Author: KYMA

Marcos Icahuate

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The City of El Centro announced the recipients of the 2025 Quiet Servant Award.

Verna Wow-Wright and Fernando Banuelos were nominated for making meaningful differences in the community.

“The Quiet Servant Award highlights the heart of our community,” said Mayor Sonia Carter. “Verna Wow-Wright and Fernando Banuelos embody what it means to server quietly yet powerfully. Their kindness, commitment, and willingness to go above and beyond inspire all of us to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Wow-Wright has supported several local organizations such as WomanHaven, Imperial Valley Food Bank and the Humane Society of Imperial County. She’s worked in Child Nutrition for nearly 30 years and has adopted out of the foster care system.

Banuelos works for the City’s Facility Maintenance Division, and has been known to work beyond his duties. He ensures the City is clean and organized, while also taking initiative on other projects.

Wow-Wright and Banuelos will be recognized during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 21 at El Centro City Hall, starting at 6 p.m.

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Marcos Icahuate

HOLTVILLE, Calif. (KYMA) – A brush fire was seen at the Barbara Worth Country Club.

Fire crews from Imperial County, Calexico and El Centro were in the area as palm trees caught fire.

The fire spread to a warehouse next to the golf course on the Country Club.

Anderholt Road was closed from Evan Hewes Highway to Ross Road.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – In Tuesday’s Home Grown report, we highlight Martha Ryan, a local woman who works in the agriculture industry.

Martha Ryan is the Farm Spray and Planting Department Manager for JV Farms.

She has been working in agriculture since she was 18 and has been a part of the planting team for almost three years.

Ryan says she has been around farming her whole life, and is proud of what she does.

“As a Latina woman in agriculture, I am proud to represent women in this industry, and show that passion and dedication can take you very far. I truly love what I do and wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Ryan.

She says she is also proud to follow in her father’s footsteps and make Yuma home.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local makeup artist from Yuma was recognized in Vogue Magazine.

Olivia Esperanza, a local makeup artist, was inspired to do makeup after many people started to compliment her work.

“In 2013, I would say I got into makeup school, cosmetology school, and I came out literally just doing makeup, I started doing creative makeup and it kind of just went from there,” says Esperanza.

Esperanza was invited to the Santa Fe Indian Market fashion Week in New Mexico where her makeup was featured.

She says when she got home she saw the Indian Market Fashion Week was published in Vogue. That’s when she noticed her work in the magazine.

Esperanza shares how she feels seeing her hard work pay off saying, “It’s just like I don’t know…it’s just cool to me, just like where I came from and where I am now, it’s just really crazy to me.”

Esperanza provided advice for local makeup artists in Yuma wanting to make it in the industry.

“Keep trying, like the way I got into it, like finding, you know just going onto Instagram, and you know seeing fashion shows and applying for it. You’re able to get in there, anyone can do it.”

She says anything you put your mind to you can accomplish.

“If you dream it, manifest it, everything like, this came out of nowhere, and I just did not expect it, and it really motivated me to do it a lot more,” says Esperanza.

Esperanza hopes to eventually make it to New York Fashion Week or Fashion Week in Milan.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Police and Fire Departments are collaborating with mental health agencies to support locals in crisis.

YPD and YFD created a mental health co-responder unit this year to get resources to community members in crisis.

Officers presented the program to the community Tuesday at the Yuma County Anti Drug Coalition meeting to partner with local mental health agencies on how to offer support.

“Basically we go into the community and people that are having mental health disabilities, we try to get them resources, so that they can get the help that they need and live productive lives,” said Sgt. Raul Fiveash with YPD.

The unit includes two police officers trained with mental health resources. They plan to add a YFD Paramedic at the beginning of next month.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Annual Yuma Family Pumpkin Patch is back in town! The three-week event is at Champion Church in Yuma. It features family friendly attractions from face painting, jumpers, hay rides, photos ops, and more.

The church is open to the public on the weekends for a $5 entrance fee. Locals can bring a canned food item as well for the church to give to families during the holidays. They encourage everyone to come out.

