Author: KYMA

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Early Thursday morning, the Yuma Proving Ground hosted the change in responsibility ceremony, which only happens every two years.

The outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Millare passed on his responsibilities to incoming Command Sgt. Maj. Joshua C. Holthus.

The Command Sergeant Major is the highest-ranking enlisted person on site and serves as a leader, advocating for soldiers, and their families.

“As senior enlisted leaders at Yuma Proving Ground, we do a, we rotate every two years, so it was just my time to go,” says outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Millare.

Millare has been in this position since July 13, 2023, serving as the highest-ranking enlisted person at the proving ground.

He now will be turning over his responsibilities to Command Sgt. Maj. Holthus.

Millare says, “Him and I came from the same brigade and acquisition, and army testing is going to be foreign for him. Even now after two years, I would say that I’m still not like 100% know everything, so I would say keep an open mind and start learning.”

Holthus says he plans to continue leading and advocating for soldiers and their families stepping into this new role.

“I became an acclamation officer well over twenty years ago, and that is the expectation of an acclamation officer is to do those things from the get go,” says Holthus.

The Command Sergeant Major serves under Colonel John Nelson. Col. Nelson shares this thoughts on the change of responsibility.

“I’m feeling bittersweet about today’s ceremony because we’re saying, you know, goodbye to my senior listed advisor that’s been serving in that position for the last two years, but also kind of sweet because were welcoming in another outstanding non-commissioning officer Commander Sergeant Major Holfus,” says Nelson.

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Karina Bazarte

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Brawley Police Department (BPD) has recovered about 100 illegal guns from the streets just this year alone. But they say there’s one team member who’s taken that mission even further.

BPD says they are the only local agency that uses a non-human team member to help them remove illegal guns from the streets. It uses a sharp nose and has four paws.

“Jax is a hard worker. He is a team player and he has paws,” said Detective Javier Martinez with BPD.

Jax is a Labrador Retriever and he is the only K9 in the whole entire valley that specializes in detecting illegal guns and much more.

“We have the only narcotic K9 when we do the street interdiction. We go out and find the illegal activity that is going on and we utilize that K9 a lot which a lot of the time detects firearms in the vehicle,” the officer shared.

Brawley police say since last year, they have received about 36 illegal pistols.

“Over 15 illegal long rifles both unserialized, stolen,” Detective Martinez spoke.

BPD say there are numerous cases where they conduct search warrants and find many illegal guns, including the 3D printers that create these ghost guns.

“I think a lot of the times we have a people relocating here to the city we have a prison that is close by a lot of the time families relocate here to the city which is went they get release from the prison they end up being here in the City of Brawley,” Martinez shared.

To reduce the number of illegal guns on the streets, that’s when our four-legged friend Jax comes in.

“Late last year, we called Jax out to the City of Calexico and he was an assistant on a vehicle which had narcotics and we ended up finding a machine gun in the back of the van,” Martinez remarked.

Agent Brian Harsany says Jax works with every law agency in the Valley including Border Patrol.

“As long as he gets to smell and discover something either a handgun, ammunition and even currency, he will get this toy,” Agent Harsany explained.

He says Jax has to train every week for five hours in order to be certified.

“The department picked this dog and then I went down to San Diego everyday Monday through Friday to train with him,” Harsany said.

Jax is a three-year-old dog born in Guadalajara, Mexico and has two years with the BPD

“Jax is a hero. He loves what he does, he is good at what he does, he is a big asset in our department,” Martinez expressed.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – KYMA-TV and other television stations across the country have been acquired by another company.

On July 18, Rincon Broadcasting Group announced it has acquired the following stations:

KAYU-TV (Fox) – Spokane, Washington

KFFX-TV (Fox) – Pendleton, Oregon

KCYU-LD (Fox) – Yakima, Washington

KYMA-DT (NBC/CBS) – Yuma, Arizona

KOKI-TV (Fox) – Tulsa, Oklahoma

KMYT-TV (MyNetworkTV) – Tulsa, Oklahoma

WHBQ-TV (Fox) – Memphis, Tennessee

“We’re incredibly excited to expand our regional broadcast footprint into the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Mid-South,” said Todd Parkin, President of Rincon Broadcasting Group. “These stations have strong local brands and deep viewer loyalty. We look forward to pursuing innovation in broadcast television, while upholding their vital role in serving communities with trusted information.”

You can read the full press release below.

Rincon Imagicomm closing PR 071825EH (1)Download

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) got some new training props to better prepare them for fighting fires.

