Marcos Icahuate
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – An Ice Cream + Pie Social event is planned for El Centro locals.
The social will be at the Downtown Town Square on September 27, 2025 from 6-9 p.m.
There will be a pie eating contest, Julian apple pie raffles, music, food vendors and a kids zone.
This event is presented by the City of El Centro Parks & Recreation.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Western College (AWC) announced they were a recipient of a $250,000 Perkins Innovation and Modernization grant.
According to a press release, the grant is said to help expand “work-based experimental learning” across their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
“Many of our students are the first in their families to pursue higher education and come from rural communities with limited access to career opportunities,” said Cinthia Reyes, Director of CTE Programs. “This grant ensures they can gain hands-on experience, earn industry-recognized credentials, and connect directly with employers.”
Courtesy: Arizona Western College
Courtesy: Arizona Western College
AWC says the grant will help them “meet the urgent need for a skilled, job-ready workforce in rural Southwest Arizona by bridging the gap between classroom learning and industry application.”
“This grant is a catalyst for transformation,” said Dr. Reetika Dhawan, Arizona Western Entrepreneurial College Chief Executive Officer and Vice President of Workforce & Healthcare Programs. “By strengthening the connection between education and industry, we’re empowering students with real-world skills that lead to meaningful careers. It also reinforces Arizona Western College’s commitment to innovation and workforce development across our rural communities.”
To learn more about this, read the press release below.
CTE programs to benefit from Perkins Innovation and Modernization grantDownload
Dillon Fuhrman
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The City of El Centro has announced its online payment system for utility bills and other services will be temporarily unavailable later this week.
According to a press release, the outage is taking place from Thursday, September 18 to Friday, September 19 due to a scheduled maintenance.
The City is asking residents to make payments in-person at the El Centro City Hall “during regular business hours,” and only cash or check payments will be accepted during the outage.
To learn more about this, read the press release, written in English and Spanish, below.
Marcos Icahuate
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A recent study by Lightcast looked into the impact of Arizona Western College (AWC) on Yuma County.
Based on data from the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Lightcast found AWC added nearly $320 million of income to Yuma and La Paz counties.
Lightcast says these numbers are AWC’s contributions to local businesses through operational spending, consumer spending and alumni impact.
Lightcast also says roughly one out of every 23 jobs in Yuma and La Paz counties are supported by AWC and its students.
“This economic impact study is a public accountability tool for college districts,” said Lorraine Stofft, Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the AWC Foundation. “It’s a way to demonstrate to our neighbors that your publicly funded college is delivering a benefit to the region. And AWC is delivering in a big way, in terms of increased earnings, business productivity, and tax revenue.”
The study showed AWC generates more tax revenue than it uses. For every $1 of public money paid towards AWC, taxpayers receive $1.10 in return.
Lightcast’s study shows AWC has a critical role for the economy by driving job creation, individual success and value for taxpayers.
The full study and breakdown can be read here.
Karina Bazarte
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The father accused of leaving his toddler unattended in a vehicle resulting in the child’s death in El Centro is now allowed to remove his GPS monitor.
37-year old Jose Hernandez, who is out on bond, had his pre-trial appearance Monday morning.
The Imperial County District Attorney’s Office says the pre-trial will most likely continue next month due to negotiations and findings still being reviewed.
During the court hearing, the judge granted the suspect permission to remove his GPS monitor.
“She made a finding that he was being compliant with his terms of supervision. He does not see him as a flight risk and also a danger in the community. Those are the two real things the judge is looking for, flight risk or if he is going to hurt someone he made that determination and decided to take it off,” said George Marquez, Imperial County District Attorney.
Hernandez is currently facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse resulting in death.Marquez has also added a special allegation of causing great bodily injury.
Hernandez is scheduled to be back in court next month.
Eduardo Morales
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A neighbor shares what he saw the night Yuma police responded to a shooting where a teen was shot in the head.
Friday night, the Yuma Police Department (YPD) responded to a home on 17th Avenue and 19th Street, near the East Main Canal.
“I came outside it was just full of probably about 13 cop cars,” said Mateo Gonzalez, a neighbor to where the shooting took place.
YPD describes what they found.
