Author: KYMA

Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local restaurant and a motorcycle club teamed up to support cancer patients in Yuma.

Texas Roadhouse and the Harley Owner’s Group (HOG) Yuma Chapter donated more the $28,000 to the Yuma Cancer Resource Center.

Texas Roadhouse local marketer Edith Mederos said this is an example of the strong bond between the community and local businesses.

“It’s family. It’s the local community we love to have it every year, it’s has been more and more important to us…We’ve grown with everybody here. We are practically family,” Mederos expressed.

Texas Roadhouse and HOG are looking forward to raising more money for the Yuma community next year. 

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) says a man was arrested and charged with sexual conduct with a minor.

YPD says they received reports of a sex offense involving a 20-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl on October 31.

During the investigation, YPD says they established probable cause, and the man, identified as Derek Lucifer Moreno, was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Detention Center last Monday.

YPD says an indictment was filed in the Yuma County Superior Court Tuesday, charging Moreno with one count of sexual assault, four counts of sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Moreno is currently being held at the Yuma County Detention Center on a bond of $50,000.

Sexual conduct with a minor 25-68509Download

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – As the holiday season gets underway, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is sharing ten holiday scams to avoid.

Always exercise caution with social media ads promoting discounted items, holiday events, job opportunities, and donation requests, as well as direct messages from strangers.

If you are asked to make a payment or donation by wire transfer, through a third party, or by prepaid debit or gift card, treat it as a red flag.

Misleading social ads: As you scroll through your social media feed, you often see products advertised.

Always research before you buy. BBB Scam Tracker receives daily reports of people paying for items that they never receive, getting charged monthly for a free trial they never signed up for, or receiving an item that is counterfeit or much different from the one advertised.

The 2024 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report found that online purchase scams were the fourth riskiest scam reported by consumers in 2024.

Before ordering, check out the business profile on BBB.org and read the reviews.

Read more about misleading ads, free trial offers, and counterfeit goods.

Social Media Gift Exchanges: Each holiday season this scheme pops back up. The older version was called “Secret Sister.” Newer versions of this scam revolve around exchanging bottles of wine or bourbon; another suggests purchasing $10 gifts online. Another twist asks you to submit your email to a list where participants get to pick a name and send money to strangers to “pay it forward.” There is even a twist about “Secret Santa Dog” where you buy a $10 gift for your “secret dog.”

In all these versions, participants unwittingly share their personal information, along with those of their family members and friends, and are further tricked into buying and shipping gifts or money to unknown individuals. It’s also an illegal pyramid scheme. Stick to buying your friends gifts from trustworthy businesses, and check BBB.org before you buy. 

Read more about the social media gift exchange scams.

Holiday apps: Apple’s App Store and Google Play list dozens of holiday-themed apps where children can video chat live with Santa, light the menorah, watch Santa feed live reindeer, track his sleigh on Christmas Eve, or relay their holiday wish lists.

Review privacy policies to see what information will be collected. Be wary of free apps, as they can sometimes contain more advertising than apps that require a nominal fee. Free apps can also contain malware. Be sure to read reviews as well. 

Read more about holiday apps.

Fake toll collection texts: If you’re planning to drive a long distance to visit family or take a vacation this holiday season, watch out for fake road toll collection texts, which have been on the rise this year.

In this con, scammers impersonate a state road tollway collection service and text you saying you owe a road toll fee and provide a link to click to make your payment. If you receive at text, don’t click the link. Instead, if you think you may owe road tolls, verify your outstanding balance with the legitimate agency.

Read more about fake road toll collection scams and travel scams.

Free gift cards: Nothing brings good cheer like the word “FREE.” Scammers have been known to take advantage of this weakness by sending bulk phishing emails requesting personal information to receive free gift cards. In some of these emails, scammers impersonate legitimate companies and promise gift cards to reward their loyal customers. They may also use pop-up ads or send text messages with links saying you were randomly selected as the winner of a prize.

If you have received an unsolicited email with gift card offers, do not open it. Instead, mark it as spam or junk and delete it. However, if you opened the email, do not click on any links.

Read more about gift card scams.

