Category: kesq-local-news

Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The city of Indio will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of the iconic Burger Box.

The ceremony is scheduled to be held on Monday at 9 a.m. at the restaurant’s original location along Indio Boulevard.

The Burger Box closed its doors after 70 years in business late last year.

“When you lose a staple in the valley it kind of sucks because you shouldn’t fix something that is not broken,” said Amber Hepler, a customer, told News Channel 3 in October.

It is now under the ownership of Yolanda Ruiz and her family. Yolanda worked at Burger Box for 24 years.

“Burger Box has long been more than a restaurant as it quickly became a landmark for locals and travelers alike,” said Mayor Glenn Miller. “We are thrilled to have Burger Box reopen in Indio, especially under the leadership of someone as committed to the community as Yolanda Ruiz.”

The city invites the public to attend the ribbon cutting and celebrate the return of the Indio institution.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Meberg

Many students are slated to return back to school, with an opportunity for high school and college students across the valley to get to class for free.

The opportunity is part of a program offered by the Sunline Transit Agency called “Haul Pass.”

The agency says all students have to do is fill out an application online.

Once it is approved, students will be able to receive a pass to show their bus driver before hitting the road.

The program has been around for several years, but officials say to this day a lot of people don’t know about it. 

“We love to make sure that students can get around without having to worry about needing a vehicle or maybe having their parents take them. They can be completely independent and actually go to where they need to go.” said Edit Hernandez, Sunline Transit Agency’s Director of Board and Legislative Affairs

Sunline says that it has noticed a steady increase of students using “haul pass” in recent years.

For more information visit https://www.sunline.org/fares-passes/haul-pass 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Meberg

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ)– Eisenhower Health achieves another regional medical milestone by being the first hospital in the Coachella Valley to successfully perform a groundbreaking procedure, the TriClip. 

The TriClip procedure is a minimally invasive treatment to help patients with tricuspid valve regurgitation. This condition occurs when the valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle fails to close properly allowing blood to leak backward. 

Prior to the TriClip procedure patients not eligible for open heart surgery were left with limited options to fix the issue, leading to symptoms that include fatigue, swelling, and shortness of breath. 

“This is a game changer for patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation who have been suffering without viable solutions,” says Dr. Panguluri. “With the TriClip, we can now offer relief through a minimally invasive procedure that shortens recovery time and dramatically improves quality of life.”

The procedure at Eisenhower Health was led by Board Certified interventional cardiologist Praveen Panguluri, MD, with the help of Andrew Frutkin, MD, who is also a Board Certified in interventional cardiology. 

“Bringing this level of innovation to our community is part of our mission to improve health through excellence, compassion, and state-of-the-art care,” says Scott Strech, RN, BSN, MBA, Chief Administrative Officer/Administrator, Cardiovascular Services, Eisenhower Health.

The success of the TriClip procedure underscored Eisenhower Health’s commitment to providing the most up to date leading-edge care to patients in the valley. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – We all dread it: energy bills skyrocketing during the hot summer months as we rely on our air conditioners to cool off.

One program throughout Southern California is offering a way for homeowners to ensure their air conditioning & climate control is working as efficiently as possible.

Synergy Companies partners with local utilities, like Southern California Edison, to provide the no-cost upkeep and energy efficiency services. They check ducting for leaks, maintain air conditioning units, and install smart thermostats – all ways to help you save on energy.

Edison customers already pay a certain amount on their bill for a “Public Purpose Program Charge.” This money is used to fund services like the one Synergy provides.

Southern California Edison customers can find the webpage to check their eligibility or schedule their appointment here.

Imperial Irrigation District customers can check their eligibility on IID’s website, as well.

Stay with News Channel 3 to see a full breakdown of the program tonight.

Click here to follow the original article.

Luis Avila

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Evacuation orders remain for areas around the Rosa Fire, displacing people and animals. The Riverside County Department of Animal Services is assisting and taking in impacted animals at its Coachella Valley and San Jacinto shelters.

“Our field team is out. They are able to go and rescue the pets that are up in houses past the barricades on 74. They prioritize ones closest to the fire first and then work from there.”

Marlo Clingman, Coachella Valley Animal Campus animal services manager

As of Tuesday, officials say eight dogs are being housed at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus while twelve horse, twelve dogs, seven goats, and five turkeys are being cared for at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter

6851 Van Buren Blvd

Jurupa Valley, CA 92509

San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus

581 S. Grand Ave.

San Jacinto, CA 92582

Coachella Valley Animal Campus

72-050 Pet Land Place

Thousand Palms, CA 92276

But the effort is facing a challenge: overcapacity.

“Basically our staff reshuffles everyone. Plenty of our staff are also fosters… We’ll do a pop up kennel if we need to but that tends to mean more dogs in a kennel together. Might be three instead of two, four instead of three.”

Marlo Clingman, Coachella Valley Animal Campus animal services manager

With the Coachella Valley Animal Campus shelter at 216% capacity and San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus at 232% capacity for dogs, they’re seeking the public’s help to foster un-owned shelter pets.

