Author: KESQ

Raymond Kalra

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A longtime emergency shelter for troubled and at-risk youth in the Coachella Valley is closed, raising questions about what resources remain for young people who need mental health support or simply a safe place to go.

Safe House of the Desert in Thousand Palms provided emergency shelter and support services for youth ages 11 to 17. Operation SafeHouse has said the location closed because of insufficient funding. Its Riverside facility remains open and avaliable.

News Channel 3 made multiple attempts Tuesday to contact Operation SafeHouse seeking additional information about the closure, what resources are currently being provided to Coachella Valley youth and whether there are plans to restore shelter services in the eastern part of Riverside County. Those requests were not returned as of Tuesday evening.

What happens if a young person needs help now?

The closure does not mean mental and behavioral health resources are unavailable in the Coachella Valley, but local law enforcement says those resources do not necessarily fill the same role as a youth shelter.

Palm Springs Police Public Information Officer Capt. Gustavo Araiza said the department works with its Community Behavioral Assessment Team, or CBAT, when officers encounter someone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

The program pairs an officer with a clinician connected to Riverside University Health System. The team can assess someone’s needs and work to connect that person with appropriate county services.

Araiza said the program was developed to serve the broader community, while Safe House served a more specific need for young people.

“This safe house was pretty specific to addressing the need for the youth. But we just thought as a community we needed that for everybody,” Araiza said.

Araiza said one potential gap involves young people who do not want to return home or are considered runaways.

“I think one of the gaps that we have, and it might not necessarily be on the mental health side, but it very well could kind of teeter in that area, is the individual that doesn’t want to go home and is now a runaway,” Araiza said. “So kind of having a safe haven for them to go to, because that’s one of the things that we did have in the past.”

988 offers another option during a mental health crisis

For someone experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis, another resource is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Rebecca Zeitlin, Crisis Lines Clinical Director at Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, said 988 is available to people of any age and is not limited to people considering suicide.

“So 988 is a great resource when someone’s experiencing either a mental health, emotional, substance use crisis or in need of support, intervention or help figuring out what to do,” Zeitlin said. “But we want to remind folks that you don’t have to wait for a situation to become an emergency.”

People can call or text 988 to reach a live crisis counselor. Zeitlin said counselors can listen to what is happening, assess safety and work with the caller to determine appropriate next steps.

The service can also help someone who is concerned about a friend, child or family member and doesn’t know how to approach the situation.

Zeitlin said one misconception is that contacting 988 automatically results in a law enforcement response. She said that is not the case.

For situations requiring an immediate in-person response because of a medical or other emergency, 911 remains the appropriate number to call.

For emotional, mental health, substance use or suicidal crises, 988 can provide crisis support around the clock.

“Nobody has to deal with that alone,” Zeitlin said.

Questions remain about youth shelter services

While 988 and local behavioral health teams can provide crisis intervention and connections to care, those services are different from the emergency shelter once available to youth at Safe House of the Desert.

News Channel 3 is continuing to seek answers from Operation SafeHouse about the closure of its Thousand Palms facility, its current services for Coachella Valley youth, and whether there are plans to restore a youth emergency shelter in the area.

Operation SafeHouse continues to operate a location in Riverside.

News Channel 3 will update this story if Operation SafeHouse responds

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Jesus Reyes

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Friday marks 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks. There will be several remembrance ceremonies throughout the Coachella Valley.

Cathedral City Fire Department 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony – 8:15 a.m. at Cathedral City Fire Station 1, 6895 Buddy Rogers Drive Fire Chief Michael A. Contreras will lead the ceremony. The community will observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. and a second at 9:03 a.m., marking the moments American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 struck the North and South Towers. The ceremony concludes following the second moment of silence. City of Indio’s 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony – 9 a.m. at Miles Avenue Park The city will be unveiling the new Indio 9/11 Memorial, a permanent tribute featuring a 12-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center La Quinta 9/11 Candlelight Vigil – 7 p.m. – Civic Center Park The community is invited to come together in remembrance, reflection and unity as we honor the heroes, first responders and all those whose lives were forever changed by the events of September 11, 2001 Palm Springs Fire Department 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony – 8:30 a.m at Palm Springs Fire Station 2, 300 North El Cielo Road The Palm Springs Fire Department invites the community to join in a solemn tribute to the Heroes of 9/11 during the annual Never Forget 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony Annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb At Morongo Resort – 8 AM to 1 PM Paying tribute to the fallen 343 firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001, the participants will climb the stairwells inside the 27-story Morongo resort tower to three times to simulate the 2,200 steps that the fallen heroes ascended in the Twin Towers Every step at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will help raise funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which provides vital support, such as grief counseling, peer networks, financial assistance, and scholarships to the families of fallen firefighters. The event aims to raise over $10,000

