Eduardo Morales
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Holiday Magic Toy Drive is accepting donations Friday.
Walmart on Pacific Avenue is taking donations until 7 p.m.
Stop by Walmart, pick up a couple of toys and drop them off.
All of the toys collected will go directly to the Salvation Army in Yuma for local children.
Karina Bazarte
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – About 50 imperial county locals received free laptops Wednesday afternoon at the El Centro Library.
AT&T, along with Human IT, provided 50 dell Chromebooks to the Imperial Regional Alliance to give away to locals in need.
Timothy Kelley, the Imperial Regional Alliance CEO, explains how these laptops will help locals.
“As things like the broadband advance, everything to come get digital that if you don’t have access to the Internet, either just having the service or having a computer, then you’re just falling further behind and we’re seeing that are furthest from the services need the service is the most,” said Kelley.
Last year, about 200 laptops were distributed to locals. Kelley says they hope to continue helping locals in Imperial County.
Abraham Retana
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – An Imperial Valley healthcare provider announced a program that ensures patient care in the years to come.
The Imperial Valley Healthcare District (IVHD) will have the largest nurse residency in Imperial County history.
The nurse graduates will be trained at Pioneers Memorial Hospital and El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) in a variety of specialties including, emergency medicine, surgeries and maternal care.
“It has been a huge success for us in terms of able to recruit new nurses to our community and to our organization. Since its inception, it has been our current strength to hire nurses,” said Carol Bojorquez, IVHD Chief Nursing Officer.
“The number of beds that our hospitals have combined…it’s just enough to provide care to our community of this size. The more the community grows, the more nurses will be needed in the future,” said Kimberly Probus, ECRMC Chief Nursing Officer.
The goal is to develop a local workforce to meet the needs of the valley’s growth.
“To have these nurses to be part of the team that takes care of the community is highly important because we are managing the care of the community,” said Bojorquez.
“Because there’s no one better to take care for our population than people who are members of it,” said Probus.
So far, 28 nurses have been hired under this new program.
Adrik Vargas
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona lawmaker Nick Kupper is pushing two bills he says would give families more financial support.
Kupper, a Republican representative in the Arizona House, says House Bill 2004 would give refundable tax credits to low-income parents after they have a baby. Single parents would get $2,000, and married couples filing jointly would get $4,000 if they are at or below the federal poverty line.
The amount gets smaller as income rises, ending at one hundred forty-five percent of the poverty level.
The bill, the lawmaker says, is meant to give financial support to women who may struggle after having a child. He says the goal is not to influence abortion law, but to offer “a little bit of help” for parents with limited means.
His second bill, House Bill 2011, expands Arizona’s current adoption tax credits to cover the adoption of frozen IVF embryos.
Kupper says the state already helps families who adopt children, and this bill simply adds another type of adoption.
He says it does not change the legal status of embryos and is not meant to spark a political fight. He believes only a small number of families use embryo adoption, so the cost to the state would be low.
Kupper says both bills are part of his goal to support families and make it easier for parents to raise children in Arizona.
Andrea Turisk
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial County Fire Department (ICFD) received a grant Thursday to improve emergency operations.
Imperial County is one of 25 towns across the U.S. that received a Hometown Grant from T-Mobile.
ICFD says they’ll use their funding to upgrade technology equipment to enhance readiness.
The grant is part of T-Mobile’s commitment to Rural America, providing $25 million for community development projects in rural areas through 2026.
To date, T-Mobile’s hometown grants program has provided more than $20 million to 450 communities across 48 states.
You can read more about the grants and who received them on the T-Mobile website here.
Abraham Retana
SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local non-profit hosted its last health event of the year.
Comite de Bienestar hosted its 70th vaccine clinic. It started in 2020 with COVID-19 vaccines and now more than 10 agencies are providing a variety of services including health and legal assistance.
“We have done more than 26,000 vaccinations. Probably saved thousands of lives with prevention and it’s part of the effort that the county makes to get the health department to the communities,” said Tony Reyes, Comite de Bienestar Executive Director.
