Marcos Icahuate
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A celebration for the United States Army will be held in Yuma.
The U.S. Army is celebrating its 250th birthday at the Colorado River State Historic Park on Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The family-friendly event is planned to have exhibits and tributes to those who served.
Locals are invited to participate in activities held at the celebration.
Andrea Turisk
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Board of Supervisors approved a tentative $584.4 million budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
The spending plan includes a 3.4 overall cut in appropriations and trims more the 22 full time positions from grant-funded programs.
Ian McGaughey, Yuma County Administrator, says, “Anytime grants close down those services cease, but we’re always trying to find new ways to use either existing funds or seek out new grant funding to better serve the community.”
Despite those cuts, the budget keeps a 3% performance based pay increase for current employees, and the county’s property tax rate stays the same for the 14th year.
“I think with that predictable 3% model it’ll be easy to obtain and attract excellent employees to Yuma County,” says McGaughey.
But not everyone is focused on numbers.
Some locals, like Angel Young, say they’d like to see more of that money go towards education.
“I’m a huge advocate for like change what you want to see in the public school system and don’t just abandon it. I think a lot of attention need to go towards the school systems,” said Young.
And while the county doesn’t control local school budgets, they say they’re doing what they can to maintain public service across the board.
“The heart of this budget is our mission for customer service. We’re always looking for ways to be more efficient, to be innovative, and how we can better serve our public. Our residents, our businesses, our visitors,” explained McGaughey.
The Yuma County Board of Supervisors will be presented with the final budget on June 23.
Adrik Vargas
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – While many kids are sleeping in this summer, a group of Yuma middle schoolers are spending the week exploring their future careers.
The 2025 Career Exploration Camp introduces students to hands-on careers in fields like cosmetology, biomedical technology, animation, and law and public safety.
The four-day camp is a partnership between Yuma ABEC, STEDY, Elevate Southwest, and the University of Arizona’s Yuma campus, and it’s being held at the STEDY campus.
“I really want to be prepared when I’m older, because adulting is a real thing,” said student Savannah Pope.
Yuma ABEC Project Manager Rusty Tyndell says middle school is the ideal time to start those conversations.
“Research has shown that if you wait until your junior or senior year to think about what you wanna do in life, it’s too late,” he said.
Some students, like Angel Valle, are still figuring things out, and that’s the point.
“I think this is a perfect opportunity for me to explore more into careers,” Valle said.
Pope agrees, saying it’s about more than just picking a job.
“It opens like a window for all these kids to realize it’s not just one thing…there’s other things you can do with your life,” said Pope.
About 160 students are attending the camp this summer, learning new skills, making friends, and dreaming big.
Julia Castro
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) —A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with last month’s deadly car bombing outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Daniel Park, of Kent, Washington, was taken into custody late Tuesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, according to U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli. He was charged Wednesday with providing and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist, Essayli said.
Daniel Park
He is accused of helping supply the explosive materials used in the May 17 attack on American Reproductive Centers, which federal officials have labeled an act of domestic terrorism.
Park made his initial appearance in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday. He is set to be extradited to California.
Daniel Park courtroom sketch(Courtesy of Alba Acevedo)
The primary suspect in the bombing, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, was found dead at the scene. Authorities say Park and Bartkus shared anti-natalist extremist views — a belief system opposing human reproduction — and that Park had been posting such content online since at least 2016.
Park was arrested as he returned to the United States from Poland, from which he was deported, Essayli said. Park “left the United States to go to Europe” days after the bombing.
According to Essayli, Park shipped about 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which is “commonly used to construct homemade bombs,” from Seattle to Bartkus’ home in Twentynine Palms and also arranged for another shipment of an additional 90 pounds.
Three days before Park arrived at Bartkus’ house, records from an AI chat app show that Bartkus researched how to make powerful explosions using ammonium nitrate and fuel, federal prosecutors said.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge in Los Angeles Akil Davis said Park was also in possession of an “explosive recipe” similar to the device used in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City federal city bombing.
Essayli said Park “shared Bartkus’ extremist beliefs” and he visited Bartkus’s home in Twentynine Palms for about two weeks in late January and early February, “spending time together running experiments in Bartkus’ garage, where the FBI recovered large quantities of chemical precursors and laboratory equipment after the bombing.”
Two days after the bombing, Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills told News Channel 3’s Peter Daut that authorities were investigating whether someone else may have been involved, stating that he believed other people had knowledge on the plan.
“You mentioned other people who may have been involved? Peter asked Mills.
Mills answered, “This is just my personal opinion, not professional, but yeah, I believe people knew because he was on… in chat rooms. He was on YouTube, he was experimenting with explosives. Other people knew that there were all kinds of views and comments on some of those, on some of those things.”
