Local church distributes free food and $50 gift cards to families in need

KYMA on November 26, 2025

Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Gila Mountain United Methodist Church held a free food drive-thru for families struggling around the holiday.

The church has been able to feed 130 meals Tuesday, which is about 29 families.

“As a community, we’re struggling right now. And so, I think it’s important for those of us that can help, help,” said Jennifer Ericson, a volunteer.

Families could get a plate to take home, as well as some groceries for everyday needs, not just meals for the holidays.

Families also received a $50 gift card to help cover Thanksgiving meal costs.

Mary Klawuhn, the administrative assistant at the church, shares what she wants the community to know.

“We wish we could feed the entire Yuma County. Through the generosity of our church members, we have been able to serve 130 meals today. We wish it could be everybody,” Klawuhn explained.

It began at 5:00 p.m. at the church located on Frontage Road. 

The church urged members of the community to volunteer their time to help distribute the food to these families in need.

Ericson shared why she wanted to help the community saying, “If you can, whether it’s monetary, your time. Every little bit counts so we can all help support each other,:

With so many families in need, it’s amazing to see the church and members of the community stepping in to help them.

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Robert Dear, admitted Planned Parenthood shooter, dies at age 67 while in federal custody

KRDO on November 26, 2025

Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Inmate records confirm Robert Dear, the self-admitted Planned Parenthood shooter, has died in federal custody at the age of 67.

According to records, he died on Saturday. Cause of death will need to be released by the medical examiner, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. KRDO13 has reached out to the medical examiner’s office in Missouri, where he was being held, and the office said they are working to get us information.

Thursday will mark 10 years since the shooting.

Dear, the self-proclaimed shooter, was accused of going to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs in 2015 with six rifles, five handguns, a shotgun, propane tanks, and more than 500 rounds of ammo on the day of the attack. He killed three people and injured nine others.

KRDO had a chance to catch up with the district attorney who first tried to prosecute Dear, Dan May, who told us he was shocked by Dear’s death and feels for the victims.

“I thought it was tragic for the victims; they deserve to have that closure of him standing up in court and pleading guilty and being sentenced, or – if he had changed his mind and had a jury find him guilty, they deserve their day in court to express to the court about themselves or their loved ones,” said May.   

“As we reflect on the 10 years since the Colorado Springs tragedy, we honor and remember those whose lives were lost, as well as the strength and resilience of our staff — current and former —our patients, volunteers, and the Colorado Springs community. At Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing accessible, nonjudgmental, high-quality healthcare to all who walk through our doors. On this week of remembrance, we are prioritizing our staff’s well-being while continuing to meet the  needs of our patients and community.”

-Spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains

Dear was diagnosed with a delusional disorder in 2016, and ever since has repeatedly been deemed incompetent to stand trial.

We have no word on the status or next steps in the federal process, but the 4th judicial district attorney’s office here in Colorado Springs says they will now begin the process of dismissing the case in state court.

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Five killed, including three children from Colorado Springs, after stolen car crashes on Highway 83

KRDO on November 26, 2025

Sadie Buggle

FRANKTOWN, Colo. (KRDO) – A violent head-on crash on Highway 83 on Monday afternoon left five people dead and two children critically injured, authorities said. We now know four of the people who died in the collision, including three children under the age of 13, were from Colorado Springs.

KRDO13 has also learned that the vehicle that allegedly caused the crash was reported stolen just an hour before the deadly collision.

According to Colorado State Patrol (CSP), the crash happened just after 4:30 p.m. on Highway 83, just south of Franktown near Russellville Road. Troopers said a Toyota stolen out of Aurora crashed into a Ford; the Ford had an adult driver and five juveniles from Colorado Springs.

Troopers said the stolen car was driving southbound when it lost control and went off the right shoulder. The car returned to the roadway and rolled into the northbound lane, where it hit the Ford with the children inside head-on, CSP said.

Courtesy: CSP

According to the families of the deceased, the victim’s car included:

A 35-year-old father, Alvin Corado (pronounced deceased)

An 8-year-old boy, Toretto Corado (pronounced deceased)

A 11-year-old girl, Makenlee Corado (pronounced deceased)

A 13-year-old girl, Mia Corado (airlifted to a hospital in critical condition)

A 12-year-old boy, Jase Green (pronounced deceased)

A 14-year-old boy, Jordan Green (airlifted to a hospital in critical condition)

A GoFundMe for the Corado family has been started, and can be accessed by clicking here. A GoFundMe for the Watkins-Green family can be found by clicking here.

A photo of Makenlee Corado (left), Toretto Corado (middle) and Mia Corado (right), courtesy of GoFundMe.

