Author: KESQ

Jesus Reyes

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s week 8 of the high school football season, headlined by the Cook Street Rivalry and the Date Bowl.

Xavier Prep – 14 @ Palm Desert – 3 F Rancho Mirage – 44 @ La Quinta – 35 F Palm Springs – 21 @ Shadow Hills – 14 F Coachella Valley – 49 @ Desert Mirage – 18 F Banning – 49 @ Twentynine Palms – 20 F Desert Christian Academy – 19 @ Linfield Christian – 12 F

The Best Local Sports Show airs LIVE every Friday night throughout the season.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of high school football.

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Garrett Hottle

For about a year, two storefronts one on South Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs, the other in the Jensen’s shopping center on Highway 111 in Palm Desert have promised a One More Bite Dumpling House that never opened. Now the owners say they know when the steamers will finally turn on, and they’re explaining what went wrong.

Palm Desert could open by the end of October, and Palm Springs about two months later, Luyi Deng, the wife of one of the owners, told News Channel 3 on Wednesday. Deng runs the company’s social media.

“Tell them that we are coming,” Deng said, when asked what she wanted people who drive by the empty storefronts to know.

What happened

Deng said the company signed leases for both desert locations in July or August 2025 and, that October, hired a draftsman to prepare and submit the building plans and permit applications.

“She was supposed to be responsible for preparing and submitting all our plans,” Deng said. “But she didn’t do that, and she didn’t tell us the truth. She just told us that everything had been submitted.”

Deng said the draftsman sent the owners a fake screenshot purporting to show the city had received their application. The owners didn’t learn the truth until early this year, when they went to city hall in person and found nothing had been filed, Deng said. She said the draftsman admitted it.

City records support the timeline. Palm Desert’s permit for the space at 73547 Highway 111 was created May 1, 2026, and issued Aug. 18. Palm Springs’ tenant-improvement permit for 105 S. Palm Canyon Drive — the former Antigua space, valued at $125,000 — wasn’t filed until July 14. It has been in “corrections requested” status since. A separate fence permit was denied the next day.

The company has been paying rent on both spaces since April, Deng said.

The owners are not naming the draftsman. Deng said the woman has agreed to repay the company’s losses including rent and staff training costs once the restaurants open, and because she is listed on every application, replacing her would take even longer.

“At this point we cannot change it,” Deng said. “She’s the person on all the applications.”

Where things stand

In Palm Desert, the fire department asked for fire alarm drawings, which the company has submitted, Deng said. The restaurant is now waiting on another fire inspection, then a county health inspection.

In Palm Springs, the holdup is the patio. Deng said the city flagged drawings that didn’t match and asked for corrections. The building, the 1951 Oasis Commercial Building, is a Class 1 historic site.

Deng said city staff in both cities have been “wonderful,” and that Palm Springs City Hall invited the owners to a meeting to walk them through the process and promised to speed things up.

A valley hungry for dumplings

One More Bite has five locations open: Loma Linda, Wildomar, San Marcos, Chino and Yucaipa. Deng’s husband is from Shanghai; she is from Guangdong. Their specialty is xiao long bao, the handcrafted Shanghainese soup dumpling.

“When we opened our second location in Wildomar, the first few weeks it was packed every day,” Deng said.

Yucaipa opened in about five months, Deng said, because the company took over an existing restaurant and didn’t have to submit plans from scratch. The two desert locations have been the longest and hardest approvals the company has faced.

Deng said she regrets putting up signs and posting videos so early. “Some people are kind of frustrated, because they’ve been waiting and they keep asking what is the date, and we couldn’t tell them,” she said. “I totally understand.”

On Tuesday, the company posted what it called “an honest update, from our hearts” on Instagram, explaining the delay. Hundreds of likes and comments followed, most of them supportive.

“I didn’t expect that much response and support and love, and that really moved me to tears,” Deng said. “They think it’s part of the community. That made me very honored.”

“I just want to thank all the community that keeps showing up for us and standing with us and waiting so patiently,” she said. “I hope we will not disappoint them. We are pushing every single day.”

Until then, the valley will have to wait for just one more bite.

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City News Service

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KESQ) – A judge ruled today that a model and social media influencer accused of stealing from people she met through dating apps is mentally competent to stand trial.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi announced Friday that psychiatrist Dr. Phani Tumu found Adva Lavie, 29, “presently competent,” according to media reports. The finding clears the way for criminal proceedings to resume after they were suspended in August.

