Woman in wheelchair killed in hit and run crash in Yucca Valley, similar fatal crash reported hours later

KESQ on November 12, 2025

Jesus Reyes

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A 55-year-old woman in an electric wheelchair was struck and killed by a vehicle in a hit-and-run crash last week in Yucca Valley.

The crash was first reported on Nov. 6 at around 2 p.m. on Airway Avenue and Primrose Drive.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station, the investigation revealed that an unidentified vehicle approaching Primrose Drive collided with a woman operating an electric wheelchair across Airway Avenue.

The woman and her dog were ejected from the electric wheelchair. The suspect vehicle fled the scene and was seen traveling south on Airway Avenue toward Yucca Trail.

Paramedics responded and transported the woman to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to wetip.com.

It was the second crash that day in Yucca Valley where a person in a wheelchair was struck and killed by a vehicle. Nearly four hours after the crash on Airway Avenue, an 81-year-old woman in an electric wheelchair was killed on Yucca Trail and Frontera Avenue, about a mile away from the earlier crash.

The driver remained at the scene in the second crash and is cooperating with the investigation, authorities said.

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Couple’s fishing trip turns tragic on Salmon River

KIFI on November 12, 2025

Curtis Jackson

LEMHI COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI)—The Lemhi County Sheriff’s office said a woman died following a boating accident on the Salmon River on Monday. November 10, 2025.

According to a Lemhi County Sheriff’s news release, Arlen Obrien, 76, and Judy Obrien, 75, of Carmen, were fishing when their drift boat lodged on some rocks. While trying to get the boat off the rocks, they fell overboard. It’s estimated they were in the water for nearly 10 minutes before reaching the riverbank.

The sheriff’s office received a call around 4:23 p.m. about the accident and was told CPR was being performed on the female victim. They were located approximately three miles upstream from the Tower Creek boat launch.

The Sheriff’s office said Judy was unresponsive when emergency responders arrived and continued life-saving measures. She was pronounced dead after arriving at Steele Memorial Medical Center. They said she died from accidental drowning.

Neither of them was wearing a lifejacket. The boat was recovered on Tuesday by the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and Salmon Search and Rescue.

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3 Columbia Board of Education members will seek reelection

KMIZ on November 12, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three incumbents on the Columbia Board of Education will seek reelection, according to a joint press release sent by the members on Wednesday.

The release says Board President John Lyman, Vice President Paul Harper and Board Member April Ferrao will file for reelection next month.

Filing for the positions will be open from Dec. 9-30, according to the release. The election is in the spring.

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Shop St. Joseph kicks off Wednesday

News-Press NOW on November 12, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce kicked off its 19th annual Shop St. Joseph Holiday Program Wednesday.

The program is designed to encourage residents to shop local during the holidays.

Shoppers can collect tickets from Nov. 12 to Dec. 15.

One lucky shopper will win a $10,000 grand prize.

Shoppers will also have the chance to win $2,500 for shopping at small businesses. For the purpose of the program, the Chamber defines a small business as a “locally-owned business with 10 or fewer employees.”

Shoppers will also have an opportunity to win second-chance prizes from participating merchants.

During the program, participating businesses give one Shop St. Joseph ticket free to shoppers and then another ticket for every $10 spent.

“We’re very excited to kick off Shop St. Joseph, it’s one of the best times of the year,” said Natalie Hawn, president and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. 

According to a news release, the Shop Small Business Bonus was created to give an extra incentive for residents to do their holiday shopping at a local small business.

“Besides the obvious benefit of encouraging spending at small businesses, the Shop Small Business Bones makes another shopper a big winner,” Hawn said.

A list of second-chance prizes will be available on the Chamber’s webpage after the grand prize winner is announced.

A list of participating businesses can be found below. Merchants can still register to join the program.

A list shows all of the shops participating in the Chamber of Commerce’s “Shop St. Joe” program. Courtesy of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

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Chamber of Commerce leadership encourages SJSD administrators, board to ‘stay on a path forward’

News-Press NOW on November 12, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — As the St. Joseph School District’s Board of Education wrestles with deciding on a long-range plan, a Chamber of Commerce executive speaks up about the future of the school district. 

During Monday night’s board work session and public comment, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Natalie Hawn spoke about the long-range plan for the school district. 

Hawn encouraged the district administration and the board to move forward after a significant amount of time was spent on developing a long-range plan through Vision Forward. 

In a statement to KQ2 Tuesday, chamber officials provided additional thoughts on the current situation. 

