Jalen Fong
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – One of the suspects involved in an armed robbery attempt accepted a plea deal in court Tuesday.
19-year-old Ricardo Miguel Carrasco faced six charges, including aggravated robbery and kidnapping.
He, along with another suspect, robbed a married couple at gunpoint in March of last year.
Carrasco pled guilty to one count of attempted first-degree robbery, a Class 3 felony.
He will be formally sentenced on May 13.
Marcos Icahuate
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A Mother’s Day celebration is planned to be held at Walmart’s garden center on Pacific Avenue in Yuma.
The Mother’s Day event will have activities for kids, such as planting seeds and making a card. Gifts starting at $5 will also be available for purchase.
Kids can plant a seed in a small pot for mom and give it to her as a gift.
Anyone is invited to come celebrate mom and buy her a gift for her special day.
You can go to the Pacific Avenue Walmart on May 10, starting at 10 a.m.
Manoah Tuiasosopo
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A garage was considered a complete loss after a fire in Yuma’s Fortuna Foothills.
Rural Metro responded to the call just after 3:00 p.m. Monday in the Mesa Del Sol neighborhood. A medical unit, a water tanker, and three fire trucks were sent to the fire.
When fire crews arrived, Battalion Chief Jeff Woodruff says they discovered a garage fire with flames quickly spreading. Thankfully, crews were able to extinguish the fire.
The house is still intact despite the garage being a complete loss.
A nearby neighbor, Gerald Mack, says the fire started with a bang, “I just saw some people gathering around. Just about that time, there was an explosion that blew the door off. The guy had gasoline stored in there for his motorcycle. I think that’s what blew up. My garage still smells like smoke.”
No one on scene was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Western College (AWC) says Governor Katie Hobbs has proclaimed April 2025 as Arizona Community College Month, “recognizing the vital role that community colleges play in shaping the workforce, economy, and future of” the state.
In honor of the proclamation, AWC says they’re encouraging “current and former students, supporters, business partners, and the community to join the 2025 #CCMonth campaign to bring attention to the importance of the college in our community by sharing why the choice to attend AWC was the #BestDecisionEver.”
“Community colleges are engines of opportunity, transforming lives through access, affordability, and support. Whether it’s a student earning a degree to launch a new career, a parent returning to school to build a better future for their family, or a high schooler discovering their passion, community colleges empower individuals to achieve their dreams. During Community College Month, we celebrate the resilience and determination of our students—and the vital role community colleges play in strengthening our communities.”
Dr. Daniel Corr, President, AWC
To learn more about the proclamation, read the press release below.
Governor proclaims April Community College Month (1)Download
Karina Bazarte
CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Five high school students in Calexico were awarded by law enforcement for completing a project for their class.
The same project also helped a student get into his dream school.
Calexico Police Chief Armando Orozco recognized five Calexico High School students last Tuesday for finishing a project that started at the beginning of the school year.
Mike Davis, the Calexico High School law enforcement teacher, says the project was to find the history of every police chief in Calexico.
One student, Andre Cota, says the project was a challenge, but it helped him get into his dream school: UCLA.
“We all can contribute to this community in many ways and right now, contributing to my community this way was by giving them a piece of reliable information…because reliable information is not often found and we put in a lot of effort…everyone in my team,” said Cota.
Davis says the project helped the students connect with previous leaders of Calexico. He also says he will continue to assign this project every year.
Abraham Retana
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is offering a program which would bring better lighting to parks and sporting facilities in the valley.
The IID is lighting up the Imperial Valley by offering the “Green Lighting for Outdoor Wellness” (GLOW) Grant to renew old lighting.
“IID will grant up to $35,000 per project and you can change that lighting to energy efficient lighting using LEDs,” said Robert Schettler, Public Information Officer for IID.
Schettler says a new lighting system could be a game changer because more people could go out at night to practice any sport and have a healthier lifestyle.
“You can benefit for using less energy but get more lighting, then you can be interested in this program,” Schettler explained.
The deadline to apply for a GLOW Grant is May 22. To apply, click here.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – An afternoon house fire in Yuma injured one and claimed the life of a family cat, and the family who shares how they’re dealing with this unexpected situation.
“So from here on out, it’s just collecting what we can to move forward,” says Ryan Sill, organizer of a GoFundMe created to help his brothers.
Picking up the pieces, that’s all Ryan Sill and his family can do now after a fire damaged their home near Kennedy Park Monday afternoon.
When firefighters got there, flames and smoke could be seen coming from multiple openings of the home.
David Padilla with the Yuma Fire Department says, “Crews were able to get on scene, quickly establish a water supply, and provide an aggressive fire attack.”
But the home now has some heavy fire damage, displacing everyone who lived there.