Lavie, also known as Mia Ventura, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from allegations that she stole money and valuables from people she met through dating apps, including wealthy older men and younger women.

Prosecutors allege Lavie targeted victims in Westlake Village, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2023 and 2025, posing as a girlfriend or travel companion to gain access to their homes before stealing cash, jewelry and designer merchandise.

Check Out: Podcaster close to model/influencer accused in Indio grand theft speaks out

She is charged with two counts each of grand theft and unauthorized use of personal identifying information, along with one count each of first-degree residential burglary and first-degree residential burglary with a person present.

Lavie was ordered to stand trial following a preliminary hearing in March, but criminal proceedings were suspended in August after her attorney raised concerns about her mental competency.

A judge had earlier denied a defense request for a mental health diversion program.

Lavie has remained in custody since July, when she was arrested while free on electronic monitoring. A judge subsequently denied bail.

She is also facing a separate criminal case in Riverside County involving allegations that she stole more than $11,000 worth of luxury items from an Airbnb rental during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Lavie had been engaged to billionaire real estate investor and former gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck, who was arrested in May and charged with attempting to dissuade witnesses from testifying in the criminal case against her.

Cloobeck pleaded not guilty Aug. 7 to three felony counts involving alleged witness intimidation and a misdemeanor count of making annoying telephone calls.

The alleged victims named in the criminal complaint against Cloobeck are also alleged victims in Lavie’s case.

Lavie faces up to 11 years and eight months in state prison if convicted as charged in the Los Angeles County case, according to prosecutors.

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Jesus Reyes

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department were in the Joshua Tree area continuing their search for a woman missing since December.

LAPD officials confirmed to News Channel 3 that Detectives from its Robbery-Homicide Division were conducting a search in the Joshua Tree area for evidence related to the disappearance of Christina Lynn Downer, 38.

There was no word on where the search was taking place.

Downer, the sister of SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie, was last contacted on December 10, 2025, via text message with a friend, police said. Her last known location was in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles.

In late April, Fowlie announced in an Instagram post that investigators told the family that his sister was “no longer alive” and the case had transitioned from a missing persons case to a homicide investigation. The LAPD disputed this report, stating that “Ms. Downer has not been located, and her case has not been reclassified as a homicide.”

Fowlie also added in that post that the family has reason to believe that Downer’s phone and social media were “compromised” in the weeks leading up to her disappearance.

“The individual(s) in possession of her phone used it to hide the fact that she was gone, to ask for money, and to create a false narrative that she was going ‘off the grid.'”

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Christina Lynn Downer is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (213) 996-1800. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.

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Jesus Reyes

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A 22-year-old man who fatally shot his lifelong friend during an act of gunplay in Sky Valley was convicted today of second-degree murder.

A Riverside jury deliberated about four days before finding Alexis Yahir Duran of Cathedral City guilty of second-degree murder for the 2023 death of 17-year-old Adam Pineda of Desert Hot Springs.

Jurors returned the verdict Friday morning. Although they convicted him of murder, the panel did not find him guilty of sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, which would have doubled his sentence.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jerry Yang scheduled a sentencing hearing for Dec. 18 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Duran is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center.

He’s facing a minimum statutory sentence of 15 years to life in state prison, unless the judge makes any type of modification.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Duran and Pineda had been best friends since elementary school, and on the morning of Feb. 4, 2023, the victim and defendant, along with the latter’s younger brother, Jose Duran, planned to go to a party together but needed a mutual friend to guide them there, so while waiting for him, they parked along Wide Canyon Road in Sky Valley.

The trio had spent most of the previous day and night at a fundraiser to cover funeral expenses for Pineda’s family following the suicide of the victim’s brother, prosecutors said.

Pineda drove his Jeep Cherokee, with Duran in the right front passenger seat and the defendant’s brother in the backseat, according to the brief. The threesome got out of the SUV for a few minutes and fired a couple of rounds from a 9mm handgun that Duran had acquired illegally via social media three weeks earlier, the prosecution said.

They then returned to the Jeep, where Duran put the pistol in his lap.

“Pineda took the firearm from the defendant’s lap and examined it,” the narrative said. “The defendant heard Pineda rack the handgun, and Pineda gave it back to the defendant. The defendant began examining the firearm himself, and while moving the handgun around, pulled the trigger and shot Pineda one time in the right side of his head.”

