Category: kesq-local-news

Kendall Flynn

EAST VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley is gearing up for holiday celebrations this weekend in Indio and Coachella. While city officials are ready for Indio’s tree lighting and the Coachella Enchanted Parade with Elf and Friends, they want to make sure residents know the are safe.

This comes after many events throughout the Valley were canceled or postponed due to low participations for fear of immigration enforcement. Now officials say they don’t believe participation is a concern.

“We haven’t seen a drop in participation at any of our events. In fact, we have seen an increase in numbers,” Sergeant Abe Plata, the Indio Police Department PIO, said. “Our events keep getting better every year.”

“If last night’s tree lighting is any indication of attendance, we expect it to be a pretty full house…our Sixth Street was full,” Risseth Lora, the PIO for the City of Coachella said. “I think everybody is ready to really, embrace the holiday season and and kind of get into the fun side of things.” 

It’s an increase in participants they believe is due to the holiday season and growing trust in law enforcement in the East Valley.

“Maybe even if it’s just for the moment, but…just the joy of the season that I think overrides maybe any trepidation that people may have,” Lora said.

“Our community has a lot of trust in our police department,” Plata said. “We have a wonderful relationship with our community, and they continue to trust in us.”

Indio and Coachella said they will have police and city staff onsite for an residents who have concerns.

For more information on Indio’s tree lighting ceremony visit www.indio.org

For more information on Coachella’ holiday parade visit www.coachella.org

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear more from officials on East Valley holiday celebrations.

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Jesus Reyes

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a burglary in Thousand Palms on Wednesday night.

The arrest came after a burglary in progress was reported on the 72000 block of Ramon Road at around 8:45 p.m.

Deputies arrived at the location and found the suspect, a Cathedral City resident, who was taken into custody without incident.

The suspect faces charges of burglary and possession of narcotics and a loaded firearm. He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Deputy Paull of the Palm Desert Station by calling (760)- 836-1600.

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Garrett Hottle

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) Hospitals across the Coachella Valley are adopting new forms of artificial intelligence to speed up diagnoses, reduce wait times, and catch serious conditions earlier according to officials at Desert Oasis Healthcare and Eisenhower Health.

Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) is deploying AI inside remote patient monitoring devices, allowing clinicians to receive alerts the moment a patient’s readings fall into a dangerous range. 

The monitors, which include glucometers and blood pressure cuffs, automatically transmit data back to care teams in real time.

“You take a reading and it notifies us right away of that reading,” DOHC’s Associate Director of Technology, Thomas Brezeal. “Now, if it’s good, normal, within range, wonderful. However, if your blood sugars are way high or way low, then that notifies us right away and says we need to call that patient right now.”

Brezeal said the faster notifications have helped prevent hospitalizations by allowing staff to intervene earlier.

DOHC has also added an AI overlay to its breast cancer screening process. The system analyzes medical images to identify potential abnormalities that may require follow up review.

“It’s an AI overlay that analyzes the images for breast cancer screening to see, are we potentially missing something?” Brezeal explained. “Are we making this as accurate as possible so we can catch that breast cancer as soon as possible?”

At Eisenhower Health, AI is being used in the emergency department to assess advanced imaging scans as soon as they are taken. Ken Buechele, Eisenhower’s vice president and chief information officer, said the tool flags potentially serious conditions in real time so clinicians can respond immediately.

“When a patient comes into an emergency room, they get an advanced imaging scan,” Buechele said. “AI will then process that scan in real time and notify the clinician.”

Eisenhower has also launched a virtual assistant program for cancer patients, which helps manage communication and care coordination throughout their treatment.

“It frees up our nurses and our care team to focus on the patients who need that help,” Buechele said. “It also allows us to better keep in touch with those patients and then escalate those care needs.”

Both hospital systems emphasized that AI is used as a support tool, not a replacement for medical decision-making. Providers remain involved at every step of the process.

Hospital officials said they expect AI to expand into more personalized care planning in the coming years as the technology continues to evolve.

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Athena Jreij

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A report from the California Department of Justice found Palm Springs leads Riverside County in hate crime incidents for 2024.

According to the report, Palm Springs recorded 10 incidents last year, with 34 in total for the entire county.

