City of El Centro to host Ice Cream Social next month

KYMA on April 22, 2025

Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of El Centro is bringing back a tradition after being on hiatus for over a decade.

The Ice Cream Social and Rain on Main is returning on Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., in Downtown Town Square.

The event was said to have shut down for the past 10 years due to water droughts. However, El Centro Mayor Sonia Carter decided to bring it back for this year.

The event will feature live music, food vendors, a kids zone and a beer garden.

Different ice cream vendors will be handing out free ice cream and the El Centro Fire Department will make it rain on Main Street with a water hose.

“We had this event looking back over 10 years ago and one of the reasons why we stopped having it was because of the water drought restrictions but now that the drought was been declared over we can have an event like this one…bring back a lot of the family fun joy that we used to have,” said Adriana Nava, Community Services Director for the City of El Centro.

Mayor Carter will also be there to talk and listen to concerns and ideas from the community.

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Personal and Government Habits Continue to Change on the 55th anniversary of Earth Day

KEYT on April 22, 2025

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – 55 years after the first Earth Day, changes continue to take place for governments and citizens in many areas of the world, but it started in the Santa Barbara area with a tragedy.

The 1969 offshore oil blowout from Platform A off the Santa Barbara-Summerland coast was the key event to start the Earth Day movement with the help of Congressional leaders a year later.

Since the first Earth Day in 1970 there have been major strides in air and land ecology.

These days it is common to see solar panels in parking lots and schools, charging stations for electric vehicles, e-bikes next to those with pedal power, community cleanups, recycling and countless environmentally related non-profit groups.

On Saturday and Sunday Santa Barbara will hold its Community Environmental Council Earth Day events at Alameda Park with numerous demonstrations, earth-friendly vendors, awards and forward-looking information. There will also be a green-car display and test rides of e bikes.

In Goleta, the city’s sustainability department has recently opened a public electric vehicle charging station at City Hall. It also offers has reusable utensils and cups that are given out at community outreach events to encourage the public to buy these items for themselves or families.

Goleta Sustainability Manager Dana Murray says, “we want to walk the talk. If we want to see more people  to put renewable energy at their homes and businesses,  we want to do that right here at City Hall, solar, battery storage or  EV chargers.  “

She has seen schools embracing the reusable utensils. “In fact there’s been whole schools that the parents liked them so much they’ve done fundraisers for the whole school  so they can all go reusable.”

Murray is encouraged by what she sees going forward even with a growing population and many challenges. “Part of the main reason we all live here is the beaches, the creeks, the mountains and we don’t want to leave our liter there. I think kids get the reason. It makes me hopeful for the future.”

Artist Brad Nack remembers the spill and how it shaped his environmental decisions. “The waves couldn’t break because they were covered in tar so it was like watching jello wobble and to really see something as a kid go so wrong leaves a big impact. “

These days he says, ” I’ll be very conscious about recycling but if you go out to the dump and see all the stuff that is being thrown away… ” He said there is still work to do. He handles his leftover paints with a carefully planned environmental disposal plan.

In addition to air and water issues, Kelli Osajima said, “I think the biggest thing for me is clothing.  I try to thrift and upcycle and push that  with my friends alot.”

Montecito resident Maude Feil says she juices often and wants to step up her efforts to compost. “You know I don’t do as much as I should with used vegetables and stuff.”

Many events throughout the year including the California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria have been able to collect and sort waste on-site, and even with 100,000 visitors over three days, it is a zero-waste event.

For more information go to: Goleta Sustainabilty, Santa Barbara Sustainability, Carpinteria Sustainability

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Jefferson City man charged in Easter shooting that left victim with ‘serious’ injuries

KMIZ on April 22, 2025

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Prosecutors charged a Jefferson City man Sunday with three felonies for a domestic shooting.

Paris M. Alexander was not in custody Tuesday in Cole County, according to jail and court records. He was charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

Jefferson City police say in a probable cause statement that they were sent early Sunday to the 100 block of Amador Avenue and found a gunshot victim in an apartment. The 22-year-old woman was taken to University Hospital with non-lethal but “serious” wounds to her legs, the statement says.

The woman is in a relationship with Alexander and has children with him, the statement says.

Alexander tried to strangle the woman during a fight, then pushed her into a bathtub and began shooting, the victim told police. Another person witnessed the incident, according to the statement.

Alexander drove away after the shooting, and officers do not know where he is, the statement says. Police collected four spent 9mm casings from the bathroom and saw a trail of blood from the victim.

Officers found a 9 mm handgun in the living room that was reported stolen from Tennessee, the statement says.

Alexander is wanted on a no-bond warrant.