A photo of both families together, including Jase and Jordan Green, courtesy of GoFundMe.

Family related to Jase and Jordan Green tells KRDO13 they were on the way to the hospital to visit their mother, who just had surgery.

The driver of the reported stolen car was ejected on impact and was also pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as a 31-year-old man from Denver, and CSP says he was not using a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The coroner’s office will be tasked with publicly releasing his identity.

Investigators are now working to determine why the driver lost control.  

The stolen car came from a carjacking in Aurora, according to police. The Aurora Police Department (APD) responded to a reported carjacking that occurred around 3:45 p.m. on November 24 at the Nine Mile Station parking structure, according to APD. The Nine Mile Station parking structure is an RTD parking garage.

APD tells KRDO13 the victim told officers she was getting into her vehicle on the first level when an unknown man approached, held the door open and asked her for a ride. Police say when she refused, the suspect pulled her from the driver’s seat and drove off in her vehicle.

The vehicle was then put into all motor vehicle theft systems, according to APD.

Highway 83 was closed between Russellville Road and Lake Gulch Road for hours as troopers investigated. The roadway was reopened at 11:50 p.m.

Neighbors in the area tell KRDO13 the crash was so loud they thought a tire had popped until they saw a large plume of smoke in the area. They say they immediately called 911. Some we spoke with rushed to the scene to help cut people’s seatbelts off and bring towels to assist.

The crash is now being investigated by the Colorado State Patrol Vehicular Crimes Unit. The agency asks those who observed the crash and have not yet spoken to investigators to contact Colorado State Patrol Dispatch at (303) 239-4501 and reference Case Number VC250439.

The Franktown Fire Protection District also responded to the crash. They tell us they could not talk about what the response was like; however, they are grateful to the community, which has been thanking first responders on Tuesday.

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Mid-Buchanan hosts Thanksgiving Showcase

News-Press NOW on November 26, 2025

Daniel Byford

FAUCETT, Mo. (KQTV) — With just days to go before Thanksgiving, Mid-Buchanan School District students got a special treat.

For the second year, the district hosted its Thanksgiving Showcase.

“If we can give kids a sense of ‘hey, let’s come together and share this one thing before we leave for that exact holiday of coming together as a family,'” Mid-Buchanan High School Director of Bands Colton Butcher said. “(We) might as well just start that at Mid-Buch too.”

Instead of spending time in class, district students spent the day watching girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball, girls’ wrestling and Mid-Buchanan’s band.

The idea wasn’t Athletic Director Ryan Shultz’s, but he’s happy with the job he and others did in making it a reality.

“The previous A.D. actually, they came up with the idea,” said Shultz, “Me and the administration just worked through a plan to make it work, there was a lot of planning that went into it, a lot of variables, but it’s been a really cool experience. The kids love it, we’ve really enjoyed doing it.”

Butcher believes the event serves as good inspiration for future members of his band.

“The kids work really hard,” he said, “They try to sound good, and they try to have fun while they do it. And they want more young people to see them, so maybe one day they can get involved and we can grow bigger.”

“Oh, it’s awesome,” Shultz said of the Showcase. “I know they’re ready to get home and get to break. They love being able to have some school spirit… Obviously, elementary kids cheering on where they hope to be in the future. Just seeing the bigger kids is a really fun experience. They get really into it, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

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Turkey Trot returns to Maryville

News-Press NOW on November 26, 2025

News-Press NOW

By: Zac Scott

MARYVILLE, Mo. (KQTV) — The countdown is on for Maryville’s fourth annual Turkey Trot.

The Turkey Trot allows families to visit downtown Maryville and engage in a morning activity before beginning holiday festivities.

With the Turkey Trot being close to a 5K, Executive Director of Downtown Maryville, DeAnn Davison, wanted to create an easy-going environment for all participants to enjoy.

“We have families, kids,  strollers, pets, everything. So it’s just really, a really low-key environment…People walk around the course, and then it’s just a quick event, and then they come home,” said Davison.

Registration for the Maryville Turkey Trot is at 7 a.m. between Fourth and Buchanan Streets, with the race beginning at 8 a.m. Interested participants can register at the event on Thursday, Nov. 27.

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SJSD plan leads to major ramifications for Lafayette and much of district

News-Press NOW on November 26, 2025

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Entering last night’s consequential Board of Education meeting, uncertainty remained on the proposed path the district would elect to move forward with.

In a span of roughly three weeks, proposals shifted from Plan E, a three high school model with Central, Benton and Lafayette, to Plan 2B (Lafyette/Central) before settling on Plan 4BR (Benton/Central).

Even for those who advocated for a particular model, many at Monday’s meeting sought clarity after weeks of discussions, as well as information on where the district stood financially.

