Category: kesq-local-news

Julia Castro

CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – A fatal crash involving a big rig and a passenger vehicle occurred early Thursday morning on Interstate 10 just west of Palm Springs in Cabazon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The collision happened at 12:06 a.m. on the eastbound side of the freeway near Haugan-Lehmann Way.

Authorities said a gray Volkswagen Jetta was struck by a big rig truck under circumstances still under investigation.

The driver of the Jetta, Dianna Bocanegra, 40, of Ontario was pronounced dead at the scene.

No other injuries were reported.

The crash prompted a SigAlert overnight, resulting in temporary lane closures. That alert was lifted, and traffic returned to normal in both directions.

CHP is continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.

Stay with KESQ for updates.

Luis Avila

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Campers trying to get into the Coachella Music and Arts Festival Thursday were stuck in traffic for several hours.

Some campers said they’ve been in line for more than eight hours without access to water or restrooms.

“Seven hours into this. We paid 600 dollars a ticket, 300 for parking pass. This is absurd, why are we spending this money to spend eight hours in a car we aren’t even inside yet.”

Ethan, festival-goer

“I’ve seen people pass out through heat exhaustion, it’s been chaos. We’ve been here since 3 am it’s been crazy. It’s literally almost 11.”

Olivia, festival-goer

Lines remained long around the Empire Polo Club in Indio throughout the day.

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Officials from multiple departments and agencies helping to direct traffic into the festival, including CHP.

Officer David Torres says with the influx of visitors, enforcement is not only being ramped up around the festival, but all throughout the Valley.

“We do have more officers on the road but are also more hyper-aware looking for violations, making sure that everyone can make it to the festival safely… We just see that people are so excited for the festival so sometimes they may be speeding, or distracted, or might want to be celebrating early.”

David Torres, Indio CHP PIO

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Cynthia White

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The City of Palm Desert broke ground on a new fire station on Thursday.

Fire Station 102 is being built near Frank Sinatra and Gerald Ford Drives, right behind the Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert campus.

The new station will be a 12,000 square foot facility with three bays. There will be room for a ladder truck, a fire engine, and a paramedic ambulance in the bays, with living quarters for up to ten firefighters and a Battalion Chief. A gym and outdoor spaces will be included for the firefighters to spend time during their 72 hour shifts.

City officials hope the new station will improve response times as well as provide new state of the art equipment. The station is set to open in April 2026.

Jesus Reyes

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Department of Animal Services is marking “Barkchella” with fee-waived adoptions during both weekends of the Coachella music festival at all shelter locations.

The promotion runs from Wednesday-Saturday, April 9-12, and again on April 16-19.

The department released information on some of the adoptable dogs on Thursday, announcing on Facebook, “No festival is complete without a lineup, and we have some fantastic pets at each of our “stages” this year! Don’t miss out on these headliners and other pets available now at each of our shelters.”

The Bark-street Boys are featured at the Coachella Valley Stage, Aero-sniff is appearing at the San Jacinto Stage, and The Beagles are playing at the Jurupa Valley Stage.

“We have so many wonderful dogs and with summer right around the corner, now is the time to find your hiking, swimming, outdoor companion who can share in your adventures,” said RCDAS Director Mary Martin. “It’s nearly impossible to not fall in love when you visit our shelters and meet these amazing pets.”

County officials said there are over 1,000 dogs and 90 cats across all RivCo shelters, plenty of adoptable pets who are ready to go home to their new families today.

Families who are considering adding a new pet but want to see how the pet does in their home before they adopt, RCDAS offers a short-term foster option where people can foster a pet until they’re ready to fully commit.

“Our community includes our pets, and I’m hopeful we can work together to help the large dogs looking for a home,” said Fifth District Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez. “There are so many loving pets who need a loving family to take them in, and fee-waived adoptions are a great opportunity to change a life.”

There are many dogs who have been in the shelter for more than 100 days.

Dogs like Janet, who is the longest resident, waiting over 180 days for a home. Janet is a 18-month old, spayed female Rottweiler mix who came to the shelter in October last year. She is sweet, affectionate and loves scratches, and she does well on walks and with other dogs. She is located at the Western Riverside Animal Campus at 6851 Van Buren Blvd. Jurupa Valley, CA 92509.

RivCo dog Janet at the Western Riverside Animal Campus.

Potential adopters can visit any of the four shelter locations during open hours to meet adoptable dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens. Open hours for the Coachella Vally, San Jacinto and Western Riverside shelters are as follows: Monday – Tuesday, Thursday- Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Blythe Animal Shelter is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

To view adoptable pets, visit www.rcdas.org/adoptable-pets. For more information, email shelterinfo@rivco.org.

For those who would like to help but cannot adopt a pet full-time, they can sign up to foster at www.rcdas.org. The pets most in need of foster care are larger dogs, those with medical needs, and those with behavioral challenges.

Jesus Reyes

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Riverside County District Attorney filed a felony complaint on Friday against suspect Gohar Kagramanyan, charging her with violation of California Penal Code sections 422(a) and 422.6(a) – Criminal Threats and Hate Crimes.

