Category: kesq-local-news

Kendall Flynn

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Cathedral City Police Department announced Monday they received a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for $55,000 to continue enforcement and education programs to increase safety in the city. The department said in a release the grant is to specifically help “reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads.” 

The grant will provide additional programs including: 

DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers

High-visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law

Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk

Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes

Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies

Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)

The grant program will last through September 2026.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from officials on why this grant is necessary in Cathedral City and what safety concerns they have prompting the application. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Gavin Nguyen

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – With more rain on the way this week, officials are keeping a close eye on areas with mudslide risk, especially with the ground already wet from last weekend’s storm.

A mudslide along Varner Road at the northern end of Cathedral City stranded dozens of cars over the weekend. Cathedral City Public Works cleared the roadway on Sunday.

A College of the Desert associate professor in geology, Edith Rojas, said the risk comes with the environment we live in. As a floodplain, the Coachella Valley often sees flooding during torrential rainfall. Mix that with the loose, fine sediment and sand that valley residents see in the air each time there’s a wind storm, and you get increased risk of mudslides in spots like Varner Road.

Rojas said there are several cost-effective options for infrastructure projects that could be made to redirect the debris flow away from homes and roadways, potentially saving lives.

We asked Cathedral City – will improvements like those happen in the future?

According to John Corella, the Director of Public Works, the city and Riverside County Flood Control have worked in tandem over the past five years. He said they allocated funding for several crossings underneath the roadway for water and mud to drain in three spots along Varner.

Beyond that, Corella hinted at future improvement projects – namely, one that would expand Varner to a four- or six-lane road.

“We’re looking at is state and federal funding to assist us in funding this. Essentially, we’ve already done preliminary estimates, depending how long we take this corridor,” Corella said. “It’s a $20 to $30 million minimum project to improve this section of roadway. This roadway should have a minimum of three lanes in each direction or a six lane roadway.”

“What’s taking so long with all these improvements?” News Channel 3 reporter Gavin Nguyen asked Corella.

“Government moves slow the and it’s an expensive project,” he replied. “Roadways are not cheap. So the beauty of government work in slow is that we have time to analyze and once we do, the project is going to be done right.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – This week marks six months since a Twentynine Palms man bombed the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic off North Indian Canyon in Palm Springs.

The clinic has since moved into a temporary location across the street at El Mirador Plaza and taken on an ambitious reconstruction, hoping to rebuild and resume their work in the original location one year from the date. 

Earlier this year, News Channel 3 followed up with clinic director Dr. Maher Abdallah on their goal to fully rebuild and move back into the clinic location one year to the day.

In a follow-up interview, Dr. Abdallah says they now expect to open Fall 2026, after just submitting construction permits to the city.

“We’re hoping that construction will start early next year, meaning January. The actual construction will take eight months. So the way things are looking, we’re looking at a probably September grand opening,” Dr. Abdallah says.

The new $20 million building will consist of one structure with two floors and increased security on premises.

“It’s 20,000 square foot, 10,000 on the first floor and 10,000 on the second floor, surgery center and then IVF lab and procedure room and our own clinic … We agreed on seven foot high walls all around the complex. Besides the the guard at the entrance, there will be more security inside the building. So, two armed guards on the premises.”

While in their temporary location, ARC has cut back on some work, but nevertheless Dr. Abdallah says they’ve produced a promising year.

“Embryos that survived the bombing are giving us a phenomenal pregnancy rate, the highest I’ve seen in 26 years. Just like we did today with the two transfers, both were frozen from before the bombing. Both look perfect, and my gut feeling says both will get pregnant,” he said.

Dr. Abdallah says they’re still completing about 15 embryo transfers a month on schedule. Since the bombing, they’ve increased their clinical pregnancy rate from 74% before the bombing, to 81% now.

The results are something Dr. Abdallah calls simply a miracle, and one that allows him to focus on the future rather than the past.

“It’s going to be a good year. We will probably have around 80 live births.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Cynthia White

UPDATE 11/18/2025 11:15 P.M. – Northbound lanes on Cook Street were reopened after crews removed debris from the area.

