Author: KESQ

Dakota Makinen

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and doctors at Desert Regional Medical Center are encouraging men to talk with their health care providers about their individual risk and screening options.

The American Cancer Society estimates 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026.

Dr. Lavaf with Desert Regional says early detection is an important part of prostate cancer care, and newer imaging and detection tools are giving doctors more information when evaluating patients.

Treatment options vary depending on the individual patient and the cancer and can include active surveillance, surgery, radiation and medications.

Doctors say men should talk with their health care provider about when screening may be appropriate based on their age, family history and other risk factors.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest updates.

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KESQ News Team

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – News Channel 3 is once again partnering with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for the Coachella Valley Dream Home Giveaway.

The 2027 house is already starting to take shape in Palm Desert. Merritt Framing is wrapping up two weeks of work putting up the walls, ceilings, and roof system.

Richard Hayman says this is his first Dream Home project, and for him the work means more than just building a house.

“It’s just such a good cause. I mean, everybody knows somebody that’s had a child, you know, that was ill. It makes me feel real well. I enjoy doing this type of stuff. I do a lot of volunteer work, off the job site as well,”

The Spanish style home will have 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and about 2400 square feet of living space with an estimated value of $860,000. The home is located at 40965 Avenida Arcada.

Tickets go on sale this winter.

Check out our Dream Home section for more information and continuing updates.

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Jesus Reyes

WHITEWATER, Calif. (KESQ) – One person was taken to the hospital after a fire in the garage of a Whitewater residence Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was reported at around 5:30 p.m. on the 13100 block of Galbreth Drive.

“Firefighters are at-scene of a single-story single-family dwelling fire, first arriving unit reported the garage fully involved in fire,” reads a post by CAL FIRE.

The injured person suffered minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.

Red Cross has been requested for two adults who were displaced.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A person was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a crash in Palm Desert Tuesday afternoon.

The single-vehicle collision was reported just after 4:30 p.m. on Monterey Avenue and Dinah Shore.

Details on the crash were not available.

Deputies remain at the scene at the Palm Desert Walmart on Monterey Avenue. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.

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Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, CA (KESQ)- Palm Springs International Airport is bringing together employers and airport partners for its sixth annual job fair as the Coachella Valley prepares for its busy travel season.

The job fair will be held Wednesday, September 23 at the Palm Springs Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event is designed to connect job seekers directly with hiring teams and highlight employment opportunities across a variety of airport services.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with employers, apply for available positions on site and potentially interview for jobs during the event.

“We’re going to have a lot more people coming through the terminal the next several months, our seasonal flights already starting to return, and our airport partners want to be ready for that,” said Jake Ingrassia, a spokesman for Palm Springs International Airport. “So we’re building up our teams to make sure that we are ready to welcome all those passengers back for our busy season.”

More than a dozen employers and airport partners are expected to participate in the job fair.

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Gavin Nguyen

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – “I definitely think it’s time for a new direction.”

That’s the sentiment some voters shared as Palm Desert City Council candidates took the stage Tuesday night.

The Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce (PDACC) hosted the candidate forum at the Family YMCA of the Desert at 43930 San Pablo Avenue. Admission was free and open to the public.

The City of Palm Desert began transitioning to a five district system with the 2024 election. The transition began with the 2024 general election, when seats were filled for Districts 1, 2, and 3 by Karina Moreno, Joe Pradetto, and Gina Nestande, respectively. Districts 4 and 5 are on the ballot this year.

Council districts in Palm Desert

As it stands, Mayor Evan Trubee and Jan Harnik serve as at-large members on the council. After the 2026 election, all sitting council members will have a district and re-districting will be complete.

The candidates include the following:

District 4 Jonathon Polly Evan Trubee (incumbent) District 5 John Greenwood Ralph Perry

At the forum, Mayor Trubee commented on the districting: “It has its pros and cons. 60% of the residents won’t be voting in the council race this year, so that’s a negative. On the positive side, it lowers the threshold a little bit for a candidate to run. You only have to reach … much fewer households.”

Both Greenwood and Perry, running in a district with no incumbents, were excited about being able to be the first.

“It’s exciting,” said Greenwood. “I hold my community dear. And being a lifelong resident, I look forward to the qualities that I have to offer and just continuing to, you know, why we all call Palm Desert home and preserving those, those things that we hold dear.”

“I was one of the proponents of the districts going to five districts way back a few years ago,” Perry added. “And now the process is being completed in 2026. I thought going to districts was better for representation for the Palm Desert residents.”

A substantial crowd of interested voters filled the seats on Tuesday, including residents Mark and Laura Freeman. They were particularly concerned with last December’s controversy, when newly-elected Joe Pradetto proposed to stop flying the pride banner at City Hall.

“I’d like to know where the new candidates stand on that sort of issue,” said Mark Freeman. “Whether they have a firm commitment to continue our beliefs that were well-established in the city or not.”

Many engaged in lively conversations with the candidates before each candidate sat down to answer a number of questions. Three of the four candidates were in attendance; Polly, running for a seat in District 4, was sick and unable to attend.

Each candidate introduced themselves before responding to a series of questions selected in advance from submissions received from members of the community.

All candidates were asked the same questions and provided equal time to respond. Topics focused on issues affecting Palm Desert residents, businesses and the future of the community, giving voters an opportunity to hear the candidates’ perspectives, priorities and approaches to serving on the City Council.

For Palm Desert residents: you can learn more about the redistricting process and find your electoral district by visiting this website.

