Author: KESQ

Spencer Blum

An Air Quality Alert remains in place this Sunday morning as we continue to track elevated winds. Thankfully, the air quality isn’t the worst we’ve ever seen, but it is still not perfect. Temperatures today will be very comfortable and mild in the upper 70s, quite below average for early May.

Here’s a look at our FutureTrack. We can see that winds will increase again as we head into it this evening. The winds will be fairly widespread. As we head into tomorrow, the winds will not be nearly as strong, but they may still be a tad bit elevated.

Get ready for some heat! Temperatures are mild and well below average to start the week, but they will quickly warm back up! Expect highs in the triple digits by the end of the workweek.

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Garrett Hottle

Update – 5/5/25 1:45 p.m. Monday

Indian Canyon has been reopened.

Update – 5/5/25 11:05 a.m. Monday

Gene Autry Trail has been reopened, city officials confirmed.

Indian Canyon remains closed.

Update – 5/4/25 2:35 p.m. Sunday

Indian Canyon Drive through the wash in Palm Springs is now closed due to weather conditions.

Original Report

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) A portion of North Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs was closed due to blowing sand and low visibility, Palm Springs Police said in a Sunday morning press release.

The closure affects North Gene Autry Trail between Salvia Road and Via Escuela, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

It’s unclear how long the closure will remain in effect.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Kendall Flynn

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Congressman Raul Ruiz held a town hall meeting with House Democratic Steering & Policy Co-Chair Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and special guest Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Residents gathered from across the Coachella Valley to hear statements from Ruiz, Barragán and Jeffries on policy concerns they have. Many of the topics included the Republican budget cuts, women’s health rights and the dismantling of the Department of Education.

News Channel 3 spoke with Hakeem Jeffries and Raul Ruiz one-on-one before the town hall, to discuss it’s importance for Valley residents.

“It’s so important right now that we capture the momentum and listen to the American people, my constituents, the people right here in the Coachella Valley, about their real anxieties and fears of what this administration is doing,” Ruiz said.

“Our message to the people here in the Coachella Valley and across the country, is we hear you, we see you, we feel you,” Jeffries said. “We know this is a time of great anxiety, but we are committed to doing everything possible to make life better for you.”

Many residents said they’ve been concerned with the budget cuts, and come to the town hall looking for answers.

“I live in a senior community, and we have fear there because of Medicaid, Medicare benefits being cut,” Yasmin Espinoza of Cathedral City said. “We have the fear of losing benefits from Social Security.”

Stay with News Channel 3 tonight to hear how Ruiz, Jeffries and Barragán reponded to residents questions and concerns.

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Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A First Alert Weather Alert is in place Saturday and Sunday as we track gusty winds and rain chances this weekend.

A pocket of rain looks like it made its way through parts La Quinta, Indian Wells, and Indio just after 3:00 p.m. today.

Rain chances look to increase on Sunday. Our models show potential rainfall in the afternoon, but we’re not ruling out the possibility of light rain as early as Sunday morning!

The winds and travel impacts remain the biggest concern for us in the valley. A Wind Advisory is in place for the Banning Pass and Desert Hot Springs this evening and into tomorrow morning. Gusts in those areas are expected near 55 MPH. An Air Quality Alert is also in place from 2:00 p.m. Saturday through 2:00 p.m. Sunday for the rest of the Coachella Valley.

While calm for the early parts of today, our FutureTrack models tell us we should expect increased gusts tonight. By dinnertime, winds are expected to be widespread, with gusts nearing 30 MPH for most of our valley cities; our windier spots like Desert Hot Springs could be pushing 45-50 MPH by then.

There’s not much relief in sight for Sunday. Continued breezy to gusty conditions for most of the Coachella Valley is expected.

Temperatures drop sharply from Saturday to Sunday. Palm Springs saw a high in the 90s today; tomorrow, we’re expecting highs in the upper 70s. We stay cooler than normal to start the workweek, but gradually warm throughout the week. Triple-digits appear to make a return by next weekend.

