Category: kyma-local-news

Joaquin Hight

TACNA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The City of Tacna held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for a brand new water facility.

The new facility will be replacing a 40-year-old system and will guarantee safe, clean water for many years.

Chief Operating Officer Kirk Perkins shares more on this achievement.

“We’ve been part of the Yuma community for almost 60 years now, and we cherish every project. You know, every project we start, you never know how it’s gonna turn out. We’re truly proud to be part of this project, and be part of the team with Yuma County,” Perkins expressed.

The project, costing about $14.3 million, will service 200 homes. 

Jonathan Lines, Chairman of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona, discusses the process of this new system.

“To be able to create this opportunity to install and maintain a water system for the people of Tacna was an important step forward in ensuring that the demands of the Safe Water Act were met,” Lines shared.

Ann Taylor, a small business owner, talked about how helpful the new water project is for businesses in the area.

“It’s providing safe drinking water to our community. We got water pressure, water that doesn’t stink when you turn the faucet on, it’s wonderful,” Taylor explained.

This new water facility will keep its promise for a healthier water system for residents.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Local casinos give back to the community with a donation to a local non-profit.

Quechan and Paradise Casinos donated eight pallets of different items to Amberly’s Place.

The casinos’ chief marketing officer hopes this contribution helps the non-profit to continue with its mission of helping victims of violence and domestic abuse.

“We are about taking care of our community, that’s where your customers are and they do such a good work, we want to make sure we can provide them some additional tools to work with to continue providing the outreach they do,” said Steve Neely, Quechan and Paradise Casinos chief marketing officer.

Quechan Casino is looking forward to helping the Yuma community in the future.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Onvida Health hosted their annual Quality Hall of Fame judging event Tuesday. The event celebrates the continuous efforts of employees and providers to improve service, operations, care delivery, and cost efficiency.

89 projects hospital-wide were submitted focusing on quality improvement and patient care. Teams have three minutes to present their projects and findings to community judges. One of the presenters shares how it allows cross collaboration from different departments and services.

“Anyone within the organization can stand up and say, ‘Let’s make this better for our community,’ and that’s really what these are. All these posters around us are all the projects that have been done throughout the health system from all different avenues of the teams, really showing how we’re making things better here at Onvida for our community and for our patients,” said Hall of Fame presenter Matt Southmayd.

The hospital says the event is an example of how they strive to provide the best for patients.

“That’s the opportunity then to always be looking at how we can be better. Never satisfied with status quo- always looking for more,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Machele Headington.

The hospital will announce the winners of the various categories on November 5 during Innovation Week.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Harvest Preparatory Academy’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program is receiving help from a local university.

The school’s stem program was in need of a laboratory to conduct experiments.

Luckily, the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension allowed them to use their equipment.

Now the Harvest Prep students are working on DNA extraction.

“The main goal is to create an application like a mobile app where it can detect whether the rot an Saguaro Cactus is progressing and find ways to mitigate the problem,” said Alfred Santos, the District Program Coordinator for the school.

The local staff and students are extremely thankful to the local university because without them, they would have to travel to Tucson to conduct their experiments.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Fat Daddy’s Burgers and Grill will continue to serve the community after a misunderstanding of regulations.

The popular Foothills restaurant had planned on having a five-foot distance from its neighbors, but the county requirement for their property is actually 20.

This would have caused the restaurant to lose parking and space.

However, the Board of Adjustment decided to approve Fat Daddy’s five-foot buffer.

Jacob Fletcher, the owner’s son, says it was special to have community members’ support.

“It’s like family, like everyone says, they walk in our door, you know, they want to come back. It’s that enjoyment of feeling and togetherness,” said Fletcher.

Marlin Andrews, a local customer whose band plays at Fat Daddy’s, says he is thankful to the board of adjustment for being so understanding.

“I felt that they were really thoughtful, they thought about it, you know they paid attention to the law, code, but they really considered what exceptions could be made, I thought it was great, I really did,” Andrews says.