That’s nearly a third of all incidents, and reflects a trend also seen in 2023 where Palm Springs had 11 out of 35 recorded hate crimes in the county.

The 2024 report also found areas monitored by the Sheriff’s Department recorded 5 hate crimes, 1 in Banning, 1 in Cathedral City, 2 in Corona, 2 in Hemet, 1 in Jurupa Valley, 2 in Moreno Valley, 3 in Murrieta, 1 in Norco and 4 in Riverside. UC Riverside also recorded 2.

Among victims, Palm Springs also had the highest numbers with 16 hate crime victims.

In 2023, LGBTQ+ hate crimes were on the rise throughout the state. News Channel 3 found that pattern also continued, with incidents rising from 151 in 2023 to 172 in 2024.

Anti-gay male hate crimes also rose from 231 in 2023 to 251 in 2024 statewide.

Tonight, News Channel 3 is speaking with the Palm Springs Police Department on the measures they’re taking to keep numbers down.

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Tauli Anderson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The holiday spirit has officially arrived in downtown Palm Springs. Preparations are underway for one of the city’s most beloved seasonal traditions.

Families and visitors are expected to fill the streets on Friday evening for the annual Palm Springs Tree Lighting Ceremony at Frances Stevens Park at 5:15 p.m.

Just 24 hours later, the festive energy will return for the iconic Festival of Lights Parade. An annual event that has been going on since 1993. A longtime community favorite that draws thousands to Palm Canyon Drive each year.

This year’s parade will be led by Grand Marshal Jada McLean, a proud Palm Springs local. McLean’s participation adds a special hometown touch to an already cherished desert tradition.

Among those hard at work, building the sparkling floats, is Steven Mansueto, owner of Manmade Floats, whose team is responsible for creating some of the parade’s most eye-catching designs. Mansueto says preparations begin months in advance to ensure every detail shines on parade night.

For many in Palm Springs, these annual festivities are more than just seasonal entertainment—they’re traditions that bring the community closer.

The Festival of Lights Parade kicks off at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday.

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Jesus Reyes

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – An 86-year-old man was pronounced dead in the hospital after a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon in Cathedral City.

The crash was first reported at 4:20 p.m. on Date Palm Drive and Tachevah Drive.

Police said the two vehicles involved were found with significant damage. Both drivers were transported to Desert Regional Medical Center for complaints of pain. 

One of the drivers, identified as Raymond Johnson of Cathedral City, was pronounced dead at the hospital just before 1 a.m. “due to injuries sustained from the collision.”

“Although several citizens stopped to lend assistance, no one was located who actually witnessed the collision,” reads a news release by the Cathedral City Police Department.

The Traffic Bureau is requesting anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Officer Jeff Bird at 760-770-0332 or email at: JBird@cathedralcity.gov

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Jesus Reyes

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” will receive the Visionary Award at the 2026 Palm Springs International Film Festival.

del Toro, who directed the film, is expected to attend the Palm Springs Film Awards along with actors Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth.

The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2026, at the Palm Springs Convention  Center, with the festival running January 2-12, 2026. The event will be presented by Kering and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight.

“Guillermo del Toro delivers a bold reimagining of a timeless classic, infusing the story with a profound  emotional resonance that urges us to consider what it truly means to be human,” said Festival Chairman  Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “Oscar Isaac’s haunting portrayal of Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi’s deeply  affecting performance as The Creature, and Mia Goth’s mesmerizing turn as both Elizabeth Harlander and  Claire Frankenstein, illuminate the film’s central themes with extraordinary power. For the first time, we  are proud to present the Visionary Award to Frankenstein in recognition of both the director and his remarkable cast resulting in one of the year’s most daring and unforgettable achievements.”

From Oscar®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes the definitive retelling of Mary Shelley’s genre-defining novel of life and death — an epic drama about what it means to be human, to crave love, and seek understanding. Golden Globe-winner Oscar Isaac plays the brilliant but tortured scientist Victor Frankenstein, who embarks on an ego-driven quest to bring new life into this world, resulting in the Creature (BAFTA-nominee Jacob Elordi), whose very existence provokes questions about what it means to be a human and what it really means to be a monster.

