Category: kesq-local-news

Kiera McKinney

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) —As more students use e-bikes to get to school, a new platform is aiming to help districts keep track of who is riding, whether they have completed safety training and whether they are cleared to park on campus.

Safe Ride Schools is designed for middle and high schools and combines student e-bike registration, safety education, parent agreements and campus permits in one system.

Students and parents first register the e-bike by submitting information including the bike’s make and model, serial number, class type and a photo.

Students then complete online safety lessons and knowledge checks.

Parents or guardians can also review and sign school safety agreements and district policies online.

Once the requirements are complete, students receive a QR-code campus parking permit. School staff can scan the permit to verify that the student is registered and approved to park the e-bike on campus.

School administrators can use a dashboard to track registrations, completed safety training and permit activity.

Safe Ride Schools says the platform was created as e-bikes became a more common way for students to commute to campus and schools were left managing registrations and safety requirements through paper forms and spreadsheets.

The company is now offering districts a free 90-day pilot program.

The pilot includes digital registration, online safety education, parent acknowledgements, QR-code permits and access to the administrator dashboard.

Safe Ride Schools says the goal is to give schools, parents and students a more organized way to manage e-bike safety as their use continues to grow.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Pearce

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — Farmers across the nation are experiencing elevated diesel prices, with the national average at $6.20 per gallon. But in Riverside County, the average price per gallon for diesel is $8.06, according to AAA.

With prices above $8, farmers tell News Channel 3 they are forced to work with tighter margins.

For more information on how diesel prices impact local farmers, small businesses and consumers, stay with News Channel 3 live tonight.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kiera McKinney

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)- First responders from across Southern California came together Saturday to preview this year’s Coachella Valley Battle of the Badges.

The press conference gave participating fighters a chance to meet face-to-face ahead of the amateur boxing event next month.

Battle of the Badges brings together police officers, firefighters and other public safety personnel who step outside of their regular jobs and into the boxing ring.

Organizers say the event is also a way to bring first responders and the community together through a night of competition.

The sanctioned amateur boxing event will take place Saturday, Oct. 17 at Palm Desert Civic Center Park.

Several public safety agencies from across Southern California are expected to be represented.

Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the first fight scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

More information and tickets are available through the Coachella Valley Battle of the Badges website.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Pearce

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — The Bianca Rae Foundation is scheduled to host its 13th annual Rae of Hope Retreat this Saturday, September 12th, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

This year’s event, themed “The Real Me,” will welcome a record 750 middle school students through partnerships with local unified school districts.

The retreat offers free workshops on leadership, mental wellness, and life skills to empower youth across the Coachella Valley.

News Channel 3 is speaking with organizers and participants to learn more about the impacts of this retreat.

Click here to follow the original article.

Julia Castro

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — After more than 24 years with the Palm Springs Police Department, Captain Melissa Cain is leaving the agency and continuing her law enforcement career with the Beaumont Police Department.

Cain joined PSPD in 2002 and went on to serve in a number of assignments during her time with the department.

She also achieved several historic firsts, becoming PSPD’s first female motor officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and acting police chief.

The department said Cain’s impact extended beyond her titles, describing her as a mentor, trusted leader and advocate for collaboration and new ideas.

PSPD also credited Cain with helping pave the way for others in the department and challenging colleagues to approach problems from different perspectives.

Cain will now continue her career with the Beaumont Police Department.

Palm Springs police thanked Cain for her more than two decades of service to the department and the community, saying she will remain part of the PSPD family.

Click here to follow the original article.

Tommy Gallegos

(PALM SPRINGS, CA) (KESQ) – One of the people being remembered today on the 25th Anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11th has a direct connection to the Coachella Valley.

Barbara Keating was a 72-year-old Palm Springs grandmother who attended St. Teresa Catholic Church in Palm Springs and was very involved in the congregation.

She was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 and was heading home to help care for a sick grandchild.

Just last year, Keating’s remains were identified and returned to her family in Massachusetts, where she was finally laid to rest.

In 2021, News Channel 3’s Jeff Stahl spoke with members of St. Teresa Catholic Church who knew Keating as part of a special report, “Remembering Barbara Keating: Palm Springs resident who died in 9/11 terror attacks.“

Twenty-five years ago tonight, we first reported on her death — making 9/11 hit home even more than it already had on that fateful day.

Click here to follow the original article.

City News Service

INDIAN WELLS (CNS) – Coachella Valley’s top decision-makers met today to discuss the region’s economic future, infrastructure and key public policy issues.

