Author: KYMA

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A Yuma barber is creating a more inclusive experience for kids with autism and sensory sensitivities.

Jose Landeros, owner of Royalty Barber Studio, is opening a special sensory studio inside his shop after seeing the challenges his nephew faced during haircuts.

“I just thought to myself, ‘What can I do to make the experience for these parents easier in any way?'” Landeros said.

The sensory studio is designed to be flexible and calming. Landeros says he meets kids where they’re comfortable.

“If they don’t like to sit in the chair, I don’t force them to. If they go to a certain part of the room, I’ll cut it there,” he said.

The goal, Landeros says, is to make all families feel supported and at ease.

“I just hope that we can help out, that the people who need the help because of their circumstance feel welcome,” he added.

The grand opening for the sensory studio is set for May 10 at 6 p.m. at Royalty Barber Studio, located at 1799 South First Ave in Yuma, behind the Staples.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KECY, KYMA) – National nurses week starts Tuesday, and local nurses share why it’s important to recognize the contributions nurses make in our community.

“To me, nurses are the heart of healthcare…It’s a calling, not a job.” says Deborah Aders, the Senior V.P. of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Onvida Health.

Starting May 6, the City of Yuma, along with the most of the country, have declared it Nurses Week.

Yuma is home to many nursing professionals, nursing school programs, and tons of community support.

Aders shared some characteristics of what makes a quality nurse.

“Nurses have special powers. The power of holding a hand, the power of being in the room when it’s not the nest news offered, and the power advocatng for our patients and families,” she explains.

But no profession goes without challenges.

There is a global nursing shortage and aders says the solution is an uphill battle.

“It’s an aging population as well. The average age of a nurse is probably mid-40s, early 50s. So, I think the nursing shortage is something we’re all seeing and anticipating, as more nurses retire,” shares Aders.

Assistant CNO V.P. of Patient Care Services at Onvida Health Liz Chapin says in response to the nursing shortage, recruitment efforts go up and with that comes a high training demand.

“One of the things we’ve faced is a population of new nurses, so we need to support those nurses in a different way than experienced nurses. So we have to focus on that differently than historically,” Chapin explains.

Onvida Health says they tackle the training demand by teaming with local colleges, offering them extern positions, and helping current employees further their education.

Aders says it all comes down to three things.

“It’s about wanting to care for your community, patients, and each other,” says Aders.

As a visual celebration, Yuma City Hall will be illuminating their building red.

Onvida Health will be illuminating its buildings blue, the same color as nursing scrubs.

“If you see the blue, that’s to remind you. If you see a nurse, know a nurse, thank a nurse,” Aders says.

If you’re looking for a way to support a local nurse, Sunkissed Coffee in Yuma is hosting their annual Caffeinate-A-Nurse Drive, where locals can pay for a cup of coffee and a local nurse can redeem it for free.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Rural Metro Fire and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were on hand to battle a river brush fire Tuesday afternoon.

According to Rural Metro, the fire happened in the area of Water Street near Joe Henry Park, and Rural Metro received the call at around noon.

Upon arrival, Rural Metro said they found a brush actively burning along the river, and it was a 1,000 foot by 50 foot river brush.

Rural Metro says they sent out one fire truck and two water tenders to help battle fire.

BLM, according to Rural Metro, also arrived on scene and took over to put out the fire using an active backburn.

No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, Rural Metro says.

BLM is currently on scene to check for any hotspots, according to Rural Metro.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Dillon Fuhrman

UPDATE (1:20 PM): The Calexico Fire Department (CFD) has identified a substance found inside the package.

Employees at this  “O’Reilly’s auto parts” automatically thought it was  suspicious due to not having  a return address or label. 

The substance was identified as sodium bisulfate, which makes people itchy and causes redness, CFD says.

“The police chief called and said our units responded to an unusual substance package at O’reillys,” said Juan Contreras, Calexico’s interim fire chief.

Calexico fire along with Imperial County fire and the El Centro fire department quickly removed the package from inside the store.

The Calexico interim fire chief says it was a small package similar to an envelope and inside they found a green substance.

“Hazmat team went inside and removed the package after going through proper operations… The hazmat team also tested the substance being sodium bisulfate which is a common product… household products that do have one of those properties that cause redness and itchiness,” said Contreras.

CFD says three people, including a police officer, touched the substance and started to get itchy.

“Upon opening the package the store manager started getting redness to her hands and itchiness and that is when the concern came about but it was a two by two package,” said interim fire chief Contreras.

They also said they were able to track the address on the bag back to an abandoned house in Arizona.

UPDATE (12:26 PM): Karina Bazarte is live to provide updates regarding the activity at the O’Reilly store in Calexico.

UPDATE (12:02 PM): According to Calexico Fire Department, the suspicious package had no returning address.

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – There is activity happening at an O’Reilly store in Calexico late Tuesday morning.

According to the Calexico Fire Department (CFD), there’s a suspicious package inside the O’Reilly store located in the area of Imperial Avenue and Fourth Street.

CFD says they are still analyzing the package and have closed off Imperial Avenue and Fourth Street as a result.

The Imperial County Fire Department, the Calexico Police Department and the El Centro Fire Department responded to aid CFD.

KYMA will have more information on this developing story.