“When officers arrived, they located a 14-year-old juvenile with a gunshot wound to the head in the living room of the residence and started conducting life saving measures,” said Hayato Johnson, Public Information Officer.
The teen was taken to Onvida Health with life-threatening injuries and later flown to a Phoenix area hospital.
Police say there was also a 21-year-old sibling present.
One neighbor says he saw someone matching that description.
“He’s been here for a while, really good kid, he wasn’t really talking much but he had blood on his neck and down his ear…I thought he was injured,” said Gonzalez.
This case remains under investigation.
If you have any information on the case, contact YPD or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.
Adrik Vargas
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – County leaders have declared an economic emergency following the closure of the Spreckels Sugar Plant, one of the area’s largest employers, to help workers and families recover.
Eligible employees are gaining access to funding, training, and support services through the county’s workforce department.
“They are helping make available any funding, any assistance that would get us to a better place,” said Priscilla Lopez, Workforce Development Director.
The department is working with Spreckels Human Resources to identify employees who qualify for aid.
Lopez added, “We are also making available our dislocated worker training funds. If anybody wants to expand their career choices or come into our office to see what those choices are, we can help them with that.”
The Small Business Development Center is another resource for those looking to take a different direction.
“We provide trainings and one on one counseling. We have training specially around the area of startup. We have in-person trainings and we have virtual trainings, English and in Spanish,” said Viridiana Rosales-Trujillo, Center Manager.
“If there’s something that they have a talent for, and I know everyone here on Earth has a talent for something, to just explore that talent and connect that talent with maybe making it into a viable business,” Rosales-Trujillo added.
While immediate help is available, county officials note that recovery will take time.
Manoah Tuiasosopo
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A major drug bust in Yuma following what started out as a routine traffic stop last week.
According to the Yuma Police Department’s (YPD) Facebook post, it happened Thursday, September 11 at around 7:10 p.m. in the area of S. Avenue A and W. 15th Street.
YPD says officers were patrolling the area when a traffic stop revealed the vehicle’s registration had been suspended.
The vehicle was occupied by two women and officers found two methamphetamine pipes in plain sight, leading to a probable cause search of the vehicle, according to YPD.
Inside, YPD says officers found approximately 93.83 grams of powdered fentanyl, with an estimated street value of nearly $10,000.
YPD says the driver admitted ownership and the passenger was released.
The driver is now facing multiple charges, including possession of narcotic drugs for sale, possession of narcotic drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Territorial Prison is once again in the running for USA Today’s “Best Haunted Destination in America” competition and they need the community’s help.
This is the prison’s fifth consecutive year of being recognized on the national stage in the top five. The prison once even held the number one seat.
They are calling on the community to vote online and help them reclaim the top spot. They say the competition is more than just about ghosts, it’s about shining a national spotlight on Yuma and putting the city on the map.
“It draws tourism to the community. It also draws support for this treasured historic site, and that is our motivation that we are here to preserve the stories of the prison,” said Yuma Territorial Prison manager Yanna Kruse.
You have a week left to cast your votes daily online on their website. Voting closes Monday September 22.
Dillon Fuhrman
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating a two-vehicle crash which left one woman dead.
According to a press release, the crash happened before 8:00 a.m. Saturday in the area of State Route (SR) 86 and Hoskins Road.
CHP says a 58-year-old man, who was driving a 2009 Dodge Caliber, and a 31-year-old woman, who was driving a 2020 Jeep Gladiator, were both driving southbound on SR 86, south of Hoskins Road, in the second lane when the Jeep approached the rear end of the Dodge.
For reasons unknown, CHP says the front end of the Jeep crashed into the rear end of Dodge, causing both drivers to lose control of their respective vehicles.
CHP says the crash caused the Jeep to overturn before “coming to rest on its wheels” in the second lane of northbound SR 86.
While the driver of the Dodge suffered minor injuries, CHP says the passengers were not injured. However, the driver of the Jeep was pronounced dead at the scene.
CHP says the Imperial County Coroner’s Office responded and took the body, and says while airbags were deployed in the Jeep, airbags were not deployed in the Dodge.
However, everyone else was wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash.
