Author: KYMA

Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A crash involving three vehicles sends two people to the hospital with serious injuries.

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash around 8 a.m. Thursday morning on East Airport Loop between Avenue A and West County 14th Street, just south of the Yuma International Airport.

Investigators say a Toyota Tacoma was traveling southbound when it crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on with a Toyota Corolla. 

A Ford Explorer traveling behind the Corolla avoided the crash by steering onto the gravel shoulder damaging the vehicle. 

Rural Metro arrived on scene and sent the drivers of the Tacoma and Corolla to Onvida Health with critical injuries.

Both drivers were later flown to a Phoenix area hospital for further medical treatment.

The crash is still under investigation.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The sentencing of a San Luis city council member has been rescheduled.

Tadeo de la Hoya was scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning.

The defense attorney met with the court and the district attorney and agreed that the best way to manage this case was to cancel this sentencing hearing and set a mitigation/aggravation hearing.

The recommendation from the court is to place Councilman de la Hoya on standard probation for 36 months.

His next court appearance will be next Thursday, April 30. De la Hoya is accused of fleeing from law enforcement in October of last year.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Board of Supervisors has approved joining a new national opioid settlement.

This is the second round of settlements, following an initial agreement in 2021. By joining, the county agrees not to pursue future claims against the companies involved.

The latest agreement includes six additional pharmaceutical companies. Payments from the settlement can be spread out over time, ranging from one year up to 18 years.

County officials say the money will be shared across the region, with a portion going to Yuma County and the rest distributed to cities like Somerton, Wellton, San Luis, and Yuma.

Officials say the funding could support treatment, education, and awareness efforts in the community. Some of that work already includes providing free naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses through local partners.

Health leaders say many opioids are easy to access and are often mixed with substances like fentanyl, where even a small amount can be deadly.

They say raising awareness and expanding resources is key to preventing overdoses.

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Adrik Vargas

UPDATE (Friday, April 24): Day three of jury deliberations ends with no verdict in the trial of a Yuma man accused of murdering a man in a home in Yuma County.

The jury wrapped of their third day of deliberations and jury members were not able to reach a verdict on Friday.

Deliberations will continue on Monday.

The jury has to decide whether the suspect, 40-year-old Nicholas Harder, is guilty of first degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault, in the death of 57-year-old Anthony Jordinelli.

Harder has been in custody since his arrest in May of 2023. He’s being held at the Yuma County Adult Detention center on a bond of $1 million.

Keep it tuned to our newscasts, our website and download our News 11 app for the latest updates.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The fate of a Yuma man accused of murdering a man in a Yuma County home is now in the hands of the jury.

Deliberations began Wednesday in the trial of 40-year-old Nicholas Harder as he is accused of murdering 57-year-old Anthony Jordinelli back in May of 2023.

Harder claims that Jordinelli attacked him first and that he acted in self defense.

Jury deliberations continued into the afternoon.

We have our reporter at Yuma County Superior Court waiting for that verdict, and we will update this article as soon as we learn of a verdict.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – It’s kitten season in Yuma, and the Humane Society of Yuma (HSOY) says it’s one of the busiest and most critical times of the year.

So far, about 85 kittens have already come into the shelter. While many are in foster care, staff say their foster volunteers are starting to feel overwhelmed.

This year, the shelter has a clear goal: no healthy kitten entering the shelter will be euthanized. But they say reaching that goal will take help from the community.

There are several ways to get involved. People can adopt, foster kittens, or volunteer with the shelter’s “Kitten Squad” to help care for newborns.

No prior experience is needed and training will be provided, according to HSOY.

They’re also reminding people to be careful when they find kittens outside. In many cases, the mother cat is still nearby, even if she’s not immediately visible.

Staff say well-meaning people often bring kittens in thinking they’ve been abandoned, when they may actually be better off staying where they are so their mother can care for them.

HSOY is also asking for supplies, which can include the following:

Heating pads

KMR (kitten milk replacer) formula

Baby wipes

Miracle nipples

Monetary donations can be made here.

If you are interested in fostering, please contact Paige at pbrooke@hsoyuma.com and or register at https://hsoyuma.com/fostering-a-pet.html.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Research shows just how much money Arizona smokers are spending on cigarettes.

According to iSelect, smokers in Arizona spend more than $2,000 per year on cigarettes, with the average pack costing $10.69.

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease, death and disability in the United States, according to the CDC.

Dr. Karen Melara of Onvia Health said, “We have very strong evidence to suggest that smoking can lead to many devastating medical conditions. These medical conditions can be very severe, chronic, debilitating, and they really can represent a true decline in the patient’s quality of life.”

Between the financial cost of smoking and the serious health consequences, quitting can be one of the best choices a smoker can make.

Free and effective resources for quitting smoking are available. Check out smokefree.gov for more information and support.

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Moses Femino

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – The City of San Luis is encouraging community members to take part in a local effort to protect and preserve the desert environment this weekend as part of its “Revive and Thrive” campaign.

