Author: KESQ

Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s rainy start to the new year in the Coachella Valley, and many are looking to avoid the storm during the holidays.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are popular holidays for people to visit Downtown Palm Springs, but the rain might be putting a damper on tourism. Businesses have been expecting an increase in sales and foot traffic, but with the rain that’s now uncertain.

“We had 14 reservations canceled today in the last I want to say in the last two hours,” Mark Hewitt, the owner of Bongo Johnny’s Patio Bar and Grill, said. “When half of your patio space is uncovered and, you know, normally under this glorious sun that we have here, you lose a ton of business.”

“It’s definitely hurt our business,” Willie Rhine, co-owner of Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge, said. “Fortunately, we have a large, indoor lounge area — but we definitely got hurt both holidays. ”

Now Hewitt and Rhine are looking toward tourism season to help pick up their businesses before the summer. But, each said there are other factors in play that keep their concerns high.

“I think the biggest fears is that is that the tourism season is going to be down this year is and we’ve already seen some of that,” Hewitt said. “We’ve seen a lot of our snowbirds that are not coming back.”

“Our industry right now is probably the hardest it’s ever been,” Rhine said. “Our cost of labor has gone up. Our cost of goods have gone up. So we definitely need as many operating days as possible. [The rain] definitely doesn’t help.” 

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from visitors and businesses on the impacts of the rain.

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – Bars along Arenas District main road are preparing for one of the busiest nights of the year, urging customers to celebrate responsibly as New Year’s Eve crowds fill the desert.

Bar owners say staff training and early preparation are key to preventing problems before they start.

At Quadz Palm Springs, co-owner Jim Osterberger, said staff members are trained to recognize potential issues and step in early to keep customers safe.

“Our staff knows how to make our customers enjoy their evenings safely. We were the first bar in Palm Springs 20 years ago to require our staff to be alcohol awareness trained before it became a state law,” Osterberger said. “So that being said, we want to be sure everyone has a good time.”

 Sgt. Abe Plata of the Indio Police Department encourages people to plan a safe ride home using rideshare services or taxis.

“If you’re going to go out and to a party or an event and you know you’re going to consume an alcoholic beverage, take a designated driver with you who’s not going to be consuming alcohol,” Plata said.

As celebrations continue into the night, bar operators and law enforcement said the goal is to welcome the new year while making sure everyone is safe.

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Kendall Flynn

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Officials are reminding hikers to stay safe this winter and holiday season. CAL FIRE says it tends to see an uptick in the number of calls for service from hikers as more people hit the trails.

“Here in our area…there’s lots of trails,” Captain Brain Steiger with CAL FIRE said. “And this time of the year, people like to be out hiking. So, we do see an [uptick], in people that have injuries or just get lost and disoriented”

This comes after a missing man was found on a trail in Palm Desert and three hikers died on Mount Baldy on Tuesday. Events that one local hiking group leader said are a reminder to all hikers to take necessary precautions for safety.

“Make sure that they’re putting a note on their car so that they know that they’re going to be on this hike this day, this time,” Richard Peregrin, a hike leader for the Coachella Valley Hiking Club said. “And if they get lost on a trail, somebody can find them.”

Peregrin said if anyone gets lost on a trail, the best thing to do is stay where they are. He said people tend to get even more lost when leaving their location.

As people hit the trails after the holidays, officials with CAL FIRE say it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and have necessary supplies. Bringing extra water, food, clothing and emergency shelter.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from the mother of the missing hiker and officials on what you need to know.

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Kade Atwood

Cathedral City, Calif. — Cathedral City police say a man was arrested Tuesday night following a violent confrontation that began as a verbal argument and escalated into a hit-and-run and shooting attempt.

Cathedral City Police Dispatch received a call at approximately 1:09 p.m. on December 30, 2025, reporting a male in a vehicle shooting at a man riding a bicycle near the intersection of Porter Road and Rodeo Road.

