Month: June 2026

Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Three hikers were rescued Saturday evening near the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, according to Cal Fire and Riverside County Sheriff’s.

Cal Fire conducted a remote area rescue on Willow Creek Trail in the Mount San Jacinto wilderness area, around 9 p.m. Saturday.

A Riverside Sheriff’s helicopter was contacted during the rescue and made multiple attempts to help, but was unable to due to high winds.

Officials say crews were able to access the hikers around 10:18 p.m., when all were hiked out on foot by the Riverside County Sheriff Mountain Rescue Team.

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Athena Jreij

CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – A mobile home fire on Esperanza Avenue and Elm Street was contained by crews around 2:40 p.m. Sunday.

CalFire reports the fire broke out at 12:27 p.m., burning about half an acre of vegetation in the area. The flames destroyed a residential mobile home and outbuilding, before being fully contained by air and ground resources.

No injuries were reported and crews will remain on scene to mop up the area.

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Gavin Nguyen

CALIPATRIA, Calif. (KESQ) – An earthquake was reported on the southeastern tip of the Salton Sea Sunday night.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake registered at a magnitude 3.2 at 8:26 p.m. on Sunday. The epicenter was about 10 kilometers northwest of Calipatria.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the shaking.

Stay with us for the latest. We’ll continue monitoring for any other earthquake activity in the area.

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Timothy Foster

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — After entertaining audiences for more than two decades, Dancing with the Stars is giving fans a new way to celebrate the hit ABC competition series.

The first-ever Dancing with the Stars Con is coming to Palm Springs later this summer, bringing together professional dancers, celebrity contestants and fans for a three-day event filled with live entertainment and interactive experiences.

I spoke with pros Emma Slater and Alan Bersten, who say the convention is designed for everyone, from longtime viewers who have followed the show since its early seasons to newer fans discovering the ballroom competition.

“It’s going to be a weekend of fun,” Slater said. “Whether you’ve been watching since season one or you’re a brand-new fan, you get to celebrate the journey of Dancing with the Stars.”

The convention will feature a different lineup of activities each day. Friday will kick off with “Glitter Games,” an interactive game-show style event featuring pros, celebrities and fans. Saturday will showcase live dance performances, including special reunions between professional dancers and some of their former celebrity partners. Sunday’s events will put fans in the spotlight, giving selected attendees the opportunity to rehearse with the pros, get the full ballroom experience and perform in front of an audience.

Throughout the weekend, attendees can also take dance classes, attend panel discussions and participate in interactive activities. Organizers also plan to showcase iconic costumes and memorabilia from the series, along with recreated ballroom spaces inspired by the show.

Bersten said the convention offers something fans have never experienced before.

“We’ve toured around the country, but we’re usually only in one place for a day. This gives fans a chance to spend an entire weekend with us and really experience what Dancing with the Stars is all about,” he said.

The event will also reunite several professional dancers with former celebrity partners for special performances, with some of the show’s most memorable dances returning to the stage.

For Slater, one of the biggest highlights is giving fans the chance to be part of the action.

“It’s not just about watching. Fans can dance with us, play games with us and even become part of the show,” she said.

Slater and Bersten said Palm Springs was a natural fit to host the inaugural event, adding that the Coachella Valley’s energy and enthusiastic fan base make it the perfect setting.

As Dancing with the Stars prepares for its milestone 35th season, the convention aims to bring together longtime viewers and new fans alike for a one-of-a-kind celebration of the beloved series.

Dancing with the Stars Con is scheduled for July 31 – August 2nd, 2026, in Palm Springs. For tickets, event schedules and additional information, visit https://dwtscon.com.

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Isaiah Mora

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) — The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a suspect after a pursuit ended in a crash in Coachella Sunday night.

Around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, deputies attempted a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation near the area of Tripoli Way and Bagdad Avenue. Deputies say the driver failed to stop, and a pursuit was initiated.

