Category: kyma-local-news

Lauren Duffel

YUMA,(Ariz).-Each year, Yuma experiences a significant population boost during the winter months.

“Snowbirds” flock to Yuma to escape the cold in their home states, but with summer right around the corner, snowbird season is coming to an end.

Yuma typically receives 70 to 90,000 snowbird visitors each year. Some visitors come from out of the country to escape the cold.

Marcus Carney with Visit Yuma said, “Roughly 20% of those typically are made up of Canadians, but a little less than that since Canadian travel is down this year.”

Some Canadian travelers have boycotted U.S. goods and travel due to controversial political remarks made by President Donald Trump, according to CBS News.

Despite some Canadian travel being down, snowbird travel still boosts our local economy, contributing around $450 million annually according to Yuma County.

“They are helping us sustain our economy, they are helping sustain jobs in Yuma, and they really are a huge economic driver to our community, and they are incredibly important to a lot of jobs and careers in this community,” Carney said.

With the departure of snowbirds, we are reminded of how important these seasonal visitors are to our local economy.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Several residents of a local RV park say they’re being left in the dark.

Residents at Westwind RV and Golf Resort say they haven’t had power sometimes for days, and that this has been an ongoing issue for years.

This means they can’t use their air conditioning and other items that use electricity.

They say this has even led to heat illnesses.

They’re concerned these outages will keep happening, especially with high summer temps right around the corner.

We spoke to one resident there who wanted us to identify her as “Nana” for fear of retaliation.

“That is unacceptable because it puts us, the residents in danger as you can see I’m very sensitive and every time the power goes out. It can be for three days it can be for four days,” explained Nana.

Nana says that management has told her they don’t want to spend the money needed to fix the issues.

We’ve been reaching out trying to get a comment from the management at Westwind RV for weeks now, but they have not commented.

We’ll update this story as soon as we receive more information.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Fraternal Order of Police hosted its 49th Annual Memorial Day Service Friday, honoring fallen and current law enforcement officers.

The event honors law enforcement professionals who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Franscisco Saenz, Vice President of FOP Yuma Lodge #24, said, “What we do here is really spend some time to remember them and spend some time with their family and give them an opportunity and time to dedicate to them on what they did during their service to our community.”

During this special event, the Yuma Police Department Honor Guard team conducts a 21-gun salute, a long-standing tradition honoring the fallen.

Yuma Police Chief Thomas Garrity said, “These are the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our community that they care about. It’s important for us to remember their sacrifice but it’s also a beacon of what our officers do every day.”

Organizers say it’s important to recognize the sacrifices law enforcement officers make every day to keep our community safe.

Garrity added, “It’s important for them to remember and you know this is a chance for the community to show their gratitude towards people who are willing to give that ultimate sacrifice to the community.”

Friday is an important day to honor those who currently service our community and to remember those who we have lost.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Several local students are speaking out about an Arizona attendance law they believe does not fully reflect the challenges some families face.

Students from Centennial Middle School and Wellton Elementary recently competed in the State Project Citizen Showcase, a civics competition where students research community issues and present policy solutions before a panel of judges.

Centennial students took their concerns beyond the classroom and to the Crane School District Board.

Their teacher, Mrs. Baker, said she encouraged students to use their voices and was proud to watch them confidently speak on an issue impacting their community.

“That’s what we try to promote in our students here at Centennial,” Baker said. “To let them know that you are not just an empty chair, that you have a voice. Use it.”

The students focused their project on Arizona law ARS 15-803 C1, which says students can be considered habitually absent after five unexcused absences, potentially leading to school or legal intervention.

Students say the law does not always account for issues some families face, including transportation and financial challenges.

“We didn’t really think that it was right that a bunch of kids would get in trouble for missing school, even if they have transportation issues or financial issues,” said Centennial student Benjamin Macias.

Another student, David Ortega, said he hopes speaking to district leaders can help create broader change.

“Our hope after we share our concerns today is that we really change the law and we could help not just the community, but the state in general,” Ortega said.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Imperial County is being recognized by Governor Gavin Newsom for its efforts to connect people living with severe mental illness to treatment and support services through California’s CARE Act.

The program allows family members, first responders and others to ask a court to help connect someone with mental health care before they end up in crisis.

County officials say the goal is not punishment, but getting people connected to long-term support and treatment.

“And then afterwards, if they do, then we go ahead and engage them into our intensive services and our CARE services,” said Michelle Villarreal. “We link them and do all that we really have to do.”

So far this year, 21 petitions have been submitted to CARE Court in Imperial County.

Officials say the process is meant to be collaborative, with participants helping shape their own treatment plans.

