Category: kyma-local-news

Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) got some new training props to better prepare them for fighting fires.

YFD got a dumpster and other gas props to simulate real life fire responses.

The props are located at the public training facility.

YFD explains how beneficial the new equipment will be.

“This is something that we’ve been lacking for a long time is a simulated gas prop. We do encounter calls, they’re rare, but because they’re rare, we don’t get a tone of practice at them, so when Southwest Gas said, ‘Hey, we can help get some pipe laid, gets some props put up for you guys,’ it was huge,” said Capt. David Padilla of YFD.

Along with Southwest Gas’ donation, the dumpster was donated by Republic Sanitation Services.

A representative from Southwest Gas explains why it’s important to help out the local fire station.

“It helps us work together to keep our community safe, having these props in a controlled environment like this will help get our environment ready for real-life incidents, which will keep our community safe all together,” said Francisco Ortega, the Yuma District Manager of Southwest Gas.

YFD says that working together with local companies and agencies can help them in the future.

“Getting to have these relationships when there isn’t an emergency, sharing knowledge, learning from the experts in the industry them learning what we’re going to do when we show up, it’s critically important to keep a safe community,” says Capt. Padilla.

YFD says they are incredibly thankful to Southwest Gas and the Republic Sanitation Services for their donations.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Congress voted on cutting federal funding for public media by $1.1 billion.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives money from the government and distributes these funds to public radio stations everywhere.

This funding helps to ensure the public has access to public media, including local radio station KAWC and Arizona PBS.

According to the KAWC website, they receive over $200,000 from the CPB.

One local, Bob Lutes, says he’s concerned with these cuts.

“Well, I’m against it because I think it’s an asset for the whole country. If you don’t keep informed, what are you going to know? How we going to keep informed,” said Lutes.

The funding cuts could also negatively impact emergency alert capabilities, community outreach intiatives, and other local programming.

We did reach out to KAWC, but the station said it’s not ready to comment at this time.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – More businesses are coming to the east area of San Luis, Arizona.

Construction started Wednesday for Tropic Car Wash. It’s part of the Economic Development Project near the Commercial Port of Entry.

Riedel Construction CEO and Mayor of San Luis Nieves Riedel says more businesses are ready to break ground as soon as next week.

“It’s not just housing, with housing comes growth and with growth comes services we need to provide and I honestly believe we can not wait for the outside world to come and provide these services,” said Mayor Riedel.

Tropic Car Wash is located on Avenue E near the commercial port of entry.

It will open its doors in March 2026.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Snakes are slithering out this summer. With snake activity predicted to rise during the summer months, local healthcare leaders are encouraging the community to stay alert and prepared.

“In general, if you’re going outside or hiking, try to stick to daytime hours when the sun’s out,” said Onvida emergency medicine physician Dr. Casey Noroyan. “We do see increase activity, especially in snakes kind of around the nighttime.”

When working or hiking outdoors, Dr. Nooryan says try to avoid tall grass and piles of logs and wear proper clothing.

“Wearing long pants, a long pair of socks and boots, this will help protect your ankle and kind of lower leg area,” said Noroyan.

But if you are bitten by a snake, the first step is to get to a safe area and quickly seek help.

“All of this is very time sensitive, so the quicker you can seek help and get the antivenom, if it’s indicated in your case, the better off,” said Noroyan.

He recommends to keep the area stable without moving around too much to help decrease the spread of venom.

One common question they receive is if it’s okay to suck the venom out.

“I would say in general, this is not a safe practice. It can actually cause more damage to the area. It can introduce new infection, and it can cause toxicity to the surrounding tissue,” said Noroyan.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A longtime Yuma Lutheran teacher is recovering after a serious fall, and the community is stepping up to support him and his family.

Tony Harman, an eighth-grade teacher at Yuma Lutheran School, was hiking in Colorado when he fell nearly 100 feet down a mountainside.

He suffered multiple serious injuries, including a shattered hip, broken ribs, neck fractures, and leg injuries. Harman was airlifted to Phoenix for emergency treatment.

Known for his faith-filled teaching and close connection with students, Harman has become a beloved figure in the school and church community. Now, the people he’s impacted are giving back.

“You talk about setting a goal, and you see that goal surpassed almost instantly, it humbles you, and it brings great joy to be able to provide that for the Harman family,” said Traci Miller, who is organizing fundraising efforts for the Harmans.

Miller says Harman is more than just a teacher.

“He loves his students unconditionally, he understands where they’re coming from and their background, and which ones are quirky and which ones are extremely intelligent, which ones like sports, and he takes pride in knowing them specifically,” she said.

For the Harman family, the outpouring of support has brought comfort during a difficult time.

“They have need and they know they are loved and supported, and we can’t say enough about that, and how close it brings us together as a family as well,” said Vincent Harman, Harman’s brother and a pastor at Yuma Lutheran.

“He loves kids, he pours his heart out teaching the kids about Jesus, his role here has been phenomenal, we’ve seen people reach out that he’s taught over the years and people he’s teaching now,” he added.

Harman still has a long road to recovery ahead, but thanks to his community, he’s not walking it alone.

If you want to support the Harman family, you can visit their GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tony-harman-heal-after-tragic-fall

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – On May 29, federal and local law enforcement executed a series of coordinated raids on five massage parlors in Yuma, resulting in three arrests including two on state prostitution charges  and one on immigration violations.