Temporary Holiday Jobs: Employment scams were identified as the number one riskiest scam for people ages 18-34 in 2024. If you’re looking for seasonal work this holiday season, keep an eye out for opportunities that seem too good to be true.

Retailers typically hire seasonal workers to help meet the demands of holiday shoppers. Shippers and delivery services are top holiday employers because of the increase in online orders that need to be delivered before Christmas. Job seekers need to be wary of employment scams aimed at stealing money and personal information from job applicants.

Read more about holiday job scams and employment scams.

Imposter scams: Impostor scams can take many forms, especially during the holiday season when you may be purchasing and returning gifts. When shopping online, be on the lookout for fake, look-alike websites created by scammers to trick people into downloading malware, making dead-end purchases, and sharing private information.

If you’re reaching out to a business on social media for customer support, watch out for fake social media accounts pretending to be a customer service representative for a business. When in doubt, go to the business’ website and find their official social media handles, or use the information on the site to reach out.

Read more about impostor scams and how to identify a fake website.

Fake Charities: The last few weeks of the year are a busy time for charitable donations. Donors are advised to look out for fraudulent charities and scammers pretending to be individuals in need.

Avoid impromptu donation decisions to unfamiliar organizations. Responsible organizations will welcome a gift tomorrow as much as they do today. Verify a charity at BBB’s Give.org or on the Canada Revenue Agency website. Where possible, donate to the charity through their website and use a credit card.

Read more about fake charities.

Fake Shipping Notifications: More consumers making online purchases during the holidays leads to an increase in the number of notifications about shipping details from retailers and carriers. Scammers use this surge to send phishing emails and texts about package deliveries with links enclosed that may allow unwanted access to your private information or download malware onto your device.

They may also try to trick people into paying new shipping fees. Never click a link in a text or email that you’re not expecting. If you want to track a package, find the original email or text confirmation you received directly from the store and use that link.

Read more about fake delivery texts and delivery and package scams.

Advent Calendars: Each year, there are more and more advent calendars being sold; CNN has a list of over 20 calendars, and many are in hot demand. In past years, BBB received reports to Scam Tracker about advent calendar ads on social media not delivering as promised. Some were not received, and others received inferior products or incomplete orders. 

Consumers should research before they buy, read reviews and look up the company on BBB.org before purchasing. BBB also has a shopper’s guide to help you purchase that niche advent calendar. 

Read BBB’s tips for buying an advent calendar.

GET HELP!

Been scammed? Report it to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office: https://www.azag.gov/consumer

Or the California Attorney General’s Office: https://oag.ca.gov/consumers

Go to bbb.org for trusted Accredited Businesses when hiring.

If you have been scammed or targeted for a scam, help us warn others by filing a report at BBB.org/ScamTracker. 

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – The City of Calexico is rolling out newly upgraded parking meters.

The Calexico Police Department (CPD) says about 600 parking meters in the downtown area are getting an upgrade.

Additionally, the meters will be accessible by credit card, tap-to-pay, or traditional coin payment.

“These updated parking meters will have a two hour parking limit they will be in service of operational 24 seven for the public use,” said Acting Lt. Miguel Carbajal with CPD.

The new parking meters are already installed and will be ready to use next week.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – The Calexico Police Department (CPD) and Code Enforcement made a surprising discovery at a vacant home.

CPD says the home was being inspected earlier this week when they found several squatters inside, along with drug paraphernalia and signs of narcotic use.

“We conducted an inspection on a vacant property. After the inspection we found multiple violations so the property was retagged,” said Miguel Munoz with the Calexico Code Enforcement.

CPD says the case remains under investigation.

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Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Five semi-trucks caught on fire at a gas station near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Imperial County Fire Department (ICFD) says they received a call about a semi-truck on fire at a Speedway gas station located at the intersection of Highway 7 and Maggio Road near the border.

ICFD says the flames spread to four other semi-trucks, and it took crews about eight hours to put it out.

“In the parking situation, the trucks are left there overnight without a driver, so in this case, that made our job very difficult because it order to remove exposure and remove other semi-trucks at were extremely close proximity to the original fire, we weren’t able to move out of the way since there was no drivers. We had to request a tow truck.”

