Options For All expands hands-on job training

KYMA on June 26, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Options For All, an Imperial County based nonprofit, and its Project Search connects individuals with disabilities to hands-on internships that helps prepare them for meaningful employment.

The participants, age 18-30, are referred through the San Diego Regional Center. Program options include film production, hospitality, customer service, and more.

Project Search just wrapped up a partnership with Legoland in San Diego, where participants got the chance to work and train at the theme park.

Eddie Rendon, Area Manager at Options For All, described it as an “immersive internship program.”

“Film, customer service, workplace etiquette, team building, financial literacy, and more, and we can really tailor it as well, specific to the host site which is really unique,” Rendon explained.

Project Search is now looking for more businesses in the Imperial Valley to build similar partnerships with.

“It’s one of those programs that we know is needed. It’s a great opportunity here for the Imperial Valley, and we’re always welcoming new conversations with any participants, you know, that are thinking about joining or even any potential host businesses that would like to partner up,” Rendon said.

To learn more about the program, click here.

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More child enticement charges filed in Boone County

KMIZ on June 26, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County man was charged Friday with two counts of child enticement — the latest in a string of defendants charged with similar crimes this week.

John Binu, 25, tried to meet with two 16-year-old girls on Thursday for sex after meeting them online, according to a probable cause statement. The girls were actually decoys, according to the statement.

Binu didn’t deny that he planned to pay the girls and said he knew the person he met online represented herself as 16 years old.

Binu remained in the Boone County Jail on no bond Friday.

He was the latest in a string of men to be charged with similar child sex crimes in Boone County this week, including the former Missouri Department of Revenue general counsel Daniel Follett, 56. Other men arrested this week on similar charges are Ethan Deimeke, 27, of Auxvasse; David Burres, 32; Brice Morris, 34, of Columbia; Rollie Pogue, 29, of Moberly; Jose Jimenzez, 54, of Columbia; and Rifat Apurba, 56.

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Grand jury indicts suspect in Columbia trash bin murder case

KMIZ on June 26, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County grand jury on Friday indicted a Columbia man accused of killing his romantic partner and disposing of her body in a trash bin that was found in a creek.

Andrew Acton is accused of strangling or smothering the 47-year-old woman sometime between Oct. 1, 2025, and May 10, 2026. The grand jury indictment gave the victim’s initials as C.A.C., and describes the cause of death as “neck impression.”

Acton was indicted Friday on the same charges that were filed against him earlier in the investigation — second-degree murder, abandoning a corpse and evidence tampering.

A fisherman initially recovered the trash can at the Providence boat access, who reported seeing a human leg wrapped in a blanket inside. Authorities have not publicly released other details about the case, including motive.

Acton was arrested after investigators matched the truck he was driving to surveillance video that showed the truck hauling the trash bin near Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area.

Acton’s last listed address is in the 3000 block of Bray Avenue in southwest Columbia. County records show the home was foreclosed on in March, with the property being purchased by HBH Holdings at the end of the month.

According to documents from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, Acton was a former owner of the now-closed 63 Diner in Columbia.

A hearing in Acton’s case is set for Monday. He remains in the Boone County Jail on no bond.

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Arrest warrant issued, charges filed against Kyle L. Combs for secretly recording nude women

KEYT on June 26, 2026

Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges and issued an arrest warrant for Kyle L. Combs after he secretly recorded nude women at a local gym.

Combs, 40, from Grover Beach, has 12 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy after a criminal complaint for recording women while they were nude inside tanning booths at an Arroyo Grande gym.

All 12 counts happened between Jul. 12 and Dec. 29 of 2025, involving 12 separate “Jane Doe” victims after an investigation by the Arroyo Grande Police Department.

AGPD officers reviewed secret recordings at the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande, and investigators continue working to determine if additional victims were targeted similarly.

State law prohibits using a device to look into an otherwise private area, including tanning booths or dressing rooms, with intent to invade another’s privacy.

Combs’ bail is set at $50,000 and women who used the tanning or red-light rooms at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness in 2025 are encouraged to contact the AGPD if they have not yet spoken to investigators.

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Meta will hire a community development regional manager

KVIA on June 26, 2026

Nina Gallegos

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Meta will be hiring a community development regional manager for El Paso, according to a Meta official.

According to Meta, that manager would represent Meta in the community and work directly with the community on ways they can partner together.

