College of the Desert celebrates 60 years of training nurses as Coachella Valley faces healthcare staffing needs

KESQ on September 1, 2026

Peter Daut

PALM DESERT, CA (KESQ) – As the Coachella Valley continues to grow, so does the demand for qualified healthcare professionals.

This week, College of the Desert is celebrating the next generation of local nurses while marking a major milestone for one of its longstanding healthcare programs.

The college will hold a pinning ceremony Friday to celebrate graduates and recognize the 60th anniversary of its Vocational Nursing Program, which has spent six decades preparing students for careers in healthcare and helping meet the needs of the local community.

The celebration comes as healthcare systems across the region continue to face challenges recruiting and retaining nurses.

Local hospitals and health systems have hundreds of registered nurse positions to fill, with staffing pressures driven by several factors, including an aging workforce, retirements, employee burnout and the high cost of living in the Coachella Valley.

College of the Desert says its nursing programs are helping create a pipeline of healthcare professionals who can go on to work in communities across the region.

“We’re seeing the labor market data continues to reflect there is an ongoing need for nursing, and COD continues to be an affordable program hoping to help that pipeline for healthcare in the Coachella Valley,” said Michelle French, acting director of Nursing and Allied Health at College of the Desert.

This year, College of the Desert graduated a record 91 registered nurses, more than doubling the size of previous graduating classes.

The increase comes as demand for nurses remains strong throughout the region.

For students looking to enter the healthcare field, COD’s nursing programs provide an opportunity to receive training close to home while preparing for careers in a field with continued demand.

Friday’s pinning ceremony will recognize the latest group of nursing graduates while also celebrating 60 years of the college’s Vocational Nursing Program.

College of the Desert says the program’s long history reflects its ongoing role in helping address the Coachella Valley’s healthcare workforce needs.

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Mayor Patino Proclaims National Preparedness Month For City Of Santa Maria

KEYT on September 1, 2026

Jarrod Zinn

Mayor Alice Patino proclaimed “National Preparedness Month” for Santa Maria at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

The theme for National Preparedness Month 2026 is “Americans Stand Ready.”

As wildfires are burning north of SLO County affecting air quality as far south as Santa Barbara County, El Nino seems to be simultaneously signaling palpable weather changes in the coming weeks, as summer transitions to fall.

The first week of this year’s national month-long campaign is focused on self reliance and individual resilience.

The second week centers on the individual’s duty to their loved ones, and the remaining weeks focus on community.

“When I was talking to our weather service partners, they’re really trying to downplay the whole ‘El Nino, El Nino, El Nino!’ thing,” says Roy Dugger, Santa Maria Emergency Services Specialist. “Because when we do get things like this hurricane coming next week, coming up the coast, the they want people to be able to hear the alert message and act on it.”

Experts say cutting-edge technologies are being developed across the nation to help people navigate to safety during emergencies, but nothing compares to being prepared.

“Everybody needs—you have to have a plan,” says Ernie Williams, ‘Go 2 Green: Pathway To Safety’ CEO. “If you don’t have a plan, you’re, you’re going to fail, guaranteed.”

Preparedness Month proclamations are made each year nationwide to encourage all residents, businesses and organizations to continually take preemptive planning steps in anticipation of emergencies.

“Just to try to get the public’s attention, to start the preparedness, and also as a way to highlight to the City Council the work that our government agencies do all year round to be prepared,” says Dugger.

National and local leaders encourage knowing your environment, planning escape routes and meeting points with family, having go bags pre-packed, and community involvement like first aid or CPR classes.

“A lot of people talk about a go bag,” says Williams. “The next question I ask, ‘Where are you going to go?’ And they don’t have that answer. So if you have a go bag, have a place to go.”

And city and county leaders encourage residents to sign up or update their information for emergency alerts at ReadySLO.org or ReadySBC.org.

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Santa Barbara County Looks to Strengthen Rules Preventing Certain Sites for Gun Stores

KEYT on September 1, 2026

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – A controversial relocation of a gun store in Goleta has the county looking at strengthening its rules on the location sites for this type of business.

Goodland Guns moved from Old Town Goleta to a new location at 7443 Hollister Avenue next to the Here We Grow Early Learning Center.

During the renovation, the neighbors raised issues about the location near a school and the safety of children.

