Category: kesq-local-news

Karen Devine

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A Rancho Mirage father is speaking out after he says his 16-year-old son was assaulted during a soccer practice drill at Rancho Mirage High School.

Hugh Van Horn tells News Channel 3’s Karen Devine the incident happened during what his son described as a punishment.

Van Horn met with Devine at the news station, emotional as he remembered the moment he realized something was wrong. He said his son was visibly upset when he got in the car and then told him what had happened.

According to Van Horn, his son described a drill called a “Bamba,” where teammates line up in two rows and slap a player as they walk through. He says the drill was used as punishment for missing practice. Van Horn said coaches told his son to participate even after he expressed discomfort and said he didn’t want to be involved. He says four players hit his son despite his attempt to set boundaries.

Van Horn added that a text message sent to the team indicated the drill would be used as punishment. He said the text came from the Varsity coach, not the JV coach who has been placed on administrative leave.

Devine spoke with both coaches by phone. The varsity coach said “Bamba is not a punishment and not led by coaches” and declined further comment. The JV coach said he is leaving the matter to the district and had no additional comment.

The Palm Springs Unified School District confirmed an investigation is underway. In a statement, the district said it has contacted law enforcement regarding the allegations and that a JV coach has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The district said it could not release additional information related to personnel matters.

Van Horn said he believes the district took appropriate initial action but wants accountability if the investigation substantiates his concerns. When asked whether he believes the varsity coach should be removed, he said he feels that would be an appropriate response, adding that his priority is ensuring no other student experiences what his son went through.

Van Horn said the incident has left his son uneasy, and the teen no longer feels comfortable returning to the team, something he had previously been excited about. He said it is upsetting that his son no longer feels safe participating in a school-sanctioned activity.

In the interest of transparency, News Channel 3 is not naming the coaches involved while the investigation continues. Van Horn said he chose to speak publicly to help protect other students.

News Channel 3 will continue following this story. 

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  –  Dozens of Palm Springs business leaders and residents gathered at the Palm Springs City Council Special Meeting on Monday.

Councilmembers approved and discussed the new Economic Development Strategic Framework, a plan to move away from a tourism driven economy and build one that puts residents at the center.

The city’s economic development team describes the proposition as, “a comprehensive plan designed to guide the City’s economic growth and diversification over the next decade or so. The EDSF outlines a long-term vision that blends Palm Springs’ legacy as a world-class tourism destination with new opportunities in technology, sustainability, and the creative economy.”

To read the report in full, click here.

Stay with News Channel 3 to learn more about the plan and why it’s happening now at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

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Peter Daut

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A valley tradition will be back on Thanksgiving Day – The 19th annual Martha’s Village & Kitchen Thanksgiving Day 5k is a chance for all to help a great cause.

The event typically draws more than 5,000 people, and is the nonprofit’s premier fundraiser to help provide services to people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

The 5k will take place at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, on El Paseo in Palm Desert.

Martha’s Village & Kitchen Director of Mission Advancement Alicia Grantham says, “We do provide a lot of services to feed and house the homeless, which is obviously a need in many areas. But especially here, and so it’s really impactful to our community. It makes people feel good. It just makes a difference for all of us.”

News Channel 3 is a proud sponsor of the event, and our own Peter Daut will be back again this year to host it. Peter spoke with Alicia Grantham to get more on the 5k, and how the money raised will help in Martha’s Village & Kitchen’s mission to end hunger and homelessness in the Coachella Valley.

For more information, visit marthasvillage.org, or to sign up for the race, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/PalmDesert/MarthasVillageThanksgivingDay5K.

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KESQ News Team

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Sunline Transit Agency unveiled the winners of its 10th annual student art contest.

A ceremony was held Monday morning in Thousand Palms to honor the winners’ achievement.

The lucky students who stole the show with their creations include Gerardo Silva from Desert Hot Springs, Antonio Calma from La Quinta Middle School and Gabriel Kalima from La Quinta High School.

The students said the contest is a great opportunity to show off the talent of local students here in the valley.

“It feels really good. I mean, the fact that you know my creativity and like something I’m passionate about, drawing, can be displayed on a bus, it just shows like, you know, the talent of the students here in the Coachella Valley,” said

Those students’ winning artwork are now wrapped on the Sunline bus for the whole valley to see. Meantime, the 2nd and 3rd place winners will have their artwork displayed at the bus shelter in the Coachella Valley.

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KESQ News Team

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The city of Palm Springs rededicated and relocated two historic memorials in the city.

Monday morning, the Morris Knight Memorial Tree and the LGBTQ Service Member Marker were all moved to its new home at Francis Stevens Park.

City leaders say the memorials honor LGBTQ veterans and recognize the efforts of gay rights pioneer Morris Knight. The move comes after they were originally installed at Sunrise Park over two decades ago.

Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHart says the change in scenery highlights the impact these heroes had on the community.

“I’m extremely proud that one more time we’re honoring and recognizing those in the LGBTQ community who’ve had an impact not only in Palm Springs but around the world,” deHarte said.

City leaders say the memorials will now formally be accepted into the Palm Springs public art collection after the rededication ceremony.