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Spencer Blum

Happy Saturday! We are under a First Alert Weather Alert today as we begin to track the impacts of an incoming low pressure system. This system will increase winds throughout Southern California and lead to widespread breezy to gusty conditions as we head into the afternoon.

An Air Quality Alert will take effect at 2 PM later this afternoon as we track potential air quality concerns throughout the Coachella Valley. A Wind Advisory is also in place for the San Gorgonio Pass and Desert Hot Springs.

Taking a look at the next seven days, we can see a bit of a rollercoaster in our temperatures. Highs will fall back into the 70s by tomorrow. Temperatures will slowly warm back up next week, reaching the triple digits by Friday. We will remain under a First Alert Weather Alert through the weekend.

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Cynthia White

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Local Catholics continued to remember and honor Pope Francis on Friday evening at a special mass held at Sacred Heart church in Palm Desert.

Father Ian Hollick says it was important to bring the different parishes of the area together for the special mass because people need to have an outlet to mourn in times of sadness.

Hollick continued, “I think so often in life people will say, ‘Oh, just don’t be sad, just enjoy life.’ But there’s a time to weep and there’s a time to dance and so this is definitely a time for us to gather together and be sad together.”

The Pontiff passed away at the age of 88 last week, on Easter Monday.

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Athena Jreij

SALTON CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A group of parents at West Shores High School in Salton City say the school has a bullying problem that turned violent this week, as several students can be seen in a school yard fight video.

Jerson Ceja reached out to News Channel 3 asking for help. He says over the past few months, online tensions have escalated into violence on campus.

“It makes me feel like the school’s not safe, especially on the video. You can see they don’t have a lot of security,” Ceja said.

Ceja shared video with News Channel 3 of his daughter and her friend assaulted on campus. Parents say the altercation led to head injuries for both girls.

Her friends mother, Melissa Mendoza-Garnica, agrees the issue needs a solution and quick.

“At some point she told me that she blacked out, that it was so many people around her and stuff that she couldn’t even think. All she felt was hits and blows to her face,” Mendoza-Garnica said her daughter told her about the fight.

Holding officials accountable, News Channel 3’s Athena Jreij took parents’ concerns to the Coachella Valley Unified School District’s student support service team.

Karina Vega and Julisa Hernandez say existing programs at West Shores High try to target violence before it happens.

“Before conflict even happens, we already have interventions in place.  So they have social emotional lessons. They have opportunity for dialog. We have restorative questions that are asked of the students weekly,” Vega said.

They also say families have been given resources to seek counseling at the school, but parents say that’s not enough.

“My daughter can go to therapy all she wants. But if these girls keep antagonizing her, how is that going to help?” Mendoza-Garnica said.

Both parents and administrators say the issue of violence is much bigger than just one fight.

“There’s a lot of outside stressors on our students right now. Immigration, political issues, family conflict. We have a lot of grief, separation, divorce,” Vega said.

Both families filed police reports with the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office. News Channel 3 reached out to authorities but has yet to hear back.

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City News Service

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Construction on South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs is set to begin next week, and city officials advised commuters to prepare for long-term lane closures.  

Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily from May 5 to May 7, with a bridge demolition scheduled for May 12, according to city officials   

Long-term traffic control will be installed ahead of the demolition and remain in place for eight to 10 months.   

According to the city, commuters can expect the following traffic changes:  

— One lane open for traffic in each direction, shifted to the east side of the bridge;

— The southbound lane on South Palm Canyon Drive will provide business access and serve as an alternate route via East Sunny Dunes;  

— Only right turns will be permitted at East Sunny Dunes;    — The west-side sidewalk will be closed for the duration of the project;   

— SunLine bus stops 630 and 492 on Route One West Valley near South Palm Canyon Drive and East Sunny Dunes will be closed throughout construction; and

— The speed limit will be reduced to 40 mph in the construction zone, with doubled traffic fines enforced.