YFD got a dumpster and other gas props to simulate real life fire responses.

The props are located at the public training facility.

YFD explains how beneficial the new equipment will be.

“This is something that we’ve been lacking for a long time is a simulated gas prop. We do encounter calls, they’re rare, but because they’re rare, we don’t get a tone of practice at them, so when Southwest Gas said, ‘Hey, we can help get some pipe laid, gets some props put up for you guys,’ it was huge,” said Capt. David Padilla of YFD.

Along with Southwest Gas’ donation, the dumpster was donated by Republic Sanitation Services.

A representative from Southwest Gas explains why it’s important to help out the local fire station.

“It helps us work together to keep our community safe, having these props in a controlled environment like this will help get our environment ready for real-life incidents, which will keep our community safe all together,” said Francisco Ortega, the Yuma District Manager of Southwest Gas.

YFD says that working together with local companies and agencies can help them in the future.

“Getting to have these relationships when there isn’t an emergency, sharing knowledge, learning from the experts in the industry them learning what we’re going to do when we show up, it’s critically important to keep a safe community,” says Capt. Padilla.

YFD says they are incredibly thankful to Southwest Gas and the Republic Sanitation Services for their donations.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Congress voted on cutting federal funding for public media by $1.1 billion.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives money from the government and distributes these funds to public radio stations everywhere.

This funding helps to ensure the public has access to public media, including local radio station KAWC and Arizona PBS.

According to the KAWC website, they receive over $200,000 from the CPB.

One local, Bob Lutes, says he’s concerned with these cuts.

“Well, I’m against it because I think it’s an asset for the whole country. If you don’t keep informed, what are you going to know? How we going to keep informed,” said Lutes.

The funding cuts could also negatively impact emergency alert capabilities, community outreach intiatives, and other local programming.

We did reach out to KAWC, but the station said it’s not ready to comment at this time.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – More businesses are coming to the east area of San Luis, Arizona.

Construction started Wednesday for Tropic Car Wash. It’s part of the Economic Development Project near the Commercial Port of Entry.

Riedel Construction CEO and Mayor of San Luis Nieves Riedel says more businesses are ready to break ground as soon as next week.

“It’s not just housing, with housing comes growth and with growth comes services we need to provide and I honestly believe we can not wait for the outside world to come and provide these services,” said Mayor Riedel.

Tropic Car Wash is located on Avenue E near the commercial port of entry.

It will open its doors in March 2026.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Snakes are slithering out this summer. With snake activity predicted to rise during the summer months, local healthcare leaders are encouraging the community to stay alert and prepared.

“In general, if you’re going outside or hiking, try to stick to daytime hours when the sun’s out,” said Onvida emergency medicine physician Dr. Casey Noroyan. “We do see increase activity, especially in snakes kind of around the nighttime.”

When working or hiking outdoors, Dr. Nooryan says try to avoid tall grass and piles of logs and wear proper clothing.

“Wearing long pants, a long pair of socks and boots, this will help protect your ankle and kind of lower leg area,” said Noroyan.

But if you are bitten by a snake, the first step is to get to a safe area and quickly seek help.

“All of this is very time sensitive, so the quicker you can seek help and get the antivenom, if it’s indicated in your case, the better off,” said Noroyan.

He recommends to keep the area stable without moving around too much to help decrease the spread of venom.

One common question they receive is if it’s okay to suck the venom out.

“I would say in general, this is not a safe practice. It can actually cause more damage to the area. It can introduce new infection, and it can cause toxicity to the surrounding tissue,” said Noroyan.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A longtime Yuma Lutheran teacher is recovering after a serious fall, and the community is stepping up to support him and his family.

Tony Harman, an eighth-grade teacher at Yuma Lutheran School, was hiking in Colorado when he fell nearly 100 feet down a mountainside.

He suffered multiple serious injuries, including a shattered hip, broken ribs, neck fractures, and leg injuries. Harman was airlifted to Phoenix for emergency treatment.

Known for his faith-filled teaching and close connection with students, Harman has become a beloved figure in the school and church community. Now, the people he’s impacted are giving back.

“You talk about setting a goal, and you see that goal surpassed almost instantly, it humbles you, and it brings great joy to be able to provide that for the Harman family,” said Traci Miller, who is organizing fundraising efforts for the Harmans.

Miller says Harman is more than just a teacher.

