Black El Paso Voice Celebrates Leaders

KVIA on August 21, 2026

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-Each August, National Black Business Month directs attention to Black-owned businesses and the entrepreneurs who run them. According to Monica Tucker, this year, the Black El Paso Voice (BEPV) is bringing that national discussion local by using the month to pay tribute to local leaders, acknowledge its community partners, and launch new initiatives to strengthen Black-identifying entrepreneurship in the Borderland.

The Roots of National Black Business Month

National Black Business Month was started in August 2004 by Frederick E. Jordan Sr., an engineer from San Francisco, and John William Templeton, a historian and journalist. The motivation for the initiative came from Jordan’s own difficulties in obtaining financing for his engineering company: it was to promote policy changes that affect the millions of African American businesses throughout the country, to bring to light the systemic obstacles that Black entrepreneurs encounter, and to urge consumers to direct their purchases to businesses that are owned by Black people. Now, more than twenty years on, the observance has grown into a nationwide movement supported by chambers of commerce, corporations, and community organizations across the country.

Bringing the Mission to El Paso

For Black El Paso Voice, National Black Business Month is not merely an occasion to celebrate but a call to action from the Borderland. On Saturday, August 8, 2026, BEPV held its Annual Business & Community Awards and Recognition Ceremony at the EPCC Auditorium, giving awards to 12 people in the Business category and 12 in the Community category, together with the sponsors, volunteers, and supporters who had helped make this year’s Juneteenth El Paso celebration a success.

The most prestigious award of the evening, the Lifetime Achievement Award, was given to Dr. Adria Dunn-Harris, who is an educator, musician, and minister and who has spent 31 years in public education and 35 years as a violinist with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, demonstrating a lifetime of service to both the arts and to students. This year’s Teen of the Year, Regina Evelyn Daniel, a senior at Transmountain Early College High School, also delivered the evening’s Keynote Speech.

Black El Paso Voice would like to extend its special thanks to City Representative Chris Canales for having the El Paso City Council present a proclamation recognizing the ceremony and the community it celebrates.

The evening also included three surprise awards, kept secret until the night of the ceremony. The John and Mary Woods Pinnacle Award, given to Citizens of the Year, was awarded to Anthony and Susan Floyd from Fa Sho BBQ Catering in recognition of their work and dedication to both their business and their community. Gregg D. Davis was named Man of the Year and Jill Strickland was named Woman of the Year; both have been chosen as honorees for the 2027 Black Hall of Fame, taking place in January.

For a full list of this year’s recipients, see https://blackelpasovoice.com/2026business | https://blackelpasovoice.com/2026community.

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El Centro Library launches Community Archive for Imperial Valley

KYMA on August 21, 2026

Lynette Niebla

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Dust off your old family photos, letters, and keepsakes. The El Centro Library is launching a new community archive project to ensure the history of the Imperial Valley is preserved for generations to come.

From now through September 12, residents can bring historical memorabilia to the library, located at 1198 N. Imperial Avenue, to be scanned, photographed, and added to a permanent digital archive.

Project creators say the effort is born out of a need to document a region that is often left out of standard history textbooks.

“In our area specifically, we’re not really in history books, so I feel like it’s very important to archive the Imperial Valley, our community, and everyone that’s here,” said Ruby Duran Ramirez, the archive project creator and library assistant. “We want future generations of people from the Imperial Valley, and even outside of the Imperial Valley, to know who we are, what we are, and the community that we are.”

The initiative aims to build a comprehensive look at the region by collecting family traditions, neighborhood business records, and personal journals that reflect everyday life in the valley. The project also aligns with the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, highlighting how local stories weave into national history.

Organizers emphasize that items do not need to be ancient to be valuable to the archive.

“For things to be archived, they don’t have to be 50 years old or 100 years old. History is in the making,” Duran Ramirez said. “If something is current right now, it’s going to be history 50 to 100 years from now. Where we live is going to completely change…Everything needs to be recorded because once these things are lost and forgotten, they’re lost and forgotten forever.”

While library staff is eager to collect a wide array of visual items, they stress that a picture is only worth a thousand words if they know who and what is in it.

