Category: kesq-local-news

City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Businessman Mark Walter — who already owns part of the Dodgers, Sparks and Chelsea Football Club — has finalized a $10 billion purchase of the Lakers, the team announced today following unanimous approval of the deal by the NBA Board of Governors.

“The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports, defined by a history of excellence and the relentless pursuit of greatness,” Walter said in a statement. “Few teams carry the legacy and global influence of the Lakers, and it’s a privilege to work alongside Jeanie Buss as we maintain that excellence and set the standard for success in this new era, both on and off the court.”

Buss, the team’s previous controlling owner, will remain governor of the Lakers and continue to oversee day-to-day operations for the foreseeable future.”  

“Over the past decade, I have come to know Mark well — first as a businessman, then as a friend and now as a colleague,” Buss said in a statement. “He has demonstrated time and time again his commitment to bringing championships to Los Angeles, and, on behalf of Lakers fans everywhere, I am beyond excited about what our future has in store.”   

Buss confirmed in June that the team was being sold to Walter, pending league approval.  

Walter has been a minority owner of the Lakers since 2021. He is chairman and CEO of TWG Global, a diversified holding company.   

Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979 for $67.5 million in a deal that also included the NHL’s Kings and The Forum. Buss sold his controlling interest in the Kings in 1988 and what is now Kia Forum in 1999. Following his death in 2013, Lakers ownership passed to his children, with Jeanie Buss serving as team governor ever since.   

The Lakers have thrived under the Buss family’s leadership, becoming one of the most storied franchises in sports. They’ve captured 11 NBA championships during that span, including a three-peat from 2000 to 2002 under coach Phil Jackson and star guard Kobe Bryant, and most recently won a title in 2020.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE (KESQ) – Pretrial motions are slated to begin Monday ahead of jury selection for the trial of three convicted felons accused of gunning down a 24-year-old man after carjacking him and his girlfriend in Riverside.   

Trezell Lamone Heckard, 30, of Vallejo, Qevon Xavier Harvey, 27, of Desert Hot Springs and Anthony Antoine Wright, 33, of Indio are accused in the 2022 slaying of Benjamin Chanes of Riverside.

The trio are all charged with first-degree murder, two counts each of carjacking and kidnapping and one count of burglary, along with special-circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery, killing in the course of a kidnapping and killing in the course of a burglary.

Wright is additionally charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.   

Their co-defendant, Kahlin Cynque Erwin, 30, of Pittsburgh, in Contra Costa County, pleaded guilty last year to kidnapping and is due for sentencing in January. He’s free on a $55,000 bond and may testify for the prosecution.   

Harvey and Wright are each being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail, while Heckard is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.

According to an arrest warrant declaration filed by the Riverside Police Department, on the afternoon of March 6, 2022, Chanes and his girlfriend, identified in documents only as “N.D.,” were returning to Riverside from Los Angeles in her vehicle, with the victim at the wheel, when they came to a stop sign in an unfamiliar area after exiting the freeway and were immediately approached by one of the defendants, allegedly wielding a handgun.

“The Black male approached the driver’s side and ordered Benjamin out at gunpoint,” the affidavit stated.  

Chanes complied, at which point “an additional three Black males told (N.D.) to get out of the car, and they took her to another waiting vehicle and told her to keep her head down. She did what she was told.”

The woman later told Robbery-Homicide Unit detectives that Chanes was seated in her car, while she was forced to drive with several of the other defendants in their vehicle, a 2011 Chevrolet Impala. The trip lasted 15 minutes, after which both vehicles were parked outside the Boulder Creek Apartment Complex on Iowa Avenue, according to the declaration.   

Police alleged the defendants then hustled Chanes and N.D. into the victim’s apartment, pushing the woman into the closet, then demanding to know from Chanes “where the money was” kept inside the residence. For about 10 minutes, the defendants ransacked the apartment, with N.D. in the closet, unable to see where her boyfriend was being held, the affidavit alleged.   

Chanes abruptly bolted from the apartment when the men were distracted, but they immediately gave chase, according to police.   

While he was attempting to run away, Wright allegedly opened fire on the victim, inflicting multiple gunshots to his back, causing Chanes to collapse on the sidewalk, according to the affidavit.

The young man died a short time later at Riverside Community Hospital.   

The defendants fled in the woman’s vehicle, leaving behind their own Chevy sedan, police alleged.