This sprawling epic takes audiences from the remote reaches of the Arctic to the bloody battlefields of 19th-century Europe, as Frankenstein and his Creature go on their own search for meaning in a world that can seem quite mad. Also starring Mia Goth as the luminous Elizabeth and two-time Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is a reminder of how, at heart, we are all creatures, lost and found.

The Visionary Award honors a film that breaks boundaries in the art of cinema, and this year marks the first time the accolade will be  presented jointly to a director and his cast—recognizing their remarkable collaboration in bringing this  cinematic vision to life.

Past recipients of the Visionary Award include last year’s Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two); Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) and Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), who both received the  Academy Award for Best Director during their respective year; Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Tom McCarthy  (Spotlight), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), and Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), who went on to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Director. All of these directors’ films received Best Picture Academy Award nominations, with The Artist and Spotlight receiving the Best Picture Award

Frankenstein joins this year’s previously announced honorees Michael B. Jordan (Icon Award); Leonardo  DiCaprio (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor); Ethan Hawke (Career Achievement Award); Adam  Sandler (Chairman’s Award); Amanda Seyfried (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress); Hamnet director Chloé Zhao as well as actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal (Vanguard Award); and Sentimental  Value cast members Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning  (International Star Award).

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Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Palm Springs Police is rolling out new safety measures for this weekend’s Festival of Lights Parade after last year’s event took a frightening turn when a police motorcycle crashed into the crowd.

Thousands are expected to pack Palm Canyon Drive, including Bermuda Dunes resident Linda McCarthy. She remembers the crash clearly and says she was standing right across the street when it happened.

“I was shocked. That he pulled up the wheelie and did what he did. I’ve never seen that before.”

Linda McCarthy, Bermuda Dunes Resident

Police say they’ve made significant changes to prevent anything like that from happening again. Lieutenant Gustavo Araiza says the department has created a new policy. Officers will now follow a strict 15-mile-per-hour speed limit. No sudden movements or demonstrations will be allowed. Vehicles must keep at least 10 feet apart.

One of the biggest changes: no police motorcycles in this year’s parade.

“There won’t be any motorcycles during the parade. We will have officers on bicycles.”

Lt. Gustavo Araiza, Palm Springs Police Department

The city has also added heavy steel meridian barricades. Police will work alongside the DA’s Office, CHP, and regional SWAT teams. Officers will also be posted on rooftops for better visibility, and drones will be flying above the route.

Officials say the goal is to ensure the event remains safe, orderly, and enjoyable for the thousands of people attending.

“We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of the community so when it comes to their safety if they see something that seems suspicious to let us know so we can address it.”

Lt. Gustavo Araiza, Palm Springs Police Department

Even with the memory of last year’s crash, McCarthy says she’s coming back. She says the parade brings a sense of childhood joy and community that people across the Coachella Valley look forward to every year.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Athena Jreij

Update 12/5/25

The judge at Friday’s Felony Settlement Conference ordered Gaeta to be held on no bail, the District Attorney’s office confirmed.

He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 23.

Original Report 12/4/25

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A court appearance for Marcos Cruz Gaeta, the 45-year-old man out on bail for a 2016 homicide, scheduled today was delayed to Friday.

Gaeta is scheduled to appear for a felony settlement conference.

Gaeta was arrested in November on suspicion of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of an assault weapon, possession of a controlled substance for sale and possession of a controlled substance, according to the Indio Police Department.  

He is set to appear at the Larson Justice Center Friday morning for the recent arrest.

Gaeta was released in 2024 on bail for the killing of 30-year-old Jamie Maher in 2016.

On Wednesday, News Channel 3 spoke with the mother of Maher, Valerie Silveira, who said Gaeta’s release was an injustice for her daughter and the community.

Stay tuned for continuing coverage from the courtroom.

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KESQ News Team

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Indio Mayor Glenn Miller passed the gavel to new Mayor Elaine Holmes at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting in the new City Hall Council Chamber.

The title of Mayor was rotated from Glenn Miller to Elaine Holmes as part of the city’s annual rotation.

Mayor Miller was honored for his leadership over the last year and his continued dedication and commitment to the community.

Councilmember Waymond Fermon is also now the city’s new Mayor Pro Tem.

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