“We love pictures, but we also need the names of the people in the pictures,” Duran Ramirez explained. “We need the stories behind the pictures because if we don’t have that information…how are people going to be able to look back in the future and understand who these people are and the history behind them?”

To protect family heirlooms, residents do not need to permanently surrender their treasures. Library staff will carefully digitize the artifacts and return all original pieces to their owners immediately.

Residents looking to participate can bring in a wide variety of items, including old photographs, letters, documents, local historical items, and family memorabilia. The library will be accepting these submissions through Saturday, September 12. 

Following the collection period, selected artifacts will be displayed in the Library’s Community Room from September 14 through September 30 during regular hours, with a broader community showcase officially kicking off the week of September 21.

Participation is entirely free, but community members must schedule an appointment in advance. To book an appointment to share your story, call the El Centro Library at (760) 337-4565.

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CHP upgrades to new El Centro Headquarters

KYMA on August 21, 2026

Lynette Niebla

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The California Highway Patrol is officially packing up its gear and relocating to a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility designed to better serve the community and speed up emergency response times.

Starting Monday, August 24, the CHP El Centro Area office will officially open its doors at 2802 South Fourth Street in El Centro.

The agency is moving away from its decades-old home at 2331 Highway 86 in Imperial.

The move represents a staggering expansion for local state troopers. The new headquarters scales up the agency’s operational footprint from a tight 4,000 square feet to a massive 40,000 square feet.

Our team caught a first look inside the facility, which replaces cramped, multi-use quarters with dedicated operational areas.

“At our current location, we don’t have a training room per se. It’s a training room, briefing room, and everything else all in one,” said Capt. Ernesto Ruedas with CHP. “So here, we actually have a training room. We have a briefing room. We have a conference room.”

Capt. Ruedas noted that the extra room expands capabilities far beyond the CHP itself.

“We’ll be able to train people here and have other agencies come and train with us, so I think it’s a big benefit not only to the highway patrol but also to the community,” he explained.

Beyond modern amenities, commanders say the centralized hub will drastically slice down response times when seconds matter most.

“It’s gonna improve our response time to calls on the freeway,” Ruedas explained, noting that highway incidents are frequently severe. “Easy access to the [I-8] Freeway is good. Being a little bit more centrally located means we will be able to get to our calls a little bit faster than before.”

Packing up decades of police history is no small task. The transition has become a team-building event, drawing in help from across the department.

“We have been waiting for this day for a very long time,” Ruedas said. “We’ve had a lot of people come in and volunteer to help us move. We have volunteers who are coming in on their days off. Everybody is super excited to be a part of this new building and this big move.”

While the staff says goodbye to an office steeped in local history, they emphasize that the underlying mission remains exactly the same.

“That old office has a lot of history and it served us super well for decades,” Ruedas said. “It’s a new office, but we’re going to continue to provide the same ultimate level of service as we did at the old office. Nothing has changed.”

The relocation process will not disrupt active emergency services. The old Imperial office will remain open during regular business hours throughout the moving weekend.

Official Opening: Monday, August 24, at 8:00 a.m.

New Address: 2802 South 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243

All administrative office phone numbers and community services remain completely unchanged.

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Sensory Xplorers opens new location in Imperial

KYMA on August 21, 2026

Jessamyn Dodd

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) – Sensory Xplorers is officially expanding with a new location in the City of Imperial. The new location held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening Thursday.

Activities include sensory based movement, obstacle courses, music and art designed to adapt to each person’s abilities.

“He loves it,” said Rozeanne Silver, who explained that one of her children is on the spectrum. “He loves the coaches. What they do is geared towards him and what I’ve asked them to do and they have worked.”

She said that her family has been going to the Brawley location, but now will transfer to Imperial.

The company is committed to making sure everyone has access to the programs they need.

Program Director Arieauna Escarcega spoke to News 11 at the event.

“We’re open in Calexico and Brawley and now Imperial. We’re really excited to serve our community throughout the Imperial Valley,” Escarcega said.

“We worked really hard to make this happen for everyone. We wanted to be accessible to everybody,” she added.

The goal isn’t to make everyone fit into the same routine, but to give each client the opportunity to participate at their own pace.

