Author: KYMA

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Local students got a glimpse into their future this morning. Dorothy Hall Elementary School celebrated their annual career day and tunnel of hope event!

Over 80 representatives from different companies visited campus representing different career fields from construction to healthcare to law enforcement and even agriculture.

Both teachers and students share their favorite parts of the day.

“I’m excited for the police because I wanted to also be a police officer when I grow up if playing in the MLB doesn’t work out, and I’m excited because we can experience different jobs that we could do when we’re older,” said student Easton Mendoza.

“We are so so so thankful to all the careers that are here today all the vendors…all the companies,. This truly is what the Yuma community is. They show up for our kids, they show up for our community and we are so thankful for them,” said teacher Shelby Lagunas.

Over 500 students were in attendance. The School Career Fair is an annual event held every January.

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Abigahil Padilla

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Somerton City Council says Councilmember Juan Castillo has been appointed to serve as the city’s Vice Mayor.

According to a press release, the appointment happened during a City Council meeting Tuesday as they designate one of its members to serve as Vice Mayor for a year.

Courtesy: City of Somerton

The press release says under Castillo’s new role, he will serve at “the pleasure of the Council and is responsible for performing” the mayor’s duties “in the mayor’s absence or disability.”

Castillo, according to the press release, will work alongside with Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya and the City Council to advance the City’s priorities and support “the continued growth and well-being of the community.”

Vice Mayor Appointment Approved by City Council_Press ReleaseDownload

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Hiring a reliable contractor can be daunting, but it’s one of the most important steps for your project.

Hire the right one, and you can relax knowing your project is in good hands. Hire the wrong one, and you could face a wide range of problems, from unfinished work to tense contract disputes and even legal action.

When hiring the right fit for your home improvement project, consider the following seven tips on how to find a trustworthy contractor:

1. Do your research

Once you’ve properly planned your project and know what kind of professional you need, you can get cracking on finding the right fit.

BBB’s Business Directory was built for this part of the process. When it comes to trust, this resource was designed to give consumers everything they need to make a confident decision. 

The benefits of using the BBB Directory:

The resource is free. Part of the Better Business Bureau’s mission is to create an honest, fair, and equitable marketplace. Consumers should never be asked to pay for this.

A focus on local. This isn’t a random list of search results for a business. Your city or area code is used to recommend brands in your radius.

Filtered results by “BBB Accredited Businesses” or “All Businesses.” Remember: BBB Accredited Businesses are vetted and held to ethical business standards.

Verified customer reviews and complaints. BBB reviews and complaints are verified for accuracy after they are submitted. Businesses are always given an opportunity to respond. This makes BBB different from other online options and gives consumers a more balanced, complete picture to consider.

Also, search the contractor name online with terms such as “complaint,” “review,” or “scam” to see what results appear.  

2. Review previous work

As you continue zeroing in on the right contractor for your project, look into their previous work. This gives you insight into their experience and professionalism, and it might even provide fresh inspiration for your project.

Some ideas on reviewing a company’s previous work:

View photos or videos of a company’s completed project on their BBB Profile, website, or social media channels. Social media is usually the best option to find recently completed work.

Ask prospective contractors to email or text you recent project photos that share similarities with your needs. These could come in handy, especially for custom requests like a paint color or tile pattern.

Check it out in person. On occasion, you might learn of a company by seeing their vehicles or signage in your neighborhood. Consider the job site and the work being done. Ask current clients about their experience (do this carefully to avoid intruding on their privacy).

3. Ask for references

Finding a good contractor can be tricky if you only talk to the contractors. Ask candidates for a list of recent local references you may contact. As you check their references, consider the following questions:

How is the quality of their work?

How was the overall experience with the contractor? 

How was the contractor’s communication?

Did the contractor stick to the project’s estimated budget and completion date?

Is there anything they would have done differently?

Would it be possible to inspect the contractor’s work yourself?

4. Ask for multiple quotes

Because general contractor bids can vary from company to company, it’s good practice to gather at least three quotes. And remember, the quality of these quotes is vastly improved when you limit your requests to trustworthy businesses, such as BBB Accredited Businesses. Once you’ve narrowed the field, make sure your bids consider the same set of criteria to get a fair side-by-side snapshot of the variances. 

Remember, the lowest bid for your remodeling project may not necessarily be the best bid

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Multiple reports of attempted Home Title Fraud have been reported, according to Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO).

Also known as deed and property fraud, this scam has suspects illegally transfer a property owner’s deed.

YCSO says victims may not know they were the target of a scam until it’s too late.

Property owners are encouraged to subscribe to YCSO’s Recording Alert. It’s a notification system that can warn owners when a document is recorded under their name.

If you feel you’ve become a victim of fraud, you can call YCSO at 928-783-4427.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Two local non-profits, the Yuma Coalition to End Homelessness and Salvation Army Yuma, are teaming up to measure homelessness in Yuma County. The effort is part of a nationwide count that helps secure funding and shape services.

One local, John Clapp, says people should come out and help with donating, and volunteer to help the homeless population.