When officers arrived, they learned the incident stemmed from a verbal dispute between two men. Police say the driver drove his vehicle into the bicyclist, striking him. Then allegedly turned his vehicle around, stopped near the victim, and pointed a firearm out of the window, firing one shot. The shot missed the victim.

Officials say the suspect fled the scene before officers arrived.

The Cathedral City Fire Department responded and treated the victim at the scene for complaints of pain. The victim was not transported to a hospital.

Later that evening, the Riverside County Gang Impact Team assisted Cathedral City police with the investigation and identified a possible location for the suspect in Rancho Mirage where he was located and arrested on felony charges.

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Gavin Nguyen

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Driving around the Coachella Valley, you may have noticed some extra greenery growing recently. Recent rain has spurred early growth of brush, weeds, and other plant life along center medians, local hillsides, and the open desert.

Landscapers have noticed the change, too, and say the growth is coming earlier than normal. According to those experts, this growth isn’t typically seen until February.

“It hasn’t got as cool as other years throughout this time. It kind of feels like it’s kind of spring,” said David Macias, one of the managers at Macias Nursery in Thousand Palms.

Among the growth: annual grasses, pesky weeds, but also, native plants indicative of a healthy ecosystem.

“You get like a growth of, like smoke trees. You get creosote bushes growing, you get verbena growing, you know, like the native stuff,” Macias listed.

It’s a treat to look at – and could be indicative of a bigger bloom in the springtime. But with more plant life comes more fuel for brush and wildland fires.

Captain Brian Steiger, of Riverside County Fire Department Station 35 in Thousand Palms, explained, “Ignition, obviously is easier with the finer grasses and the finer fuels. People that are mowing their lawns later in the afternoon, you get a rock strikes, get a spark, and you end up with, you know, a fire that starts.”

“I would say it would be more of a convenience for the person that’s having to pull the weeds. If you start now, it’s going to make it a little bit easier as you go into the spring because it is it is starting earlier,” he said, encouraging homeowners to start sooner rather than later before it all piles up.

Ahead of the dry season, firefighters with CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department want to remind homeowners about resources available online about weed abatement, clearing brush, and how to prepare and evacuate from wildland fires. That information is available at readyforwildfire.org.

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Luis Avila

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As New Year’s Eve celebrations get underway, safety advocates are once again urging people to plan ahead before drinking and driving. While free rideshare programs are available to help keep impaired drivers off the road, organizers say participation remains lower than expected—despite New Year’s Eve being one of the most dangerous nights for traffic fatalities.

Rideshare driver Suzanne Golas says she’s preparing for what she expects will be a busy night, with many people heading out to celebrate the new year.

“We’re expecting that, that goes without saying. Just be mindful of your surroundings, be accountable for yourself, check the license plate of the car before you get in.”

Suzanne Golas, Rideshare Driver

Golas says she regularly helps people get home safely after they’ve had too much to drink and believes many in the Coachella Valley are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving.

However, attorney Walter Clark of the Walter Clark Legal Group says awareness isn’t always translating into action. His firm is offering a free rideshare program on New Year’s Eve to prevent impaired driving, but Clark says usage has typically been lower than anticipated.

“We’re just disappointed because the fact that we make it available and hope that by making it available we’re bringing attention to a problem which is really really serious.”

Walter Clark, Walter Clark Legal Group Attorney

Clark believes many people underestimate how impaired their judgment becomes after drinking, leading them to think it’s safe to drive.

Officials warn that drinking and driving can result in serious consequences, including crashes, injuries, arrests, fines, and license suspension. Despite these risks, Clark says the message still isn’t fully getting through.

“If we are taxing and benefiting from people serving alcohol at restaurants and bars and shocked when people go home – we’re encouraging the problem. We’re also looking the other way when we realize that the alcohol beverage industry spends 7 billion dollars a year encouraging people to drink, at every event.”

