Category: kesq-local-news

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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Gavin Nguyen

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Extreme heat continues to create sweltering conditions for thousands in the Coachella Valley.

For student-athletes who are returning to school and gearing up for practices, it means less time under the sun.

The California Interscholastic Federation, or CIF, has a set of guidelines to keep students safe from excessively hot and humid conditions. It involves the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which the National Weather Service describes as a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover (solar radiation).

This differs from heat index, which takes temperature and humidity into account, and is measured in the shade.

Estevan Valencia, the Athletic Director at Palm Desert High School, showed News Channel 3 the device he and his coaching staff use to determine the WBGT.

“What it’s done is kept schools accountable for making sure that we’re not out there practicing under extreme heat conditions,” Valencia remarked.

Valencia said they make a reading each time a team wants to practice outside. According to him, coaches have shifted practices to the early morning or evening to avoid peak heat.

Aside from the air temperature, though, Valencia explained that humidity is one of the key factors that the wet bulb globe temperature is able to take into account.

“The humidity, obviously, is all about sweat and the more the kids are sweating. And that’s the key… that’s the scary part,” he added. “There’s a huge difference between the actual temperature and actual wet bulb” because of the other factors, like humidity and wind speed.

When wet bulb temperatures exceed 90 degrees, which they often hover around during the summer months, certain restrictions are placed on practices. Maximum practice time falls to just one hour, and 20 minutes of rest breaks must be provided during that hour of practice. Football players are also not allowed to practice with their protective gear to prevent overheating.

Anything over 92.1 degrees: practice must be delayed until the wet bulb temperature falls.

Valencia said he, the coaching staff, and athletic trainers are all ready to adapt to changing conditions during the summer.

“We’re athletes, and athletes are notorious for making adjustments. And that’s what we’ve done throughout the whole valley.”

“They’ve been playing sports in the Coachella Valley for over 100 years. And so, you know, this is another way to keep kids safe,” he added.

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Patrick Evans

The Extreme Heat Warning continues into tomorrow. Temps will be running 5-8 degrees above seasonal norms and the mountains remain under a Heat Advisory.

A First Alert Weather Alert has been extended until tomorrow evening for the extreme temperatures as we start the work week.

Highs today will be well into the one-teens, and that’s true into tomorrow as well.

In addition, humidity is up a bit, so dew points are higher. That means your evaporative coolers may struggle through the afternoon.

We should see some slightly drier conditions moving into the middle of the week. Highs will also gradually decrease. By the weekend, temps will be at or slightly below seasonal averages (109).

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Athena Jreij

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Three people were injured after a car crashed into an Indio restaurant on Avenue 48 and Indio Blvd Sunday evening.

Police said it all started when a Dodge Charger collided with a Chevy Tahoe. The Charger crashed into a vacant restaurant, which then caught fire.

Three people were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries ranging from minor to moderate. The building had moderate to major damage.

The cause of the crash is unknown and remains under investigation. Police said D.U.I. was excluded from being a factor in this traffic collision.

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – Desert Regional Medical Center has launched its first Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Joel F. Trambley, MD, PhD, program director, said it’s important to train more physicians in the area.

“The Coachella Valley or Inland Empire are actually some of the lowest per capita physician rates in the state of California,” Dr. Trambley said.

A 2023 report commissioned by the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation found that the physician workforce in the Coachella Valley struggles to keep up with population growth. Huron Consulting Group researchers found a shortage of 236 physicians, mostly in primary care.

“It’s always hard to get people into more distant and rural areas,” Dr. Trambley said. “Almost all the training programs, or the large ones, are in big cities and they sort of get into the big cities and just stay there.”

He said one of the program’s goals is to encourage residents to commit to primary care in the Coachella Valley.

“One of the things we’ve done is set up a system where two out of every six weeks the residents are doing outpatient rotations,” Dr. Trambley said. “They’re doing their continuity clinic where they see patients regularly at DAP Health, and then they’re going to be doing some other experiences.”

Rayan Harb, resident physician, said joining the inaugural class is a special opportunity.

“When I have my name attached to something, I hold a lot of pride in that thing,” Harb said. “I want to make sure that we uphold a level of excellence in our practice.”

The program’s first residents arrived on July 1.

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Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s been a hot & humid Sunday! The moisture hasn’t dried out as much as we expected this afternoon … our dew points have stubbornly been in the 60s practically all day long. This is helping keep our high temperatures capped today.

Despite the added moisture and lower air temperatures, much of the valley remains under widespread Moderate to Major HeatRisk. An Extreme Heat Warning remains in place for the Coachella Valley through Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

We’ve had some slight chances for thunderstorms in our local Santa Rosa Mountains. Plenty of puffy cumulus clouds have returned this afternoon, though these rain chances diminish once we pass 7:00 p.m.

As of 3:30 PM, we’ve had a couple of spots around the valley see some rainfall thanks to these pop-up thunderstorms.

It looks like a very similar setup for tomorrow. Expect very humid conditions to start the day, but our FutureTrack data again tells us we should dry out into the afternoon hours. If not, though, we could see our air temperatures capped like we did on Saturday and today.

10AM Monday

4PM Monday

Temperatures near 115° are expected for Monday and Tuesday as the Extreme Heat Warning remains in effect (again, depending on how much moisture we see tomorrow afternoon). Highs gradually cool off as we look ahead towards the later part of the work week. The weekend is the light at the end of the tunnel: relief in the form of seasonal temperatures!

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Haley Meberg

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)– The Palm Springs Unified School District receives funding from taxpayers, but when it comes to inspiring students, one local non-profit, The Foundation, sets the goal. 

The Foundation is made up of a group of several local philanthropists wanting to make sure the future of our valley is not just educated but fulfilled. From funding after school arts programs to new shoe drives PSUSD’s The Foundation seems to cover it all.

Lisa Todd, the PSUSD Director of Student Services says, “There’s a lot of things that the foundation is able to do that is filling in the gaps for things that are not necessarily , automatically thought of, or part of our budgeting process. So that includes things like providing shoes for our kids and musical instruments and being able to support mentoring programs.” 

Todd explained that without the resources provided by The Foundation many loved experiences would otherwise not be available for students in the district.

Ellen Goodman, The Foundation Director says,  “All the extra stuff is really what people love to do in school. I mean, they want to fly drones and they want to be in musical theater, and they want to participate in mentor programs and the wellness centers.” 

PSUSD officials say that acts of support like the new shoe drives help children find their sense of belonging.

“It is a significant difference when students walk out of here with the confidence of being able to show up on the first day with brand new shoes. and, that first day experience makes a huge difference for day 2 and day 20 and day 100,” Todd expressed.

The local non-profit supports students K-12 in the district providing additional funding for arts programs, college readiness programs, school supplies, and most things beyond the basics. 

Goodman says this organization is not just about giving– it’s about listening to the community and building programs that match what students want and need. 

“I really believe that our students, as a result of the foundation funding, have an opportunity to participate in things on a regular basis that increase their interests, their enthusiasm, and their academic prowess in the classroom,” Goodman says.

With back-to-school underway, The Foundation’s support means students can start the school year prepared, inspired and ready to learn both in and beyond the classroom. 

To help the Foundation reach its goals of providing support for local students visit https://www.psusdfoundation.net/scholarships

Stay with News Channel 3 for more Back to School updates.

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