Author: KYMA

Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The United States Department of Energy has canceled funding for new Imperial Irrigation District (IID) project in development. 

The IID received a letter from the United States Department of energy stating that the project “advanced distribution management system” will no longer be funded last month.

The IID says without this project rural areas in Imperial County will continue to face major power outages after a strong storm leaving them in the dark.

The IID says the project is about $37 million, which the Department of Energy was going to fund half of the project.

“Still in the process of reevaluating it so the deal right now is what can we do? How far can we go? Can we tape her off a little bit? Maybe not have all the bells and whistles but still have the opponents, so it’s under assessment right now,” said Robert Schettler, public information officer for the Imperial Irrigation District.

The IID says they still stand with the project and plan to launch the project next year.

Click here to follow the original article.

Karina Bazarte

Karina bazarte sat down with the creator who drew his family home known as the Smurf house.

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA) – Imperial County is known for its iconic landmarks and in the City of Brawley, there’s one unique house that always catches the eye.

For Brawley, it is known as the Smurf House, but for the people that built it, it’s just their sweet home.

In the area of South Ninth Street and H Street sits a bright orange house that’s hard to miss.

A two-story house with several rooms, a long staircase and unique windows shaped as circles. The house did not always look like this.

After returning from the Vietnam War in 1968, Rudy Lopez returned home to Brawley and bought a small cottage house.

“I had $2,700 saved from Vietnam. They gave you extra money for being in combat and I saved so I got money. It’s funny how it is…that is what the guy wanted, $2,700, so that’s why I got the house,” said Lopez.

Before he started to work on his dream house, he married the love of his life in the backyard of the house.

Lopez says he drew his dream house and was inspired when he used to live in Sacramento.

“And I used to see a lot of beautiful boats…Wooden boats…Mahogany boats, and the idea sparked,” said Lopez.

Lopez always wanted to be a woodworker and this was his chance to build something of his own.

He says it took him about 25 years. But in 2008, tragedy struck as a storm hit the Imperial Valley. A tree fell down in his backyard, causing an electrical fire.

A fire burned down their home and although the structure was still intact, inside the home it was a different story.

“When the fire happened, the structure held everything together because the metal held everything together,” said Lopez.

Here’s an image from what was left from the fire.

Lopez says he had no inspiration to rebuild his home as he was also dealing with the death of his father, but the City of Brawley was not ready to let the iconic house go.

“The kids gave us a bunch of money, cans of coins, to do it again. A lot of people told me to do it again. You can’t give up so that is what made me. Everyone needs a drive and that is the drive I got,” expressed Lopez.

With the help of his two sons and an uncle, the Smurf House was reborn.

Lopez says he build it with recycling material just like the staircase carpet.

Going up stairs, you are able to find the bedrooms and a bathroom all created by Lopez, and finally, the bathroom which has recycling materials from the Brawley High School gym.

Although it took seven years to rebuild, Lopez and his family never gave up on their dream house.

“It’s a monument that’s what I say. I feel good that people feel proud that I did something for Brawley…for La Raza, you know what I mean, for La Raza. Not for the westside or whatever side…doesn’t matter where you are from, we are all the same,” said Lopez.

Click here to follow the original article.

Dillon Fuhrman

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA) – The City of Somerton hosted their annual Corn Fest Saturday afternoon.

The festival kicked off at noon along Main Street, with Somerton High School band performing the opening ceremony.

There was a variety of food and beverage vendors, live music, and other activities for families during the festival.

Chris Morris, a member of the Yuma City Council, was also in attendance, and he shared how this event benefits Yuma County.

“It is really good to see all of our communities collectively getting together to celebrate this festival. This is what our community is really about,” Morris explained.

There was also a car show hosted by Mi Vida Car Club, where they showcased a variety of cars and motorcycles.

The festival will go until 9:00 p.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego from Arizona hosted mobile office hours Thursday at Yuma City Hall.

The senator’s Constituent Service Team was there in person to hear and help Yuma locals in need. They focused on helping Arizonans navigate services like VA benefits, Social Security, the IRS, and immigration services. 

Gallego says that despite the shutdown, he recognizes Arizonans are still facing challenges and would like to help.

“To hear from the actual people from their mouth directly is what really matters, so we’re here to listen, try to help folks where we can, and to direct them somewhere else when we might not be able to get them the direct answer they need right away,” said Zak Royse, the Southern Arizona Director in Sen. Gallego’s office.

Deb Chinn is a Yuma local who came down to talk to Gallego’s team looking for help on getting VA disability benefits for her husband.

“He has cancer that is not in remission, and we’re being killed by copays and things with the VA,” she explained.

Chinn shares how it feels to have someone hear them out.

“I like to know that people hear us, I mean, right now, we don’t have representation because Adelita has not been signed in yet, so anybody that we can get to hear us is a good thing,” she says.

Emiliano Rodriguez, another local, shares that although he did not vote for Gallego he likes what he is doing.

“That’s what the Senator and Representative should do, come down to the local area, and hear the people’s voice, and take back their ideas and take what they have heard and put it together in law or whatever they have to do you know,” Rodriguez says.

The event took place from noon to 3:00 p.m., and around 25 people RSVP’d for the event.