“One week it’s Plan E and everyone was staying. Another week, Benton is closed and then the next week Lafayette is closed,” said Connor Zeit, a community member who attended the meeting. “The public is starting to lose trust in the board and in the district. People feel like they aren’t being listened to by the board.”

A key part of Monday’s meeting focused on a recent financial review of the district. Linda Quinley, senior director of school finance for the Missouri School Board Association, was brought in to discuss SJSD’s difficult financial position.

Linda Quinley, senior director of school finance for the Missouri School Board Association, speaks during the board meeting at Central High School on Monday, Nov. 25, 2025

One of her key takeaways is while the district is not in a financial crisis, the budget is not in a healthy place and improvements need to be made.

For example, a review of the district’s June budget showed a significant error in recorded expenditures: Just over $7 million should have been spent in reserve funding, but the actual number recorded was $36.6 million.

Those findings and budget estimate inaccuracies played a key factor.

Throughout the evening, supporters of the Lafayette Fighting Irish, many of whom said “we bleed green,” made impassioned speeches to the board to change course.

While the board’s 5-2 vote to approve 4BR provided much-needed direction for the district, the decision left many distraught, frustrated and for some, in tears.

“It’s sad to see all these people react like this and then be OK with that,” said Breanna, a student from Lafayette. “There’s going to be a lot more people at the same school as we go to a new, unknown environment and high school.”

For some at last night’s meeting like Zeit, many questioned why the process seemingly occurred as quickly as it did: “Why are they doing this now?”

“These are big decisions that are going to impact our town for years to come. I think this decision has been rushed,” Zeit said. “They should have stepped back and took a pause, I think they needed more time. The week before Thanksgiving break, and we keep pushing for a decision?”

Zeit further explained that while he hasn’t been in this position, he feels for the students impacted.

“It’s a tough situation, I can’t put myself in their shoes because I haven’t been through something like this,” Zeit said. “I’m just being supportive and continuing to give guidance each and every day. Being a person they can come talk to is really the only thing we can really do in this situation.”

Going forward the board will be discussing how to tackle decisions related to staffing, zoning and potential overcrowding, among many other discussions in store in the near future.

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Local engineer students build car on campus with advanced machines

KYMA on November 26, 2025

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Local engineering students are building new projects with the help of advanced machines.

Northern Arizona University Yuma students have five CNC milling machines on campus. CNC stands for “Computer Numerical Control” and helps cut with precision.

“It knows where the actual material is, and it knows where the actual part is within that material. It just cuts it out. It does all the visualizing for you. All you have to do is program and program it where to cut and how to cut with the right tools,” said engineering student Leonardo Rojas.

Some students are using it to build parts for a car built entirely in house.

“This upper control arm and lower control arm are examples of what we would be sensing, as well as we have our knuckle right here in combination with our 3D printer.,” said engineering student Cesar Duarte.

The students say it’s a great resource on campus to learn industry skills.

“CNC machines are used for a whole variety of different things we make, especially with cars. The spindle, different pieces of the motor,” said engineering student John Beeler. “This would be a broad application to many different parts of different jobs.”

The students will be taking the car to compete in a competition in Washington in May of 2026.

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‘Warrant sweep’ operation that led to 19 indictments named after ‘Mr. Brightside’

KMIZ on November 26, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Department of Justice confirmed on Tuesday that the name of a law enforcement operation that led to several arrests in Columbia last week was named after a song by The Killers.

Operation Brightside — which resulted in 33 arrests and 19 indictments for mostly illegal gun possession – was named after “Mr. Brightside,” according to an email from US Attorney R. Matthew Price. The song by the alternative rock band was released in 2004 and has become a staple at home football games for the Missouri Tigers and other teams in the past several years.

“The name of the operation is based upon the song by the Killers ‘Mr. Brightside’ as this song is associated with the University of Missouri, and by extension Columbia in that the students will sing it in unison at Mizzou sporting events,” Price wrote in the email. “This act of unison among the student body is reminiscent of all of the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies who participate in the VCAT speaking with one voice, through their actions, to say ‘enough is enough’ and we will act to confront and reduce violent crime in the Columbia area to make it a safer community.”

Various law enforcement agencies were seen on Thursday and Friday around Columbia to conduct what officials referred to as a “warrant sweep,” where people with federal warrants were arrested. Most of the charges the defendants were arrested for were being a felon with a gun, though some were also arrested on drug charges.

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies held a press conference Monday at Columbia City Hall, and said all but one arrest were for felony warrants. Eight law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation.