The pursuit traveled through the area and ended near Calle Avila, where the vehicle crashed with an unoccupied parked vehicle. Deputies say the suspect got out of his vehicle and fled the scene.

With assistance from a California Highway Patrol helicopter, a search was conducted in the area. However officials were not able to locate the driver.

This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are available at this time. Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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City News Service

INDIO (CNS) – Passes for next year’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio will be available for purchase Thursday.Passes will be available beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday at stagecoachfestival.com/passes/.General admission will start at $549 for a single three-day pass.Several VIP packages, RV sites, camping sites and parking will also be available for purchase.The three-day festival will take place from April 23-25, 2027, at 81-800 51st Ave.Organizers have not officially announced the 2027 lineup.

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Garrett Hottle

A retired teacher says her cluster mailbox was pried open in broad daylight and a postal supervisor told her hers was one of hundreds of communities hit.

Lisa Lenes said she had never seen anything like it. Her family has lived in Saddlerock Estates, a gated Palm Springs community, for more than 40 years.

In all that time, she says, her mother never once encountered their mailbox being broken into.

Then came last Wednesday.

Lenes, a retired teacher, said she walked out to the bank of cluster mailboxes in the middle of her street around 3:30 in the afternoon and found the whole unit broken open.

A note was taped to the front telling residents to go collect their mail at the post office. Her box was empty.

“Everything was open,” she said. “Everything was open.”

She said she called police, then drove to the main post office in Palm Springs to find out what had happened and when it would be fixed.

Lenes said the supervisor told her her community was one of more than 200 hit by mailbox break-ins across the area, and with only one person cutting replacement keys, repairs could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a year.

News Channel 3 has not independently confirmed those figures.

The timing of the break-in, she believes, wasn’t luck. The boxes were fine the day before.

On the day they were hit, landscapers were out mowing, she says enough noise to cover the sound of a lock being forced. Her community sits behind a gated arm that lifts for residents, but she figures someone could have slipped in during the day, worked fast and kept a getaway car waiting on a side street.

For the people who live around her, Lenes says, this lands harder than a missed delivery. She estimates more than 85 percent of her neighbors are seniors, many of them snowbirds who winter in the desert and spend the rest of the year in Canada, Oregon and elsewhere.

“A lot of them don’t drive. They take cabs to run errands, or walk in the heat,” she explained. “That’s their Social Security checks. That’s their bills.”

Many of her neighbors, she added, aren’t mobile enough to chase down missing mail.

“It’s horrific. It’s horrifying.”

She says she isn’t alone. While she was at the post office, a couple in line behind her told her their community had been hit the week before.

Lenes later said she had to track down her mail carrier’s truck near Saddle Rock and show her ID just to recover a few days worth of held mail.

News Channel 3 has reached out to the U.S. Postal Service and the Palm Springs Police Department for more information, including how many communities have been affected and whether the thefts are part of a broader pattern.

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Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – An air conditioning issue at the Palm Springs International Airport has been resolved, a spokesperson confirmed to News Channel 3.

“Cooling is returning to normal, and conditions in the checkpoint continue to improve. We appreciate the patience and understanding of both our employees and travelers while this issue was being addressed,” wrote Jake Ingrassia, PSP spokesperson, in an email Monday afternoon.

The airport experienced air conditioning issues near its TSA checkpoint after an SCE power outage that began over the weekend and impacted the airport and surrounding locations.

Triple-digit heat caused PSP workers to scramble to try to get temps back to normal.

While the outage was ongoing, the airport rolled out temporary measures, including air conditioning units, large fans, staffing rotations, and cooling breaks.

The airport provided bottled water.

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Jesus Reyes

Update 6/26/26

Councilmember Delgado speaks out exclusively in an interview with KESQ following the recall efforts in Coachella.

Delgado defends her position that the campaign as a whole is politically motivated and based off misinformation.