The Second Annual South County Desert Cleanup will focus on areas impacted by illegal dumping, with volunteers working together to remove trash and help keep the landscape safe and visually clean for residents.

City officials say efforts like this, not only improve the environment, but also serve as a reminder of the importance of reporting illegal dumping when it is seen.

“We want to keep our desert beautiful, we want to keep it clean and we want to make sure it’s safe for everybody,” Francia Alonso, the City of San Luis Public Information Officer, said. “Even though it’s undeveloped land, it’s nature, it’s there, it’s for the public so helping to make sure it’s clean.”

The cleanup is scheduled to take place Saturday beginning at 7 a.m., with volunteers meeting at 10th Avenue and Torres Street.

From there, participants will focus their efforts on the area between Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Los Alamos Street.

Organizers are encouraging anyone interested in participating to show up and help support the community-wide effort to keep South County clean.

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Moses Femino

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Live jazz filled the air Thursday night as Arizona Western College and Kofa High School students took the stage for the Village Jazz Series.

Highlighting local talent and creating a bridge between high school and college musicians.

Both jazz bands delivered energetic performances in an outdoor setting at the Yuma Palms Regional Center.

Giving families a chance to enjoy music under the stars while showcasing the growth of Yuma’s jazz scene.

For the student musicians, the event was more than just a performance. It was an opportunity to connect with the community and inspire the next generation.

“We get to show our talent and how much we’ve worked towards this for the people of Yuma County,” Maximiliano Campos, a third-year music major at Arizona Western College, said. “They get to see it and they get to enjoy it as much as we do.”

Lorenzo Paredes, a first-year music major at Arizona Western College, said performing alongside Kofa High School students highlights the strength of local music programs and opens the door for younger musicians to continue their education at Arizona Western College.

“I feel excited too, cause it also shows me how talented high schools are with music,” Paredes said. “And it also shows them that we, AWC here, we have a jazz program. Pretty good one too so if they want to join next year, they can.”

Kofa High School opened the concert, with Arizona Western College closing out the two-hour performance.

The Village Jazz Series is set to wrap up its 2026 run next Thursday.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) is this week, and a gathering was held Thursday night to highlight the focus of honoring survivors and protecting victims’ rights and services.

The event recognized victims and honored the work of victim advocates.

NCVRW, created in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan from the 1970s victims’ rights movement, highlights and advances legal protections and support for crime victims who had long been overlooked by the justice system.

Mark Martinez, chairman for the Victim Rights Committee, said, “It’s a way to share the awareness of the advocacy that’s available to them if they become a victim. It’s also a way to celebrate our survivors, to bring them together and remind them that you are still being supported. We just want to provide a dinner or meal for them so we can all fellowship together and enjoy our time together.”

The gathering honors all victims of crimes to show them that they are not alone or forgotten.

Amberly’s Place Executive Director Tori Bourguignon spoke at the event and emphasized the importance of recommitment to victim support.

“It’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week,a time to honor survivors, those we’ve lost, and recommit ourselves to the work we do,” Bourguignon said. “The healing has to come from support, from using the resources that are available, from digging deep to finding that courage and resilience on days when you don’t think that you’ve got it. On the darkest days, reaching out so that you can continue to realize that you’re never alone and that there will always be one of us in this room to stand beside you. That’s the work of advocacy every day when the rest of the world isn’t looking. This profession gives us an opportunity to leave people better than when we found them, and that is what draws me back in the door day after day, year after year.”

Advocacy work is essential to the fabric of the community, providing critical support and a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you, or someone you may know, is in need of support or would like to volunteer, please visit the Amberly’s Place website for more information.

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Moses Femino

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) is sharing new information following a standoff in a local neighborhood that lasted nearly three hours and led to one person being taken into custody.

A heavy police presence shut down part of a Yuma neighborhood Thursday afternoon as officers responded to a standoff near 17th Avenue and Colorado Street.

YPD confirmed officers were searching for a suspect from an alleged aggravated assault that happened earlier in the week.

“Earlier in the week we had an aggravated assault that occurred between two individuals,” Officer Hayato Johnson, an officer on the YPD Public Affairs Unit, said. “And yesterday, some of our detectives were able to locate the suspect for the assault. So from there, we went to the residence, did a call out and we were able to take one into custody without any further incident.”

A loud explosion was heard just before 4 P.M., which was a tactic deployed by YPD to try to get individuals to cooperate and exit the residence.

Police could be heard over a loudspeaker calling for the suspect to come out. Telling them they were surrounded and to exit with their hands up and unarmed.

Shortly after the explosion, a woman exited the home. A man was later seen coming out of the residence as well

Several police units remained in the area after the individuals left the home. Officers shortly thereafter cleared the scene, while forensic teams and investigators stayed behind to continue processing the residence.

Some nearby residents say this circumstance has been happening more frequently this year.

“This is probably the third or fourth time since I’ve lived here that this has happened,” Julie Cross, a local said. “The house behind me also had the same thing and we were asked to leave our house because they said we were not safe.”

Other neighbors told KYMA they were not aware of any suspicious activity leading up to the standoff.

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