Author: KESQ

Timothy Foster

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Music, dance, storytelling and community came together Saturday as the Sunset Music and Education Foundation hosted its Joyful Juneteenth Celebration at Revolution Stage Company in Palm Springs.

The free event honored Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Residents gathered for an afternoon featuring live music, poetry, dance performances, storytelling and educational programming focused on freedom, culture and community connection.

The celebration showcased a variety of local artists, performers, educators and community leaders. Young artists also took center stage, including student performers recognized through the foundation’s educational programs.

Organizers said the event was designed to bring people together while highlighting the importance of preserving cultural traditions and sharing stories across generations.

Sweet Baby J’ai, CEO and Executive Artistic Director of the Sunset Music and Education Foundation, said the event provided an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to connect through music, art and culture.

Throughout the afternoon, the foundation also presented musical instruments to local youth through its SMARTS Initiative, which aims to increase access to music education and artistic opportunities for students across the Coachella Valley.

The celebration was part of a broader effort to honor the history of Juneteenth while encouraging community engagement, education and cultural understanding.

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Jesus Reyes

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Paying it forward here in the Coachella Valley. News Channel 3 is teaming up with LifeStream Blood Bank on Friday.

You can roll up your sleeves and donate at the bloodmobile, which will be located outside our studios off Dunham Way in Thousand Palms.

It’s happening on Friday, June 26, from 8 a.m. to Noon. You can click here to schedule your appointment. Walk-ins are welcome.

Donors will also receive a Coachella Valley shirt and $25 Target gift card while supplies last.

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Tommy Gallegos

A video circulating on social media has drawn attention to an alleged enforcement stop involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection and a motorist in Palm Springs near Gene Autry Trail and Vista Chino.

According to the Palm Springs Police Department, local officers were not involved in the incident and were not notified in advance of Border Patrol’s presence in the city.

Palm Springs police said the traffic stop was initiated by U.S. Border Patrol in Palm Springs. Authorities reported that the motorist then fled the area, leading the incident into neighboring Cathedral City.

When contacted for additional details, Palm Springs police directed inquiries to the Cathedral City Police Department.

In a statement, Cathedral City police confirmed that Border Patrol agents were involved in a pursuit that entered the city at approximately 8:29 a.m.

Cathedral City police said the pursuit was called off within city limits, and no injuries or crashes were reported. Cathedral City police also emphasized that none of its officers participated in the pursuit.

Questions remain regarding the reason for the initial stop.

Requests for comment have been sent to U.S. Border Patrol. The agency has not responded.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A weekend of Juneteenth celebrations is kicking off in Palm Springs, hosted by the Palm Springs Black History Committee.

The holiday celebrates independence day for African Americans from slavery.

Juneteenth Freedom Weekend began Thursday evening at Villagefest in Downtown Palm Springs and continues through Saturday with a youth pageant at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Center.

Friday at 5 p.m., the Juneteenth Unity Picnic welcomes residents to Downtown Park for a lineup of educational, cultural, and community engagement experiences. The event will also feature food vendors and live entertainment.

Organizers say it’s been a way to unite the community and educate the public on the true meaning of Juneteenth.

“It’s important to keep educating not only our community, but everybody. Black history, we usually stick everything into one month, but our our mission is to celebrate Black history throughout the whole year,” Brian Jackson, Juneteenth coordinator with the committee said.

For many like Andrea Terry, the history has been passed down generations.

“Well, my mother is from Texas. Being a product of both her father being white, her mother being black, she had so much ties to slavery. She wanted us to know the importance and the significance of this day,” Terry said.

At Sweet Ashley’s, a homemade desert business, owner Ashley Johnson says Juneteenth gives her a chance to showcase her culture.

“It gives us space to be ourselves and give us a space to do recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Like the peach cobbler that’s been in our family since I was a kid,” Johnson said.

Terry says the day is a reminder that freedom is still a work in progress for some.

“This day and age, we’re fighting the administration. We’re fighting for people who are running from ICE. We are fighting for all of humanity, not just one race,” Terry said.

For more information on Freedom Weekend, visit: https://palmspringsblackhistory.org/juneteenth-weekend.

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Haley Meberg

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Festival Theaters Palm Springs announced a summer season full of exclusive premieres and filmmaker talkbacks marking a new chapter for the Coachella Valley’s cinema legacy.

The summer season takes off on June 26th at 7:00pm, with the screening of Coroner of the Stars followed by a post-screening talkback with director Ben Hethcoat. The exclusive screening opportunities span throughout the month of July, concluding July 29th, following the Festival Theaters Palm Springs Shortfest.

Viewings like the Palm Springs premier of Atropia, include a post-screening career retrospective by actress and Coachella Valley native Alia Shawkat, giving audiences a deeper look into the filmmaking world.