It was called an unacceptable space. This has caught the attention of the Goleta City Council and the Goleta Unified School District.

Goodland Guns CEO Daniel Ashton has said he has made improvements to what was a vacant 7-Eleven that was a location for frequent, “trespassing, drug use, vandalism, and defecation right beside the preschool property line.”

Since taking over, Goodland has installed security fencing and says the area is safer.

The business has also been described as a sporting goods store.

Santa Barbara County Supervisors Laura Capps and Joan Hartmann are bringing this to the attention of the Board of Supervisors to see if any changes can be made to the current policies.

They are asking for a retail buffer zone for protect schools and an Interim Urgency Ordinance.

Tuesday afternoon the issue was discussed with the board moving forward on an analysis of what it could do to add new distance rules for these types of businesses.

The Goodland Guns site is in the city of Goleta and the council there took up the matter Tuesday night at its meeting.

The county was concerned in the unincorporated areas including portions of the Santa Ynnez Valley, Orcutt and between Santa Barbara and Patterson Ave.outside of Goleta, where a similar business could seek a business permit.

The county currently has some restrictions on where cannabis operators can open a storefront.

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Brawley takes center stage for a Lowrider Magazine video shoot

KYMA on September 1, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

BRAWLEY, Calif.- Brawley became the backdrop for a Lowrider Magazine video shoot featuring local models and talent.

Nethaneal Zechariah Banaga, the designer and director, had a vision to bring the Imperial Valley center stage.

“Lowrider Magazine car show is one of the most prolific biggest car shows and lowrider events specifically here on the West Coast. Low rider Magazine is one of the publications that has just been a monumental giant to push our culture forward in terms of Chicano culture. It’s one of the first publications to put our culture out there.

Imperial Valley artist JAY ROXXX, who has over 30 million streams on Spotify, over 40 million views on YouTube, and over 3 million followers on TikTok, was a featured model for the production.

“This is really, really a big move for, for everybody here, especially because we’re from such a small, a small little valley,” she said.

Like I said, it’s a really huge honor and it was great working with everybody today and it was super exciting and I love it cause I feel so connected with my people back to my roots,” she exclaimed.

The shoot took place outside of the Dream Center, a space for local artists to nurture their craft. They host workshops, pop-ups, and vintage markets.

“This Dream Center was created to really create a place where artists can come and venture into their dreams,” owner Octavio Banaga, who is also Nethaneal’s father, said.

The video and collection will be featured at the Lowrider Super Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on September 5th.

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Rural Metro responds to motor home fire in the Foothills

KYMA on September 1, 2026

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Rural Metro responded to a motor home fire in the Foothills Monday.

In a Facebook post, the fire happened before noon in the area of E. 38th Street and S. Tucson Drive.

Upon arrival, Rural Metro said crews found the motor home 50% engulfed in flames, “with exposures to the North and South.”

This prompted them to quickly deploy hose lines and work to extinguish the fire, Rural Metro said.

The fire was eventually contained to the motor home, “with some scorching to the North and South exposures,” Rural Metro added.

While there were no injuries reported, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

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Imperial PD arrests teen for attempted murder

KYMA on September 1, 2026

Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial Police Department (IPD) says a teen has been arrested for attempted murder.

In a press release, IPD responded to reports of two separate victims related to a stabbing that happened near Imperial High School Friday, August 28, at around 8:30 p.m.

The first victim, a teen, told IPD they were stabbed near the front of the school, and was taken by an acquaintance to El Centro Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Meanwhile, IPD said the second victim, an adult, was also stabbed after reportedly confronting the suspect, identified as a 13-year-old Imperial resident.

After conducting an investigation and obtaining witnesses’ statements, IPD said the suspect was arrested and booked into the Imperial County Juvenile Hall on two counts of attempted murder.

The investigation remains ongoing. If anyone has information regarding the case, call IPD.

For Immediate Release_ IMPERIAL POLICE DEPARTMENT ARREST JUVENILE FOR ATTEMPTED MURDERDownload

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Man alleges Callaway County deputies abandoned dog three times

KMIZ on September 1, 2026

Haley Swaino

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

A South Carolina man is working to file a lawsuit against three members of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly abandoning his dog three times.

