Author: KESQ

María García

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Community reaction is pouring in after the delay in the case against former Queer Works CEO Jacob Rostovsky. He faces 53 felony counts stemming from an investigation into a Palm Springs universal basic program.

According to documents from the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, Rostovsky’s defense team filed a motion for mental health diversion, claiming he was mentally ill at the time of the alleged crimes.

CEO and founder of the Transgender Health and Wellness Center, Thomi Clinton says their office was receiving death threats because people kept getting them confused with Queer Works.

“We had to say our names are not even similar, but they don’t hear that,” said Clinton.

She says the delay to the case doesn’t make sense, “All trans people have anxiety that doesn’t excuse you from doing criminal conduct, especially when people are calling you all the time saying, I’m about to lose my place, Clinton said.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Click here to follow the original article.

KESQ News Team

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – New information tonight on Peter Daut’s I-Team investigation on mold at a CVUSD elementary school.

News Channel 3 can confirm with you tonight that black mold was not found at John Kelley Elementary School.

CVUSD has been addressing mold in rooms 52 and 53. Black mold is a fungi called Stachybotrys. School officials have confirmed that it has not been found.

This comes as the school tells News Channel 3 that more mold testing will continue in other areas of the school through the winter break.

District officials said parents should be prepared for some students to be temporarily placed into other classrooms if more remediation work is needed.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Healthcare District and Foundation awarded more than $1 million in grants to five nonprofit organizations in the Coachella Valley designed for mental and behavioral health services and programs, along with a pair of other unrelated grants.

On Tuesday, the District and Foundation Board approved $1,039,139 to five out the 19 organizations that applied to a request for proposals titled, “Empowering Resilient Youth and Families: Advancing Mental and Behavioral Health Support.”

District officials revealed Thursday the organization’s names and their uses for the grants.

Olive Crest, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing child abuse and offers 24/7 crisis response, was awarded $249,865 to support key Crisis Response Team staff, who provide case management, trauma-informed therapeutic support and coordinated care among young people and families.

Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City was awarded $140,732 to support partial salaries of five key staff positions, on-site clinical counseling though a subcontract with Jewish Family Services of the Desert, trauma-informed training and essential program infrastructure.

El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center provides bilingual behavioral health services, peer support, housing and other services was awarded $248,565. The funds will be used toward supporting six positions and cover a behavioral health consultant.

Oak Grove Institute Foundation was awarded $248,055, which will be used to support the partial salary of a case manager, items related to medical and mental health expenses and up to 600 sessions with a consultant mental health therapist.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Desert was awarded $151,922. Funding will support staff and essential training and materials, community workshops and peer-to-peer groups among other items.

In addition to the grants, the district and foundation board awarded $326,000 to Desert Cancer Foundation and $200,000 to Vision to Learn.   

The total awarded came out to  $1,565,139. All nonprofit organizations have a project period from Jan.1 to Dec. 31, 2027.   

“In many ways 2025 has been a rewarding year for the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation,” CEO Chris Christensen said in a statement. “It is especially gratifying for the board and staff to respond to the Coachella Valley’s needs through our grants program, whether we’re funding essential mental and behavioral health services or supporting the staffing and programmatic needs of a great organization like the Desert Cancer Foundation.”

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-cop accused of roughing up two boys while arresting them after they fled an alleged burglary at Desert Hot Springs High School pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.

Johnny Acosta, 30, was arrested last month following a year-long Riverside County Force Investigations Detail Task Force probe into the allegedacts involving excessive use of force.   

Acosta is charged with gun assault, filing a false report and assault by a peace officer.

He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge John Evans, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Jan. 22 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Acosta is free on a $30,000 bond.   

According to the District Attorney’s Office, shortly before 2 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2024, Desert Hot Springs Police Department patrol units were sent to the high school on Pierson Boulevard to investigate a possible break-in.   

Acosta was among the patrolmen who encountered four male suspects fleeing the location when the officers approached, prosecutors said.   

