Author: KYMA

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – School Resource Officers (SRO) play a vital role in maintaining safety on campus and while they say the first week went well, they do have some concerns.

Cassandra Reed, an SRO, said, “We do ask that any parents and anyone that comes onto our school campus, that they are patient, follow the laws, it’s 25 mile per hour in pretty much most areas, if it’s not down to 15.”

Traffic around school zones is their number one issue with parents dropping off and picking up their kids.

Not only do school resource officers keep school campuses safe, they also serve as mentors to the students.

“The School Resource Officers, each of them are assigned to a specific school, and their just, their main purpose is to provide safety and security to the school campus, but not only that their role as a guide, i guess like a counsellor, provide guidance to the young kids,” said Hayato Johnson, Public Information officer for the Yuma Police Department.

I asked SRO Reed what it means to her to be a protector of our schools.

“I do absolutely enjoy my job. I enjoy coming to work everyday, talking to our students and our staff, building those positive relationships,” said Reed.

She explained how important her role is in creating a positive environment for students.

Reed emphasizes the importance of SROs on campus by saying, “Oh my goodness, I think it’s super important to have SROs in the schools. We defiantly implement a positive role model and I think that kind if closes the gap between schools and the community.”

Another reminder from SROs is to always be visual around school campuses, especially during drop off and pick up times, as children can dart out from almost anywhere.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Two suspects are behind bars after they were caught driving a vehicle stolen out of Riverside, California, but that’s not all police found in the car.

Law enforcement says the two suspects claimed they did not know where the checks came from.

The Brawley Police Department (BPD) says a 24-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy from Coachella were arrested after one of their cameras captured a stolen BMW entering the city.

Police say they followed the car and stopped the suspects at a B Food Mart gas station.

“An inventory search was later conducted in the vehicle which they located over $28,000 in cashier checks,” said Interim Cmdr. Mark Cano.

BPD say the two suspect claimed they did not know where the checks came from.

“The subjects made allegations that they didn’t know that the cashiers checks were in the vehicle and they also claimed that the vehicle that they had gotten permission to take the vehicle which was stolen,” said Interim Cmdr. Cano.

The 24-year old suspect is being held at the Imperial County Jail, while the 16-year old suspect is being held at the Imperial County juvenile hall.

They are both being charged with conspiracy possession of a stolen vehicle and check fraud.

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – From long work days to tough workouts, energy drinks have become a go-to for many people trying to boost their stamina, but they may be doing more harm than good, especially in our desert heat.

Dr. Donald Hubbard, Medical Director and Emergency Medicine Physician at Exceptional Community Hospital, says there are many hidden dangers when it comes to energy drinks.

“Energy drinks have a lot of different ingredients and a lot of them are proprietary to the different brands, but the main thing they have is caffeine. Caffeine is can be helpful, but energy drinks tend to have a lot of caffeine. I think anything is good in moderation. I wouldn’t say absolutely don’t ever drink an energy drink, but it probably doesn’t need to be the only thing you drink throughout the day,” says Dr. Hubbard.

Hubbard says its especially important to watch you caffeine intact because it can make your heart rate go up.

“When we see people in the emergency room that have drank several energy drinks, what we usually see is a rapid heart rate and elevated blood pressure,” explained Hubbard.

Hubbard also mentions symptoms that suggest you may need to be seen.

“I would say if you start to get real jittery, you start to get anxious, if you notice your heart is pounding, those are signs that you may want to get seen,” he said.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A renovation project is approved by the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, paving the way for a bigger presence of law enforcement in South County.

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) will have a permanent substation in Gadsden next to Gadsden Park. The price tag of the project is over $300,000.

“The building was used as a rural metro station and deputies often stopped there to use it as substation there as well,” said Tania Pavlak, PIO for YCSO.

The renovation work will include demolition, a bulletproof lobby, plumbing, electrical, new lighting and security and access control system.

YCSO says this is a much needed facility to give better service to the South County communities

“We are having substations all over Yuma county. That district will now have an area available for the public to come in and speak to the deputies. The deputies will have an area where they can stop do their reports, so it’s very important for us to have a permanent presence there,” said Pavlak.

The renovation project will start this year is expected to be completed early 2026.

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Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The award will honor one city resident and one city employee whose behind-the-scenes efforts make a meaningful impact in the community.

Mayor Sonia Carter said the idea came from seeing the many people who work quietly, without recognition, but play an important role in keeping the city moving.