Her arraignment is scheduled for Monday, April 14 in Indio. Due to the nature and severity of the threats, detectives obtained a bail enhancement, and she is being held on $500,000 bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Palm Springs police arrested Kagramanyan, 36, in Desert Hot Springs on Wednesday after being accused of threatening to send explosives to the Palm Springs Chabad.

The investigation started on April 3, when the threats were first made.

“The suspect… threatened to send explosives to the Palm Springs Chabad and expressed intent to kill the victim and others associated with the organization,” Palm Springs police wrote in a news release.

Due to the nature and severity of the threats, detectives obtained a bail enhancement, and she has been held on $500,000 bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

“The Palm Springs Police Department takes all threats of violence and hate-motivated crimes extremely seriously. We remain committed to protecting the safety and security of all members of our community,” PSPD wrote.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Rodarte siblings are from Cathedral City, and growing up, they never imagined working together. Two of the siblings, Claribel and Enrique, worked together in their youth, but have since been inspired by each other to keep doing so.

The youngest sibling, Yasmin Rodarte, joined Claribel and Enrique just three months ago. Enrique has worked at the airport the longest at nearly 14 years, and Claribel follows with 10.

They said working together is an interesting sibling and coworker dynamic, but one that is comforting.

“If they have a question, they come up to me,” Enrique said. “My younger sister [Yasmin], she just started, so she comes up to us knowing she has someone she can rely on.”

The siblings feel the way they were raised in the Coachella Valley equipped them to work together effectively.

“Thanks to our parents, the way we grew up, they’ve always taught us how the always get along with each other,” Claribel said. “It doesn’t matter what happens. We work together as a team.”

Their inspiration for working together stems from older brother Enrique, who demonstrates immense passion for his job.

“My big brother, he really loves his job,” Yasmin said.

“His professional appearance and the way he conducts himself,” Claribel said. “So I was like, ‘I feel like I can grow too.’ So he inspired me to also become a lead and a supervisor. So now we’re both supervisors.”

As Claribel and Enrique are TSA supervisory officers, Yasmin, being new to the job, is a TSA officer.

While the siblings inspire each other in their jobs, they said it also helps them grow as individuals. Enrique said he is especially proud of his sisters for the work they’ve done at TSA and how they’ve been able to grow personally.

“I used to be super shy before, and now it’s just I’m more out there and I’m able to speak to anybody,” Claribel said. “I have grown a lot in my personal life and as an officer since when I started.”

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from the Rodarte siblings on National Sibling Day.

Cynthia White

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – U.S. Border Patrol agents at the El Centro Sector arrested two United States citizens on Tuesday, accusing them of attempting to smuggle two children illegally into the U.S.

Agents report an SUV approached the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint, driven by a woman accompanied by another woman in the front passenger seat. Two girls were sleeping in the rear passenger seats.  

The driver told Border Patrol agents they were traveling from Arizona to California but later admitted they crossed into the United States from Mexico through the San Luis Port of Entry in Arizona. Agents noted the discrepancies in the driver’s story and sent the vehicle to secondary inspection. 

Agents reviewed the children’s documents and determined the children’s photos and names did not match those on the identification cards. They also learned the children were not related to the driver or passenger and the driver did not know the children’s mother. After further questioning, agents discovered the two children, ages 10 and 12, were unaccompanied minors from Mexico.

“And this, folks, is how the trafficking of children starts,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino of the El Centro Sector. “It’s almost unbearable to think about what heinous crimes await children who aren’t with their parents. The border environment has been rife with this type of activity over the past several years, however, the focus has now shifted, and heavy sentences await smugglers who hurt kids.”

Both the driver and the adult passenger are facing charges of Alien Smuggling. The vehicle was seized as evidence.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates to this story.

Allie Anthony

As festival season kicks off, DAP Health is taking proactive steps to promote harm reduction by distributing life-saving tools like narcan and fentanyl test strips.

Each day, DAP will be stationed at the Palm Springs Convention Center, where they will be handing out free tools. It expects to hand out over 1,100 doses of narcan and 2,400 fentanyl test strips.

“Best case scenario you’re gonna check the drugs first,” says Neil Gussardo, the Community Health Harm Reduction Supervisor from DAP Health. “You can save a life by using Narcan.”

Drug overdoses remain the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44, according to the CDC. This year alone, DAP Health has already reported 728 overdose reversals thanks to narcan they’ve provided.

According to Gussardo, here is the proper way to use narcan. “First yell hey wake up. Next, you’re going to want to cause pain, do a hard sternum rub. If they’re still non-responsive, you open Narcan, it’s easy to apply. Once you’ve done one shot, you really wanna call 911.”

María García

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — The first day of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is here, residents are encouraged to take alternative routes.

The Indio Police Department recommends residents to use side streets like: Dr. Carreon Boulevard, Highway 111 and further north. For south of the Empire Polo Grounds it is recommended to use Avenue 53 and Avenue 54.

During peak hours ranging from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. and then 10 P.M. till as late as 3 A.M. there will be delays.

“It is best for residents to plan accordingly, give yourself some extra time to arrive to your destination,” said Public Information officer, Sergeant Abraham Plata.

Stay with News Channel to hear more about alternate routes recommended by IPD.