The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual All Valley Mayors, County and Tribal Chairpersons Luncheon to bring together mayors from all nine valley cities alongside Riverside County leadership and tribal chairs.

Panelists discussed an array of topics regarding the Coachella Valley including economic development, tax policy and business regulations.

This year’s program featured a streamlined format designed to reduce sponsor remarks as to allow more time for direct panel discussions among participating leaders.

“We’re creating more time for meaningful conversation among the panelists and giving attendees an even deeper look at…priorities shaping the Coachella Valley,” said Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Brandon Marley.

The luncheon took place at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa, located at 44400 Indian Wells Lane in Indian Wells.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gavin Nguyen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Veterans at American Legion Post 519 are coming together in Palm Springs to honor the lives lost in the September 11th attacks 25 years ago.

The 9/11 Observance and Ceremonial Dinner will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the post, located at 400 N Belardo Rd. in Palm Springs. Organizers said guest speakers will include La Quinta Councilman Steve Sanchez, a Marine veteran himself, and Palm Springs Police Chief Kyle Stjerne.

News Channel 3 will have live coverage of the event starting at 4:00 p.m. Stay with us for the latest.

Click here to follow the original article.

Raymond Kalra

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a piece of the World Trade Center now has a permanent home in the Coachella Valley.

The City of Indio unveiled its new 9/11 memorial Friday at Miles Avenue Park, bringing together city leaders, first responders and community members to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11, 2001.

At the center of the memorial is a 12-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center.

For Indio Mayor Elaine Holmes, the anniversary remains deeply personal.

Holmes said she still remembers getting ready for work that morning and learning what had happened. She said the memorial is meant to give people a place to reflect, while also helping teach younger generations about a day they did not experience firsthand.

The memorial was designed by artist James Dinh, who said the project began about three years ago after the city put out a call for artists.

Dinh submitted a design that was eventually selected by a city committee. He said one of his main goals was to create a gathering space rather than simply a monument people would pass by.

The memorial is built in the shape of a circle, which Dinh said represents unity.

Surrounding the steel beam is a wall containing nearly 3,000 small circular openings. Each one represents a life lost in the attacks.

At night, the wall is illuminated from behind, allowing light to shine through the openings in a pattern Dinh compared to a constellation, a visual reminder of those who died.

Dinh said designing a memorial around an actual artifact from the World Trade Center made the project especially emotional.

The steel remains visibly twisted and warped, showing the physical force of the destruction that day. Dinh said that while the beam represents violence and loss, the surrounding memorial was designed to create a place for healing and reflection.

The memorial is also intended to speak to a generation that has no personal memory of September 11.

Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, who served 21 years in the Marine Corps and deployed multiple times after 9/11, said the memorial honors both those lost in the attacks and the first responders who continue to serve today.

He said one of its most important purposes is teaching those who were not alive in 2001 why the day continues to matter.

Gonzalez said September 11 remains tied not only to tragedy, but also to the way Americans came together in its aftermath.

For those who remember the attacks firsthand, Friday’s ceremony provided a place to return to those memories.

For those born afterward, city leaders and the artist behind the memorial hope the World Trade Center steel and the symbolism surrounding it provide a tangible connection to the history they inherited.

The memorial is now permanently located at Miles Avenue Park in Indio.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kiera McKinney

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif, (KESQ)- Artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of how small businesses operate, helping with tasks like social media, research, customer follow-ups and reports.

That was a major focus Friday at the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce’s fifth annual Marketing Summit, where local business owners and industry experts discussed how AI can save time — while stressing that it is not a replacement for human intelligence or connection.

Andrew McCauley, Website Analytics and AI Manager for Visit Greater Palm Springs, said AI can take some of the tedious work off employees’ plates.

“What I see AI doing is replacing tasks more than jobs.”

A July QuickBooks survey found four out of five small businesses now use AI regularly, up from less than half two years ago.

Hakob Jibilyan, co-founder of Cheers Coffee, said his business recently started using AI for social media and research. He said it can help identify trends, determine when to post and uncover potential business opportunities.

But Jibilian said technology cannot replace the people who make his business work.

“My employees, they are the best. The human factor is very important. The simple things, communication with each other.”

That balance was a key message at the summit: businesses can use AI to handle routine tasks, but human intelligence, judgment and relationships remain at the center of the work.

Katie Slimko-Tuvell, president and CEO of the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce, said business owners are excited about AI but also want to use it responsibly.

McCauley encouraged businesses to learn what AI can do rather than be afraid of the technology.

The summit was held at the Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory and featured speakers discussing AI, social media, customer service, storytelling and other ways businesses can adapt to changing technology.

Click here to follow the original article.