“We have so many beautiful things! We’re a patch! We’ve got pumpkins grown just for us, and they’re here. All kinds of fun things to do for the family. Today, we are in field trips and then the weekend we’re open to the public,” said Champion Church pastor LaCinda Bloomfield.

“We’re celebrating our 20 years, so it’s very family friendly, and it’s something that you can come to and enjoy and make memories,” said pumpkin patch coordinator Estalee Villarreal.

The Pumpkin Patch is open Fridays and Saturdays 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Sundays 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. until October 26.

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Dillon Fuhrman

WINTERHAVEN, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) has identified the victims of a possible murder-suicide in Winterhaven.

According to a press release, the victims were identified as 19-year-old Matthew Vargas and 23-year-old Jonathan Vargas.

ICSO says it happened Friday, October 10 in a home located in the area of Railroad Avenue and E Street, near Winterhaven Drive, at around 6:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, ICSO says deputies found a distraught man who had found the bodies of his two sons, Matthew and Jonathan Vargas, who both died from apparent gunshot wounds.

In addition, ICSO says they recovered a firearm and spent shell casing at the scene.

This prompted ICSO’s Investigations Unit to initiate an investigation, with assistance from the Scientific Investigations Unit and Coroner’s Office.

During the investigation, it was determined that the shooting may have been a murder-suicide between the two brothers, and ICSO says, “There are no indications of any outstanding suspects,” and there is no threat to the community.

ICSO also says, “Autopsy and forensic testing are pending to determine the official cause and manner of death,” and says their investigators have been in contact with the Vargas family to provide them updates on the case.

The investigation remains ongoing. If anyone has information regarding the case, call (442) 265-2052.

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Abraham Retana

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – Two board members with the Gadsden Elementary School District are facing recalls this November.

Gadsden Elementary School District board members Liliana Arroyo and Luis Marquez are facing a recall.

Arroyo and Marquez say the accusations against them are false.

“There is a recall because they say I don’t know how to communicate with the community, that I have a barrier with the community because of my English,” said Arroyo.

“Because I mistreat the teacher, parents and children. Because I’m arrogant and because I abuse my power,” said Marquez.

Yuma County voters are starting to receive their ballot by mail on Wednesday.

Both Gadsden Elementary School board members are asking the community to make their voices heard this upcoming election.

“It’s very important to fill out the ballots, it’s very easy. It takes one minute to fill it out and send them back by mail or take them to the box at the library. It’s important because your vote counts,” said Marquez.

“Your vote is free, every voter has the right to vote freely for who they considered is the best option,” said Arroyo.

The recall election is on Tuesday, November 4.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma’s main agriculture season is officially here, but some growers are struggling to find field workers.

Yuma is responsible for about 90% of the leafy vegetables grown in the United States from November to March.

However, with growers struggling to find workers, John Boelts, the President of the Arizona Farm Buereau is at our nation’s capitol looking for assistance.

“We look forward to folks on Capitol Hill and with the administration working together to find solutions that we’ve been asking for for three decades now,” Boelts says.

There are other alternatives to hire out of country workers, such as the H2A program.

However, Boelts says this can be too expensive for some growers.

“It’s a cumbersome and challenging program you have to work with a number of federal agencies, it’s time consuming and expensive, and it frequently requires you to have lawyers and HR folks involved that many farms and ranches don’t have,” he said.

Boelts shares how this is impacting the agriculture industry.

“Not only can we not produce enough food and fiber in this country especially high labor intensive crops like fruits and vegetables in our country, we also have to be able to compete with imports,” he says.

According to the American Immigration Council, the agricultural industry saw a drop of 155,000 workers from March to July.

They say it could be due to immigration enforcement operations ramping up, with the Trump administration targeting work sites for immigration raids including farm workers, meat packers, and street vendors. 

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Marcos Icahuate

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – San Luis High School had an early dismissal, according to a message sent to families.

School was dismissed at 9:36 a.m. because of problems with their HVAC system.

After school activities off campus will continue as scheduled, but activities on campus are canceled.

San Luis High School reminds families that fall break begins on Friday, October 10 through October 13.

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