Author: KYMA

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Locals across Yuma County participated in the Celebrate Life 5K Color Run Saturday morning.

The event took place at West Wetlands Park at 10:00 a.m., and featured live music, food trucks and vendors, and more.

All proceeds from the event will support New Life Pregnancy Center.

“This fundraiser will go into fund that fund that ministry. That ministry helps families in Yuma…We want families in Yuma to get stronger, and we’re part of that process to help them do that,” said Sheryl Van Horn, Regional Director for the Arizona Baptist Children’s Services.

The first 100 participants also received a free T-shirt while other participants received a swag bag.

The event lasted until noon.

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Skylar Heisey

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Yuma man charged with murder has taken a guilty plea in a separate drug case.

36-year-old Fernando Malta pled guilty Tuesday to possession of a narcotic drug.

Under the plea agreement, Malta faces a presumptive sentence of ten years, a minimum of eight years and a maximum of 12 years in prison.

His sentencing is scheduled for March 10.

Malta was arrested for the murder of 29-year-old Eric Cruz from Somerton, and is being held at the Yuma County Jail on a bond of more than $1 million.

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Skylar Heisey

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Yuma man has taken a plea deal in a drug case involving meth and fentanyl.

42-year-old Jacob Cody Allison pled guilty Tuesday for possession of drug paraphernalia involving meth.

Allison was arrested during a search warrant in May of last year executed by the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force.

Officers found nearly 11,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills, a loaded firearm, liquid and crystalline meth, and multiple items of drug paraphernalia.

Under the plea agreement, Allison faces a presumptive sentence of more than a year and up to two years in prison.

His sentencing is scheduled for February 20.

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Marcos Icahuate

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – A new signaled intersection has been placed in El Centro at Imperial Avenue and Pepper Drive.

The traffic signal is to improve safe for motorists and pedestrians in the area, according to the City of El Centro.

The signal light is operating on red until further notice, which acts as an all-way stop.

The intersection is planned to be fully operational on Friday, January 23, 2026.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A man was taken to the hospital in serious condition following a crash, according to Yuma Police Department (YPD).

On Wednesday, January 21, at about 8:21 p.m., officers were called about an injury on 24th Street and Parkview Loop.

YPD says a 49-year-old man was on a motorcycle traveling eastbound on 24th Street, then he crashed into a Jeep Wrangler being driven by a 19-year-old woman, who was attempting to make a left hand turn onto Parkview Loop.

The man was taken to Onvida Health and later flown to a Phoenix hospital in serious condition.

The woman was checked into Onvida Health and released.

YPD says impairment does not appear to be a factor in this case and is still under investigation.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call YPD at (928) 783-4421.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A new program is being introduced to help applicants.

The City of Yuma’s Department of Community Development launched Alynea AI PreCheck, an AI tool that reviews permit applications.

Building permit applications will be checked by the AI tool before they’re submitted to the City.

Alynea AI PreCheck searches for missing information, inconsistencies and other common errors.

The City of Yuma says this tool will reduce processing times and improve overall quality.

“This pilot helps applicants address common application issues earlier in the process,” said Alyssa Linville, Director of Community Development. “When applications come in more complete, staff can spend less time on corrections and more time on timely, thorough reviews.”

The tool is optional and permits will continue to approved mainly by City staff.

For more information, click here.

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Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Onvida Health and the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System broke ground Friday morning on a new outpatient clinic in the Fortuna Foothills.

Local and state leaders, Veterans, and community members gathered to mark the start of the long-anticipated project that is scheduled to open in the summer of 2027.

Arizona State Sen. Tim Dunn highlighted the importance of the new clinic for the region’s Veteran population, saying, “Onvida is stepping up to serve those Veterans who stepped-up to serve our country and providing healthcare for them, right here in Yuma County.”

The project includes a dedicated 30,000-square-foot outpatient facility that has been more than two years in the making.

