Category: kyma-local-news

Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Some tax relief will be coming to Yuma following a lawsuit regarding illegal taxes.

The Yuma County Hospital District Board argued for a property tax to be imposed while bypassing voters, but Arizona law states that the taxes can only be imposed after voter approval.

Onvida Health, formerly Yuma Regional Medical Center, filed the lawsuit in 2020 stating the District breached a lease agreement to include an increase in rent.

In December of 2023, the Goldwater Institute announced they sued the District.

The Hospital District agreed to pay over $4 million, which will be credited towards 2025-2026 property tax bills.

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Adrik Vargas

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) The Brawley man found guilty of murdering his wife was handed decades behind bars Friday. 

38-year-old Rodrigo Flores Gomez was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in the 2024 murder of his wife, 36-year-old Sandy Fabela.

According to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office, Gomez strangled Fabela inside their home in Brawley last April.

During the sentencing, Fabela’s family was filled with emotion, leading the victim’s brother to take the stand to talk about the loss of his sister.

The family says the damage done was not only to them, but to the entire community.

 

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Extreme Weather Emergency Tour made a pit stop in Yuma Friday.

The purpose is to highlight how climate change is making weather worse and work on solutions to make a change.

Charlene Fernandez, former State Director for Arizona, says, “There was a special emphasis and dedicated money to make sure that we address climate change.”

With the Trump administration rolling back on grants for climate protections, the tour shared concerns for how this is weakening disaster response.

Speakers provided recent examples of how the issue has been affecting the nation through extreme heat, fires, and floods.

Arizona State Representative Mariana Sandovol (D-District 23) shared how it’s affecting our community.

“Look around you, look at how things have changed, and how hotter it is, I mean we have record heat last summer, here in Yuma, like over 110 for like over 30 days,” says Mariana Sandoval.

Some locals agree and are as concerned as the representatives on the tour.

Carolyn Millers, a Yuma local, states, “I notice my APS bills rising, and I do believe that climates are changing.”

Others believe there is nothing to worry about, with Yuma residet Jim Flagg saying, “There is no problem at all. I don’t believe in it, no. There’s no change except going to different states, but the climate is the same.”

While some locals don’t believe that climate change is real, the event coordinators disagree, saying that climate change is no longer a distant threat. We are living in it.

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The leader of a Yuma-based human smuggling network was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol says 22-year-old Carlos Moreno Serrano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants.

Agents say Serrano was responsible for organizing smuggling attempts for hundreds of illegal immigrants across the United States-Mexico border and further into the U.S.

A total of 18 suspects were indicted in connection with the smuggling network based out of Yuma.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) is working to piece together what led up to a rollover crash which led to one person being ejected for a vehicle.

According to a press release, the crash happened at around 10:00 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Lotus Avenue and Main Street, near Sunflower Elementary School.

When officers arrived, ECPD says they found one person had been ejected from a vehicle, prompting paramedics to provide emergency medical care to those injured.

Courtesy: El Centro Police Department

Courtesy: El Centro Police Department

Courtesy: El Centro Police Department

According to witnesses and findings from the scene, ECPD says their investigators believe the crash was caused by a driver traveling at high speeds and driving recklessly.

The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information regarding the case, call ECPD at (790) 352-2111, visit the station in-person, or reach out through their official social media platforms.

Press Release 8-22-25Download

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A Somerton mother is fighting to keep her children on the road to recovery by holding a car wash Saturday morning.

The car wash fundraiser took place at the Taco Monster, located at 2198 S. 4th Avenue, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Krystle Zaragoza says both of her teen children are currently in in-patient mental health treatment and after a sudden loss of insurance coverage she’s now struggling to keep them there.

Her son and daughter are both receiving intensive, life-saving mental health treatment.

The family’s new insurance coverage won’t begin until September which leaves the family to cover the entire month of August alone.

Zaragoza says her family held the car wash to help alleviate some of the heavy burden.