Estrella Fitch, CEO of the Healing Journey, says this happens at massage parlors more often than one might think. 

“A lot of these women are brought over very young with a promise of a good job or a promise of a better life, and they end up working and sleeping there at massage parlors…providing you know a service that we don’t really need in this town,” says Fitch.

Many of the women involved, she says, are not criminals, but victims of trafficking, with few options and nowhere to turn.

“They say, ‘Oh, they’re prostitutes,’ or ‘They chose that lifestyle.’ Well, how do you know that? What childhood did they go through to have them fall into this kind of lifestyle?” says Fitch.

Fitch says judgment only fuels the problem, and that healing starts with compassion. 

“First of all, take that judgment out of your head. Stop judging. Remember that these are human beings that maybe wanted a better life and ended up in these parlors…or they are youth trying to identify themselves. Patience and understanding…that’s how we can overcome these problems,” says Fitch.

Therapist Brandy Rice who works with survivors says recovery is possible when the right support is in place.

“What that looks like for me is letting these survivors because I call them survivors know they can overcome. They can have their life back. They can take back the power that traffickers, and those who use them for their bodies, took from them,” Rice expressed.

Rice says healing isn’t linear and every survivor’s experience is different, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Everybody’s story is different. Everybody’s journey is different and I know how easy it is to get stuck in the idea of, ‘I can’t heal…there’s no hope.’ But, there is,” says Rice

Fitch says oversight is needed especially if businesses operate suspiciously late.

“These massage parlors that are open 24 hours have no oversight. And I go back saying again, we need to be more aware of our surrounding and what’s happening. If a massage parlor is open that late at night and it says ‘Open,’ what’s going on there?” says Fitch.

For Melissa Lozolla, a licensed massage therapist the raids are frustrating not just because of the abuse, but the damage to their profession.

“I think it’s very unfortunate and sad. I think this is something that the industry has been fighting for inaction long, long time,” says Lozolla.

Lozolla says there are simple ways to check whether your therapist is properly credentialed.

“If you go to the massage board website, they do have a search button where you can input the name of the massage therapist and if they’re licensed, their name will appear, and whether their license is active or expired,” Lozolla explained.

Fitch says she’s glad to see law enforcement cracking down on illegal activity and hopes to see it continue moving forward.

She says by being aware and empathetic we can create real change.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has taken a stance on where solar energy projects should go.

The board passed a resolution saying too much farmland in the Imperial Valley is being replaced with solar panels.

Most of the power from these projects goes to big cities like San Diego, not the local community. IID officials say they support solar development, but not at the expense of agriculture.

“One in every six jobs in the Imperial Valley is directly related to agriculture, so solar is great, as long as it’s not on AG land,” said Robert Schettler with IID.

The district also says farmland plays a role in helping the Salton Sea.

“When growers grow, whatever the size of their farmland is, one third of the water that goes onto the field drains off and goes to the Salton Sea, so if you take AG out of production, you’re not only affecting the local economy, you’re affecting the Salton Sea,” said Schettler.

Local farmworker advocates say protecting farmland is about more than just the valley.

“More than anything, it’s the country’s economy, here in the Imperial Valley just imagine how much produce we grow and distribute nationally,” said Ruben Partida with Comité de Acción del Valle.

Partida also raised concerns about job loss.

“If finding agricultural work is already hard because a lot of it is moving to Arizona, because of our water troubles here in the valley, now imagine the impact if there is less farmland, even less people who will have jobs,” he said.

IID is encouraging future solar projects to be built on desert or unused land instead.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local non-profit organization needs the community’s support as some children there head back to school.

The Crossroads Mission is accepting school uniforms and supplies for more than ten children who are currently staying at the family shelter.

The children attend kindergarden to high school.

Personal hygiene products and canned food are also needed.

“This will help this group of children and we also have children coming throughout the year and also children to have food meals to our kitchen so we are trying to help those children as well,” said Rene Sonoqui, Crossroads Mission Family Shelter Director.

You can take your donations to the Crossroads Mission Second Chance Thrift store on 8th Street and 5th Avenue.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Local students are helping shape the future of healthcare in Yuma. 40 high school and college students are participating in Onvida Health’s weeklong Healthcare Career Camp.

Students get to work alongside doctors and first responders and get hands on exposure to medical careers through mock surgeries, casting demos, and real emergency response simulations. One student shares her experience.

“I really enjoy the camp! It’s really educational. Getting to see the inside of the hospital, what goes on behind the scenes, the hard work that these nurses and techs really put into the hospital,” said Onvida junior volunteer & camp student facilitator Alexa Estrella.

Throughout the five-day camp, students participate in a full schedule of classroom learning, hospital tours, career panels, skill demonstrations, and shadowing opportunities.

The goals is to introduce local students to hands-on learning and empower them to explore healthcare careers.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is asking the federal government to reimburse Arizona for the $100 million spent by former Governor Doug Ducey.

In 2022, Ducey spent millions of dollars on storage containers as a way to fill the gaps in the border wall.

Once in office, the Biden administration filed a suit saying the barriers were illegal, forcing the state of Arizona to have them removed for $70 million more.

New federal legislation, originally named the “big, beautiful bill,” states $10 billion worth of grants will be available to states that paid for border barriers and other security measures.

Madeline Murray will have more on this story this afternoon and what local representatives have to say on the issue.

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