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Some Central Oregon jobless rates edge higher, but there also were more jobs added in March

KTVZ on April 22, 2025

Barney Lerten

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose slightly in Crook and Deschutes counties this March and held steady in Jefferson County, but job gains also were recorded in several sectors, the Oregon Employment Department reported Tuesday.

Total nonfarm employment saw slight increases over the month in all Central Oregon counties. Year-over-year Crook County was the only county to register a decline in total nonfarm employment.   

Bend MSA (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties): Labor force statistics for Oregon metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Through June 2025, seasonally adjusted data are not available for Oregon MSAs or other MSAs around the country. New MSA definitions resulting from the 2020 Census are being incorporated into the history of the data series back to 1990, as well as other updates to the processing of labor force estimates for substate areas. Read more on this pause in seasonally adjusted metro area data here. 

The Bend MSA gained 960 jobs (+0.9%) from February to March, and total nonfarm employment is now 112,130. Job gains were concentrated within professional and business services (+540 jobs); leisure and hospitality (+150 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (+120 jobs). Other notable supersector gains took place in private education and health services (+70 jobs), the public-sector (+60 jobs) and manufacturing (+60 jobs). Losses were seen in financial activities (-30 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (-20 jobs); and information (-20 jobs).  

Total nonfarm employment increased by 3.0% (+3,290 jobs) from March 2024 to March 2025. Over the year job gains were concentrated within private education and health services (+1,030 jobs); leisure and hospitality (+910 jobs); and professional and business services (+590 jobs). Other notable gains took place in manufacturing (+360 jobs); government (+270 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (+160 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (+130 jobs). Over-the-year losses occurred within financial activities (-150 jobs) and information (-30 jobs). 

Crook County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased over the month of March and is now 5.2%, up from a revised rate of 5.1% in February—in March of last year, it was 5.5%. The unemployment rate remains 0.7 percentage point above the record low set before the pandemic, in late 2019, when it hit 4.5%. 

Crook County saw very little movement in total nonfarm employment over the month, with a gain of 30 jobs (+0.4%) in March. These gains were primarily concentrated within the public-sector (+20 jobs), with smaller increases in trade, transportation, and utilities (+10 jobs); private education and health services (+10 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (+10 jobs). All other major industries saw little to no movement over the month.  

Over the past year, the county lost 150 jobs (-2.0%). Losses were concentrated within public-sector employment, with a decline of 130 jobs over the year, primarily in local government. The private sector lost an additional 20 jobs over the year. Notable private-sector job losses occurred in professional and business services (-30 jobs); manufacturing (-20 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (-20 jobs); and information (-20 jobs). Over the year job gains were not as large and occurred within other services (+50 jobs); private education and health services (+10 jobs); and leisure and hospitality (+10 jobs). 

Deschutes County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased marginally from a revised 4.2% in February to 4.3% in March. In March of 2024 the unemployment rate was slightly lower at 4.1%. The unemployment rate is 1 percentage point above its record low of 3.3% before the onset of the pandemic.  

Deschutes County gained 890 jobs (+0.9%) from February to March and total nonfarm employment is now 98,200. Job gains were recorded mainly within professional and business services (+530 jobs). Smaller but noteworthy gains also occurred within leisure and hospitality (+140 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (+110 jobs); government (+60 jobs); private education and health services (+60 jobs); and manufacturing (+50 jobs).

Private-sector losses were weaker, with the strongest losses recorded in trade, transportation, and utilities (-40 jobs); financial activities (-30 jobs); and information (-10 jobs). 

Total nonfarm employment increased 3.5% (+3,320 jobs) from March 2024 to March 2025. Over-the-year job gains were strongest in private education and health services (+1,030 jobs); leisure and hospitality (+910 jobs); the public-sector (+300 jobs); and manufacturing (+280 jobs).

Other notable gains took place in trade, transportation, and utilities (+190 jobs) with most gains taking place in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+130 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (+150 jobs). Over-the-year losses occurred within financial activities (-140 jobs), information (-10 jobs), and other services (-10 jobs). 

Jefferson County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged in March, holding steady at 4.6%. Last year the unemployment rate was slightly lower at 4.5% in March. Shortly before the first impacts from COVID-19 were felt the rate was 4.3%. 

Total nonfarm employment increased by 40 jobs in March (+0.6%), with small gains observed in manufacturing; trade, transportation, and utilities; information; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services—each sector adding 10 jobs over the month. Job losses were also minimal and concentrated within local government (-20 jobs). 

Jefferson County’s total nonfarm employment rose by 120 jobs over the past year (+1.8%). Job gains occurred in the public sector (+100 jobs) and manufacturing (+100 jobs). Public-sector growth was primarily driven by local tribal employment (+70 jobs). Job losses were more widespread but smaller in magnitude, with losses in trade, transportation, and utilities (-30 jobs); other services (-20 jobs); and additional minor losses in private education and health services, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality (-10 jobs each). 