“We’re a physical fitness program, and we work with children, teens and adults,” said Escarcega, explaining the premise of the facility. “We do adaptions to our clients that have special needs. And we work with San Diego Regional clients.”

Sensory explorers say this new location is part of their expansion across the Imperial Valley, giving more families access to sensory-friendly activities.

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Fentanyl deaths are down, but the danger remains in the Valley

KESQ on August 21, 2026

Kiera McKinney

THOUSAND PALMS, CALIF. (KESQ)- Health experts and advocates highlighted life-saving overdose prevention tools as Riverside County saw a 54% drop in fentanyl-related deaths in its most recent 12-month comparison.

Fentanyl-related fatalities in the county fell from 545 to 251 during that period, though officials warn the synthetic opioid remains a critical public health threat.

The ongoing crisis has devastated local families, including Jennifer Loza, whose 18-year-old son, Steven Loza, died from a fentanyl overdose after smoking a single pill. Loza said those present had access to phones and Narcan while a parent was inside the home.

“My son took one hit – meaning smoked one hit off of a blue M30 pill. He had enough fentanyl in him to kill three people,” Loza said. “They did absolutely nothing to attempt to save him.” Following her son’s death, Loza created the organization Forever 18 Fentanyl Awareness to travel around Riverside County educating students and parents about overdose risks.

“A lot of parents think, ‘Well, my kid would never do something like that.’ The moment you do that is when it’s dangerous,” Loza said. Harm reduction organizations are working to prevent similar tragedies by expanding access to drug testing tools. Anjuli Paroo, harm reduction manager at DAP Health, explained that identifying fentanyl before consumption is essential.

“If we can get people to test their drug supply before they use it, they will be informed and prevent the need to have a response for an overdose in the first place,” Paroo said.

Paroo demonstrated how test strips detect trace amounts of fentanyl using an all-inclusive pouch, water and a testing strip. “You wait 10 seconds holding it in the solution. Remove it, lay it on a flat surface and after 5 minutes, you read the results,” Paroo said. When overdoses do occur, quick intervention with naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, can reverse the effects of opioids.

DAP Health reported that its harm reduction program helped reverse 728 overdoses in 2024, compared to 267 in 2023. Paroo urged bystanders to intervene without fear, noting that touching fentanyl does not cause an overdose. “Go ahead and give naloxone. Call your 911,” Paroo said. “You cannot overdose by touching fentanyl.”

Free Narcan and fentanyl test strips are accessible through vending machines located at DAP Health clinics in the valley.

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Community meeting scheduled in Prineville regarding Rowe Creek Fire

KTVZ on August 21, 2026

Kelsey Merison

CROOK COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Saturday, much of our region will be under a red flag warning, as firefighters continue to button up the active wildfires.

The Rowe Creek Complex Fire, burning in Crook, Wheeler, Wasco, and Jefferson counties, sits at just under 374,000 acres burned with 89% containment.

Today, firefighters will continue much of the work they have been doing in the Mill Creek area for the last several days, focusing on hot spots and unburned fuel inside the fire’s control lines.

There’s a community listening session happening tomorrow in Prineville, where residents can sit down and have an informal conversation with fire team members working on the Rowe Creek Complex. That’s at Wild Ride Brewing on Third Street in Prineville, starting at 4 p.m.

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New details released in deadly Bend plane crash

KTVZ on August 21, 2026

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A preliminary report is shedding new light on a deadly plane crash west of Bend earlier this month.

The NTSB says a Cirrus SR-22-T crashed about 12 miles west of the Bend Municipal Airport on August 4th, killing the pilot.

According to preliminary data, the plane spent several hours flying in the area before descending to about 5,000 feet. In the final seconds of recorded data, fuel sensors showed zero gallons in the left tank and one gallon in the right.

The plane then entered a steep nose-down attitude before impacting terrain.

The aircraft was substantially damaged and has been recovered for further examination.

The NTSB says the investigation is ongoing, and the preliminary report does not identify a probable cause of the crash.

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Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho Open Applications for Second Chance Smile Makeover

KIFI on August 21, 2026

Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Lives have been changed for years at Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho through the Second Chance Smile Makeover Program, where one lucky recipient gets free teeth implants. The local surgery office has opened applications via its website through September 4.