“The main goal is to reduce hospitalizations, crisis admissions and re-incarcerations or getting involved in the justice system,” said Maria Ruiz.

At the same time, some cities across the Imperial Valley have taken a stricter approach to homelessness.

In El Centro, police can charge someone with a misdemeanor if they refuse rehab or mental health services. In Calexico, camping on public or private property can lead to fines or jail time.

William Cooper, who is working to bring a wraparound housing model to northern Imperial County, believes support services are more effective than criminal penalties.

“That money can be better spent building housing, building wraparound services, mental health services,” Cooper said.

Cooper has spent several years applying for funding through Imperial County’s Continuum of Care board, which helps decide what housing projects receive county support.

His proposal would focus on expanding access to case management, behavioral health and health care services in northern parts of the county.

The latest count shows more than 1,500 people in Imperial County experienced homelessness in 2025, highlighting the ongoing gap between available resources and community needs.

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Abigahil Padilla

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA) – Housing America Corporation hosted a Power AZ application assistance event Thursday in Somerton to help local families apply for energy assistance through the state program.

Residents visited the Housing America Corporation offices in front of City Hall, where staff members provided free help with applications and document uploads.

The Power AZ Program offers financial assistance to eligible households to help cover heating and cooling costs throughout the year.

Households may qualify for benefits ranging from $160 to $640 annually.

“Especially with the high cost of energy and the increase we have seen in the Power AZ Program within the community, along with the fact that there are farmworkers currently unemployed, it is important that we provide this type of assistance,” said Yolanda Galindo, executive director of Housing America Corporation.

Housing America Corporation says the event is part of its effort to help families maintain safe and stable homes during times of financial need.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local realty company gave back to the community today by supporting a non-profit organization.

As part of its Red Day, Keller Williams Realty of Yuma (KW Realty) employees volunteered at the Yuma Community Food Bank.

They helped out by preparing bags full of groceries.

“It’s a major resource for our community and for those who are dealing with food insecurity, so it’s important not just to think about those people, but also the action to step up to give back and the service is extremely important not only for our company, our culture but for everyone,” said Kristan Sheppeard, KW Realty CEO and team leader.

The Yuma Community Food Bank president says receiving this kind of support helps a lot, especially now that more locals are depending on the food bank.

“We are seeing more people coming in and using the food bank so anyone WHO can give, we ask please give, you can definitely use their support. Volunteers, food, funds whatever they can do we definitely can use it,” expressed Andy Robinson, Yuma Community Food Bank President and CEO

Keller Williams Realty has its “Red Day” the second Thursday of each month. If you would like to donate to the Yuma Community Food Bank, click here.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A group of students learned first hand what it takes to work for the City of Yuma.

More than 30 students from the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) Charter High School had a career day at the Yuma City Hall, where department heads explained their duties and careers they studied to obtain their positions.

“They learn all about what it is, how the Community Parks and Rec Public Work it, all the opportunity to work for the community, City Hall has opened its doors for the students, so they can learn the different phases of the city and it works,” said John Horvath, EOC counselor/ teacher.

Horvath said they do several career days during the school year to teach students the variety of job opportunities they could find after graduate from college.

“With the speakers talking to them about how to get the education that they need for the position or if they need college equivalent to get these jobs. So public works, communications, all these are opportunities for these kids,” expressed Horvath.

EOC has open enrollment for the next school year.

For more information about the school, you can click here.

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Lynette Niebla

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved a new solid waste rate and collection system for unincorporated areas to comply with California’s Organic Waste Reduction Law, aka Senate Bill (SB) 1383.

Effective July 1, the county will transition to a mandatory three-container system, replacing the long-standing reliance on self-hauling to local landfills.

Residents will receive 96-gallon bins color-coded for household trash (black), recycling (blue), and organic waste (green).

The service will cost residents approximately $26.51 per month. The fee, totaling roughly $320 per year, will be billed annually on the county property tax roll. Under the new mandate, no residential waivers are permitted.

Commercial businesses will also be required to use the three-bin system, with service levels tailored to their specific needs and billed monthly by the hauler.

Unlike residential users, commercial entities may apply for certain waivers if they meet specific state criteria.

While the deadline to implement SB 1383 passed in 2022, Imperial County has operated under a series of extensions.

With those extensions set to expire, the Board moved forward to bring the county into compliance and avoid potential state-mandated penalties.

To see if you are affected, enter your address into the GIS Maps tool on the Imperial County Department of Public Works website.

The site also features detailed maps showing whether your neighborhood will be serviced by CR&R or Republic Services.

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