Reyes says hosting the vaccine clinics in San Luis, Arizona makes it easier for the community to receive the vaccinations and the services of the local agencies.
“People can’t attend those meetings. It would take a full day to go to yuma to get the vaccinations when they can get it here in the community in less than half an hour or an hour,” said Reyes.
Comite de Bienestar is planning to have more vaccination clinics next year.
Adrik Vargas
HEBER, Calif. (KYMA) – Heber residents may soon have a safer way to walk along one of the town’s busiest roads. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the Heber Public Utility District (HPUD) are proposing a dedicated walking path along Dogwood Road.
The project would add wider walkways, solar lights, and new signs. Federal funding will help cover early planning.
One street vendor, Marissa Lopez, who works on Dogwood Road, says the improvements are much needed adding, “Tons of traffic, all day there is traffic. We’re here until 5 in the afternoon and traffic doesn’t stop. There should be some signs…because there’s no crashes, but there’s close calls.”
Officials say the community has been asking for safer walking areas for years.
Madeline Dessert Martinez, General Manager of HPUD, said, “We see residents walking down a dirt path. We see mothers with strollers, elderly residents walking to pay their utility bills. We really just want to make this area a safe space, a beautiful space, and a community space.”
The path would stretch more than 2,500 feet, connecting schools, parks, utility offices, and other community services.
Martinez added, “Lighting, a lit crosswalk and a bike lane so that those are kind of the minimums and then we’re also going to have greenery and shade trees.”
The project is part of IID’s new CONNECT Initiative, which aims to turn unused utility areas into walking paths and community spaces, what they are calling the Heber Greenbelt will be the first project under the program.
Martinez said, “We’re working together to make sure this is the best possible community for our residents.”
The path is still in the planning stages, but HPUD says once construction begins, it should take about six months to complete.
IID and HPUD say the project could serve as a model for similar improvements across the Imperial Valley.
Adrik Vargas
WINTERHAVEN, Calif. (KYMA) -Students in rural parts of Imperial County are learning about their rights at work before entering the workforce.
California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower visited San Pasqual Valley High School as part of the Reaching Every Californian initiative, which brings labor rights education to underserved communities.
During her visit, García-Brower talked with students about minimum wage, overtime, breaks, and protections against retaliation, emphasizing that all workers are protected, regardless of immigration status.
The visit was organized with local non-profit Florecer, which helps youth in Imperial and Yuma Counties prepare for college and careers while supporting labor rights education.
Leaders say the program helps students feel empowered and confident as they enter the workforce.
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Learn to save a life! Exceptional Community Hospital is hosting free CPR workshops this Saturday, December 13.
These monthly sessions allow locals who are uncertified to practice CPR for adults, children, and infants. The hospital says this helps the community stay prepared to respond to emergency situations.
“I think it’s important for everybody to have that basic knowledge of knowing how to get hands on and helping somebody when they’re down,” said Exceptional Community Hospital nurse EmmJay Delgadillo.
“Knowledge is key, and the more we know, the more you’re able to help and give back to your community. And you never know- you just never know when you’re going to need to be able to save someone’s life,” said Exceptional Community Hospital community liaison Lisa Brazeel.
Exceptional Community Hospital is collaborating with the City of Yuma and the Greater Yuma Water Alliance to put on the workshops. Saturday’s class is at the Yuma Police Department community room from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
You can register here.
Eduardo Morales
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Filiberto’s Mexican Food celebrated their grand opening for their second location in Yuma County, this time in the Foothills.
It is located near South Fortuna Road and East Fortuna Palms Lane.
Melissa De La Torre, the owner of the restaurant, says they are excited to serve the community in their newest location.
“We want you all to come try our food, and we hope you guys like it, I know you guys have been waiting for a while now, but we’re excited to serve the community now,” De La Torre says.
De La Torre also explains that she is thankful to the community and her parents for supporting her.
