Author: KESQ

Athena Jreij

BLYTHE, Calif. (KESQ) – On the “brink of collapse,” that’s how officials from Blythe and those locally describe the condition of Palo Verde Hospital.

They say the hospital is now looking at filing Chapter 9 bankruptcy and has just days of cash flow on hand, after years of mishaps with their billing system. Since May, the hospital has suspended intake of patients and surgeries, with only an ER left.

Those in Blythe say this means residents can’t get care near them, and are having to travel nearly 2 hours and over 100 miles to the Coachella Valley to seek care at hospitals like JFK Memorial Hospital or Eisenhower Health.

“Medically, people will die if it closes. They won’t be able to get emergency treatment, it won’t be available there,” Vice Mayor Johnny Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez says patients are being medically airlifted almost daily.

Palo Verde is now asking for forgiveness on an $8.5 million distressed hospital loan, with state legislators like Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez asking for an additional $4 million in emergency funding.

Now, La Quinta City Councilman Steve Sanchez, who also serves on the LAFCO commission, worries what this means for our local hospitals.

“We have our own strains we’re already having in the Coachella Valley. If you start adding 20,000 people, even if it’s you know 10% of them have to use the hospital, that is a lot of people. They have to come to Indio or Rancho Mirage or Palm Springs,” Sanchez said.

LAFCO is now looking at other options for Palo Verde, like the dissolving of their board, another health district taking over, or even the county and city of Blythe stepping in to oversee it.

“The goal for every elected official involved in this is to ensure that the residents of Blythe have hospital services. The secondary is we need to protect our hospital districts out here and not strain an already strained hospital in the Coachella Valley,” Sanchez said.

News Channel 3 reached out to local providers like Eisenhower Health and JFK Memorial, who told us it’s not uncommon for residents of Blythe to receive care in the Valley for extreme cases. However, if the hospital’s ER closed, which already provides stabilizing treatment, that would lead to an increase in patients.

It’s a consequence Rodriguez says his residents are already feeling the burden of.

“One man they couldn’t provide the services that he needed here at the hospital, so in the middle of the night they had to go to Eisenhower. It was about 2:00 a.m. when they got there. His wife texted our mayor and said, you got to fix this.”

On Thursday, the Riverside County LAFCO will decide the next steps for the hospital, and examine if dissolving the board into a local healthcare district is possible.

In a statement to News Channel 3, Palo Verde officials said.

“Chapter 9 is the last tool left while we work to fix the financial management challenges that haveso drastically impacted the hospital during the past two years. Our community deserves a functioning hospital. We are doing everything we can to keep it open. Monday night’s board action was an important step since getting the news that we would not be receiving emergency funding from the state of California, the County of Riverside or the City of Blythe. One of the advantages of filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy is that we can continue to operate the hospital and clinic while continuing to negotiate with our creditors.”

Stick with News Channel 3 as we continue to follow this story.

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Kendall Flynn

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – Fritz Burns Park is set to receive nearly $10 million in improvements, from a shaded plaza, to an expanded playground and new pool additions. 

The project will be conducted in phases, with the first phase starting just last week. The project is set to last through February 2026. During the current phase, the playground, the dog park, the large grass area and parts of the parking lot will be closed.

The first phase is the largest and includes many new amenities. It will add a new plaza with public art activities, drinking fountains, a restroom building and seating and shade. The improvements will also create an expanded playground with new equipment and a tree-lined area with picnic tables.

Starting November 3, the Fritz Burn Park community pool will also close for six to seven month for construction and pool equipment improvements. The closure has been a large topic throughout the construction process as the City of La Quinta debated what to do with its programs.

The pool hosts numerous programs by the Desert Recreation District, including a Senior Splash class. Many attendees were concerns their program would be canceled as the city debated whether or not to move their program to the Pawley Pool in Indio.

Council members worried many participants would stop attending the class at another pool, and that the low numbers would not be worth the cost of using Pawley Pool.

After hearing the concerns from La Quinta, 58 class members signed a paper to say they will attend the Pawley Pool classes.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from city officials, the Desert Recreation District and Senior Splash attendees on the project and the move.

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City News Service

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two people suspected of stealing two electric scooters from a business in Rancho Mirage were behind bars today.   

The suspects were booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of grand theft, petty theft with priors and conspiracy to commit crime, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Both suspects were held without bail.   

Deputies responded at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31 to the 40000 block of Monterey Avenue regarding a report of grand theft, according to the sheriff’s department. They learned that two e-scooters were stolen from the front of the business, Sgt. Jeff Cryder said.

After reviewing surveillance footage, authorities identified two suspects: a 27-year-old man, described as a transient out of Beaumont, and a 47-year-old man, from Banning.

