Category: kyma-local-news

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Rural Metro responded to a motor home fire in the Foothills Monday.

In a Facebook post, the fire happened before noon in the area of E. 38th Street and S. Tucson Drive.

Upon arrival, Rural Metro said crews found the motor home 50% engulfed in flames, “with exposures to the North and South.”

This prompted them to quickly deploy hose lines and work to extinguish the fire, Rural Metro said.

The fire was eventually contained to the motor home, “with some scorching to the North and South exposures,” Rural Metro added.

While there were no injuries reported, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial Police Department (IPD) says a teen has been arrested for attempted murder.

In a press release, IPD responded to reports of two separate victims related to a stabbing that happened near Imperial High School Friday, August 28, at around 8:30 p.m.

The first victim, a teen, told IPD they were stabbed near the front of the school, and was taken by an acquaintance to El Centro Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Meanwhile, IPD said the second victim, an adult, was also stabbed after reportedly confronting the suspect, identified as a 13-year-old Imperial resident.

After conducting an investigation and obtaining witnesses’ statements, IPD said the suspect was arrested and booked into the Imperial County Juvenile Hall on two counts of attempted murder.

The investigation remains ongoing. If anyone has information regarding the case, call IPD.

For Immediate Release_ IMPERIAL POLICE DEPARTMENT ARREST JUVENILE FOR ATTEMPTED MURDERDownload

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Travis Manion Foundation will host its second annual 9/11 Heroes Run in Yuma Saturday, September 12, at the Colorado River State Historic Park.

The 5K event is held to honor the people who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks while also recognizing military members, veterans, first responders and law enforcement.

Dale Dumo, the race director for the Yuma event, encourages people to register for the run or volunteer.

“If you want to be a part of the 5K, please register as soon as possible,” Dumo said. “If you don’t want to partake in the 5K, you can register to volunteer.”

The event will begin with an opening ceremony and speeches before runners, walkers and participants who choose to ruck begin the race.

Family and friends are also encouraged to support participants along the route with flags and other patriotic items.

Dumo said the event is about more than remembering 9/11.

“It’s also a two part event where we celebrate and honor our current and former active duty military, Veterans, first responders and law enforcement all in one event,” he said.

This year marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks.

Dumo said remembering the events and teaching younger generations about their significance is an important part of the event.

“Remember and show our youth, our younger generations, what 9/11 was all about,” Dumo said. “We never want to forget those tragic events, but also the men and women that sacrificed their lives that day and afterwards because of what happened.”

The run will begin at the Colorado River State Historic Park, with a halfway point at Joe Henry Park, before finishing back at the historic park.

The event will also include vendors, community booths and local law enforcement agencies.

The 9/11 Heroes Run begins at 6:30 a.m., with gates opening at 6 a.m. All proceeds from the event will go to the Travis Manion Foundation.

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Jessamyn Dodd

BRAWLEY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) – Water is restored to customers in Brawley following a pipe burst.

The pipe burst Sunday, flooding parts of the streets as crews worked to find and repair the leak.

Some residents were without water for several hours.

“We got a call from a customer saying that water was leaking from the street…We come and check it out. We saw it was from the main. Exposed it. Saw the main. Saw the block. So, we cleaned it. Shot off the water. And now, we’re putting a clamp on it,” said Peter Sanchez with the City of Brawley.

Crews have since repaired the broken pipe and water service has been fully restored.

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Carolina Garcia

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – A candidate running for Calexico City Council said the city needs to be doing more to combat pollution and address environmental issues.

John Anthony Canaris is running for one of the open seats on the council. He has never run for public office before, but said his concerns for the city motivated him to enter the race.

Canaris, who is a Calexico native, questioned the quality of the city’s water as he specializes in water treatment, and said the city needs to reallocate workers to better maintain public parks.

“Adjust the budget here, which is $44 million to the general fund to adjust it. And, get efficiency from the workers, the street workers and the park workers and have an alternative basis, for, you know, cleaning up and also the parks we focus on the parks, the rise in park and the Cordova Park,” Canaris explained.

