Category: kyma-local-news

Jessamyn Dodd

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Jason Jackson is seeking a return to the El Centro City Council after previously serving, including a stint as mayor.

He served four years on the city’s Planning Comission before being elected to City Council in 2011. He was reelected in 2015 and served as mayor in 2016.

Jackson is now making another bid for a seat on the council after also running in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Now, he’s asking El Centro voters to elect him again.

Jakson is one of the candidates seeking one of the two seats up for election this November.

A main issue he points to is the city’s budget.

“Literally every dollar that’s come in revenue-wise has been spent, and then they’ve dipped into some of the reserves on top of that,” Jackson told KYMA in an interview.

“That’s not sustainable, and I think that if you don’t get ahead of that when, when there’s an opportunity to, you dig yourself a hole where, then the alternative to balance that budget is to have to do things that drastically like cut staff or cut services to the community,” Jackson explained.

He sad he wants to invest more in recreation for children and teens.

“The youth isthe future, and I have two young ones. I think I’m the only one that’s probably running that has two young children,” Jackson reflected. “When I was on the council before, I was the author of Measure P. And, you know, with my colleagues, we successfully passed that with the residents of El Centro, and that enabled us to really infuse millions of dollars into our parks.” 

Regarding his past controversies, Jackson stated, “Everybody has things that have happened to them in the past. And, you know, you make amends and you move forward and, you know, you just do what you can to make things better.”

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Moses Femino

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma County experienced some rain and thunderstorms early Thursday morning.

Storms moved through parts of Yuma County bringing rain, lightning and gusty winds across the region.

While the storms moved through quickly, some residents say the combination of heavy rain and strong winds was enough to create problems around their homes.

For Charles Clark, preparing for the storm meant securing items around the house to keep them from being damaged or blown away.

“We had to go outside, make sure things were covered that needed to be covered. And that there was weights on top of the covers so that the wind wouldn’t blow them off,” Clark said.

For Debbie Clark, preparing for monsoon storms has become part of the routine. She says a recent storm brought enough rain to flood part of her backyard, making it important to prevent water from getting inside the home.

“Make sure it doesn’t come in the back door. Bring anything in that might get damaged and cover stuff,” Debbie Clark said.

Strong winds can also bring the possibility of power outages, making preparation even more important.

“You need to be prepared because your electrical may go off, which it has quite a few times. Then it takes a while for that to come on,” Clark said.

Residents say having things ready ahead of time can make it easier to deal with the impacts of storms as monsoon season continues through September.

In the Foothills, there was some moderate rainfall, lightning and thunder, as well as some winds.

There was also some rain in Somerton and San Luis.

The storms did clear out into the afternoon.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Sonoran Prevention Works is bringing the Yuma community together this month to remember loved ones lost to overdose and raise awareness about prevention.

The organization will hold its fourth annual Overdose Awareness Walk and Memorial Event Saturday, August 29.

The walk begins at the Yuma Heritage Library at 6:30 p.m, with registration starting at 6 p.m. It will end at Gateway Park at 7 p.m. with a memorial event to follow.

Organizers say the event gives families a place to grieve, remember their loved ones and connect with others without stigma or judgment.

Sonoran Prevention Works also provides naloxone, overdose prevention training and other resources through its community sites.

The organization says it provided 150,000 doses of naloxone and helped reverse about 6,000 overdoses in 2025.

To find Sonoran Prevention Works locations, schedules and available resources, visit their Get Supplies page.

The organization currently lists Yuma locations and outreach events on its website, along with information about obtaining naloxone and other supplies.

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Skylar Heisey

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Somerton Police Department (SPD) responded to reports of shots fired Wednesday morning.

In a post to Facebook, the shooting happened in the area of State Avenue and Washington Street at 10 a.m.

Reports said a man was seen running in the area, but were unable to share more information on his description.

SPD said more officers arrived and contacted people nearby if they knew anything about the shooting, but said no one heard anything.

Officers were unable to find any evidence related to the shooting in the area, but the investigation is ongoing.

If anyone has any information regarding the case, call SPD at 928-722-7411.

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Lynette Niebla

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – As school doors swing open for the 2026–2027 academic year, thousands of local students are returning to class facing a severe, hidden crisis outside the classroom: childhood hunger.

New data reveals a dismal reality for families across the region. Imperial County now leads the state of California in food insecurity, with one in five residents lacking reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.

Tragically, the numbers are even higher for local youth, where more than one in three children experience hunger.

At a staggering 34%, Imperial County’s childhood hunger rate is nearly triple the California state average of 13%.

To fight this, the Imperial Valley Food Bank (IVFB) is rapidly scaling up its response, expanding its weekly Weekend Backpack Program to reach more than 1,600 students across 58 schools.

The program, which is marking its 23rd year of operation, has evolved from a small initiative at a single school in 2004 to a massive countywide pipeline serving youth from kindergarten through high school.

Sara Griffen, Executive Director of the Imperial Valley Food Bank, noted that the demand has skyrocketed recently.

