Author: KESQ

City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Three people were arrested and 26 others were cited during a DUI checkpoint in Indio, authorities said today.   

The checkpoint was held from 6 p.m. until midnight Monday at the intersection of Indio Boulevard and Oasis Street, according to the Indio Police Department.

One person was arrested on suspicion of DUI, two people were arrested on suspicion of warrants, and 26 people were cited for various traffic violations.   

The checkpoint location was determined based on data from impaired driving-related crashes. Funding for the checkpoint as provided by the California Cannabis Tax Grant.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 22-year-old Rancho Mirage man consumed a fatal dose of fentanyl that his friend helped him procure, a prosecutor said today, while the attorney for the accused countered that his client only aided in facilitating a transaction and “did not murder anybody.”

Riley Jacob Hagar, 28, of Cathedral City, is charged with second-degree murder for the death of Travis O’Brien on New Year’s Day 2022.   

“Travis O’Brien checked into a Motel 6 and never checked out,” Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Steven Sorensen told jurors Tuesday during his opening statement in Hagar’s trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. “Where did O’Brien get these pills (that killed him)?”

The prosecutor pointed the finger of blame at Hagar, a longtime acquaintance of the victim.  

Sorensen contended Hagar “is guilty of the charge of murder” stemming from O’Brien’s “acute fentanyl intoxication” death.

Defense attorney Ryan Markson challenged the prosecution’s narrative, rejecting the allegation that his client had a hand in the loss of O’Brien’s life.

“Riley Hagar didn’t murder anybody,” Markson told jurors.   

He noted O’Brien was desperate for money at the end of 2021 and was trying to unload 200 M30 “blues” containing the synthetic opioid fentanyl, but he couldn’t find a buyer.

Hagar was in contact with a known supplier, Nicholas Rodriguez, who goes by the moniker “Niko,” and arranged on New Year’s Eve for the latter to buy some of O’Brien’s pills, according to the defense.   

The attorney said his client had cautioned O’Brien not to take any of the pills, a few of which Niko purchased.   

At some point just before or after the transaction, O’Brien digested the fentanyl that led to his death, according to court papers.   

Hagar, who is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center, was arrested in August 2022, following a months-long investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Overdose Death Investigations Unit.   

Sgt. Ryan Marcuse said that on the afternoon of Jan. 1, 2022, deputies were called to the Motel 6 in the 69000 block of Highway 111, where the young man was discovered unconscious and presumed dead. Paramedics arrived a short time later and confirmed he’d died at the scene. The autopsy pointed to fentanyl poisoning.  

Hagar has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.   

Since February 2021, prosecutors have charged more than three dozen people in connection with fentanyl poisonings. Two prosecutions have resulted in murder convictions.  

Preliminary public health statistics indicated there were 229 suspected fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2025, compared to 351 confirmed poisonings in 2024, a roughly 40% decline.

Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.

It’s 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a recipient knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.

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Daniella Lake

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – For our final Celebrating Black History story, we’re spotlighting local artists who’ve made significant contributions to art and culture. Alvin Taylor, a Palm Springs native, is a world-renowned drummer known for his work with Elton John, George Harrison and Billy Preston.

“When you are playing and you’re in the zone, it’s like, wow, you know, no better feeling,” Taylor says.

He started out as drum major for the Palm Springs High School marching band. He then went on to become part of Little Richard’s band and open for Elvis Presley. Taylor also performed at the first airing of Saturday Night Live. He received a star on the Palm Springs walk of fame exactly 8 years ago on February 24, 2018.

“I couldn’t believe it. It’s such a wonderful feeling. A feeling of acceptance,” says Taylor.

Bernard Hoyes is a visual artist based in Desert Hot Springs. His artwork is inspired by African spirituality and growing up in Jamaica.

“I was in the streets in downtown Kingston, pretty much floundering, but in a way, trying to figure out the life of a young man. And my artistic talents kind of came to the top,” says Hoyes.

