Free Republic

The child, identified by loved ones as Gavin, was "found lying unconscious in the street" on Vista Del Valle just after 7:00 Saturday evening, police told News Channel 3. The child was rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center with a "critical closed head injury." From there, he was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center. Investigators identified a "person of interest" as Daniel Poulsen, 32. He was located with assistance from Riverside Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol and arrested at 1:34 a.m. Sunday morning. Poulsen is now in jail and facing a charge of attempted murder. Jail records indicate the...

Using Dark Force to Maintain Sith Power DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA – Sometimes a casual remark is all that is needed to reveal what a person really thinks. Kinda like the way liquor will loosen a man’s lips. Obviously, the city of Desert Hot Springs is not the evil empire. But read the city manager’s emails and its obvious he thinks it is. This is no case of sloppy sentence construction. In an email to a private citizen Rick Daniels is caught politicking, using city equipment and on city time. The email to [Name Withheld] was attempting to sway this...

When does a council member speak for the city without first seeking the formal approval of the city council where they serve? That is a question at the center of a brewing conflict on the Desert Hot Springs City Council. Continuing down a familiar path, Mayor Yvonne Parks recently sent a letter on behalf of the city endorsing enterprise zones in California. A statewide debate is underway over their effectiveness.

An investigation by the Riverside County District Attorney says it appears illegal meetings in violation of the Brown Act have been taking place inside city hall between City Manager Rick Daniels and three council members. The inevitable knee-jerk denial squirting out of city hall is that no Brown Act violations are taking place and nothing is wrong. No matter. The evidence is in hand, the result of our public information requests. The city manager’s own city email account is the smoking gun.

A city that kept in the dark about finances is facing a budget deficit of over $3 million. City manager Rick Daniels finally admitted the red ink this week.

Okay, I've done all I can to make sure this vanity is properly posted under the vanity headings. I've been posting here a long time, so no grief from anyone over this. We are looking for a Freeper critique on the Recall of our city council here in California and specifically our website just launched. Actually, you are getting the first look at it. Other than a few FReepers near by, this may be of limited interest, but consider it a favor to a fellow FReeper. We are not looking for hits - It is such a local issue we...

Crime and controversy aren’t new to Desert Hot Springs. Just last week, the city’s police chief was fired. Now some residents in the city are concerned with a new matter involving the city manager’s paycheck. NewsChannel 3 has the exclusive story. Desert Hot Springs City Manager Jerry Hanson is the city's top administrator, responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the city. During his tenure, the city emerged from bankruptcy. But how much is Hanson worth? The city thinks he's worth a lot. We obtained Hanson's W-2 for 2004. It clearly shows he made $322,809. “A lot of money. A...