“We’ve seen a rapid uptake since the end of COVID, to the point that we used to be around 700 or 800 and now we’re at 1,600 students,” Griffen said.

Every single week for 35 weeks of the academic year, the program delivers eight to ten pounds of fresh and shelf-stable food directly to children. A dedicated team of 10 to 20 volunteers, mostly retired local teachers, gather at the food bank to pack the items, keeping operating costs as low as possible.

The food menu is strategically selected to include roughly 12 tailored items that kids can easily manage on their own, especially in households with limited cooking facilities.

“Easy-open meals, like spaghetti, mac and cheese, that the kids can microwave themselves and prepare,” explained Cari Augusta, IVFB Distributions Manager and Weekend Backpack Coordinator. “We want them to enjoy their food for the weekend.”

For educators and food bank organizers, protecting the dignity of the participating children is just as vital as providing the nutrition. The program relies heavily on a network of on-campus school counselors, nurses, and teachers to discreetly identify students who show signs of food insecurity.

To prevent peer stigma or bullying, the food is distributed in completely nondescript bags.

“The first week that we give out food, we do give an actual backpack. It’s very generic-looking and it has a bag inside that has food for the weekend. And then every Friday, we have a bag refill,” Griffen said. “It’s one of those problems that nobody wants to talk about, and especially kids…You just don’t want to be called out for that.”

The educational benefits are backed by science. Academic data consistently proves that proper calorie intake directly correlates to cognitive development and classroom success.

“There are lots of studies about the amount of calories a child needs for cognitive processing,” Griffen emphasized. “When a child is undernourished, they cannot learn the same as someone who is fully nourished. [The backpacks] help those children come back to school on Monday being nourished and ready to learn.”

Augusta added that the difference can be seen clearly on report cards saying, “I’ve heard from educators that test scores go up when kids are fed three meals a day…If they don’t have those meals on the weekends, the backpack program is even more important now.”

Sustaining the expansive program has become an uphill battle. Organizers say a combination of severe post-pandemic inflation and recent federal and state cuts to SNAP benefits (known as CalFresh in California) have driven an unprecedented wave of families to the food bank’s doors.

“Plus the inflation with everything costing more, some of the SNAP benefits being reduced in some families, so there’s definitely more [need] than ever for this program,” Augusta said.

She noted that while the food bank has secured food orders through December, they must raise enough money to place a second major bulk purchase to sustain the program through the spring semester.

Compounding the financial pressure is the fact that the Weekend Backpack Program operates entirely on local empathy.

“Mainly in the funding because it is privately financed. There’s no government subsidy for the Weekend Backpack Program…it’s local people who care and contribute,” Griffen explained.

Griffen remains candid about the limitations of a nonprofit acting as a temporary safety net, noting that childhood hunger cannot be wiped out permanently without solving the economic root causes affecting the region.

“Hunger, it’s not an easy fix. It’s a symptom of poverty, so it isn’t something that a rural nonprofit like us can fix,” Griffen said. “We need more jobs and more diversification of jobs in the Imperial Valley in order for more families to have higher incomes. We have a lot of low-income jobs and very high [income jobs] and not a lot in the middle, and so that kind of describes our society.”

Until those systemic economic shifts occur, the food bank is turning to local residents to ensure no child spends their weekend hungry.

It costs exactly $250 to fully sponsor and sustain one student’s backpack for the entire 35-week academic year. To help meet the rising demand, a prominent local philanthropist has stepped up to challenge the community.

Jack Tyler, a 91-year-old native Imperial Valley volunteer has established a formal matching grant.

Through January 2027, Jack Tyler will double the impact of all first-time contributions made to the program.

Under the match, a single $250 donation is instantly amplified to $500, meaning one donor can effectively protect two local children from hunger for the entire school year.

The food bank is currently distributing adoption and donation cards throughout the community to encourage residents to take part.

To sponsor a student, volunteer to pack bags, or learn more about having your contribution doubled by Jack Tyler, visit the Imperial Valley Food Bank Page.

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Jessamyn Dodd

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – Diana Nuricumbo is seeking reelection. She was elected to the Calexico City Council in December 2024 during a special election to fill a vacancy. She now wants to serve a full four-year term.

Nuricumbo aims to continue the work she is already doing for the City. She says she wants to continue the work she’s already doing for the city. One major undertaking is The Border Circulation Plan.

“We can move the border traffic away from Imperial Avenue and just have one way out instead of the current bottleneck that’s being created on Second Street because it’s really affecting our local businesses and access to the outlets and our downtown area,” Nuricumbo said.

The council member and candidate acknowledges that the city still has a long way to go in terms of running smoothly.

“We have certain things that I believe are not too efficientas far as the the whole organization and how it’s currently operating with the staffing. Some departments have more staffing than they should, some have less,” she explained.

“I think that in order for it to work regardless of who comes in and who comes out politically, there should be something set in-house,” she added.

