Author: KESQ

Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A new bill designed to keep you from being drugged is now in effect.

Bars across the state must now have a stack of lids available to protect drinks from being spiked. If you want a lid to protect your drink, just ask.

The law, which went into effect Tuesday, aims to deter drug-facilitated sexual assault.

Local bars, like Hunter’s Palm Springs, are equipped and optimistic.

“I hope it helps a lot of my customers. They will put something over their drink like paper but that’s not what we want happen. We want these where it’s more secure, tightly over the top of the drink. You’d have to see someone actually get in there and you have time to say ‘hey, what are you doing to my drink.’”

Mary Bongard, Hunter’s Palm Springs manager

Some patrons see possible holes.

“People start drinking, you get a little more liberated, mentally, physically, and I don’t think people really think it through.” 

Conrad Miller, Palm Springs resident

California bars and nightclubs are already required to post signs letting customers know that drug-testing kits are available. Now they have to keep a stack of lids handy — one more method for protecting patrons.

It’s supported by the LGBTQ+ community and alcohol safety organizations.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Cynthia White

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – In an effort to expand community access to specialty care services, Desert Healthcare District & Foundation awarded a grant of $236,555 to Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.

The grant primarily will fund 50 percent of the salary of the organization’s first Coachella Valley-based physician. The staff addition is expected to expand sexual and reproductive healthcare access, including among low-income and traditionally underserved patients across desert communities.

In recent years Planned Parenthood has increased efforts to remove barriers to access, streamline care, and improve community health outcomes. These efforts began with a renovation and expansion of its Rancho Mirage health center, followed by the hiring of an obstetrician-gynecologist, purchase of new equipment for diagnosis and treatment, and staff training to operate the equipment.

With a new physician, funded in part by the grant, the Rancho Mirage clinic will provide consultations, screenings, diagnosis and treatment for a variety of healthcare needs.

“Through this grant, the District is also addressing a significant health-care challenge in the Coachella Valley,” said Chris Christensen, Desert Healthcare District & Foundation CEO. “Bringing on this one physician will enable a local facility to increase patient volume and offer a broad range of lifesaving services.”

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Cynthia White

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Sheriff’s investigators were looking for a suspect in a shooting in the 75000 block of Pierce Street in Thermal on Wednesday night.

Deputies were called to that location just before 8:00 p.m. for a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and found a man there with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.

The victim was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

Authorities said no arrests had been made, and the investigation was ongoing.

Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for any updates.

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Cynthia White

BANNING, Calif. (CNS) – A felon accused of gunning down a 50-year-old man in a drive-by attack on the edge of the Morongo Indian Reservation northeast of Banning was charged on Wednesday with first-degree murder and other offenses.

Robert Eugene Leonard, 43, of Beaumont, was arrested over the weekend following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying of Orlando Lara of Banning.

Along with murder, Leonard was charged with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm, being in possession of controlled substances while armed, a special circumstance allegation of perpetrating a murder in a drive-by and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant made his initial court appearance Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, who appointed him a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for July 16th at the Banning Justice Center.

Leonard is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

Lara’s remains were discovered shortly before 11 p.m. June 25 in the 47000 block of Morongo Road, near Cottonwood Road, along the upper boundary of the reservation, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Alberto Loureiro. He said passers-by discovered the remains and called 911.

“Upon arrival, deputies found the male with a traumatic injury,” Loureiro said, confirming there were “obvious signs” the victim had been shot to death. The likely circumstances and motive were not disclosed.

Within two days, Central Homicide Unit detectives amassed sufficient evidence pointing to Leonard as the alleged shooter. He was tracked to a residence on the reservation, where he was taken into custody without incident late Friday night.

Court records did not list Leonard’s prior convictions, which occurred in another jurisdiction.

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Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — The American Reproductive Centers, the fertility clinic targeted in the Palm Springs terrorist attack, are now demolishing their old office and preparing for a new beginning.

Dr. Maher Abdallah, the clinic’s founder and chief doctor, says the rebuild will cost $17 million, not including the cost of new equipment.

While they did receive some insurance coverage, Dr. Abdallah says it’s only a fraction of that cost.

It’s why the $500,000 secured by Assemblyman Greg Wallis from the California state budget, comes at a perfect time.

