Category: kyma-local-news

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A new candidate is running for a senate seat currently held by a local senator. Democratic candidate Laura Huber is running for the Arizona State Senate in Legislative District 25.

It’s the same seat Republican incumbent Senator Tim Dunn currently holds. Arizona State Senator Dunn shares with us that he plans on running for re-election.

The Yuma lawmaker says he plans on filing his signatures next week. He currently holds a seat in the senate for Arizona’s 25th legislative district.

Laura Huber has experience as a mental health counselor for over a decade, overseeing crisis mobile teams, and homeless outreach. She says this is an opportunity to help people on a larger level.

“I have really seen and been concerned, as many people are, what’s happening in our federal government presently, and I wanted to just do my part to hopefully shift things back into a place where we’re making choices that help the most people instead of just focusing more on the top 1%,” said Huber.

She says her three areas of focus are affordability, healthcare, and education. She also wants to tackle water issues.

“The Colorado River agreement is going to be something that needs to be addressed, especially in this coming year, and we have to make sure that we have enough water to support both our agriculture, especially in the Yuma area and the ongoing spread that’s our big Phoenix metro,” said Huber.

She has five generations of farmers and ranchers on both sides of her family. She says she understands how important agriculture is to Yuma.

“I think I also understand how absolutely essential farmers are and how essential water is to making sure that they’re able to do their jobs,” said Huber.

She has submitted all of the signatures she needs to be on the ballot. The Primary Election is on July 21 and the general election is in November.

Click here to follow the original article.

Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) is on scene after a school bus crashed into a vehicle Wednesday.

According to YFD, the crash happened in the area of Pacific Avenue and 32nd Street after the bus hit an SUV from behind.

YFD says 40 kids were on the bus at the time of the crash.

“We arrived on the scene to find a bus with 40 or [more] kids, thankfully no one was injured, everyone seems to be okay…some minor complaints. We are transferring all the kids from one bus onto another bus, but thankfully everyone is okay,” said Capt. David Padilla with YFD.

YFD also says both the bus and the SUV were taken off the street, and said all traffic lanes on Pacific Avenue and 32nd Street are now open.

The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jessamyn Dodd

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – A new program called S.T.E.P., which stands for Skills, Training, and Entrepreneurial Pathways, launched in Imperial County.

The program is the brain child of Access To Thrive’s CEO Ashley Contreras. She said the idea came to her following her car accident, which left her in a wheelchair.

“The inspiration of STEP came from my own experience. I was a business owner before my car accident before becoming disabled. And after that happened, I understood that the disability was not the barrier,” Contreras explained in an interview with KYMA.

She said often times, people with disabilities, whether physical or mental, don’t always fit into a typical nine-to-five employment model.

The 12-week free course offers everything from training to help with licensing fees.

With just 20 spots open for the program, Contreras and her team received dozens of applications, which they are now reviewing.

“We’re still receiving applications. The program is officially going to launch on April 7th,” Contreras said.

To apply, click here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jessamyn Dodd

HOLTVILLE, Calif. (KYMA) – A Holtville High School student is being recognized for his achievements in academics and agriculture.

17-year-old Kyle Self has been named as a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholarship Award, a national program created to recognize high school seniors.

It was originally designed to award academic excellence, but has expanded to the fields of arts, agriculture and career technology.

Self is one of five nominees from the state of California. He credits his support system for inspiring him.

“When I think about this award, I don’t really think about myself. I think about all the people who have who have played such monumental roles of making me into the person I am today,” Self shared. “First among them is of course my parents and my family, my grandparents. But I also think, because it is an educational award, all of the different teachers.”

Self has been gaining the praises of his peers and teachers alike, with Agriculture Studies teacher Lindsay Cox saying she believes Self can do anything he puts his mind to.

“We’re all incredibly proud of him for being nominated for this program. I think that it’s a really great accomplishment and testament to the kind of human that he is and the kind of student that he is that he’s recognized for something at this level,” Cox said.

Self revealed that he originally had plans to become an Agriculture Studies teacher, although recently he has felt the pull towards studying to become a pastor.

Now, a panel of educators appointed by the president will review all of the candidates and narrow down the finalists this spring. The recipients of the scholarship will be announced this summer.

Click here to follow the original article.

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Spencer’s announced they are holding an grand opening ceremony for their store in Yuma next weekend.

The grand opening is taking place Saturday, March 14 at Yuma Palms, located at 1309 Yuma Palms Parkway, Suites E-I, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

During the grand opening, the first 100 guests will receive $10 gift cards, sweet treats, freebies, giveaways and more.

According to Spencer’s, it was founded in 1947 as a mail-order catalog in Pennsylvania, opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 1963, and has since opened 680 locations across the country as well as having an online presence.

Click here to follow the original article.

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Rural Metro firefighter was injured while battling a fire near the Yuma Liquidation Store in the Foothills Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Rural Metro’s Facebook post, the fire happened before 2 p.m., and upon arrival, crews found a storage area west of the store “fully involved with multiple structures” impacted.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

In addition, Rural Metro says, “There were surrounding businesses endangered and evacuated,” and says crews immediately deployed multiple hose lines and conducted a fire attack and “structure protection to the liquidations main building and nearby businesses.”

