Local car group partners with Dairy Queen to help raise money for children’s miracle network hospitals

KYMA on July 30, 2026

Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The local group, known as ‘Unfazed,’ meets at the Dairy Queen on Fortuna on Miracle Treat Day, July 30th.

People can arrive to have a blizzard, look at some amazing classic cars, and help raise money for children’s miracle network hospitals.

The founder of the group, Jonathon Bustos says raising money for the hospitals means a lot to him personally, and hopes the community helps give back.

The meet starts at 7:00 PM in the parking lot.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cocaine worth more than $20 million seized at the Calexico Port of Entry

KYMA on July 30, 2026

Jalen Fong

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – Federal law enforcement officers seized cocaine worth more than $20 million at the Calexico Port of Entry.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said 366 packages of cocaine, weighing 1,002.13 pounds, was hidden in the floorboards of a commercial truck and attached flatbed trailer.

The driver of the truck was arrested and charged with illegally importing cocaine into the United States, and he pleaded not guilty in court.

The DOJ said this is the second-largest cocaine seizure in the Southern District of California this year, where cocaine worth more than $45 million was found in connection with a subterranean cross-border tunnel back in May.

To learn more about the seizure, click here.

Click here to follow the original article.

PSUSD new student cell phone policy limits use of devices during school day

KESQ on July 30, 2026

Dakota Makinen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – As students prepare to return to the classroom, Palm Springs Unified School District is updating its approach to cell phone use, joining school districts across California working to reduce distractions and increase student engagement.

The district’s updated policy limits student smartphone use during the school day, aiming to help students stay focused, interact more with classmates, and spend more time engaged in learning.

District leaders say the change comes as research has linked excessive smartphone use among adolescents with concerns, including higher rates of anxiety and depression. They say reducing phone distractions could help improve student well-being and create more opportunities for face-to-face interaction.

The policy still allows exceptions for emergencies, medical needs, Individualized Education Program (IEP) accommodations, and situations where teachers approve phone use as part of a lesson.

Palm Springs Unified is one of many districts making changes as California requires school districts to adopt policies limiting student smartphone use during the school day.

Click here to follow the original article.

Estrella del Paso to receive about $765,000 from the Trump Administration

KVIA on July 30, 2026

Heriberto Perez Lara

UPDATE (Aug. 7, 2026): A California judge ordered the Trump Administration to release $65 million in funds it withheld in payments to organizations that help unaccompanied migrant children. Estrella del Paso will receive some of that money.

Estrella del Paso will get about $765,000 from the administration for legal services that ran out last Friday. The judge ordered the money be paid Friday by 1 p.m.

Estrella del Paso had to lay off 13 employees because of the lack of funding.

Executive Director Melissa Lopez sent a statement that said in part, quote:

“The Court saw clearly the government’s attempt to evade the injunction. Unfortunately, this decision does not restore the critical legal services to children that lapsed on July 31. We await the government’s update as to the steps being taken to ensure unaccompanied children receive the services they are legally entitled to receive.”

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Estrella del Paso, the largest provider of free immigration legal services in West Texas and Southern New Mexico and the only provider of unaccompanied children’s services in El Paso, is set to close its program this Friday.

At a news conference with other migrant advocates and legal organizations, its Executive Director, Melissa M. Lopez, announced the program’s closure.

Legal representation for thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children faces a total collapse as a federal funding contract is set to expire tomorrow, July 31, 2026.

Frontline legal service providers warned today that without immediate action, tens of thousands of children will be forced to represent themselves against trained government attorneys. The funding crisis follows a standoff that began in November 2025, when the Trump Administration started withholding payments from legal service providers.

The administration has reportedly withheld funds to pressure organizations to release sensitive and privileged information about the children they represent.

The Defending Our Neighbors Fund, which hosted the briefing this week, has issued emergency grants to several frontline legal service providers.

This assistance aims to maintain representation for children while federal payments remain stalled, though providers warn that these funds are not a permanent solution to the loss of federal support.

Executive director Lopez says the network of providers has spent two decades building specialized institutional knowledge specifically for children who have experienced trauma.

“Over the course of 20 years, this network of legal service providers has developed a unique level of expertise working with children who have experienced trauma,” Lopez said. “We have spent 20 years building this institutional knowledge that we are going to lose on Friday. There is no replacing the organizations providing these services.”

If the contract is not renewed, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children will be forced to navigate the court system alone, according to the organizations. These children would face trained government attorneys without professional counsel, a situation providers say leads directly to removal orders.

“We know what happens to children that go to court without an attorney. In one word, it is deportation,” Lopez said. “The government is trying to eliminate our work and this program because they know that without attorneys, children will be deported.”

The federal contract funding the program is scheduled to expire tomorrow, July 31, 2026. Legal service providers stated that immediate federal action is required to renew the contract and prevent the loss of representation for children.

Click here to follow the original article.

Car carrier fire destroys 10 vehicles, shuts down I-8 near Telegraph Pass

KYMA on July 30, 2026

Moses Femino

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A car carrier hauling nine vehicles caught fire Wednesday evening, shutting down a portion of Interstate 8 (I-8) in Yuma and destroying the entire load.

The fire broke out around 7 p.m. in the westbound lanes near Telegraph Pass in the Foothills.

Emergency crews responded to the scene and worked for hours to contain the flames and clear the roadway.

Authorities said the semi-truck and all nine vehicles it was transporting were destroyed in the fire.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) said the left westbound lanes of I-8 have since reopened, while crews continue clearing the shoulder.

The truck driver said the fire started without warning.