In the interview, Delago addresses the misconception that the City of Coachella is operating at a deficit, stating Coachella ended the fiscal year with $1.3 million operating net income and $12.2 million in unassigned reserve funds.

The councilmember addresses concerns over the city’s handling of the proposed data centers, stating that officials learned more about the environmental effects from community feedback prior to approving a moratorium on new data center proposals.

Delgado alleges this recall as a part of a larger political agenda and urgers citizens to reach out with questions.

Watch the full interview for more details.

Update 6/25/26

Coachella Councilmember Denise Delgado is responding to the recall effort against her after city officials confirmed the petitions against Delgado and Councilmember Yadira Perez have been sent to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters for signature verification.

In a letter sent to News Channel 3 overnight, Delgado defended her record, writing, “I have served with integrity, transparency, and accountability.”

Delgado said she has been attacked by what she called a political faction made up of “convicted former mayors and their unethical cronies.”

In her response, Delgado also highlighted what she described as the City Council’s accomplishments, including the city’s finances. She said Coachella has more than $1.3 million in net income this fiscal year and $12 million in reserves.

Delgado also said a permanent ban on data centers is expected to come before the City Council for adoption on August 26.

She pointed to funding for the senior center and several city projects, including a library annex, wellness hub, street improvements, a new bridge and park upgrades.

The recall petitions remain with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters for signature verification..

Update 6/23/26

City officials confirmed that the legal review is complete and the notices are compliant with the Elections Code. The petitions have been sent to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters for signature verification.

Update 6/18/26

Jesus Ahkin Gonzalez and Vicente Zamora have resubmitted the paperwork to recall Councilmembers Denise Delgado and Yadira Perez. Zamora said they have 100 signatures.

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We have reached out to the city for more information on the process, but we have not heard back.

Original Report 6/15/26

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) – The city of Coachella rejected petitions to recall two councilmembers; the applicants say they will submit the paperwork again.

Jesus Ahkin Gonzalez and Vicente Zamora served copies of Notices of Intention on Councilmembers Perez and Delgado and filed the original Notices with the City Clerk’s Office during last week’s city council meeting.

A city spokesperson said the filing did not meet the state code requirements for acceptance and was rejected for two reasons.

1. Notices did not contain the minimum number of signatures required by the State Elections Code; and

2. Notices did not include the City and the ZIP Code, which is an express requirement of the State Elections Code.

State law does not give the City Clerk the discretion to overlook this non-compliance. Therefore, the City Clerk’s Office was required to reject both filings as part of their ministerial duty.

-City of Coachella email (6/15/26)

A city spokesperson said Gonzalez and Zamora can submit new Notices of Intent if they want to.

Gonzalez and Zamora sent a statement to News Channel 3 confirming they will resubmit again with the required amount of signatures.

Statement from Gonzalez and Zamora (6/15/26)

Gonzalez and Vicente Zamora, two critics of Coachella’s proposed data center, cited a number of issues as the reason for their recall attempt, including the controversial project.

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Current mayor Dr. Frank Figueroa and Councilmember Stephanie Virgen are up for reelection in November, while Delgado and Perez have two years left on their terms, which is why they were singled out in the recall efforts.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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Tommy Gallegos

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County dropped Monday for the 25th time in 26 days, falling 1.3 cents to $5.583, its lowest amount since March 18.

Check Out Our Gas Gauge Section For Lowest Local Prices

The average price has dropped 48.2 cents over the past 26 days, including 1.6 cents Sunday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 17.6 cents less than one week ago and 48.7 cents less than one month ago, but $1.13 more than one year ago.

The national average price dropped for the 25th consecutive day, decreasing nine-tenths of a cent to $4.065, its lowest amount since April 24.

It has fallen 49.9 cents over the past 25 days, including 1.2 cents Sunday. The national average price is 9.9 cents less than one week ago and 46.3 cents less than one month ago, but 92.9 cents more than one year ago.

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