The restaurant will not have to make any more adjustments and can go back to serving burgers and music.

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Marcos Icahuate

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Shedding a light on Alzheimer’s, that was the goal of one local event in the Imperial Valley.

The Fourth Annual Alzheimer’s Association IV Community Health Resource Fair took place last week.

It’s important for the Imperial Valley as it has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s in the nation.

The event also featured the return of the downtown walk to end Alzheimer’s.

The family-friendly event brought together local organizations for health screenings, dementia education and free cognitive testing.

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said a man was arrested over the weekend in connection to a crash which left a child dead.

According to a press release, the crash happened Saturday, October 18 at around 6:20 p.m. in an open desert north of State Route 78, near Old Mine Road.

CHP said a 36-year-old man was driving a 2024 Can-Am Maverick “in an easterly direction at an unknown speed.”

For reasons unknown, CHP said the driver hit a “raised dirt berm” and overturned “onto the terrain within the desert.”

As a result, CHP said the driver suffered minor injuries while the passenger, a four-year-old girl, ejected from the Can-Am. The girl died at the scene, CHP said.

During the investigation, CHP said the driver was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, and said he was arrested for “suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.”

The investigation is ongoing.

SOLO VEHICLE FATAL CRASH in OPEN DESERT NEAR OCOTILLO WELLS OCTOBER 18, 2025 288CDownload

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The U.S. Marine Corps has identified the pilot who was killed in last week’s helicopter crash.

35-year-old Maj. Tyler Braconi died after an AH-1Z helicopter he, along with another pilot, was assigned to experienced an “aviation mishap while conducting routine flight operations” Thursday, October 16, according to the Marine Corps.

The crash happened happened at around 7:05 p.m. “near an unpopulated area of Imperial Gables, California.”

After the crash, Braconi and the other pilot were taken to two separate hospitals, with Braconi being taken to Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley, where he later died.

Meanwhile, the other pilot was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where the pilot is in stable condition.

“We join the family of Maj. Tyler Braconi in mourning the unimaginable loss of a loved one. Our most valued asset is our people, the individual Marine, and Tyler was one of the greats,” Lt. Col. Christopher Hart, commanding officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, said in a statement. “We mourn the loss of a ‘Gunfighter,’ brave aviator, and leader that served our nation with humility, strength, and purpose. Our focus is supporting Tyler’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

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Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The man accused of killing his girlfriend near Senator Wash in Imperial County was back in court Tuesday for his preliminary setting.

56-year-old James Hill, who was extradited to Imperial County last month, is charged in the murder of 34-year-old September Lee Weisinger.

During Tuesday’s court appearance, Hill got a new attorney from San Diego after his previous attorney no longer represented him due to a conflict of interest in another case.

KYMA tried to speak with the new attorney, but he declined to comment. In addition, Weisinger’s mother was in attendance.

Hill will be back in court on December 18 for another preliminary setting.

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Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) is investigating a recent increase in vehicle thefts across the city, and are asking residents to take extra precautions to protect their vehicles.

ECPD says they are actively investigating the thefts and “have increase patrols in key areas.” However, ECPD says they recommend residents to “always lock their vehicles, remove keys and key fobs and never leave cars running unattended.”

They also said parking in well-lit areas or in secure locations, like a garage, can reduce the risk of theft.

In addition, ECPD asks residents to put valuable items in the trunk, glove compartment or take them inside their home so they are not left out in plain sight.

ECPD is also encouraging residents to make use of the following:

Install anti-theft devices such as steering wheel locks, alarms or vehicle tracking systems.

Use home security cameras or video doorbells to monitor driveways and parking areas.

Call ECPD at (760) 352-2111 to report of any suspicious activity.

Call 911 in case of an emergency.

“As we head into the holidays, we know many people will be out shopping, visiting family, or attending community events,” said Kelly Brown, Acting Chief of Police. “Criminals often take advantage of this busy time of year, so we’re asking everyone to remain vigilant and take these simple precautions to protect themselves and their property.”

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

Press Release – TheftsDownload

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