“It’s a major change because we’re so used to lots of space in our buildings. Our own surgery center, IVF lab, andrology lab. It’s a smaller operation now,”

Dr. Abdallah says the clinic is quickly outgrowing it’s temporary home, across the street at the El Mirador Plaza. He estimates they’re working with a fifth of the space they’re used to, and it’s limiting their procedures.

Now, Dr. Abdallah says he’s eager to rebuild ARC, with plans to finish construction and reopen the new offices by May 2026.

“It will be the same as our last office, but it will be one building instead of two and it will have two stories. It will be better protected too. We’ll have higher walls and armed guards at all time.”

It’s a new, safer home, where he says ARC and it’s embryos will not just survive, but also thrive.

Following up on several embryos that reached blastocyst and fully developed despite the bombing, Dr. Abdallah told News Channel: “The patients that had active, embryos, they continued division. They became perfect blastocysts, and they’re genetically normal. Now we’re preparing for a surrogacy for that couple. I guarantee 99% those embryos will turn into a pregnancy.”

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Shay Lawson

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ)  – Robert Leon Wendler, a Vietnam veteran, is facing trouble in his efforts to attend an Honor Flight to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or ‘Vietnam Wall’ in September.

“When I first came home from Vietnam, we weren’t welcomed home,” Wendler said. “It was a very difficult thing for most of us Vietnam vets. Because of that, there are organizations out there that make it right by honoring Vietnam veterans and taking them free of charge to the Vietnam Wall.”

But Wendler can’t fly. He said he doesn’t have a REAL ID, now required for domestic air travel under Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines that took effect May 7, 2025.

“According to the rules, I have to have a REAL ID. I cannot get a REAL ID without my birth certificate,” Wendler said. “My birth certificate is under Robert Leon Jones. I can’t even get a copy of that because I can’t prove that that’s who I was.”

Wendler said he was born in Orange, California in 1950 as Robert Leon Jones. After his mother remarried in the 1960s, he began using the last name Wendler — the name he used to enlist in the military and for nearly every document since.

He said he was never legally adopted.

“The irony is, is that they didn’t ask me for a REAL ID when they put me on an airplane and sent me to Vietnam,” Wendler said.

Now to get his original birth certificate, he said he’s been told he must legally change his name back to Jones — and then begin the process again to return to Wendler.

“It’s a very time consuming and relatively expensive process,” Wendler said.

He said he’s reached out to local congressional offices and the DMV, but said help has been limited.

Beyond the Honor Flight, Wendler said his inability to fly is affecting his job.

He is the west coast regional director at Custom Canines, a nonprofit that places service dogs with veterans, over 400 in the past 15 years.

“If somebody is in a crisis, I need to be able to get to them,” Wendler said. “Right now, the government that I served is not helping me take care of my brothers and sisters.”

According to the California DMV, those who need a REAL ID must present a certified U.S. birth certificate or valid U.S. passport. If names don’t match, a legal name change document is required.

News Channel 3 has reached out to the DMV to find out if it can expedite a Real ID application and is waiting for a response.

Wendler said he understands there’s a process — but time is running out.

“I need to go to pay my respects,” Wendler said. “Then they fly me back home. But when you come home, there’s generally anywhere from 200 to 500 people waiting there for you to give you the welcome home that we never got.”

Wendler can be contacted directly at bob@customcanines.org

Stay with News Channel 3 for the full story at 10 and 11 p.m.

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Haley Meberg

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A Yucca Valley High School teacher was arrested Wednesday morning for embezzlement from the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. 

The Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Department reports that on June 18, a member of the Parent Teacher Organization called law enforcement to report the unauthorized withdrawal of funds from the PTO account. 

The current 34-year-old teacher, Ariana Rodriguez, was said to be the Parent Teacher Organizations account overseer and embezzled over $8,500 throughout a two-year period. 

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning investigators in this case obtained the arrest warrant for Rodriguez and booked her at Morongo Basin jail with a bail set at $30,000. 

The Morongo Unified School District has stated that, “The staff member has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to do so throughout the investigation.”

No official charges have been made at this time against the accused. 

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175 or contact We-Tip at 1-888-78-CRIME.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates on this investigation.