The bullet went through his head, exiting on the left side.

Duran and his brother placed the mortally wounded teenager in the back seat, and the defendant drove to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he and his brother carried the victim into the emergency room, then left, the brief said.

They parked the Jeep in a nearby structure and got a ride home from an acquaintance.

Pineda was pronounced dead moments later.

A Sky Valley resident who had heard the fatal gunshot alerted patrol deputies, who arrived minutes after the Jeep had driven away. The responding deputy located Pineda’s mobile phone with blood on the ground and called 911 via the phone to identify its owner, immediately leading to confirmation from dispatchers that the device belonged to a person who had been checked into the hospital a short time before, according to the brief.

Duran called Pineda’s girlfriend, whose identity wasn’t disclosed, along with the victim’s uncle, also not identified, telling them Pineda had accidentally shot himself while mishandling the firearm, according to prosecutors.

The parties in turn contacted law enforcement, culminating in detectives summoning Duran to the hospital, where he was detained.

He told detectives he’d thrown the gun into desert scrub where the Jeep had been parked in Sky Valley. Despite a search, the weapon was never found.

After the defendant admitted the shooting, he wrote a letter to the victim’s mother, in which he apologized, saying he “didn’t mean to and would never do that to (Pineda) on purpose,” Detective Daniel Cline testified during a 2023 preliminary hearing.

The defense maintained the shooting amounted to, at most, involuntary manslaughter. The judge at the defendant’s preliminary hearing ruled the prosecution’s argument for murder was valid because Duran had become familiar with the firearm in the weeks prior to the shooting and knew what could happen if it went off.

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KESQ News Team

COACHELLA VALLEY (KESQ) – Local officials are highlighting sandbag distribution sites, storm safety tips and emergency preparedness resources as residents get ready for potentially wet weather.

With rain and strong winds possible across Southern California, cities throughout the Coachella Valley are reminding residents to take precautions, prepare their homes and stay informed about changing weather conditions.

Local agencies, including the cities of Palm Desert and Indio, have shared storm preparedness guidance and resources to help residents protect their properties, travel safely and plan for potential emergencies.

Palm Desert crews prepare for possible rain

The City of Palm Desert says its Public Works crews are taking proactive steps to prepare for possible rainfall, including clearing drainage areas, checking equipment and ensuring resources are ready if needed.

In a message shared on Instagram, the city emphasized the importance of taking steps ahead of a storm, noting that a little preparation can go a long way.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at Palm Desert City Hall and the Palm Desert Library. The city has set a limit of 15 sandbags per resident.

Sandbags can help redirect water away from vulnerable areas around homes and properties when properly filled and placed. Residents should also keep nearby storm drains clear of debris and monitor local updates as weather conditions develop.

La Quinta offers free sandbags at three locations

The City of La Quinta is also making sandbags available to residents preparing for possible rain.

According to the city’s public notice, empty bags and sand are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the following locations:

City Corporate Yard: 78106 Frances Hack Lane Fire Station No. 70: 54001 Madison St. Fire Station No. 93: 44555 Adams St.

Residents are encouraged to follow the city’s instructions for properly filling and positioning sandbags to help reduce the risk of water entering homes and other structures.

Because supplies are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, residents should check with the city for current availability before making a trip.

Assemblyman Greg Wallis provides storm preparation checklist

Assemblyman Greg Wallis’ office is also encouraging residents to prepare for rain and wind by taking advantage of its READY AD 47 resource page.

The online resource includes a downloadable storm checklist covering preparations to make before, during and after a storm. It also provides access to emergency alert sign-ups and road updates.

Residents can access the checklist and additional preparedness information at ad47.asmrc.org.

The office is also asking community members to complete a short survey about flood risk and insurance awareness. The survey asks residents whether they know if their homes are in a flood-risk area and understand what their insurance policies cover.

The information is intended to help identify where the community may need additional education and resources.

Indio reminds drivers to use caution and secure their homes

The City of Indio is reminding motorists to exercise extra caution with rain in the forecast.

In a Facebook post, city officials urged drivers to avoid flooded roadways and remain focused behind the wheel. Even when water appears shallow, flooded streets can be dangerous, and motorists should never attempt to drive through standing water when its depth or road conditions are uncertain.