“We’re building something that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the desert, a place where you can see a great film and then sit in the same room as the person who made it,” said Zack Solomon, General Manager of Festival Theaters Palm Springs. “The support from our community has been extraordinary, and we’re committed to keeping these experiences as fun, accessible, and affordable as possible.”

All events offered throughout the summer season are ticketed at $20. Each film screening will be accompanied by a talkback with a director or actor from each film to reinforce Festival Theaters Palm Springs commitment to presenting cinema as a community experience.

Visit https://festivaltheaters.com/home/ for more details.

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Garrett Hottle

Happy Friday, Coachella Valley. Our spell of above average temperatures when we flirting with the 110s earlier this week is staying away for the weekend, but the same system giving us the break is keeping the wind up and the dust flying.

We’re running in the low 100s today, right around 102 in Palm Springs and a touch warmer out east in Indio and Coachella. That’s near where we should be for mid-June.

A windblown dust advisory is up until 11 a.m. Saturday for the valley including Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Indio, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Desert Hot Springs, Coachella and Mecca. The good news on the smoke front: the Shore Fire near Calimesa is mostly contained now about 78 percent and that haze has thinned out across the valley.

The wind takes over tonight. A weak area of low pressure off the West Coast is pulling cooler ocean air inland that’s our cool-down, and it’s also driving the gusts. The strongest winds will be through the San Gorgonio Pass and the north end of the valley, where gusts could reach 55 mph overnight before easing Saturday.

The weekend stays comfortable. Look for low 100s Saturday and near 104 for Father’s Day on Sunday.

Then it flips. Temperatures climb right back up next week past 110 by Tuesday and near 112 by Wednesday. The National Weather Service is already flagging major heat risk for the middle of next week.

Take advantage of the break this weekend, and stay with News Channel 3 for updates on air and online.

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Jesus Reyes

Update 6/19/26

Two suspects were arrested on Thursday, police said.

One suspect, a 34-year-old man, was arrested on Thursday at around 3:05 p.m. in the 300 block of E. Ramsey Street in Banning. Later that evening, police arrested the second suspect, a 22-year-old man, in the 200 block of W. Dale Street in Beaumont.

Both suspects face charges of murder and active participation in a criminal street gang. The 22-year-old also faces an additional accessory charge.

Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Banning Police Department Detective Bureau at (951) 922-3170 and reference Banning Police Department Case #26-1078.

Original Report 6/8/26

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – The investigation into a shooting that killed a 21-year-old man in Banning on Sunday remains ongoing.

The shooting was reported just before 11 p.m. in the area of 6th Street and Ramsey Street.

Police said officers arrived and found David Hernandez-Enriques suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 600 block of W. Ramsey Street. Hernandez-Enriques was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Banning Police Department Detective Bureau is actively investigating this incident. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Banning Police Department Detective Bureau at (951) 922-3170 and reference Banning Police Department Case #26-1078.

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Haley Meberg

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ)– Riverside County’s unemployment rate dropped marginally amidst payroll losses and gains in the regional economy.

California Employment Development Department (EDD) reports that throughout the month of May countywide jobless rates estimated at 4.7%, compared to 4.9% in April. The May 2026 rate lies three-tenths of a percentage lower than last year’s level, when unemployment rates in Riverside County stood at 5%.

Countywide payrolls in the professional business, health services, hospitality, information technology and trade, as well as transportation and utilities sectors faced significant declines with 4,200 positions being shed throughout the county.

However, bi-county data from the EDD revealed large payroll expansions in the agricultural, construction, manufacturing, and public sectors with 2,400 positions being added in May, contributing to this change in rate.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

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City News Service

PINE COVE, Calif. (KESQ) – A hiker trekking today with his family in the San Bernardino National Forest northeast of Pine Cove fell and suffered injuries, leading firefighters to mount a rescue operation with the help of a sheriff’s helicopter crew.

The “hiker down” call was received at 11:30 a.m. Friday along Black Mountain Truck Trail, east of Highway 243, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Capt. John Clingingsmith told City News Service the man, whose identity was not released, went down on the trail and experienced a “medical emergency” that left him unable to continue.

The victim’s family members, accompanying him, called 911, and engine crews were sent to the trailhead to mount a rescue.

Clingingsmith said due to the terrain, firefighters promptly requested that a sheriff’s helicopter crew based at Hemet-Ryan Airport initiate an air search for the parties.

As of noon, the search was getting underway.

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Luis Avila

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A late-night fire has temporarily closed Hamachi Sushi, leaving the restaurant’s future uncertain.

Owner Carlos Pardo says an employee discovered smoke inside the building on Thursday.

Firefighters spent about three hours battling the blaze. Pardo says investigators determined the fire started when electrical wiring between the attic and ceiling came into contact with wood.

Pardo says he had previously reported concerns about the building’s wiring, insulation and roof leaks to the landlord.

Now, his focus is on supporting employees and reopening as quickly as possible.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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