According to Cryder, Beaumont police officers found the 27-year-old and detained him without incident on Monday.   

A search warrant was served at a residence in the 5100 block of West Hoffer Street in Banning the following day, where authorities arrested the 47-yera-old without incident.

Anyone with additional information about the crime was urged to contact 760-836-1600.

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Jesus Reyes

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Roads are back open in Cathedral City following a gas leak Wednesday morning.

Cathedral Canyon was closed between Ramon Road and Corral Road. The road was reopened by 11:30 a.m.

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Cynthia White

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Democrat Lucas Piñon of Palm Desert announced Tuesday he is throwing his hat into the ring to run for the 47th Assembly District, challenging incumbent Greg Wallis.

Piñon currently serves as Director of Special Projects for Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA).

Raised in Palm Desert, Piñon also served in Afghanistan with the U.S. Air Force Security Forces. He says he is running for State Assembly “because our communities deserve a fighter in Sacramento who will put people ahead of politics and corporate special interests and deliver results for a change.”

In an interview with Hernán Quintas of Telemundo 15, News Channel 3’s sister station, Piñon adds, “Service has been at the heart of who I am. I’ve served the United States Air Force, and I learned early on experience of leadership and discipline and service before self. And now, as a husband and father, I understand the challenges that face our communities, the cost of living and the cost of housing, cost of rent – Overall, it’s very hard for our families to succeed.”

Piñon will be representing the Democratic party, and says he is entering the race with the support of community leaders including Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA) and Congressman Juan Vargas (D-51).

He and his wife live in Palm Desert with their two children.

Republican Greg Wallis is running for a third term as assemblyman in District 47.

In a statement to News Channel 3, Wallis says of Piñon’s announcement for candidacy, “I welcome anyone who wishes to run – Our democracy is stronger when more voices step up. I’m proud of my record delivering for our district. From tackling affordability to strengthening public safety I’m focused on building a stronger, more sustainable future for our community.”

The California statewide primary election will be held on June 2, 2026.

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Shay Lawson

SKY VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley Water District tabled a decision that would have shifted water service responsibility in unincorporated areas east of Desert Hot Springs to Mission Springs Water District.

During Tuesday’s meeting, CVWD boardmembers made it clear this process isn’t being driven by them.

CVWD Statement:

The CVWD Board of Directors appreciates the public’s constructive input as we begin exploring complex issues that affect multiple municipalities and our shared community.

The Board voted at today’s public meeting to revisit the item regarding an application to the Riverside County LAFCO for review of the potential divestiture of water and sewer services, and the concurrent annexation of a portion of CVWD’s boundaries to Mission Springs Water District. This item will be revisited at a future meeting, following Mission Springs Water District’s discussion and potential vote to initiate a financial and feasibility analysis of the proposed acquisition.

CVWD is committed to working with the community and to operating efficiently and responsibly as we evaluate the course of action that best serves the interests of its customers and the broader community.

Statement from MSWD:

Today’s meeting does not alter our primary focus or our commitment to the residents of Desert Hot Springs and the surrounding communities. Before our board can take any action, MSWD must gather additional information and conduct the necessary due diligence to determine the best path forward for our customer base. 

At the staff level, we will continue to support the City of Desert Hot Springs’ economic development efforts while working with the CVWD team to develop a mutually beneficial path forward, whether this results in a service agreement between the agencies or a transfer of service to take part or all of the ID-8 area remains to be determined.

The CVWD board also discussed looking at other options to get water to that area — but again, nothing will move ahead unless MSWD takes action.

Last week, News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson spoke with Sky Valley and Desert Edge residents who pushed back on the proposal, citing increasing costs.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.

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Peter Daut

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – FIND Food Bank will soon hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its new, 80 thousand square foot Food Security Campus in Indio.

The organization says it had outgrown its current facility, exceeding its storage capacity by 80 percent.

The new, expanded facility will also provide several services, including workforce development and financial literacy courses.

FIND Food Bank President and CEO Debbie Espinosa says the outreach services offered help others by “Looking at the root causes of hunger, and identifying what we can do to help people become truly independent from not receiving food in the future, but being able to self-feed because they’ve tackled those root causes.”

The grand opening will be this Friday, and the public is invited to tour the new facility starting next week.

For more information, visit findfoodbank.org.

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Shay Lawson

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)  – Update 9/24/2025

In a new statement to News Channel 3, Tamara Wadkins, The Desert Sands Unified School District Public Information Officer, said:

“There were two separate situations involving two different students. Both are being addressed, and the school is working closely with the families to provide care and support. In the instance that occurred off campus, school administration was not informed until several days later, which delayed our ability to respond right away.