“If they have the time, yes. If we are the great America that I believe we are that I fought for, then I think we should have programs in place to help reach out,” Clapp expressed.

Lt. Amber Herzog with Salvation Army Yuma shares how you can contribute to the count.

“We put together backpacks because it’s a voluntary survey, we like to give a thank you backpack with essentials, just looking for snack items and feminine hygiene items that we can also place in these thank you backpacks,” Lt. Herzog explained.

The annual Point-in-Time Count is a one-day nationwide analysis that measures people experiencing homelessness.

“Any person is just one paycheck, sometimes, away from homelessness and being sheltered, and being unsheltered for an evening, and so the point in time count is a great opportunity for us to get a real gauge on what’s going on in the community,” Herzog shared.

Volunteers will survey the homeless and ask if they were unsheltered the night of January 27. They will also ask a series of questions that help gage how to get funding or programs to support them.

Herzog shared how the data helps them address the issue more efficiently.

“It helps us look at trends and see if we’re seeing the same trends year after year. It helps us qualify for specific HUD funding notifications of funding, as well as just me, as a non-profit, I can use that data to apply to grants and go to donors,” Herzog remarked.

For more information on how to donate or volunteer, click here.

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Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Territorial Prison is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a new exhibit: “Killer Cuts: The Prison Barbershop.”

Locals are invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

The event will be held inside the prison’s historic cell block, where inmates once wielded razors as both barbers and dentists, and will feature live performances by the Yuma Barbershop Harmony Chorus, delivering classic harmonies in the historic setting.

For more information, click here.

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Skylar Heisey

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Free Narcan will be distributed by the Yuma Anti-Drug Coalition in partnership with the Yuma County Public Health Services District.

Starting Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., their office, off of W. First Street and N. Second Avenue, will be one of five free Naloxone distribution centers for communities across Yuma County.

The other four distribution centers are the following:

Campesino Sin Fronteras: 720 Main Street, Building B, in San Luis, Arizona.

Community Bridges, Inc.: 3250 E. 40th Street, Building C, in Yuma.

Community Medical Services: 201 S. First Street in Yuma.

HOPE Incorporated: 791 Fourth Avenue, Suite B, in Yuma.

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

No appointment or phone call is necessary. For more information, click here.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – 48-year-old Agustine Baca III was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison after pleading to second-degree murder in the death of his 29-year-old girlfriend.

Baca’s attorney, Veronica Henderson, says problems with the firearm influenced the outcome of the case.

“The gun was not in good working condition. It may have had the potential to misfire or go off on its own,” Henderson said.

She added that those issues factored into the plea deal.

“Rather than taking that risk, the District Attorney’s Office decided to make this offer,” Henderson said, noting the case could have gone to trial.

Henderson says Baca accepted the sentence and will be taken to the state prison system.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma’s agriculture is shinning bright on the map and gaining the attention of leaders statewide.

Arizona State University (ASU) President Dr. Michael Crow recently stopped in Yuma for his Board of Regents visit.

He visited three different farms and says he was very impressed by what he calls world class farming technology and facilities.

“The great thing for me was the level of sophistication and planning that goes into the agricultural enterprises in and around Yuma and then throughout the county and throughout that region…in the sense that really as agriculture moves forward, as we need better and better higher quality products, you need more and more advanced systems to be able to manage this in Arizona. So, what I saw was you know obviously water management and land management and technological tools to enhance the production quality, unbelievable packaging facilities, but the WiFi network that was built in for the agricultural technologies to operate from all of this was basically as advanced as the big very advanced technical agricultural systems I’ve seen in the Netherlands and in Israel, so the same kind of level, but in some ways, in many ways, on a larger scale,” said Dr. Crow.

Crow says he’s also impressed seeing several community members from different sectors working together from financial, labor, and agricultural leaders.

The Arizona Board of Regents also recently approved a $3 million grant to launch the Arizona hub for agriculture innovation anchored in Yuma.

“There’s a huge opportunity because of the natural assets of Arizona through sunshine but also the presence of you know very large amounts of water but mostly the presence of an agriculturally oriented very very creative population. And so, I think there’s a huge opportunity to greatly expand agricultural and growing economies for Arizona…as well as then everything that comes with that…new computing systems, a new decision making systems, new machine systems, new ways of doing things, and so I just think there’s a huge opportunity in Yuma to really take off,” said Crow.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Kofa High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (MCJROTC) advanced to the Service Championships, and a cadet received honors.

The Kofa rifle team placed 12th out of 184 teams at the Marine Corps Postal.

The Postal is a national competition held in November, leading up to the Service Championships in February.

Cadet Mildreth Hernandez became the first-ever Kofa marksman to finish in the top 10, placing 10th out of 867 shooters.

“Qualifying for the Service Championships this year is definitely a bittersweet moment because I still can’t believe it will be my last time participating in this event,” said Hernandez, who is a senior. “I have grown so much with this program since I was a freshman and from when I first ever made it to the championships. I am very excited to compete and do my best to qualify for nationals. I hope to make everyone who has supported me throughout my time here proud.”

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