Month: November 2025

Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s Veteran’s Day, and while the Valley is gearing up for a day of recognition, it’s also a time to acknowledge the mental health struggles local veterans face from their time in the military.

Veterans are 57% more at risk for suicide than non-military adults, and around 6,000 veterans die by suicide each year, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. There are nearly 1.6 million veterans in California alone, making the availability of mental health services in the Valley important.

Veterans commonly deal with mental health conditions like depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders (SUD).

But research shows seeking treatment is effective in reducing suicide rates heavily. From 2001 to 2022, the Veterans Health Administration saw long term decreasing trends for suicide rates across conditions including a 36.1% decrease from anxiety, 34.5% from depression and 31.6% from PTSD.

To reach out to American Legion Palm Springs Post 519 visit americanlegionpalmsprings.com

For more on veteran benefits and services in California visit calvet.ca.gov

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from local veterans on mental health and resources available to them.

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Gavin Nguyen

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Families in the High Desert are receiving assistance from a grassroots fundraiser called ‘The Desert Provides.’

According to organizers, many High Desert families are underserved. The lapses in funding to SNAP/EBT – also known as CalFresh in California – has created challenges for many of the community’s vulnerable residents.

That’s why, a couple of weeks ago, a chef in the Yucca Valley area, known as Chef V, called upon the community to rally to help. Together with other volunteers, the community raised hundreds of dollars in the form of Grocery Outlet gift cards for families in need.

“People need help. And I, as a mother and a chef, felt called to help out with the food insecurity in our area,” said Vavine Tahapehi, otherwise known as Chef V. She began organizing the project about one week ago, and since then, generous donors have pooled together roughly $1,300.

That money went towards about a dozen gift cards – most of which have already been distributed to families in need.

The Flamingo Heights Community Center is the spot where organizers are distributing the gift cards. V acknowledged many families in the High Desert don’t have access to a car, making it difficult to pick up the gift cards; as a result, three other volunteers have stepped up to deliver the gift cards, too.

The president of the community center, Justin Merino, affirmed, “As long as the need exist and folks continue to donate, we’ll continue to distribute the cards.”

Ashley Flores, a single mother of two young boys, was one of the recipients of the assistance. She regularly receives $700 in CalFresh benefits, but when the government shutdown impacted that supplement, she said her anxiety grew.

“Having to determine whether I have enough cash to cover that or whether there’s enough money in savings, do I pay some bills and not others?” she recalled asking herself.

Her eldest son, Logan, goes to school in Landers. Flores said about 90 percent of the families who go to Logan’s school also rely on SNAP benefits. When she heard about the fundraiser the community was heading, she told five other families.

“I sent the info to five other families that I know really, really could use the support. And they’ve all received gift cards through The Desert Provides. And I know that it’s been a huge help and it’s really relieved a lot of that burden for us.”

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Luis Avila

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — A quiet Palm Desert neighborhood is on edge after a string of late-night doorbell pranks have escalated into acts of vandalism and safety concerns.

Residents say “ding-dong ditch” games have turned into something more serious — with kids not only ringing doorbells but also kicking doors and damaging property.

Security footage from one home shows a group of young people approaching a house late at night, pounding and kicking on the front door before running off. One appears to be filming the incident.

Halley, a resident who asked to remain anonymous, says she was home when it happened Saturday night.

“We were laying in bed reading and it sounded like a bomb went off. It was terrifying. We came out, looked around, and didn’t see anything. We did end up walking down the road and saw them kicking another neighbor’s door and running off.”

Halley, Palm Desert Resident

The impact left scuff marks and footprints on her front door. But she says her biggest concern isn’t the damage — it’s the safety of the kids involved.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department told News Channel 3 that these kinds of incidents can lead to property damage, confrontations, and even injuries. Deputies warn that such pranks could be considered disturbing the peace, vandalism, or trespassing — all of which carry potential criminal penalties.

Halley hopes parents take the incidents seriously and talk to their children before things go too far.

“I think parents should be talking to their teenagers, especially their teenage boys, about this stuff. It’s a funny prank right now, but it’s not funny if someone’s scared and has a gun and might not be all there.”

Halley, Palm Desert Resident

Deputies say they will respond to reports of doorbell pranks, and anyone found responsible could face enforcement action.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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