If you know of any other remembrance events taking place in or near the Coachella Valley, send information to our email: share@KESQ.com

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City News Service

IDYLLWILD, Calif. (KESQ) – A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle today on state Route 243 near North Circle Drive in Idyllwild, though traffic remained open through the area.

The incident was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 10:22 a.m. Monday.

Further details regarding the pedestrian’s condition were not immediately available.

The vehicle involved was identified as a blue Mazda SUV, according to a CHP traffic incident log.

The collision occurred outside active travel lanes, leaving traffic unaffected.

Cal Fire was notified and dispatched to provide emergency medical assistance.

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Jesus Reyes

Palm Springs, Calif. (KESQ) – Four people were arrested at a DUI checkpoint in Palm Springs over the weekend, police announced.

The checkpoint was held Friday night to early Saturday morning at East Tahquitz Canyon Way and South Hermosa Drive. A total of 320 vehicles were contacted, police said.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of a DUI, one person was arrested on felony drug charges, and one person was arrested for driving on a suspended license.

An additional driver was cited for driving without a driver’s license.

Police said DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off roads.

The next DUI checkpoint will be held on September 18, 2026.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Jesus Reyes

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to his wife’s death earlier this year in Twentynine Palms.

Isaac Matthew Angel pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last Tuesday, court records show.

Angel was arrested in connection with the death of Jessica Nicole Phillips, 34, who was found dead inside her garage at her home on the 74900 block of Aladdin Drive on March 13.

Authorities were originally called to the home for a vehicle check after a Toyota Tacoma was parked at the location, blocking a gate at the fire department on the 6500 block of Adobe Road. During their investigation, deputies were led to the residence on Aladdin Drive, where two unsupervised children were located.

A search of the house led to the discovery of Phillips, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nearly two hours after the vehicle check, deputies located the children’s father, Angel, walking near the intersection of Sunrise Drive and Araby Avenue.

“Through the course of the investigation, detectives determined Angel was responsible for Phillips’ death, and he was arrested for murder,” reads a news release by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in March.

Details on the investigation were not available.

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Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – This Monday, September 7th marks more than just Labor Day; it’s National Beer Lover’s Day, too!

As you relax for the holiday, you might be reaching into your fridge for an ice-cold beer. It’s the world’s most consumed alcoholic drink.

There’s a number of breweries around the valley perfecting their craft beer. To name a few: La Quinta Brewing Company, Luchador Brewing Company, Desert Beer Company, and Coachella Valley Brewing Company.

CV Brewing Co. first opened its doors in 2013. Its main hub is in Thousand Palms, but it also has a Palm Springs restaurant and taproom in downtown Palm Springs.

“For me, every day is a day to celebrate beer,” said manager Wesley Gainey with a chuckle. “If you want to celebrate a beer, go buy local, get adventurous and take some chances.”

Gainey said each batch they brew typically produces 20 barrels. It takes about 700 pounds of grains.

The brewing process takes about three weeks, the bulk of which comes from fermenting. Before that step, though, are several rounds of boiling, mixing, separating, and breaking down grains and sugars. Coachella Valley uses a unique “high-efficiency brewing system” – or H.E.B.S. – which helps the brewery be more sustainable. It says on its website it reduces water use by 60% and uses 65% less grain.

The waste products that are created are given to local farms to be used as animal feed. More information on sustainable brewing can be found here.

Between the various moving parts, Gainey estimated it’s a multi-million dollar undertaking. Still, he called it a labor of love. “When [customers] are out there at the store or deciding where to go, you know, [or they’re] right here chugging along, we’re making good stuff,” he said, pointing at the operation.

He encouraged more people to get out and try more of their local craft breweries.

“Aside from, you know, you’re supporting local, you also tend to get a wider variety of flavors and different opportunities that you can get with with independent beers.”