Jack Walker says he and his wiener dog Dodger were traveling through Missouri to Kansas where Walker’s mother had just passed away on July 17, 2025. Walker said he had a medical emergency while pulled over at a truck stop off I-70 in Callaway County.

Walker called an ambulance, which led to a jail stay for an unpaid traffic ticket from 2015, he said.

“They took me to the county jail for a day or two,” Walker said. “And when I got out to get my dog, I went to the animal shelter, and they said, ‘We don’t have your dog, Mr. Walker. The sheriff’s department does.’ So I went to the sheriff’s department, and they said, ‘Well, we took your dog back to the truck stop and let him loose.’”

Walker has not seen his dog since the day he was arrested. And for the past 14 months, he has allegedly found that Dodger was abandoned on three separate occasions — once by a Callaway County deputy, and twice by the Callaway County sheriff.

The day the sheriff’s office took possession of Dodger, a deputy allegedly dropped him off in the vestibule area of the Fulton Police Department. Through an open records request, Walker’s attorneys obtained video of the deputy leaving the dog without speaking to anyone inside.

Screenshot of surveillance video from the Fulton Police Department on July, 17, 2025.[Courtesy: Katie Barnett]

“He took it to the local police station, threw it into their lobby, and left without telling them,” Walker said.

ABC 17 News went to the Fulton Police Department Tuesday to confirm if a wiener dog was left there in July 2025. An officer said only the chief, who was out, could answer that question. ABC 17 News followed up with an email.

According to Walker, after Dodger was left at FPD, the Callaway County sheriff was called to pick him up. He then allegedly admitted to Walker that he took the dog to the truck stop he was picked up from and let him loose.

Walker said he called the Missouri State Highway Patrol to report this. A trooper allegedly called him back after about three hours and said, “You need to get an attorney.”

Walker said Sheriff Darryl Maylee admitted to him that he let Dodger go twice. The second time, Walker said, was after the dog was dropped off at the Sam and Daisy Grabb Animal Shelter in Fulton. He was taken there not long after being left at the truck stop the first time.

“We found out that a good Samaritan found my dog like 30 minutes later in the middle of the interstate,” Walker said.

When Walker got out of jail and went looking for his dog at the shelter, he said he didn’t realize how deep the situation was — that his dog had been handed off to multiple places and left three different times.

Walker alleged that the animal shelter wasn’t accepting animals from the county because of the county’s unpaid bills, totaling about $4,000.

ABC 17 News stopped by the shelter Tuesday. A manager said she would not comment on this specific situation, but said that the shelter only accepts animals for the City of Fulton, not the county.

According to the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, the county does not have its own animal shelter. The website of the Callaway County Health Department says the county has no animal control authority. The health department investigates animal bites, but the authority ends there.

Now back in South Carolina, Walker said he has not seen Dodger since the sheriff allegedly let him loose a second time.

“I don’t believe that,” Walker said. “I believe he took him out and shot him. I stayed up there and looked for my dog for three days, and I couldn’t afford to stay anymore.”

Walker said he still can’t bring himself to watch the surveillance video of Dodger allegedly being left at the Fulton Police Department.

Sheriff Darryl Maylee told ABC 17 News that he was “somewhat familiar” with the situation and confirmed a dog was picked up by the office, but said he did not know “offhand” what happened to it.

A reporter asked Maylee about the alleged money owed to the shelter. He did not answer the question. He said a shelter would turn animals away if they were full, but the sheriff’s office has two emergency kennels if that were to happen. He did not mention the shelter’s claim that animals aren’t accepted from the county.

Walker said his suit should be filed in a couple of months.

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Central Oregon tourism remains strong despite higher gas prices

KTVZ on September 1, 2026

Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon continues to rank among the top holiday weekend destinations in the region, bringing substantial economic activity to local businesses. Over the last fiscal year, visitor spending in the city of Bend reached $408 million.

Tourism serves as a major revenue generator for communities throughout Central Oregon. In addition to direct business spending, municipal governments rely heavily on lodging taxes paid by overnight visitors to fund public services and community amenities.

Tim Neville, lead storyteller for Visit Bend, provided context on the overall scale of traveler spending in the city. “It’s about $408 million. So, I mean, to put that into perspective, if you were to go buy Yeti coolers, it would stack to 250 miles into space. So 50 miles higher than the space station. It’s a lot of money,” Neville said.