Cedric Cesena, Imperial County Fire Department

ICFD says two semi-trucks were total losses. However, no one was injured and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma County’s bus system, YCAT, is running into money problems that could affect the service people rely on.

YCAT buses are getting busier, but the system keeps losing federal funding because local cities and the county aren’t contributing enough.

Transit Director Shelly Kreger says, “Our local funding is just still not enough. The fares that the riders pay only comes up with about 7% of local match, and local match is cash from the community. So we can match our grants.”

Ridership has bounced back since COVID, but because of the funding gap, YCAT has to send back three to five million dollars in federal money each year. Kreger says more funding would mean better service.

“Better funding would be better service, instead of hour headways, we could probably do half hour headways. And we could also buy more vehicles if needed and provide service in areas that we have not been able to provide service,” she explained.

As Yuma grows, they hope more local businesses will help support the buses so people can keep getting to work, school, and appointments.

Rider Carla Fernandez says YCAT is essential for her.

“In this economy, it’s more difficult to even buy one pump of gas, it’s too much,” she said.

She depends on the bus to get to school saying, “I would have to probably make a lot of adjustments just so I could be able to attend school. Either that, or I would have to probably more than likely, maybe drop out if I’m not able to make those adjustments.”

For now, YCAT keeps running, but it needs more support to keep improving service and serving the community.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – In Tuesday’s Home Grown report, we highlight the newest addition to the local University of Arizona Yuma County Cooperative Extension.

Dr. Mazin Saber joined over the summer and is the newest weed management specialist. He is currently undergoing trials to see which herbicides, or substances, perform the best in killing weeds.

Dr. Saber is also currently leading a research project comparing manual labor methods of weeding to new automated technologies.

“AI, it’s training itself every time the machine runs in the field, it will collect data, and it’s always improving the algorithm of the software of the AI,” he says.

Multiple agriculture technology companies are participating in the weeding trials due to Yuma’s reputation as an ideal testing ground for farm technology.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – After officially being in office for a little less than two weeks, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) shares what her first couple of days have been like in D.C. 

Rep. Grijalva was sworn in earlier in November after winning Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District in September.

“It’s been really interesting and just really fast,” she says.

Grijalva says she wasted no time in getting to work as being one of the deciding congressional votes to release the Epstein files.

She says her top priority is looking out for the people she serves, which includes parts of Yuma County.

“My priority is Southern Arizona, and my priority is getting services for Southern Arizona, and so whatever legislation that I can do to protect SNAP to make sure that it is not on the chopping block,” Grijalva says.

She says she is enjoying the opportunity to go to different parts of the district as a representative.

“To be able to connect how the federal cuts are impacting these local programs is really helpful to me, I am like a visual learner, so it’s very helpful for me to connect those dots, and it just makes me a better advocate,” Grijalva said.

She also shares how it feels to be in the position her father once held.

“It’s been pretty fun to hear different stories that I hadn’t heard before from his colleagues in Congress,” Grijalva says.

She told us she will fight for programs for working families, comprehensive immigration reform, and protecting Arizona’s environment.

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Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Gila Mountain United Methodist Church held a free food drive-thru for families struggling around the holiday.

The church has been able to feed 130 meals Tuesday, which is about 29 families.

“As a community, we’re struggling right now. And so, I think it’s important for those of us that can help, help,” said Jennifer Ericson, a volunteer.

Families could get a plate to take home, as well as some groceries for everyday needs, not just meals for the holidays.

Families also received a $50 gift card to help cover Thanksgiving meal costs.

Mary Klawuhn, the administrative assistant at the church, shares what she wants the community to know.

“We wish we could feed the entire Yuma County. Through the generosity of our church members, we have been able to serve 130 meals today. We wish it could be everybody,” Klawuhn explained.

It began at 5:00 p.m. at the church located on Frontage Road. 

The church urged members of the community to volunteer their time to help distribute the food to these families in need.

Ericson shared why she wanted to help the community saying, “If you can, whether it’s monetary, your time. Every little bit counts so we can all help support each other,:

With so many families in need, it’s amazing to see the church and members of the community stepping in to help them.

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