Police arrest woman wanted for attempted first-degree murder in Las Cruces

KVIA on July 23, 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — The New Mexico State Police said last week it arrested a woman wanted for attempted first-degree murder warrant in Las Cruces, according to a news release sent Thursday.

NMSP’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit, with help from the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested 35-year-old Aimee Bethany Martinez July 17 on an attempt to commit a felony (first-degree murder) warrant.

NMSP FAU learned about Martinez’ whereabouts after investigative efforts, police said. Officers conducted surveillance to confirm her location and make an arrest plan.

Martinez was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center.

According to jail records, her bond is set at $1,000.

ABC-7 requested documents detailing the arrest and is waiting for a response.

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Arizona attorney general hosts town hall in Yuma

KYMA on July 23, 2026

Connor Emery

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is hosted a town hall during her visit to Yuma Thursday.

During the town hall, which is took place at the Yuma Civic Center from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Attorney General Mayes is hearing from Yuma residents regarding their concerns about bio-solids.

The issue became a hot topic this year, garnering reaction from locals as well as county leaders.

Mayes is currently running for reelection, and will face off against Republican candidate Warren Petersen in the November midterm election.

The Civic Center was packed with locals to address the situation with Agtech biosolids.

From long time citizens of yuma to newcomers, many who spoke told Mayes that the fly situation has gotten out of hand to where their animals and loved ones are getting ill from it.

“At a minimum, it cannot be used for something that harms a very Arizona’s who the state trust lands are supposed to benefit,” Mayes said.

Mayes had each person tell how many miles they lived from the biosolids.

“The flies are unbearable,” one person said.

“I think the bottom line on the biohazard solid situation is get it out,” another said.

Many AgTech workers attended the town hall including AgTech operations manager Kevin Good who has been with the company for over 20 years.

Good says he hopes the community does their research concerning biosolids before listening to the rumors.

“I would really appreciate it if everybody could be open minded about what we do. Our job is to be part of the community. Be another farmer. And the rumors just really need to stop,” Good said.

The event was originally scheduled for 90 minutes but it went longer as many questions were left unanswered.

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Westbound I-70 traffic shift in Columbia moved up to Thursday night

KMIZ on July 23, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A traffic shift that was planned for next week on Interstate 70 in Columbia has been moved up to Thursday night, a press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation says.

The plan is to divert westbound traffic “traffic down and up the newly reconstructed ramps at Boone County Route J (Exit 117),” the release says.

The speed limit will be reduced to 35 miles per hour, the statement says. Crews will work on the westbound bridge over Route J, which is expected to be completed by the end of November, the release says. The traffic shift was moved up because of “forecasted weather,” MoDOT wrote.

There will be no access to or from westbound I-70 from Routes O and J until the end of November, the release says. Closures and detours in place include:

Westbound and eastbound I-70 to and from Route J is closed. Detour will be Highway 40/240.  

Westbound I-70 to and from Route O is closed. Detour from westbound I-70 will be Route BB (Exit 115) to eastbound I-70 to Route O. Detour to westbound I-70 will be eastbound I-70 to Exit 121 to westbound I-70. 

Route J to Route O (north-south access underneath I-70) will be closed. The detour will be Highway 40 to Route UU. 

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The Valley’s Forgotten: The search never stops

KYMA on July 23, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

EDITOR’S NOTE: For part one of The Valley’s Forgotten, click HERE. For part two of The Valley’s Forgotten, click HERE. For part three of The Valley’s Forgotten, click HERE.

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – A cold case can sit unsolved for years, even decades, but prosecutors say they never stop looking for answers. Take the disappearance of 22-year-old Penny Gemar Holt in Westmoreland.

This is a case that has haunted District Attorney George Marquez.

“She went missing in approximately 1987,” Marquez said in an interview with KYMA.

“We do suspect that she was murdered. She was going to take a trip to visit her parents and her family up north. She never got there, and she never went home either,” he said.

Marquez still holds out hope that this case can be cracked in his lifetime for the family’s sake.

He said, “Just remember, to anybody who’s listening right now, her family members, the people who are still alive…there’s a lot of people who loved her, and they deserve to have closure in this case.”

Holt’s sister Fonda Borque recalls the night Penny went missing.

“My mom never heard from her again. That she was headed to go see my parents,” she told KYMA.

Holt’s husband filed a missing persons report on July 7. On July 8, he filed for divorce.

“A missing report. He had a lawyer with him. He lawyered up. The next day, he filed for divorce, and then he moved out of the house within three days,” Borque said.

On July 10, Holt’s husband moved out of the home the couple shared. In October of that same year, Holt’s car was found in Mexicali with her purse, money, and wallet in the front seat.

“My dad don’t even want me talking to you. He’s afraid for my life,” she said shaking her head.

Borque said she’s been trying for years to get Penny’s story out to the public, but the case files and missing persons report on the national database keep disappearing.

“I had my sister on names, you know, the missing. I’ve had to get THREE different case numbers because they keep saying there’s no case on her every time they get in touch with Westmorland police people,” she explained.

News 11 looked, and there is no record of Holt on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and just like the other families who are looking for justice, Holt’s family wants closure.