The defendant pursued one 17-year-old boy, resulting in the first act of alleged excessive force, then went after another 17-year-old, culminating in the second alleged instance of heavy-handedness, according to investigators.   

The youths were ultimately taken into custody without incident, and there was no indication that either suffered injuries that required hospitalization.

The specific actions on the part of the defendant were not disclosed, and there was no word regarding damage to the campus during the reported burglary.

Acosta was placed on administrative leave the same day, after which an internal investigation was initiated that led to his dismissal from the police department last March 27.

Acosta was arrested without incident by District Attorney’s Office investigators on Nov. 7 and quickly posted bail.

Click here to follow the original article.

Garrett Hottle

LANDERS, Calif. (KESQ) In the heart of the Mojave Desert, a white wooden dome rises from the landscape, isolated and enigmatic, resembling a relic from a science fiction film.

The structure is known as the Integratron, long associated with UFO lore, extraterrestrial theories and claims that it was designed to manipulate time itself.

The Integratron was built in the 1950s by George Van Tassel, an aerospace engineer who said he was contacted by extraterrestrials and given instructions to construct what he believed would be a time machine. Van Tassel claimed the device could rejuvenate the human body and extend life by harnessing Earth’s natural energy.

He chose a site near Landers, believing it sat atop a powerful geomagnetic area capable of amplifying that energy. The dome itself is constructed entirely of wood, without nails or metal. Inside, the circular room produces striking acoustics, allowing even a whisper to carry clearly across the space.

Michael Aquino, a family steward of the Integratron, said Van Tassel was a highly intelligent engineer whose ideas were rooted in a desire to help humanity.

Van Tassel died before the Integratron was completed. Years later, the property was purchased by three sisters who believed the structure still served a purpose. Their family continues to live near the site and maintain the building today.

While the Integratron’s origins are tied to extraterrestrial claims and desert mysticism, its modern identity has shifted.

Today, the Integratron is no longer centered on UFOs or time travel. Instead, it has become a destination for sound baths, immersive sessions in which visitors lie beneath the dome as crystal bowls are played, filling the space with layered vibrations. Practitioners say the sound resonates throughout the body, helping to slow the nervous system and quiet the mind.

Sound therapy has emerged as a fast-growing segment of the global wellness industry, driven by rising levels of stress, anxiety and burnout. Once considered unconventional, sound-based experiences are now increasingly common in retreats, studios and wellness centers.

Aquino said he regularly observes noticeable changes in participants following sessions.

“People can come in with a heaviness or fear,” he said. “And when they come back down, their faces are completely changed.”

Participants frequently report feeling calmer, lighter and emotionally affected after sessions. 

That contrast is especially noticeable during the Christmas season, when many visitors seek moments of reflection amid a busy and emotionally charged time of year.

Once defined by alien theories and desert mystery, the Integratron has become a space for stillness, connection and introspection.

Built as a time machine, it no longer promises journeys to the past or future. Instead, it offers something quieter and more immediate: a moment of presence in the now.

For more information on the Integratron visit this link.

Tune into News Channel Three Friday evening for News Channel Three’s Garrett Hottle full report. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A vehicle crashed into a wall while being followed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Friday afternoon in Indio.

Check Out: Reports of possible ICE activity raise concerns across Coachella Valley

The crash was reported at around 12:30 p.m. in the 46000 block of Vargas Road.

“During the investigation, officers learned that agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were searching for a person and vehicle they had previously attempted to stop in Salton City. Before being located by ICE, the vehicle, a Ford Focus, was involved in a traffic collision and struck a mailbox that was mounted on a block wall,” reads an updated news release from the Indio Police Department.

ICE detained a 34-year-old man at the scene. IPD wrote that the driver was wanted for an immigration violation and, as a precaution, was transported to a local hospital.

Three children were also inside the vehicle at the time of the collision. The children were not seriously injured and were properly restrained in the vehicle at the time of the collision. The three children were transported to a local hospital as a precaution for evaluation, where they will be reunited with their mother.

