PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) — Public health officials are sounding the alarm about a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Coachella Valley that includes two deaths and more than a dozen hospitalizations. Twenty cases have hospitalized 14 people, two of whom – a Riverside County resident and a visitor to the area – have died, according to the Riverside University Health System-Public Health. The cases were reported to public health officials between the Fall of 2021 and early 2022 in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and surrounding communities. Legionnaire’s disease is a type of pneumonia that can be con ..read more

PALM DESERT (CBSLA) – The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens on Tuesday announced the birth of a baby giraffe. The still-unnamed female giraffe was born Monday in front of visitors as they witnessed the calf stand and take its first steps, according to the zoo’s Erin Scott. “This sweet giraffe calf has captured the hearts of the community,” said RoxAnna Breitigan, director of Animal Care. “Many of our guests had a front-row seat along the guest pathway and hearing their collective excitement as the calf was born and began to stand was a true delight.” The giraffe stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall and ..read more

Credit: CBS LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Don’t break out those winter coats yet, Californians. November traditionally comes with chillier, fall weather as Americans bundle up and prep for the holiday season. However, this is the fourth day in-a-row where temperatures have risen across Southern California, setting records for heat in many cities. Woodland Hills specifically set a November high at 96°, breaking the record previously record of 93° set in 2016. This came close to the hottest temperature across the nation – missing that mark by just 1°. Not surprisingly, Palm Springs was on that lo ..read more

PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) – Opponents of the 26-foot Marilyn Monroe statue, which drew protestors to its downtown Palm Springs unveiling in June, were dealt a legal blow Thursday. An organization made up of residents called the “Committee to Relocate Marilyn” sued the city in March for allowing the “Forever Marilyn” green-lighting the installation, which was designed by the late artist Seward Johnson and depicts Monroe in her iconic scene from the 1955 romantic comedy “The Seven Year Itch.” The suit alleges that the city violated various municipal and state codes in agreeing to close Museum Way dur ..read more

PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) — They’re not a desert mirage – an art installation of popsicles held up against this weekend’s blistering heat that obliterated real ones in Palm Springs. A display of six actual popsicles placed in front of the “Popsicles” sculpture by artist John Cerney melted easily in the 113-degree heat that was recorded in Palm Springs Sunday. Palm Springs has been breaking high temperature records this year, thanks to recurring heat waves that have been baking most of the Western U.S. Palm Springs reach a new record of 120 degrees Saturday, breaking its previous record of 119 degre ..read more

PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) — Palm Springs got a fractional amount of rainfall Wednesday, but it still broke a 128-year-old record. Rainfall hasn’t fallen on Riverside and Palm Springs on June 23 since 1893, according to the National Weather Service. That set a new record, even though Palm Springs only got 0.03 inches of rain, and Riverside got even less – 0.02 inches. San Diego didn't have a record breaking day (just a record tying one), but 3 other places did! Palm Springs, Riverside, and Chula Vista all broke rainfall records today without rainfall totals exceeding 0.05". #CAwx pic.twitter.com/cE ..read more

PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) — Wednesday marked the first time rain fell in Palm Springs on June 23 in at least 128 years, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service reported three-tenths of an inch of rain was measured at the Palm Springs International Airport, with traces falling elsewhere throughout the Coachella Valley. The city previously hadn’t reported any rain on this day since records started being kept in 1893. Forecasters said the thunderstorms were sparked from a low pressure system off the coast of Southern California that pulled lingering residential moisture from Tro ..read more

LAKE HAVASU CITY (CBSLA) — Authorities have recovered the body of a 16-year-old Canoga Park boy who drowned in Lake Havasu over the weekend. The body of Isaiah Benz was found Monday morning in approximately 35 feet of water on the lake bottom of the South Basin of Lake Havasu, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. (credit: Mohave County Sheriff’s Department) The search for Isaiah had resumed at first light Monday morning, after authorities spent most of Sunday scouring the lake with the help of deputies in scuba gear, divers, side scan sonar technology and a helicopter from Native ..read more

LAKE HAVASU CITY (CBSLA) — Authorities continue to search Lake Havasu Monday for a 16-year-old California boy who is believed to have drowned. (credit: Mohave County Sheriff’s Department) The search resumed at first light Monday morning, after authorities spent most of Sunday scouring the lake with the help of deputies in scuba gear, divers, side scan sonar technology and a helicopter from Native Air. At about noon Sunday, deputies with the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Division of Boating Safety were called out to the south basin of Lake Havasu after a boy was reported to have gone underwa ..read more

PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) — Protests greeted an iconic Marilyn Monroe statue Sunday as it returned to Palm Springs after a seven-year absence. Protesters gather in front of the “Forever Marilyn” statue unveiled today on its return to Palm Springs, California on June 20, 2021. – The 26-foot tall and 17-ton sculpture by artist Seward Johnson Atelier was displayed earlier this decade in Palm Springs, but the return has drawn the ire of residents on infringement of surrounding natural landscape views and on allegations the statue is sexist and innappropriate, despite the popularity of Marilyn Monroe’s ..read more