To learn more about the candidates, click here.

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Connor Emery

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Big 5 Sporting Goods in Yuma is temporarily closed after smoke was seen coming from the building.

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) said firefighters responded to the store Sunday night.

Firefighters looked inside and outside the store to find the cause of the smoke, but didn’t find anything.

YFD said fire alarms and smoke detectors are important because they can help a small situation from getting worse.

“In a commercial structure or home smoke detectors will save lives. This situation here if there was not a smoke detector present or if it was not working properly, it could’ve been a lot worse and possibly burned down the building,” said Capt. Francisco Leon with YFD.

Big 5 remains closed, but one employee said they plan to reopen in the coming days.

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Lynette Niebla

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – August 31 marks the 25th anniversary of International Overdose Awareness Day, a global initiative dedicated to remembering those lost to drug overdoses and taking definitive action to end the crisis.

Running under the theme “25 Years On. Still Needed,” the day serves as a stark reminder that despite progress, drug overdose remains one of the world’s most devastating public health challenges.

On the front lines of this crisis, healthcare workers in the Imperial Valley emphasize that overdoses are preventable. At El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC), medical staff regularly treat patients experiencing fentanyl or opioid overdoses, as well as individuals arriving in severe withdrawal.

According to hospital leadership, the first step to saving lives is reframing how society views addiction.

“A lot of people view opioid use disorder as some sort of moral failing or an issue with the person themselves, and we preferred to view it more as a treatable medical condition,” said Dr. Rahul Nene, ECRMC’s Bridge Program Champion.

To address addiction as a medical reality, ECRMC operates the Bridge Program, a multi-layered support system integrated directly into the emergency department.

The program provides 24/7 evaluation, immediate medical treatment, and ongoing care navigation.

“Patients and families can come in at any time of the day,” Dr. Nene explained. “The providers, physicians, or staff will evaluate the patient and see exactly what resources they require. We can start treatments directly in the emergency department, so if they’re withdrawing or having cravings, we can start them with treatment on Suboxone, do a full needs assessment, and evaluate what is required to set them on the pathway to recovery.”

The care does not end when a patient leaves the emergency room. ECRMC utilizes dedicated substance use navigators to bridge the gap between emergency intervention and long-term rehabilitation.

“There will be a substance use navigator who will also meet with the patient, help provide them additional resources, and then link them to community partners to help further care,” Nene said. “We partner with a couple of outpatient clinics that ECRMC aligns with, and the substance use navigator helps coordinate patients to go to those clinics and continue with those next steps in treatment.”

Even with continuous resources available, healthcare professionals acknowledge that deep-rooted social stigma remains an uphill battle, often preventing individuals from seeking help before it is too late.

“Unfortunately, one of the barriers to treatments is stigma,” Nene noted. “Approaching these patients with a lot of empathy, listening to them, listening to their struggles, and understanding what’s going on with them on a daily basis really allows you to connect with the patient better and provide better care for them.”

Medical professionals stress that saving a life often happens before a patient ever reaches the hospital doors. Knowing how to identify an active overdose and having the right tools on hand can mean the difference between life and death.

Key Warning Signs of an Opioid Overdose:

Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”

Loss of consciousness or falling asleep

Slowed, shallow, or stopped breathing

Cold, clammy skin or discolored skin and lips

If you suspect someone is experiencing an overdose, officials urge you to call 911 immediately and administer naloxone (Narcan), a safe medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

“Having Narcan on you is amazing,” said Nene. “I say that is one of the steps that has been most impactful in decreasing deaths from opioid overdose—how available naloxone is.”

ECRMC actively utilizes harm reduction tools as a core component of its community health strategy, aiming to mitigate lethal risks for active users.

“We know that patients, unfortunately, are going to continue using, and so having these available so that you can test and see if whatever substance that they are using has fentanyl, and being aware of those risks [is vital],” Nene said.

Hospital staff urge parents and community members to have open, honest conversations about the realities of synthetic drugs.

