City of Calexico unveils New River Improvement Project

KYMA on May 28, 2025

Dillon Fuhrman

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of Calexico held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the New River Improvement Project – Calexico Reach last week.

Several lawmakers, including Calexico Mayor Diana Nuricumbo, attended the ceremony, which happened near the banks of the New River last Friday, May 23, at 10:00 a.m.

The project received over $48 million in investments from “the State of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), Department of Water Resources (DWR), Salton Sea Authority and Department of Parks and Recreation,” according to the City, and also reflected “years of collaborative advocacy.”

According to the City, the project consists of three of the following primary construction components:

Trash screen and diversion structure for the New River downstream from the

International Boundary with Mexico.

Bypass encasement infrastructure for the New River from a point downstream of theInternational Boundary to a point downstream of the eastern boundary of the City ofCalexico to address the public health threat that New River water quality poses to thesouthern area of the city.

“The third component is the pumpback system…it will be bringing in the treated water and delivering it to the diversion structure trash screen area and that way it would be diluting the water and it will not be polluted as much,” said Lily Falomir, Public Works Manager for the City of Calexico.

Falomir says this project is more than 30 years in the making and hopes it finally helps clean up the new river.

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Santa Maria holds groundbreaking for long-planned new sports complex

KEYT on May 28, 2025

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Santa Maria officials celebrated the official start of construction of the city’s long-planned new sports complex with a groundbreaking ceremony held Wednesday morning.

With several Santa Maria elected officials and other city employees on hand, a small ceremony that included a ceremonial groundbreaking, was held at the construction site.

“It is a long time coming,” said Alex Posada, Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department Director. “I think having it available to us today, being the groundbreaking today, it’s just a lot of work that was done by a lot of people over the last, really ten years almost.”

The new facility will be built at the corner of Battles Road and Depot Street on what was previously agriculture land in the heart of the city.

When completed, the sports complex will feature four athletic fields, which will be used primarily for soccer, as well as a handful of other amenities.

“It will have parking for about 200 vehicles,” said Posada. “There will be a small maintenance facility, public restrooms, snack bar and a playground area in the middle of the complex.”

The sports complex has been in the works for nearly 10 years, formed as a goal established by the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety, which was created in 2016.

“We knew we needed all these fields,” said Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, who created the task force. “We’ve known that for a long time. We needed more football fields. We needed baseball fields. We need soccer fields. When you have a median age of 29-years-old, you’ve got a lot of kids out there in our community because they’re using our parks. They need to be using this and so I’m just really excited.”

The cost of the project has increased significantly over years, and according to Posada, is currently listed between $14 to $15 million.

“It’s mostly grant funded,” said Posada. “We were able to secure grants from the state of California, the County of Santa Barbara, the State Parks propositions and also from some private donors in the community.”

The new Santa Maria Sports Complex is scheduled to be completed sometime in summer 2026.

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Judge ends pause on abortion regulations after Missouri Supreme Court decision

KMIZ on May 28, 2025

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang issued an order vacating her previous rulings that allowed abortions to continue in Missouri.

The action withdraws Zhang’s own prior orders and is procedural with the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday that stopped the enforcement of state abortion regulations. The high court ordered Zhang to end her preliminary injunction and reconsider issuing one under a different legal standard.

While the right to abortion is still active in the state, tight state regulations regarding safety requirements for clinics that allow abortions are still in place, now no longer restrained by Zhang’s preliminary injunction.

“Unqualified medical practitioners, moldy equipment, and a lack of approved complication plans are just some of the many terrible things we predicted would follow in the wake of Amendment 3, ” Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement Tuesday. “Today’s decision from the Missouri Supreme Court is a win for women and children and sends a clear message – abortion providers must comply with state law regarding basic safety and sanitation requirements.”

In his statement, Bailey emphasized that state regulations preventing coerced abortions, requiring sterile equipment and clean facilities, ensuring qualified abortion providers and having emergency complication plans were essential protections for women undergoing abortions. For many of them, Bailey claimed that abortion-rights activists were working to remove them.

In the initial preliminary injunction documents, Zhang ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood and blocked several of these regulations, with abortion advocates arguing many of the state’s regulations were too tall an order for abortions to be performed under.