As for what she is most proud of, one thing she says was a big accomplishment is pushing for funding for the new river when the state was looking at giving Calexico less funding than San Diego’s Tijuana River would receive.

She said, “I went to the meeting with the state water board, and I told them, hey we have the same situation and and we have the biggest need. Because San Diego is is is good economically, and Calexico and Imperial County isn’t.”

“We were able to get into that meeting to get to be seen,” she added.

To her fellow candidates, she has these words of advice: “All the candidates need to start having a more open mentality about the bigger scope of things instead of just small little groups and sectors because otherwise it’s never gonna change.”

The 2026 midterms are set for November 3.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – If you’re in the market for a new place to call home, it’s important to be aware of online listing scams targeting new renters and buyers.

Scammers are advertising properties they do not own or have permission to rent. They copy legitimate listings, then repost them at a lower price to pressure potential renters or buyers into acting quickly.

Local realtor Matias Rosales knows this scam all too well after one of his own listings was copied and reposted by a fraudster.

Rosales said, “This past week, I had a listing where two people called me and said, ‘Hey, I see your sign. You’re advertising it for a lower amount on Facebook,’ and I said, ‘Well, that’s not us.’ So we tell people to report it to Facebook as a fraud post, and hopefully Facebook or Meta will remove it.”

The Yuma Police Department (YPD) is warning residents not to send any money until a listing has been verified.

If you believe a listing is a scam, you can report it to YPD or any local law enforcement agency.

Officer Hayato Johnson of YPD said, “Also, if you’re looking for properties, verify that they’re for rent before you start doing any paperwork, handing over personal information, or even sending money.”

We also spoke with investigative reporter John Summer, who specializes in real estate fraud and home title theft. He says anyone who owns property is a target of this scam.

Summer said, “No one is not vulnerable to this. It can be a home, a piece of property, open land, someone’s Airbnb, or a property they’re not watching, like their grandmother’s home. Everyone, anywhere, can be a victim.”

Property owners can take extra steps to protect their home titles, including using a monitoring service that alerts them to suspicious activity, like Home Title Lock.

If you come across a listing that appears to be fake, report it immediately and watch for red flags before sending any money or personal information.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The City of Yuma says three aquatic facilities will be closed until further notice.

In a post on Facebook, Carver Pool, Marcus Pool and the Valley Aquatic Center closed due to the power outage at the Agua Viva Water Treatment Facility.

In addition, the City says, “All programming at these facilities is canceled during the closure,” and says residents and businesses in Yuma are urged to reduce non-essential water use while crews work to restore power.

For questions about the pools, call 928-373-5200.

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Andrea Turisk

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – A residential citrus tree in Calexico tested positive for an incurable plant disease.

The disease is called called huanglongbing (HLB) that infects and kills all citrus tree varieties. This is the first detection of the deadly citrus tree disease in Imperial County.

HLB can be spread by a small pest called Asian citrus psyllid, or ACP for short, as it feeds on leaves and stems of citrus trees.

While HLB is not harmful to humans or animals, once a tree is infected, it will die and must be removed.

To limit the spread of HLB, a citrus plant quarantine was done in Imperial County.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Western College (AWC) is the first college in the region to roll out a plan for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI).

In a press release, this is part of an effort to expand access to AI education in order to ensure “faculty, students, businesses, and community members prosper in an AI-enabled future.”

While many campuses across the state experiment with AI, AWC said they are taking an “intentional, coordinated approach to integrate AI across all learning and operational models.” These include:

Professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

Certificate and degree programs in AI and Machine Learning, community workshops and noncredit learning opportunities.

Advanced AI tools and training through partnerships with industry leaders like Google.

The establishment of the physical AI Learning & Innovation Lab as a hub for innovation, workforce development, and lifelong learning.

“The Regional Center for Emerging Technology is about expanding opportunity for everyone,” said Dr. Reetika Dhawan, President of AWC. “At AWC, we want our students, employees, businesses, and community members to feel confident and supported as technology continues to evolve. By providing accessible education and practical learning opportunities, we can help people build new skills, explore new possibilities, and use AI responsibly in ways that strengthen our communities.”

Courtesy: Arizona Western College

AWC also said AI’s impact is evident across Southwest Arizona in the following fields: Agriculture, healthcare, military and defense, education, government, and manufacturing.

In addition, AWC said the Regional Center for Emerging Technology aims to “get ahead of the curve by equipping residents with the skills to compete in an increasingly AI-driven economy.”

“The future competitiveness of Southwest Arizona depends on our ability to turn emerging technologies into real opportunities for people, businesses, and communities,” shared Dr. Shadi Kilani, Executive Vice President of the Arizona Western Entrepreneurial College. “AWC is bringing together education, industry, and community partners to build the talent, knowledge, and innovation ecosystem needed to position Southwest Arizona as a recognized hub for AI innovation and workforce excellence. Our goal is to ensure our region is not simply adapting to change, but helping shape what comes next.”

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

AWC leads the region in comprehensive AI integrationDownload

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