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Northbound lanes on Cook Street just north of Country Club Drive were closed around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night after a crash involving two cars caused one car to collide into a wall.

Northbound Cook Street is closed from Marketplace Drive to Crest Lake Drive in the area of Desert Falls Country Club as deputies investigate the scene.

It is not known what may have caused the crash, or if there were any injuries. Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

KESQ News Team

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – As the investigation is ongoing into the circumstances of the death on Sunday night of Cathedral City Councilmember Mark Carnevale, News Channel 3 has learned more on what Riverside County Sheriff’s Office found when they responded to a residence in Rancho Mirage.

News Channel 3 reached out to RSO to gather information on the investigation, and a statement from the Sheriff’s office in response to our inquiry reads:

“On November 16, 2025, at 6:47 p.m., deputies responded to a residence in . . . Rancho Mirage, regarding an attempt suicide.  Upon arrival, deputies and paramedics attempted life-saving measures; however, the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene.  The Riverside Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau responded and assumed the investigation.  There is no evidence of foul play, and the investigation remains ongoing. No additional information is available at this time.”

News Channel 3 will be following this story as the investigation continues and as we learn about Carnevale’s funeral arrangements and how the community can remember his decades of leadership in Cathedral City.

Click here to follow the original article.

KESQ News Team

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – A new cell tower in the east valley will benefit low income communities with better cell coverage.

In January, a cell tower was approved in the community of Mecca, located on 66th Avenue.

New towers are put up in areas when there is a lack of coverage, or when there’s enough customers complaining about dropped calls.

Riverside County District 4 Principal Planner Jose Merlan says, “The benefits to the community for this cell tower is that now they’ll be able to not only get cell service outdoors, but they’ll be able to get it indoors, outside their house, and in open areas – areas such as open fields, high up in the mountains. So the range has now increased from a smaller range to a higher range.”

The new tower is installed and is almost fully operational.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cynthia White

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – The Morongo Band of Mission Indians gave away 15,000 turkeys this week to 122 non-profit organizations to provide holiday meals to families, seniors, and veterans in need for its 39th Annual Thanksgiving Outreach program.

Tribal members and volunteers gathered at the Morongo Community Center for two days starting on Monday to distribute the Thanksgiving turkeys to the organizations, including food pantries, churches, senior centers, schools and veteran groups from across Southern California.

“The roots of Morongo’s Thanksgiving Outreach program stretch back decades to a time when our tribe sought to help others even as we struggled in face of adversity,” said Morongo Tribal Chairman Charles Martin. “This year, we continue to honor our Tribe’s legacy of giving to others by providing tens of thousands of holiday meals to those who are struggling across the region.”

Numerous groups from across the Coachella Valley received turkeys from Morongo, including

Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in Indio

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Food Pantry in Desert Hot Springs

First Community Baptist Church in Desert Hot Springs

Family Services of the Desert – Food Now in Desert Hot Springs

Christ is Salvation Church in Thermal

Palm Springs Unified School District in Palm Springs

The Galilee Center in Mecca

The Palm Springs Unified School District’s Family and Community Engagement Department received 200 turkeys to help students and their families enjoy a meaningful holiday meal together while easing the burden for those experiencing food insecurity during the holiday season.

“On behalf of the Palm Springs Unified School District, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians for their incredible generosity,” said Jarvis Williams, the Palm Springs Family and Community Engagement Coordinator. “These are challenging times for many in our community, and these turkeys will make an amazing difference in helping our families and students celebrate Thanksgiving with true joy. Partnerships like this strengthen our district and the community, showing our students that they are truly valued and supported.”

“The contribution from Morongo will touch lives across the Coachella Valley, helping us provide nutritious holiday meals to families who need them most,” said Lupe Torres-Hilario, Director of Operations of the Galilee Center in Mecca. “Morongo’s partnership strengthens our mission to serve the most vulnerable in our community with compassion, dignity, and hope.”

Lupe Torres Hilario of the Galilee Center said they received 300 turkeys, adding, “So many families are going to be blessed out in the east Coachella Valley right now. We’re serving about 530 families, but for Christmas we are expecting over 800 families to come out and get their turkey box.”