Click here to follow the original article.

Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – California voters have approved Proposition 50 in Tuesday’s special election, a measure introduced in response to recent redistricting efforts in Texas.

In Imperial County, Elections Coordinator Francisco Badilla said voter turnout so far sits at 14.76%, out of nearly 95,000 registered voters.

“We still have a lot to account for,” Badilla said, noting that ballots are still being processed.

So far, about 60% of votes counted in Imperial County are in favor of Prop 50. Despite the quick turnaround to organize the election, Badilla said the process went smoothly.

“I feel like it was very smooth. Didn’t have any problems at the precincts or drop boxes,” he said.

With Prop 50 passing, California will now update its congressional voting maps, changing how districts are grouped for future elections.

Some Imperial County residents said they felt well-informed heading to the polls.

“I think people are pretty knowledgeable,” said voter Cynthia Jimenez. “I’ve seen it on social media, billboards, and signs everywhere.”

Badilla said final numbers won’t be available until all ballots, including those received by mail, are processed.

“We have to account for everything that happened on Election Day and process everything that comes in through the mail,” he said.

Click here to follow the original article.

Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Federal furloughs and cuts to food aid are leaving more families across the country turning to food banks, and the Imperial Valley is no exception.

The region already struggles with one of California’s highest rates of food insecurity, and the recent halt in SNAP benefits and furlough of federal employees has only increased the need.

John Reed, Director of Operations at the Imperial Valley Food Bank, said, “We’ve been seeing anywhere from 60, 80 to 100 people a day coming in asking for assistance.”

The food bank has helped nearly 200 furloughed federal workers and their families, but Reed noted that lost federal funding has made it harder to keep up with demand.

“Food banks in general lost federal funding which then meant less food that could be distributed to people seeking food assistance,” he said.

In October, the food bank served hundreds of more families than the previous month, rising from 6,697 to 7,816. The organization also handed out an additional 300,000 pounds of food.

Reed stressed the importance of community support, saying, “That is why we are requesting assistance from the community in form of donations so that doesn’t happen.”

He cautioned that if supplies run low, the amount of food available per family could be reduced.

Volunteers are also crucial to keeping the food bank running. Norma Garcia said helping her community felt like a calling.

“Since there’s a lot of need right now, like with people losing their snaps, there’s so many families with kids and they need sustenance. Come and help…it’s really important,” she said.

The Imperial Valley Food Bank says it is prepared to continue serving the growing number of families in need but emphasizes that donations and volunteers are vital to maintaining its programs.

You can head to the Imperial Valley Food Bank’s website to learn how you can donate or volunteer.

Click here to follow the original article.

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Local biker crew Gorditas BMX is inviting the community to their third anniversary this Saturday, November 8.

The fun starts at 11 a.m. at Joe Henry Park with raffles, merch, and bike giveaways. They’ll head out at 2 p.m. for a 28-mile bike ride-along around the City of Yuma.

They say biker crews travel from all over like Texas, Vegas, and California to come out and support.

“We’re going to have a lot of cool sights for everybody to see and enjoy and have a great time,” said Gorditas BMX president Kristina Beas.

“I just ask that the Yuma community be aware that we’re going to be out on the streets,” said route leader Theresa Straub. “We stay on the bike routes, we stay in the bike lanes, but we are going to have to cross some major roadways, so please just be patient with us again. Show them what Yuma is about.”

It’s a family friendly event for all ages. A portion of the raffles goes to the Yuma community to give back this holiday season.

Click here to follow the original article.

Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Western College (AWC) is currently searching for its new president after Dr. Daniel Corr announced his retirement.

This past week, AWC held four town halls with candidate Rheetika Dhawan.

In search for their new president, the college says they have decided not to spend a lot of money because they have a well-experienced candidate within the college.

Olivia Zepeda, the secretary of the AWC governing board, shares what kind of qualities they are looking for in the future president.

“We want someone who is committed to supporting the community, committed to students, committed to the growth of the college, and who has experience with that, who has experience with looking for funding for the college,” Zepeda says.

Dr. Corr has been president of the school for almost a decade.

The governing board has a message for him as he is getting to ready to retire in July of next year.

“We are going to miss Dr. Corr, Dr. Corr came in ten years ago, he took us to the next level, we made tremendous growth under his leadership, and definitely we are going to miss him,” Zepeda said.

Click here to follow the original article.

Joaquin Hight

Reporter Joaquin Hight spoke to several businesses in Downtown Yuma to see how they are preparing for the visitors, and if they are at all worried about a drop in winter visitor population.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – With the ongoing trade wars with Canada and the U.S., it has locals worried about how many of our Canadian winter visitors will be here this year.

The Yuma County population grows by almost 80,000 people during the winter months, and winter visitors contribute $452 million to Yuma’s economy every year, according to the Economic Development Basics on the Yuma County website.

With Downtown Yuma being a hotspot for tourists, many of the shops in the area are already seeing more customers.

Serena Koogle, owner of the local shop Rebel and Rove, shared how she is already beginning to see Canadian visitors and that she is not worried about a drop in numbers.

A new local business owner, Benya Blonski, says that even if the numbers drop, he believes Yuma’s local customers will be more than enough to continue to support shops.

Click here to follow the original article.