Category: kesq-local-news

Allie Anthony

Youth mental health is in crisis. The National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 1 in 6 U.S. youth ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year.

Family therapist Melissa Hawkins, from the Betty Ford Center, says many kids are overwhelmed by social media and online content, leading to anxiety and depression that often go unnoticed.

“Stress can start at an earlier age,” Hawkins said. “Sadness can start at an earlier age, and that can impact you physically, emotionally and mentally.”

Fifty percent of all lifetime mental health conditions begin before age 14 — and 75% start before age 24.

Those numbers prove that kids and teens need resources.

So, what’s the best way to help? According to Hawkins, it starts with a conversation.

“When you’re able to just plant those seeds and let them know that you’re listening and that you’re thinking about them, there may be a point in time where they’ll come to you and they’ll tell you something,” she said.

To find resources, you can contact your local school district or ask your pediatrician about available services.

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Cynthia White

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KESQ) – Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) is cosponsoring a bill to allow Canadian citizens who own or lease a residence in the U.S. to extend their stay from 182 days to 240 days per year.

Calvert joined together with Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL-15), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4), and other House members to cosponsor the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act, H.R. 3070. Rep Calvert is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan bill. “The Canadian Snowbird Visa Act will provide an important boost to the economic engine of the Coachella Valley, which is fueled by visitors from Canada and all over the world,” said Rep. Calvert. “I’ve joined together with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to introduce this bill to give those who own or lease homes a longer window to enjoy their time in our country. This new policy will ultimately create jobs and expand economic growth in the Coachella Valley.” “I’m proud to cosponsor the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act because it’s a win for America’s economy. Canadian residents contribute billions of dollars each year to our small businesses, real estate markets, and local economies. . . By extending the time Canadian visitors who own or lease homes can spend here, we’re supporting job growth, strengthening our bond with our closest neighbors, and helping local communities thrive,” said Congresswoman Laurel Lee.

News Channel 3’s Karen Devine recently reported on the economic impacts of Canadian visitors in the Coachella Valley. According to a study conducted by Visit Greater Palm Springs, more than 300,000 visitors from Canada spent $236 million in 2017. In a 2021 study conducted by the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, they found seven percent of Coachella Valley properties are owned by Canadians, making them the largest source of non-U.S. owners in the region.

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Cynthia White

MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Investigators are looking into how an inmate at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta died in custody on Thursday.

In a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies report that they found 53-year-old Michael Allen Weaver of Lake Elsinore unresponsive inside a housing unit cell. Life saving measures were performed by custody staff and jail medical personnel until medics arrived, but Weaver was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Office Corrections Central Investigations Unit is handling the investigation. They say there were no signs of foul play, and the investigation is ongoing.

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Shay Lawson

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ)  – The TODEC Legal Center on Thursday opened the first-ever Farmworker Justice Center in the Coachella Valley.

Officials said it’s offering legal aid, digital access, unemployment support and more to farmworkers and their families.

Luz Gallegos, Executive Director, said the center, located at 1560 Sixth St. in Coachella, aims to address decades of systemic neglect by providing wraparound services.

“Not only dealing with their rights, as in labor and immigration, but also their health and well-being,” Gallegos said. “We want to make sure that we’re also going to be hosting citizenship classes, English classes and computer literacy classes.”

Services are already being offered in the building, which will continue to extend as expansion moves forward in the coming months.

In the meantime, TODEC is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., now offering these free services and an emergency hotline for urgent needs.

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City News Service

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – An 82-year-old man accused of bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband’s Palm Springs home may have attacked her during an argument over something as incidental as a television program, fatally beating her with a barstool, a prosecutor said today.  

Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019.  

During his closing statement Thursday, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Steven Sorensen acknowledged, “We don’t know why Mr. McKernan did it.”

But the prosecutor said testimony in the two-week trial had revealed there were political differences between the defendant and victim — she a Democrat, he a Republican.

“She was watching one of her TV shows, and they bickered,” Sorensen said. “He had a sadistic reason.”  

McKernan is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, inflicting great bodily injury and being in possession of a firearm during a felony.   

The prosecution rested Tuesday, and McKernan’s attorney called witnesses Wednesday before concluding his case at the Banning Justice Center.   

