Author: KESQ

Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Several units at the Palm Springs Navigation Center were damaged after a fire broke out Saturday morning.

Fire crews arrived at the homeless shelter around 8:28 a.m. to find a small room on the second floor engulfed in flames.

Shortly after containing the fire, emergency responders rescued a puppy from the room.

No people were injured in the fire. Two units in the shelter sustained water damage.

While no cause has been identified, officials say they’re working closely with building management to ensure all safety protocols are in place.

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Timothy Foster

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Five homes are damaged after a fire broke out shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Ramon Mobile Home Park in Palm Springs.

Authorities say five fire engines and two ambulances responded to the scene to find multiple homes and palm trees on fire.

The fire was quickly contained, but roads near Ramon and Sunrise Way remained closed for hours with Palm Springs Police urging the public to avoid the area.

One person was sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Stick with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on this story.

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Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Public Library is hosting a closing party Saturday afternoon, to celebrate the buildings upcoming renovations.

The library is preparing for a $45 million major renovation project, which will bring new life to the 50 year old building in Sunrise Park. During renovations, the staff and a portion of the over 100,000 item library collection will move to a temporary location at Rimrock Plaza off East Palm Canyon Drive.

The public library was originally set to close Saturday before the Rimrock Plaza landlords found HVAC issues at the temporary location, prompting officials to push back the move date three weeks to August 8.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from library officials and visitors on the closing party and what the library means to them.

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Tori King

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)– On Saturday, July 19th, the City of Palm Desert is holding a community blood drive. It will take place at the Palm Desert Community Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

LifeStream Blood Bank says your donations could help save a life and make a difference, here at home. All donors will also receive a limited-edition Riverside County t-shirt. The Community Center is located just off San Pablo Avenue. 

Click here to set up future appointments at LifeStream Blood Bank.

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Isaiah Mora

Update: MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – On Saturday, Cal Fire confirmed fire fighters responded to reports a vehicle versus electric pole at 12:08 a.m. near the intersection of Lincoln Street and Avenue 64 in Mecca. The engine confirmed that one pole was damaged and requested Imperial Irrigation District at the scene. There was no patient located at the scene, and the incident was turned over to IID and California Highway Patrol. According to IID’s website, power has been fully restored to the area.

Original Report:

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – Imperial Irrigation District’s website is reporting an outage occurred in Mecca, just before midnight on Friday. The website shows it is impacting the area near Lincoln Street between 64th and 66th Avenue. Around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, IID reported power has been restored for over 1,000 customers. As of Saturday morning, more than 100 residents remain in the dark. Crews are expected to fully restore power to the area around 11:30 in the morning. IID says the outage may have been caused by a car that ran into a power pole. News Channel 3 has reached out to California Highway Patrol for more information. Stay with us to get the latest on this outage.

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KESQ News Team

Rancho Mirage, Calif. (KESQ) – President Trump was reportedly suffering from a condition known as Chronic Venous Insufficiency, or CVI.

News Channel 3 reached out to Eisenhower Health to find out more about the condition.

Eisenhower Health said it was a condition where leg veins struggle to efficiently return blood to the heart.

That could potentially lead to blood pooling and leg swelling; spider veins could also be a sign.

Dr. Chanaka Wickramasinghe with Eisenhower Health said the CVI was very common, with about 100 million Americans likely to have the condition.

Wickramasinghe said CVI was not considered dangerous for patients.

Stay with News Channel 3 for updates on this story.

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KESQ News Team

Palm Springs, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs City Council was expected to vote next week on the Oak View Group taking over the contract of the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Oak View Group was the company that brought Acrisure Arena and the Firebirds to the Coachella Valley.

As News Channel 3 reported the previous week, the former CEO of Oak View Group, Tim Leiweke, was facing a federal indictment, accused of orchestrating a scheme to guarantee Oak View Group would win a contract to build an arena at the University of Texas.

The company had already agreed to pay a $15 million penalty.

Leiweke’s lawyer said he didn’t do anything wrong, and would remain a shareholder and transition to Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The Convention Center management agreement was on the council agenda for Monday.

