Month: August 2026

PALM SPRINGS, CA (KESQ)- The Palm Springs Cultural Center will host two free community tribute screenings to celebrate Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.

The Cultural Center says this September, they’re opening the doors of the Historic Camelot Theatre for two evenings to come together and celebrate Dolly Parton and Tim Curry—two singular performers who brought very different kinds of joy to the screen and left an unmistakable mark on popular culture.

The first screening is set for Sept 16 at 6pm, with a screening of 9 TO 5: Celebrating Dolly Parton.

The Cultural Center saying “Funny, fearless, and unmistakably Dolly. Join us for the workplace comedy that gave us Doralee Rhodes and one of the most iconic movie songs ever written.”

Then on Sept 23rd at 6pm, a screening of CLUE: Celebrating Tim Curry.

The Cultural Center saying “As the unforgettable Wadsworth, Curry is the comic engine behind one of the most beloved cult comedies of its generation.”

Both films are screening for free, but you must sign up on the eventbrite pages to catch these classics on the big screen at the Historic Camelot Theatre.

The Cultural Center says they welcome the community to come celebrate two artists who gave us so much.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A federal jury today found that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department bore some responsibility for the death of a 29-year-old Beaumont man who suffered fentanyl poisoning in jail while awaiting trial for attempted murder, recommending that the dead man’s family receive millions for their loss.

“After a week of trial, a jury unanimously found in favor of the Matus family and awarded $13.5 million in damages,” plaintiffs’ attorney Christian Contreras said. “The trial was vigorously defended by the county, but members of the Riverside community have now spoken, and the county jails need to be reformed to prevent further inmate deaths.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says that the agency “makes every effort” to keep detainees safe, even while they choose to use illicit substances, after the department was found partly responsible for Matus Jr’s drug-related death.

“While our hearts go out to the decedent’s family for their loss, the sheriff’s office takes every precaution and makes every effort to ensure inmates are safe from dangers,” according to a statement released by the department Thursday. “We respect the legal process, but we are disappointed with the findings and the allocation of responsibility determined by the jury.”

The verdicts were returned to U.S. District Court Judge Sunshine Sykes in downtown Riverside on Wednesday morning. No future hearings were immediately scheduled, and there was no word on whether the county intends to appeal.

Executive Office spokeswoman Brooke Federico told City News Service that, because jurors determined the county was only “40% at fault … the county is responsible for $5.4 million of the total amount.”

The mother of Richard Matus Jr., Lisa Matus, filed the civil action against Sheriff Chad Bianco, several deputies and the county as a whole in early 2023, alleging violations of her son’s Constitutional right to equal protection under the law, deprivation of future relations with his family due to official negligence, failure to follow safe practices in the correctional system and other failings.

The county countered in court documents that Matus was responsible for his own actions and that the defendants lacked “sufficient knowledge or information or belief ” that there were “grounds (for) the allegations.”

Lisa Matus sued not only on behalf of herself, but her eldest son’s young daughter and son, whose identities were not disclosed.

The suit pivoted on whether correctional deputies assigned to the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta properly reacted when they were alerted to the fact Matus was in medical distress by a fellow inmate on the night of Aug. 11, 2022.

The plaintiffs characterized the mishandling of the emergency as a systemic problem, noting that Matus was one of 22 inmates who died in the county correctional system that year.

“The individuals named in the lawsuit were repeatedly put on notice of great dangers which existed within Riverside County’s correctional facilities through the long history of in-custody deaths (and) the record-breaking amount of fentanyl overdoses throughout all county correctional facilities,” according to the plaintiffs’ complaint. “Long before Richard Matus Jr.’s death, the sheriff’s department knew there existed great indifference to the safety and protection of inmates.”

In one of the defendants’ briefs, they asserted “there were no grounds for liability” under more than one of the theories put forward by the plaintiffs.

The bulk of the case centered on Deputy Angel Rojas’ response to the inmate intercom call stating Matus was catatonic and in need of immediate “medical intervention,” according to court papers.

The plaintiffs argued that the “endemic, ongoing and unabated risks of injury or death to inmates” tied to illicit drugs and other circumstances within the jail system stemmed from institutional carelessness.

It was unclear where Matus had obtained the fentanyl. He was pronounced dead in his jail cell.

At the time, he was awaiting trial, along with his younger brother, now 26-year-old Raymond Emilio Paul Matus of Beaumont, for a violent takeover robbery at a cannabis store in Banning on June 23, 2018.

Ray Matus was ultimately convicted of attempted murder, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and inflicting great bodily injury.

He was sentenced last year to 21 years to life in state prison.

BERMUDA DUNES, CA (KESQ) – A Bermuda Dunes man was arrested after a multi-agency effort was initiated following a tip that the person possessed videos and images of child sexual abuse material.

Indio Police say on June 10, 2025, a CyberTip was received from social media platform Kik regarding a user suspected of possessing multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material.

Following the tip, an Indio Police Department detective authored a search warrant for the suspected account. The investigation led authorities to an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with a residence in the 41400 block of Pedro Buff Drive in Bermuda Dunes.

Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant for the residence.

On August 21, 2026, a joint operation involving the Riverside County Regional Computer and Technology Crime Task Force, Major Crimes Unit, and Special Enforcement Bureau Special Weapons and Tactics Team was conducted. The suspect, a 38-year-old Bermuda Dunes resident, was taken into custody while leaving the residence for work.

During the search of the home, investigators also located an illegally possessed assault weapon.

The suspect was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center on charges related to possession of child sexual abuse material and possession of the assault weapon.

Authorities said the arrest demonstrates the collaboration between multiple Riverside County law enforcement units, which worked together to carry out the investigation and arrest safely.

The suspect has since been released on bail and is scheduled to appear for arraignment at the Larson Justice Center on October 5, 2026.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs City Council members unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on new large-scale data center projects Wednesday night.

The 45-day pause gives the city time to study the potential impacts of the facilities before deciding whether additional regulations are needed.

During public comment, several residents spoke in favor of the moratorium, raising concerns about water use, electricity demand and infrastructure.

“Desert data centers have to use supplemental cooling systems because it’s hot,” one resident said. “The building of data centers anywhere in Palm Springs or the desert… is catastrophic and wholly irresponsible.”

Others spoke against the pause, saying Palm Springs should keep the door open to future development and the opportunities different types of data centers could bring as technology continues to change.

“Everything is changing rapidly, and our needs will change rapidly, especially with our fire departments and with our police departments. So it’s important that we protect our future and not stifle or negate possibilities,” said another resident.

The item was brought forward by Councilmember Grace Garner and specifically focuses on large-scale data centers.

Councilmembers discussed whether data centers should be clearly defined and addressed in the city’s upcoming zoning code update.

Garner said the city needs to be thoughtful about how it regulates an industry that is changing quickly. “And as we’ve seen in other communities across the country who have not had that happen, there are really huge detriments, and we don’t need that to happen here in our community,” she said.

Councilmembers also discussed the possibility of taking as long as two years to develop comprehensive zoning regulations for data centers.

Palm Springs joins other Coachella Valley cities taking action on data center development. Desert Hot Springs and Indio have approved temporary moratoriums, while Coachella approved a permanent ban on Wednesday.

The Palm Springs data center moratorium will remain in effect through Oct. 10.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.