“Our organization is singularly dedicated to ensuring our community is well-positioned for growth. We know there is a strong link between schools and community economic vitality. The District’s long-range plan is data-informed, includes public input and should be the guidepost for decision making. We cannot allow political games to dictate the future of our school district. Our children and our community deserve better.”

During Hawn’s speech Monday night, she said that the Chamber does not favor any specific school closings and never has done so.

“For the record, the Chamber board isn’t in favor of any certain school closing and never has been. Our board supports having a long-range plan and strategy as well as taking action to move our district forward. As well as supporting the administration.”

Here is the transcript of Hawn’s full comments at the board work session Monday night:

“We spent many hours working on the long-range plan through Vision Forward with many community meetings. We would like to encourage you to stay on a path forward.

Reasons would be:

1 • The district’s fall 2025 enrollment dipped to 9,781 students — the lowest in recent history. Birth rates are down and the student population will continue to decline unless the community and district act proactively. These facts mean that we cannot simply maintain the status quo. The school district must adapt to remain efficient, sustainable, and capable of delivering excellent educational outcomes.

2 • Many of the district’s buildings are over 60 years old; updating or consolidating is not only prudent, but necessary to provide a competitive learning environment that attracts families and businesses. Forward-thinking facility planning supports academic excellence and helps control long-term costs (maintenance, utilities, staff, etc.).

3 • Straying from the long-range plan affects the growth of St. Joseph. Local businesses need a well-educated workforce and an environment that attracts families. Parents aren’t attracted to outdated, undersized or inefficient schools. If young families don’t want to send their kids to school here, they won’t want to work for our companies, which will affect St. Joseph’s ability to retain businesses.

4 • As Mrs. Studer addressed, the long-range plan rightly identifies teacher recruitment and retention, and student performance improvement as key areas of focus. When we invest in our people, we strengthen not only our classrooms but the entire community’s future.

5 • The choices the Board makes now (about facility consolidation, redrawing boundaries and school configurations) will affect the district, the city, and our region for decades.

For the record, the Chamber board isn’t in favor of any certain school closing and never has been. Our board supports having a long-range plan and strategy as well as taking action to move our district forward. As well as supporting the administration.

We urge the Board to act with vision, courage and a willingness to invest in the future.”

SJSD’s Special Board of Education Meeting is meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Troester Media Center. The board will continue the district’s facility plans. 

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Crews to begin clearing out location of future CMHS site

KMIZ on November 12, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Central Missouri Humane Society announced in a Wednesday press release that demolition started on Wednesday at the location of its future campus.

A house and a concrete shed located at the 17.5-acre property on East Brown School will be cleared for CMHS’ new campus. CMHS has served Mid-Missouri since 1943.

Previous reports show the estimated cost of the new building is around $25 million.  

“This is an important milestone for us,” CMHS Executive Director Julie Aber said in the release. “Each step brings us closer to building a safe, modern space that better serves the animals, staff, and community who depend on us.”

The demolition at the new campus site is expected to take about a week.

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Out of state fisherman finds human remains in Lemhi County

KIFI on November 12, 2025

Seth Ratliff

LEMHI COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — Authorities in Lemhi County have launched an investigation into a suspicious death after an out-of-state fisherman discovered human remains along the Salmon River Road earlier this week.

The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office received the report on Monday, November 10th, around 1:10 p.m.

According to a news release, the fisherman, who was feeling cold after fishing in the rugged Salmon River Canyon, spotted the remains while climbing up a hillside to warm up. The man then led deputies to a rural portion of the roadway.

Deputies located the remains approximately 60 yards up the hillside, situated along the side of a brushy, rocky ravine. The remains reportedly appeared to have been exposed to the elements for several years.

In addition to the remains, deputies located several key pieces of evidence nearby, including a firearm and a handwritten note. The contents of the note have not been released by the LCSO as the investigation is active and ongoing.

The remains and all collected evidence were initially transported to the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office before the remains were released to the Lemhi County Coroner.

The identity of the deceased is not confirmed at this time and is pending further investigation, including forensic analysis.

The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating this incident and stressed that further details will be released to the public as soon as more information becomes available.

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Oregon lawmakers react to ending of the longest government shutdown in history

KTVZ on November 12, 2025

Spencer Sacks

(Adding vote total from House of Representatives Vote)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After 42 days, the longest government shutdown is over and the government will be reopening.

This comes after the Senate passed a continuing resolution over the weekend. Its has led to some controversy as some Democrats say that it doesn’t do anything to address extending Affordable Care Act tax credits.

