Author: KESQ

Timothy Foster

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As Holiday 2025 shopping ramps up, Coachella Valley consumers are balancing the convenience of big-box retailers with a growing push to shop local, while also keeping a close eye on return policies.

Major retailers like Amazon, Kohl’s, and Macy’s are offering extended return windows through January 31, 2026, for holiday purchases, giving shoppers flexibility after the holidays. Others, including Best Buy and Apple, have shorter deadlines or added restrictions, particularly on electronics and specialty items, underscoring the importance of checking store policies before buying.

At the same time, Shop Local campaigns are gaining momentum, encouraging residents to support community businesses for more meaningful and unique gifts.

Across the Coachella Valley, shoppers are turning to local boutiques, markets, and artisans for handcrafted items, curated collections, and personalized service that big-box stores often cannot match.

Areas like Downtown Palm Springs, Old Town La Quinta, the Uptown Design District, and weekly markets such as the College of the Desert Street Fair offer everything from artisan goods to vintage finds, often without the crowds or shipping delays.

Local business advocates say shopping small has a ripple effect. Dollars spent locally tend to stay in the community, supporting jobs, services, and charitable causes.

While national retailers may win on convenience and extended return options, local shops stand out for their one-of-a-kind gifts, experiential offerings like classes or tastings, and a more personal shopping experience. This holiday season, many Coachella Valley shoppers are mixing both approaches, using big retailers for ease while turning to local businesses for gifts that feel thoughtful, memorable, and rooted in the community.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Miley Cyrus will receive the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Cyrus is being honored for her new song “Dream As One” featured in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2026, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-12, 2026. The event will be presented by Kering and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight. We’ll be live from the red carpet of the Film Awards starting at 5:00 p.m. on CBS Local 2.

“A musician who needs no introduction, Miley Cyrus is a force in everything she does. Her song ‘Dream as One’ from Avatar: Fire and Ash is already a triumph, resonating with audiences around the globe,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “It is with tremendous excitement that we welcome Miley Cyrus to Palm Springs and present her with the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award.”

In Avatar: Fire and Ash, legendary filmmaker James Cameron transports audiences back to the breathtaking world of Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family returning. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Brendan Cowell, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans, Jr., and Kate Winslet.

Featured song “Dream as One” is performed by Miley Cyrus, with music and lyrics by Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Mark Ronson, and Simon Franglen. The ballad appears in the end credits and is featured on the film’s original soundtrack as well. The 20th Century Studios film releases in theaters nationwide this weekend.

Miley Cyrus is a GRAMMY Award®-winning, multi-platinum artist. At the 2024 GRAMMYs, she performed “Flowers,” 2023’s top-selling single, winning Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year. In 2025, her collaboration with Beyoncé won the Grammy for Best Country Duo Performance. Her eighth album, “Endless Summer Vacation,” dominated the charts, and her visual album “Something Beautiful” released in spring 2025.

As part of her multimedia infiltration, she appeared in one of the most popular episodes of Netflix’s Black Mirror as Ashley O, performing Nine Inch Nails re-imaginings and transfixing viewers.

Miley introduced her 501(c)3, Happy Hippie Foundation, in 2014. It has raised millions to support youth suffering from homelessness, especially those identifying as LGBTQ+. In 2024, she announced the launch of The Miley Cyrus Foundation, an extension of her philanthropic work focusing on supporting mothers in all their diversity.

Cyrus joins this year’s previously announced honorees:

Timothée Chalamet (Spotlight Actor of the Year Award)

Michael B. Jordan (Icon Award, Actor)

Rose Byrne (Breakthrough Performance Award)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor)

Ethan Hawke (Career Achievement Award)

Kate Hudson (Icon Award, Actress)

Adam Sandler (Chairman’s Award)

Amanda Seyfried (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress)

Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro and actors Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth (Visionary Award)

Hamnet director Chloé Zhao as well as actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal (Vanguard Award)

Sentimental Value cast members Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning (International Star Award)

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Isaiah Mora

ANZA, Calif. (KESQ) – A 3.4 magnitude earthquake shook things up near Anza on Friday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake took place just before 7 a.m. on Friday morning, just 12 miles east of southeast Anza. The earthquake was reported to have a depth of 13.2 kilometers.

According to responses from the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was also felt across the Coachella Valley including in Cathedral City, La Quinta, Palm Springs, Indio, and Palm Desert.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates on this story.

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City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A customs broker who siphoned more than $5 million from businesses that ship goods into the U.S. and who dodged paying at least $1 million in taxes was sentenced today to four years and three months in federal prison.

Frank Noah, 64, of Corona, was sentenced Thursday in downtown Los Angeles and also ordered to pay $7.57 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of tax evasion and two counts of wire fraud.   

Noah owned Comis International Inc., a logistics and supply-chain company headquartered in Cerritos. Comis worked as a customs import broker for the national Daiso chain — a Japan-based variety and value store with outlets in Southern California — from 2007 through 2019.

Noah admitted inflating customs import duty fees he paid while billing Daiso, resulting in the company overpaying Noah nearly $3.4 million.   