“Unfortunately, the home isn’t occupiable. The family was forced to move out. We were able to save a few of their belongings. Thankfully everybody got out with their lives,” Padilla shares.
A man in the home was injured after he burned his hand while trying to rescue his animals.
The man was treated at the scene but unfortunately, one cat did not escape.
“Every animal except my youngest brother’s cat survived. The cat was trapped and couldn’t get out. Nobody could get to it,” says Sill.
Sill says his family has called the place home for over 30 years.
He shares a heartfelt message for the support his family’s been receiving: “Everyone has been helping out. We’re very grateful for everyone has been reaching out. We’ve had a lot of support from the Yuma community. We’re very grateful.”
An investigation is still ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
If you would like to help out, items like toiletries, clothing, and pet food would be greatly appreciated. Donations are also welcomed HERE. Contact Ryan Sill at (928) 304-6650 for more information.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Yuma BikeLife and Citadels MC Prison Hill Chapter are hosting the First Autism Awareness Poker Run.
The event is taking place this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the Children’s Museum in Downtown Yuma, with the run starting at 11:00 a.m.
The organizations say this is the first time they are collaborating “to not only raise awareness but also generate funds in support of the autism community” in Yuma.
They also say the run is “an opportunity to bring more visibility to the needs and strengths of individuals with autism” while also uniting the community in a meaningful cause.
The registration fees are as follows: $25 for those riding solo, and $35 for those riding with a passenger.
All proceeds raised will benefit “local efforts to support individuals and families impacted by autism,” the organization says.
The event is also taking place Saturday at West Wetlands Park at 11:30 a.m., with the ride starting at 12:45 p.m. The cost to join the run is $15, with the proceeds going towards Cactus Bloom Autism Foundation.
In addition, the two organizations will host the Hooters Takeover for Autism Awareness at Hooters, located at 1519 Yuma Palms Pkway, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Adrik Vargas
SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A unique forum focused on rural health, equity, and innovation.
This year’s annual Yuma County, Arizona Biomedical Research Centre and NAU Forum is more than just a meeting. It’s a chance for healthcare leaders and community voices to come together and re-imagine what care can look like across our region.
Now in its seventh year, the event unites healthcare professionals who share the same focus and passion.
“This is to address the health disparities the families in our region are facing, and especially in these times where there’s a lot of different cuts that are affecting the services in our region,” said Amanda Aguirre, President and CEO of Regional Center for Border Health, Inc.
Aguirre says the best minds from both sides of the border collaborate together to stitch together the future of healthcare in the region
“Theres a lot of networking going on and a lot of agencies take this moment to bring initiatives that they can support through the whole year and implement projects in Yuma County that will be part of the safety net.” said Aguirre.
Elexia Reyes, health educator at the Yuma County Public Health Services District, shares some of the progress made through the Connect program.
“So we found this is a great program to be able to connect our community members with appropriate services, and also making sure that they’re services that they actually need, so a big component of it is identifying the need,” said Reyes.
Reyes adds that they are using the success of the event to help build the next steps.
“So we do have future programming that will continue to build upon the work that was done at connect and that same model,” said Reyes.
The forum offers a wide range of visions for healthcare across borders, and will include panels discussing workforce development, health disparities, and healthcare access.
“Looking at the future, a very brighter future, really with the hope that tomorrow will be better for the families we are serving today,” said Aguirre.
Dillon Fuhrman
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – An earthquake rattled some parts of the Desert Southwest after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake was felt in San Diego.
Some locals say they got an alert on their phones seconds before the earthquake hit, but others say they didn’t.
“I was kinda surprised by a little rocking and rolling,” said Faye Winker, an El Centro resident.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake was reported in Julian, California a little after 10:00 a.m.
The Imperial County Fire Department says so far, the cities they know felt the quake are El Centro, Calexico, and Brawley.
“I paused what I was doing…I was at work and I kinda looked around and made sure everything was okay and remembered everything we went over in elementary school,” Winkler shared.
“It was a little bad one here and we just didn’t know when it was going to stop,” said Luzaida Perroni, a Calexico resident.
“I was in my room and I heard the alarm and I looked and it was shaking so I ran,” said Martha Gallego, a Heber resident.
Two locals also say their phones alerted them seconds before the earthquake hit.
“The alert went off and five seconds later, the earthquake happened and you can kind of feel it, but it wasn’t really big,” said Thomas Berry, a Brawley resident.
“After the earthquake settled a little bit, my whole entire office exited the building we work from across the street…or across the street from the park…so we hung out at the park for a few minutes just to see if any of the aftershocks were strong,” Winker added.
Other locals recall the 7.2 Easter earthquake which happened back in 2010. They say they were scared it was going to happen all over again.
County Fire says it’s best to have an earthquake plan just in case any aftershocks or another quake hits the county.
No injuries or damages have been reported.