N.D. emerged from her captivity in the closet and called 911 moments after the gunfire. She was not injured.   

Detectives gathered fingerprint and other evidence from the Chevy, leading them to one of the defendants’ social media accounts, during which revelations about the shooting ultimately came to light, according to the affidavit.

The men were arrested at different times over an 18-month span.   

Their prior convictions were not listed in court documents.

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Jesus Reyes

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Two adults and two children were displaced after a fire at a home in Thousand Palms Thursday afternoon.

The fire was reported at approximately 3:15 p.m. on the 31000 Block of Date Garden Drive.

“Firefighters are on-scene of a single-story, single family dwelling with fire. The fire was contained at 3:43 p.m.” reads a post by CAL FIRE.

Resources were expected to remain on-scene until around 6:45 p.m.

The Red Cross was requested to assist with the displaced people. No injuries were reported.

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Cynthia White

 PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is sharing the tribe’s culture and history with community members and visitors this weekend at its seventh annual Kewet Native American Learning Day and Market.

 The educational cultural event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 1st at Palm Springs High School, presented by the Tribe in partnership with the City of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Unified School District.

Admission is free and there are many activities scheduled throughout the day for participants of all ages. Free tickets can be reserved at aguacaliente.org/kewet. 

Agua Caliente Tribal Chairman Reid D. Milanovich, Palm Springs Unified Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marcus Funchess, and Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte will welcome guests at the center stage at 10:00 a.m. 

Kewet, the Cahuilla word for fiesta, will feature bird singers and dancers, demonstrations, and hands-on activities such as basket weaving, beading, gourd rattle making, and traditional games. There will also be food and a Native American Market. 

Tribal Chairman Reid D. Milanovich says, “This learning day provides an opportunity for us to share our culture and history with neighbors and surrounding communities.”

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is interwoven in the community with its reservation spanning in a checkerboard fashion throughout Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and areas of unincorporated Riverside County. 

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Blake Arthur

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) — It’s the final week of the regular season for high school football and there are plenty of storylines and rivalries.

La Quinta – 0
@
Palm Desert – 35
F

Rancho Mirage – 21
@
Palm Springs – 33
F

Xavier Prep – 7
@
Shadow Hills – 23
F

Coachella Valley – 37
@
Indio – 7
F

Twentynine Palms – 0
@
Yucca Valley – 49
F

/**/

Despite the majority of our local high school football games on Thursday this week, there are still some games on Friday, Oct. 31 (Halloween).

Here are the scores

Banning – 50
@
Desert Mirage – 22
F

Desert Hot Springs – 30
@
Cathedral City – 22
F

Desert Christian Academy – 48
@
Vasquez – 6
F

Desert Chapel – 48
@
Hamilton – 46
F

With the regular season in the books, some of our high school teams will play in the CIF-SS Playoffs. The playoff schedule will be released on Sunday, November 2nd.

KESQ News Channel 3 is your home for complete coverage of high school football in the Coachella Valley.

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City News Service

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – An injured hiker who sustained minor injuries was rescued today at the Pushawalla Palms Trailhead in Thousand Palms.   

The rescue was reported about 2 p.m. Thursday in the Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge, near Ramon and Thousand Palms Canyon roads, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.  

The agency said crews hiked out to the hiker, who was unable to make it back down the trail, and was taken to a local hospital by ground ambulance.   

He remained in stable condition, the department stated.   

The cause of the injuries was not immediately known.

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City News Service

COACHELLA (CNS) –  Blue Zones Project Coachella and Coachella officials will celebrate the city’s first approved healthy food truck next month at Veterans’ Memorial Park during their Fiestas Azules event.

The free celebration will be held at 10:00 a.m. on November 15th at 1500-1598 Fourth Street.

Fat Boys Tacos and Catering will provide healthy meals that co-owner Cesar Sanchez said can change a customer’s life for the better when choosing for healthier options. Fat Boys’ Blue Zone approved menu includes tacos with vegetables such as sautéed spinach, mushrooms, cactus, bell peppers, and more. Tostadas are also on the menu, with healthy ingredients including Peruvian beans, avocado, and fresh pico de gallo.

An initiative to provide residents with access to healthy food options led Blue Zones officials to work with city officials and Riverside University Health System to pass ordinances 1218 and 1219.