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Haley Meberg

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A Riverside County Sheriff’s Office deputy was involved in a traffic collision in Palm Desert early Wednesday morning.

It was reported that at approximately 8:10 a.m. Wednesday morning an on-duty deputy of Riverside County Sheriff’s office was involved in a crash off of Cook Street and Gerald Ford on his way to a service call. 

The California Highway Patrol arrived at the scene and began their investigation. The CHP removed the patrol car from the site but have not reported any injuries from the crash besides an initial unnamed person that was stuck in their vehicle.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates on this incident.

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Kendall Flynn

PALMS SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Regional Medical Center said every year they expect to see an increased number of people in the trauma center. Not only are people dehydrated from the Valley heat, but they get injured from fireworks, despite it being illegal in Palm Springs.

Last year Desert Regional only saw one patient with fireworks related injuries, which they say was surprising. They attribute the only injury to the fireworks ban in the city, but they say it doesn’t mean this year won’t be different.

Some cities in the Valley, including Indio, are “safe and sane” communities, meaning non flying or explosive fireworks are legal. Medical officials are warning even those types of fireworks, like sparkers, are dangerous, especially for children.

Sparklers can burn at up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, and medical officials say children do not know when to let go or understand that the flame works its way to the base of the sparkler stick.

Burns are just some of the injuries trauma centers see, and they can range from mild burns, to nearly or partially amputated extremities.

Desert Regional says you can see the trauma center for any medical treatment no matter the severity. However, if you have a burn larger than the palm of your hand, a near or partial amputation or eye injury, you should seek medical attention.

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Gavin Nguyen

CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – New technology in the Banning Pass is giving firefighters an advantage to fight wildfires in our region.

There are two heli-hydrant systems currently installed and operational in the Cabazon area on both the northern and southern sides of the I-10. The tanks were installed in mid-June.

These water tanks allow helicopters to refill within 10 seconds, cutting down the time it takes for pilots to seek other water sources, like lakes and reservoirs, or to land to refill.

Glenn Chavez, a certified installer of the heli-hydrant system, said providing a clean water source for helicopter pilots to draw water from is the key.

“They’re getting clean drinking water. There’s a couple of reasons. If they go to a golf course, those are shallow ponds. They’re picking up muck and there’s only so much water they can have there. It also clogs up their system in order to dump,” Chavez said.

Here’s how it works:

A helicopter pilot approaches the heli-hydrant, and with a push of a button, the tank begins to fill with water – up to 8,500 gallons. It can refill from empty in under seven minutes.

The helicopter pilot hovers over the tank and draws water.

Depending on the fuel load the helicopter is carrying, the pilot draws water to fill its water tank. Typically, that’s 1,200 or so gallons of water.

The pilot takes off, and the system is ready for the next helicopter to use.

Any helicopter with a “snorkel” device – used to draw water – is able to use the heli-hydrant. Nearly every firefighting helicopter you see is equipped with these snorkels.

No personnel is required to operate the system from the ground. Everything can be controlled by the helicopter pilots.

The new technology was unveiled just a couple of weeks before the Wolf Fire started, and was used heavily as firefighters performed aggressive air attacks to contain the fire.

Tawny Castro, a Senior Public Information Officer with CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department said, “It’s a lot of things falling into place at the right time.”

According to local water officials, these two heli-hydrants won’t be the only ones to be built in Riverside County. There are plans for additional ones to be deployed in Poppet Flats, Cherry Valley, and Beaumont, for a total of six that are confirmed. They also said there are plans for a seventh to be secured.

Each system costs roughly $300,000 to be installed, according to Larry Smith, Director of the San Gorgonio Pass Water Authority.

“Here in Riverside County, we decided to go all in. We’re going to go big and go six, hopefully seven. But yes, we should be proud of ourselves here in Riverside County. We are really leading the way,” Smith beamed.

Michael Pollack, the General Manager of the Cabazon Water District, also offered a fun fact about the two operational heli-hydrants in Cabazon right now. On the southern side of the I-10 lies the “Jenson Creek” heli-hydrant; on the northern side, a hydrant named “Littlefoot.”

The reason: “Cabazon is famous for dinosaurs. And the girls in the office, they named it after the baby long-necked dinosaur,” Pollack added with a laugh.

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