“Just seeing different departments around the city, and going to the back of them, and you see there’s a whole lot of people back there that you just don’t know,” Mayor Carter said.

Nominations are now open through September 1 at 5 p.m.

Anyone can submit a nomination, though nominees must either live in El Centro (for the resident award) or work for the city (for the employee award).

Each nomination must include a short description of how the individual embodies the spirit of a “quiet servant.”

More information and nomination forms can be found on the City of El Centro’s website.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A retirement community gets a major face lift.

The Desert Rose Retirement Community says its renovation had a price tag of over $1.8 million. The refresh and the design upgrades were made for safety and comfort for its senior tenants.

“The entire interior of the building is renovated so our dining rom was reimagined, all our common areas spaces. We got 10 new flatscreen tvs installed around the community, we got a new bistro area, new living room area. A reimagined chapel, a full fitness center,” said Rodger Hulbert, Desert Rose Executive Director.

Desert Rose is a 115-unit apartment complex located on 14th Avenue near 16th Street in Yuma.

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Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – El Centro residents lent a hand to youth in need at a special fundraiser Friday night.

Access to Thrive hosted an art sale and back-to-school supply drive at The Den from 7 to 10 p.m.

Proceeds from local artists’ work will help support Kevin, a teen recovering after a hit-and-run last month. The event will also collect backpacks, pencils, and other school supplies for children in the CASA program.

“Every kid wants to go to school with a new backpack,” said organizer Ashley Contreras. “I want to make sure as many kids as possible can experience that.”

Organizers say the night is about lifting up kids who need it most, whether through supporting Kevin’s recovery or giving foster children a strong start to the school year.

To support Kevin who is in recovery, you can visit here. If you want to support Access To Thrive in their mission to help at risk youth, you can follow them here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) says they arrested a man after he entered the Imperial County Administration Building with a firearm Friday.

According to a press release, officers were conducting a welfare check at around 11:00 a.m., regarding a person who was “believed to be under the influence of an unknown substance and in possession of a firearm” in the area of W. Orange Avenue and 23rd Street.

During that time, ECPD says they received an “additional call regarding a man who had entered the Imperial County Administration Building,” located in the area of W. Main Street and N. 11th Street, with a firearm.

With officers learning that both calls involved the same person, ECPD says they quickly responded, “safely detained the suspect,” identified as a 57-year-old man from El Centro, and “secured the firearm with the assistance of county staff.”

ECPD says the man was acting erratically and was making “made statements about having additional firearms” at his home, prompting them to acquire a warrant to search the house, where they found and recovered additional firearms.

The man was booked into the Imperial County Jail, and ECPD says there was no “indication that this incident involved a targeted victim or threat.”

In addition, ECPD says their Investigations Bureau took over the investigation.

If anyone has any information regarding the case, call (760) 352-2111, visit ECPD headquarters in person, or reach out through their social media platforms.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Members from the Yuma City Council will be making their way to Phoenix for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.

Highly elected officials such as state senators and Governor Katie Hobbs have been known to stop by from time to time.

The conference is a three-day brainstorming event for city leaders to bounce ideas off of each other and collaborate on ways to improve their cities.

“We share with a lot of other communities, but then we get an opportunity to learn from each other and explore ideas that you know we may or may not have the time to sit down and think about ourselves,” said Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls.

The conference discusses some hot button issues such as AI, economic development, and Arizona’s water future.

City Council member Art Morales says he has been hearing a need for daycares from locals, so he has decided to use the conference as an opportunity to find some answers.

“I already have a meeting with somebody when I’m up there from ‘First Things First’ to just bounce ideas and figure out what we can do from a local level to help employers provide an opportunity for their employees to either come back to the workforce or go back to school,” Morales says.

The event will take place next week from August 19-22, cancelling Yuma City Council meetings for those days.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – 19-year-old Noah Illingsworth suffered through a blood aneurysm that burst earlier this year.

Since then, she has had three surgeries and is still trying to recover.

Now, Melissa Miller is a local who is donating her commission from selling candles to help Noah recover.

“I knew I had to help someway, and through my candles, that’s the way of helping that I’m able to…so, it really makes my heart happy just knowing that I’m able to help out and do something good for the community,” Miller says.

If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe, you can click on the link HERE. Meanwhile, you can go to buy some candles from Miller on her FaceBook page HERE.

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