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Crucial maintenance behind Silver Lake’s lower water

KIFI on November 26, 2025

Ariel Jensen

Idaho (KIFI) – Environmental groups have concerns about water levels at an area lake, but officials say it needs to be temporarily lowered. Silver Lake at Harriman State Park had its water levels lowered recently as preventative maintenance on a head gate that goes underneath the main spillway. 

Idaho Parks and Recreation officials explained the water level had to be lowered so construction crews could access the area.

The move had environmental groups asking what that means for the fish living there. A concern parks and rec say they share.

“We have the same concern. It’s a beautiful area, a beautiful habitat. And we’ve taken steps along the way to ensure that that resource is protected,” said. We’ve had staff on site throughout the entire process, monitoring and making sure that the fish are protected through this process. And to this point, we’ve observed no major impact to the fish or the waterfowl in the area,” said Ryan Buffington, East Region Manager for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation 

The headgate was no longer functioning, and Parks and Recreation officials say it needed to be addressed.

“Our engineers determined that it was the most effective and safest way to access the area that needed to be replaced. This was preventative maintenance. It was scheduled in advance, and it was crucial to get it done,” said Buffington.

Buffington says managers were in coordination with all the state and federal agencies, required every step of the way. Ensuring the correct processes were followed during repairs.

“We met with the Army Corps of Engineers, and it was determined that this project fell under a permit 33 for temporary construction access and dewatering. Therefore, it didn’t need a special permit,” said Buffington.

Buffington says once water levels dropped, they could see the damage to the headgate was worse than originally believed. That made the repairs more important than ever.  

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Bend’s Jennifer McCaffrey named Old Mill District’s 2025 Winter Art Series Artist  

KTVZ on November 26, 2025

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) —Whatever you do, don’t put Jennifer McCaffrey in a box.  

Known for her expressive oil paintings, McCaffrey, the artist commissioned by the Old Mill District to create their 2025 Winter Art Series piece, stepped outside her comfort zone to craft a stunning linocut block print that pays homage to the Old Mill District’s industrial roots and blue-collar beginnings. 

The final piece features a powerful elk standing sentinel in a riverside snowbank before the Old Mill District’s historic smokestacks. A snowcapped Broken Top rises in the background with a hint of the Northern Lights in the sky, creating a feeling that’s both nostalgic and bold. 

Printed in a duotone palette inspired by vintage black-and-white photographs, McCaffrey said she hoped to capture the timeless relationship between Bend’s natural beauty and its working heritage. 

“I really wanted to tie it back to the Old Mill District’s history,” she said. “The process of carving the block felt connected to that timber and tactile side of the district’s past. It was the perfect way to marry my own creative instincts with the spirit of this place.” 

This is the ninth straight year the Old Mill District has commissioned an original art piece as part of its Winter Art Series. Each year, the artwork is featured as the backbone of the district’s winter marketing campaign. McCaffrey’s art piece can be seen throughout Central Oregon on banners, posters, and the cover of the Old Mill District’s annual winter guide. 

“We treasure this annual tradition, and this year Jen’s piece is completely unique,” said Beau Eastes, marketing director at the Old Mill District. “I love how the piece being a linocut pays homage to the craftsmanship of the former mill workers and how she’s able to add that drop of winter magic with the night sky. It’s totally different than anything we’ve had before and brilliantly captures everything we love about Bend.” 

To bring the scene to life, McCaffrey became part artist, part historian. She scoured archives and old photographs of the original Brooks-Scanlon mill, studying the silhouettes of its smokestacks and the quiet grain of its past. 

The black-and-white images informed her palette and composition, she said, grounding the piece in authenticity. 

“This just feels like winter in Oregon to me,” she said. 

Having spent most of her career as a surgical assistant while painting on the side, this year’s Winter Art Series commission represents a turning point for McCaffrey. 

“I’ve been painting my whole life, but I’ve always hesitated to call myself a professional artist,” she said. “Being chosen for this series feels like permission to fully claim that title. That 7-year-old, 12-year-old, and 16-year-old versions of me who dreamed about being an artist are all thrilled right now.” 

Prints and other versions of McCaffrey’s art can be viewed and purchased at The Stacks Art Studios & Gallery in the Old Mill District, a space she shares with four other local artists. More about McCaffrey and her work can also be found online at www.jennifermccaffrey.com.  

About the Old Mill District  Celebrating 20 years as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most distinctive and dynamic mixed-use developments, the Old Mill District is located on 270 acres that formerly housed one of the largest sawmill operations in the world. The rich history of the land is coupled with spectacular mountain views, scenic river vistas and an extensive trail system to enjoy the outdoors. More than 55 local, regional and national retailers and businesses call the Old Mill District home. Bend’s Old Mill District – the most unique shopping, dining, living and entertainment experience in the region. www.oldmilldistrict.com. 

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