Author: KYMA

Manoah Tuiasosopo

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Low-income families in Somerton are receiving some useful assistance this week as the Housing America Corporation (HAC) hosted the First Back To School Giveaway.

At the Del Pueblo Apartments in Somerton, children from low income families were able to receive some fresh new gear ahead of the new school year.

Wendy Ramirez, a local, shares, “This helps us because you know the economic is really high now and families with a lot of kids they don’t have a lot of money, it’s not enough. So, this helps a little.”

As part of the giveaway, the HAC is providing free school supplies to children living in its low-income housing units.

Over 60 young students received learning tools like back packs, notebooks, and reusable water bottles on their first stop.

Five of those students were the lucky winners of a golden ticket, a $60 gift card to the local store Journeys.

“We’re just happy that he was one of the lucky winners. So, now he has his shoes for school,” says Ramirez.

The organizer says aid for low-income families extends far beyond just housing.

Yolanda Galindo, Executive Director for HAC, explains, “So, we have 60 kids within these 56 units that we have and the needs always there, so why not alleviate the burden on these families by providing a simple backpack with the utilities, with all the utensils needed to start your school year? I mean, it always brightens the kid’s face.”

The giveaway includes two more stops at low-income housing complexes, providing supplies to over 70 units.

They’ll also be stopping at Wellton Elementary School.

Galindo says this wouldn’t be possible without her sponsors adding, “Just a simple idea that I had, I reached out to the local contractor that we work with and it was overwhelming the response that they had.”

As to the future of the event, Galindo says, “It’ll get bigger and better. Maybe next time we could partner up with the City of Somerton. Just being the response, we were able to gather 180 backpacks full of all supplies.”

The giveaway will continue Wednesday at the Amistad Apartments in Somerton then the Colorado Street Apartments in Yuma on Thursday.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – After more than 14 months without a permanent city manager, the City of Calexico has official appointed Ben Martinez as the new city manager.

Ben Martinez was appointed to be the new Calexico City Manager Tuesday morning.

Calexico Mayor Diana Nuricumbo says Martinez has an extensive career, from working with multiple cities in San Diego to L.A. County.

“We wanted to be very careful about who we selected because this city you know it has a reputation of having a high turnover of city managers so we wanted to ensure that this time things were going to be different,” said Mayor Nuricumbo.

However, locals on social media expressed their concerns about Martinez controversial departure from National City.

“Sometimes things don’t work out in other cities. we know this position is a very political position so it all depends on who you have as a council,” said Nuricumbo.

Martinez says he was let go due to political reasons.

Martinez says although he is not from Calexico, He does have strong ties to the community and he’s committed to helping the city grow.

Lizbeth Carbajal, a local, she is excited Calexico finally has a permanent city manager that can help the city bloom like fixing the streets. 

“Homelessness is a big issue and something has to be done to protect them to help them but at the same time to protect our city and make it clean and beautiful,” said Carbajal.

Martinez says beautifying Calexico is in his plans.

“When I look at the appearances of Calexico, our streets, our sidewalks, our parks and other things, I don’t know if the pride is showing, so we need to do that together. We need to work on that together I want to see the image of Calexico improve for the better,” said Martinez.

Martinez says he signed a three-year contract with a possible extension and hopes to retire in the City of Calexico.

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a growing concern nationwide, but in Yuma County, they’re seeing some of the highest infection rates in the state.

According to the CDC and a recent study by Invigor Medical, Yuma County reported over 700 new STD cases per every 100,000 residents in 2023.

Health experts say those numbers reflect more than just testing, they highlight gaps in care and education.

In Yuma County, the numbers are raising red flags. According to Invigor Medical’s breakdown of CDC data, chlamydia led the list with over one thousand new cases in 2023.

Syphilises followed with 254 reported cases. Gonorrhea and HIV were also reported, though in lower in numbers.

Dr. Karen Melara with Onvida Family Medicine Clinic says these high numbers could be due to lack of education and stigma.

“Efforts for education is definitely something that should be worked on particularly so we can address this stigma you know that surrounds STDs as a whole so that patients can understand this is something that is apart of their healthcare,” Dr. Melara explained.

According to the study, STD rates have risen significantly over the past decade, reporting nearly 2.5 million new infections across the country in 2023, with Arizona being ranked number 11 in highest STD rates.

Melara says STD rates often rise in the summer because of more travel and social activity.

“Whenever we have that shift in population, we do see the numbers in different conditions change, so I would say that would be part of the reason,” Melara shared.

Experts stress personal responsibility plays a big role. If you think you may need testing, contact your local physician.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Local radio station KAWC is located on the Arizona Western College Campus and is just one of the many public radio stations that will be affected by the defunding of The Corporation of Public Broadcast (CPB).

Dave Riek, the General Manger of KAWC, “We’re planning not to have about a fifth of our budget, $200,000 this year, in this most recent budget. So that’s about 20%.”