Oak View Group was already set to operate the newly renovated Palm Springs Plaza Theatre; it was expected to open in December.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest updates on this story.

 

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Cynthia White

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A powerful new presence now stands in downtown Indio.

“The Messengers,” a vibrant public art piece by Sri Lankan artist Kumkum Fernando, was first seen at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2023 and has now found a permanent home at the park on Towne Street and Bliss Avenue. The bright, colorful, robot-like figures stand between 65 and 75 feet tall.

News Channel 3 was there on Friday for the unveiling as Public Art Company President Raffi Lehrer read a a moving tribute from the artist to his late father, bringing a deeper meaning to the celebration.

“The messengers are very personal to me. It’s the biggest artwork I’ve ever been a part of creating. The patterns, motifs, and colors are mainly inspired by Asian temples and palaces I visited with my father during my childhood in South Asia. My father used to take me to different Asian countries and cities. As we walked through these ancient places, he taught me how to appreciate beautiful colors and shared stories with me. With his passing a month ago, the artworks now hold even more significance. They stand tall as characters that carry deep memories. What’s beautiful to me is that these memories are now transformed into new ones through everyone who experiences the work. I hope these new memories are as unforgettable as mine. So we’re honored to give the messengers a permanent home, one where they’ll continue to spark joy, curiosity, and connection…”

Kumkum Fernando, Artist

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Cynthia White

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The City of Palm Springs Department of Parks and Recreation has announced that due to ongoing repairs from the recent power outage at the Palm Springs Swim Center, this Saturday’s (July 19th) “Dive-in Movie” has been rescheduled.

“Moana” can now be seen at the Swim Center on Saturday, August 2nd. Admission is free.

The Palm Springs Swim Center is located at 405 S. Pavilion Way. Doors open for open swim at 7:00 p.m., and the movie will start at dusk.

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Luis Avila

Update 7/23/25 – The Riverside Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identity of a man found dead this weekend as Benjamin Cole, a 42-year-old who had been missing since July 9. Officials say the exact date and time of his death remain unknown. Investigators also have not determined where the injury that led to his death occurred.

Update 7/22/25

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to News Channel 3 a dead person was found matching the description of Benjamin Cole; however, as of Monday afternoon, their identity has not been confirmed. The investigation remains ongoing.

Statement from Riverside County Sheriff’s Office:

“Cabazon Sheriff’s Station detectives are currently investigating the missing person case involving Benjamin Cole. On July 19, 2025, at 12:36 p.m., the search and rescue teams located a deceased subject matching the description of Benjamin Cole. The Riverside Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau has not confirmed the identity of the deceased subject who was located. Therefore, this is still an active and ongoing investigation. Unfortunately, the social media post was inadvertently updated before confirmation was received.”

Original Report

CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – Benjamin Cole, a missing 42-year-old man last seen in Cabazon, was located Saturday evening according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities posted to X shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday that Cole had been located.

However, Riverside Sheriff’s confirming the investigation into the disappearance is ongoing. At this time, the condition Cole was found in is still unknown.

Prior to his disappearance, Cole had been missing since July 9. He was last seen at his residence, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. But his wife, Tara Cole, says new information was captured on camera Friday evening.

“He was seen on the ring camera here at a distance getting out of his truck and going up on the hills and that was the last he was seen.”

Tara Cole, wife

News Channel 3 was unable to obtain a copy of the video but his wife sharing photos found on Benjamin’s Google account, believed to have been taken the night he went missing.

Tara sharing a possible explanation for his whereabouts.

“He came out here to prospect, he’s a new prospector looking at rocks and trying to find gems… He kind of just does things on a whim. He’s like ‘oh I’m just going out here.’ He’s an adventurer. He’s from Montana so he’s not afraid to get out there and go and be a little bit under prepared so that’s what we’re worried about the most right now.”

Tara Cole, wife

A search party was called off Friday because of weather conditions but patrols were present. Officials conducting a search Saturday morning.

Stick with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on this story.

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