Walter Clark, Walter Clark Legal Group Attorney

As advocates continue calling for change, rideshare drivers say they’re ready to help keep roads safe.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Daniella Lake

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Local healthcare nonprofits, such as Elder Love USA in Palm Desert, are bracing for the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsides, which will affect how clients access their services.

“Because they can’t afford the premiums now, they are going to lose access to all the things we’re helping them with. So imagine your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, no longer being able to bathe themselves, cook a meal, get to the doctor…” says Shannon Shea, director of Elder Love USA.

She says that without clients, their staff won’t have jobs.

Nonprofit leaders say that 2025 brought a lot of uncertainty for the sector. A report from the National Survey of Nonprofit Trends and Impacts found that one in three nonprofits reported experiencing government funding disruptions.

Stephanie Minor, director of development for the Regional Access Point Foundation, advises nonprofits to diversify their portfolios. “You need to have individual donors, you need to have corporate sponsorship, you need to have funding from foundations,” Minor says.

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Karen Devine

COACHELL VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As 2025 comes to a close, News Channel 3 is taking a look back at the crimes that shocked, saddened, and reshaped communities across the Coachella Valley.

From a deadly terrorist attack in Palm Springs to the heartbreaking death of a baby whose disappearance gripped the nation, this year marked a shift in how crime impacted local families and how law enforcement responded.

Terrorist Attack in Palm Springs

The biggest crime story of the year unfolded on May 17, when a vehicle packed with homemade explosives detonated outside the American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs.

The blast, heard across the valley, killed the suspect, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, and injured four others. Investigators say Bartkus was motivated by anti-natalist beliefs.

Federal authorities later confirmed Bartkus acted intentionally.An alleged supplier of the chemicals used in the bombing was arrested but later died in federal custody. The FBI says the terrorism investigation remains ongoing.

“This is good guys one, bad guys zero,” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Missing Baby Case Ends with Confession

The disappearance of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro became one of the most disturbing cases of the year.

His parents initially reported him kidnapped from a parking lot in Yucaipa, triggering a nationwide search. Months of investigation followed as a memorial grew outside the family’s Cabazon home and online sleuths descended on the area.

The case took a shocking turn when Emmanuel’s father, Jake Haro, confessed. He pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Emmanuel’s body has still not been found.

His mother, Rebecca Haro, is awaiting trial and is accused of a pattern of abuse.

13-Year-Old Killed in Cathedral City Drive-By

One of the most brutal crimes of 2025 happened in Cathedral City.

Thirteen-year-old Alan Martinez was shot and killed in a drive-by while standing with friends in his neighborhood.

Two suspects — James Ian Carter, 19, and Christian Arturo Milward Ildefonso, 18 years old pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and gang enhancement charges. They are scheduled to return to court on January 28.

Valley-wide Homicide Numbers

Across the Coachella Valley, 20 homicides were recorded in 2025 two more than the year before.

Palm Springs: 2 homicides (down from 5 in 2024)

Desert Hot Springs: 2 (down from 3)

Cathedral City: 2 (up from 0)

Indio: 6, plus one additional case under investigation (up from 1)

Coachella (Riverside County Sheriff areas): 4 (down from 6)

Other unincorporated areas, including Mecca, Cabazon, and county land near Coachella, accounted for the remaining cases.

Fentanyl and the Deaths of Children

The fentanyl crisis continued to impact the valley — including its youngest residents.

In Desert Hot Springs, two-year-old Nova Morreo died after accidental fentanyl exposure. Her mother, Crystal Monique Ward, and her boyfriend, Israel Contreras, were charged with felony child endangerment.

Nova was one of two children under the age of four in the city to die from fentanyl exposure in 2025.

“It’s a tragedy when anybody passes away,” said Detective Sgt. Cory Carranza. “It’s even worse when it’s a child and it’s 100 percent preventable.”

Countywide, fentanyl deaths dropped in 2024 to 328, down from 543 the year before. Final numbers for 2025 have not yet been compiled, but investigators warn the danger remains high.

