Marcos Icahuate
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A jackpot-winning ticket from the Arizona Lottery was sold in Yuma, according to O.H. Partners.
The Triple Twist ticket was sold on May 13 at the Chevron Self Serve on 2092 E. 24th Street.
The ticket was worth $320,000, which had the winning numbers: 8, 10, 15, 17, 37, and 40.
A Powerball ticket worth $50,000 was previously sold in Yuma on Saturday, May 10.
Abraham Retana
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local school held an exercise Tuesday to have teachers, students, parents and first responders on the same page.
As part of the drill, Ed Pastor Elementary School in San Luis, Arizona evacuated its students from the classrooms to a safe spot a few blocks away.
School officials were informing parents through texts messages about the situation and how to pick up their kids at Eligio Ramirez Park.
“Moving them from location to another the school has to be very prepared in releasing the students in a safe proper manner as well the community and the parents,” said Lina Galvan, Gadsden Elementary School District (GESD) associate superintendent.
Associate Superintendent Galvan says it took a lot of effort to coordinate and move more than 500 students to a safe location.
“It took a lot of planning with the city, the police department, the fire department with our staff, our technology department, maintenance and transportation department. It took the collaboration of the whole school district,” explained Associate Superintendent Galvan.
A grandparent we spoke to says it’s important to have this kind of drills because everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency.
“This is very important especially nowadays, the kids have to be prepared in case of any problem they could face,” expressed Marisol Garcia, a grandmother of a student.
Gadsden Elementary School District is planning to have another emergency drill next school year involving all schools within the district.
Adrik Vargas
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Imperial County has approved new funding to help keep two housing programs running, including one that supports domestic violence survivors.
WomanHaven’s Safe Home Program will now be funded through 2027, helping keep its emergency shelters open for people escaping dangerous situations.
“The funding is gonna be able to let us keep the doors open,” said Gina Vargas, Executive Director of WomanHaven. “It’s gonna allow us to continue to operate a 24/7 emergency shelter.”
Thanks to past grants, the program has already grown from two shelter spots to three full emergency shelters.
“We have expanded from offering room for two to having three emergency shelters due to grant funding,” Vargas said.
Johana Ramirez with Sure Helpline, a group that works closely with WomanHaven, says the need for shelter space in Imperial Valley is ongoing, especially for people with kids.
“Many times, the reason they don’t leave is economic reasons, or they don’t have a place to move to with children,” she said. “And many times when they contact local resources, shelters are already full.”
Ramirez says stable support like this gives survivors real options and hope.
“When they do experience victimization, we want them to have that support,” she said. “And to make that happen, we need to grow housing services in Imperial Valley.”
With this new support in place, WomanHaven says they’re focused on continuing to offer safety, and a fresh start.
Jalen Fong
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Yuma law enforcement is honoring those who died or were killed in the line of duty.
The Fraternal Order of Police Yuma Lodge #24 is holding the 48th Annual Peace Officers Memorial Service this Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
It will take place at the Fallen Officer Memorial Monument at the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex, located at 1700 E. 8th Street.
Everyone is invited to attend. To learn more about the upcoming event, click here.
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Arizona Department of Education has reported a decline in children’s literacy levels.
“The Arizona Department of Education, their stats and the data that are showing that from 2023 until 2024, there has been a decline. So it was 41%, but now it’s 39% of third grade readers deficient,” said Yuma Arizona’s Children Association language and literacy educator Denise Ramirez.
That’s why the Yuma Arizona’s Children Association started a home library project to support 100 Yuma County families with a personalized home library.
“Our goal was 100 families – to serve 100 families. They will get a complete kit…a book nook kit where there will be a cozy chair, a reading buddy, a carpet, and a set of ten books,” said Ramirez.
They’re partnering with Nova Home Loans to create library kits and need your help to make it happen.
