Category: kesq-local-news

María García

UPDATE 8/8/25 – Cathedral City Police Department reports that as of 9:22 p.m. Friday night, 911 service has been restored for Cathedral City. They ask that people continue to call 760-770-0303 for all non-emergencies.

Indio Police have not yet announced any restoration time for 911 calls in Indio.

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – 911 phone lines are down in Indio and Cathedral City, police announced Friday.

Both agencies said they are working on restoring it, but the exact timeline is unknown.

If you have an emergency, you are asked to call:

Indio: (760) 391-4051

Cathedral City: 760-770-0303

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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Jeff Stahl

UPDATE: 8/7/25 8:04 AM – A brief outage led to a temporary ground stop at the airport. According to the airport administration, the ground stop has now been lifted, and flights are gradually returning to normal operations.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – We are tracking breaking news in Palm Springs, where a number of morning flights have been delayed at Palm Springs International Airport.

The airport’s flight status web page showed that nine outgoing flights were delayed.

KESQ News Channel 3 has heard from travelers at the airport that the cause of the delays is equipment-related.

Delayed passenger, Chris Schultzy, shared this photo with KESQ, saying the Southwest Airlines flight he was on had been stuck and sitting on their airport’s tarmac for an hour and a half.

We are working to get a comment from the airport administration on the cause for the numerous delays and will bring you updates as we get them.

Travelers may want to call ahead before heading to the airport for a flight today.

Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for updates on this breaking news alert.

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Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)– Valley doctors say they’re seeing an increase in patients with “Brain Fog.”

Brain fog is a term used to describe a range of cognitive symptoms, including impaired concentration, memory lapses and mental fatigue. Doctors say it’s common after covid but can also be caused by stress or underlying conditions.

Officials say it’s important for people with severe brain fog to seek medical attention.

Dr. Elaine Fogel Schneider, local psychologist says, “These are highly intelligent individuals. Some are working, some are retired, but it really affects their ability to have their daily lives functioning at a higher capacity.” 

Doctors say poor sleep, dehydration and lack of exercise can also contribute to brain fog. This condition affects individuals capability to problem solve.

Fogel Schneider says that brain fog can lift in several weeks following the viral infection that brought it on. Staying hydrated, getting proper rest, exercising and eating healthy can assist in reducing the brain fog. 

Doctors urge people suffering from these symptoms to reach out to local doctors for assistance to combat this issue. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

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Shay Lawson

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ)  – Galilee Center helped families gear up for the school year with its annual Backpack Distribution Giveaway on Thursday at the center’s location in Mecca.

Organizers said more than 900 backpacks were handed out.

Each backpack includes age-appropriate items like notebooks, pencils, crayons, glue sticks and folders.

Organizers said Bighorn Golf Club provided a grant that’s helping the nonprofit distribute hundreds of backpacks.

“This event is more than just handing out backpacks,” Claudia Castorena, co-founder of Galilee Center said.  “It’s a chance to show the children in our community that we believe in them and are here to support their education.”

To sign up or make a monetary donation, visit www.galileecenter.org or call 760-396-9100.

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Jesus Reyes

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A San Jacinto man was arrested on suspicion of dressing up as staff at a local hospital to steal medical supplies on three separate occasions.

Deputies were called to Eisenhower Health on Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage on July 9 regarding a theft of medical equipment, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office (RSO).

RSO officials said that in three separate incidents in June and July 2025, the suspect stole more than $100,000 worth of surgical equipment and skin grafts, wearing blue scrubs and a surgical mask to blend in with hospital personnel and avoid detection as he gained access to restricted areas of the facility.

During the investigation, deputies were able to identify the suspect as Jason Brauner, 47, of San Jacinto.

Brauner was found on Wednesday while traveling southbound toward San Diego. Deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office detained Brauner and searched his vehicle, where stolen medical equipment and stolen hospital apparel was located.

A search warrant was served at Brauner’s home that same day, where authorities recovered additional stolen medical supplies valued between $10,000 and $25,000.

Brauner was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center. His charges include grand theft, commercial burglary, and possession of stolen property. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday at the Larson Justice Center.

RSO revealed that the suspect was found to be connected to similar thefts at hospitals in Loma Linda and Newport Beach. Other agencies are currently in the process of filing additional charges related to those incidents.

There may also be additional victims.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to this case is urged to contact Deputy Marco Castaneda at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at (760) 836–1600.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A felon accused of stealing an e-bicycle in Rancho Mirage and fleeing from sheriff’s deputies while armed was charged today with burglary and other offenses, while a Coachella woman was charged with conspiring with him.

Ruben Murillo Galindo Jr. and Esther Cordova Montoya, both 42, were arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation that began in early June.

Both Galindo and Montoya were charged with the felony burglary count, but Galindo alone was charged with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm, resisting arrest and a sentence-enhancing allegation of perpetrating a crime while on bail. Montoya alone was charged with parole violations.