STATEMENT FROM PALM SPRINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Palm Springs Police Department is aware of an arrest made by the FBI in connection with the May 17 bombing incident. We appreciate the ongoing work of the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force as they continue their investigation. Our department remains fully committed to working with our federal partners. Keeping our community safe is our top priority, and we will continue working closely with the FBI to make sure that happens.
We ask our community members to avoid speculation, as this remains an active investigation. The FBI is leading the case and continues to keep us informed. We will continue to share updates with the public as information becomes available and appropriate to release.
During the explosion, at least five people were injured, and the blast caused major damage to the clinic as well as 40 other properties, with at least 8 buildings deemed unsafe to occupy. The bombing caused approximately $12 million in damages.
Thousands of embryos and eggs stored inside the facility were saved due to the quick response of emergency crews.
Officials said local law enforcement had not previously flagged either suspect. Evidence recovered from a phone at the scene showed Bartkus pacing outside the car for over 30 minutes before the explosion and speaking into the phone moments before detonation.
The investigation remains ongoing, and federal officials are asking the public to come forward with any information by calling 1-800 CALL FBI.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on this developing story both on-air and online.
Jalen Fong
WELLTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A semi-truck caught on fire Tuesday, slowing down interstate traffic.
The truck was heading east on Interstate 8 (I-8), a mile from Wellton, when the fire started. KYMA spoke to the driver, who said one of the rear trailer tires ignited and spread quickly.
According to the Wellton Fire Department’s (WFD) Facebook post, they responded to the scene before 4:00 p.m., and upon arrival, they found “heavy fire involvement and began immediate suppression efforts.”
WFD says, “Due to the intensity of the fire, additional resources were dispatched” as “fire crews worked to contain the blaze until the department’s Ladder unit arrived on scene.” Once the Ladder unit arrived, WFD says crews put out the fire.
One lane on I-8 was closed due to the blaze.
WFD said the trailer was carrying loads of tomatoes, and said fire crews stayed on scene to help until the Arizona Department of Transportation arrived and removed of burned boxes from the trailer.
While there were no injuries reported, the actual cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Madison Stuerman
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A joint command post has been set up in Laurie after severe storms hit northern Camden and southern Morgan Counties on Tuesday night.
According to the Camden County Emergency Management Agency, multiple agencies are assisting in the operation.
Gravois Fire Protection District in Camden County shared on social media that there was “significant damage” across the area the district covers, specifically from Chelsie Road to the end of Highway O.
Fire district Chief Dustin Hancock said firefighters only received three 911 calls during the overnight severe weather and realized something bigger was happening.
‘We’re like, hey, we got a lot of trees down. This doesn’t make sense to us. So we started deploying,” Hancock said. “We established a second command for Highway O. The farther we went out, we just kept finding trees down across the road.”
Besides downed powerlines, Hancock said crews saw damage to about 20 to 25 houses, a few docks and a couple of sheds during their searches of the area.
He said he didn’t expect the level of damage he witnessed.
“I was kind of watching the trees in my backyard. I was like, oh, they’re moving pretty good, let’s go move the patio furniture in,” Hancock said. “As we went out, just the size of the trees, the locations, and all the damage that we actually had, I really didn’t expect that.”
Hancock said fire crews worked until 4 a.m. Wednesday to clear roads, restore power to homes and report downed power lines and trees.
Work started again at 7 a.m.
One local tree removal company tells ABC 17 News they started receiving calls as early as 11 p.m. Tuesday evening.
“We got several to go. We’ve got 16 calls as well since noon,” said Jimmy Wood, with Libel Street Services.
Wood and his team were out clearing fallen trees from neighborhood roads throughout the day Wednesday.
“We load the logs, safely as we can, and strap them down and haul them back to our shop. Get them out of the people’s hair, so they can go back to the living and playing at the lake,” Wood said.
Wood added that if people do consistent maintenance on trees around their property, their more likely to avoid damage from a tree falling.
“Get your trees treated and have them trimmed every year or as often as you can,” Wood said.
Gravois Fire Protection also said multiple docks have broken ramps, damaged cables, or other structural issues. Boat drivers are asked to reduce wake while on the water today.
Hancock thanked his firefighters and surrounding agencies for the response they were able to provide.
“Everyone this morning when they got up, we didn’t have any roads blocked. We managed to get done all of that. I think it kind of expedited mitigating the hazards to someone getting electrocuted,” Hancock said.
Anyone who lives in the area of Chelsie, Purvis, Bass Point, Green Hills Roads and Route O intersections is asked to use caution.
