Category: kyma-local-news

Jessamyn Dodd

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The man accused of murdering a missing teen is back in court Tuesday for his preliminary hearing.

51-year-old Abraham Feinbloom pleaded not guilty in connection to the disappearance and death of 17-year-old T’neya Tovar.

Tuesday’s court appearance is said to determine if there is enough evidence to establish probable cause and hold him for trial.

According to our reporter, the hearing was transferred from the criminal courthouse to the regular courthouse.

Our reporter says both sides are ready, with Feinbloom‘s attorney, Melanie Roe, saying she has a private investigator as a witness, but says she doesn’t know if she will call on him to testify.

Meanwhile, the prosecution has 11 witnesses, according to our reporter, which includes three Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) deputies, an ICSO investigator and someone from the FBI.

During the hearing, the three deputies took the stand describing what they found during the investigation,

Deputy Austin Rodriguez of the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office searched the interior of Feinbloom’s home, describing it as “unconventional.”

Deputy Rodriguez said there was a bed in the living room surrounded by mirrors, and said he recalled seeing a pink and purple cell phone case and a pink hair dryer.

He noticed the house was boarded up and there were padlocks on the windows from the outside.

He also said he observed a fire pit in the back yard. He noticed part of a drum set in Feinbloom’s living room.

The drum set was allegedly seen in a Snapchat video that Tovar’s mother handed over to investigators.

Another deputy recalled the serach for Tovar’s body. He was called to the Salton City area after a man walking his dog noticed what appeared to be a human leg.

The deputy said he called in the forensics team to collect the remains. He said the leg looked like it was cleanly cut at the knee.

A man said to have driven Tovar to Feinbloom’s home a couple of times lost contact with Tovar after dropping her off at the home before she went missing.

All 11 witnesses are expected to testify this week, and Judge Poli Flores is presiding over the hearing.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) is investigating a shooting which left one person dead.

According to a press release, the shooting happened in the area of S. 15th Avenue and W. Fifth Street before 8 p.m. Sunday.

Upon arrival, YPD says officers found an unresponsive man on the ground and performed life-saving measures.

YPD says a white four-door sedan arrived in the area, shot multiple rounds, with one of them hitting the victim, identified as 18-year-old Valentin Morales, and then drove away.

YPD then says Morales was taken to Onvida Health where he later died, and witnesses say there were at least three suspects, described as Black or Hispanic, in the vehicle.

The victim’s family has created a Gofundme to help during this time.

The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information regarding the case, call 928-783-4421, or 78-CRIME at 928-782-7463 to remain anonymous.

Homicide 26-29650Download

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Jalen Fong

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – The only movie theater in Calexico is permanently closing its doors.

Calexico City Manager Benjamin Martinez confirmed the closure of the Calexico 10 Theatres through a press release.

The decision, according to the press release, points to an unsustainable financial situation.

Calexico 10 Theatres was the city’s only movie theater and was a gathering place for families along the border.

It survived the 2010 Easter Sunday earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last day of operations is Sunday, May 3, 2026. To learn more about the theater’s closure, click here.

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Lynette Niebla

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Are you worried about expensive energy bills this summer? If you’re an IID customers and looking for ways to save, you’re in luck.

The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has officially launched a new set of programs that will help customers manage their electricity use and lower their monthly bill.

The 2026 Summer Savings Initiative provides many ways customers can save. One being a new program, Shift & Save!, that offers a $250 prepaid Mastercard to customers who enroll in IID’s optional Time-of-Use rate.

This requires customers to lower their electricity use during peak hours of 4pm-9pm.

Another is EnergyFlex, a voluntary program that encourages customers to reduce their energy use during periods of high demand. 

The Imperial Irrigation District offers a multitude of other programs that customers can apply for to receive other types of discounts on their monthly bill. 

To learn more about the initiative, click here.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A teacher from Yuma is in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher.

Narey Zaragoza is currently placed second in the quarterfinals, with semifinal voting ending May 7.

“I love teaching because I shape futures, watch students grow, and through my various roles, help them shine in all they do,” writes Zaragoza in her bio.

Winner of America’s Favorite Teacher will receive $25,000, a trip to Hawaii and appear in the magazine Reader’s Digest.

You can vote here.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year was presented to the Yuma County Board of Supervisors Monday morning.

