Will You Consider a Donation to Uken Report?

In this season of giving, will you consider a donation to Uken Report?

Uken Report, a 5-year-old local news organization, works to bring you the news you might not find elsewhere.  We are an independently owned and operated news organization with a small but hard-working staff.

We are not greedy, and we are not looking to get rich. We will use the money to help pay for professional photos, our domain name and hosting services, design services and more.

A Palm Desert gentleman who made a donation said, “I value local journalism and don’t think it should be free.” We thank him.

A Cathedral City woman said, “Thanks, Cindy, for being the best with breaking news. If anything is happening, you will find it!”

A retired veteran sent small donation and wrote, “I don’t have much but I support you completely.”

No donation is too big or too small.

The Coachella Valley, comprised of nine cities, is teeming with news. Every city, as well as its residents, has a compelling story to tell.

It’s impossible for any single news organization to keep up. That’s where Uken Report comes in.

We use some freelance writers, including former Desert Sun Opinion Page Editor Rob Bignell, who is now a top-selling hiking author.

We work to be first to break news and when we can’t, we work to find a new angle.

Here are just a handful of the many examples of when Uken Report broke news, found a new angle or published news relevant to the greater Palm Springs area.

Cathedral City

• The death of former Cathedral City Mayor Greg Pettis.
• Details of a complaint against former Cathedral City Police Chief Travis Walker
• Sexual Misconduct and more are part of a probe into the Cathedral City Fire Department

Coachella

• The grand opening of Pueblo Viejo Villas, a $47.9 million, 105-unit affordable housing community in Coachella.

Desert Hot Springs

• Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin declares that “Without a qualifying residence within his district, Mr. (Randy) Duncan vacated his position as a director on the Mission Springs Water District Board.” What’s next for this board?

Indian Wells

• Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, which has recently experienced a multi-million-dollar reimagination, stole the show as the scenic backdrop site for the Season 18 premiere of ABC’s hit romance reality series “The Bachelorette,” which aired Tuesday, Oct. 19.

Indio

• One year ago in May, a new face, that of Bryan Montgomery, burst onto the scene to manage the Coachella Valley’s largest city. What does he think today, one year after taking over? Montgomery replaced Mark Scott who had served as Indio’s City Manager since 2017.

La Quinta 

•  Some 1,000 pounds of trout, more than typical, were delivered to Lake Cahuilla last year setting the stage for some quality trout fishing at Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park.

Palm Desert

• Two faces are beginning to emerge in this community that could forever alter how this wealthy city of country clubs, golf courses, and high-end shopping elects members of the City Council. They are the faces of two openly gay men, one of them Latino, who helped propel litigation against the city for allegedly violating the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.

Rancho Mirage

• A newly formed group in this community, Rancho Mirage Forward, has struck a raw nerve among members of the City Council who are reluctant to change, adverse to new ideas and resistant to constructive criticism.

Palm Springs

• The revitalization of Palm Springs has given rise to luxury retreats, hotels, spas, beach clubs, and an eclectic variety of restaurants.  The rebirth of this iconic tourist destination has also given life to a new faith community – Hope Palm Springs, now called River of Hope.
• This community of more than 47,000 people is an international tourist destination that garners worldwide headlines. But Mayor Robert Moon’s recent alleged acts of eavesdropping and videotaping have given the city — and City Hall — headlines they can ill-afford and a black eye. His shenanigans have become the butt of local jokes and his surreptitious moves have been dubbed Spygate.

Riverside County

• When Chad Bianco took over as Riverside County Sheriff in January 2019 approximately 3,000 to 3,400 Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) permits had been issued. Two years later, more than 9,000 permits had been issued.

There are others but you get the idea. We strive to tell stories others aren’t. There is enough news in the Coachella Valley for everyone to cover.

Covering these stories takes time, energy and effort. Your donation to Uken Report will help us continue to tell stories.

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