Steven Cuevas

Opponents of a proposed Islamic center near “ground zero” in New York say it’s insensitive to build a Muslim house of worship so close to the site. The controversy over where an Islamic mosque can or can’t be built is also spilling over into other communities too. Conservative activists in Temecula are trying to block construction of what would be the first Islamic mosque in Southwest Riverside County.

Authorities continue to investigate Saturday’s deadly crash at an off-road race in the Mojave Desert. Eight people were killed and nearly a dozen others seriously injured. The tragedy is fueling debate over rules that regulate off-road desert races in California. Some veteran off-road racers think regulations are too lax.

A couple of up-and-coming metal bands from California who were expected to wind up a national tour in the Southland this week, had their journey cut tragically short Monday. A van carrying members of San Francisco band Early Graves and Orange County-based group The Funeral Pyre overturned on Interstate 5 in Oregon. One of the musicians was killed.

Protestors demonstrated outside an Islamic cultural center in Temecula this afternoon. The protestors are trying to block the planned construction of new Islamic mosque and cultural center near a local Baptist church.

Many California city governments, including Los Angeles’, are boycotting Arizona over its new immigration law which was set to take effect this week. A judge has temporarily blocked the more controversial aspects of the law from going into effect. But several Inland Empire cities not only show unwavering support of that law – they’re crafting strict new immigration policies of their own. It’s part of a wave of anti-illegal immigration sentiment sweeping the Temecula Valley.

Authorities have confirmed that human remains found in a Moreno Valley field were those of a 17-year old girl who went missing last week.

Temecula is now the third Inland city in the past month to pass an ordinance cracking down on illegal immigrants and the businesses that hire them.

Riverside County prosecutors have filed attempted murder and other charges against two men believed to have carried out a seven-month long siege of violence against Hemet police officers. Since December, someone’s tried to harm officers with everything from homemade bombs to an antique bazooka.

With thousands of ballots from last week’s primary election not yet counted, Riverside County’s Registrar of Voters is under fire from Democrats and Republicans.

Senator Barbara Boxer visited the campus of UC Riverside this afternoon to discuss the university’s future medical school and the money needed to open it within the next two years. Right now it’s still under construction, but when it’s completed, the UCR School of Medicine will be California's first new public medical school in about 40 years.

Deep in California’s Mojave Desert, about halfway between Barstow and Las Vegas, a real estate entrepreneur is counting on a big catastrophe. He’s building a string of luxury disaster shelters. Investors believe it’s their best hope in the event of natural disaster, terrorist attack or worse.

Nearly two years after 25 people died in a Metrolink commuter train collision in Chatsworth, the rail agency has unveiled a fleet of crash-resistant passenger coaches. The new cabs and passenger cars are designed with safety in mind.