The city also outlined several steps residents can take to prepare:

Stay informed: Monitor weather forecasts and local emergency information through the National Weather Service, RivCoReady.org/Storms and RCFlood.org. Secure outdoor items: Bring in or secure patio furniture, decorations and other loose objects that could be blown away by strong winds. Check on neighbors: Reach out to older adults, people with disabilities and others who may need additional assistance. Review emergency plans: Make sure family members know how to communicate and where to meet if they become separated. Prepare for power outages: Charge phones and other essential devices in advance, and keep flashlights and extra batteries readily available.

Indio’s reminders underscore the importance of preparing for both rainfall and wind, particularly when storms can affect road conditions, electricity and access to essential services.

How Coachella Valley residents can prepare before a storm

While local agencies are taking steps to prepare public infrastructure and distribute supplies, residents can also take practical measures to reduce potential storm-related problems.

Before rain arrives, residents should consider clearing leaves and debris from gutters and drainage areas on their properties, checking for leaks, moving valuables away from areas vulnerable to water intrusion and placing sandbags where runoff could enter a home or garage.

Households should also keep drinking water, necessary medications, flashlights, batteries and charged phones accessible in case of an emergency.

During periods of heavy rain, residents should avoid flooded roads, follow road closures and heed instructions from emergency officials. Weather conditions can change quickly, so checking official sources regularly is important.

Residents who live in flood-prone areas should review their emergency plans and understand their insurance coverage before severe weather occurs.

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Jesus Reyes

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A motorcyclist is in the hospital with serious injuries after a crash Friday morning in Desert Hot Springs.

The crash was reported at around 10:45 a.m. on Pierson Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue.

Officers arrived on the scene, along with members of Cal Fire, and found the motorcycle driver on the shoulder of the roadway.

Police said investigators determined that the motorcycle driver ran a red light and collided into a vehicle traveling east on Pierson Boulevard.

The Desert Hot Springs Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team responded and took over the investigation. Anyone with further information about the collision is asked to contact Corporal Cregg Corona at (760) 329-6411 x352, or by email at ccorona@dhspd.com

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Gavin Nguyen

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Cathedral City’s fire chief is confident in the preparations his department has taken. With the potential for flooding in the forecast from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, those preparedness steps could prove to be critical this weekend.

“We don’t get to choose what calls we get to go to, so we’re 100% ready,” said Chief Michael Contreras.

He pointed to lessons learned from Tropical Storm Hilary. While that storm ravaged parts of Cathedral City – and much of the Coachella Valley – in 2023, the chief said the department stepped up, performing rescues and preventing any fatalities. In its wake, the department has prioritized training, command and control, and adding several key partners to its contact book.

“You can’t prepare for a thousand-year flood. But, you know, we were able to respond. We had no loss of life. And we were able to rescue all the people that needed to be rescued,” the chief explained. “From there, We started looking at what we call our deployment model, like what resources do we have and how can we deploy them.”

Contreras said he has sent over 20 of his personnel to be trained in swiftwater rescues since his department received a federal grant in 2025. Equipment, like a boat, has also been ordered to be used in such rescues.

“We’re kind of front loading our training to train up all of our personnel first, and then we’re slowly securing the rest of our equipment through different fundings and grants,” said Capt. Christopher Dietz, with the Cathedral City Fire Department. He was one of the 20 who trained in Chico, California. Sent in groups of 3 to 5, he was in the middle of the pack of those who trained.

“It’s a humbling experience. A lot of us thought that we were pretty strong swimmers. And of course in a swimming pool, everybody feels pretty heroic. But it’s a little different when you got fast moving water,” he said.

Pre-planning is a key component, too. Leaders within the fire department have ran through different scenarios on where they would stage equipment and crews in the event of flooding. Plans have been drawn up on the mutual aid partners Cathedral City Fire can rely on for different emergencies. Whether that’s contacting the Palm Springs Fire Department for assistance or requesting a helicopter from CAL FIRE, the chief said the department has great local partners that can help.

Leaders also attend a weekly situational awareness meeting with the National Weather Service on the weather threats that could be coming.

The chief pointed out that even if this weekend’s storm doesn’t bring significant rainfall, all of this preparation will still be relevant with El Niño forecasted to bring wetter-than-usual conditions through at least February of next year.

