Author: KESQ

Kendall Flynn

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man who allegedly told security guards he would be “responsible for a bombing” at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival made his first court appearance Wednesday in Indio.

Davis Darvish, 40, of Santa Monica, was arrested after allegedly threatening to bomb the Coachella music festival. He was charged with making a false bomb report, which he pleaded not guilty to during his arraignment Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center.

He remains in custody on $1 million bail, according to booking records.

According to court records, police requested Davis’ bail be increased from $10,000 to $1 million due to his threats of mass violence at the festival, his unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement, and his recent international travel which would pose him as a flight risk.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini scheduled a felony settlement conference for April 25.

Darvish’s public defender argued during the arraignment that his client’s actions did not pose a credible threat to the community because he had nothing in his possession that would have constituted a threat, and instead the entire episode approximated a “crank call.”

The judge was unsympathetic to the argument and relied on a CCPD bail- setting declaration indicating that Darvish did represent a threat, ordering the defendant held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Darvish’s attorney, David Greenberg, sent a statement to News Channel 3:

“My client is a 40 year old educated man with no record whatsoever.  Unfortunately, he has recently struggled with some personal challenges.  I am confident that once all of the evidence is examined and brought to light, it will be clear that my client never intended any harm to befall anyone.”

Darvish was arrested Saturday after security guards at the Agua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City said they caught wind of him saying he intended to bomb the nearby festival.

Security quickly alerted police.

Officers tracked down Darvish’s Tesla using Flock ALPR – a system of surveillance cameras capable of reading and tracking license plates in real time. Investigators accessed DMV records to confirm the vehicle’s owner, then began searching for the Tesla’s movements throughout the Coachella Valley within minutes.

Check Out: How Police Tracked Down a Man Accused of Threatening to Bomb Coachella in Palm Springs

The car was found in Palm Springs and there was no immediate threat to festivalgoers or the public, according to police. When found, Darvish initially drove away from police, and attempted to walk away from his vehicle, but was taken into custody without resistance.

The vehicle search turned up with no explosives, weapons, or materials related to bomb-making, according to police.

The car was found in Palm Springs, police said. Darvish initially drove away from police, and attempted to walk away from his vehicle, but was ultimately taken into custody without resistance. A search of the vehicle turned up no explosives, weapons, or materials related to bomb-making, according to police.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.

Athena Jreij

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — Whether it’s rhinestones, western accessories or blast from the past styles, Thriftology in Palm Desert is welcoming locals and visitors to shop festival fashion.

“People are gravitating towards cowboy boots. Always having hats and scarves and bandanas to cover your face from the dust and then just anything that’s wild, crazy, neon and fringe,” Dutchess Sanchez, owner of Thriftology said.

The desert festival is well known for elaborate and referential outfits, and as fast fashion billboards clutter Interstate 10, she wants to remind festival-goers to think “secondhand” first.

“Some of the fast fashion that you see coming out. It doesn’t last more than one wear,” Sanchez said.

Alexis, a festival-goer from Kansas City, Missouri, says Thriftology is her go-to when she’s in town.

“I’ve been really searching for anywhere between, like, Billie Eilish and Doechii kind of vibes lately. So I like oversized pieces and then also like eclectic pieces that can kind of fit in with any wardrobe,” she said.

The boom festival season brings is welcome change for Sanchez’s store. She says the current economy and frugal shoppers have hurt store sales.

“It’s less people, but people are coming. But people are definitely doing more window shopping,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez says sales from Coachella and Stagecoach shopping will usually sustain Thriftology through a slow summer. Through March and April, the store will see sales nearly double.

Thriftology offers a 15% discount to any shoppers who donate clothing and accessories with them. For more information on Thriftology, visit: https://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/listing/thriftology/45157/

Gavin Nguyen

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Did you receive $2 in the mail asking for your response to a survey?

If you did, you were likely randomly chosen for a health survey ran by Health Assessment and Research for Communities, or HARC, Inc.

25,000 valley households were invited to participate in the survey online or in-person with a $2 bill in the envelope. HARC is offering $20 Visa gift cards for those who complete the survey.

