Category: kyma-local-news

Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A new partnership between Wheel Fun Mountain Biking and Gila Vista Junior High is giving students the chance to ditch screen time in favor of exploring the outdoors on two wheels.

Thanks to a donation of 15 mountain bikes from Wheel Fun, students at Gila Vista now have access to bikes both on and off campus. The program aims to promote physical activity and build community among students.

“It’s really cool, [because] we get to ride everywhere, and we get to be with our friends,” said Gila Vista student Dante Bobbio.

Gila Vista Principal Frank Núñez sees the program as a reflection of Yuma’s close-knit community.

“It shows the students, it shows the families that…not only their teachers and the people at school care, but also the people in their community care,” Núñez said.

Wheel Fun has already launched similar programs, with one of their missions being to get kids outside and away from digital devices.

“Growing up, my mountain bike was my iPad,” said Emilio Perez, Wheel Fun’s Southeast Regional Manager. “We didn’t have technology, and riding my bike through the neighborhood, through the cotton fields of Marana – there’s nothing like it.”

For Wheel Fun Executive Director Evan Puglia, the essence of mountain biking lies in the sense of freedom it offers.

“The joy of mountain biking is really bound in freedom and exploration,” Puglia said.

Gila Vista is particularly well-suited for a thriving biking program. The school is located near a park with a pump track and has easy access to scenic desert trails. With two dedicated coaches already on board, the school is set to build an active biking community.

“They have all the right ingredients to be a fun club,” Puglia added. “Kids are ready to go.”

Looking ahead, school leaders hope to expand the program so the entire campus can benefit from the opportunity to get outside and ride.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma City Council honored Yuma Fire Department Chief Dustin “Dusty” Fields as he enters retirement.

Chief Fields is retiring from the department after 31 years of service. While he has worked their for decades, he says he has been a part of it his whole life.

“For 54 years, even though I haven’t worked for them for 54 years, it’s just I feel like I’m leaving behind some family, it’s a bittersweet moment for me,” Chief Fields says.

Chief Field’s father was also with the fire department and he was happy to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“That joy of giving back to the community, and I’m glad I’m able to kind of mimic what my dad did and leave a positive legacy behind me,” Chief fields said.

Meanwhile, Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls shares why leaders like Chief Fields are so important to the community.

“This is where they’ve invested in, not just their working hours, but their life, their family, and everything and that’s the kind of people we want working here in the city of Yuma, ones that support Yuma for what Yuma is and not just a paycheck,” Mayor Nicholls says.

Chief Fields give some advice for whoever steps into his role next.

“They don’t need to mimic what I’ve done, they need to set their own standards and their own way and they’ll be perfectly fine as long as they’re committed to the membership of the department and taking care of the community, they’ll be fine,” he said.

His last official day with the department is on Friday.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY-TV) – Partly cloudy skies this afternoon in the desert. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch in effect from Thursday by noon through the evening, caused by possible excessive rainfall. The watch is issued for portions of southwest Arizona, including the following areas, Central La Paz, Gila River Valley, Kofa, Parker Valley, Southeast Yuma County and Yuma and California, including the following areas, Chiriaco Summit, Chuckwalla Mountains, Chuckwalla Valley, Imperial County Southeast, Imperial County Southwest, Imperial County West, Imperial Valley, Palo Verde Valley and Salton Sea.

We’ll see a gradual drop in temperatures below triple digits as we end our workweek.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Arizona Department of Transportation is working on a project to improve Highway 95 near the Yuma Proving Ground.

The department is looking at implementing roundabouts at the intersections of Imperial Dam road and Aberdeen road.

“This is a project about improving safety, and handling the growing amount of traffic that we see in the area,” said Garin Groff, a spokesman for ADOT.

They will also be widening the intersection of Martinez Lake Road while also making pavement improvements to this section of the highway.

A representative from ADOT explains why they are making these changes.

“For the amount of vehicles and the types of turns and movements that we see in the area, and we find that the roundabouts really are the best option for the way the traffics flows and the volume of traffic,” Groff says.

YPG says they understand that these improvements bring some major positives, with some short-term adjustments.