“It’s diligence, you know, keeping our eye on the ball, keeping focused on what is going on around us and not having that apathy to where, ‘Oh, this is just another, you know, it’s just another storm. It’s no big deal.'” Chief Contreras said. He committed, “We have to be on our game every time.”

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Raymond Kalra

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Thousands of music fans are making their way to the Empire Polo Club for the first-ever HeadTrip music festival, but the excitement comes as organizers and public safety officials prepare for potentially dangerous weather that could disrupt Sunday’s performances.

The two-day festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, bringing electronic dance music fans from across Southern California and beyond to the Coachella Valley.

While festivalgoers are arriving and setting up their campsites, heavy rain, strong winds, possible flooding and lightning are raising concerns about what conditions could look like during the second day of the event.

City of Indio officials met with Goldenvoice and public safety partners Friday to discuss contingency plans, including the possibility of delaying Sunday’s opening, adjusting performance times and evacuating the festival grounds if conditions become unsafe.

Organizers discuss possible schedule changes

Jim Curtis, Community Services Manager for the City of Indio, told News Channel 3 that officials had just completed a weather briefing to review potential impacts and determine what actions might be necessary.

“So yeah, so we just came out of a briefing with everybody talking about the weather, talking about what our actions could be,” Curtis said. “So there’s a lot of in place and a lot we don’t know yet, but we have a lot of things in contingency right now that hopefully will work if the rain does come at a certain time.”

Curtis said the timing of the storm will play a major role in determining whether festival operations need to change.

While some of the heaviest rain could arrive overnight, he said wet conditions could create problems for campsites and other areas of the festival grounds.

Officials have also discussed what would happen if storms affect Sunday’s scheduled opening or performances.

“And there’s certain curfew times that we have in place. And we might look at those curfew times and see maybe those might need adjusted,” Curtis explained. “We don’t really want to do that, and we don’t think we’re going to have to do that, but we’re going to have it in place just in case.”

Curtis added that if organizers cannot open the gates at the scheduled time Sunday, they may need to delay entry and adjust performers’ set times.

No changes to Sunday’s festival schedule had been confirmed to News Channel 3 as of Friday afternoon.

Lightning and electrical equipment among biggest concerns

Beyond the potential for heavy rain and flooding, Curtis said lightning is one of the most significant safety concerns for organizers.

Festival officials begin tracking lightning when it is approximately 30 miles away. If lightning moves within roughly eight miles of the grounds, Curtis said officials begin determining whether an evacuation is necessary.

He explained that the festival’s large stage, elevated structures, lighting systems and electrical equipment all factor into safety planning.

“Yeah. It’s really it was really the rain because we have a lot of electrical equipment too. So we talked a lot about shutting things down so that they don’t they’re not sparking if we need to and spark a fire that we don’t want to have,” Curtis said.

Organizers are also drawing on lessons learned during severe weather at Stagecoach earlier this year.

Curtis said the city, Indio Police Department, Goldenvoice and other public safety agencies are coordinating their plans to make sure they can respond quickly if conditions deteriorate.

If an evacuation becomes necessary, attendees may be directed back to their vehicles while officials assess whether performances can resume.

Curtis emphasized that decisions will depend on the actual conditions and that attendees should follow instructions issued by festival staff and public safety officials.

Festivalgoers prepare for rain while setting up camp

Despite the concerning forecast, excitement remained high Friday as music fans arrived in Indio and prepared for the weekend.

Several attendees told News Channel 3 they were bringing additional supplies to prepare for both the desert heat and Sunday’s potential storms.

Katia, who traveled from Los Angeles with her fiancé, said they planned ahead by packing equipment to help protect their campsite from the elements.

“He brought tarps and like, anything that we might need, like for just for the rain and yeah, we have ponchos and everything,” she said.

The couple is camping at the festival and said they are excited to experience the event without having to leave the grounds between performances.

Riley Weinstein traveled from Orange County with friends for their first festival camping experience.

Weinstein said their group packed canopies, shade walls and fans to prepare for the heat, but they are hoping those supplies will also help them get through any rain.

“And then for the rain kind of the same thing and just, you know, get through it. It won’t be too bad, hopefully. Fingers crossed. But we’ll see,” Weinstein said.

Other festivalgoers expressed excitement about the lineup, including performances by Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia.

For many attendees, the opportunity to see their favorite artists is outweighing concerns about the forecast, although they acknowledged the importance of being prepared.

