Andrea Turisk
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Come out and support the Annual Desert Lily Quilt Show.
The show is on Friday, January 9 and Saturday, January 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are $8 and can be brought at the Yuma Civic and Convention Center.
To learn more about the event, as well as the club, click here.
Adrik Vargas
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A semi-truck filled with over 40,000 pounds of food arrived in Yuma, delivering much-needed supplies to the Yuma Community Food Bank.
The donation comes from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is part of a nationwide service effort in collaboration America250, the nonpartisan initiative marking the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through service.
Church leaders say much of the food is made possible through tithes and donations from members, which are then used to purchase food and give back to local communities.
Over the past five years, the Yuma Community Food Bank has received more than 16 similar truckloads of food from the church, including during critical moments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and recent government shutdowns.
Organizers say the goal is to support families facing food insecurity while recognizing the country’s founding ideals through acts of service.
This delivery is the first of several planned for Arizona, with additional trucks expected to arrive across the state by the end of the week.
Joaquin Hight
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Relay for Life of Yuma County has been recognized by the American Cancer Society for its hard work and accomplishments.
It’s an honor that highlights 30 years of fundraising and community involvement, all supporting cancer research, patient services, and survivor programs.
Along with the announcement of this recognition, a press release detailed their upcoming events for 2026, which included the hosting of the Relay First Lap on January 10 at 11:00 a.m. at Inca Lanes, followed by a 9-Pin no-tap bowling tournament fundraiser.
The community is also invited to celebrate the Spirit of Relay Award during the Team Captain Meeting on January 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Centennial Middle School
The team is grateful to receive this recognition and owes it all to the community support and volunteers who help make it happen.
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Several Veterans at the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Yuma non-profit are upset after their bar was shut down.
“The bar was shut down because we lost our tax exempt,” said DAV Yuma Chapter member Ron Benson.
“That happened because for three consecutive years, they did not file their form 990 nonprofit tax return, according to IRS regulations. That requires the IRS to withdraw their nonprofit status,” said DAV Arizona adjutant & CEO Dr. Carl Forkner.
“So we worked diligently to get the tax return reinstated,” said Benson.
However, I sat down with the DAV CEO and adjutant, Dr. Carl Forkner, who says once your status has been lost, you cannot, according to DAV national bylaws, conduct any fundraiser activities or accept any donations while you are not in a tax exempt status.
“As a result, we went down to the chapter for a visit and found that they were still operating their bar even though they were told that they were not able to do so as a result of the non-profit status being lost,” said Dr. Forkner.
“In less than two months, we had our taxes exempt back, so we wrote an appeal letter using an attorney for YPG to write the appeal to national and to state,” said Benson.
However, the letter was denied. The CEO says DAV Yuma also didn’t meet additional financial requirements.
“The requirement, according to our National Executive Committee regulation 4 is that any bar, lounge, bingo operation, or thrift store must contribute a minimum of 10% of the gross proceeds into free services for our veterans. They contributed 0.92%. As a result of the other issues going on and the failure to meet the standard in NEC regulation 4, the National Commander revoked their privilege to have a bar. A bar in DAV is a form of a fundraiser,” said Forkner.
The state leaders came and removed all the alcohol and shut down the bar permanently.
“We want that chapter to survive and thrive because there are a lot of veterans in Yuma and the surrounding area that need their services, so our intent is to support them remaining viable in fact without having a bar. They were one of only four chapters in the state that had bars. All the other chapters, the other 11 chapters that don’t have bars, are thriving. They have other fundraisers. They have outreach. They have corporate sponsorships and so on and so forth, so we want that chapter to survive and thrive,” said Forkner.
The DAV Yuma says they help hundreds of Veterans and without the space, they say it’s hurting the community.
“I say it’s not about the money, but what national has taken away from us since they closed the bar down is roughly closed between 60 and $70,000. Those are the figures you know, and that’s all I have to say is that they took something away from the community for the veterans here,” said DAV Yuma commander Chop Rodriquez.
“People come up ‘When are you going to open? We miss it’ that they don’t even drink, but they like to play pool or they like to sit and talk to people,” said DAV Yuma auxiliary commander Mary Jones Martinez.
Both veterans and state officials say they wish the bar didn’t have to shut down.
“And now this place is going to flounder, and it’s going to sit at the bottom of the ocean with no air because they’re not going to be able to afford to stay open. We’re not a bingo community you know. Bingo isn’t going to fund this,” said Benson.