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – A missing five-year-old girl was found in the desert after she was reported missing last weekend.

According to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO), they received the call at around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

ICSO says the child was found three hours later, and says she was with her grandfather riding their quad bikes in the desert.

Apparently, ICSO says the bike the girl was riding ran out of fuel, and she hopped off her bike to walk back to her family. However, she got lost.

When she was found, ICSO says the girl was a little dehydrated and was taken to a nearby hospital.

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Danyelle Burke North

Editors note: Judy Hayes reached out to News 11 to clarify that yes, at one point she did have state 3 cancer, but when doctors removed some the tumors, doctors then told her that she now has stage 1 cancer.

She does not have stage 3 cancer. After surgeries, she is at stage 1.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local mom is clinging to faith and hope during her battle with cancer. Judy Hayes has been battling stage three ovarian cancer for a little over six months.

She says she’s experienced severe side effects with her chemotherapy and surgeries that make it difficult for her to work and take care of her younger children.

“It’s been very challenging. Like I’ve been stretched in many ways treatment, home, finances,” said Judy Hayes.

But she’s still hopeful.

“You have to hold faith in something to get through something like this because, you know, I feel like in my case, I feel like God is by my side. I feel like he’s walking with me, and, I just thank Him for giving me another day and getting me through the day or for the help that I get,” said Hayes.

Through her faith, she started her nonprofit “Grace in Motion” helping feed and provide food and resources to those who are homeless in the community. Her friend says it’s inspiring to see her always going out of her way to help others, and now hopes others help support her during this difficult time.

“When I saw that she was struggling with finances, I thought, ‘You know what? She’s given so much to the community and selflessly and tirelessly all the time.’ I thought it would be incredible if people just knew about her so that they could reach out to her and help her as well,” said Judy’s friend Jose Arguelles.

If you would like to help support, Judy has an upcoming food sale fundraiser Saturday May 17th from 11am-3pm at the American Legion Post #56. There will be lunch, music, raffles, and a 50/50 drawing. You can also support her GoFund me link here.

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Karina Bazarte

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Locals in El Centro had to evacuate their homes after Bomb Squads safely removed two mortar devices found in a shed.

The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) says the shed is at a home in the area of Scott Avenue and Eighth Street, across from Kennedy Middle School.

Officers say the people who found the two military devices on Saturday showed law enforcement pictures of what they look like.

This is when the El Centro Fire Department and Imperial County Bomb Squad were called to the scene.

“They didn’t know if it was active or inactive but the resident who used to live there was a war veteran that no longer resides there…and they believed it might have been active,” said Sgt. Omar Mandujano with ECPD.

Police say the devices were not active and the Bomb Squad successfully removed and destroyed them.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The man who police say tried to light a store on fire in Calexico made his first court appearance.

38-year-old Jesse Romero was formally charged last Friday.

Calexico police say Romero went into a Walmart trying to set things on fire and fought people inside the store two weeks ago. Police say Romero also attempted to disarm one of the officers of his taser and firearm.

Officers say Romero has been convicted of arson in the past.

Imperial County District Attorney George Marquez says Romero faces up to 12 years in prison.

“What I can tell you I can speak in generality is that when a person has a criminal history it can add to their potential exposure in their current case…so let’s say for example someone who may have a conviction it can add years in prison to their current case,” Marquez said.

Romero is facing multiple felony charges, including attempted arson, felony assault and felony resisting arrest.

He is being held on a bail of $100,000 and is expected to be back in court later this month.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) announced the arrest of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent for sexual conduct with a minor.

YPD says they received information from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility last week in regards to “inappropriate behavior involving one of their agents and a minor.”

During the investigation, YPD says officers learned the agent, 30-year-old Ramon Marquez, was “involved in sexual relations” with a 16-year-old girl who knew him.

Following this, YPD says Marquez was arrested Monday in Wellton before 9:00 a.m., and was booked on five felony counts, including sexual exploitation of a minor.

If anyone has any information regarding the case, call Detective Sergeant Frank Saenz at (928) 373-4767 or 78-CRIME at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.

Sexual Conduct with a Minor 25-26584Download

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) announced the arrest of three men for possessing narcotics on Monday.

YCSO says it happened at around 6:40 a.m. in the area of E. 25th Place and S. James Avenue after the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force, consisting of officers and agents from YCSO, Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol, issued a search warrant.

During the search, YCSO says the task force, with the help of YCSO K-9 “Aisha,” found the following items:

Almost 11,000 counterfeit Fentanyl pills with the M30 imprint, “marketed and stamped to resemble and imitate Oxycodone Hydrochloride,” with an estimated street value of $32,976.

A loaded firearm

An inoculation of liquid Methamphetamine

3.44 grams of Methamphetamine in crystalline form

Multiple items of drug paraphernalia indicative of street sales

Following the discovery, YCSO says three men were arrested and booked into the Yuma County Detention Center on the following charges:

A 41-year-old man from Yuma: Possession of a dangerous drug and possession of drug paraphernalia

A 39-year-old man from Yuma: Possession of a dangerous drug and possession of drug paraphernalia

A 42-year-old man from Yuma: Possession of a narcotic for sales, possession of a narcotic, possession of a weapon in a drug offense, possession of a weapon by prohibited possessor and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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