Brawley Playhouse Theater continues fundraising for renovations

KYMA on March 6, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA) – Major renovations and remodeling continue on the Brawley Playhouse Theater in Imperial Valley as they ramp up fundraising efforts, including selling tee-shirts, beef jerky, and coffee, outside of the theater during the day.

The project is being led by the Brawley Community Foundation. The historic theater closed in 1979, following an earthquake. It remained vacant until 2018.

Over $1 million has already been invested in the renovation project since 2021, with repairs to the structure, balcony, and roof underway.

Ryan Brandt, a film directory, who refers to himself as a “tenant” of the theater shared how he became involved in the project.

“The roof was coming down. I owned the theater for like a couple months. Glen Huber gave it to me and I gave it to the Brawley Community Foundation. I didn’t want someone to get hurt and stuff so. The Brawley Community Foundation took it on and they gutted out the main roof,” Brandt said.

Despite the ongoing construction, the theater plans to host more community events to bolster their fundraising efforts. They opened up the theater to a scary movie screening and haunted house for Halloween 2025.

“We’re trying to do it on the holidays. So definitely um Christmas and Halloween we’re doing. We might do a Spring one, maybe for Easter. We’re trying to think about the holidays to get, to get something going,” Brandt explained.

The theater has plans to build a snack bar, upgrade the bathrooms to be ADA compliant, and install new seating.

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Las Americas faces difficulties meeting with clients due to measles outbreak at Camp East Montana

KVIA on March 6, 2026

Heriberto Perez Lara

FORT BLISS, Texas (KVIA) — The Department of Homeland Security announced this week that it placed Camp East Montana under quarantine due to a recent measles outbreak at the facility.

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center says now it will be more difficult for them to access dozens of their clients who are detained under ICE custody, because all legal access and visitations have been switched virtually.

ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. In a statement they said that as of March 3, 2026, the Texas Department of Health confirmed active measles infections of 14 detainees at Camp East Montana in Texas.

“ICE Health Services Corps immediately took steps to quarantine and control further spread and infection, ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining all individuals suspected of making contact with the infected,” said DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Relations, Lauren Bis.

“In-person visitation is currently suspended to protect the health and safety of the detainees, the staff, and the community. Detainees still have access to attorneys and visitation through Visual Attorney Visitation booths, tablets, or telephones,” DHS added. “Medical staff is continuing to monitor the detainees’ conditions and will take appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection.  All detainees are being provided with proper medical care.”

“It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care—including access to vaccines. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives,” DHS added.  

Watch the full story tonight on ABC-7 at 6.

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Columbia man faces federal gun charge

KMIZ on March 6, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged in federal court on Thursday after he was indicted by a grand jury.

Dorian Gardner, 38, is charged with illegally possessing a gun. He has a prior felony conviction and is not allowed to own guns.  He is being held at the Cooper County Jail and still has active charges from the county for first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, illegal gun possession and child endangerment.

The probable cause statement claims he fired a shot on Nov. 24 at a Boonville intersection. He allegedly told the victim to stop the car they were in, took their cellphone, stepped out of the car and fired a shot straight ahead, with the shell casing of the bullet being found within 100 yards of Laura Speed Elliott Middle School, the statement says.

Police eventually found Gardner and he initially denied being involved in the incident before admitting to having and firing a gun, the statement says.

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Update: Sarah Session found guilty on nine counts in mistreatment of stepson; parents also found guilty of role

KTVZ on March 6, 2026

Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding more details from courtroom, statement by family friend; corrected sentencing date)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Deschutes County judge found a Sunriver-area woman guilty Thursday on nine counts of assault, criminal mistreatment and coercion involving her 9-year-old stepson, while her parents were convicted on charges, including tampering with evidence. 

Circuit Judge Alison Emerson set a 3 p.m. March 31 sentencing date for Sarah Marie Session, 34, and parents Gary Hardenburg, 66, and Paula Hardenburg, 61 after hearing dozens of witnesses during a three-week trial, including the boy at the center of the case. Disturbing videos taken of the boy in a room covered with tarps also were shown in court. 

Prosecutors said the boy was kept isolated, beaten with a curtain rod, given extreme, life-threatening levels of salt, had food withheld and was forced to eat his own vomit.

Session initially was also charged with second-degree attempted murder, assault and criminal mistreatment of her stepson. In January, Emerson dismissed the attempted murder charge and a first-degree assault charge, at the request of prosecutors, who cited insufficient evidence.

Session faced two counts of assault in the second degree, five counts of assault in the third degree, eight counts of criminal mistreatment in the first degree, and two counts of coercion. The woman and her parents had waived their right to a jury trial in the case.

The judge, frequently citing case law, acquitted Session of six other charges, including four counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and two counts of third-degree assault.

The three family members were arrested at two locations in Coos Bay in February of 2025 after arrest warrants were issued.

