Author: KESQ

Haley Meberg

Many students are slated to return back to school, with an opportunity for high school and college students across the valley to get to class for free.

The opportunity is part of a program offered by the Sunline Transit Agency called “Haul Pass.”

The agency says all students have to do is fill out an application online.

Once it is approved, students will be able to receive a pass to show their bus driver before hitting the road.

The program has been around for several years, but officials say to this day a lot of people don’t know about it. 

“We love to make sure that students can get around without having to worry about needing a vehicle or maybe having their parents take them. They can be completely independent and actually go to where they need to go.” said Edit Hernandez, Sunline Transit Agency’s Director of Board and Legislative Affairs

Sunline says that it has noticed a steady increase of students using “haul pass” in recent years.

For more information visit https://www.sunline.org/fares-passes/haul-pass 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Meberg

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ)– Eisenhower Health achieves another regional medical milestone by being the first hospital in the Coachella Valley to successfully perform a groundbreaking procedure, the TriClip. 

The TriClip procedure is a minimally invasive treatment to help patients with tricuspid valve regurgitation. This condition occurs when the valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle fails to close properly allowing blood to leak backward. 

Prior to the TriClip procedure patients not eligible for open heart surgery were left with limited options to fix the issue, leading to symptoms that include fatigue, swelling, and shortness of breath. 

“This is a game changer for patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation who have been suffering without viable solutions,” says Dr. Panguluri. “With the TriClip, we can now offer relief through a minimally invasive procedure that shortens recovery time and dramatically improves quality of life.”

The procedure at Eisenhower Health was led by Board Certified interventional cardiologist Praveen Panguluri, MD, with the help of Andrew Frutkin, MD, who is also a Board Certified in interventional cardiology. 

“Bringing this level of innovation to our community is part of our mission to improve health through excellence, compassion, and state-of-the-art care,” says Scott Strech, RN, BSN, MBA, Chief Administrative Officer/Administrator, Cardiovascular Services, Eisenhower Health.

The success of the TriClip procedure underscored Eisenhower Health’s commitment to providing the most up to date leading-edge care to patients in the valley. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – We all dread it: energy bills skyrocketing during the hot summer months as we rely on our air conditioners to cool off.

One program throughout Southern California is offering a way for homeowners to ensure their air conditioning & climate control is working as efficiently as possible.

Synergy Companies partners with local utilities, like Southern California Edison, to provide the no-cost upkeep and energy efficiency services. They check ducting for leaks, maintain air conditioning units, and install smart thermostats – all ways to help you save on energy.

Edison customers already pay a certain amount on their bill for a “Public Purpose Program Charge.” This money is used to fund services like the one Synergy provides.

Southern California Edison customers can find the webpage to check their eligibility or schedule their appointment here.

Imperial Irrigation District customers can check their eligibility on IID’s website, as well.

Stay with News Channel 3 to see a full breakdown of the program tonight.

Click here to follow the original article.

Luis Avila

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Evacuation orders remain for areas around the Rosa Fire, displacing people and animals. The Riverside County Department of Animal Services is assisting and taking in impacted animals at its Coachella Valley and San Jacinto shelters.

“Our field team is out. They are able to go and rescue the pets that are up in houses past the barricades on 74. They prioritize ones closest to the fire first and then work from there.”

Marlo Clingman, Coachella Valley Animal Campus animal services manager

As of Tuesday, officials say eight dogs are being housed at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus while twelve horse, twelve dogs, seven goats, and five turkeys are being cared for at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter

6851 Van Buren Blvd

Jurupa Valley, CA 92509

San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus

581 S. Grand Ave.

San Jacinto, CA 92582

Coachella Valley Animal Campus

72-050 Pet Land Place

Thousand Palms, CA 92276

But the effort is facing a challenge: overcapacity.

“Basically our staff reshuffles everyone. Plenty of our staff are also fosters… We’ll do a pop up kennel if we need to but that tends to mean more dogs in a kennel together. Might be three instead of two, four instead of three.”

Marlo Clingman, Coachella Valley Animal Campus animal services manager

With the Coachella Valley Animal Campus shelter at 216% capacity and San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus at 232% capacity for dogs, they’re seeking the public’s help to foster un-owned shelter pets.