The House members are back in D.C., and after two hours of debate, they’ve voted to reopen the government. By a vote of 222-209 with 6 Democrats voting yea and 2 Republicans voting no.

After several long weeks, the Senate passed a bill funding the Government through January 20th.

Most notably left out of the agreement was a decision on the expiring “Affordable Care Act” tax credits, also known as Obamacare. 

Earlier today KTVZ spoke with both Oregon Senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as fifth district Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, who were vocal about this controversial deal.

Senator Wyden told KTVZ News, “I said it at the outset. I wouldn’t support a bill that fails to lower health costs for Oregonians.”

“It’s really important to stand together, against kind of the tyranny that Trump is imposing on the nation. That was undercut by the eight folks, who struck this side deal,” Senator Merkley told KTVZ News. “The Senate held together for 40 days. But, I wish we could have held together longer.”

Rep. Bynum told KTVZ News “Republicans control the House. They control the Senate. They control the White House, and some would argue they control the Judiciary. It is really important for everybody to recognize that if Republicans wanted to deal with health care, they would have. They have not and I think that tells you all that you need to know.”

All three Democrats that KTVZ spoke to today said they hope that when the temporary funding runs out in January, we will not go back into another shutdown.

KTVZ has reached out to Representative Cliff Bentz and will be speaking to him tomorrow.

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Local veterans protest Columbia Vet Center management

KMIZ on November 12, 2025

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Local veterans met at Broadway Bluffs Drive on Wednesday to bring awareness to claims of poor management and employee treatment at the Columbia Vet Center.

In a joint statement from veterans protesting the center, they claim the current Vet Center director has built a “toxic work environment,” causing several staff members to resign and two to take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

“Both regular counselors are on FMLA leave because of ongoing mistreatment, leaving nearly all 150 veterans without access to one-on-one counseling with the people whom they know, trust, and with whom they have built good relationships,” the statement said. “We urgently need intervention and leadership that restores trust, respect, and proper care for those who served.”

Criticisms toward management include counselors being given too much administrative work that affects their ability to treat clients, as well as claims of micromanagement and a sense of lack of support in employees, including frequent write-ups.

“You’re getting more and more pressure from your higher-ups to spend your hours doing unnecessary paperwork, collecting unnecessary data, providing lists of what you’re doing and all these things that literally just take time away from the actual mission,” Army veteran Carl Shepard said.

Shepard added he’s noticed these issues since he started interacting with the center around 2018, with the situation coming to a head when the two counselors went on leave around a month ago.

David Hopson, a veteran of the Vietnam War and the father of one of the counselors who went on leave, says multiple formal complaints have been filed to higher-ups with no changes made. Other protesters claimed they reached out to the center’s District Director and were told they haven’t observed any problems and receptionists refusing to transfer callers.

“Nothing has been done, it’s been brushed under the table, nothing’s been done about it, and the environment is still toxic,” Hopson said.

Hopson said his son, a combat veteran and counselor at the center, was on FMLA leave for his mother’s funeral when the center’s director allegedly called and threatened to write him up for missing work. After his leave, Hopson said at least 11 veterans submitted letters praising his son’s counseling, saying his work had made a life-saving difference.

“I want them to make a change in leadership, starting with the supervisor and owner and going up the line if they can, because it’s not working,” Hopson said.

One veteran who stayed anonymous in fear of retribution added with the current counselors on leave, the Vet Center has brought in new staff who do not have a good connection with clients.

“They can bring in a new counselor, but that’s not sufficient to having the counselor that we had,” the veteran said. “When they’re here and they want to be here, we want to work with the people that we know, trust and respect.”

ABC 17 News has reached out to the center’s Director, Valerie Sisson and Deputy District Director, Leticia Dreiling for a statement but has not heard back. ABC 17 News also contacted the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which has not yet released a statement.

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Keithly-Williams Seeds CEO selected as Arizona Game and Fish Commission candidate

KYMA on November 12, 2025

Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Arizona Game and Fish Commission Appointment Recommendation Board has sent the names of two candidates to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ (D-Ariz.) office “for consideration in filling the upcoming 2026 vacancy on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.”

According to a press release, Patrick Cooley, President and CEO of Keithly-Williams Seeds, was one of two people selected after six people were interviewed by the board during a meeting last week at the Arizona Game and Fish Department headquarters in Phoenix.

The department said Gov. Hobbs’ nominee, pending confirmation from the Arizona Senate, will replace Clay Hernandez as his five-year terms is expiring at the end of the year.

To learn more about this, click here.

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