HARC, Inc. releases new data every three years. The last report came in 2022, and now, in 2025, the nonprofit is asking for participants to help provide “insights into healthcare access, mental health, food insecurity, and more.”

A copy of the 2022 Edition of HARC’s Community Health Survey

According to Amairani Ramos, the Communications Manager for HARC, the nonprofit takes on the difficult task of sizing up a demographic that includes a large portion of part-time residents. She also acknowledges the vast differences between most health surveys, which lumps the Coachella Valley with western Riverside County, and HARC’s survey.

“We’re very unique as you mentioned, we have snowbirds in certain times of the year. We also have farmworkers. We also have people in Palm Springs whose income may vary from those farmworkers out in the East Valley,” Ramos explains. “We definitely have a different story from Riverside County and from other organizations. So [HARC’s] data is able to compile everyone and tell a more descriptive story of who we are.”

When talking about the healthcare providers in the desert that frequently cite survey data, Ramos says, “They’re able to calculate how many physicians they need in the area, whether it’s specialists for cancer or diabetes, asthma or anything else that may be prevalent in the area.”

Local nonprofits benefit, too. Jewish Family Service of the Desert is one of those organizations. Executive Director of the nonprofit, Kraig Johnson, says, “It’s what we use primarily to cite need for community services, need for our specific services in mental health and in social services. Case management. HARC is really the only source for that data locally.”

Johnson says the data is also helpful when the nonprofit applies for grant funding. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, certainly. We have about between 30 and 40 grants that we’re operating a year. And again, every single one of those applications, we will utilize HARC data.”

But Ramos says for this year’s survey, the nonprofit needs your help. Check your mailbox to see if you were one of 25,000 to be randomly selected to participate; if so, you’ve earned your $2. But they also encourage you to fill out the survey, and you’ll earn the $20 gift card, too. Ultimately, they say it’s for the benefit of yourself and the community.

HARC hopes to finish collecting responses by this month, though it could be extended if it does not reach its response goal. “We’re trying to reach 2000 adults and 500 children. We’re still very short of the adults and for the kids, we have about 400 surveys, so we’re a little bit closer.”

Ramos says after responses are collected, HARC contracts a third-party to accurately scale and tabulate the responses to the Coachella Valley’s population.

The survey is confidential. HARC says you can scan the QR code in the envelope to take the survey online. Respondents can also call HARC and request a paper form – just make sure you keep the unique code inside the flyer.

HARC was established in 2006 in Palm Desert and has released its report every three years since 2007. This year’s report is expected to be released in early 2026.

If you’d like to access previous health reports, you can view them on HARC’s website.

Garrett Hottle

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (April 16, 2025) — As artificial intelligence continues weaving its way into daily life, leaders across the Coachella Valley are coming together today to talk strategy and catch up.

Starting at 11:30 a.m., the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce will kick off its 2025 Signature Speaker Series with a luncheon focused on AI’s sweeping impact. The event, held at Mission Hills Country Club, brings together both national policy voices and local marketing minds.

Headlining the discussion is Jordan Crenshaw, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC), who also chairs its privacy working group and leads tech policy efforts. He’ll be joined by Andrew McCauley of Visit Greater Palm Springs.

Organizers say the event will dive into how AI is shifting the business landscape, helping nonprofits drive social change, and challenging organizations to keep pace in a fast-moving digital world.

Katie Slimko-Stice, CEO of the Rancho Mirage Chamber, called it a crucial moment for the region. “Understanding AI is no longer optional,” she said, adding that the gathering gives local leaders a chance to “navigate the AI revolution.”

Across town, Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) is also doubling down on AI. The organization announced it’s expanding its use of AI-powered tools to help meet rising demand and boost patient care. DOHC now partners with more than 15 tech platforms that offer round-the-clock access to remote health monitoring and symptom tracking.

The tools, the organization notes, are rigorously tested for accuracy and safety — built to assist care teams, not replace them.