Officials urged the public to plan ahead and use alternate routes to avoid delays.

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Jesus Reyes

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A teacher at a private school in Rancho Mirage charged with raping a teenager pleaded not guilty on Friday.

Stephen Spurlock, 43, a now former 3rd grade teacher at Palm Valley School, is charged with 21 felonies, including 19 counts of rape. He is set to return to court on May 7 at the Joshua Tree courthouse.

In addition to his time at PVS, Spurlock worked as a guest teacher/certificated specialist in the Desert Sands Unified School District from August 2013 to June 2022.

Spurlock’s wife, Ashley Spurlock, works as the Head of Lower School at PVS. School leaders said that while the charges did not involve Mrs. Spurlock, she has been placed on administrative leave and restricted from campus.

Spurlock, a Yucca Valley resident, was arrested Tuesday morning. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, his arrest came a day after a 911 call alerted authorities to allegations of ongoing sexual abuse between Spurlock and a teenager.

Deputies learned that Spurlock molested the victim on countless occasions over a nearly two-year span.

Investigators located additional evidence of the crime during a search warrant at Spurlock’s Yucca Valley residence, authorities added.

PVS officials told News Channel 3 that the incident did not involve a PVS student, nor did it occur on school property.

Detectives believe that, given the nature of this abuse by Spurlock and in his capacity as a school teacher and coach, it’s believed there may be additional victims in both San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. 

Anyone who may have been victimized by Spurlock is urged to immediately contact the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station at 760-366-4175.  Callers wishing to remain anonymous should contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to wetip.com.  

PVS officials urge parents who have concerns about the investigation or have information on the case, contact the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station.

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

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Jesus Reyes

Story Update 05/09/2025: LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) The Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner Bureau has released the cause of death for Jeff Sperbeck, longtime agent of NFL legend John Elway.

According to the Coroner’s report, the cause of death is “blunt head trauma,” and the manner of death is “accident,” and the mode of death (how the injury occurred) is “passenger fell from golf cart.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office reports the investigation into the incident remains open and ongoing.

Earlier story – 05/02/2025:

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said there doesn’t appear to be signs of any criminal activity in the golf cart accident that killed Jeff Sperbeck, longtime agent of NFL legend John Elway, in La Quinta over the weekend.

The accident happened Saturday afternoon at the 53200 block of Humboldt Boulevard, inside the Madison Club. Sperbeck was rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.

Elway was reportedly driving the golf cart at the time of the accident, witnesses told News Channel 3 Sports Director Blake Arthur.

Bianco shared a statement with News Channel 3’s Karen Devine on Friday:

“While the investigation is not yet completed, there is nothing we have learned to indicate this is anything other than a tragic accident.”

UPDATE: La Quinta Death Investigation The investigation is ongoing and has not been completed, but at this point, there is nothing to indicate that this is anything more than a tragic accident.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office pic.twitter.com/z8oATNrNXI

— Riverside County Sheriff (@RSO) May 2, 2025

Bianco expanded on the investigation in an interview with the Denver Post on Friday, where he stated that medical personnel at the scene did not find evidence that Elway was inebriated at the time of the accident. There were no specific details as to how medical personnel reached that conclusion.

Bianco added that the Sheriff’s Office is reviewing surveillance footage and witness testimony.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to the scene as Bianco told the Denver Post that first responders didn’t immediately flag RSO for any sort of investigatation. The agency confirmed to News Channe 3 that they were made aware of the accident on Monday then launched their investigation.

TMZ reports that Elway was seen at a party two hours before the accident.

Elway has hired Denver-based attorney, Harvey Steinberg, according to multiple reports Friday. Steinberg issued a statement on behalf of his client.

“This has been a terrible time for everyone involved and our hearts continue to go out to the Sperbeck family. As John grieves this unimaginable loss, we appreciate the efforts of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The investigation has confirmed what we already knew: this was a tragic accident and sometimes things happen in life that we will never comprehend.”

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates on the investigation.

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