Still, officials say the shelter will continue to rescue as many animals as they can

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cynthia White

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Three people were injured in a crash on Interstate 10 between a car and a CAL FIRE ambulance Monday night, causing traffic and prompting a SIG Alert from California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported just before 9:15 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 10 west of Jackson Street in Indio, and CHP issued a SIG Alert in the area shortly thereafter. Traffic was moving again and the SIG Alert was lifted by 10:45 p.m.

CHP reports that the crash happened as a CAL FIRE ambulance was leaving the site of an earlier traffic accident with one patient on board. The ambulance was hit by a car while it was merging from the center median into the lanes of traffic.

The driver of the car sustained major injuries. Two CAL FIRE employees riding in the ambulance sustained minor injuries, and the patient inside the ambulance had minor injuries that were from the earlier, original crash. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Cynthia White

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – United Parcel Services, Inc., UPS Supply Chain Solutions, General Services, Inc., and UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. (collectively “UPS”) has been ordered to pay $1.745 million as settlement in a civil lawsuit alleging unlawful disposal of hazardous waste and medical waste.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin along with 44 District Attorneys around the state announced the settlement Monday, saying that the amount covers $1.4 million in civil penalties, $140,000 in costs, and $205,000 in Supplemental Environmental Projects.

Hestrin says Riverside County will receive $230,000 in civil penalties and $25,000 in cost recovery as part of the settlement.

The judgment in the lawsuit is a result of an investigation into the waste disposal by UPS over the last several years at its 140 facilities, including ten facilities in Riverside County.

The lawsuit alleges that UPS unlawfully disposed of hazardous and medical waste in regular trash bins and took it to local landfills that were not permitted to receive such waste. The waste included, but was not limited to, ignitable, reactive, toxic and corrosive materials, and items containing Drug Facts.

In his announcement, Hestrin says that UPS cooperated with prosecutors during the investigation and the company has since implemented improved waste management practices and employee training to improve their handling of California regulated hazardous waste and medical waste.

Hestrin adds that all California businesses are required to properly dispose of hazardous waste and medical waste that is generated in the normal course of business and to manage such waste in separate labeled containers to ensure that incompatible waste does not mix and cause dangerous chemical reactions or harm to the environment.

The DA’s Offices involved in the investigation include Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Yolo. The judgment was entered in San Joaquin County Superior Court on July 25, 2025. Deputy District Attorney Lauren R. Martineau of the Environmental Protection Team handled the case for Riverside County.

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A parolee accused of fatally beating a 92-year-old man with whom he was rooming at an assisted living facility in Banning must undergo psychiatric examinations to determine his mental competency, a judge ruled today.

Sam Ato Timaloa, 77, allegedly inflicted grave injuries on Attilio Cecchetto of Banning in May.

Timaloa is charged with assault resulting in great bodily injury, elder abuse resulting in great bodily injury and battery resulting in injuries.   

During a status hearing at the Banning Justice Center Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel received motions from Timaloa’s public defender requesting comprehensive psychological tests to gauge the defendant’s mental health and whether he may be eligible for treatment at a state hospital, which would mean a possible indefinite suspension of criminal proceedings.  

Kiel ordered the case transferred to the Riverside Hall of Justice, where another judge will handle the appointment of doctors and reports on their evaluations.

Timaloa is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.

Banning Police Department Capt. Brandon Smith said that in the predawn hours of May 8, patrol officers were called to Banning Healthcare at 3476 W. Wilson St. to investigate reports of an assault on one of the nursing home’s residents.

“Officers discovered that the 92-year-old male victim had sustained severe injuries from an assault,” the captain said. “He was treated by Cal Fire paramedics and then transported to a trauma hospital for further treatment.”  

Smith said the ensuing investigation determined Timaloa was assigned to the same room as the victim and had allegedly attacked him, but there was no word regarding why.  

The defendant was taken into custody without incident.   

Cecchetto died three days later.   

The captain said a background check confirmed Timaloa was a registered sex offender.  

Court records show he has prior convictions for forcible rape, attempted murder with a sentence-enhancing knife allegation and domestic violence. He was sentenced to 23 years in state prison in 2008 but qualified for early parole last year.

