Month: November 2025

Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Arizona Western College Catrina Competition brought together locals and students in celebration of Día de los Muertos, offering participants a unique way to honor loved ones who have passed away.

More than 20 competitors took part in the event, with a panel of six judges evaluating their work to select the winners. For many participants, the competition represented the culmination of weeks of preparation and creativity.

“It’s actually super cool. I was super nervous,” said competitor Lina Knepp, who handcrafted her entire outfit. “It’s great to really be able to express my culture in this sort of public setting. I made the entire hat by hand, the whole dress by hand, and I did my own makeup.”

The event holds deep cultural significance, commemorating those who are no longer with us as part of the traditional Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos.

San Luis Council Member and event judge Lizeth Servin shared her appreciation for the celebration, saying, “It’s honoring and remembering, all the time, so it’s really nice to see that we’re free to express our feelings and our culture. I just love that.”

Judges based their decisions on makeup, originality, creativity, and poise. The first-place winner received $400 and expressed joy after the announcement.

“I’m so happy,” the winner said. “It’s an honor for me to be a Catrina.”

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Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma High School District announced the grades its received through the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).

The grades are as follows:

Cibola High School                 B

Gila Ridge High School          A

Kofa High School                    B

San Luis High School             A

Vista High School                   B

Yuma High School                  B

Grades are based on academic growth from students, such as ACT exam scores, graduation rates and college readiness.

“The A-F accountability system is one of several tools we can use to measure how our schools are performing and ensure that we are providing a rigorous classroom experience for EVERY student in Yuma Union High School District,” YUHSD Superintendent Tim Brienza said. “We are immensely proud of the work our schools have done to show overall performance improvements. Since 2021, we have seen continuous improvement in our district-wide graduation rate and dropout rate, including an unprecedented 1.13 dropout percentage following last school year. The A-F system is a useful data set, but at the same time we are constantly evaluating how to improve for the benefit of our students.”

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Yuma man was sentenced in a child molestation case.

45-year-old Randall Medders was sentenced to 110 years in prison after being found guilty on five counts of child molestation, five counts of sexual abuse and ten counts of aggravated assault.

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, Yuma police were called about a sexual molestation case involving a 12-year-old child.

After probable cause was established, Medders was arrested in February 2024.

On August 28, 2025, Medders was found guilty in the case. Two months later, Medders received his sentencing of 110 years in prison.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A man was charged for sexual exploitation, according to the Yuma Police Department (YPD).

On September 21, 2025, YPD were called about a case involving 25-year-old Michael Gonzalez.

During their investigation, probable cause was established towards Gonzalez for child sex abuse material.

Gonzalez was arrested on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Gonzalez was then indicted and charged on Thursday, October 16, 2025 with 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Yuma police at (928) 373-4700.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma High School District announced the grades its received through the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).

The grades are as follows:

Cibola High School                 B

Gila Ridge High School          A

Kofa High School                    B

San Luis High School             A

Vista High School                   B

Yuma High School                  B

Grades are based on academic growth from students, such as ACT exam scores, graduation rates and college readiness.

“The A-F accountability system is one of several tools we can use to measure how our schools are performing and ensure that we are providing a rigorous classroom experience for EVERY student in Yuma Union High School District,” YUHSD Superintendent Tim Brienza said. “We are immensely proud of the work our schools have done to show overall performance improvements. Since 2021, we have seen continuous improvement in our district-wide graduation rate and dropout rate, including an unprecedented 1.13 dropout percentage following last school year. The A-F system is a useful data set, but at the same time we are constantly evaluating how to improve for the benefit of our students.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A trailer was seen on fire in the area of N. Frontage Rd. and Avenida Compadres.

A sheriff deputy said the driver of the RV heard a popping sound and pulled over, then the fire spread throughout the trailer.

The trailer was being pulled away by the time our reporter was on scene.

No injuries were reported.

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Marcos Icahuate

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The City of El Centro announced a partial road closure.

Main Street, between 11th Street and 12th Street, will be closed to all traffic on November 3 and November 4, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The closure is due to construction related to the new police station.

The City reminds drivers to plan other routes and exercise caution around the area.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end, we want to bring you a special story of one person with local ties currently fighting the disease.

After years of seeking medical care for a lump in his chest, in March of 2025, Bill Stinemates discovered he had a grade-three tumor growing inside him.

Bill Stinemates, a pickupman for Honeycut Rodeo, says “December of 2021, I actually found a lump in my right breast, next to my nipple, and I went to my primary care doctor, who kind of check it out and sent me in for an ultrasound.”

After the ultrasound, they told him it was nothing and to come back in 60 days.

After multiple visits to the hospital where he was told not to worry, this March, doctors removed the lump for tests. That’s when he discovered he had breast cancer.

“I had a complete mastectomy on my right side, which turned out to be the absolute best decision I made because they did find more cancer,” says Stinemates.

Stinemates encourages people to take care of their health and keep asking questions, even when turned away.

Stinemates says, “the big thing is, we as men, can’t ignore our bodies, and when we find that lump, we find those things, but two more importantly is don’t take the ‘It’s nothing’ answer and push for further testing.”

We spoke to Bridget’s Gift, a local group that provides support to breast cancer patients in our area, about how you can bring more awareness to mens breast cancer.

The statistics or the number of incidents is so low compared to women, we just don’t expect the diagnosis and when it hits, it’s a big surprise,” said Wendy McKay, a board member for Bridget’s Gift.

According to Bridget’s Gift, breast cancer in men accounts for 1% of all cases diagnosed compared to 15.5% of breast cancer cases in women.

As a community, there are ways we can bring awareness to mens breast cancer.

“We need to get the statistics out there, we need to encourage our loved ones who feel like something’s different, we need to encourage them to seek medical attention, but keep talking about it is the most important part to get the awareness out there,” explains McKay.

Stinemates wants to bring awareness to the fact that breast cancer doesn’t just impact women and men need support too.

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