Author: KYMA

Samuel Kirk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – New federal Medicaid payments are headed to Arizona, and health care leaders say they could offer much-needed relief for hospitals serving high numbers of low-income patients, including those in Yuma County.

At Onvida Health, President and CEO Dr. Robert Trenschel said the additional funds are a welcome boost, but warned they don’t solve the root problem.

He emphasized that Medicaid plays a crucial role in rural communities like Yuma, where the majority of patients rely on it for coverage.

“If you cut Medicaid, you cut the whole system,” Dr. Trenschel said. He explained that Medicaid isn’t just a low-income program. It’s the foundation that supports hospitals’ ability to treat everyone, including those with private insurance.

Nearly half of Yuma County’s population, around 85,000 people, is enrolled in Medicaid, and Trenschel said that without the program, Yuma Regional wouldn’t be able to sustain its current level of care.

Not everyone agrees with how the federal government is handling the funding.

Yuma resident Ron Dauzenroth said he’s concerned about waste. He pointed to his wife’s four-decade career with the federal government, and the experiences of friends who’ve also worked in government, as evidence that inefficiency is common.

“My wife worked for the federal government for 42 years and said there was just so much waste in it,” Dauzenroth said. “We’ve got three friends who have moved down here and they all worked in the federal government—and they all believed there was just so much waste. And I gotta believe there’s some in Medicaid and Medicare as well.”

The state’s temporary funding bump came after the Arizona Legislature authorized a new reimbursement model earlier this year. Hospitals like Yuma Regional, which serve large numbers of Medicaid patients, are eligible for supplemental payments aimed at closing the gap between treatment costs and what the state reimburses.

While the funding may help stabilize services for now, Trenschel said a long-term commitment to Medicaid is essential to keep rural hospitals from falling further behind.

Marcos Icahuate

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – For the last couple of San Luis, Arizona City Council meetings, the call to the public section was not a part of the agenda.

Some residents voiced how upset they were over this decision and reached out to News 11.

We spoke with the mayor who shares why this portion of the meeting was temporarily removed from the agenda.

About 10 residents walked into Wednesday night’s council meeting with signs to tell the city council to put the call for comments back in the agenda.

A protestor said the city was violating their rights.

“It is a big deal. We are talking about our freedom of speech in any other city council. They have the call to the public, what is the difference between this city council and the others. We need our call to the public it’s our right and it’s our freedom of speech,” said Brian de la Hoya, a San Luis, Arizona resident.

The call to the public was reinstated later that night.

San Luis City Mayor Nieves Riedel says she made the decision to call off public comments, because in a past council meeting, one council member got into an argument with a resident during public comments and the discussion escalated.

“I needed a cool off time for some of this people in my council and the people from the outside,” said Mayor Riedel.

Mayor Riedel said it was not going to be a permanent decision, but she was not going to tolerate any disrespectful conduct neither from any of the city staff nor the public.

“I will not allow a council member to attack a member of public neither will I allow a member of the public attack one of us personally,” explained Mayor Riedel.

Mayor Riedel says she’s working to have the call to public comments at the beginning of the council meeting from now on.

Marcos Icahuate

INDIO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Two women were arrested after attempting to smuggle two children into the United States, according to U.S. Border Patrol.

On Tuesday, April 8, agents stopped an SUV at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint near Westmorland. The SUV was being driven by a woman, along with a passenger woman, and two children sleeping in the back seat.

The driver first said they were traveling from Arizona, but later admitted to come from the San Luis Port of Entry. After hearing the story, an agent referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.

Agents checked documentation and determined the children’s photos and names did not match their ID cards. The children were also not related to the driver or passenger.

Agents discovered the two children, ages 10 and 12, were unaccompanied minors from Mexico, according to U.S. Border Patrol.

“It’s almost unbearable to think about what heinous crimes await children who aren’t with their parents. The border environment has been rife with this type of activity over the past several years, however, the focus has now shifted, and heavy sentences await smugglers who hurt kids,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino of the El Centro Sector.

Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Republic Services Transfer Station facility in Yuma has caught fire Friday afternoon.

The fire happened in the early afternoon in the eastern part of Yuma at 3040 3 1/2.

Rural Metro Fire was already on scene.

We’ll update this article as we receive more information.

Manoah Tuiasosopo

Somerton, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Locals in Yuma celebrated Earth Day, bringing recognition to conservation and sustainability.

The Second Annual Cocopah Earth Day Festival took place at the Cocopah Reservation near Somerton on Saturday.

The event featured environmental booths, petting zoos, live music, and more.

The event’s organizer Jenn Alspach says these events plant Earth-friendly seeds in our youth’s lives.

“We’re just coming together to celebrate nature and our wonderful community that we have. It’s important to bring the kids out and learn to respect nature and plant seeds. They’re really getting hands-on out here which is wonderful,” shares Alspach.

Earth Day is right around the corner and is celebrated every year on April 22.