“Attorney General Andrew Bailey and anti-abortion politicians in Jeff City have once again weaponized our political system against Missourians,” Abortion Action Missouri executive director Mallory Schwarz said in a statement Tuesday.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that a letter was sent to Zhang, reassuring her that her initial decision was solid.

In court documents, Planned Parenthood argued that under the state’s current abortion-specific informed consent laws, patients were required to receive state-mandated information and materials that are biased and are meant to sway a patient’s choice in getting an abortion.

In the state’s rule for abortion complication plans during medicinally-induced abortions, Planned Parenthood said that the Department of Health and Senior Services required medication abortion providers to have a written contract with a board-certified or board-eligible ob-gyn who has agreed to be “on-call and available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

They argued that it was both difficult to find an ob-gyn who agreed to the terms and claimed the rule was unnecessary if a patient could go to an emergency room during a complication.

Under Missouri’s law that requires abortions to be performed only by physicians, Planned Parenthood argued for allowing advanced practice registered nurses to perform abortions along with physicians to expand access to care. Zhang declined to block this rule.

“That’s not what all of these regulations that have been in place do, they are intended to discriminate against abortion providers and make care harder to access,” Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO Emily Wales said. “Abortion providers are going through additional hurdles and requirements that weren’t actually making Missourians healthier, they were just limiting where abortions could happen.”

In a statement, Planned Parenthood Great Plains confirmed that abortion services were offered at Missouri health centers starting Feb. 15 and ending Tuesday with the Supreme Court’s decision. Wales added that, in Colombia, abortion surgeries were conducted around every other weekend.

Planned Parenthood centers are still open as a resource for birth control, cancer screenings and UTI testing and treatment.

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CSUSB-Palm Desert indigenous education grant defunded under Trump administration

KESQ on May 28, 2025

Athena Jreij

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — A nearly $150,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant awarded to California State University, San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus has been revoked under the Trump administration.

According to university officials, the NEH grant awarded $149,935 for the “Inland Echoes: Empowering Inclusive Histories of California’s Inland Empire and Coachella Valley in K-16 Education,” project.

Grant writer and assistant professor at CSUSB, Michelle Lorimer, said they chose to spotlight local tribes to give students a sense of pride on where they came from.

“Really what it’s about is having a sense of belonging and wanting to make where you live a better place for yourself and for the future, and that’s through understanding the importance of the history that was already here,” Lorimer said.

She tells News Channel 3 her team was overjoyed once it was awarded, telling News Channel 3 NEH grants are extremely competitive, and that one has an acceptance rate of just 19%.

However, after the grant contract was signed, CSUSB-PDC officials say they received a notice that it was defunded because it didn’t align with the administration’s education goals and was apart of DOGE cuts. Professors say to their knowledge, multiple NEH awards have now been defunded.

“They said our project and similar projects at NEH didn’t align anymore with the priorities of the administration. So that was devastating,” Lorimer said.

In a letter shared with News Channel 3, federal officials said, “NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda. The President’s February 19, 2025 executive order mandates that the NEH eliminate all non-statutorily required activities and functions.”

If it had gone through, the project planned to include hands-on workshops and lesson plans for teachers on local indigenous communities. The goal was for local teachers to then incorporate that education into their K-16 classes.

Professors say they believe it was targeted because of it’s inclusive language.

The New York Times has reported that NEH funding is now being redirected to President Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes.

Now, officials don’t know where to turn and doubt any scholarships will bring in the same amount of money as NEH.

“There’s been, for a very long time kind of culture wars over history education in the United States. However, what is currently happening now is totally unprecedented,” Michael Karp said.

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CAL FIRE: Under Pressure Part II

KESQ on May 28, 2025

Karen Devine

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As we’ve seen in the past, once a wildfire sparks up in the mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley, it can spread fast and in some cases be deadly. 

“It’s one of our biggest concerns. We are surrounded by wild land here and this brush and the forest up on top, that forest up there, it’s been years since it’s burned.  One statistic I heard, it’s over 200 years for Long Valley and those surrounding areas,” said Tim Jones, supervisor for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Some may recall the Esperanza Fire in October 2006. The arson fire started near Cabazon and spread quickly up the slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains. It burned over 41,000 acres and killed five firefighters.

Closer to the valley, the Mountain Fire in 2013 reached within 2 miles of Palm Springs and threatened the wilderness and state park at the top of the tramway. 