“It’s crazy,” Jose Medina said. “The truck didn’t have any issues. It wasn’t smoking. No, the brakes were fine. This truck didn’t have no issues. It wasn’t overheating, nothing. It’s just out of nowhere something blew. And I thought it was a tire. I was sitting in the truck for like five minutes before I heard the next tire, or what I thought was the next tire popping, but something else popped, and that’s what made me jump out of the truck and look.”

DPS said no injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Click here to follow the original article.

El Centro PD arrests suspect for assault with a deadly weapon

KYMA on July 30, 2026

Joaquin Hight

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) arrested a man who allegedly assaulted and strangled a victim, and the entire arrest was captured on body camera.

ECPD said it happened Wednesday morning. They said the suspect picked up a knife and attempted to stab them as well.

The suspect barricaded himself inside a car before surrendering when officers shattered the rear window.

He was safely taken into custody and booked into the Imperial County Jail on multiple felony charges.

The suspect was wanted for multiple felony offenses, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and felony domestic violence.

Click here to follow the original article.

Body recovered after fall into Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls

KIFI on July 30, 2026

Curtis Jackson

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)— A young man’s body was recovered after he fell from the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls on Thursday morning.

The victim fell while climbing canyon rocks near the Twin Falls Visitor Center, according to the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team helped recover the body with several other first responders.

Rope crews worked from the top of the canyon to lower the man’s body to a search and rescue boat below.

The identity of the man has not been released.

Click here to follow the original article.

Oregon extends SNAP replacement deadline for wildfire victims in 10 counties

KTVZ on July 30, 2026

Kelsey Merison

OREGON (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Human Services has extended the deadline for residents in 10 counties to request replacement SNAP benefits following food losses caused by wildfires and evacuations in July. Households in the designated areas now have until Aug. 14 to report their losses.

The extension applies to food bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that was lost or spoiled during the recent fires. The counties included in the extended deadline are Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Jackson, Jefferson, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wasco and Wheeler.

Replacement benefits are added directly to a household’s existing Electronic Benefits Transfer card once a request is approved. The maximum replacement amount is limited to the cost of the food lost and cannot exceed the household’s normal monthly SNAP benefit.

For residents living outside of the 10 specified counties, the standard reporting requirements remain in effect. These households must report food losses within 10 days of the incident and the Oregon Department of Human Services may request proof of the loss.

Affected households can request replacement benefits by calling 800-699-9075 or visiting a local department office in person. Requests can also be submitted online through a ONE Online account or by filling out a replacement request form. Those choosing to submit by mail must send their forms to the ONE Customer Service Center at PO Box 14015 in Salem, provided the mail arrives by the August deadline.

Additional resources are available for individuals needing help meeting basic needs. The Oregon Food Bank provides a directory of food pantries at oregonfoodbank.org, and the Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon offers information on government programs at 1-855-673-2372. Residents can also dial 211, text their zip code to 898-211 or visit 211info.org to find local community resources.

The extended deadline policy is scheduled to end Aug. 14, 2026. After that date, the standard 10-day reporting rule will apply to all Oregon counties again.

Click here to follow the original article.

PSUSD bringing New Middle College High School to valley

KESQ on July 30, 2026

Kiera McKinney

PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. (KESQ)- Palm Springs Unified and College of the Desert is announcing the first Middle College High School in the valley launching in the 2027-28 school year.

This is the first middle college high school in the Coachella Valley, expanding local access to dual-enrollment opportunities and potentially helping students save time and money on college while preparing for future.

Students will be able to earn both high school and college credits at the same time with classes being held at the new College of the Desert Palm Springs campus. With the goal to give students a head start on college while completing high school.

The school’s principal will be Kim Ballard, who was appointed at Tuesdays PSUSD Board meeting.

Marcus Funchess, the Superintendent at Palm Springs Unified School District said “Our scholars are not only enrolled in our high school and attend school on a daily basis on our campus, but they will have an opportunity to walk right next door to College of the desert campus.”

The school will be right next to the College of the Deserts new Palm Springs campus, this makes it easy for students to move between high school and college classes daily.

District leaders are not sure exactly who will be able to attend and how they select students, but they say “we want to start with our ninth grade scholars, so that they can begin to get prepared for college and career with this opportunity,” said Funchess.

Kim Ballard, the Principal of Middle College High School and Career Innovation said “This is an opportunity for them to learn, grow, discover themselves, get some independence, but also just really become themselves.”

Val Martinez Garcia, serving as Superintendent/President of College of the Desert said, “There’s only a few across the state of California that have this partnership where the high school holds the middle college and the college actually supports the high school’s efforts.”

The district says more information about the application process will be released as plans are finalized.

Click here to follow the original article.

Man brought down from Columbia power plant tower reportedly wanted to ‘have fun’

KMIZ on July 30, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The man brought down from a retired smokestack at Columbia’s Municipal Power Plant on Wednesday allegedly told police that he broke into the tower because he wanted to “have fun.”

Richard Nichols, 33, was arrested Wednesday morning after refusing to come down from an enclosed platform about halfway up the tower for about an hour, according to a probable cause statement. During that time, he threw a toolbox to the ground and damaged a light, causing about $120 in damage, the statement says.

The platform is about 150 feet from the ground, according to the statement.

Nichols was charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree property damage and obstructing government operations. He remained in the Boone County Jail on Thursday with no bond.

The statement didn’t give any more details about Nichols’ reason for going up the tower.

Nichols appeared for his initial hearing via video hookup. A bond hearing was scheduled for Aug. 14.

Click here to follow the original article.