Next Press Releases 

The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the April county and metropolitan area unemployment rates and employment survey data on Tuesday, May 20, and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for April on Wednesday, May 14.                

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California man sentenced after causing emergency landing at KCI

News-Press NOW on April 22, 2025

Leah Rainwater

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A California man was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting a police officer after an in-flight disturbance, leading to an emergency landing at the Kansas City International Airport.

A Platte County jury had earlier convicted Juan Remberto Rivas, Jr. of assaulting a law enforcement officer and attempting to escape from custody following a three-day trial in March.

Rivas was a passenger on an American Airlines flight carrying 150 passengers, which departed from Los Angeles on February 13, 2022. The flight was headed to Washington, D.C.

During the flight, Rivas attempted to open a passenger door of the Boeing 737 and voiced threats to kill passengers on the plane.

Other passengers subdued Rivas, and the plane made an emergency landing at KCI. Upon landing, federal and state law enforcement officers took Rivas into custody.

Prosecutors proved at trial that, while being escorted to a police car to be taken to the Platte County Detention Center, Rivas broke free of his handcuffs and assaulted a KCI Airport police officer.

The officer suffered a sprained hand and was forced to wear a splint for two weeks.

Rivas was sentenced to two years in prison for second degree assault of a law enforcement officer and one year in jail for attempting to escape from custody. The sentences will run concurrently.

Rivas had also been charged in United States District Court with interfering with flight crewmembers for his actions aboard the flight. He pleaded guilty and received a 19-month federal sentence.

“This defendant had already pleaded guilty to what he did in the air during this flight,” Platte County Prosecuting Attorney, Eric Zahnd said. “Nevertheless, in Platte County, we will hold anyone who assaults a police officer accountable. Mr. Rivas will now serve time in Missouri prison after he completes his federal sentence.â€

The case was investigated by the Kansas City International Airport Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Zachary McKnight and First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark Gibson.

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The face of Idaho Falls golf swings into retirement

KIFI on April 22, 2025

News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Local golfing enthusiasts are saying goodbye to the man known as the face of Idaho Falls golf. After 46 years with the city of Idaho Falls, golf pro Tim Reinke is retiring.

The 65-year-old joined the city in 1979 before he was promoted to the head golf pro of Pinecrest Golf Course in 1984. He became the manager of golf operations for all 3 city courses in 2014.

Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper says Reinke has been the driving force in making Idaho Falls’ golf courses the success they are today.

“He was one of the masterminds behind a significant management change over a decade ago that resulted in the City’s three courses emerging from what seemed like perennial red ink,” said Casper. “But perhaps more importantly, Tim has helped teach and share his love of the game with countless generations over the years.  He’s been a true steward of the sport—not just in our City, but in golf communities nationwide. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

Reinke’s last day at the City will be on April 30, with a retirement celebration on Friday, April 25, from 4 to 7 PM at the Pinecrest Golf Course.

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City of El Centro to host ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new park

KYMA on April 22, 2025

Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) – The City of El Centro is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of Buena Vista Park next month.

The ceremony is taking place, Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., at 1010 Fieldview Avenue.

Guests can bring a picnic blanket and a lawn chair during the event, as well as enjoy lawn games, music, and free hot dogs from the first 200 visitors.

The park, according to the City, “is the latest addition to El Centro’s growing park system and was made possible through Measure P funding and a grant from the California Climate Investments Urban Greening Program.”

In addition, the park is said to offer El Centro residents “a fresh new space to enjoy the outdoors and connect with neighbors.”

For more information about the ceremony, and the park itself, contact the El Centro Economic Development Department at (760) 337-4543.

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Desert Care Network, One Legacy raise a flag to honor ER nurse

KESQ on April 22, 2025

Kendall Flynn

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Desert Care Network and One Legacy are honoring the life of ER nurse Anabel Sanchez by raising a flag at JFK Memorial Hospital.

Organizers and Sanchez’s family member say she saved lives in her work, but also continued to do so after death by being an organ donor.

“She touched a lot of lives here at JFK,” Kimberly Garcia, Sanchez’s colleague and friend said. “Through life resuscitation measures or just a ‘How are you doing? Do you need a glass of water?’ She was one of the nurses that you would definitely want to be a part of your care.”

“For her to want to do that and to choose to save anybody in anyway, it’s definitely a big impact, not only on our lives but other people’s lives as well,” Marbella Meraz, Sanchez’s daughter, said.

The organizations joined for the flag raise in honor of Sanchez and National Donate Life Month, which recognizes the generosity of those who have saved and healed lives by becoming donors like Sanchez.

“She selflessly made that decision to make a donation possible,” Stephanie Char, One Legacy Regional Manager of Business Partnerships said. “And with her family’s commitment to honoring her wishes, it was something that we truly were able to help provide that gift of life to those individuals in need.”