“It’s just me so it’s really costly, and I don’t wanna rip them out of the treatment midway because they’ve been in there already part of the time and it’s really important. I just want them to be able to come home mentally prepared and and better,” Zaragoza expressed.

If you missed out on the event, and would like to help the Zaragoza family, you can donate to Zaragoza’s Venmo account: @kay-marie-1220.

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating a crash where one teen died.

According to a press release, the crash happened at around 7:40 p.m. Friday in the area of Aten and Silsbee Road.

CHP says a 14-year-old boy was “driving an electric motorcycle (e-bike) westbound on Aten Road, approaching Silsbee Road” while an 17-year-old boy was driving a white Toyota Tacoma eastbound on Aten Road, also approaching Silsbee Road.

For unknown reasons, CHP says the e-bike and the Tacoma crashed, “causing the rider of the e-bike to be ejected,” and the driver of the Tacoma pulled over, called 911 and waited for CHP to arrive.

Paramedics then responded and took the rider of the e-bike to El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC), where he later died, according to CHP.

CHP also says the Imperial County Coroner’s Office was notified, responded to ECRMC and took possession of the victim whose name will be released once next of kin has been notified.

According to CHP, impairment did not factor in the crash, the driver of the Tacoma was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured in the crash, and the rider of the e-bike was wearing his helmet.

The investigation remains ongoing.

2 veh 1144 veh vs ebike Aten east of silsbeeDownload

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) is investigating a shooting at a local hotel Saturday.

According to a press release, it happened at around 9:22 a.m. at the Historic Coronado Motor Hotel, located in the area of S. Fourth Avenue and Harold C. Giss Parkway.

YPD says a single shot was fired from inside one of the hotel rooms, which entered the room next door “that was occupied by only one guest.”

YPD says, “There were no occupants in the room where the round was fired from upon officer arrival,” and there were no injuries reported.

However, the investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information regarding the case, call YPD at (928) 373-4700, or 78-CRIME at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.

Shots Fired 25-52377Download

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Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Dozens of local golf players gathered at Mesa del Sol Golf Course for a day of friendly competition to support of the Gila Ridge High School golf teams.

The inaugural Birdie Bash took place Saturday morning, drawing a strong turnout with 24 teams and 95 golfers participating. The event was organized to help raise funds for the school’s golf program.

“It feels so amazing,” said Lindy Caudle, President of the Gila Ridge Golf Teams Booster Club. “Our team is very small – golf teams are not typically very large – so the impact is going to be huge on [our teams].”

Participants included current players, Yuma locals and even alumni who returned to show their school spirit.

“I love to come out here [and represent] Gila Ridge,” said 2015 Gila Ridge High School graduate and former Hawks golfer Dustin Craig.

One of the highlights of the day was a 50/50 Ball Drop Raffle, with half the proceeds benefiting the teams and the other half awarded to the golfer whose numbered ball landed closest to the hole.

Participants also had a chance to test their skills directly against the Hawks’ boys golf team by purchasing a challenge shot on Hole 17 and challenging them with a shot to see who landed closest to the pin.

“[The challenge has] been going really well,” said current Hawks player Matthew Taylor. “We have a lot of the guys doing really well, hitting good and competing.”

For team member Jacobo Hernandez, the community’s support didn’t go unnoticed.

“It feels good to have all these people come out here and support us, and help raise money,” he said.

In total, the Birdie Bash raised more than $5,000, with the funds going toward travel expenses for the teams’ first-ever out-of-town invitational match, as well as new golf equipment.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Fire crews responded early Saturday morning to a major commercial fire in Yuma.

According to a post on Facebook, Rural Metro responded to Western Construction Components at around 4:20 a.m. after receiving reports of a structure fire.

Firefighters on scene were met with a large commercial building fully engulfed in flames, with multiple dump trucks and nearby structures also at risk.

Crews quickly forced entry into the building, deployed multiple hose lines, and began aggressive fire suppression efforts.

The fire was contained and extinguished before it could cause further damage, and no injuries have been reported.

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