I-Team investigator Karen Devine took a trip up the tram, pushing for answers about managing drought conditions and balance between the federal and state mitigation process. Also addressing one local assemblyman’s concerns about fire management, asking the tough question,  are we doing enough?

Missed the first part? Check it out below:

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Teenager in custody after deadly Boone County shooting

KMIZ on May 28, 2025

Matthew Sanders

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been corrected to remove a reference to fighting teens being armed.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 16-year-old is in custody on suspicion of taking part in a fight that led to a deadly shooting Tuesday just outside Columbia.

The teen suspect and the victim were part of groups that had met up for two youths to fight Tuesday evening in the 1300 block of North Frideriki Drive, according to a Boone County Sheriff’s Office news release. An 18-year-old man was found unresponsive and not breathing outside a home with a gunshot wound and died at the scene, the sheriff’s office says.

Juvenile authorities have charged the suspect on suspicion of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. A hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Frank Rae, a resident in the Valley Creek neighborhood and said an initial fight broke out around 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Frideriki Drive and Pinehurst lane. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office came and broke out the group.

About an hour later Rae said another fight broke out in front of his mailboxes.

“Two people that were sorta brawling with fists out, then there was 10,11,12 people kinda surrounding them,” Rae said.

A fight among two teenagers had broken out, with other teenagers surrounding the scene, before the shooting, according to the release. One or more guns were displayed during the fight, leading to the 18-year-old being shot and killed, the sheriff’s office says.

“A super loud crack and echo and took off out the back and I saw the victim laying out here,” Rae said.

Cpt. Brian Leer, with the sheriff’s office, said multiple people on scene were armed.

“Multiple subjects on scene, teens, were armed,” Leer said. “The 16-year-old and the 18-year-old victim were not the two that were meeting to fight, they were present during the altercation,”

The boy’s identity is being protected because he is a juvenile. However, his name could be released if the court decides to try him as an adult. The investigation is ongoing.

“This is not a complete investigation at this time, our investigators are still working today and will continue to do so to follow up on any leads.” Leer added.

The shooting drew a large police response.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw members of the Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol. Law enforcement had an intersection blocked off.

The reporter saw law enforcement with guns drawn and pointed at a home on Valley Creek Lane.

Police tape went up at 8:14 p.m. at the intersection of Clark Lane and Valley Creek Lane.

Neighbors react to recent crime in the area

Several Columbia residents told ABC 17 News that crime near the area of Clark Lane and Godas Circle is beginning to get out of hand.

Lydia Gunn has lived in Columbia at the Links Apartment Complex on Clark Lane for four years and said it seems crime of all sorts has escalated since she’s moved to the area. Gunn said she’s now reconsidering whether continuing to live on the northeastern part of town in the city is safe.

“I hear gunshots about a couple times a week, sirens every night,” Gunn said. “There’s been a couple instances where the entrance has been blocked off because people have been barricaded inside. And then we also have car break-ins that happen and have been happening the whole time I’ve lived here.”

Gunn said the growing number of “pops” she heard near her apartment led to her and others playing a “game” of whether the noises they heard were gunshots or fireworks. She said that game was short lived.

“It’s never fireworks…, so, yeah we stopped playing that game,” Gunn said.

ABC 17 News scrubbed through both the city and county’s dispatch logs to get a better look at calls to the area. Included in that search were Clark Lane, Valley Creek Lane and Godas Circle.

According to the Columbia Police Dispatch log, between Jan. 1-May 28 of this year, police received two reports of shots fired on Clark Lane, and six reports of shots heard. The remaining streets had not received calls for either of those for CPD or the sheriff’s office, according to both logs.

Since Jan. 1, police were also called to Clark Lane and neighboring streets 25 times, 21 times to Valley Creek Lane and eight times to Godas Circle for various incidents.

Dispatch logs show the sheriff’s office has been called to Godas Circle four times within the same time frame, 30 times to Clark Lane and neighboring streets and five times to Valley Creek Lane for various incidents.

Amy Luppino also lives at the Links. Luppino said she lives butted up against a neighborhood where she also frequently hears gunshots and people yelling. Luppino said something she’s noticed since living there, is the lack of working street lights.

“I don’t really go outside at night if I don’t have to,” Luppino said. “People use that walkway there, they cut through the green and people just pop up. I think some light would help. I know I’d feel a little more comfortable.”

