Author: KESQ

Gavin Nguyen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – New technology will protect students from dangerous weather conditions.

Palm Springs Unified School District announced it deployed eight Perry Weather Monitoring Stations across its schools. It said the system tracks temperature, air quality, humidity, and severe weather (including lightning) to help schools make informed decisions about outdoor activities.

PSUSD set up a webpage showing real-time data from these weather stations. The eight stations are installed throughout the district, and parents are instructed to find the closest weather station to their student’s school as outlined in the chart below.

District officials explained that these weather systems help make them more informed decisions for canceling sports practices and games because it provides site-specific weather data.

“We’re over 500 square miles wide, and so what that means is sometimes, the weather on one side of our district is very different from the weather on the other side,” stated Laura Dyson, the district’s Director of Health Services.

It’s a problem that schools have had to navigate in the past. Assistant Principal Art Sanchez, Jr., of Palm Springs High School, recounted, “If you’re in Desert Hot Springs, because of the wind, or you’re closer in the cove, where we are, where the wind isn’t a factor, we were shutting down the whole district based on the air quality in a place that is 30 minutes [away].”

He also added that making the weather data available to the public creates more transparency between the decisions of school administration and parents.

“Parents will always know and the community will know that we’re making the best decisions on the best data for our students safety,” he said.

Other districts in Riverside County have already adopted these weather systems, though PSUSD officials said they’re glad to be the first in the valley to implement the technology.

“We are happy to be the first to implement it, but I’m hopeful that other districts in the Valley will jump on this with us because we, as you know, sports, travel. And so we need to be able to know what’s going on all around us,” said Dyson.

Officials at Desert Sands Unified School District confirmed it will be installing the same system in the coming months.

“Our Board recently approved a contract with Perry Weather, Inc., for the installation of one weather station at each comprehensive high school. These stations will serve as reference points for schools within their respective regions. This system will provide all our schools with real-time weather data and heat stress measurements, offering more precise information than general weather apps. The Perry Weather system will deliver instant updates and notifications, enhancing our existing heat mitigation efforts. As a result, the district’s email notifications will be discontinued in favor of the system’s real-time alerts. Wet bulb globe thermometers will still remain a key part of our safety protocol, providing an additional layer of heat monitoring. The Board originally approved the agreement with Perry Weather, Inc. on June 24, 2025. A small amendment to the contract is being presented for approval tonight. Once finalized, the district will move forward with installing the systems for use across all schools.”

Desert Sands Unified School District

News Channel 3 also reached out to Coachella Valley Unified School District. A spokesperson provided the following statement:

Currently CVUSD does not have plans to implement this technology in our schools. However, we continually evaluate tools and resources that enhance safety and learning environments for our students, so we’ll certainly keep this in mind.

Coachella Valley Unified School District

Be sure to stay with KESQ as we continue to follow this technology.

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Kendall Flynn

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Indio Police Department is starting a general traffic enforcement to lookout for unsafe driving. 

Officials are reminding residents to obey speed limits, stop at signals and stop signs, buckle up and keep from handheld phone use. 

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from officials on why this enforcement operation is necessary in the City. 

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Tori King

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)– Each and every year Splash House brings in thousands of music lovers to the Coachella Valley for two weekends of fun and house music.

But the festival doesn’t only bring in out-of-towners, it also brings in a boost to the local economy as tourists visit small businesses.

News Channel Three’s Tori King is speaking with business owners to hear how much of an impact these visitors make. Stay tuned for her coverage at 4, 5, and 6.

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Cynthia White

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – Coachella Valley Unified School District officials were on hand Monday morning to welcome students and families as they celebrated the Grand Opening of the district’s much awaited and anticipated new school, North Shore Elementary.

Superintendent Dr. Frances Esparza, CVUSD Board President Jocelyn Vargas and North Shore’s new Principal Elisa Gentry along with other district officials joined everyone in the multipurpose room for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Dr. Esparza told attendees, “As the Superintendent, I’m honored to say that North Shore parents, advocates, and the entire community will be welcoming our new school and you all made it happen. . . I would also like to take a moment to thank many individuals who helped turn this long standing dream into a reality.”

The dream to build the new elementary school in the North Shore community near the Salton Sea started as far back as 2008, then CVUSD was finally able to unveil plans for the site in December, 2021.

Plans for North Shore Elementary moved ahead as the district broke ground the following year.

Up until now, students who live in North Shore went to Saul Martinez Elementary School in Mecca, about five and a half miles away.

Now they will be able to attend school much closer to home. North Shore Elementary is located at 96100 70th Avenue in Mecca at the corner of Arthur Street. The first round of kids at North Shore Elementary will start their school year on August 20th.

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Shay Lawson

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)  – A community favorite has reopened its doors a year after a devastating arson fire.