Ordinance 1218 states that at least 25% of a food truck’s menu must contain healthy ingredients, including seasonal fruits, vegetables, whole grains and rice, and less fried, sugary or ultra-processed foods, per the Blue Zones food guidelines. Ordinance 1219 adds to 1218 by allowing food trucksserving nutritional options to operate at local date farms.

“Fat Boy Tacos is more than just Coachella’s first approved healthy food truck — it’s proof of what happens when we bring policy, leadership and local businesses together for our community,” said Job Huerta, organizations and well-being lead for BZP Coachella.

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Daniella Lake

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – The City of Rancho Mirage unanimously approved a new mosque to occupy 69640 Highway 111. It’ll be the first mosque on the western side of the Coachella Valley.

“This building was once a restaurant, but now it has a chance to serve as something even more meaningful. A place of tranquility, a place that strengthens community ties, and a place that will add to the diversity and the spirit of the city,” says Dr. Iyoob Ilyas, a surgeon at Eisenhower hospital.

Dr. Llyas and other muslim doctors from Eisenhower brought forth the idea to have a mosque in Rancho Mirage. Dr. Llyas says that he used to drive all the way to the mosque in Coachella for daily prayer before he and his colleagues started using the interfaith chapel at the hospital.

The facility will be named the Islamic Society of the Desert. According to their website, they will offer daily prayers, dedicated spaces for women and children, Arabic classes and more. Their website also says they’re hoping to raise $2 million for the mosque, right now they’re 32% of the way there. 

“I feel very strongly that the Muslim community needs to expand and feel comfortable here…I really want us to think for a moment, has any house of worship ever done anything but good for a community?,” said one passionate attendee of the planning commission meeting.

The mosque will be in between a Christian church and the Jewish Federation of the Desert. Some community members expressed concerns amid tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities due to the war in Gaza.

“We love Muslims and everybody else. That’s not the issue. The issue is what kind of problem are we creating If we put a mosque right there where they want it? Next to the [Jewish] federation in one of the busiest intersections in the valley,” said rancho mirage resident, Rick Stein.

The city hasn’t announced the plans to open the new mosque outside of the planning commission meeting. Minor updates to the building and landscaping are already underway.

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Luis Avila

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — As Halloween approaches, police across the Coachella Valley are reminding parents to stay alert and carefully inspect their children’s candy before letting them dig in. While reports of fentanyl-laced treats are rare, law enforcement officials say the ongoing drug crisis warrants extra caution.

Indio Police Sergeant Abraham Plata says that simple precautions can go a long way in keeping families safe.

“Don’t let your children eat candy while they’re trick-or-treating. It’s dark outside, and they won’t be able to see what they’re ingesting. Go through the candy at home in a well-lit room. If anything looks tampered with or glued, just throw it away.”

Sgt. Abraham Plata, Indio Police Department

Plata says officers continue to encounter fentanyl during arrests and overdose calls across the valley.

“We periodically get calls for service involving fentanyl. Usually it’s related to an overdose, but we also find fentanyl on people during arrests.”

Sgt. Abraham Plata, Indio Police Department

Officials are also warning parents to look closely at candy packaging. Some items may closely resemble well-known brands but could actually be infused with harmful substances.

If someone finds something that looks suspicious or potentially dangerous, police urge them to avoid handling it and call 911 immediately.

By taking a few extra minutes to inspect candy and stay vigilant, families can help ensure a fun and safe Halloween night.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Athena Jreij

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — La Quinta City Councilman Steve Sanchez is running to represent the Fourth District of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Sanchez made the campaign announcement first with News Channel 3’s Athena Jreij, announcing he plans to unseat Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who was elected Supervisor in 2018.

The fourth district is the largest in Riverside County, covering the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County. The district extends from Blythe, to Palm Springs and up into the mountain community of Idyllwild.

In his first interview on the campaign trail, Sanchez says he is prioritizing infrastructure, job security and energy. He also wants to weed out corruption in local government.

“I have decided I am going to run for Riverside County Supervisor of the Fourth District, which encompasses the Coachella Valley, all the way to Blythe. My mission right here is with the residents of the Coachella Valley and Blythe, to be there for them and be their voice, and quite frankly, I think people want more integrity and accountability back in government. They want people that they can actually trust and count on,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez has served on La Quinta City Council since 2016 and ran for California’s 28th State Senate in 2022. He currently serves on the LAFCO Commission, Airport Land Use Committee and Southern California Association of Government’s Transportation Committee.

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