Yuma County Administrator Ian McGaughey explains how this new budget will provide long term stability in our County

“We will maintain strong viability in the future with this modest rate increase, but also because of the efficiencies, we’re holding the line on no new cumulative FTE’s no new employees net over all, and that’s big…That’s the second year we’ve recommended that, so keeping out expenses low and in line is just as important as making sure our revenue are strong, and thats a balanced conservative approach to physical responsibility,” says McGaughey.

Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines explains how the County tries to minimize property taxes when creating a budget.

“We have asked each and every department to do more with less, to be creative in the ways they approach in some of their challenges so instead of hiring people what can the existing staff do to meet that gap,” says Lines.

McGaughey says the recommended budget is a conservative responsible budget that looks at the long term viability of our county.

“This budget touches every aspect of county government…it talks about services we provide to residents who live in the county, whether they live in the city, town, outside the city, or outside the city jurisdictions, it provides responsible customer service, and great service to all of our community,” he explained.

The budget proposed this year totals $535 million. That money will help the county focus on long-term financial stability, strategic investments, and maintaining essential services for residents.

County departments were able to speak to the board about their own budgets and concerns before the final budget is approved for adoption.

“It’s a one on one or one on five conversation and people have the opportunity between now and the time that it’s adopted to come back and have that conversation with the board,” says Lines.

This year’s budget includes a property tax increase of 2.42 cents, funds capital projects like expanded IT’s facilities management building, the completion of the sheriff’s office Foothills substation, and work on the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Building.

The budget also includes a 3% performance based raise to help recruit and retain employees.

McGaughey explains, “This budget is a continuation of what the board wants to see, physically responsible and conservative, making sure that community services are maintained to the highest level of service, without an undo burden on the tax payer.”

The public is encouraged to attend budget meetings to input their thoughts.

The board is scheduled to adopt the tentative budget on June 1, with final budget adoption on June 22.

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Marcos Icahuate

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – A man was found dead after a crash on State Route 111, according to California Highway Patrol (CHP).

On April 26, at about 5:05 a.m., a 22-year-old man was driving a Honda Civic southbound on State Route 111 at a high speed.

A 53-year-old man in a Toyota Corolla was driving southbound on SR-111, then stopped at a traffic signal north of Worthington Road.

The front of the front of the Honda Civic then crashed into the back of the Corolla.

As a result of the crash, the driver of the Corolla was pronounced dead on scene.

CHP says the driver of the Toyota was properly restrained, but the driver of the Honda was not properly restrained.

Impairment was determined to be a factor in the crash, according to CHP.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Yuma teen died in a car crash near County 14th Street.

On Sunday, at around 4 a.m., deputies say a 16-year-old girl from Yuma was traveling north on Avenue A, between County 14th and 15th Streets, when for unknown reasons she veered off the roadway, hitting an electrical pole and rolling over twice.

The Somerton/Cocopah Fire Department and the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) responded to the scene.

“The collision involved a single vehicle and a single driver. The driver unfortunately sustained fatal wounds and pronounced deceased at the scene and was identified as a 16-year-old female from Yuma, Arizona,” explained Tania Pavlak, Public Information Officer with YCSO.

Pavlak said even though law enforcement patrols all Yuma County roads, it’s the driver’s responsibility to try and avoid these kind of crashes.

“But ultimately it is a responsibility of the person behind the wheel, so we encourage all the drivers to make sure they are being responsible follow the speed limits to ensure their safety and everyone on the road,” said Pavlak

YCSO believes speed may have led to the crash, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Karen and Patricia say many people believe life insurance is only for when you pass away, but they say it also offers living benefits.

They sat you can access part of the funds if you get a critical illness or some type of illness where you’re not able to work for a long period of time.

“Life insurance is definitely something to plan ahead. It’s super affordable. It’s gonna cost you less than what we spend on coffee every month,” says Patricia.

For more information call 928-261-9569

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) – The Imperial Police Department (IPD) is investigating an alleged inappropriate recording of minors and adults.

According to a press release, IPD detectives “developed information indicating there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.”

IPD says their investigators are working to gather relevant information in order to ensure a thorough and comprehensive case, and says based on the evidence and information gathered so far, they believe there are others who may have been recorded without their knowledge or consent.

IPD has released the photo of the suspect, Gabriel Villagomez, and are asking community members to review the photo and contact the police if they recognize or have had contact with him under circumstances related to the investigation.

If anyone has had contact with Villagomez, they are urged to call 760-355-4327 or ereyes@imperial.ca.gov.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details about the investigation are being released at this time.

For Immediate Release_ IMPERIAL POLICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING INAPPROPRIATE RECORDINGDownload

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