He painted the mural on the side of St. Paul’s church in Palm Springs. He also designed the statue along Tahquitz Canyon titled diversity.

“I use a DNA genome with the hummingbirds at the top to show the commonality of all beings through the DNA,” says Hoyes.

Hoyes has an upcoming exhibit at the San Bernardino County Museum.

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María García

UPDATE 02/24/2026

The Sig Alert has been lifted.

ORIGINAL 02/24/2026

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Sig Alert has been issued following a crash caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 10 in Indio Tuesday morning.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a Nissan Sentra was traveling the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of I-10, just east of Dillon Road, when it collided head-on with a Toyota Camry.

Investigators say the driver of the Sentra was suspected of driving under the influence. He suffered critical injuries in the crash and later succumbed to those injuries. Authorities have not yet released his identity.

The driver of the Toyota Camry sustained minor injuries.

The freeway remains closed at Dillon Road as crews continue their investigation and clear the scene.

Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.

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Joel Killam

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A small fire was seen Monday night in an area of tamarisk trees near Agua Caliente, seen in video recorded by News Channel 3. The fire was recorded shortly after 7:30 p.m.

CAL FIRE officials have been contacted for information on the cause.

The incident comes one week after city leaders raised safety concerns following several small fires linked to homeless encampments in the same general area.

Last Wednesday, firefighters removed multiple encampments set up in tamarisk trees along the railroad tracks and Interstate 10. Crews later returned the next day when a fire in those trees appeared to rekindle.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs boasts one of the highest concentrations of LGBTQ residents per capita in the nation and as gay men over 50 look at the next chapter of their lives, a new Palm Springs-based company is launching a weekend retreat designed to help them find purpose and connection. It will be held March 27th through 29th.

News Channel 3’s Peter Daut spoke today with the co-founder of the What Matters Next Retreat, Christian Winslow. 

For more information, visit whatmattersnext.com

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City News Service

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The 19th annual Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival will be held next month at Civic Center Park in Palm Desert, celebrating the region’s desert environment.  

The free event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 7 at 43900 San Pablo Ave.  

Hosted by Friends of the Desert Mountains and sponsored by the city of Palm Desert, the festival will feature native plants, a youth art contest, arts and crafts activities and food vendors, organizers said.

The all-ages event promotes environmental education, land conservation and appreciation of the desert mountains, according to organizers.   

More information is available at desertmountains.org.

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – Dozens of Palm Springs community members gathered to give their input on the drafted Tramview Heights Specific Plan.

It was the fourth community open house aimed at collecting input.

The plan — formerly known as the College Park Specific Plan — covers neighborhoods including Desert Highlands, Gateway Estates, Mountain Gate and Palm Springs Villas.

Palm Springs city leaders said it was originally crafted around 2011 when a College of the Desert campus was expected to be built in the area. After the college moved forward with construction at a different site, the city began reexamining what residents want for the neighborhood.

Christopher Hadwin, Palm Springs planning director, said the effort is focused on updating development standards to reflect current community needs.

“They want a grocery store,” Hadwin said. “They want things that will really serve the local community. Banks, grocery stores, dry cleaners, restaurants and things that they can have access to within their own neighborhood.”

Hadwin said after additional feedback is gathered, the proposal would eventually go before the Planning Commission and later the City Council, though no formal decisions have been made.

He emphasized that community engagement remains central to the process.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A felon who gunned down an Indio man during a street confrontation stemming from an apparent grudge was convicted today of second-degree murder and other charges.

After two days of deliberations, an Indio jury on Wednesday found Hilario Larry Muela Jr., 39, of Indio, guilty of the murder count, along with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm, illegal possession of a gun and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2023 death of 36-year-old Marco Ramirez Jr.   

Riverside County Superior Court Judge James Hawkins did not immediately schedule a sentencing date at the Larson Justice Center. Muela is being held without bail at the nearby Benoit Detention Center.