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Garrett Hottle

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) The Coachella Valley Water District has notified customers across its service area that levels of naturally occurring chromium-6 are above California’s new drinking water standard, according to a state-approved notice mailed this week. 

CVWD said the issue is not an emergency and the water “remains safe to drink.”

Routine samples reviewed in October showed running annual averages between 11 and 14 parts per billion of chromium-6, the notice said. California implemented a new maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per billion on Oct. 1, 2024. The state is the only one in the country with a chromium-6-specific standard.

Chromium-6 occurs naturally in the Coachella Valley aquifer, created over time as rocks and sediment break down. CVWD officials emphasized the findings do not reflect a spill, leak, or industrial contamination.

“This isn’t an emergency, and the water is still safe to drink,” said Lorraine Garcia with CVWD, She added that the new state mandate could cost the district about $350 million and may lead to water bills doubling for customers once a compliance plan is approved.

CVWD has submitted its plan to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water. Options include removing wells from service, drilling new wells, or constructing new treatment facilities. The district said it tests more than 17,000 water samples per year and continues to meet all existing state and federal standards during the compliance period.

Under state law, CVWD must send these notices every quarter until the plan is approved.

Residents can find more information at cvwd.org/Cr6 or contact the district’s Water Quality Division at 760-398-2651.

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City News Service

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A 32-year-old Banning woman who engaged in sex acts with a boy over a months-long period was sentenced today to three years’ felony probation and six months in a work release program.

Reyna Virginia Rincon pleaded guilty in April to lewd acts on a child under 14 years old under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for her admission, prosecutors dropped charges of unlawful intercourse with a minor, oral copulation of a minor and perpetrating three or more lewd acts on an underage person.  

During a hearing at the Banning Justice Center Monday, Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense. In addition to probation and work release in lieu of jail, the judge ordered Rincon to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290, which prohibits registrants from working around kids or having any contact with them outside of relatives.   

Kiel further signed a criminal protective order, barring the defendant from communicating with the victim for a decade.   

According to the Banning Police Department, investigators received information on June 28, 2023, that a youth “was being sexually abused” by the defendant.

Agency spokeswoman Sol Avila said detectives learned Rincon was a “family friend who frequented” the victim’s home.   

“(Investigators) also discovered that the abuse had been occurring since September 2022,” Avila said.

The criminal complaint indicated the defendant had been seeing the boy without his family’s knowledge, sometimes going behind closed doors in his bedroom, “gratifying her lust, passions and sexual desires.”

Detectives obtained sufficient evidence to procure an arrest warrant, which was served on Rincon without incident at her apartment on Westward Avenue in early July 2023.

She had no documented prior felony convictions.

The work release program requires her to be employed, engaged in community service, in school or some type of vocational training for 180 days.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – California Highway Patrol officers will ramp up operations beginning Wednesday night to snare drunken and drug-impaired drivers throughout the Thanksgiving holiday period.

The agency will initiate its annual Thanksgiving “maximum enforcement period” beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, when all available officers will deploy to catch DUI suspects, speeders and other traffic violators.   

The MEP will conclude Sunday night.   

“Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and friends, not to mourn a preventable tragedy,” Commissioner Sean Duryee said. “Seat belts remain one of the most effective tools for saving lives on our roadways. Taking just two seconds to buckle up could be the decision that saves your life, or the life of someone you love.”  

Officers from the Riverside, Blythe, Beaumont, Indio and Temecula CHP stations will be on inland freeways, highways and unincorporated roads, looking to nab scofflaws.

During last year’s Thanksgiving MEP, the CHP arrested just over 1,100 people statewide on suspicion of drinking and driving, compared to 1,047 arrests during the previous Thanksgiving holiday period.

A total of 36 people died in collisions and other incidents on roads and highways under the CHP’s jurisdiction over Thanksgiving weekend 2024. Fourteen victims were not wearing safety restraints, according to the agency.   

Multiple municipal law enforcement agencies countywide, as well as the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, will be conducting their own saturation patrols and DUI sobriety checkpoints.

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Jesus Reyes

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – It was confusing and now the signs are down. News Channel 3 investigated a problem on the new CV Link, and we’re getting results now.

We’re digging deeper into what happens next, who pays for the changes, and when the corrected signs will be installed.

“They took an opportunity to get that feedback and we’ll make the corrections,” said La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans

Holding leaders accountable in this CV Link confusion and getting results for you. An I-Team investigation on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on News Channel 3.

Check out our original report on the signage problem below:

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Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An 18-year-old man was injured in a shooting Monday afternoon in Indio, police confirmed.

Police said the shooting was reported at around 2:45 p.m. near the area of Avenue 44 and King Street

Police did not locate any suspects or victims at the scene, but did find shell casings.

A short time later, an 18-year-old man was dropped off at John F. Kennedy  Memorial Hospital by a family member.

Police said the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries consistent with being shot and is currently receiving treatment from medical staff.

The circumstances surrounding how he got shot remain under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Indio  Police Department at (760) 391-4057. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at (760) 341-STOP.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.

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