Thousand Palms News

Good Friday morning, Coachella Valley!

We hope you're gearing up for a fun-filled Labor Day weekend.

Meanwhile, here's a look at the week in review:

• In Palm Springs, an Orange County man linked to the disappearance of his wife was found at a local hospital Monday night and arrested. Police say he was at the hospital being treated for attempted suicide.
• Palm Desert remembered long-time councilman Richard Kelly this week, holding a visitation. The 87-year-old was mayor six times in the city. A memorial will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church on Highway 74.
• Previously, Desert Hot Springs only had one family physician serving the whole city. This week, a new health clinic opened up. The new center will have nine exam rooms and three doctors.
• John F. Kennedy Hospital in Indio is officially tobacco-free. Not only are people banned from smoking on its campus, hospital staff took classes and quit smoking.
• At one point this week, the top two gas stations with the lowest gas prices in the valley was in Coachella. Both were Arco gas stations, selling its regular unleaded gas at $2.69 a gallon.
• A 71-year-old bicyclist was hit by an SUV in Cathedral City. The bicyclist was riding on the wrong side of the road, and the driver of the SUV was driving under a suspended license.
• The new high school slated to open in Rancho Mirage will be the "Rattlers." There's not an official name of the school yet, but it does have a mascot now!
• A man wanted by Los Angeles police for drug-related charges barricaded himself in a home in La Quinta. He ended up surrendering himself after 20 minutes, and was arrested.
• Phoenix Suns dancers visited the Coachella Valley this week, ahead of the Suns vs. Mavericks game in October at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
• Military families in the Hi Desert talked about how they felt about U.S. combat troops withdrawing from Iraq.

Good morning from the KPSP Local 2 studios in Thousand Palms.

Be sure to tune in to KPSP Local 2 This Morning from 5 to 7 every morning.

We'll have the latest news and weather in the morning before you head out your door to start your day.

Here's a look at behind-the-scenes of our hardworking anchors and reporter.

Check out this photo sent into us via our KPSP Local 2 iPhone app, by John Slama.

Slama says he spotted this dust storm Friday rolling into Thousand Palms from the south, and caught a quick pic of it from his phone.

Feel free to share your pictures from around town with us, too, via Twitter or email!

A cooldown in the Coachella Valley this past weekend.

What did you do to take advantage of the beautiful weather? Send us pictures at news@kpsplocal2.com or comment below!

Meanwhile, here's what you've probably missed over the weekend:

• In Palm Springs, police are looking for a man involved with a kidnapping early Sunday morning. Two men hijacked a car, tied up the driver before leading police on a car chase. One man was eventually arrested, the other got away. The victim was able to escape without the men noticing.
• Hundreds flocked to Idyllwild for the 17th annual Jazz in the Pines festival. The Press-Enterprise recaps on how Southern Californians escaped the heat by going up into the mountains to enjoy two days of jazz from all around the world.
• Firefighters have fully surrounded the fire burning in the Hi Desert within the Joshua Tree National Park. Fire crews are still at the site of the fire mopping up and keeping an eye out for hot spots from flaring up again.
• DUI checkpoint results are in for Indian Wells - out of the 1,003 cars that passed through, only two people were arrested suspected of driving under the influence.
• If you're driving through Cathedral City, there are two lane closures you're going to want to check out.
• Did you miss the Emmy's? AMC's "Mad Men" and ABC's "Modern Family" took home top honors. We have a recap on KPSP Local 2 plus the full list of nominees and winners.