“It is incredibly important families and parents just know that, unfortunately, this stuff is out there. Talk to your family. Talk to your kids about that,” Nene urged. “Just know that it is a thing, know that naloxone (Narcan) can help reverse it, and also be aware that fentanyl test strips are a thing.”

To support local families, the Emergency Room at El Centro Regional Medical Center distributes fentanyl test strips and Narcan completely free of charge to any individual or family who requests them, no questions asked.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) said the Kofa High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (MCJROTC) has been named a Naval Honor School.

In a press release, this is the fourth consecutive year Kofa MCJROTC has earned the title, as well as sixth time overall.

“We are very proud of our cadets who worked so hard planning events, community service, public events, competitions, and executing these to their very best ability,” Kofa MCJROTC Instructor Maj. Todd Birney said. “Part of the Naval Honor School award was the formal compliance inspection conducted last February, in which our cadets did a fantastic job of showing how student led programs can flourish.”

YUHSD said the selections were based on the following:

Superior performance throughout the school year such as annual commanding general

Inspector general inspection, unit enrollment

Cadet citizenship (school and unit activities, clubs, leadership, community service, and public affairs)

Scholastic achievement (academic awards, scholarships and enlistments)

To learn more about this, read the press release below.

PR – Kofa MCJROTC program named Naval Honor School for sixth time.docx (1)Download

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Jessamyn Dodd

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Courage, a facility dog with an important job has joined the Imperial County Fire Department (ICFD).

Courage came through a program run by Imperial County Behavioral Health. The program partners with the Humane Society, training dogs to become facility dogs.

After spending about eight months with Behavioral Health, Courage was adopted by the fire department, and has been with them since February..

He is part of the department’s peer-to-peer support team, which focuses on firefighter’s mental health.

When firefighters respond to traumatic calls, Courage can help with crisis intervention, giving firefighters a chance to decompress, and get grounded.

Firefighters often respond to traumatic calls like child abuse, overdoses, and death. And sometimes just having Courage there is enough.

“In a person’s lifespan, they’ll experience one to three traumatic events in their life. And in the career of a fire fighter or first responder, we’ll experience anywhere in the thousands so, on average I think it’s one to two thousand events. That’s why the fire service has been pushing for support dogs,” said Fire Captain Daniel Martinez with ICFD.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation estimates that at least 100 firefighters die by suicide each year due to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and depression.

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Consumer Reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – More people are turning to artificial intelligence for answers to their health questions, but experts warn that the information provided by AI chatbots isn’t always accurate, and could come with privacy risks.

AI tools including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini can provide detailed answers within seconds. For many people, that convenience makes them an appealing first stop when they have questions about their health.

One survey found that 17% of adults ask AI chatbots health-related questions at least once a month.

“There are a lot of reasons you might go to a chatbot for answers,” said Kevin Loria, a health reporter for Consumer Reports. “They can be quite good at generating a lot of information, and they’re very comprehensive and easy to understand.”

But experts say the technology can also get things wrong.

AI chatbots can make up information, known as “hallucinations,” or mix up important details while presenting their responses with confidence. Those errors can be difficult for users to recognize, particularly when the information sounds authoritative.

A recent study also found that people can be prone to overtrusting AI-generated medical advice. Some respondents were unable to distinguish between answers generated by AI and information provided by a real doctor.

Privacy is another concern.

AI systems are not subject to all of the same privacy protections that apply to a doctor’s office. That means users should be cautious about sharing sensitive personal health information with a chatbot, as that information could potentially be exposed, used or compromised in a data breach.

Consumer Reports recommends using AI as a starting point for health information, not as a substitute for a medical professional.

People should avoid entering sensitive personal health information into AI tools and verify anything they learn with trusted sources, including MedlinePlus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and recognized medical organizations.

And when a health question could affect a person’s treatment or other medical decisions, experts recommend talking with a doctor.

AI can provide information quickly, but experts say it shouldn’t replace professional medical advice.

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