Other organizations receiving turkeys were from Banning, Beaumont, Riverside, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Temecula, Redlands, Los Angeles, and other communities.

The turkeys donated this year will provide nearly 300,000 holiday meals. Morongo has contributed almost 230,000 turkeys over the years in its Annual Thanksgiving Outreach program, which have helped provide nearly 4.5 million holiday meals.

Participating groups submitted applications to the Tribe earlier this year. For organizations interested in receiving turkeys next Thanksgiving, applications are due in Spring 2026. Applications will be available at https://morongonation.org/thanksgiving-outreach.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kendall Flynn

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The In-Home Supportive Service program continues to see a growing need for caregiving services in Riverside County and the Coachella Valley. It’s a high demand local caregivers said they cannot keep up with.

There are over 55,000 caregivers with IHSS in Riverside County and over 61,000 clients. Caregivers usually have one to two patients, depending on the extent of the care, but that still leaves a large deficit in the number of providers to those in need.

IHSS hosted an appreciation luncheon Tuesday, recognizing the important work these caregivers are going in keeping people safe and healthy at home. While they appreciate the recognition, many caregivers share challenges they’ve faced that they believe need more attention.

Two of the challenges they’re facing are pending Medi-Cal cuts and low wages. Local caregivers said many of their clients rely on Medi-Cal to pay for the in-home caregiving program, and they worry the cuts will keep them from affording the program in the future.

“A couple of my clients felt like they were going to lose Medi-Cal, especially with this whole shutdown with government,” Elizabeth Herrera, a local caregiver, said. “It’s hard sometimes because you can’t, you know, take it personal, but you kind of do take it personal because you’re there for them.” 

Another problem they’re facing is low wages. The United Domestic Workers union, supporting IHSS Riverside County caregivers, said they are earning just over minimum wage. They said the wage has always been stagnant but they should be earning more for the extensive work they do.

Herrera said she’s seen it impact how many people enroll to work in the program as they believe it is not a “livable” wage.

“There’s a lot of people I’ve talked to, don’t want to do it because, ‘Oh, I have children, and how am I gonna feed my family?'”, She said. “But you have to think about the care for them.” 

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear how Riverside County and the United Domestic Workers are working to find a solution to the wage concerns.

Click here to follow the original article.

KESQ News Team

In continuing coverage, the death of former local Assemblymember Brian Nestande was back in the headlines on Tuesday.

News Channel 3 is confirming with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office that all fentanyl deaths are investigated as a homicide.

As we reported back in May 2024, an autopsy report confirms the former state assembly member died of an overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.

Nestande was found dead in his home in Palm Desert back in March 2024.

Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez found Nestande’s body after not hearing from him for several days.

News Channel 3’s Karen Devine reached out to Sheriff Chad Bianco and found there are no new updates to the case.

“From the very beginning, when we received toxicology results and learned this was a fentanyl death, we have considered it a homicide investigation,“ Bianco wrote. “We treat all fentanyl deaths as homicides.”

It’s also of note that after questions from multiple local news outlets today, Bianco began by saying, “He doesn’t understand why everyone is reaching out.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Shay Lawson

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)  – A Coachella Valley family received the keys to their first home this week after nearly 2 years in the homebuying process.

They ultimately found and qualified for Riverside County’s 20% down assistance program — a program they were connected to through Lift to Rise.

Lift to Rise is a nonprofit organization that works to improve housing stability.

Jose Zavala said he felt excited walking into the home with his wife and 2 children.

“We finally had a home for my family,” Zavala said. “Especially because we have a new baby.”

Zavala said he first learned about the county’s 20% program through a Lift to Rise community workshop where Veronica Lopez, a senior loan officer with Secure Choice Lending, explained how to qualify.

“She talked about different things — like how to find the home, the credit score and how to manage different things,” Zavala said. “That really helped me understand the aspects of buying your first home.”

Lopez said the turning point came when the county raised its income limits earlier this year.

“They were just slightly over the income limit last year,” Lopez said. “When the county announced the updated limits this summer, I immediately called them.”

Zavala encourages other families to get informed.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the full story at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Click here to follow the original article.