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New Mexico man accused of murder appears in federal court

KVIA on May 28, 2025

Heriberto Perez

Update (May 29, 2025): The man that was extradited by Mexican authorities earlier this week, made his first appearance in federal court this morning.

Jaime Renteria Fernandez, 31, is wanted for drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms possession, and murder.

He went before Magistrate Judge Anne Berton and is being held with no bond until his detention hearing on Tuesday.

Renteria remains in the custody of U.S. Marshals.

El Paso Attorney Joe Spencer was assigned to handle his defense by Judge Berton.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, assisted by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and Customs and Border Protection, collaborated with the Mexican Government to take custody of an outstanding federal fugitive.

31-year-old, Jaime Renteria was wanted for his role as a drug trafficker and cartel enforcer, directly implicated in multiple homicides occurring in the Albuquerque, NM area.

HSI Juárez, with the assistance of Mexican law enforcement, helped track him down and return him to the U.S. to face justice for his crimes. Renteria will be prosecuted federally in the US.

The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office (FGE), along with the Mexico Migration National Institute (INM) and the Mexico Customs National Agency (ANAM), assisted in his arrest, transport, and transfer to U.S. federal officials.

He was handed over to U.S. authorities at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday via the Stanton-Lerdo bridge and then presented at the Paso Del Norte bridge at around 10:30 p.m.

Renteria is set to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne T. Berton at 2 p.m., where he will face various federal charges.

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MSHP preliminary reports indicate three fatalities over Memorial Day Weekend

News-Press NOW on May 28, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol released preliminary reports from the 2025 Memorial Day weekend counting period.

The counting period began from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 23 and went through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 26.

Three people died in traffic crashes during the counting period. Two of the fatalities occurred on Saturday, May 24 and the third one occurred on Monday, May 26.

MSHP also recorded 182 traffic crashes, 83 injuries and 78 driving while intoxicated arrests- on top of the three fatalities.

In terms of boating statistics, MSHP only recorded three crashes and no injuries, fatalities, drownings or boating while intoxicated arrests.

During the 2024 counting period, the Patrol investigated 275 traffic crashes involving seven fatalities and 161 injuries. Also over the 2024 counting period, Marine Operations troopers investigated seven boating crashes, which included no fatalities and seven injuries. Troopers made 128 DWI arrests and six BWI arrests. No one drowned during the 2024 Memorial Day holiday.

MSHP said statistics in these reports are still subject to change if late deaths occur, other departments report crashes or incidents, a fatality is determined to be a drowning or if a fatality is determined to be a medical condition following the release of the preliminary report.

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New Cabrillo Blvd. and Los Patos Way Roundabout Project Opens Up

KEYT on May 28, 2025

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –  A new roundabout has opened in Santa Barbara where an often congested route on the eastern side of the city near the beach often has snarled traffic.

It was celebrated with a special ribbon cutting ceremony at the intersection of Cabrillo Boulevard and Los Patos Way, near the Santa Barbara Cemetery.

Phase 1 of the roundabout construction began in February 2024. It was an estimate $12-million dollar project in design and construction.

With this roundabout there are now four between Los Patos Way and San Ysidro Road in a corridor that connects Montecito and Santa Barbara.

The event took place as Mayor Randy Rowse took note of the surroundings. He said, “we’re watching it work, watching people running, bikes are going by here. Pedestrians go through here. Really it is more functional than ever.”

The city says the project:

Creates a safe corridor along East Cabrillo Boulevard for pedestrian and bicyclists.

Improves access and connectivity to and from the Beachway, Andree Clark Bird Refuge, Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara Zoo, beaches, and the Waterfront and Harbor, and to commercial areas along Los Patos Way and Coast Village Road.

Reduces traffic congestion and improves mobility by constructing a roundabout at the intersection of East Cabrillo Boulevard and Los Patos Way.

The next phase will be the replacement of the existing Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over Cabrillo Boulevard, along with pedestrian and bicycle improvements.  This is part of what will eventually be the larger freeway widening project through Santa Barbara that is projected to be finished in the next few years.

 It was a cooperative project with funds and planning from various city, county and state governments and agencies including the city of Santa Barbara, CalTrans and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). Representatives were also present from the offices of Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Senator Monique Limon and Assemblyman Gregg Hart.