D’Coffee Bouteaque is back at a new location at 36901 Cook st. Suite 8, Palm Desert, California 92211.

Miriam Rodriguez, owner, said getting to this point wasn’t easy.

“We lost absolutely everything,” Rodriguez said. “At one point, we almost lost our house.”

Stay with News Channel 3 for a look inside the new space and how other impacted businesses are doing at 10 and 11 p.m.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Two young men accused of gunning down a 17-year-old boy during a confrontation at a prom afterparty in La Quinta must stand trial on first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled today.

Elijah Alfredo Martinez of Bermuda Dunes and Dominick Cruz Venecia of Coachella — both 19 — allegedly killed the victim, identified as La Quinta High School senior Jaden Ramos, 17.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Arthur Hester found there was sufficient evidence to bound both defendants over for trial on the murder count and sentence-enhancing gun use allegations.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 27 at the Indio courthouse.

Hester permitted the pair to remain free on bond pending further proceedings.

According to sheriff’s officials, the alleged attack occurred about 2:30 a.m. on May 19, 2024, in the 79-000 block of Paseo Del Rey, near La Quinta Park.

According to Sgt. Lance Stoyer, deputies were sent to the location to investigate reports of a shooting, but couldn’t find a victim. However, they were soon informed that a boy had been taken from the area to a Coachella Valley hospital for treatment.

Stoyer said Ramos arrived at the trauma center “with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.”  

The teenager died a short time later.   

Martinez and Venecia were identified the same day as suspects, and detectives eventually obtained sufficient evidence to serve arrest warrants on each — Martinez on Airport Boulevard in Thermal the following day, and Venecia near the intersection of Avenue 50 and Mazatlan Drive in Coachella the following night.   

They were taken into custody without incident.   

A possible motive for the slaying wasn’t disclosed. The criminal complaint alleges Venecia was the gunman.   

Neither defendant has documented prior felony convictions in adult court. Juvenile records were unavailable.

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City News Service

CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – A driver was arrested today after fleeing on foot from the scene of a two-vehicle collision in Cabazon, authorities said.  

The crash was reported shortly before 1:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Bonita Avenue and Orange Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.

With assistance from Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, the suspect — whose name was not released — was taken into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor hit-and-run, the CHP said.

It was not immediately clear if the other driver was injured.   

Alcohol or drugs are not believed to have been factors in the crash, which remains under investigation, the CHP said.

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City News Service

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians has donated 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to Coachella Valley Unified School District students for a giveaway event tomorrow in Thermal.   

The drive-thru distribution will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 87225 Church Street, near the district office, and will continue while supplies last. At least one child must be present in the vehicle with an adult, according to the district.

The Tribe’s annual school donations are part of an effort to give back to communities near its reservation lands throughout the Coachella Valley and to support education.

In total, the Tribe will have provided 1,800 backpacks to students across the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin this year, officials said.   

In addition to the backpacks, the district will also receive a “half- palette of school supplies,” according to a statement from the Tribe.

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Spencer Blum

Happy Monday. It’s another hot start to the week as the First Alert Weather Alert and Extreme Heat Warning remain in place through Tuesday evening. Humidity levels have also fallen back to more normal levels. Temperatures continue to have the potential to rise upwards to 115°F. A Heat Advisory remains in place for our friends just off to the west. As we move into midweek, the ridge of high pressure will gradually weaken. There may also be a slight uptick in our evening winds, but this will remain inside the realm of normal.

Thanks to the persistent high pressure over the deserts, our skies remain clear. This is especially true in the evening hours. This is great news for those of us who enjoy peering up into the night sky as the Perseid Meteor Shower will peak in the coming nights. Skies will remain clear outside of the areas close ot the coast. However, the moon is still mostly full, so there will be some added light pollution.

The First Alert Weather Alert will remain in place through Tuesday evening. This matches the timing of the Extreme Heat Warning for the Coachella Valley. Winds will slightly tick upwards for midweek, and highs will slowly begin to decrease. By this weekend, temperatures will finally dip below 110°F, providing some much-needed relief.

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Garrett Hottle

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) Nearly two decades after two brothers were found shot to death in a parked vehicle, Riverside County sheriff’s investigators say they’ve arrested a suspect in the case.

On Jan. 29, 2006, deputies discovered Louie Granado, 24, and his brother, Glenn Granado, 34, inside a car near Pepper Court and John F. Kennedy Drive. Both men, residents of Moreno Valley, had been fatally shot.

Detectives identified Richard Ferris, now 50, as a suspect during the original investigation, but said there wasn’t enough evidence at the time to bring charges. The case went cold until April 2025, when the sheriff’s Cold Case Unit uncovered new information and reopened the investigation.

Ferris was arrested Aug. 1 in Boyle Heights with assistance from the Major Crimes Unit and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on murder charges.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777.

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