Bend wrapped up its fiscal year earlier this summer with $15.2 million in lodging tax collections. Neville explained how those revenues directly support city infrastructure and services. “We wrapped up our fiscal year earlier this summer with a record $15.2 million in lodging tax collections. Remember, that’s outside money paid by visitors coming into our community that the city can use for police, fire, roads, as well as, you know, helps us put on fun events throughout the fall, gives us improved trailheads, things like that that we get to enjoy year round,” Neville said.

Gas prices in Central Oregon currently average $4.86 per gallon. Marie Dodds, director of government and public affairs for AAA, said higher fuel costs usually lead travelers to adjust their spending rather than cancel their plans. “Usually if people have planned a trip and then gas prices spike right before that trip, they’ll still go, but they’ll look at making cutbacks in other areas,” Dodds said. “Maybe they will look for a free activities instead of paying admission prices in places. Maybe they’ll look at shortening their trip by a day or two. Maybe they’ll look at camping instead of staying at a fancy resort.”

Despite an extreme fire season across the region, tourism was only slightly impacted overall. Smoke caused air quality concerns on just three days during the season. While expectations indicate a softer Labor Day weekend, tourism officials still anticipate a major weekend for visitor activity.

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Supervisors extend contract with Palm Springs treatment facility

KESQ on September 1, 2026

City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Board of Supervisors today approved the extension of a contract, valued at a little over $1 million, with a Palm Springs addiction treatment and homeless assistance facility that has partnered with the Riverside University Health System for the last few years.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on continuation of the agreement with MFI Recovery Center, a non-profit mental health and substance use treatment provider, until June 30, 2027.

MFI has operated The Path at 19531 McLane St. under an agreement with RUHS-Behavioral Health since 2021.

Officials said MFI will continue providing 24-hour services for people who are homeless and have serious mental health disorders, along with simultaneous substance abuse problems, according to documents posted to the board’s agenda.

“The facility … features both residential and non-residential treatment components that provide peer-to-peer engagement and support services in non-intrusive low demand environments,” according to RUHS. “The 24-hour residency offers no limit on length of stay, semi-private accommodations andcommon use of kitchen facilities, dining rooms and bathrooms that can serve up to 25 consumers, while the non-residential component consists of a drop-in center for those who are chronically homeless.”

The drop-in visitors can procure food and clothing, as well as complete bathroom needs and do laundry.

The board additionally authorized compensation increases of up to 10%, or $105,680, over the duration of the contract, potentially raising the total to $1.16 million.

The county intends to open bidding for potential new treatment center contracts in the current fiscal year. The one-year holdover agreement with MFI will allow time to complete arrangements for a new round of competitive bidding, officials said.

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CHP plans Labor Day DUI crackdown in southern California, across state

KESQ on September 1, 2026

City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – California Highway Patrol officers in Southern California and across the state will increase enforcement over the Labor Day weekend, focusing on impaired drivers during a 78-hour holiday enforcement period, the agency announced today.

The CHP’s Labor Day holiday enforcement period will begin at 6:01 p.m. Friday and continue through 11:59 p.m. Monday, with officers statewide focusing on removing impaired drivers from the road and educating motorists about the dangers of driving under the influence.

The enforcement period will coincide with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, which began Aug. 19 and will continue through Monday.

“There is no excuse for driving impaired. If you choose to drink or use a substance that affects your ability to drive, make a plan and stay out of the driver’s seat,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said.

“Your decision could be the difference between everyone getting home safely and a tragedy that canchange lives forever.” During the 2025 Labor Day enforcement period, CHP officers made morethan 1,200 impaired-driving arrests, according to the agency.

Nearly 500 DUI-related crashes occurred statewide during the same 78-hour reporting period, resulting in more than 270 injuries and eight deaths, according to preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

The CHP warned that impaired driving is not limited to alcohol. Cannabis, prescription medications, illegal drugs and some over-the-counter medications can impair a person’s ability to safely operate a vehicle.

Motorists planning to drink were urged to designate a sober driver, use public transportation or a rideshare service, call a taxi or stay at their location for the night.

The CHP also urged motorists to always wear seat belts and advised anyone who sees a suspected impaired driver on the road to call 911.

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