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Matthew Pearce

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) — For the first time ever, the U.S. national average price of gas is above $4 on Labor Day. The national average of $4.15 is 33 cents above the previous Labor Day record of $3.82, which was set in 2012.

But in California, gas prices are well above the $4.15 national average. Today, AAA reports the average price per gallon in California is $5.86.

Labor Day is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year, so News Channel 3 is speaking with travelers to learn how they’re managing record gas prices.

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Raymond Kalra

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Local restaurant owners who went into Labor Day weekend hoping for a late-summer boost say the holiday crowds showed up, bringing full patios, long restaurant waits and heavy traffic to parts of Palm Springs.

News Channel Three first spoke with several restaurant owners Friday as they prepared for the long weekend. With the holiday now wrapping up, we went back to see whether those expectations matched reality.

At Bongo Johnny’s, owner Mark Hewitt described the weekend as a strong one, saying the restaurant filled its patios and sold out of several menu items.

“It was an amazing feeling to have the boardwalk here lit up with people walking and everyone having a great time,” Hewitt said.

The crowds were noticeable to visitors as well.

Katrina Jefferson traveled from the Los Angeles area with her family for her son’s basketball tournament. She said getting into restaurants during the weekend sometimes required patience.

“Even here at the Broken Yolk, we’re waiting. It’s taking like an hour,” Jefferson said. “Super busy.”

Jefferson said her family also spent time walking around downtown, shopping and eating between basketball games.

Another visitor, Ulu Lani Ohai, came to Palm Springs for a quick getaway with her mother.

“It’s been busy. The traffic has been a lot. But it’s all right,” Ohai said.

She said one restaurant the pair visited was also packed during their stay.

At La Bonita Mexican Restaurant, owner Aaron Raei said business remained steady through the weekend and was roughly in line with last Labor Day.

Raei said the restaurant also saw larger groups coming in during the holiday weekend, particularly at night.

By Monday, he said another wave of customers arrived as visitors prepared to leave town.

“At the end of long weekends, people come out and they want to eat and then go home,” Raei said.

The weekend’s rain also did not appear to completely deter diners.

Hewitt said Bongo Johnny’s lost some usable patio space during the wet weather, but some customers continued sitting outside in raincoats while enjoying their meals and drinks.

For Hewitt, the stronger holiday weekend is also giving him optimism about what could come next as the Coachella Valley moves closer to its busier tourism season.

“If this is the precursor of our season, it’s looking very good,” Hewitt said. “So now we’re really excited.”

The holiday also came as food remained a major part of Labor Day spending nationwide. Survey data showed 83% of Americans celebrating the holiday expected to purchase food.

For local restaurant owners, the next question is whether the activity seen over Labor Day weekend continues as the valley moves out of the slower summer months and into its traditionally busier season.

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Dakota Makinen

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As people head home from the Labor Day weekend, drivers across the Coachella Valley can expect increased traffic on I-10.

AAA expects the busiest return-travel period Monday afternoon, particularly between 2 and 5 p.m.

Drivers are encouraged to leave earlier when possible, check road conditions before heading out and allow extra time for their commute.

Meanwhile, a road hazard on eastbound I-10 near Pennsylvania Avenue in Beaumont is impacting multiple vehicles. Witnesses report a large pothole, with several cars pulled to the side of the road.

Drivers are urged to use caution and stay alert as they travel.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest updates.

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Matthew Pearce

BEAUMONT, Calif. (KESQ) — Recent rain in Southern California led to expansion and creation of dangerous pot holes on roadways. Now, talks about the safety of roads have begun.

This comes after approximately a dozen vehicles suffered damage from a large pothole on eastbound Interstate 10 near Pennsylvania Avenue in Beaumont.

Witnesses at the scene told News Channel 3 the pothole was located in one of the eastbound lanes.

Several vehicles were seen stopped on the side of the freeway, including at least one car with a flat tire.

Drivers were being urged to use caution while traveling through the area.

But how exactly does the weather impact roads and potholes? Cracks in the road can allow for rain water to seep through and accumulate under the pavement surface — eventually eroding the soil beneath roads. When this happens, the roads become less stable and the weight of a vehicle can apply enough pressure to form a hole in the road.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more information on the cause and solution for potholes, live tonight at 6.

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