Month: September 2025

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A recent study reports a rise in obesity rates in Arizona. According to the Invigor Medical study, adults in Arizona ages 55-64 saw the steepest increase of more than 9% growth rate from 2013 to 2023.

Onvida Health says over the last decade, around 30-32% of people struggle with some form of obesity in Yuma County. They say factors include inability to get out due to the heat, socio-economic status, and diet.

“30-32% are struggling with some form of obesity, and that can range anywhere from your mild obesity to your more morbid obesity. But we want to get every single patient out and about walking, moving, making small dietary changes that you know slowly but surely become habit in their daily lives,” said Onvida Health family nurse practitioner Marybel Gonzalez.

Obesity can contribute to chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.Onvida Health encourages people to get 30-45 minutes of daily exercise.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) – South County residents will soon have a new option for waste disposal.

Yuma County is planning to build its first solid waste transfer station in the area, aiming to make trash disposal more convenient and cut down on illegal dumping.

The facility will be located on County 19th Street and sit on a 10-acre parcel of land provided by the Bureau of Reclamation. It will feature 30 large bins to collect household waste, appliances, and heavy metals.

“There’s been a lot of illegal dumping out in the area,” said Santos Guerrero, Deputy Director of Yuma County Public Works. “There should be no reason for people to be dumping trash on the desert when we have this transfer station that you can dump free as long as you’re not commercial.”

The site will be free to all county residents and is expected to open in late spring or early summer of 2026.

Local residents say the project is a welcome step.

“People should be more conscientious about their trash, and instead of just throwing it away they should be putting it into dumpsters,” said Bob Lutes, a local.

Until the South County transfer station opens, officials encourage residents to continue using other transfer stations across Yuma County, including the North Gila site.

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – In a dry and dusty climate like we have here in Arizona, asthma and allergies are more than just seasonal nuances. They can seriously impact daily life and even become medical emergencies.

Dr. Donald Hubbard, Medical Director and Emergency Medicine Physician at Exceptional Community Hospital, says this is largely due to the climate in our region.

“You’re out and about all year. You have one of the largest gardens here in the world. They grow a lot of stuff here, so there’s a lot of pollen, there’s a lot of dust, and there’s a lot of chemicals that we’re exposed to every day, and those can cause allergic reactions or those can cause asthma flare ups,” Dr. Hubbard spoke.

Hubbard says there are things you should look our for.

“There’s something called cough variant asthma where that really you don’t have a lot of wheezing, but you have a lot of coughing, and a lot of times it seems to be worse at night. There’s also exercise induced asthma, so somebody who doesn’t really have problems breathing, but then they start exercising, they start getting short of breath or start coughing,” he said.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – A flood watch is in effect across the Imperial Valley, and officials are reminding residents to stay prepared.

The Imperial County Fire Department says the biggest danger is on the roads. Even a small amount of moving water can sweep a car away. Drivers are urged to “turn around, don’t drown.”

Deputy Chief Cedric Ceseña warned, “If you find yourself in a flash flood, in a vehicle or outside of a vehicle, the chances of something really critical happening are very high.”

Officials also recommend keeping phones charged and having water and flashlights ready. Sandbags can help protect homes in low-lying areas.

Ceseña said, “We do provide sandbags and sand at each one of our fire stations…the public is free to come in and fill their own sandbags to protect their property.”

Residents like Olivia Felix have already taken action.

She said, “We go to the station, get our full sandbags, and just make sure to place them at our door so no water gets in.”

Officials urge residents to prepare and keep an eye on friends, family, and neighbors.

Ceseña added, “It’s always important that the public stays informed and that they also share that information with their family.”

The flood watch remains in effect in Imperial Valley until 2 a.m. Friday, and officials warn that once water starts moving, every second counts.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Severe weather swept across Imperial County Thursday night, flooding streets and damaging several homes.

Calexico was hit the hardest, and the city has declared a state of emergency. Homes lost electricity during the storm, but the city says service has mostly returned.

“I saw out the window and saw all this, we just set up that shed like two months ago, and it was destroyed,” said resident Fernanda Ahro.

City crews are now cleaning up, handling flooding, and checking for damage.

“The streets were flooded, there was some car that had water up to the hood,” said Marco Batani, another local.

Batani said the storm was frightening to live through.

“Those poles fell, we had like six explosions, literally there was fire, sparks, and all these trees fell,” he shared.

The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) shared an update on power restoration Friday afternoon.

“We’re down to about 1,300 customers still out. We’re planning to pick up about another 300 customers about midnight tonight. And we hope to have everyone up within the next 24 hours,” said Paul Rodriguez, Deputy Power Manager with IID.

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