Paula Hardenburg was convicted of all six charges, including second-degree assault, a Class B felony, while her husband was convicted on all three counts he faced, the most serious first-degree criminal mistreatment, a Class C felony. Both were found guilty of tampering with evidence, a Class A misdemeanor.

Emerson cited “substantial evidence” that Paula Hardenburg was present in the boy’s room when it was covered by tarps, on the day the boy was taken to the hospital and when he was tied to a chair unconscious.

Session and her parents had been on conditional release, but Emerson ordered the mother and daughter taken into immediate custody and they were led by sheriff’s deputies out of the courtroom and to jail after the judge rendered her verdicts.

The most serious conviction, a second-degree assault charge, is a Class B felony and a Measure 11 offense, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a a mandatory minimum sentence of about 6-8 years.

Long-time family friend Jason Reynolds, among many in court during the trial and for the verdict, gave KTVZ News a statement after the verdict was read:

“Now that the verdict has been reached, I hope the DA’s office also will look further into the role that (the boy’s father), Chris Session played in this situation,” he said.

“It was determined in court that he abandoned his son … for 18 months prior to (the boy’s) health crisis, as well as admitting to lying on the witness stand,” Reynolds added.

Previous Reporting:

Therapist Testifies in Sarah Session Trial, Session Accused of Mistreatment of Stepson

More disturbing details of S. Deschutes County child abuse case revealed at woman’s, father’s arraignment

Judge lifts no-contact order between Sunriver-area couple charged with daughter in extreme child-abuse case

S. Deschutes County woman, parents plead not guilty in attempted murder, child abuse case; trial expected next spring

S. Deschutes County woman wanted for attempted murder, child abuse captured with parents at coast hotel

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Boil water advisory issued in Fulton

KMIZ on March 6, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Fulton announced on its social media on Thursday that a boil water advisory will be issued for a portion of the city.

The post says water service will be temporarily shut off on Route Z between Bluff and Vine streets because of a water main break.

Affects residences will have notices delivered to them, the post says.

Crews are currently working to make repairs.  

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Laura Huber runs for Arizona State Senate

KYMA on March 6, 2026

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A new candidate is running for a senate seat currently held by a local senator. Democratic candidate Laura Huber is running for the Arizona State Senate in Legislative District 25.

It’s the same seat Republican incumbent Senator Tim Dunn currently holds. Arizona State Senator Dunn shares with us that he plans on running for re-election.

The Yuma lawmaker says he plans on filing his signatures next week. He currently holds a seat in the senate for Arizona’s 25th legislative district.

Laura Huber has experience as a mental health counselor for over a decade, overseeing crisis mobile teams, and homeless outreach. She says this is an opportunity to help people on a larger level.

“I have really seen and been concerned, as many people are, what’s happening in our federal government presently, and I wanted to just do my part to hopefully shift things back into a place where we’re making choices that help the most people instead of just focusing more on the top 1%,” said Huber.

She says her three areas of focus are affordability, healthcare, and education. She also wants to tackle water issues.

“The Colorado River agreement is going to be something that needs to be addressed, especially in this coming year, and we have to make sure that we have enough water to support both our agriculture, especially in the Yuma area and the ongoing spread that’s our big Phoenix metro,” said Huber.

She has five generations of farmers and ranchers on both sides of her family. She says she understands how important agriculture is to Yuma.

“I think I also understand how absolutely essential farmers are and how essential water is to making sure that they’re able to do their jobs,” said Huber.

She has submitted all of the signatures she needs to be on the ballot. The Primary Election is on July 21 and the general election is in November.

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Montecito Fire Chief Announces Retirement

KEYT on March 6, 2026

News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from Montecito Fire Department regarding the retirement of Fire Chief David Neels after 36 years of service.

MONTECITO, CA – Montecito Fire Chief David Neels has announced his upcoming retirement at the end of March, after 36 years of dedicated service to public safety. Chief Neels has served as Montecito Fire Chief since 2023. His last day as Fire Chief will be March 31, 2026.

Chief Neels began his firefighting career in 1989 as a paid-call firefighter for San Luis Obispo County Fire. He also worked as a seasonal firefighter for Cal Fire San Luis Obispo while earning his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Neels went on to complete paramedic school and worked as an ambulance paramedic before joining Santa Barbara County Fire Department in 1998.

Over his 21-year career with Santa Barbara County Fire, he promoted through the ranks of firefighter/paramedic, engineer, captain and battalion chief. He was instrumental in founding the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation, an organization that provides financial relief for firefighters and their families after line-of-duty incidents and supports the overall wellbeing of Santa Barbara County firefighters. He was also responsible for writing and implementing the first Community Wildfire Protection Plan in the County of Santa Barbara for the Mission Canyon community, setting an industry standard of creating specialized plans for areas vulnerable to severe wildfire impacts.

In 2019, Chief Neels joined Montecito Fire Department as a battalion chief. He was promoted to DivisionChief of Operations in 2021 and was appointed to lead the department in 2023.