Items they need:
1,000 Books of different genres. Preference age appropriate for children 0-8
100 Bookshelf’s
100 Cozy sitting pieces
100 Small soft rugs
100 Stuffed animals
“So what we’re asking is for our industry, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, if everybody did a little, no one would have to do a lot. And there’s no reason why we can’t all come together, buy ten books, buy a shelf, buy a single stuffed animal or sitting piece, and help Arizona Children’s Association get this over the finish line for these hundred families,” said Vice President Branch Manager of Nova Home Loans Jarrod Holiman.
They’ll be accepting donations through mid June. You can find drop off items at the locations below. They say they are thankful for the generosity of each of these partners:
Drop off Locations:
Nova Home Loans
Arizona’s Children Association
Primelending
Realty One Group Gateway
Elite Engraving & More
If you need to reach out for donations, you can email them below:
HomeStartsHere@novahomeloans.com
dramirez@arizonaschildren.org
salvarez@arizonaschildren.org
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – News 11 is following law enforcement activity on 16th Street and 7th Ave. in Yuma.
Yuma police are on scene, but they tell us this is a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) case.
We reached out to HSI who responded by saying, “This morning, as part of an ongoing investigation, special agents with HSI served a state search warrant at Beijing Spa in Yuma, Arizona.”
HSI was helped by local police and U.S. Border Patrol.
No arrests have been made, according to HSI.
Keep it tuned to News 11 for the latest details.
We went live on-scene below:
Jalen Fong
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The getaway driver in last year’s armed robbery in Yuma has been sentenced Tuesday.
19-year-old Ricardo Miguel Carrasco was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison after he accepted a plea deal last month.
He was one of three suspects who robbed a married couple at gunpoint in March of last year.
Carrasco received 420 days of credit served.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of Yuma is hosting a fireworks show in honor of the Fourth of July.
The event is taking place at Desert Sun Stadium on Friday, July 4 at 9:00 p.m., with the gates opening at 6:00 p.m.
The event is free to attend, will feature local vendors offering food and beverages, and will have a children’s area featuring a foam party, free jumpers and face painting.
The City says only clear bags, water bottles, chairs and blankets are allowed. However, the City says those who attend are asked to leave their non-clear bags at home or inside their vehicles.
In addition, they also list the following items not permitted inside the stadium:
Outside food
Alcoholic beverages
Glass
Pets
Personal fireworks, sparklers, or other flames
Coolers
“We can’t wait to host this fun free family event,” said City of Yuma Special Event Coordinator Brissa Garcia. “Also, we thank the public for their understanding about the clear-bag policy. We want this to be a safe place to enjoy the Fourth of July.”
The event will go until 10:00 p.m.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A GoFundMe was created to help a family who lost three family members in a rollover crash in Imperial County over the weekend.
According to the GoFundMe’s organizer, her nephew, Isaac, his girlfriend, Malea, and their son, Xaris, died last Saturday in a rollover crash on Interstate 8 east of Mountain Springs Road, near Ocotillo.
“Isaac was a vibrant, funny young man, full of life and dreams. Malea was a kind-hearted soul, devoted to her family and friends. Xaris, a joyful baby who brought smiles to everyone he met,” the GoFundMe’s organizer said.
The GoFundMe’s organizer is asking for help in covering the funeral costs.
“Any contribution, big or small, will be deeply appreciated and will help ease the financial burden during this difficult time,” the GoFundMe’s organizer expressed.
So far, the GoFundMe raised over $8,330 and has a goal of $12,000.
If anyone wants to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
Dillon Fuhrman
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of El Centro has released the re-seeding schedule for their athletic fields.
This is due in part of them assessing the current condition of the fields as well as them determining field use requests will not be accepted for the summer season.
Because of this, the city is not issuing any permits for organized sports, such as tournaments, team practices, and more, from June 1 to August 31.
The City says they will re-issue permits starting September 1.
However, the general public can still use the fields for unorganized events.