As for what each candidate hoped to see in the future, their answers were similar. They each applauded the direction the city has been taken, and the path forward is to keep that momentum.

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Garrett Hottle

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Graham Bennett was working on the Paramount lot last week when a plane towed a banner over the studio: “Welcome to Saudiwood, David!”

Five days later, California and 11 other states settled their lawsuit against Paramount Skydance, clearing the way for its $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. On Tuesday, protesters outside the same lot chanted “shame” at Attorney General Rob Bonta, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Bennett, a camera assistant and director who moved to the valley at 15, says the deal makes his job harder.

“You learn very early on in filmmaking that you’re going to get a lot of nos,” he told News Channel 3. “But if there are less people to say no, and no means a lot more. It’s all around consolidation, confinement. It’s limiting.”

Bonta sued in July, arguing the merger would give one company nearly a third of U.S. theatrical releases. In August, he told CNN a promise to make a set number of movies was “a way to behave,” not a fix. The settlement filed Monday is built on that promise: at least 30 films a year in theaters, rising to 32, four of them independent, with a $30 million penalty for each one it misses. Paramount must spend $300 million more a year on U.S. production, keep both studio lots open and put $5 million a year into a fund for buying independent films. Nothing has to be sold up front. Bonta said the deal is “not a vote of support for this merger” and that he still doesn’t think the companies should merge.

Paramount had threatened to move to Texas or Tennessee if the case dragged on. Bonta called it “blackmail.” Bennett didn’t buy it.

“There’s a lot of infrastructure there, and it will cost millions of dollars to move all of that,” he said. “I think it was just a way of pressuring the attorney general into getting what they want.”

The banner refers to the money behind the deal. Sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are putting in about $24 billion, according to SEC filings cited by The Hollywood Reporter. On Sept. 17, the FCC approved letting foreign investors hold 49.5% of the merged company’s equity. The shares carry no vote.

Bennett says the $5 million indie fund “is enough for two films.” He pointed to “Obsession,” a horror movie made for about $750,000 that became one of the year’s biggest hits. The fund is “more of a crowd pleaser than something that will actually change anything,” he said. “And the crowds aren’t even pleased.”

The deal puts CBS News and CNN under one owner, with a board of journalists, picked by Paramount’s own directors, meant to keep them independent.

“It’s hard to talk about the Ellisons without talking about their connections with Trump,” Bennett said. “How separate can you be if you’re owned by the same person?”

Connecticut’s attorney general told NPR he wanted CNN and CBS News sold off and was “deeply disappointed.” The Writers Guild settled its own suit Monday and said it still believes the merger will hurt writers. Paramount CEO David Ellison told employees the company expects to close in about two weeks, CNBC reported. A federal judge still has to approve the settlement. Paramount can ask to loosen the terms after two years.

Bennett sat on the Palm Springs ShortFest youth jury at 16 and now works at Festival Theaters on Tahquitz Canyon Way, where he says small films play that no one else in the valley shows.

His advice for a kid here who wants to make movies.

“Do it. It’s hard, but great things don’t come from easy experiences. Tell your stories, and people will want to watch them.”

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City News Service

OASIS, Calif. (KESQ) – Two fires broke out today in the community of Oasis involving a mobile home and three greenhouses, authorities said.

The blazes were reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 80000 block of East Frontage Road and in the 90200 block of Avenue 80, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The agency stated that two separate fires occurred, with one involving an abandoned motor home and another at three greenhouses with roughly a quarter-acre of vegetation.

No injuries were reported in either fire, and the causes of the blazes were not immediately clear.

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Jesus Reyes

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Police detained a nude man who was reported to be loitering on school grounds at Two Bunch Palms Elementary School in Desert Hot Springs.

The incident was reported just after 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police said officers arrived at the school within two minutes, with additional aerial support from a DHSPD drone. Officers located the man near the dumpster area in front of the school and detained him without incident.

The unidentified individual was arrested for several offenses and booked into a Riverside County Jail.

“Most importantly, the individual did not attempt to enter the secured school grounds and did not have any contact with students. Based on the information available at this time, there was no criminal history or other indication that the individual had intentions directed toward the school community. Substance abuse may have been a contributing factor,” DHSPD wrote on a social media post.

DHSPD added, “The safety of our children, students, staff, and school community remains a top priority for DHSPD. Our schools. Our community. Our children. Our priority.”

Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The holidays may still be months away, but Southern California residents planning to send gifts and cards through the mail can start circling December deadlines today after the U.S. Postal Service released its recommended shipping dates for Christmas delivery.

For mail and packages traveling within the contiguous United States, the Postal Service recommends sending items by Dec. 17 using USPS Ground Advantage or First-Class Mail, by Dec. 18 using Priority Mail and by Dec. 19 using Priority Mail Express.

The dates are recommendations for customers seeking delivery before Dec. 25, and postal officials encouraged customers to mail and ship packages early during the busy holiday season.

For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, the recommended deadline for USPS Ground Advantage is Dec. 16. The recommended dates are Dec. 17 for First-Class Mail, Dec. 18 for Priority Mail and Dec. 19 for Priority Mail Express.

The Postal Service said a complete list of recommended mailing dates for packages headed to military and international addresses will be available on its holiday shipping website beginning in mid-October at www.usps.com/holiday/holiday-shipping-dates.htm.

Customers can also find information through the Postal Service about preparing packages, ordering free shipping supplies, packaging guidelines and restricted or prohibited items.

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