Meta did not release an official statement, but previously a Meta spokesperson has shared, “Meta’s El Paso data center represents a significant long-term investment in this community — supporting thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of operational jobs, generating millions in local tax revenue, and supporting the digital infrastructure that El Paso businesses and families rely on every day. We’re glad to continue working with the city on the path forward and remain excited to be part of El Paso’s future.”

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Norm Ruebling, Columbia businessman and band leader, dies

KMIZ on June 26, 2026

Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –

Norm Ruebling, the cofounder of a Columbia airport shuttle business and longtime local musician, died on Thursday.

Ruebling helped found the MO-X Doc & Norm direct shuttle service in Columbia, taking people to and from the St. Louis and Kansas City airports. The business posted about his passing on Facebook on Friday afternoon.

“Our team and all of Mid-Missouri lost a beloved friend with the passing of Norm Ruebling,” the post states. “His spirit and sense of humor were loved by all who knew him.”

Ruebling came to the University of Missouri in 1971, according to a story written by the school in 2020, and joined the ranks of Marching Mizzou. Ruebling spent many years in Columbia and Mid-Missouri playing around town with the Norm Ruebling Band, including at Mizzou and Columbia College athletic events.

Missouri Cancer Associates shared Ruebling’s story of diagnosis and recovery in 2020.

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ShelterBox Mobilizes for Venezuela Earthquake

KEYT on June 26, 2026

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – ShelterBox is preparing to respond after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, leaving families in urgent need of assistance.

Relief supplies have already been positioned nearby to help speed the response.

Teams are working with partners in the region to assess damage and identify the most pressing needs.

Emergency shelter and other essential aid are expected to be priorities as recovery begins.

The organization aims to support survivors as communities begin rebuilding.

For more information, visit: https://shelterboxusa.org/

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Direct Relief Delivers Pediatric Dental Kits to Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinic

KEYT on June 26, 2026

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Direct Relief just delivered pediatric dental kits to the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinic to help improve children’s oral health.

The kits provide basic dental care supplies for young patients and their families.

The effort is part of a community partnership focused on expanding access to preventive care.

Volunteers helped assemble the kits before they were delivered to the clinic.

The donation supports local children by encouraging healthy dental habits and improving access to essential resources.

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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Lawsuit targets Spud Kings’ move to NAHL

KIFI on June 26, 2026

Max Gershon

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Falls Spud Kings are at the center of a new lawsuit following their offseason move to the North American Hockey League.

According to a report by JuniorHockey.IO, the United States Premier Hockey League filed a lawsuit on June 22, 2026, in the Delaware Court of Chancery, claiming the Spud Kings and three other former mountain division teams secretly planned their departure to the NAHL while still under league contracts.

The report specifically names Spud King’s former General Manager, Erik Hudson, along with East Idaho Hockey Inc. President Kevin Greene. The lawsuit alleges that during his role as general manager, Hudson was privy to sensitive information as the only non-member invited to attend Executive Committee meetings.

“The lawsuit alleges that Hudson sat in these meetings, absorbing confidential blueprints, all while simultaneously conspiring to move his team to a direct competitor,” states the report.

The league is seeking more than $1 Million in damages and is petitioning the court to prevent the four teams from competing in the NAHL while the case moves forward. The Spud Kings previously competed in the NCDC, the top tier of the USPHL.

The lawsuit calls the future of the Spud King’s 2026-27 season into question, even while the team is actively announcing its new roster. Thursday, the team’s Instagram page announced the Spud Kings had Chase Buehler.

This is a developing story. Local News 8 has reached out to current Spud Kings management for comment and is actively attempting to contact former management. Updates will be provided as they become available.

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AWC welcomes new president with special reception

KYMA on June 26, 2026

Abraham Retana

Dr. Reetika Dhawan shared how she feels about the new chapter in her life, and what will be her main focus in her new role.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Western College (AWC) welcomed its new president this week with a special reception.

Dr. Reetika Dhawan is the tenth president of AWC, and she is honored and humble to receive the opportunity to serve the Yuma community.

“As an immigrant and being here for 20 years, it means a lot to me when the community is trusting me with this big honor and responsibility,” Dr. Dhawan expressed. “I want to make sure that I do right to the community and right by this college.”

Dhawan said there are many challenges going forward, but one of her goals is to make high education more affordable for everyone.

“I want a three-plus program. We want to make education accessible for this community and cheaper for this community have a complete bachelor degree at the college at a cheaper rate maybe $200 a credit,” Dhawan shared.

This summer, Dhawan will meet with students, employees and community leaders to develop the college’s Strategic Plan 2028.

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