Galindo pleaded not guilty Thursday during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Arthur Hester, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 18 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The defendant is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

Montoya, who is free on a $35,000 bond, is slated for arraignment on Sept. 8.  

According to sheriff’s Sgt. James Mills, on the morning of June 7, Galindo allegedly broke into a residence on Via Del Rossi in Rancho Mirage, removed the owner’s e-bike and fled, allegedly with Montoya’s help.

Security surveillance video cameras at the property recorded the theft from beginning to end, Mills alleged.   

He said Burglary Suppression Team investigators identified Montoya first, and she was taken into custody without incident after a search warrant was served at her residence on July 25 in the 51400 block of Ponderosa Drive. She posted bond within a couple of days and was released from jail.

Galindo was identified as the alleged burglar less than a week later, and he was tracked down in the area of Seventh Street and Orchard Avenue in Coachella on July 31.

Mills said when deputies confronted him, he tried to flee on a bike, discarding a “bag containing a loaded firearm and ammunition” in the process.

Deputies took him into custody without further incident moments later.   

Details on the defendants’ prior convictions were not available.

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Spencer Blum

Some brutal and record-breaking temperatures were recorded in the Coachella Valley on Thursday. Palm Springs, Indio, Thermal, and Borrego Springs all broke—or tied—daytime high records, with Palm Springs hitting a scorching 119°. That officially tied the day as the hottest of 2025 so far.

Tomorrow won’t be as brutal, but still dangerously hot—5-8° above average.

Trying to find early morning relief? Hah! Don’t let our overnight “lows” fool you, our coolest temps this morning were still hotter than the highs in many major cities across the country!

An Extreme Heat Warning, along with a First Alert Weather Alert, remains in place through tomorrow evening as highs stay above 115°F.

All this heat comes as a result of a persistent ridge of high pressure over the desert southwest. Because of the persistent heat, we are tracking the buildup of Ozone here at the surface. As a result, the South Coast AQMD has issued an Air Quality Alert for ozone through 8 PM Saturday evening.

It is staying HOT in the valley for the foreseeable future. Even as temperatures fall from their extreme highs today, there isn’t much improvement. Highs will stay well above the average and above 110°F.

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Jesus Reyes

NEW YORK (KESQ) – New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner identified three more people killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including a Palm Springs woman, 24 years later.

On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham announced the IDs of Barbara Keating of Palm Springs, Ryan Fitzgerald of Floral Park, and another woman whose name was not released. 

The announcement happened thanks to advancements in DNA testing, including increased test sensitivity and faster turnaround times. It has allowed officials to identify remains that had tested negative for identifiable DNA for decades.

“Nearly 25 years after the disaster at the World Trade Center, our commitment to identify the missing and return them to their loved ones stands as strong as ever,” Graham said. “Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”  

News Channel 3’s Jeff Stahl highlighted Keating’s story in 2021, when St. Theresa Catholic Church in Palm Springs held its annual remembrance ceremony.

Keating was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles. It was the first flight to crash into the World Trade Center towers in New York on September 11, 2001. Keating wasn’t even supposed to fly that day, but was rushing home a day early from her annual summer vacation to help the family with childcare.

The remains of about 1,100 victims remain unidentified.

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Kenji Ito

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)– The Coachella Valley Firebirds re-sign forward Landon McCallum to a one-year AHL contract for the 2025-26 season. 

NEWS: The #CVFirebirds have re-signed forward Landon McCallum to a one-year, AHL contract for the 2025-26 season.

Welcome Back, Landon!https://t.co/znLazY8h3H #LetsFly pic.twitter.com/JgFhIPxvT3

— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) August 7, 2025

McCallum, 21, played with the Kansas City Mavericks, the Firebirds ECHL affiliate, this past season. In 65 games, the 21-year-old had 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points.

Before his stint with the Mavericks, the Delhi native spent the past four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves. The undrafted rookie in 246 games found the back of the net 49 times, tallied 104 assists coming out to 163 points.

In his last two seasons with the Wolves, McCallum made his mark averaging a point per game. The 5’11” forward scored 120 points in 132 games.

McCallum will have the chance to be paired with two former teammates, David Goyette and Nathan Villeneuve.

Goyette had 18 points in 54 games, and Villeneuve had one point in five games played.

Both Goyette and Villeneuve have multiple years in their contract left, so the three former teammates will be reunited for quite some time.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of the Coachella Valley Firebirds all season long. 

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Athena Jreij

PINYON PINES, Calif. (KESQ) — As firefighters enter day four of containment on the Rosa Fire, News Channel 3 is giving viewers an inside look at the command center housing, feeding and sustaining fire crews.

The camp is set up near Lake Hemet where dozens of corresponding agencies have come together, including Riverside County Sheriffs, CalFire, and others.

Tune in this evening for a tour of the center and an inside look at how agencies are working to achieve full containment on the fire.

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