“This is not a case of self-defense. This is a case of a man who was shot two times,” Deputy District Attorney Jenna Barsamian told jurors in her opening statement last week.

The prosecutor recalled the victim and defendant were familiar with one another and not on good terms.

She said that shortly after 1 a.m. Feb. 3, 2023, Muela was walking through the 45600 block of Smurr Street, near Requa Avenue, just north of Highway 111, when he passed Ramirez and a few other people outside the victim’s home.

Barsamian said Muela later admitted to Indio Police Department investigators that he was armed, but the pistol “was just a backup type of thing.”

The prosecutor told jurors there had been bad blood between Muela and Ramirez and something triggered the defendant during their encounter that morning, leading him to see “an opportunity to gain revenge on prior grievances.”

Muela pulled his pistol and shot the victim twice in the back. Ramirez died at the scene.  

The defendant fled the location, but he was quickly identified as the assailant and taken into custody without incident that afternoon.   

Defense attorney Joshua Visco told the jury that “Mr. Muela acted in self-defense, and he is not guilty of murder.”   

Visco also pointed to previous conflicts between the men, but he insisted his client was not the gadfly.

The attorney maintained that Muela only pulled his gun and opened fire to prevent harm to himself, but he did not elaborate on the exact circumstances.

Court records show the defendant has prior convictions that resulted in prison time, but they weren’t specified.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Thousands of unionized nurses and health care professionals at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California and Hawaii will return to work Tuesday, ending a roughly four-week strike carried out amid prolonged contract talks, union officials said today.

Officials with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals said in a statement there has been “significant movement at the bargaining table” over the past 48 hours, prompting them to call for an end to the strike as of 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The union also called off all picketing activity on Monday as the union and Kaiser “finalize return-to-work agreements.”   

The nurses’ strike began on Jan. 26. Union officials called it the “largest open-ended strike of registered nurses and health care professionals in United States history.”

There were no immediate details available about the how close the two sides were to reaching a contract agreement, or what issues may have been resolved.

Kaiser officials said in a statement that the union has accepted the healthcare system’s offer of 21.5% across-the-board wage increase, calling the development “good progress” that “moves us closer to a contract agreement.” Kaiser officials said the union had been asking for increases of up to 63% over four years.   

“We made it clear when we presented this (21.5%) offer on Oct. 2, 2025, that this was the maximum we could offer and keep care affordable for our members and patients,” according to Kaiser. “Importantly, the increase is higher than any other health care provider in the country and keeps our employees at above market pay and among the best paid caregivers in the country.”

The roughly 31,000 members of the UNAC/UHCP had vowed to stay on strike until a fair contract agreement was reached. UNAC/UHCP members include registered nurses, pharmacists, nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, midwives, physician assistants, rehab therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians and other specialty health care professionals.

“We’re striking because Kaiser has committed serious unfair labor practices and because Kaiser refuses to bargain in good faith over staffing that protects patients, workload standards that stop moral injury and the respect and dignity that Kaiser caregivers have been denied for far too long,” registered nurse Charmaine Morales, president of UNAC/UHCP, said previously.   

Camille Applin-Jones, senior vice president at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, previously described Kaiser’s latest contract offer as “one of the strongest nursing contract offers in California this year” once step increases and local adjustments are factored in.

“Despite the union’s claims, this strike is about wages. This open-ended strike by UNAC/UHCP is unnecessary when such a generous offer is on the table. The strike is designed to disrupt the lives of our patients — the very people we are all here to serve,” Applin-Jones said.

The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Kaiser with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company walked away from the bargaining table in December and attempted to bypass the agreed-upon national bargaining process. The union has been bargaining with Kaiser since last May.

Kaiser officials said Monday: “Our bargaining with UNAC/UHCP and each of the Alliance of Health Care Unions continues at local tables. We are continuing to make progress and remain optimistic about reaching contract agreements soon.”

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