Andrea Turisk

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Evelution Energy LLC says Yuma County is the ideal location for the first cobalt factory in North America. 

They say it’s not just about cobal. It’s about opportunity.

Evelution Energy’s proposed cobalt processing plant will sit on 138 acres of land in Tacna. Once completed, it will be the only facility of its kind in North America, producing battery grade cobalt sulfate.

Navaid Alam, President and CEO of Evelution Energy, says this project will have a positive impact on our community: “We would create over 33 hundred induced direct and indirect jobs and over $750 million of economic impact in the community.”

Evelution Energy says they plan to offer technical training programs at Arizona Western College to help prepare local residents for the jobs ahead.

Gil Michel-Garcia, co-founder and general council of Evelution Energy LLC says, “It’s gonna be focused on teaching our workers how to process metallurgically cobalt and copper which is a similar process. It will be spearheaded by Arizona Western College.” 

The goal is to reduce the dependence on foreign supply chains by building a fully American made solution.

“When fully operational we will be capable of supplying up to 40% of U.S. Demand,” said Michel-Garcia.

Evelution Energy says the groundbreaking isn’t happening until later this year, but planning is already underway.

Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – With the goal of improving the academic and practical training of future engineers, Northern Arizona University in Yuma celebrated the official opening of its new mechanical engineering laboratories.

A machining laboratory, a fluid analysis laboratory, and an electrical laboratory were designed to provide students with hands-on experience close to real-life industrial environments.

The mayor of Yuma assures this is a major advancement for both the student community and the city, as it will create engineers who can study and work in the same city.

“Yuma has always had strong engineering needs, but we’ve always had to bring people from outside the city for their engineering training, and this will give Yuma the ability to raise its own people, build its own industry, which gives us the ability to control our own future. So this is a huge step forward, and we really appreciate NAU’s commitment,” said Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls.

With the opening of these new laboratories, NAU Yuma not only expands its academic offerings but also consolidates its position as one of the leading institutions for the training of highly qualified professionals.

Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A man is dead after a workplace crash involving a semi-truck.

The Yuma Police Department (YPD) say it happened just after midnight at Priority Cooling Mann Pack. A 61-year-old man was guiding a semi truck when he was pinned between the loading truck and a loading dock.

Yuma police officers responded just after 12:30 a.m.

Sgt. Lori Franklin with YPD says, “Upon arrival we learned the semi was being driven by a 21-year-old male. He was backing up the semi and it wound up pinning the 61-year-old male against the loading dock 

The victim was taken to Onvida Health where he died from his injuries. YPD says both truck drivers were not from Arizona. 

The victim’s identity has not been released.  

“We do not believe intoxication or speed were a factor. It appears to be just an accident, but it’s still under investigation,” Sgt. Franklin shared.

We reached out to priority cooling for comment. A representative declined to speak and referred us to Mann Packing Co., but we have not received a response.  

Andrea Turisk

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The daughter of U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva is running for the seat her father held before his passing. 

Adelita Grijalva is no stranger to public service, but this race marks a new chapter. The candidate says she’s ready to bring her experience to Washington and during her visit in Somerton, she explained why connecting with others across the district is her top priority right now.

Grijalva has been a fixture in Southern Arizona politics for years. Now, she’s aiming to represent South Yuma County in Congress, hoping to honor her father’s legacy while forging a path of her own in a seat she says comes with some big shoes to fill. 

Grijalva says, “It’s so important to be that voice that people need to hear from when it comes to issues that are important to all of us like water issues, tribal sovereignty, immigration, our environment.”

Grijalva has spent more than two decades in local government, including her time on the Tucson Unified School Board and the Pima County Board of Supervisors. She says that work has prepared her to take on challenges at the federal level.

“Seeing the federal cuts at the county level and how $400 million were cut. Well, how does that impact up locally? I know that now, and that’s not the information I had before which I why I feel it’s so important fight against federal cuts,” Grijalva expressed.

Grijalva says she plans to make herself readily available to hear the concerns communities have so she can help solve these problems.

“So many things change from week to week, especially in this federal environment that we have to keep in touch. I have to be able to be a good advocate and know what’s happening because if I don’t know what’s happening, I can’t bring the concerns to Congress,” Grijalva shared.

The Special Election Primary is set for July 15 followed by another Special Election in September, where the winner of that race will get the seat.

Until then, candidates will continue to work to earn support across the district.

Abraham Retana

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) says it’s celebrating Earth Day by highlighting its focus on entirely renewable resources.

Since 2018, the IID says its had a 100% coal free resource portfolio.

It’s holding an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 12.

The IIID plans to bring the community together and give mother nature a hand too.

“We don’t generate any electricity today through coal, in fact we’re doing more through renewable, what does that do it helps us take care of the earth as well as provide you electricity,” said Robert Schettler, IID PIO.

The free event will feature hands on activities, information booths, food, music and more.

It will be held at IID headquarters (333 E. Barioni Blvd., Imperial, CA) front lawn from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.