Due to the length of the prosecution’s closing argument Thursday, the defense did not get a chance to make a final argument, prompting Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz to direct jurors to return to the courthouse for the defense’s presentation Friday morning.

McKernan is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.   

According to testimony, the defendant had known Carsman and her husband, whose identity was not disclosed, for years, and the couple invited him to stay with them in April 2019.

In the early afternoon of April 22, the victim’s spouse headed to an area casino to gamble, as was his habit, leaving his wife and McKernan alone at the single-story residence at 360 W. Pico Road, near Zanjero Road.   

Sorensen said nothing was amiss until 5:53 p.m., when the man received a rapid succession of four calls from McKernan in under 10 minutes, all of which he missed.

One of the voicemail messages was replayed for the jury, during which McKernan was heard saying, “It’s a nightmare you’ve never been in your life. I need you to stay away so you’re not in any danger. We got attacked. We need your attorney. Jesus Christ.”

McKernan then called 911, telling the dispatcher, “We had a break-in. I think someone is dead.”   Carsman’s husband and the police arrived to find a grisly scene.   

“She was bludgeoned,” Sorensen said, adding that blood spatter covering the defendant’s clothes indicated he “had to hold the barstool facing Mrs. Carsman.”

McKernan was taken into custody without incident.   

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

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City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The Trump administration today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a lower court’s order preserving Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants, including a Culver City woman, who contend they are unable to safely return to Venezuela.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attempted to end the protections just days after taking office in January. However, a federal district court put her decision on hold pending a final resolution in the case, finding that the secretary’s decision appeared to be motivated by racial bias toward Venezuelans and violated the law governing TPS.   

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the government’s stay request last month. If the Supreme Court grants a stay, Venezuelans who first registered for TPS in 2023 would immediately lose the interim protection provided by the district court’s order and face the prospect of deportation to Venezuela while the case proceeds.   

“The district court’s detailed, well-reasoned order allows the Venezuelan community to continue living and working in this country while the case moves forward,” said Ahilan Arulanantham of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. “We hope the Supreme Court will see the government’s request for what it is: an attempt to seize power that neither Congress nor the Constitution allows it to exercise.”   

The lawsuit in which the National TPS Alliance and seven Venezuelans accuse Noem of illegally revoking an 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuelans that was granted by the Biden administration was filed in February in San Francisco.

After U.S. District Judge Ed Chen’s ruling in the Northern District of California blocked the government’s attempt to strip Venezuelan migrants of their lawful immigration status, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blasted the decision.

“This is yet another example of an activist judge trying to obstruct President Trump’s agenda,” McLaughlin said in a statement sent to City News Service last month. “This unelected judge didn’t get the memo that on Nov. 5, the American people voted for reinstituting integrity in our immigration enforcement and mass deportations of illegal aliens.  

“Secretary Noem will continue fighting to return integrity to the TPS system, which has been abused and exploited by illegal aliens for decades. We will return TPS to its original status: temporary,” the statementcontinued.

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Jesus Reyes

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – A theft in Mecca led to two schools being placed on lockdown Thursday afternoon.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were serving a search warrant related to a theft in the 65000 block of Dale Kiler Road.

“Prior to the service of the warrant, four subjects left the location in a vehicle. Deputies attempted a vehicle stop, but the suspects ran from the vehicle,” a spokesperson for the agency told News Channel 3.

Deputies searched the area and located two suspects, but the other two suspects were not found.

Two schools in Mecca have been placed on lockdown, CVUSD Superintendent Dr. Frances Esparza confirmed to News Channel 3. Saul Martinez Elementary School and Mecca Elementary School are on lockdown as a precautionary measure because air support is above the campuses, Esparza said.

Esparza confirmed that all students were safe.

Esparza initially said the lockdown was related to a nearby train theft, however, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not confirm whether this was the case, only confirming that the search warrant was related to a theft investigation.

A News Channel 3 crew was at the scene of the search warrant service on Dale Kiler Road and 7th Street. Deputies were pulling out dozens of boxes.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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Allie Anthony

At just 13 years old, Nehemiah Johnson is turning heads in Hollywood after landing a role in a horror film alongside actor Mekhi Phifer.

His journey began with the Young Creators Program, an expanded learning service at PSUSD that teaches students the art of filmmaking from directing, producing, filming and acting.