“At least someone would reopen the case. That’s all I wish. I wish they would reopen it and, you know, just have it start in the motion again and get it going,” Borque pleaded.

For investigators, these cases are more than files stored in a cabinet. They represent real people with real families searching for justice.

While these cases sit unsolved, law enforcement says the possibility of an arrest never goes away.

“There’s always hope that a, a cold case can be solved,” Marquez reflected.

Throughout this series, we have heard from investigators, prosecutors, public defenders, family members who have spent years waiting for answers. This has been The Valley’s Forgotten.

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Gov. Katie Hobbs visits Yuma to rally supporters

KYMA on July 23, 2026

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) visted Yuma Thursday afternoon to rally supporters.

During her visit, Gov. Hobbs stopped at and toured the Chile Pepper, where she spoke with the owners “about how rising costs brought on by Washington, D.C. policies have affected their day-to-day operations and their ability to thrive.”

The governor then attended the grand opening of the Yuma Copper State Victory Office, where she was joined by Charlene Fernandez, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, and Yuma County Board of Supervisors Chairman Martin Porchas.

Hobbs, who is running for reelection, will face off against Republican candidate Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) in the November midterm election.

To watch the livestreams of both events, see attached videos.

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Bio Family Clinic closures across Yuma County

KYMA on July 23, 2026

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local clinic has closed its doors across Yuma County following allegations against a well-known Yuma doctor.

In a sign posted on its doors, Bio Family Clinic wrote in part, “Due to circumstances beyond our control and caused by the Attorney General’s Office, we are having to close our doors.”

The clinic’s closure comes as Dr. Irfan Fazil was arrested and charged last month with fraudulent schemes, illegal control of an enterprise, theft, conspiracy and drug-related charges.

Earlier this month, a judge denied Dr. Fazil‘s attorneys request to “$50 million cash bond or release him to house arrest.”

Some patients say they were surprised by the closure and are now trying to figure out how to continue their medical care, including getting their records and finding a new provider.

Hal Wilson, a former patient of Bio Family Clinic, says he’s trying to figure out where to go next.

“I’m trying to see if I can get our records or find out where our doctor went to,” Wilson said. “That’s the same with other people here. You know, just out of luck, I guess.”

Clarissa Almos, a Foothills resident, says she feels for patients who are now searching for care.

“We trust the doctors to provide the best care that they can give us since, you know, we pay, and then people that are in health care are just there for the vulnerable because they need help,” Almos said.

Fazil is currently being held in the Yuma County Detention Center on a bond of $50 million, and will be back in court Friday for a case management conference.

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Palm Springs launches survey to help identify qualities for next police Chief

KESQ on July 23, 2026

City News Service

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – Palm Springs residents were encouraged to fill out an online survey being made available today to help identify key characteristics and values for the city’s next police chief following the retirement announcement of current Police Chief Andy Mills.

“The city of Palm Springs is committed to a thoughtful, transparent selection process that identifies the right leader to serve our residents, support our organization and help shape the future of public safety in our community,” City Manager Scott Stiles said in a statement.

“I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to share their input on the leadership qualities they would like to see in our next chief of police,” Stiles added.

Residents will have until midnight Aug. 14 to fill out a community survey in either English or Spanish that will take roughly 10 minutes to complete, officials said. The anonymous survey is expected to be a vital part of the city’s recruitment process.

Last Thursday, Mills announced on a social media post that he will retire on Sept. 5 after serving for 13 years in the role. He and his wife, Cathy, plan to move near his mother in the Sacramento area to support her.

The survey is available here.

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Cal Poly’s Tenth Strawberry Center Field Day Presents Future Farming Innovations

KEYT on July 23, 2026

Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Cal Poly hosted the tenth annual ‘Strawberry Field Day’ today.

The event gives us a peak at the farming industry’s future.

More than 600 farmers, researchers, students, industry leaders and engineers gathered at the college’s strawberry center adjacent to technology park.

“It didn’t exist 12 years ago,” says Gerald Holmes, director of the Cal Poly Strawberry Center. “It was just an idea between Cal Poly and the Strawberry Commission. And now you see all of this activity, 650 people coming to a Field Day. It’s beyond my wildest imagination, really.”

Small portions of the crowd rotate through different stations and watch presentations.

“It’s to manage the traffic and make sure everybody has an opportunity to hear about everything the center is doing here on behalf of the industry,” says Chris Christian, vice president of market insights at the California Strawberry Commission.

To meet some of the agricultural industry’s greatest challenges, such as labor shortages, water resource constraints, shifting climates, and increasing production costs, innovators literally have a field day presenting the latest developments.

“Anything we can do to make labor less burdensome, less onerous, we want to do that,” says Holmes. “And we’re working on projects all the time that reduce the amount of manual labor that goes into strawberries.”

Officials say California produces 90 percent of the nation’s strawberries on 1 percent of the state’s farmland.

“And actually within about 2.5 hours driving distance of this campus, which makes our location really ideal for the work that we’re doing,” says Holmes.

And they won’t be going anywhere, any time soon.

“California Strawberry Commission and Cal Poly are in the process of extending our annual agreement, funding the center for the next five, six years and on into the future,” says Christian.