Dr. Mark Baker says the program is life-changing and worth applying for. He added that it’s incredibly hard to choose just one winner each year because the need in the community is so great.

“Oftentimes the makeover includes the extraction of the remaining bad teeth, placement of the implants, then the prosthesis that goes on top of the implants to completely restore their bite, fuction and smile,” Dr. Baker said. “We just encourage everybody to apply.”

Applicants usually have a mouthful of nonrestorable teeth but good bone, making them good candidates for implants. Candidates can be from anywhere in Southeast Idaho, including Pocatello and Blackfoot.

Once selected, the applicant will have a scan to assess their oral health needs.

“We want them to submit that application and tell us their story,” Dr. Baker said. “Tell us your story. What’s going on? What has brought you to this point where we need to consider a complete smile makeover?”

The winning candidate will be revealed just before Thanksgiving in November. Within 48 hours, an immediate prosthesis is secured to the implants as a temporary before the winner can have their official surgery in December or January. Dr. Baker said the final prosthesis is received about six months later.

Before and after of the 2025 Second Chance recipient’s smile

“It’s a little bit of a process, but once the teeth are extracted, implants are in place and they have new teeth within 48 hours,” Dr. Baker said. Even though the first phase of the makeover is temporary, the new smile still makes a difference in the lives of a patient. Within six months of being chosen, the applicant has a fully functional prosthesis and new lease on life.

Last year’s winner and smile makeover recipient, Matthew Rymer, is one of the most heartwarming success stories to come out of Second Chance. Not only did Rymer secure a new job following the makeover, he found a fiancé and will celebrate his wedding in September of this year. A new smile can give someone the confidence it takes to change their entire life.

“It completely changed his life,” Dr. Baker reminisced. “He was embarrassed to go out in public before, he didn’t want people to see his teeth so he never smiled. Now, they can’t stop him from smiling.”

Dr. Baker added that Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho could not do the Second Chance program without the collaboration with Dr. Kyle Siemen at Sage Dental. The opportunity to give back to the community will a fully-funded smile makeover is a program and tradition in Pocatello they have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

To apply for the Second Chance free smile makeover, visit Oral Surgery Specialists of Idaho online and click on the Second Chance icon. The online application is simple to fill out and requires basic information and a telling of the applicant’s story of how they could benefit from implants.

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HSOY seeks community support after receiving nearly 30 animals

KYMA on August 21, 2026

Connor Emery

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Humane Society of Yuma (HSOY) are looking for new homes for 28 new animals they received earlier this week.

22 cats and six dogs all came from one home as it’s part of an ongoing case with the Yuma Police Department.

With the shelter at limited capacity, they are looking for community support.

“We initially thought it was 27 but it was actually 28 animals. 22 of those animals were cats and so the cats plus the dogs that come in all in from one home really put us at a bit of a strain,” Hilary Mulherin, development manager said.

Since the NICU opened in April, the shelter has had over 400 neonate kittens.

One of the ways they say the community can help is with fostering to open up more space.

“While you may not foster some of the animals that may just come in from cases like this one, you will still help get an animal out of the shelter temporarily, and it opens up a kennel space for the next animal that will be coming in,” Mulherin said.

HSOY also asks for donations and supplies to help out with the new animals. If anyone wants more information on that, click here.

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1991 Cole County murder case goes through another round of dismissal, demand for reinstatement

KMIZ on August 21, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A murder case surrounding a murder case dating back to 1991 has gone through another round of dismissal and a demand for reinstatement from the Attorney General’s office.

Judge Emily Fretwell had dismissed charges against William “Chris” Niemet on Aug. 11 and again was ordered to vacate that order on Thursday.

The same situation occurred last month, with Fretwell using the same reasoning that the AG’s office did not have proper authority to handle the case. Fretwell was ordered to respond and set an arraignment by Sept. 4, court filings show.

Niemet, of Fulton, is accused of killing Greg Jones in April 1991 in Russellville. Jones was 14. Niemet also would have been 14 at the time. Niemet was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder. The trial has been delayed multiple times.

Fretwell was assigned to the case in May after a request for a change in judge was filed.

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