A simple social media post including Nehemiah led to his discovery by a film producer, marking the start of his acting career. This opportunity not only highlights his talent but also proves how programs like Young Creators can unlock real-world futures beyond the classroom.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from Nehemiah about the role he will play in the upcoming film.

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Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – In an effort to combat dangerous wildfires as temperatures start to rise, beginning Thursday, May 1 through July 31, the Palm Springs Fire Department will begin annual brush removal of 87 acres that cover 27 potential wildfires zones, determined by a recent Cal Fire fire hazard severity map.

Removal started in the Little Tuscany neighborhood, which officials say has seen the most brush fires in Palm Springs. Just last year, News Channel 3 reported on a fire on the hillside near the community.

“This is one of my most impacted areas by brushfires so it makes sense as fire chief to get after the area that we’ve had the most fires.” 

Paul Alvarado, PS Fire Chief

Firefighters and City workers will spend the next few months trimming trees and removing potentially hazardous brush that could spark a wildfire.

In addition, the Palm Springs Fire Department will begin public education asking residents who live in wildfire zones to help clear hazardous brush from 1,254 residential lots located in neighborhoods on the west and south sides of the city.

Officials recommend residents:

Make sure brush up to 100 feet from the home is at least 18 feet apart

Keep grass cut to three inches

Make sure trees are not hanging over roof

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center has now been open for more than a year. So far, hundreds of people have used the new homeless resources. And as News Channel 3’s Peter Daut discovered, demand is so high the facilities are operating at full capacity.

Victoria Scuro is the first person to ever live inside one of the modular units at the Navigation Center. It comes with its own bed, bathroom, kitchenette, and enough space for her two cats to live with her. The former County social worker from Bermuda Dunes said she lost nearly everything after covid left her disabled and unable to work. Before arriving at the Navigation Center in December, she had been living in motels and on the streets.

“You’re just one step away from becoming me. I had a savings account, I had a car, I had a very nice condo, I had clothes, I had a life. And it went away just like that,” Scuro said.

Scuro is one of nearly 90 people now living at the Center, which opened six months ago. The 80 units are meant to house individuals and families on a medium-term basis to help them find permanent housing. There’s a playground, dog park, computer room, and cafeteria that serves three meals a day. Scuro said her experience has been good: “There are rules, some I don’t necessarily agree with, but I know rules are for a reason. And if they’re explained to me, I go ‘Ok, I get it. Now I understand it.’ But most everyone here is very empathetic and very kind,” she said.

Palm Springs native Jeff Fischer said he had been living on the streets for the past five years as he struggled with substance abuse. The Center is now helping him to remain sober, as he searches for a job and permanent housing. “It’s like there’s a network of people that really want to see me do well. And I’m doing so much better than I’ve ever done in the last five years. I feel completely safe, and sheltered. And that’s what they do,” he said.

The campus on McCarthy Road also includes the Early Entry Facility, which opened a year ago. The overnight shelter provides up to 50 beds on a first-come, first-served basis, and it’s full nearly every night. Martha’s Village and Kitchen operates the Navigation Center, which cost about $40 million to complete.

“Are you pleased with how things are going so far?” Daut asked Chief Operating Officer Rosa Verduzco. “I think overall we’re very successful,” she said.

Here are the numbers: So far, the Early Entry Facility has served 275 homeless people with 41 successful exits, which means people have been reunited with their families or transitioned to other resources. The Navigation Center has served 86 people, with six successful exits into permanent housing. Nearly everyone was from the Coachella Valley.

“Not only are we transitioning people into permanent housing, but it is a meaningful transition. Meaning they stay in permanent housing and do not go back out in the streets once one type of service ends,” Verduzco said.

According to the County’s most recent homeless point-in-time count conducted in January, there are at least 982 homeless people in the Valley, up three percent from 2022.

“Is this navigation center really making a difference?” Daut asked Verduzco. She replied: “Yes it is. Based on the capacity of the folks we have in house, there’s less homeless individuals out on the streets.”

In addition the shelter, the Center provides wraparound services that include mental health support, job training, life-skills education and case management.

Meanwhile, people like Victoria Scuro are working to find a better life. “It does give you hope. It gives you a chance to think yes you have a future. You’re not going to be stuck in the streets or in a sleeping bag, or in the hot, hot summer with nowhere to go.”

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