This needed to get done now because as construction moves forward, Margie Kirn the SBCAG Executive Director said, “this is going to be a little precarious going through once we start construction on the freeway. Having this roundabout. is going to make it so much more easier for people to get through. “

“There was a time when Santa Barbara didn’t have many roundabouts, and certainly not on a major corridor. But now, in this area between the bird refuge and Montecito, there are four of them.

Randy Rowse said, “we were planning this in the beginning and a had lot of pushback. And now people that were kind of irritated about them are  really liking them because they do make traffic flow. “

The other roundabouts are on the other side of Coast Village Road at Olive Mill Road and Highway 101 where it hooks up to North Jameson Lane.

Further to the east at San Ysidro and Highway 101 is another one which has a uniquely designed roundabout with more of an oval shape.

At Hot Springs Road that roundabout also connects Old Coast Highway and Coast Village Road.

The Mayor gave his driving recommendations saying, “yield to the left and you get in and when you get ready to exit, you signal where you’re going to exit. That’s the way the rest of the world does it.”

 As for benefits Coast Village Road is seeing them already. Trey Pinner is the President of the Coast Village Improvement District. He said, “Coast Village Road is just doing so well. We’re growing. This is going to bring people up into the area of down from the beach. It is easy to get through. “

There will still be busy days and congestion because the road is one lane in each direction and has three stop signs. But on either end he says, “I love roundabouts. I’ve been a fan of roundabouts, and I know at first it was hard. As we start to see it throughout  our community. I think people really appreciate the ability to move as many cars as we do through a congested area.”

Coast Village Road is also going to have a beautification project soon in the center median.

For more information go to: Cabrillo roundabout

.

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Moose attacks man, kills dog in Woodland Park

KRDO on May 28, 2025

Mackenzie Stafford

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says a moose attacked a man and his dogs in Woodland Park. Ultimately, one of the dogs had to be euthanized due to the injuries, CPW said.

CPW says they received the call on Memorial Day. The agency says a man was letting his dogs back inside when a female moose with calves started to attack.

The man reportedly rolled under a car to get away and witnessed the moose stomp on his dogs.

CPW said the man’s wife had been charged by a moose just a day prior, but she was able to get inside.

“This incident is a reminder of why we warn everyone to respect wildlife and give them their space,” said Travis Sauder, CPW Assistant Area Wildlife Manager. “We know Colorado residents love their dogs. But it’s important to understand that moose see dogs as predators and react in defense of themselves and their young.”

CPW said they planned to sedate and relocate the moose and calves, but ultimately, they were observed moving into a more remote area.

The agency says the moose population in Teller County is rapidly growing. Statewide, CPW said there were about 2,250 moose in 2013, but 3,600 now.

“This cow moose was exhibiting classic protective behavior of its calves,” Sauder said. “Be sure to give wildlife extra space, especially when they are raising their young. And it is always best to keep dogs on leashes or in a fenced area to reduce the chances of an incident with wildlife.”

CPW says those who are photographing or observing wildlife from a distance this summer should use the “rule of thumb.” While looking at the animal, hold your thumb up. If your thumb can’t cover the entire animal, you are too close and need to back up.

Wildlife officials tell KRDO13 it’s best to keep your dog on a leash, especially during this time of year when many wild animals are having babies, making mothers increasingly protective.

“We always recommend keeping them on a leash, even if you’re letting them outside to use the bathroom. It’s just the safest way to keep your pets secure,” explained Joey Livingston, CPW Public Information Officer.

He went on to explain that many wild animals, including deer, elk, bear and moose, will want to protect their young, especially in Colorado’s mountainous areas.

“Generally, this first week of June is when we start seeing the baby deer on the ground. And the deer will still defend their young, just like the moose this moose did. And so if you let your dogs outside, try to go outside first and make sure there’s no deer, no fawns in the area,” shared Livingston.

In Teller County, CPW says Manitou Lake is a prime location for moose. KRDO13 spoke with a Woodland Park resident at Manitou Lake who had a close call with a moose two weeks before this attack.

Paul Whitfield tells KRDO13 he heard a fellow fisherman yelling to get the attention of others to alert them to the large animal moving their way. He says at first it appeared to be a tall horse until he realized it was, in fact, a moose.

He said as it approached him, he backed up and stood as still as he could while the moose passed by. Afterwards, he said the experience was exciting and he documented the moose encounter. One of Paul Whitfield’s photos is included below.

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