After Noah was indicted for defrauding Daiso in 2022, he continued to defraud other clients out of more than $2 million using a different scheme, according to his plea agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court.   

Noah also acknowledged causing a loss to the Internal Revenue Service of nearly $2.4 million by cheating on his taxes from 2008 to 2010, making partial payments for what he owed while using his income to make large payments on mortgages he put in the name of his girlfriend for properties in Corona and Rancho Mirage.

After agreeing with the Internal Revenue Service that he owed more than $1 million in taxes in 2014, Noah still avoided IRS attempts to collect the amount owed, and instead spent thousands of dollars on country club memberships, travel and golf purchases, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Jesus Reyes

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Act now to reserve your St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway ticket on Friday, December 19th and you’ll be eligible to win the house AND ALL of the additional prizes! That’s more ways to win while helping St. Jude!

Call 800-535-6748 to reserve your ticket for only $100 and help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® continue its life-saving work.

The home is being built by GHA Companies in the Silver Spur Ranch community in south Palm Desert right by The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. It’s a single-story, 2,600 square foot home. It will have three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a flex room, and a three-car garage. The home also includes an open concept layout, an upgraded kitchen with a large island, and a walk-in pantry.

Get your ticket now to be eligible to win the $2,500 VISA gift card courtesy of The Law Offices of Jeffrey Weaver, a Michael Phelps Legend Series LSX 900 hot tub with cover courtesy of Master Spas and fuel for a year valued at $3,000.

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Peter Daut

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – News Channel 3 has been investigating concerns about mold in an elementary school in Thermal.

It’s a story that we were first to break. Now the Coachella Valley Unified School District has released new details about mold findings and cleanup after parents publicly complained they were denied copies of reports and forced to sign confidentiality agreements.

I-Team investigator Peter Daut takes a closer look at the issue.

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KESQ News Team

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Yet another delay in the case against former Queer Works CEO Jacob Rostovsky, who is facing 53 felony counts stemming from an investigation into a Palm Springs universal basic income program.

Prosecutors accuse Rostovsky of stealing and misappropriating taxpayer funds meant for low-income residents.

Check out: Palm Springs City Council addresses Queer Works report

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.

The DA’s office argues the request is problematic, saying the diagnosis relies largely on self-reported symptoms and that Rostovsky developed anxiety after the investigation began — not while committing the crimes. 

“If defendant’s request sounds preposterous on its face, that’s because it is. The details of defendant’s petition and supporting documentation are even more problematic.”

“Although, the defendant, through his attorney,  claims to feel regret for his actions, in the more than two years that this case has been under active investigation and/or filed, the defendant has not repaid a single cent of the money he stole.”

The filing also notes Rostovsky was able to post an almost million-dollar bail and hire private attorneys and psychologists.

The judge did not review the motions on Wednesday, resetting the case to February 2026.

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Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – 29-PSP is a local non-profit organization of volunteers that work to provide Marines at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base rides to the Palm Springs International Airport during the holiday season.

This year organizers say they are facing high demand with a shortage of volunteers. Volunteers and 29-PSP officials said the original holiday transportation came from free rides by the Marine Corps base. This year they were told those rides would no longer be provided, and they do not know the reason.

Now organizers are working to get funding for rides and vans to transport the Marines. They say each ride costs around $50 and a van rental is $250.

News Channel 3 is working to get answers on what caused a decrease in volunteers and transportation for Marine travel this year, and the work organizers are putting in to make sure they reach their travel plans.

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City News Service

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – SunLine Transit Agency will offer free bus fares on all fixed routes starting early next week as part of its holiday free-fare program.

The service will take place from Monday through Jan. 2, excluding Christmas Day.

The agency stated the free fares will be its way of making travel for Coachella Valley residents easier while supporting equity and sustainability across several communities.  

A map of SunLine’s 1-9 fixed-route network can be found at www.sunline.org/services/sun-bus/routes-and-schedules.

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Jesus Reyes

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – An Oceanside man was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting three minors while in Joshua Tree, authorities said.

Ryan Granger, 43, was arrested on Wednesday in Oceanside. According to court records, he was charged with three counts of adult giving a controlled substance/narcotic to a minor, two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with child, and indecent exposure.

Granger remains in custody on $500,000 bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He is scheduled to be arraigned in court later today.

The case dates back to September 14. Deputies from the Morongo Basin Station responded to a report of lewd acts committed against a minor in the 61000 block of Twentynine Palms Highway.

“During the preliminary investigation, deputies determined on Saturday, September 13, 2025, three 15-year-old female juveniles were solicited by the suspect,” reads a police news release. “The suspect furnished illegal controlled substances and alcohol to the juveniles. While the victims were impaired and unable to care for themselves, the suspect committed lewd acts against them.”

Detective D. Rodriguez used advanced investigative techniques and public records to identify Granger as the suspect. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Granger, who was taken into custody on December 10.

Granger is currently being held at West Valley Detention Center in-lieu of a $500,000 bail.

Detectives believe there could be more victims, anyone with information related to this incident, or who may have had contact with the suspect under similar circumstances, is urged to contact the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station at (760) 366-4175.

Anonymous tips may be provided through the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or at www.wetip.com.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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