IPD added, “The Indio Police Department’s involvement was limited to responding to the trafficcollision, ensuring roadway safety, and coordinating appropriate medical response. The Indio Police Department was not involved in any ICE enforcement or investigative actions and did not participate in the ICE operation.”

We’ve reached out to ICE for additional information but have not heard back. Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Road and lane closures will be in effect next month on S. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs for gas line installation as part of the South Palm Canyon Bridge Project.  

Southern California Gas company crews will cut and excavate work related to the gas line installation on Jan. 5-6 from 7 a.m. through 3:30 p.m., with one lane to remain open for traffic.

Nighttime road closures will take place from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Jan. 12-16 on both directions of South Palm Canyon Drive between East Sunny Dunes Road and Mesquite Avenue. Motorists will be detoured to Belardo Road, and the traffic signal at Sunny Dunes Road will operate in flashing mode during the nighttime closures, officials said.   

The gas line installation will not affect nearby residents gas services, and the schedule may change due to weather or field conditions, officials said.

Construction on the bridge will continue through late next year.   

More information on the project can be found at www.SouthPalmCanyonBridge.com.

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two people were arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts in public following a public safety enforcement operation at Rancho Mirage Community Park, authorities announced today.  

The suspects, a 45-year-old from Thousand Palms and a 62-year-old from Rancho Mirage, were booked at Benoit Detention Center in Indio, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies and the city’s Problem-Oriented Policing team coordinated with the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force to conduct the operation Wednesday after people complained of “ongoing illegal activity within the park,” located in the 71000 block of San Jacinto Drive, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Whitley.  

The operation aimed to address of quality-of-life concerns and to make sure the park remained safe and family-friendly, Whitley said.   

Details on the alleged crimes were not immediately available.   

“These enforcement operations are conducted to preserve the quality of life for residents and visitors throughout Rancho Mirage and the greater Coachella Valley,” the department stated.

Anyone with additional information was urged to contact Deputy Nicholas Cazee at 760-836-1600.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Coachella Valley LGBTQ leaders say the community continues to struggle mental health, especially after national and local political discussions.

This week, the Palm Desert City Council held a special meeting to address a request made by Mayor Pro Tem Joe Pradetto for the city to rescind a resolution, meaning the city would no longer recognize Pride month with a banner on City Hall.

The request stirred conversations throughout the Valley as many locals were upset with the request, prompting over 50 speakers to share their opposition to the proposal during the special meeting.

While the request was shut down by city council on Tuesday, local leaders say they believe the safe “bubble” for LGBTQ members in the Coachella Valley has been cracked.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from officials on the state of mental health in the LGBTQ community and what the future looks like.

Click here to follow the original article.

Luis Avila

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Residents across the Coachella Valley are expressing concern after videos began circulating online that appear to show immigration enforcement activity in the area.

Reginaldo Lopez, owner of Better Garden, said three of his employees were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Palm Springs on Wednesday.

“Stressful and really sad because when my son got there they were already taken. The vehicle was abandoned at the gas station and then — like nothing… One of them was my brother. The other two are like family to us because we work as a team to try to get things down.”

Reginaldo Lopez, Better Garden Owner

Lopez added that the detentions have had a significant impact on his business.

Local leaders have also responded to the reports. Indio City Council member Oscar Ortiz took to social media to address concerns, noting that there have been multiple reports of detentions across the city.

Check Out: Reports of possible ICE activity raise concerns across Coachella Valley

Ortiz says he’s working with community organizations, including TODEC, to help locate those who have been taken into custody and provide legal support.

“We’re seeing some cases where people are having a hard time tracking family members or friends that are going into detention centers so we’re helping them locate those family members and provide legal services.”

Oscar Ortiz, Indio Council member

He emphasized the importance of staying informed and knowing one’s rights.

Lopez said he has been able to locate his brother, who is currently in custody in Los Angeles, but uncertainty remains regarding the other detained employees.

News Channel 3 has not been able to independently confirm the presence of ICE agents or any official enforcement operations in the area.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Click here to follow the original article.