Police prepare for crowds, traffic and possible flooding

The Indio Police Department is also preparing for the influx of visitors and potential weather-related challenges.

Sergeant Abraham Plata told News Channel 3 on Friday that traffic was moving relatively smoothly as festivalgoers arrived.

Officers had observed some minor backups, but no major traffic problems had been reported at the time of the interview.

Plata said multiple law enforcement teams have been assigned to different areas of the festival, with officers stationed both inside and outside the grounds.

Police are reminding residents and visitors to expect delays near the Empire Polo Club and use alternate routes whenever possible.

Motorists should also plan around festival-related road closures, including areas of Avenue 50 and Avenue 52.

With heavy rain expected Sunday, Curtis said public works crews and police officers will also be watching for flooded roadways.

He noted that some streets east of the festival grounds can be especially vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain.

Shuttle transportation is another consideration. Curtis said drivers have been made aware of potential problem areas and alternative routes that could be used if flooding affects their normal paths.

Police are also encouraging festivalgoers to take basic precautions while attending the event.

“Stay with your group. Don’t split up. Try to keep you guys be able to track each other in case you get lost,” Plata said.

He also encouraged attendees to stay hydrated, look after their friends and immediately contact an officer or festival employee if someone experiences a medical emergency.

Plata said personnel wearing fluorescent green vests can help connect attendees with assistance.

Another weather meeting planned for Sunday morning

Curtis said officials expect to meet again at approximately 11 a.m. Sunday to reassess the forecast and determine whether adjustments to festival operations are needed.

He said decisions about delays or other changes will likely depend on how the storm develops and when the heaviest rainfall is expected to arrive.

Organizers also plan to communicate important updates to attendees.

“I think it’s just mostly pay attention to the reports that come out,” Curtis said. “We’ll send messaging out to all of the attendees here, and we’ll have a message from the city of Indio, I’m sure, as well.”

Festivalgoers are encouraged to download the official HeadTrip app and enable notifications for weather-related updates.

For now, the festival remains scheduled to proceed, but city officials say safety will remain the top priority as the weather system approaches.

News Channel 3 will continue monitoring the forecast, possible schedule changes, traffic conditions and preparations at the Empire Polo Club throughout the weekend.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of HeadTrip and Sunday’s potential storm impacts.

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Kiera McKinney

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — A ping-pong program in Palm Desert is giving people with neurological conditions a place to stay active and connect with others.

Arthur Gregoire wasn’t sure he wanted to play. Then he watched another participant’s face light up across the ping-pong table.

“It wasn’t five or 10 minutes into the game and I was enjoying it, I was smiling,” Gregoire said.

Gregoire lives with Parkinson’s disease and participates in NeuroPong, a table tennis program at the Family YMCA in Palm Desert. The program is designed for people living with Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, dementia and other neurological conditions.

How the program works

NeuroPong board member Trent MacLean said the Palm Desert sessions are adjusted for each participant’s abilities, symptoms and how they feel that day.

Players practice following the ball, positioning their paddles and reacting to each shot. MacLean said the emphasis is on working together across the table rather than winning trophies.

People using walkers or wheelchairs can participate, and players are allowed to use the table for support. MacLean said safety comes first, followed by fun and skill development.

“We’re not looking for a cure. We’re looking to improve your quality of life,” MacLean said.

Understanding Parkinson’s symptoms

An estimated 1.1 million people in the United States live with Parkinson’s, and nearly 90,000 are diagnosed each year, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disorder. Symptoms vary from person to person and can include:

Tremors Slow movement Muscle stiffness Balance problems

The disease can also affect sleep, mood and other functions beyond movement. Not everyone with Parkinson’s has tremors.

Why exercise matters

There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s, but treatments can help manage symptoms. Exercise is an important part of that care.

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, physical activity can help maintain or improve balance, mobility and flexibility. It can also help with some symptoms beyond movement, including depression and constipation.

Exercise programs should be tailored to each person’s needs and abilities. NeuroPong’s stated goals include supporting physical activity, social connection and quality of life.

Gregoire said he feels the game challenges his endurance, concentration and balance. He now plans to practice between classes after buying a table for his home.

“I have a six-foot table behind my couch, and I’ll be practicing at home in between classes,” he said.

How to participate

NeuroPong meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:45 a.m. at the Family YMCA in Palm Desert. People interested in joining can learn more at neuropong.org

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