Category: kyma-local-news

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA)-The City of Somerton is kicking off the holiday weekend with a Fourth of July celebration Friday night.

The event is open to everyone in the community to enjoy and celebrate America’s 250th birthday with live music, food vendors, water balloons, and a highly anticipated drone show and fireworks display.

“We are having fireworks and a drone show tonight. I think it’s a really fun thing to see something a little different or a little outside of the traditional one with the drone show,” one organizer said.

The drone show and firework finale starts at midnight at Council Avenue Park in Somerton.

Click here to follow the original article.

Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Caballeros de Yuma hosted their annual Independence Day flag raising ceremony to honor and celebrate the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for our country.

The ceremony kicked off with a flag retirement ceremony followed by the flag raising ceremony. Organizers say this ceremony is a great way to honor those who have fought for our freedom.

Derek Egeberg of Caballeros de Yuma said, “Again, just a great way to start the Fourth of July Independence Day. Nothing says let’s be honored as Americans watching our nation’s flag be raised to our national anthem.”

The stars and stripes were proudly raised by the Young Marines as the crowd stood by for the national anthem and other patriotic songs to honor our Independence Day.

Click here to follow the original article.

Abigahil Padilla

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – Lifelong resident of San Luis, Arizona, Brian Analiz De La Hoya committed to focusing local as the race for San Luis City Council heats up.

De La Hoya who works as a substitute teacher and is currently studying business administration has plans on improving the local economy.

His focus includes creating jobs, expanding affordable housing, and supporting local businesses.

“My main proposal is to increase employment opportunities in our city. Our city has not reached the level of excellence it should have, we are a border city,” said De La Hoya.

He says his priorities also include attracting new investment, expanding education, and making city government more responsive to residents.

Click here to follow the original article.

Oswaldo Rivas

Donation campaign at Grocery Outlet in El Centro

Click here to follow the original article.

Moses Femino

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Paradise Casino helped kick off the Fourth of July holiday weekend by hosting its 30th annual 3rd of July Celebration on Friday evening.

The free, family-friendly event brought together residents and visitors for a night of entertainment, food and community festivities at the casino, located at 450 Quechan Drive in Yuma.

Attendees enjoyed a variety of attractions throughout the evening, including live music, food and drink vendors, face painting and a high-flying motocross stunt show. Families and children also showed off their patriotic spirit with red, white and blue face paint as they gathered to celebrate ahead of Independence Day.

Organizers said the event serves as a way to thank the community for its continued support over the past three decades.

“We just want to thank everyone for coming out and for supporting Paradise Casino,” Mark Benevento, Paradise Casino’s Senior Marketing and Entertainment Manager, said. “This is our 30th anniversary in Yuma. So we get a lot of support from the community and we really appreciate it. So we’ll see everyone tonight”

The evening concluded with a fireworks display, lighting up the desert sky and helping families officially kick off the holiday weekend together.

Click here to follow the original article.

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Democratic candidate for the Arizona State Senate says she’s speaking out after experiencing vandalism and online harassment during her campaign.

Laura Huber says campaign signs of hers have been stolen or vandalized dozens of times, calling the experience discouraging.

She also says she’s received a wave of negative comments on social media. While Huber expected some criticism when she decided to run for office, she says she didn’t expect it to reach this level.

Rather than staying quiet, Huber says she wants to bring attention to the issue and encourage more respectful political conversations.

She believes elected leaders should set the tone by modeling empathy, respect and ethical behavior.

Huber also says she hopes the negativity doesn’t stop people from getting involved in politics or serving their communities, regardless of their political party.

When asked what role policy could play in addressing online harassment, Huber said the challenge is finding a balance between protecting free speech and reducing abusive behavior that serves no positive purpose.

She says she plans to continue the conversation about making it safer to run for office and encouraging more people to participate in public service.

Click here to follow the original article.

Abraham Retana

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – If anyone is planning to spend the Fourth of July weekend in Mexico, expect longer wait times when crossing the border.

At the San Luis Port of Entry Friday morning, the average wait time was almost an hour.

With the holiday weekend, it is expected to increase later in the day and into Saturday morning as many travelers are heading to El Golfo and Rocky Point.

Local Juan De La Hoya shared his experience waiting in line saying, “The problem is that we thought they were going to have more lanes open to cross into Mexico and they only have two. Same problem coming back, they said they were going to bring officers and it wasn’t true.”

If anyone is planning to cross the San Luis Port of Entry, expect delays this weekend as the Fourth of July celebrations will continue into Saturday afternoon.

Click here to follow the original article.

Abigahil Padilla

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – The San Luis City Council approved a budget of more than $152 million for this fiscal year.

The city says this will strengthen public safety, improve infrastructure, and support the city’s continued growth.

It will also fund a new intersection and traffic signal at Union Street and Fourth Avenue.

“We have many projects included in this budget. Some of the most significant are a new Fire Dispatch Alerting System upgrade for [the San Luis] Fire Department, which will help emergency responders respond more quickly to emergencies in the community, and the replacement radio system in the [San Luis] Police Department,” said Francia Alonso, Public Information Officer for the City of San Luis.

Other projects are fixing a well site and expanding the city’s West Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Click here to follow the original article.

Abraham Retana

Reporter Abraham Retana shares why she decided to run for council and what voters can expect from her if she’s elected.

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – San Luis, Arizona Mayor Nieves Riedel is running for City Council in the upcoming primary election.

Mayor Riedel is no stranger to politics. She’s previously served as mayor and council member for many years, but she took a timeout to become a full-time businesswoman and continue her work as a housing contractor.

She came back to local politics five years ago when was re-elected as City Mayor. She says now it’s time for the new generation to lead the way.

“As City Mayor, you got to be available 24/7. You got to be in a position that you really dedicate yourself and that’s what I have been doing, but there’s young talent, there’s new people that were very much interested,” Riedel explained.

If elected, Riedel says she will work to bring more jobs and increase the quality of life for San Luis residents.

“People elected me to see results, and I think I have proven to the people that I’m a hardworking, serious…I don’t take trips…I don’t make promises…I deliver,” Riedel remarked.

The Arizona primary election is on July 21, with early voting now underway. San Luis voters will get to decide who will be the next mayor and vote for three City Council members. 

Click here to follow the original article.