Still, officials say the shelter will continue to rescue as many animals as they can

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cynthia White

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Three people were injured in a crash on Interstate 10 between a car and a CAL FIRE ambulance Monday night, causing traffic and prompting a SIG Alert from California Highway Patrol.

The crash was reported just before 9:15 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 10 west of Jackson Street in Indio, and CHP issued a SIG Alert in the area shortly thereafter. Traffic was moving again and the SIG Alert was lifted by 10:45 p.m.

CHP reports that the crash happened as a CAL FIRE ambulance was leaving the site of an earlier traffic accident with one patient on board. The ambulance was hit by a car while it was merging from the center median into the lanes of traffic.

The driver of the car sustained major injuries. Two CAL FIRE employees riding in the ambulance sustained minor injuries, and the patient inside the ambulance had minor injuries that were from the earlier, original crash. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Cynthia White

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – United Parcel Services, Inc., UPS Supply Chain Solutions, General Services, Inc., and UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. (collectively “UPS”) has been ordered to pay $1.745 million as settlement in a civil lawsuit alleging unlawful disposal of hazardous waste and medical waste.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin along with 44 District Attorneys around the state announced the settlement Monday, saying that the amount covers $1.4 million in civil penalties, $140,000 in costs, and $205,000 in Supplemental Environmental Projects.

Hestrin says Riverside County will receive $230,000 in civil penalties and $25,000 in cost recovery as part of the settlement.

The judgment in the lawsuit is a result of an investigation into the waste disposal by UPS over the last several years at its 140 facilities, including ten facilities in Riverside County.

The lawsuit alleges that UPS unlawfully disposed of hazardous and medical waste in regular trash bins and took it to local landfills that were not permitted to receive such waste. The waste included, but was not limited to, ignitable, reactive, toxic and corrosive materials, and items containing Drug Facts.

In his announcement, Hestrin says that UPS cooperated with prosecutors during the investigation and the company has since implemented improved waste management practices and employee training to improve their handling of California regulated hazardous waste and medical waste.

Hestrin adds that all California businesses are required to properly dispose of hazardous waste and medical waste that is generated in the normal course of business and to manage such waste in separate labeled containers to ensure that incompatible waste does not mix and cause dangerous chemical reactions or harm to the environment.

The DA’s Offices involved in the investigation include Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Yolo. The judgment was entered in San Joaquin County Superior Court on July 25, 2025. Deputy District Attorney Lauren R. Martineau of the Environmental Protection Team handled the case for Riverside County.

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A parolee accused of fatally beating a 92-year-old man with whom he was rooming at an assisted living facility in Banning must undergo psychiatric examinations to determine his mental competency, a judge ruled today.

Sam Ato Timaloa, 77, allegedly inflicted grave injuries on Attilio Cecchetto of Banning in May.

Timaloa is charged with assault resulting in great bodily injury, elder abuse resulting in great bodily injury and battery resulting in injuries.   

During a status hearing at the Banning Justice Center Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel received motions from Timaloa’s public defender requesting comprehensive psychological tests to gauge the defendant’s mental health and whether he may be eligible for treatment at a state hospital, which would mean a possible indefinite suspension of criminal proceedings.  

Kiel ordered the case transferred to the Riverside Hall of Justice, where another judge will handle the appointment of doctors and reports on their evaluations.

Timaloa is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.

Banning Police Department Capt. Brandon Smith said that in the predawn hours of May 8, patrol officers were called to Banning Healthcare at 3476 W. Wilson St. to investigate reports of an assault on one of the nursing home’s residents.

“Officers discovered that the 92-year-old male victim had sustained severe injuries from an assault,” the captain said. “He was treated by Cal Fire paramedics and then transported to a trauma hospital for further treatment.”  

Smith said the ensuing investigation determined Timaloa was assigned to the same room as the victim and had allegedly attacked him, but there was no word regarding why.  

The defendant was taken into custody without incident.   

Cecchetto died three days later.   

The captain said a background check confirmed Timaloa was a registered sex offender.  

Court records show he has prior convictions for forcible rape, attempted murder with a sentence-enhancing knife allegation and domestic violence. He was sentenced to 23 years in state prison in 2008 but qualified for early parole last year.

Documents indicated that he violated his parole in the summer of 2024, at which point the court ordered placed him in the skilled nursing facility, possibly due to health complications.

A county Adult Protective Services case worker had been assigned to handle his affairs, documents stated.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Meberg

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)– A woman was taken into custody following a hit and run involving a fire hydrant early Monday afternoon in Indio. 

Indio Police Department reports that they responded to a call on Monroe and Bella Gate for a hit and run collision that ended with a broken fire hydrant.

The crash caused water to shoot up out of the structure flooding the street during this week’s heatwave. 

The 21-year-old woman attempted to flee on foot following the incident but was taken into custody nearby soon after the crash. 

No further information has been released at this time. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The California Highway Patrol issued a SIG Alert along Interstate 10 in Indio due to a vehicle fire that has caused a heavy traffic backup.

The incident was reported at around 1:45 p.m. on the I-10 east of the Monroe exit.

As of 2 p.m., traffic is backed up from Monroe to Jefferson heading eastbound.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

Click here to follow the original article.