“We wish this hadn’t happened. We don’t wish anything bad on any of our chapters. Our responsibility here at the department is to support our chapters,” said Forkner.
Both the state and Veterans say they want the center to thrive. The state suggested the non-profit host other fundraiser events without the bar like renting the space when not in use.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) has responded to a crash in the area of S. Avenue 1E. and E. County 15th Street Tuesday.
YCSO says the crash happened at about 11:27 a.m. when a Chevy Captiva failed to stop at a stop sign and crashed into a Jeep Wrangler.
Life saving measures were provided but the single drivers of each vehicle died due to their injuries.
The driver of the Chevy was identified as 87-year-old Ginger Adell Bradford of Yuma while the driver of the Jeep was identified as 85-year-old Ronald Edward Yowell of Yuma.
According to a reporter on scene, two vehicles were involved in the crash, and both suffered significant damage to the front end of their vehicles.
Our reporter says YCSO is still on scene, and according to a post on Facebook, YCSO is asking drivers to avoid the area and seek an alternate route.
It is unknown if impairment was a factor in the crash, according to YCSO.
Marcos Icahuate
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A fire is spreading between Imperial County and La Paz County.
The South Point fire is in the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge area.
The fire is being managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with support from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
No further growth is expected and is reaching about 116 acres, according to BLM.
Karina Bazarte
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Residents in the Imperial Valley are reacting to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture, with opinions being divided over what actually took place.
“It’s shocking that we would hear about it online, you know, through alternative media kind of leaking it because it was very secretive,” said Bryan Vega, chair of the Imperial County Democratic Party.
Another local echoed that surprise, saying the news caught many off guard.
“We were a little surprised,” the resident said.
Vega criticized former President Donald Trump, arguing that any U.S. involvement in another country would represent an abuse of presidential power.
“It’s undemocratic. It’s not consistent with our Constitution or within the powers that are granted to the president,” said Vega.
However, not everyone agrees, with one Imperial Valley resident, Donna Jernigan, voicing her support for the former president, saying she believes any action taken was effective and strategic.
“What he did, he did well and his team because there were no American casualties,” she said. “That is a plus, and just thinking of the future and what that means for the United States,” said Donna Jernigan.
Despite their differing perspectives, locals on both sides say they hope the situation could ultimately benefit the U.S.
“Time will tell. I truly hope that after the dust settles, our economy will improve,” said Jernigan.
Even with conflicting views, residents agree they are watching closely to see how the situation unfolds and what it could mean for the United States moving forward.
Marcos Icahuate
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local law enforcement officer graduated from an academy.
Lt. Samuel Pavlak of the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) joined over 250 officers in the FBI National Academy, with members from across the United States.
The FBI academy consists of ten weeks of training for selected officers.
Lt. Pavlak joined YCSO as a detention officer in 2002 and was promoted to Deputy Sheriff in 2006.
He is the first member of YCSO to complete the Southern Police Institute and FBI National Academy.
Adrik Vargas
CALIPATRIA, Calif. (KYMA) – Calipatria Mayor Michael Luellen says the city is taking steps to move forward after years of financial and infrastructure challenges.
One recent change is a new agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District and Golden State Water that is saving the city more than $20,000 a year.
Mayor Luellen says the deal corrected how the city was being charged for watering public parks, allowing Calipatria to cut costs while keeping green spaces maintained.
Luellen says Calipatria has faced long-standing issues, including financial mismanagement and a declining population, but savings like these are helping the city stabilize and reinvest in the community.
The mayor says the city is also focusing on transparency, responsible spending, and keeping residents involved as Calipatria continues work on housing projects, park improvements, and long-term planning.
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lake Havasu Field Office announced it will temporarily close and restrict select public lands next week for the 2026 Parker 400 off-road race.
“The closures apply to the BLM managed public lands between the Shea Road and Parker Airport…that block right out there is where we hold those races,” said BLM public affairs specialist Jason Vanbuskirk.
The areas will be restricted all week long from next Monday, January 12 at 11:59 p.m. through Sunday, January 18.
“The event is actually the 14th through the 17th. The extra days are up front to give us time to make sure there are no campers or users in the area and to get our signage up. And then the final extra day is to get the signage down for infrastructure afterwards,” said Vanbuskirk.
BLM says the restrictions are to keep the public safe. Restricted and closed areas will be marked at key access points with signs, fencing, or barriers.
If you’d like to attend the races and watch, you can find designated spectator viewing areas near Shea Road.