“In the long-term the improvements will improve safety on the road which will be very beneficial to the YPG workforce, in the shorter term I expect there’ll be lane restrictions and so on,” YPG public informations officer Mark Schauer said.

YPG shares some of the changes they had to make to help facilitate the upcoming improvements.

“To temporarily move the two large artillery pieces that have straddled the intersection of Imperial Damn Road and Highway 95 since 1963 and move temporarily YPG’s welcome sign at that same intersection,” Schauer says.

Construction is expected to begin to in early 2026 and last about 14 months.

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Andrea Turisk

WELLTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Town of Wellton is taking extra precautions and prepping for potential storms.

According to a post on Facebook, sand and sandbags will be available for Wellton residents starting Thursday, September 4.

Sand will be delivered and placed in the town’s empty property located at Los Angeles Avenue and Helen Street, just west of the bank, for residents to use in filling sandbags.

They’ll be available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Karina Bazarte

WINTERHAVEN, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The boyfriend of a woman found dead near Senator Wash in Imperial County has been arrested in connection to her murder. 

On September 2, 2025, the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office issued a no bail arrest warrant on 56-year old James Hill Tuesday night in Yuma.

The man was found and arrested on the same day on First Avenue in Yuma and is being extradited to Imperial County, according ICSO.

A woman was found dead in Winterhaven, according to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO).

On June 30, 2025, ICSO deputies were alerted of a dead body in the area of Ferguson Road near Senator Wash in Winterhaven, California.

The body was identified as 34-year-old September Lee Weisinger from Winterhaven.

On September 2, 2025, an arrest warrant was issued for a 56-year-old man from Yuma, Arizona.

The man was found and arrested on the same day on First Avenue in Yuma and is being extradited to Imperial County, according ICSO.

Details are limited.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call ICSO’s Criminal Investigations Division at (442) 265-2021

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Two teams from Kofa High School’s Law and Public Safety Program won SkillsUSA National Championships back in June.

According to the Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD), “More than 6,500 students from across the country participated in the competition in Atlanta from June 24-27, 2025.”

YUHSD says six Kofa students, Akemi Lopez Bejarano, Kayly Saldana Topete, Sophia Rocha, Kassandra Pantoja, Emily Valtierra, and Amani Montiel, were crowned champions “in their respective occupational health and safety categories.”

“Nationals wasn’t just about the medals or the competition, it was about the growth I found in myself, the bonds I built along the way, and the realization that I am capable of more than I thought,” KHS Law & Public Safety student Emily Valtierra said. “It’s an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life, and I’ll always be grateful for the people who helped me along the way.”

In addition, six other students participated in the “crime scene investigation and career pathway showcase competitions,” where they were placed in the top 10.

“Kofa High School students are consistently winning national championships across several categories and showing the nation that the Yuma Union High School District offers elite CTE programs throughout the district.” KHS Law and Public Safety Teacher Eric Frost said. “These achievements not only highlight the strength of Kofa’s Law and Public Safety program but also demonstrate the talent, commitment, and excellence of the students representing our community on a national stage.”

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

PR – KHS Law & Public Safety National Champions.docx (1)Download

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Board of Supervisors recently approved two contracts to help the Recorder’s Office preserve over 150 years of records, with the two contracts totaling to more than $1 million.

The board approved a contract with Kofile Inc. for indexing services and another with Tyler Technologies for image conversion, and the project is being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, and does not use taxpayer dollars.

County Recorder David Lara shares why this is necessary for the historical documents.

“We’re just waiting for the billing to be finished, and we could bring back those documents, they are historical documents and we have to preserve them, but this way because their digitized, anybody can look at them and the documents will be saved,” Lara explained.

The public will be able to access the searchable collection by next summer.

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Skylar Heisey

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The man who crashed his pickup truck into a Border Patrol checkpoint in Yuma had his sentencing rescheduled.

67-year-old Rogelio Sanchez will appear in court again September 30 to receive his sentence.

Sanchez agreed to a plea deal of one count of attempted aggravated assault during a change of plea hearing back in July.

The crash happened in October of 2023, injuring two Border Patrol agents.

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