High-Profile Arrests and Verdicts

Several long-running and high-profile cases reached major milestones in 2025:

Adam Slater, a Palm Desert father, was sentenced to death for the 2020 murder of his one-year-old daughter, Madalyn. Prosecutors called the verdict long overdue.

Local CEO William “Billy” Rodrigues was charged with murder and hit-and-run in a deadly crash. He was released on $2 million bail and awaits trial.

Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez pleaded not guilty to felony conflict-of-interest and perjury charges, which could bar him from public office if convicted.

Former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet pleaded guilty to bribery, conspiracy, and perjury, ending a decades-long political scandal. He was sentenced to probation and fines.

Developer John Wessman was found not guilty on all counts, closing a long-running City Hall corruption case.

A Case 15 Years in the Making

The year also brought closure to one of Palm Springs’ oldest murder cases.

The final defendant in the killing of Clifford Lambert was sentenced to life in prison, more than 15 years after the crime.

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – Phillip Zamudio, Palm Springs resident, said a prolonged power outage over Christmas has left him and neighbors uneasy as more rain is expected to move into the region, raising concerns it could happen again.

Zamudio said electricity went out at his home on Christmas Eve just as family and friends gathered for dinner.

He said Southern California Edison (SCE) initially estimated the outage would last about 45 minutes, but power was not restored for roughly 12 hours.

“It was super disappointing and upsetting on Christmas Eve to have no power,” Zamudio said.

He said the outage forced his guests to leave early and disrupted holiday plans, adding stress over food stored in refrigerators and freezers.

While power eventually returned, he said the experience has changed how his household prepares for bad weather.

“Now part of our routine is charging all the battery packs, charging our cell phones,” Zamudio said. “We had to go out and buy emergency lights after the last power outage.”

With rainy conditions in the forecast, Zamudio said he’s worried it could happen again.

“I’m extremely nervous,” Zamudio said.

Jeff Monford, SCE spokesperson, said the Christmas outage was caused by severe winds that brought down a power line and sparked a power pole fire.

“We know that any outage of any length is a hardship,” Monford said. “This one was especially difficult not only because of the holiday but because of the length.”

Zamudio said as a Palm Springs taxpayer, the lack of communication from the city is disappointing.

“We do a great job about announcing parades or someone getting a star, or an award or the film festival,” Monford said. “But when it comes to safety, not a lot of communication.”

In a statement to News Channel 3 Kitty Alvarado, Palm Springs Public Information Officer, said responsibility for power outages, including their cause and timing, rests solely with SCE.

“The City of Palm Springs is not notified in advance of unplanned outages and receives the same information as residents before, during, and after these events. For specific details about outages, we encourage residents to contact SCE directly.

We understand that these outages are frustrating for our community, and the City shares those concerns. The City of Palm Springs continues to work to keep SCE engaged and responsive to our residents. The City has hosted several “Power Talk” community meetings with SCE at City Hall and will continue to strongly encourage SCE to meet with residents, provide transparency, and address ongoing issues in our neighborhoods.

We also recommend that all residents sign up for SCE alerts to receive real-time updates on planned and unplanned outages. We have links conveniently located on Engage Palm Springs, our community information website.”

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) –

Update 10:00 p.m.: One man is in custody after a police standoff in Palm Desert that started about 4:00 p.m.

The man was taken from the scene by ambulance. Authorities have not released his identity or why he was wanted.

5:14 p.m.: Law enforcement is working to have a wanted suspect surrender at a community in Palm Desert Tuesday afternoon.

There’s a standoff underway near the Canterra Apartments on the 74000 block of E Hovley Lane.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the incident started at around 3:45 p.m. when deputies responded to the area regarding a wanted suspect.

“Upon arrival, the suspect entered a residence and refused to exit and comply.  Deputies are currently on scene attempting to establish communication with the suspect.  The Riverside Sheriff’s Office’s Crisis Negotiations Team is also on scene, attempting to negotiate a peaceful surrender,” writes Sergeant Robert Martinez, RSO spokesperson.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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