Category: kesq-local-news

Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Palm Springs Fire responded to several trees on fire Saturday afternoon due to a lightning strike.

The fire began around 4:30 p.m. near East Palm Canyon Drive and Farrell Street. Despite the rain, the strike caught 3 trees on fire.

PS Fire quickly responded with multiple engines and contained the fire before it spread to nearby buildings.

Terry Ryan, who lives in the area, saw the moment lightning struck and said, “Well, when it first happened, I thought it was going to hit my trees because I’m across the street and it was right off my balcony. I went out and I looked, and the skies lit up and I’m like, oh my goodness, we got hit, and I looked and it, I ran to the window and I saw it was across the street.”

No injuries were reported.

Click here to follow the original article.

Athena Jreij

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — One man is dead after being struck by a pickup truck near the I-10 freeway in Indio Saturday afternoon.

Officials say the victim was hit by oncoming traffic, while crossing the westbound on-ramp at Monroe Street. 

Deputies say the truck’s left front struck the man causing multiple injuries.

The victim died on scene despite life-saving measures.

The crash remains under investigation. No word yet if drugs or alcohol were a factor. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Police Department is gearing up for Battle in the Desert, which will return to the Valley Oct. 11.

The boxing showcase has been growing in popularity through the Coachella Valley for nearly 10 years. Something organizer, Jesus Gonzalez is proud to see.

“It started pretty small in the festival line of Cathedral City,” Gonzalez said. “We’re now at the amphitheater and we’re attracting fighters from Houston, Northern California, Southern California, from all over the place.”

Gonzalez is also a detective with PSPD, and has helped secure three officers up for the boxing challenge. One of them is Detective Jose Barragan who will be facing off against Michael Carongcong of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

While Barragan does not have a lot of prior experience, he’s ready for the challenge and has been training when he can.

“It’s just one of those thing’s where I just kind of worked up the courage to go ahead and do it,” Barragan said. “I feel like I’ve put enough work in, I mean you never know, it’s a boxing match at the end of the day, so hoping for the best.” 

The full competition will feature 14 “competitive bouts” with boxers from law enforcement, military and public safety agencies across the country, according to PSPD. The competition is set up for Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the first bout at 7 p.m.

Palm Springs Police Department Bouts

PSPD’s Jose Barragan vs. Michael Carongcong of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

PSPD’s Gil Alcaraz vs. Carlos Trejo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

PSPD’s Johnathan Mosley vs. Robert Espinoza of the Santa Ana Police Department

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from officials about this boxing event and what it means to them.

Click here to follow the original article.

Athena Jreij

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — Over 300 customers are without power in a Palm Desert neighborhood Saturday afternoon due to equipment issues.

Southern California Edison reported the outage around 12:30 p.m. this afternoon near the Silver Sands Racquet Club by Country Club Drive and Portola Avenue.

Officials say 326 customers are experiencing the outage. Crews are conducting repairs according to the website, with power expected to return by midnight tonight.

For more information on the outage visit: https://www.sce.com/outages-safety/outage-center/check-outage-status.

Stick with News Channel 3 as we continue to follow this story.

Click here to follow the original article.

Isaiah Mora

Update:

On Sunday morning, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that an investigation in Thousand Palms was connected to Saturday’s shooting in Rancho Mirage.

Investigators closed off the area between Robert Road and Varner Road on Sunday afternoon, around 3:00 p.m., for a follow-up investigation for that same incident. News Channel 3’s crew at the scene reported seeing deputies picking up bullet castings in the area.

As of Sunday morning, no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting, and the investigation remained ongoing. Stay with us for the latest on this story.

Original Report:

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – One man was in critical condition after an overnight shooting in Rancho Mirage.

Just before one on Saturday morning, deputies responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon near Bob Hope Drive and Country Club Drive. Deputies say a caller reported that a driver of a vehicle was shot at that location.

When deputies arrived, they located a man suffering from a gunshot wound and had him taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

No arrests have been made at this time as the investigation is still ongoing. Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates on this story.

Click here to follow the original article.

Isaiah Mora

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – One man is dead after a crash in Palm Springs Friday night.

Around 9:34 p.m., Palm Springs Police officers were dispatched to the area of Palm Canyon Drive and Via Las Palmas regarding a vehicle versus pedestrian collision.

Police confirm the crash happened in a marked crosswalk near a restaurant. The crosswalk is equipped with a lighting system used to alert drivers of pedestrians. However, police say it was not used at the time of the incident.

A preliminary investigation found that the man, who was visiting from out of state, was crossing eastbound when he was struck by a vehicle traveling southbound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators tell News Channel 3 that drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in this collision. Stay with us for any updates on this story.

Click here to follow the original article.

KESQ News Team

The family of a local man who died tragically while on vacation in Colombia is speaking out.  

Fernando Martinez died on Thursday.  

We are hearing from his family, desperately trying to get his body back to the Coachella Valley. 

His family says he and several friends were drugged by a group of women while on a boys’ trip to celebrate a friend’s birthday in Medellín, Colombia.   

On a GoFundMe page, they are working to get his body back to the U.S.  

The family says he was a devoted father and selfless son.  

Click here to follow the original article.

Allie Anthony

Teachers integrating culinary arts into an elementary class.

News Channel 3’s Ali Anthony joined Walter Clark at Coral Mountain Academy to meet Christopher Smith, an amazing educator teaching students with disabilities through the art of cooking.

Smith goes above and beyond for students with disabilities, using cooking as a fun and inclusive way to bring students together. While teaching essential life skills, he says cooking teaches math through measuring ingredients.

Click here if you would like to nominate an educator to receive the One Class at a Time award

Click here to follow the original article.

Haleemon Anderson

The Shadow Hills High School Choir joins Foreigner onstage Saturday at the band’s Fantasy Springs Resort Casino concert. The choir will accompany Foreigner to sing the classic hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is.”  

The legendary rock band has teamed with high schools around the country to perform its signature 1984 power ballad during tour stops.

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the high schoolers is made possible through Foreigner’s fundraising partnership with the Grammy Foundation and Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals.

Foreigner is also donating $500 to the Shadow Hills chorus program. 

Local Shriners from the area will be selling Foreigner’s greatest hits CD to raise money for the Grammy Foundation, and the Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals.  

Foreigner contributes to this effort by donating all the funds from the Shriner’s CD sales to the Grammy Foundation and to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital’s.

The Grammy Foundation raises funds for high school music programs to help keep music education alive in schools throughout North America.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jesus Reyes

Friday, 9/26

Desert Mirage (3-3)14
@
29 Palms (3-2)38
F

La Quinta (4-1)29
@
Central35
F/OT

San Gorgonio28
@
Cathedral City (2-4)34
F

Valley View21
@
Coachella Valley (1-4)18
F

DHS (2-4)7
@
Yucca Valley (3-3)28
F

Indio (1-5)0
@
West Valley47
F

Duarte34
@
Desert Chapel (0-4)13
F

/**/

Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for complete coverage of local high school football.

Be sure to watch the Best Local Sports Show every Friday throughout the season on News Channel 3 at 11:15 p.m.

Click here to follow the original article.