Meanwhile, new national data is stirring the conversation further. A recent Pew Research Center study shows a split in public perception: just 17% of U.S. adults believe AI will have a positive effect over the next two decades, compared to 56% of AI experts. Both groups share concerns about the speed of innovation outpacing government oversight and a growing need for control over how the technology is used.

Stay tuned to News Channel 3 tonight at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 6:30pm for more on this story.

Julia Castro

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — A Goldenvoice representative apologized Tuesday for a chaotic start to Coachella Weekend One, where traffic delays left thousands of festivalgoers stranded for hours during a desert heatwave.

The trouble started on Thursday, when long lines of festival campers tried to stream into the festival’s onsite campgrounds. Many ran out of gas while waiting in their cars, and without access to water or restrooms. Some said they were forced to endure extreme conditions in their vehicles.

A Goldenvoice representative addressed the debacle at the La Quinta City Council meeting on Tuesday. George Cunningham said the traffic jam was caused by an unexpected surge in early arrivals.

City Councilmember Kathleen Fitzpatrick called Thursday’s traffic jam “unacceptable” and “a total embarrassment” as she shared resident complaints of traffic jams and concertgoers forced to use the roadside due to no restrooms being offered to these invited guests from all over the world.

“Every year, we typically have a lull between one o’clock and six o’clock in the evening where it just dies down,” Cunningham said. “We didn’t have that. Everybody wanted to come early… the campers were in and they wanted to be here,” Cunningham added.

Cunningham said a first-ever Thursday night concert in the campgrounds provided a draw for people to arrive earlier, which had not been experienced in past years of the festival.

Adding to the problem, not all checkpoints were fully staffed the representative said, creating even more congestion. In past years, campers were sometimes allowed in before the official 9 a.m. opening. That policy didn’t apply this year, leading to massive backups on surrounding roads.

To help prevent a repeat of last weekend, Goldenvoice says it’s adding more entry points for vehicles. George Cunningham, a company official, told council members that 12 new toll plazas are being added near Madison Street and 50th Avenue, bringing the total to 44.

“We are enacting another toll plaza… so in the past we’ve had 32 toll plazas, we’re adding an additional 12,” Cunningham said.

Goldenvoice says it will continue monitoring traffic this weekend and will make more changes if necessary, especially with Stagecoach just around the corner.

Campground gates for Coachella Weekend Two open Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

Festival attendees and residents are encouraged to plan ahead.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest Coachella traffic updates.

Allie Anthony

The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway in the heart of La Quinta is less than two weeks away, and you still have a chance to win it for just $100! Tickets are going fast for this stunning 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath home valued at $720,000.

Located in The Cove near Fritz Burns Park and Old Town La Quinta, this home, built by GHA Companies, features top of the line amenities and falls within the Desert Sands School District. Right now, the final touches are being put in place.

News Channel 3’s Allie Anthony took a tour with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Senior Advisor of Area Development Jennifer Castell.

Only 17,500 tickets to win this Dream Home will be sold, and those who reserve theirs by April 25th are also eligible for a $10,000 home shopping spree from BoConcept. Every ticket benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and supports the fight to end childhood cancer.

To reserve tickets, call 1-800-535-6748.

You can view the original article here: https://kesq.com/news/2025/04/16/a-tour-of-the-st-jude-dream-home-less-than-two-weeks-left-to-reserve-a-ticket-before-giveaway/

A tour of the St. Jude Dream Home; less than two weeks left to reserve a ticket before Giveaway

KESQ News Team

JFK Memorial Hospital is less than three miles away from the festival grounds.

We’re learning more about the emergency room visits there during weekend one of Coachella.

Emergency Department Director Evelin Millsap says staff saw the same medical issues they’ve seen in previous years – including dehydration, heat related illnesses, and substance abuse.

But Millsap adds that total visits this year were around double – “We had a total of 54 patients that we saw in two departments. This year, our volume doubled by a hundred patients.” She explains that a lack of nutrition, lack of hydration, and even overdoses of either drugs or alcohol abuse added to the increase in emergency room visits this time.