KAWC says they are working with networks they partner with to receive discounts, and they have unfortunately laid off some of their part-time staff.

Despite these budget cuts, the station says they will stay on the air and they are holding onto hope.

“We have been told by several of the Congress people who actually voted in our favor on that measure, that they will propose more funding for CPB going forward, but it won’t be on a two year stager, specifically for this year. So we’re still hoping this will get reversed,” says Riek.

Students on campus also shared their opinions on the defunding of public media.

Gerardo Soto says, “I would assume some people are about to loose their jobs, and there might not be as much opportunity for more people to get into it.”

While others find the defunding to be very tragic news for public media all around.

“Honestly, I am kind of disheartened with that whole radio station being cut, just due to people having jobs here at the campus and removing that availability for those people to be able to pay for services is just never a good thing,” says David Hilpert, a student.

KAWC plans on bringing in more community support, like fundraising, during these difficult financial times.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Arizona. (KYMA, KECY) – On Tuesday’s HomeGrown, we highlight a local water district, Bard Water District.

The district is a part of the Yuma Project, one of the first federal projects on the Colorado River.

Bard Water delivers water to farmers throughout the Winterhaven area.

Nick Bahr, the general manager of Bard Water, explains how the process of ordering water works.

“After you’ve placed your water order, in our system, that system tells our operation system how much water needs to be delivered at what time, it sends a signal to our automatic gage similar to this one,” Bahr says.

Bard Water is currently working on an automation system for their district.

This will make adjustments on it’s own without human input.

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The man accused of crashing his pickup truck into a Border Patrol checkpoint in Yuma has accepted a plea deal in court.

67-year-old Rogelio Sanchez agreed to plead guilty to one count of attempted aggravated assault during a change of plea hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Sanchez crashed his Ford F-150 pickup truck into a Border Patrol checkpoint back in October of 2023, injuring two Border Patrol agents.

All other counts related to this case have been dismissed.

Sanchez’s punishment will be determined at the discretion of the court at his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for September.

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The trial of a former Yuma doctor accused of sexually abusing his patients has been delayed.

Edsel Sandoval was expected to begin his trial in September after pleading not guilty to seven counts of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

A total of eight women have come forward with allegations against him with the alleged abuse dating back to April of 2022.

During a final pre-trial conference, both the state and Sandoval’s defense attorney agreed to move forward with the trial, but requested it be set back.

Judge Darci Weede moved the trial, which is now set to begin in January.

Sandoval will be back in court in September for a status conference.

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Dillon Fuhrman

(KYMA, KECY) – Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) will host Emerald Warrior 25.2 from July 21 to August 11.

It will take place at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and at multiple locations across Arizona and California.

The exercise is a benchmark for the AFSOC’s training schedule, as it will include advanced training scenarios for special operation forces.

Training includes large-scale missions in unfamiliar environments to boost the skills of all units involved, says AFSOC.

According to a press release, anyone living near training locations may see more military presence during the exercises.

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Adrik Vargas

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The family of a Somerton girl created a GoFundMe to ask for the community’s help.

According to the post on the GoFundMe, Adilene Duron, 15, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, which is a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer.

Duron’s family said they make frequent trips to Phoenix to receive treatments, such as chemo and specialized care, while her folks took time off work “to be there for her,” but the post said the trips and “around the clock care are hard enough.”

Courtesy: GoFundMe

Courtesy: GoFundMe

The family said they created the GoFundMe to help ease some of the financial burden, such as travel costs, medical expenses and other essentials, so they can focus on Duron’s health.

The GoFundMe has a goal of $7,500, with only $2,590 raised so far. If anyone would like to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Association of Realtors received a $7,500 Placemaking Grant from the National Association of Realtors.

According to a press release, the grant, which was secured by their Community Outreach Committee, is to help “improve recreational opportunities in the City of Yuma.”

The press release says the association will support the City of Yuma in adding new pool lanes at Marcus Pool to “help create order, reduce drag, and optimize performance and safety in the pool for all lap swimmers.”

“As REALTORS®, we don’t just sell homes—we live here, we raise our families here, and we pour our hearts into giving back to the community that has given us so much. Yuma isn’t just where we work; it’s who we are. That’s why we’re so proud to support projects that make a real difference right here at home. This grant gives us a meaningful opportunity to invest in Yuma’s future—through health, recreation, and spaces that bring people together. Placemaking isn’t just about parks or pathways…it’s about creating a sense of belonging, strengthening neighborhood pride, and reminding folks that Yuma is a place worth building up, together.”

Meaghann Valencia, President, Yuma Association of Realtors

The association will use the funds to help the City of Yuma meets its “identified need for enhancing the Marcus Pool experience and expanding opportunities for recreational and competitive swimming” while the City of Yuma contributed “project management, installation expertise, and will continue ongoing maintenance to ensure the project’s success.”

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