The planning process focused on ensuring the clinic would meet the specific needs of Veterans and provide a high-quality healthcare experience.

Onvida Health President and CEO Robert Trenschel said Veterans were directly involved in shaping the facility from the beginning.

“This was designed, really, by Veterans,” Trenschel said. “So, when we were building this, when we were designing this, we got Veteran groups together to say ‘What do you want in your facility?’ We’re just excited to be able to provide a facility for Veterans that provides them the dignity and clinical care that they so well deserve.”

The clinic is expected to significantly expand healthcare services available to veterans in Yuma County.

Brenda Smith, quartermaster and chaplain for VFW Post 1763, emphasized the impact of the project, saying, “We’re getting this huge facility here on this property and the services are expanding. The types of care are expanding.”

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Interim Director Maria Nguyen said the timing of the clinic’s opening will allow for a broad range of services, adding, “It’s gonna be perfect timing to offer primary care services, audiology, path and lab, even more potential for women’s health services.”

Leaders also stressed that the new clinic will reduce the burden of travel for veterans who currently must leave the area for care.

Smith said, “It’s gonna save veterans so much time and effort and stress going to Tucson or Phoenix to get their care.”

Sen. Dunn added that the clinic will allow aVeterans to remain close to home, saying, “We know that when people are here, serving in the military, they know when they retire, they can come back here and have those Veteran services right here where they live, so they don’t have to go out of town.”

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Experts say Arizona is known as one of the lowest-funded public education systems in the country.

The superintendent of Amerischools, Matthew Chandler, says having a smaller school system, can be challenging to find funding and resources.

“Sometimes with larger school systems, they may have more money, but sometimes smaller school systems, it can be challenging because you don’t have as many students,” Chandler explained.

Currently, Amerischools is renovating their south campus and due to insufficient funding, they do not have materials and resources for their students.

Melodie Arellano, a sixth grade teacher at Amerischools, explains why these students deserve new material in their classrooms, “I feel like coming in and a student is seeing old desks, seeing old boards, and seeing a very outdated building, it can be very discouraging, and a lot of students want to come in because a lot of the school is a safe place for our students, it’s home away from home.”

The school is hoping for donations for items like new desks, round tables for interventions, playground equipment, and smartboards.

Joseph Sanchez, Amerischools Dean of students says, “Any funding, anything like that is really going to be a big help to our school to make it grow and help our community.”

Arizona Education Association President Marisol Garcia says there is a complete lack of leadership by our lawmakers to make school funding a priority.

“We need to hold our elected officials accountable, because politicians shouldn’t be using schools, as a political launching point, they should be doing what’s best for their community,” emphasises Marisol Garcia, President of the Arizona Education Association.

The current system of school funding in Arizona is called, backpack funding.

The amount of kids who show up to school determines the amount of money the school district has that year.

“The problem with that is kids move districts and districts try to create a budget like all of us, you know like in the future, like next year we’re going to need this, and it is so unstable,” says Garcia.

If you would like to donate and give back to the students and educators of Amerischool, click here.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A person was shot by officers then pronounced dead, according to Yuma Police Department (YPD).

On Wednesday, January 21, at about 8:20 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on Colorado Street near West Wetlands Park.

Officers attempted to detain the driver but the driver was then shot.

YPD reveals that in their initial investigation, two officers were searching the area for drug-related activity based on tips from the community.

Officers tried to stop a vehicle but the driver did not yield and fled the area.

Officers later found the vehicle near 16th Avenue and Colorado Street in a dead-end alley. Police attempted to remove the driver from the driver’s seat, however, the driver tried to pin an officer against a fence. Two officers then fired their guns.

YPD says this evidence was collected and reviewed through body-worn cameras.

The driver, 58-year-old Sergio Mencia Ramos, was pronounced dead on scene. A 42-year-old passenger in Ramos’s vehicle was not injured.

No further injuries were reported, and YPD says the officers involved were placed on modified no duty.

The investigation is ongoing and no additional information is available at this time.

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