“Chief Neels devoted his entire professional life to serving the community,” said Montecito Fire Protection District Board President Peter Van Duinwyk. “We are grateful for his leadership and service to the Montecito community over the last six years. My fellow Board members and I congratulate him on a well-earned retirement.

Throughout his career, Chief Neels has been an engaged partner and respected leader locally and regionally. He served on federal Incident Management Teams for over 15 years, responding to major incidents across the western United States. He led the All-Hazard Incident Management Team for Santa Barbara County as Incident Commander and served as president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County.

“Partnership and collaboration have been central to every success I’ve been fortunate to experience in my career,” Neels said. “This job has afforded me with invaluable opportunities to work alongside countless first responders and regardless of the patch on our uniform, we’ve worked together to take care of our community.”

In retirement, Chief Neels looks forward to spending more time with his wife and three children.

Chief Neels informed the Board of Directors in October 2025 of his intention to retire in the spring. After a thorough recruitment process, the Board extended a conditional offer of employment to Brian Fallon to serve as Fire Chief of the Montecito Fire Department, subject to the completion of a standard pre-employment process. Fallon brings decades of fire service leadership experience to Montecito, most recently serving as Fire Chief of Lompoc City Fire Department. Chief Neels and Fallon are working together to support a smooth transition. Pending successful completion of the pre-employment process, Fallon will begin as Fire Chief on April 1, 2026.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

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Idaho lawmaker aims to shield customers from rising power rates tied to data centers

KIFI on March 5, 2026

KIVI Staff

Posted 5:56 PM, Mar 04, 2026 and last updated 5:58 PM, Mar 04, 2026

By: Brady Caskey

KUNA, Idaho (KIVI) — Data centers — like the massive one under construction by Meta in Kuna — are popping up across the country, supporting services like artificial intelligence and cloud storage. They also use a lot of power.

As these large-scale power users come online in Idaho, one lawmaker wants to ensure residents don’t see higher utility bills as a result.

“It’s basically a ratepayer protection bill against large data loads,” said Republican Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen.

Mickelsen said other states are already facing issues with big energy consumers raising costs for everyday consumers — she hopes to prevent that in Idaho.

“I want to make sure that the older people that are on fixed incomes and the young families that are trying to get started, they don’t get priced out of affordability in our state because of data centers,” Mickelsen said.

Currently, rate rules are decided by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, but Mickelsen wants guidance written into state law.

House Bill 756 would require any new power customer that needs 20 megawatts or more of power to fund the infrastructure themselves and ensure rate increases aren’t passed on to other customers.

“We have to make sure that our PUC (Public Utilities Commission) has the proper guidance and the proper tools in the toolbox to make sure that they can allocate those costs to the cost-causer, not every user on the system,” explained Mickelsen.

RELATED | Inside the secretive data centers powering the AI boom

For reference, Idaho Power says one megawatt powers about 760 homes — and most data centers use much more than that.

“Typically, those types of facilities [have] energy requirements in the hundreds of megawatts,” said Megan Ronk, Director of Customer Experience & Economic Development with Idaho Power. “That is not the type of energy that we just have available on our systems.”

Ronk said large Treasure Valley projects like Meta’s data center in Kuna and Micron’s $50 billion expansion already fund new electrical infrastructure upfront.

“The reality is that those projects very much pay their own way,” Ronk said.

She acknowledged concerns about rising prices due to massive consumer demand, but said currently, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission ensures rates remain fair for all customers.

“We have a structure in place and have for decades to ensure that that type of cost shifting doesn’t occur,” Ronk said.

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Camera store hit by thieves, Police seek public help

KIFI on March 5, 2026

Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho Falls Police are investigating a burglary at the Perfect Light Camera store on 17th Street.

Officers were called out around 2:30 a.m. Thursday after an alarm company reported a break-in. When police arrived, they found one of the doors shattered.

Between the damage and the high‑end camera gear stolen, police say the dollar amount is significant, though they aren’t releasing specifics yet.

If you know anything about this burglary, call Idaho Falls Police at 208-5291200. You can also report tips anonymously through East Idaho Crime Stoppers at ifcrime.org. Tipsters who submit information to Crime Stoppers that leads to a successful arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.

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Warm Springs Police search for missing 13-year-old, believed to be a runaway

KTVZ on March 5, 2026

Campbell Porter

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Warm Springs Police Department is searching for a runaway teenager. Tyler Kalama, aged 13, was last seen walking in the West Hills Subvision on The Warm Springs Reservation, on February 24th.

According to the flier posted by the Warm Springs Police Department’s facebook page, he is described as 5’6″, 125lbs, with brown eyes and black hair.

According to Warm Springs police, he is believed to be a runaway and is still in the Warm Springs area.

If you know anything about his whereabouts, you’re asked to please contact the Warm Springs Police at 541-553-1171 between 6AM-6PM, and 541-384-2080 from 6PM-6AM.

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