Author: KYMA

Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of El Centro says Main Street, between 11th and 12th Street, will be closed to all traffic.

According to a press release, the closure starts at 9:00 p.m. Thursday and will go until Friday at 5:00 a.m.

Courtesy: Google Maps

The City says it is “necessary to support construction” for their new Police Headquarters project.

If anyone has any questions, call the City of El Centro Engineering Division at (760) 337-5182.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Governor Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) signed an executive order last week to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Arizona residents.

According to a press release, the governor says the state is joining ArrayRx, which is said to be “the nation’s multi-state public pharmacy collaborative that offers discounted prescription drug prices,” with states like Oregon, Nevada, Ohio, Washington and Connecticut also participating with them.

“For too long and for too many families, rising costs, including prescription drug prices, have put the Arizona Promise out of reach. We are changing that,” said Governor Hobbs. “I’m proud to take action to keep money in Arizonans’ pockets, create pathways to health and wellbeing, and restore the Arizona Promise for families across the state.”

“ArrayRx is more than just a program; it is a testament to the power of unity and cooperation,” said Trevor Douglass, Director of the Oregon Prescription Drug Program and ArrayRx Steering Committee Member. “To the residents of Arizona, I want to extend a warm welcome. Your inclusion in ArrayRx and Governor Hobbs’ direction to implement the ArrayRx Discount Card Program marks the beginning of our journey together towards healthcare security for all. Together, we will work tirelessly to break down barriers and ensure that prescription medications are within reach for everyone.”

The press release says Arizona residents using the ArrayRx Discount Card “will be able to lower the cost of their prescription drugs by up to 80%.”

We talked to locals to see if they struggle to pay for prescription medication.

Harold Anderson, a Yuma local, said, “A lot of people do a lot of people in this area go down to Mexico to try and get their prescriptions a lot cheaper.”

Joining this program would make paying for prescriptions a lot easier for some locals.

“Yes, for sure I will join the program because I say on the 15th, I’m going to have surgery on my arm, and I know those medicines after my surgery is going to be needed,” says Jason Peters, another Yuma local.

To learn more about this, click here.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Anti Drug Coalition (YCADC) is observing Overdose Awareness Month to honor the lives lost to drugs.

The YCADC executive director, Joanne Fiser says, “We have this coalition meeting that brings agencies together in the fight of war on drugs and we are excited to share with you today the Overdose Awareness Month campaign.”

According to the Counter Drug Task Force, in 2023 about five Arizonans died each day due to a drug overdose.

YCADC held a meeting to discuss the overdose issue and rise in Fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is something that’s, you know, we have seen a huge increase in, post-COVID, it’s something that’s still really prevalent in our community. It’s the leading cause of overdose statewide and nationwide, so, you know, Fentanyl awareness is something that the coalition, and the Yuma County Health District, is something we continue to do and continue to address,” says Ryan Butcher, co-chair of YCADC.

In our community there are places you can go to get some help.

Fiser said, “Overdose Awareness Month brings attention to where you can receive free Naloxone kits, and in our community there’s five different locations that you can receive these kits, one is Yuma County Anti Drug Coalition, Hope is another location, they are located on Fourth Avenue, we also have Community Bridges.”

Naloxone is a medication that helps reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

If you see someone in need of help, you can respond by using a life saving medication.

Butcher says, “Anybody can carry Naloxone, anybody can be a first responder, and that’s kind of a call to action to the community.”

Visit the Naloxone community sites to get the medication to help save someone’s life.

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Karina Bazarte

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Imperial Valley College and the El Centro Public Library are teaming up to provide free English classes and to help people prepare for U.S. citzenship.

Library Director Carla Mason says registration to attend the classes will open Wednesday, August 13 at 5:00 p.m.

The library will give out Chromebooks to help people sign up for the English classes.

“This is going to be helpful to a lot of people…In the citizenship class, they are actually going to teach you what kind of questions you will get and ask in English and the answers in English help you out a little bit there,” Mason shared.

To see the full schedule, see the poster attached below.

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Opening statements are set to begin Wednesday morning in the trial of a Yuma man accused of sexually abusing a child.

48-year-old Randall Medders is facing five counts of child molestation, five counts of child abuse, and ten counts of aggravated assault with sexual motivation.

The alleged abuse happened between 2021 and 2022.

Both the defense and prosecuting attorney gave their opening statements.

With Robert Severson, the prosecuting attorney, describing in detail what happened to the victim and how she felt. 

“She’s going to tell you how scared and how nervous she would get when she heard the defendant coming towards her door at night, how she would go into her bathroom if she thought she heard him come in towards her room,” Severson says.

