader.”

Endorsements 

Commissioner Adair is excited to announce the support of the following local leaders:

State Representative Bobby Levy

State Representative Alek Skarlatos

State Representative Kevin Mannix

Jefferson County Commissioner Kelly Simmelink 

Harney County Commissioner Patty Dorroh 

Polk County Commissioner Lyle Mordhorst 

Deschutes County Treasurer Bill Kuhn

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Tahquitz Creek golf fee hike now paused after golfers call it ‘unacceptable’

KESQ on November 18, 2025

Daniella Lake

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Fee increases at the Tahquitz Creek golf course are being reconsidered by the Palm Springs City Council.

In late September, the Palm Springs City Council adopted green fee hikes of up to 73%. Resort course weekday fees were set to spike from $58 to $95 during October to December. December to May, weekend and holiday rates would increase from $70 to $121, according to a document from the September city council meeting.

At a parks and recreation commission meeting in October, golfers expressed their frustration with the price surge. “It’s unacceptable,”  said Jacque Bowman, President of the Tahquitz Women’s Golf Club.

Another community member at the meeting, named Robert, says that because of the fee hike, “[they] may go somewhere else.”

Now, the Palm Springs City Council say they will reconsider the fee increase and put it on pause for now.

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Rigby FFA dominates farm business, environmental science, and more at FFA Convention

KIFI on November 18, 2025

News Team

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) Rigby High School’s Future Farmers of America is bringing home national honors! The chapter joined 73,000 students at the national FFA convention in Indianapolis earlier this month, where they scored gold in farm business management, environmental science, and agricultural communications.

High schooler Brayden Hammer took national runner-up in agricultural mechanics, while students Amaia Rice and Tinley Ricks won 4th place gold in the agriscience fair.

Seven members also earned the elite American FFA degree — one of the highest honors in FFA.

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Idaho Corporate Exec Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading

KIFI on November 18, 2025

Seth Ratliff

EAGLE, Idaho (KIFI) — A prominent Idaho corporate executive has pleaded guilty to insider trading related to a 2024 corporate acquisition. According to court documents, Michael Smith, 48, of Eagle, Idaho, served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the unnamed Idaho-based company publicly traded on the NASDAQ since approximately 2022.

Smith admitted to using material nonpublic information (MNPI) regarding the acquisition of the unnamed company by another company to profit from the sale of company stock.

Authorities state that after receiving this confidential information, Smith knew that company employees with such access were prohibited from trading. Despite this, he used a brokerage account belonging to an unnamed individual, with whom he had a close personal relationship, to invest in the company’s stock.

Following the corporate acquisition, the unnamed company’s stock increased by nearly 50%. The very next day, Smith sold the shares he had purchased for the unnamed individual, for a profit of approximately $145,754.69. Investigators say that Smith executed the trades specifically to financially benefit this individual.

Smith has pleaded guilty to one count of security fraud, an offense that carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in federal prison. According to the United States Department of Justice, a federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group announced the plea and is currently investigating the case.

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Applications open for Carrot Royalty Contest in Holtville

KYMA on November 18, 2025

Karina Bazarte

HOLTVILLE, Calif. (KYMA) – The Holtville Chamber of Commerce says applications are now open for anyone who would like to become Carrot Queen, Princess and Junior Princess.

Jennifer Parra, Chief Executive Officer for the Holtville Chamber of Commerce, says the winners will be selected based on raffle ticket sales, public speaking and a live interview.

KYMA spoke to last year’s winners who encouraged every little girl or boy in the Imperial Valley to participate in the contest.

“Just go for it…just do it the process may be hard so don’t get unmotivated about it, but when you get the title, there is no other feeling like it,” said Grace Cerda, Carrot Princess.

“Follow your dreams…If you really want to do something, do it. Even if you aren’t totally hooked on it, and you want to do something else, do it. Just go with the flow,” said Avery Sutter, Carrot Junior Princess.

Parra says anyone in the Imperial Valley can participate in the contest. The deadline to register is on December 10. To apply to participate in the contest, click here.

The winners will be announced at their Coronation Royalty Banquet on Friday, January 23, at the Casa Blanca Venue.

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Mom arrested after children found living among dog feces, trash, police say

CNN Newsource on November 18, 2025

By Steven Yablonski

Click here for updates on this story

    MIAMI (WFOR) — A mother in Miami-Dade County is facing a neglect charge after Florida City police say her children were found to be living among dog feces, trash and food containers that littered the floor.

According to police, an officer responded to a 911 call from the woman’s daughter who said her mother was being attacked by her boyfriend on Monday.

When the police officer arrived at the home, they said they made contact with the woman, identified as Amy Angela Alfonso, her three children, and Edwin Rodriguez, who was arrested at the scene for domestic battery.

Alfonso and Rodriguez share the youngest child, and police said the two older children belong to Alfonso.

While inside the home, the police officer said there was a “strong odor of dog feces,” and observed it on the living room floor.

The officer then spoke with the two older children, an 8-year-old and 10-year-old, inside their shared bedroom, and noticed that the floor was covered in trash, clothes, toys and food containers.

Other items were covering most of the floor, which created “hazardous and unsanitary conditions.”

It was also discovered that the two older children hadn’t attended school in over a year.

Police said that based on the discovery of the dog feces, the strong odor, the hazardous and cluttered bedroom and the prolonged school absence, Alfonso was arrested for child neglect.

Police said Alfonso began to vomit while suffering from an apparent panic attack during the arrest, and she was taken to Homestead Hospital. She was then taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County.

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Las Vegas suspects arrested for auto theft in Imperial County

KYMA on November 18, 2025

Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Three Las Vegas men were arrested in Imperial County after the California Highway Patrol (CHP) tried to pull them over for suspicious driving.

CHP says two men in their early 20s were spotted driving at least 130 miles per hour on Highway 111 near Keystone Road last Thursday.

“Our officer turned around as the officer was going North, turned around to catch up to him and lost sight of him because the vehicle was going so fast,” said Capt. Ernesto Ruedas with CHP El Centro.

Officers then spotted a cloud of black smoke and found the car off to the side of the road, with the suspects running away.

“Our sergeants actually located a vehicle in the area that just pick up the suspects to they were all taken into custody and we found various tools of auto theft,” said Capt. Ruedas.

During the investigation, CHP discovered that the vehicle was stolen out of Las Vegas. 

“They had key fobs, multiple key fobs from different vehicles. They had a program device in order to program [the] key fobs, so this is what people are using now. Some of our vehicles now have key fobs so they use it to program it and steal vehicles,” said Ruedas.

All three suspects were taken to the Imperial County Jail. Each is facing at least four felony charges, including auto theft and conspiracy to commit auto theft.

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