Documents indicated that he violated his parole in the summer of 2024, at which point the court ordered placed him in the skilled nursing facility, possibly due to health complications.

A county Adult Protective Services case worker had been assigned to handle his affairs, documents stated.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Meberg

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)– A woman was taken into custody following a hit and run involving a fire hydrant early Monday afternoon in Indio. 

Indio Police Department reports that they responded to a call on Monroe and Bella Gate for a hit and run collision that ended with a broken fire hydrant.

The crash caused water to shoot up out of the structure flooding the street during this week’s heatwave. 

The 21-year-old woman attempted to flee on foot following the incident but was taken into custody nearby soon after the crash. 

No further information has been released at this time. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The California Highway Patrol issued a SIG Alert along Interstate 10 in Indio due to a vehicle fire that has caused a heavy traffic backup.

The incident was reported at around 1:45 p.m. on the I-10 east of the Monroe exit.

As of 2 p.m., traffic is backed up from Monroe to Jefferson heading eastbound.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jesus Reyes

UPDATE 8/11/25 10:30 am – CAL FIRE reports the fire has been mapped at 1671 acres and is now 95% contained. Two structures were destroyed.

UPDATE 8/9/25 9:13 pm – CAL FIRE reports the fire has been mapped at 1671 acres and is now 80% contained.

Highway 74 open for travel.

All Evacuation Orders lifted.

Evacuation Warnings are issued for the following zones:

RVC-Rosa Fire

North of Santa Rosa Truck Trail

East of Santa Rosa Road

South of Saint Pierre Road

West of Palm Canyon Drive

UPTATE 8/8/25 7:00 PM – CAL FIRE reports the fire has been mapped at 1671 acres and is now 50% contained.

“The fire is 1671 acres and 50% contained. Crews experienced minimal fire activity today and firefighters continued to build and reinforce containment lines. Fire Suppression Repair remains ongoing. Weather will remain typical for the fire area with poor humidity recovery overnight. Please continue to drive carefully as emergency personnel are still working in the area.”

EVACUATION ORDERS: RVC-1983-C, RVC-2121-A, and RVC-2122-B

EVACUATION WARNINGS: RVC-1983-A, RVC-1984, RVC-2051, RVC-2052, RVC-2121-B, and RVC-2122-C

Areas for Evacuation Orders and Evacuation Warnings can be found at protect.genasys.com.

ROAD CLOSURES:

Highway 74 at Santa Rosa Pit Stop

Highway 74 at Palm Canon Drive

UPDATE 8/8/25 11:00 AM – The fire remains at 1690 acres and 40% contained. Some evacuation orders were reduced to warnings. Most previous evacuation warnings have been lifted.

“As you return home, you may see smoke or fire due to unburned pockets of fuel within the fire’s perimeter. If at any time you see smoke or fire that is outside the fire line, or you feel unsafe, call 911 immediately. For information regarding domestic water and domestic water wells please refer to the Department of Environmental Health County of Riverside,”

EVACUATION ORDERS: RVC – 2122A, RVC – 1983A, RVC – 2121A• North of Santa Rosa Truck Trail• East of Santa Rosa Road• South of Saint Pierre Road• West of Palm Canyon Drive

EVACUATION WARNINGS: RVC – 2122B, RVC – 2051, RVC – 2052,

RVC – 1984, RVC – 1983B• East of Palm Canyon Drive• North of Toro Peak• West of Scenic Drive• South of Skyland Drive

ROAD CLOSURES:

• Highway 74 and Palm Canyon Drive• Highway 74 at Santa Rosa Pit Stop

UPDATE 8/7/25 9:00 PM – The fire remains at 1690 acres and 30% contained.

Note from CAL FIRE:

“Firefighters remain actively engaged in maintaining containment lines as fire activity remains minimal. Crews continue mopping up the fire’s edge as well as extinguishing hot spots within the interior. Hot, dry, and windy conditions remain challenging for firefighters.

The area of the Rosa fire will remain in a heat advisory throughout the rest of the week.”

UPDATE 8/7/25 5:35 PM – The fire is 30% contained

UPDATE 8/7/25 3:15 PM – Evacuation warnings have been lifted in several areas, according to CAL FIRE.