Items featured today included electric tractors, an unmanned crop sprayer and an autonomous bug vacuum.

“It doesn’t harm the plants,” says Christian. “When it sucks the bad bugs off, there are rotating blades inside the unit that kill those bugs.”

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Redmond High main building closed for school year after asbestos disturbance

KTVZ on July 23, 2026

Campbell Porter

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The main academic building at Redmond High School will close for the 2026-27 school year after construction activities disturbed asbestos-containing materials, rendering portions of the facility unsafe to occupy. The Redmond School District is arranging modular classrooms on campus to deliver academic instruction for students.

The high school’s gymnasium and Career and Technical Education (CTE) wing will remain open during this time.

The closure follows the start of remodel construction this summer, during which sampling confirmed asbestos levels in the main academic building were not compatible with occupancy for staff and students. Redmond High School, like many buildings of its era, contains asbestos that has been managed for years.

The 2025 Redmond School Bond, passed by Redmond voters in fall 2024, was always intended to address the asbestos as part of the modernization process. The District had initially developed a phased construction plan designed to keep portions of the building open while work progressed, a plan considered viable until construction began.

The initial plan changed at the onset of roof work on the building, when vibration caused delamination of previously identified fireproofing materials containing asbestos-containing materials, also known as ACMs. An environmental consulting firm immediately conducted additional sampling throughout the entire building and testing confirmed elevated levels throughout the main academic building. The presence of disturbed asbestos-containing material requires additional precautions and test results showed the main academic building cannot be occupied by staff and students while active construction continues without additional engineering controls.

Redmond School District Superintendent Charan Cline stated that the phased plan was the preferred approach but acknowledged the potential need for modular classrooms, a possibility discussed during the bond campaign. “The phased plan was always our preferred path, but we knew from the beginning that modular classrooms could be necessary, which was discussed during the bond campaign,” Cline said. “Our top priority is the safety of staff, students and the construction crews.”

For the 2026-27 school year, Redmond High School students will remain on campus for core academic instruction in the prepared modular classrooms. The academic calendar will remain unchanged. The gymnasium and CTE wing will continue to operate as roof work has not yet occurred over either of these sections.

A temporary HVAC system is being installed in the gymnasium to provide dedicated air circulation separate from the main academic building. While core academic instruction will take place in modular classrooms, CTE courses, physical education, athletics and other gymnasium activities will continue in the existing facilities.

Band, choir, theater and ceramics programs will be relocated to Hugh Hartman Elementary, which is a short walking distance from Redmond High. Specifics regarding these arrangements will be communicated in the coming weeks. The District expressed gratitude for the patience and understanding of students, families and staff as these plans are finalized.

Superintendent Cline emphasized the district’s commitment to the community. “The District made a promise to this community to improve district facilities,” Cline said. “The district will continue to monitor conditions throughout the construction process and will prioritize safety. If circumstances change, we will communicate any updates with families and staff.” A full FAQ is available on the district’s bond pages and on the Redmond High School website.

The remodel remains on schedule. Moving instruction to modular classrooms is expected to allow construction crews to work efficiently and keep the project moving forward. The District remains optimistic that this approach will keep the remodel on track toward the entire building reopening for the 2027-28 school year.

If you have questions, attached here is a full FAQ provided by district officials.

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New SLO County Report Shows Significant Decline in Homelessness

KEYT on July 23, 2026

Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A new San Luis Obispo County report shows there has been a significant reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness over a four-year period.

Results collected in the 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count indicate there has been a 5% reduction in overall homeless since 2024 and a 22% reduction since 202

“These results show what is possible when local governments, nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and community partners work toward a common goal,” said Board Chair Jimmy Paulding said in a statement. “Reducing homelessness requires both compassion and accountability. While there is still much more work ahead, this report demonstrates that thoughtful investments of resources and data-driven decisions are helping us move the needle on this issue and improving the quality of life in communities throughout our county.”

Conducted on Jan. 26, 2026, the PIT showed there were 1,118 individuals experiencing homelessness on that day, 666 of those unsheltered.

Four years ago, the 2022 PIT Count identified therer were 1,156 living unsheltered in encampments and on the streets.

San Luis Obispo County also listed several other highlights from the 2026 PIT count including:

· Unsheltered homelessness declined 17 percent since 2024 and 42 percent since 2022.

· Shelter utilization increased, reflecting expanded emergency shelter and transitional housing capacity.

· Veteran homelessness declined by 47 percent since 2024.

· Twenty-five homeless service projects contributed data to the sheltered count.

At the same time, San Luis Obispo County is experiencing positive results in reducing homelessness, it also acknowledges there are still challenges in place that require improvement, such as chronic homelessness, behavioral health and the need for additional permanent supportive housing.

“Our work is far from complete,” said San Luis Obispo County Adult and Homeless Services Branch Deputy Director Linda Belch. “The data reminds us that while many individuals are successfully moving indoors, those remaining unsheltered often face the greatest barriers to housing, including chronic homelessness, serious behavioral health conditions, and complex medical needs. Continued collaboration and sustained investment remain essential.”

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