But Richard Parks, the defense attorney, disagrees and presented a different take on what happened. 

“Is it possible that what Rand considered horseplay, tickling, rough housing, is now, or was two years after the event perceived as bad,” said Parks.

Medder’s is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.

Parks had a final message to the jury during their opening statement.

“Don’t let somebody bully you into something you don’t believe in… there’s going to be one verdict, that verdict is composed of individual not group’s decision,” he says.

Meanwhile Severson says that after they hear the evidence, there will be no doubt.

“You will be firmly convinced that the defendant committed these offenses that he’s charged with beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore we’ll ask that you return a for a vote on guilty of all counts,” said Severson.

Medders rejected a plea offer from the state which would have sent him to prison for 17 years, put him on lifetime probation, and would have required him to register as a sex offender.

His trial is expected to last three weeks, and it will continue Thursday morning.

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The trial date has been moved for another suspect in the Yuma house party shooting which took place in May of 2023.

21-year-old Aden Arviso is charged with murdering 19-year-old Danny Garcia and 20-year-old Ande Blackthunder.

Arviso is facing two counts of second-degree murder.

His trial was set to begin in September, but will now be delayed until September of next year.

He rejected a plea deal in April which would have given him a 40-year prison sentence.

He’ll be back in court in November.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Cooperative Extension hosted a safety day for people who use heavy machinery in agriculture to help avoid accidents while on the job.

The training was done by AgSafe and they covered multiple areas, with an emphasis on tractor and forklift safety.

They offered both hands-on and classroom instruction.

They are a non-profit that focuses on providing training for farm workers.

“Unfortunately, we have had too many accidents and fatalities in agriculture, that we feel it is a need to provide information to try to prevent those fatalities or injuries,” said Rigo Ceja a training and outreach specialist from AgSafe.

They also stressed the importance for supervisors and growers to evaluate their employee’s safety needs which is a critical concern.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – 27-year-old Jasmin Williams was first diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her pancreas, however things soon became even more complicated.

After having surgery, there was a spike in Williams’ white blood cell count, and a scan revealed a leak in her stomach.

Now, she is back in Phoenix for another surgery for the internal bleeding.

“It’s kind of taken a tole on Jasmin, she used to be you know a happy outgoing girl, and she’s not as happy anymore, she’s in pain, you know the outcome of what’s going on is bleak,” said Jasmin’s aunt Michelle Gomez.

Amanda Johnson, a family friend, shares how much they value the community’s help.

“Everything that the community has done, or is willing to do to help, I just know that they’re so appreciative that they don’t even know how to take the help, but I believe, in my heart, that at this point in time they really need it,” says Johnson.

If you would like to donate to Williams and her family, click the link HERE.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local event is planned to be held in November to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Alzheimer’s Association is looking to raise $60,000.

The 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be at West Wetlands Park (282 N. 12th Ave.) on November 15.

Registration starts at 8 a.m. with a ceremony at 9 a.m. and the walk beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Multiple walk lengths include a one-mile and three-mile route.

You can register for the walk and donate here.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Calexico Police Department (CPD) says two people turned themselves in Monday following a fight near the border over the weekend.

According to a press release, it happened in the area of E. First Street after 4:30 a.m. Saturday after a caller said multiple people were involved in a fight, with one of them being “armed with a baseball bat.”

CPD says two minutes later, officers arrived where they found a 39-year-old man “suffering from blunt force trauma to the face and bleeding from the head.”

CPD also says the suspects left the area before officers arrived and were not found at the time.

According to CPD, officers conducted an investigation, with them interviewing the victim and witnesses, “collecting surveillance footage and gathering other relevant evidence.”

CPD says officers eventually were able to identify all the suspects involved, and were able to obtain and serve a search warrant at one of the suspect’s homes in Calexico Monday, but the suspect was not found.

However, two of the suspects, according to CPD, turned themselves in, with the primary suspect, a 33-year-old man from Calexico, being arrested and booked into Imperial County Jail on attempted murder charges.

The second suspect, on the other hand, was “interviewed and released, pending further investigation and potential criminal charges,” CPD says.

CPD says they are aware of cellphone footage being shared across social media, and says the footage has been collected and is currently under review for “evidentiary purposes.”

They also say the victim is alive and is currently recovering from his injuries, and that the people in uniform, shown in the video, were Port Security officers, not officers with the department.

The investigation is ongoing, and if anyone has information regarding the case, call CPD at (760) 768-2140 or email police@calexico.ca.gov.

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