Officials with One Legacy say there is a critical need for people to register as donors. Last year, Desert Regional donors helped save 20 lives. Additionally, 45 individuals were provided tissue transplants and 30 people were “given the gift of sight” with cornea transplant.

In 2024, three lives were saved at JFK Memorial Hospital, where Sanchez worked. Though individuals are receiving the care they need, officials say the necessity for organ donors is only increasing.

“There’s 20,000 individuals who are in need for that organ lifesaving [and] gift of life,” Char said. “With that being said, here in the Valley we do see a high need, especially, for individuals who are in need of kidney donations and transplantation.”

One Legacy wants people to look at Sanchez’s and other donors stories of how greatly they impacted the community, and consider the importance of becoming a donor.

“It’s just having those discussions,” Char said. “It’s something that certainly isn’t necessarily a dinner conversation, but it could be something of a topic just to ensure that individuals are aware of what their wants and wishes are, and to ensure that we are also understanding that there is an opportunity to provide a legacy to others after our presence here.”

A legacy Sanchez’s life is now a part of.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear Sanchez’s legacy from her family, and the inspiration she brings for organ donation in the Coachella Valley.

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Grants Gifted to Hancock and Cuesta Colleges for Cybersecurity Degrees and More

KEYT on April 22, 2025

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Allan Hancock College and Cuesta College will be collaborating on a new cybersecurity degree program.

Funding is coming from the state via the “Uplift Central Coast’s Catalyst Pre-Development Grant”.

“We’re going to be able to partner with Cuesta and work with them to create a shared curriculum that’s going to create a pathway for a two year cybersecurity degree,” says Chris McGuinness, Allan Hancock College’s public information analyst.

High Tech Hubs: Diversifying Careers Through Education seeks to fill in some crucial workforce gaps by preparing the next generation of skilled technicians in high demand industries such as aerospace engineering and cybersecurity.

“It’s an expansion. And that’s going to actually be a degree for transfer, which means students can then use that to transfer to a university,” says McGuinness.

This will be an opportunity for students across the region with interest in cybersecurity careers.

“While Allan Hancock may have the capacity for a cybersecurity program, they may not have enough students to fill that program. And so this is our opportunity to maybe feed some of our students who have that interest,” says Jason Curtis, Cuesta College’s vice president of instruction.

The program is one part of a broader $9 million initiative that spans six counties, all supporting work development and economic growth.

“Cuesta College has programs in criminal justice or administration of justice. Those programs here at Cuesta focus mainly on forensics. We haven’t really stuck our toe in the waters of cyber security very much. And so this is an opportunity for our students in administration of justice, who might also have computer interests to develop those interests further through the partnership with Alan Hancock,” says Curtis.

The two colleges are busy hammering out the details of the collaboration, with the aim of getting a degree program going in about 2 years.

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The future of Ammon Elementary School remains uncertain

KIFI on April 22, 2025

Kailey Galaviz

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Bonneville Joint School District 93 is considering plans for the future of Ammon Elementary School.

In a D93 public board meeting, board members proposed the idea of relocating the Praxium Mastery Academy to the Ammon Elementary School building, due to the overwhelming popularity and success of the program.

The academy is currently housed in an auxiliary building near Rocky Mountain Middle School.

Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme says many students at the Academy have expressed the desire to continue on in the program into high school, but have been unable to because of space limitations. If the students were allowed to continue the program from 7th to 12th grade, the district estimates a maximum enrollment of 450-500 students.

“Its current location… does not allow any expansions beyond 7th and 8th grades,” said Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme. “The classrooms that we currently have there are full. We have perhaps one modular trailer that we could add an additional classroom in that trailer. But that does not allow a full expansion into high school.”

The proposal follows voter approval of a $34.5 million bond to construct a new elementary school south of Telford Road in Idaho Falls in 2023.

Superintendent Woolstenhulme says the district built multiple elementary schools to meet the rapid growth in population over the past 30 years. However, the district faced a new challenge as population growth fell short of their projections.

“At the time that we originally proposed the elementary school, we were anticipating that we’d continue to see that type of growth in the district,” said Woolstenhulme. “But through a couple of really interesting shifts in demographics that just didn’t happen.”

In response, several staff members at Ammon Elementary have requested that their entire team simply relocate to the new school building.

“We as a staff are not here to resist progress,” said Ammon Elementary 4th-grade teacher Tressa Packer. “We are here to advocate for a thoughtful transition. Rather than disband a cohesive team that has built a strong culture of learning and support, we are asking to move together as a nucleus to the new school.”

The school board will vote and decide in May or June.

D93 parents and staff are welcome to share their comments and concerns with the board through email. For more information, click HERE.

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