Hancock said they had no reports of injuries, including area residents and his team members. The department’s preliminary report found damage to 23 homes and three commercial buildings.
The American Red Cross has begun gathering information for a formal damage assessment,which will provide verified totals in the coming days.
According to a news release from Gravois Mills Fire, all mutual aid crews were released back to their respective districts at noon on Wednesday.
The release also said the Incident Command Post will remain operational through early Wednesday evening.
Nearly 800 Ameren Missouri customers around the Lake of the Ozarks remained without power at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Allie Anthony
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — Richard Gauthier was 19 when he was sent to Vietnam to serve in the Army. After he was injured by fragments from a rocket launcher, he received a Purple Heart.
Now 79, Gauthier is a member of American Legion Post 739 in Indio, and he’s working to start a new Purple Heart chapter for members in the Coachella Valley. So far, he has found nearly 25 Purple Heart recipients in the area and is reaching out to them to help launch the local chapter.
The nearest chapter is in San Bernardino, where Gauthier drives once a month to attend meetings. He hopes to start the Coachella Valley chapter to support and uplift other Purple Heart recipients.
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A year has passed since a controversy in the Ivywild neighborhood over white and yellow lane markers called delineators that were installed at two intersections along Cheyenne Boulevard.
And now, there are new developments since KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior broke the story in May 2024.
Delineators have been removed from the Cheyenne/Lorraine Street intersection — also closed to all except westbound traffic — and construction is underway.
The Road Warrior learned of the situation while driving through the neighborhood on Tuesday; some neighbors said that the intersection had closed on Monday but had no idea why.
City officials have yet to confirm the reason for the closure and the construction, but it’s likely due to the replacement of delineators with concrete bump-outs.
Bump-outs are extended curbs that stick out into streets and are designed to reduce the time needed for pedestrians to cross a street — which can increase safety for disabled or elderly walkers in particular.
A bump-out gives a pedestrian time to cross one side, wait or rest in a center median, and cross the other side.
Workers are setting up the framework for a median at the construction site, and sidewalks at the intersection have been removed; only westbound traffic on Cheyenne is allowed.
That hasn’t stopped some eastbound drivers, however, from trying to sneak through — until they’re stopped by workers and told to back up.
Last May, city officials made the intersection a four-way stop to reduce speeding and increase safety, although there’s mixed neighborhood opinion about how effective it has been.
Neighbors are undecided about the apparent coming of the bump-outs.
“Well, let’s see how it finishes up,” said Keith Hays, who has lived in Ivywild for 30 years. “The reason for the concrete is to slow the traffic down. I’ve never really seen a need to do it.”
Gregory Young said he supports anything that reduces speeding.
“I’m worried about maybe long-term plow interference with snow removal,” he said. “But if they want to keep fixing it from a snowplow hitting it, then who am I to question it?”
A former county commissioner led the initial opposition to the delineators, saying that they were unsightly and unnecessary, and that neighbors had no say in the decision to install them.
At that time, the city removed another group of delineators a few blocks east, at the Woodburn Street intersection; officials had studied the devices there and determined that they didn’t work well because the layout of that intersection is different.
Posted signs around the construction zone state that parking is prohibited from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. through the end of June.
Zach Glancy
FORT HALL, Idaho (KIFI) – Andy Grammer is performing at the Shosone-Bannock Casino Hotel Friday June 6th at 7 p.m. and Local News 8 is partnering with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce to give away 2 pairs of tickets.
You can enter our giveaway here.
Local News 8 will announce the winners during our Noon newscast Thursday, June 5.
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A Colorado Springs veterinarian travels to Tanzania on Friday with Rabies Free Africa to vaccinate dogs and cats for rabies to protect the local human population.
Dr. Anastasia McIntosh has worked as a veterinarian at Polo Springs Veterinary Hospital for over 18 years. Rabies Free Africa chose her for the trip to Tanzania and seven others out of hundreds of applicants nationwide.
“Over in Africa, it can cost upwards of a family’s annual salary if their child is bitten, and that’s just devastating,” Dr. McIntosh said. If we can protect the dogs and cats, we can protect the children.
McIntosh will fly to Tanzania on June 7 for the 10-day trip. Each day, McIntosh and the other doctors will vaccinate the local population’s dogs and cats for free. She said the goal is to vaccinate over 2000 animals to protect both the animals and the local human population.
McIntosh said people can help right here in Colorado Springs. Polo Springs Veterinary Hospital will donate $1 from every rabies vaccine appointment to Rabies Free Africa.
As of May 2024, rabies kills someone worldwide every 9 minutes. The goal of Rabies Free Africa is to end rabies deaths by 2025.