Bullying is not tolerated at Thomas Jefferson Middle School or at any of our DSUSD campuses. We are committed to addressing incidents proactively as soon as we become aware of them. When concerns are reported, our staff investigate, conference with students, contact families, and assign appropriate support and consequences. In addition, our team works diligently every day to prevent incidents and to promote positive relationships among students.

If families have an incident to report, we strongly encourage them to reach out directly to their school site as soon as possible so we can respond quickly and effectively. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority.”

Original report 9/23/2025

Sarai Cervantes, an Indio mother, is demanding answers after she says her autistic son was beaten by classmates near Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Indio.

“We come from Dr. Carreon, now Thomas Jefferson,” Cervantes said. “He’s been being bullied, targeted by other children because he’s in special ed. He’s autistic. He has ADHD and two different mood disorders.”

She said the violence escalated Monday afternoon when her son, Evan Cervantes, was followed to Pawley Pool, about a 4 minute walk from campus.

“Some kids got him, took him to the restroom and started beating him up,” Sarai said. “They covered his mouth. They told him not to say anything. They hit him several times in his face, upper body, back and his stomach.”

She said she took Evan to urgent care, where a doctor found swelling in his liver and kidneys caused by the assault.

“It makes me feel horrible,” Sarai said. “I sent him to school to learn. It’s already hard enough for him with all his disabilities. And it’s supposed to be his safe spot.”

In a statement to News Channel 3 Tamara Wadkins, The Desert Sands Unified School District Public Information Officer, said:

“There was one incident reported on the Thomas Jefferson Middle School campus. Upon learning of it, school staff took immediate action, investigated thoroughly, and worked directly with the parents of those involved. Appropriate consequences and discipline were administered.

DSUSD is committed to fostering a school culture where all students feel safe, supported, and valued. Our staff work diligently to prevent incidents and to promote positive relationships among students. If families have concerns or questions, we encourage them to reach out directly to their school site.”

“He is not the only one,” Sarai said. “There are several other kids who are being bullied.”

She said she’s filed a police report but has yet to hear from the school principal or district leaders.

“I just want answers,” Sarai said. “Today it was my son, tomorrow it’s going to be someone else’s. There’s no proof. There’s nothing. All there is is bruises, marks, pain and anxiety.”

Now, she’s asking the community for help identifying those involved.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear directly from Evan in the full report at 10 and 11 p.m.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man accused of intentionally setting a fire that fatally injured a 43-year-old Coachella woman must stand trial for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled today.

Richard Michael Carmona, 41, was arrested in December following an extensive investigation into the alleged arson attack that killed Arlene Danielle Avila.

At the end of a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Tuesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randolph Rogers found there was sufficient evidence to bound Carmona over for trial on the murder count and a special circumstance allegation of causing death by arson.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Oct. 8. Carmona is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

According to sheriff’s investigators, shortly after midnight last Oct. 31, the defendant allegedly ignited an outdoor fire in the 51000 block of Cesar Chavez Street, near 51st Street, to which Avila was directly exposed.   

The specific circumstances were not disclosed, including a possible motive.   

Carmona allegedly fled the scene, as witnesses called 911. Patrol deputies and firefighters reached the location within minutes and discovered the victim severely burned and the fire still raging in surrounding brush, authorities said.

The blaze was quickly knocked down, and Avila was airlifted to a regional trauma center, where she lingered in intensive care for weeks before succumbing to her injuries, according to court documents.

Central Homicide Unit detectives gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Carmona, who was taken into custody without incident on Christmas Eve.

Background information on the defendant was unavailable.

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NPG Content Share

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Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) says Merlon Kidwell, their Watermaster for 50 years, has retired.

Joining IID in 1975, Kidwell ensured “the reliable delivery of water to nearly half a million acres of some of the nation’s most productive farmland, as well as to cities, businesses, and industries in California’s Imperial Valley,” IID said.

“Being the Watermaster can be a great job, but you have to be able to accept the world as not being perfect,” Kidwell said, who also trained and supervised staff in the trade. “If the water is in the banks when you get to work, then a smart Watermaster will take that as a win. As we operate over 1,600 miles of irrigation infrastructure, we are always prepared for any challenges that may come up during the course of a day.”

IID says Kidwell is one of six people to hold the job title since 1940, and his contributions include “improving the water scheduling system to allow more effective planning, ensuring timely delivery, shorter-duration orders, and reducing inefficiencies.”

“The work of our Water Department is truly fascinating as it involves so many critical moving parts that need to be in sync in order for us to reliably deliver water 24/7,” said IID Board Chairwoman Gina Dockstader. “We are amazed at the expertise this requires, which is exemplified by such dedicated and respected employees as Mr. Kidwell. We truly thank him for all that he has done over the years and remain in a debt of gratitude.”

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