“He loves his students unconditionally, he understands where they’re coming from and their background, and which ones are quirky and which ones are extremely intelligent, which ones like sports, and he takes pride in knowing them specifically,” she said.

For the Harman family, the outpouring of support has brought comfort during a difficult time.

“They have need and they know they are loved and supported, and we can’t say enough about that, and how close it brings us together as a family as well,” said Vincent Harman, Harman’s brother and a pastor at Yuma Lutheran.

“He loves kids, he pours his heart out teaching the kids about Jesus, his role here has been phenomenal, we’ve seen people reach out that he’s taught over the years and people he’s teaching now,” he added.

Harman still has a long road to recovery ahead, but thanks to his community, he’s not walking it alone.

If you want to support the Harman family, you can visit their GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tony-harman-heal-after-tragic-fall

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – On May 29, federal and local law enforcement executed a series of coordinated raids on five massage parlors in Yuma, resulting in three arrests including two on state prostitution charges  and one on immigration violations.

Estrella Fitch, CEO of the Healing Journey, says this happens at massage parlors more often than one might think. 

“A lot of these women are brought over very young with a promise of a good job or a promise of a better life, and they end up working and sleeping there at massage parlors…providing you know a service that we don’t really need in this town,” says Fitch.

Many of the women involved, she says, are not criminals, but victims of trafficking, with few options and nowhere to turn.

“They say, ‘Oh, they’re prostitutes,’ or ‘They chose that lifestyle.’ Well, how do you know that? What childhood did they go through to have them fall into this kind of lifestyle?” says Fitch.

Fitch says judgment only fuels the problem, and that healing starts with compassion. 

“First of all, take that judgment out of your head. Stop judging. Remember that these are human beings that maybe wanted a better life and ended up in these parlors…or they are youth trying to identify themselves. Patience and understanding…that’s how we can overcome these problems,” says Fitch.

Therapist Brandy Rice who works with survivors says recovery is possible when the right support is in place.

“What that looks like for me is letting these survivors because I call them survivors know they can overcome. They can have their life back. They can take back the power that traffickers, and those who use them for their bodies, took from them,” Rice expressed.

Rice says healing isn’t linear and every survivor’s experience is different, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Everybody’s story is different. Everybody’s journey is different and I know how easy it is to get stuck in the idea of, ‘I can’t heal…there’s no hope.’ But, there is,” says Rice

Fitch says oversight is needed especially if businesses operate suspiciously late.

“These massage parlors that are open 24 hours have no oversight. And I go back saying again, we need to be more aware of our surrounding and what’s happening. If a massage parlor is open that late at night and it says ‘Open,’ what’s going on there?” says Fitch.

For Melissa Lozolla, a licensed massage therapist the raids are frustrating not just because of the abuse, but the damage to their profession.

“I think it’s very unfortunate and sad. I think this is something that the industry has been fighting for inaction long, long time,” says Lozolla.

Lozolla says there are simple ways to check whether your therapist is properly credentialed.

“If you go to the massage board website, they do have a search button where you can input the name of the massage therapist and if they’re licensed, their name will appear, and whether their license is active or expired,” Lozolla explained.

Fitch says she’s glad to see law enforcement cracking down on illegal activity and hopes to see it continue moving forward.

She says by being aware and empathetic we can create real change.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has taken a stance on where solar energy projects should go.

The board passed a resolution saying too much farmland in the Imperial Valley is being replaced with solar panels.

Most of the power from these projects goes to big cities like San Diego, not the local community. IID officials say they support solar development, but not at the expense of agriculture.

“One in every six jobs in the Imperial Valley is directly related to agriculture, so solar is great, as long as it’s not on AG land,” said Robert Schettler with IID.

The district also says farmland plays a role in helping the Salton Sea.

“When growers grow, whatever the size of their farmland is, one third of the water that goes onto the field drains off and goes to the Salton Sea, so if you take AG out of production, you’re not only affecting the local economy, you’re affecting the Salton Sea,” said Schettler.

Local farmworker advocates say protecting farmland is about more than just the valley.

“More than anything, it’s the country’s economy, here in the Imperial Valley just imagine how much produce we grow and distribute nationally,” said Ruben Partida with Comité de Acción del Valle.

Partida also raised concerns about job loss.

“If finding agricultural work is already hard because a lot of it is moving to Arizona, because of our water troubles here in the valley, now imagine the impact if there is less farmland, even less people who will have jobs,” he said.

IID is encouraging future solar projects to be built on desert or unused land instead.

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