However, due to the intensity of the fire and wind conditions, Rural Metro says they called the Yuma Fire Department (YFD) for assistance.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Rural Metro says both they and YFD eventually extinguished the fire after working tirelessly to contain it, and says crews remained on scene “for several hours mopping up and extinguishing hotspots.”

Rural Metro also says while a Rural Metro firefighter was injured, no other injuries were reported.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

In addition, Rural Metro says both they and YFD did not run out of water as they each had several working fire hydrants being utilized, and says the liquidation store itself was not harmed in the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Click here to follow the original article.

Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Humane Society of Yuma (HSOY) released their annual report.

The annual report starts with a message from the executive director, then includes the amount of animals received into HSOY, as well as how many were adopted.

Nearly 3,000 pets were adopted, including over 800 cats and nearly 400 dogs.

HSOY received about $224,000 in grants to help the shelter.

The HSOY thrift store also earned about $188,00 in revenue, which went back to pet services.

Dozens of dogs were rescued from unsafe home conditions and were given a new chance at life.

“Thank you for continuing to believe in our mission and for helping us create a safer, kinder community for every animal who needs us,” wrote HSOY Executive Director Annette Lagunas in the report.

You can read the full report here:

2025_HSOY_Annual_ReportSMDownload

Click here to follow the original article.

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Western College (AWC) is reflecting on the accomplishments it has achieved in the last ten years.

Dr. Kristina Diaz, President of Onvida Health Medical Group and community partner with AWC, shares how they want to see AWC grow in the next 10 years.

“I’m really looking forward to the increased offerings that we’ll have for our community to train, and medical skills that will then translate very quickly to jobs at Onvida,” says Dr. Diaz.

Dr. Daniel Corr, President of AWC, shares what he is looking forward to seeing in AWC’s future as he nears his retirement.

“I step aside in June and Dr. Dhawan comes on as the 10th president of Arizona Western College, and it’s another decade of growth, another decade of partnership, another decade of serving these amazing communities,” says Dr. Corr.

Over the past ten years, AWC has been recognized for their program development, student achievements, and positive impact across the desert southwest.

“I’m inspired by our students, their passion, their perseverance, their grit, they show up and they grind and they achieve some amazing things. I draw inspiration from our students, and today really it’s about them and their accomplishments that we’re celebrating,” explained Dr. Corr.

AWC says over the past 10 years they have had record enrollment, record numbers of graduations, and increased their facilities.

The Decade of Transformation event was to take a look back and celebrate the faculty, governing board, and students at AWC.

“We’re an engine for workforce development, we’re training the next generation of healthcare workers, and law enforcement, across the board, so to truly measure the impact of AWC, it’s impossible, its everywhere in Yuma, and the La Paz County,” says Corr.

The event allowed the community to reflect on AWC’s past ten years, while also looking forward to many more accomplishments in the future.

Click here to follow the original article.

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Fire crew are actively working to put out a fire at the liquidation store in the Foothills.

A fire began at around 2 p.m. Tuesday at the liquidation store near Del Sol on S Foothills Blvd.

Fire crews have been at the Yuma Liquidation Store on Foothills Boulevard near 38th Street for at least two hours.

Heavy black smoke that could be seen from miles away.

Deputies were redirecting traffic to let crews in and keep locals safe.

The fire has calmed down by the afternoon, around 4 p.m.

Several Rural Metro Fire engines have been driving in with over a dozen crew members are working to put it out.

We spoke with employees at the auto shop that shares the same parking lot as the liquidation store.

Employees said they saw plumes of smoke fill the air and it was scary.

They immediately rushed to call 911.

We also spoke to the Rural Metro public information officer and asked if there were any injuries and the cause of the fire.

They don’t have that information at this time as it’s still under investigation, and it could take a while to know the because because the fire was so huge.

Click here to follow the original article.

Adrik Vargas

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – For years, taxi drivers waited just steps from the border to pick up people crossing into the U.S. Now, they’ve had to move.

City officials are moving forward with a plan to improve the area around the Port of Entry. The project includes adding about 14 new traffic lanes to help with the growing number of people crossing the border.

As part of the project, taxi drivers were told they must relocate their pickup spots. Mayor Nieves Riedel said the change is being required by the federal government.

Taxi driver Francisco Inzunza said drivers knew the move was coming, but it happened sooner than expected and caught them off guard.

He said their new location is about a block away from the pedestrian entrance, and that the city has taken their concerns into account.

Drivers say they are now working with the City of San Luis to make sure people can still get rides near the border, especially students, people with medical appointments, and those with disabilities.

One taxi user, Gabriel Garibay Medina, said the move makes things harder for people who struggle to walk. He said it’s important for taxis to stay close to the Port of Entry.

Drivers say they are adjusting to the changes and hope to continue working with the city moving forward.

Click here to follow the original article.