Additionally, the road closure is now at Highway 74 and Scenic Drive, as well as Highway 74 at Santa Rosa Pit Shop.

CAL FIRE NOTE:

“As you return home, you may see smoke or fire due to unburned pockets of fuel within the fire’s perimeter. If at any time you see smoke or fire that is outside the fire line, or you feel unsafe, call 911 immediately. For information regarding domestic water wells please refer to the Department of Environmental Health County of Riverside. SAFETY MESSAGE – The public is reminded to stay vigilant on current fire conditions. Please continue to adhere to road closures and any Evacuation Warnings or Evacuation Orders. A reminder to drive slowly and yield to emergency personnel in the area. 

To learn more about wildfire preparedness visit: http://readyforwildfire.org“

UPDATE 8/7/25 10:30 AM – The fire remains at 1690 acres with 25% containment

UPDATE 8/6/25 6:15 PM – The fire has been mapped at 1690 acres. Containment has grown to 21%.

UPDATE 8/6/25 3:25 PM – Residents of evacuation warning zones will be able to travel through Highway 74 and Art Smith Trailhead at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Residents will need their ID to be let through a checkpoint.

UPDATE 8/6/25 5:44 AM – Containment now at 18%

UPDATE 8/5/25 6:25 PM – Containment now at 15%

UPDATE 8/5/25 3:30 PM – The fire has been mapped at 1,658.2 acres by Intel Aircraft. Highway 74 is expected to remain closed through Satuday, Aug. 8.

UPDATE 8/5/25 11:35 AM – The fire has been mapped at 1,535.7 acres by Intel Aircraft

UPDATE 8/5/25 10:45 AM – Highway 74 will remain closed until at least Wednesday, according to CHP. People are not being let up on Tuesday due to high wind warnings.

UPDATE 8/5/25 6:00 AM – Containment now at 5%. The remains are at 1,200 acres.

ANZA, Calif. (KESQ) – Highway 74 remains shut down as a vegetation fire has burned around 1,200 acres between Anza and Pinyon Pines, with zero percent containment.

Evacuation orders include these areas: RVC-1983-A, RVC-1984, RVC-2051, RVC-2052, RVC-2121, RVC-2122-A, RVC-2122-B. These zones are in the area of Alpine Village and Pinyon Pines. See Genasys Protect for exact parameters.

Evacuation warnings have been issued for these areas: RVC-1915, RVC-1916, RVC-2123.

CAL FIRE reports on social media that Care and Reception and Animal Evacuation sites are located at:

Desert Community Center, 43900 San Pablo Ave., Palm Desert

Anza Community Center, 56630 Highway 371, Anza

Animal evacuations at San Jacinto Animal Shelter, 581 S. Grand Ave., San Jacinto

Animal evacuations at Coachella Valley Animal Campus, 72050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms

The fire was first reported just before 12:30 p.m., on Highway 74 east of Santa Rosa Truck Trail.

“Firefighters are on scene of 10 acres of vegetation burning at a rapid rate of spread. Additional air and ground resources have been requested,” CAL FIRE wrote on social media.

By 4:30 p.m., the fire has burned approximately 1,200 acres, according to incident command.

Evacuation orders were issued for scattered properties on the west side of Pinyon Pines.

Click here to search evacuation areas

Care and reception centers opened at the Anza Community Hall and Palm Desert Community Center, Supervisor Manuel Perez announced on social media.

The following animal evacuation shelters are open:

San Jacinto Animal Shelter – 581 S. Grand Avenue, San Jacinto

Coachella Valley Animal Campus – 72050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms

The California Highway Patrol shut down both sides of the two-lane highway between the junction at Highway 371 and Big Horn in Palm Desert.

#AIRQUALITY ADVISORY: WILDFIRE SMOKE (Monday, August 4th – Tuesday, August 5th):Smoke from the #GiffordFire, #RosaFire and #GoldFire is expected to impact parts of the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley: https://t.co/Y158OoPtBX pic.twitter.com/wffdYY2EE0

— South Coast AQMD (@SouthCoastAQMD) August 5, 2025

We have a crew at the scene gathering the latest information. Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.

Click here to follow the original article.