Category: kyma-local-news

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Young artists in Yuma have a chance to have their work displayed on a national stage as part of the city’s America 250 celebration.

The City of Yuma is inviting K-12 students to create artwork showing what America’s 250th anniversary means to their community.

The project is part of an annual display by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where participating cities will showcase artwork representing their communities and their celebrations.

In addition, the City said students have plenty of room to get creative. Artwork could highlight aspects of life in Yuma, such as the Colorado River, agriculture, the military or other parts of the community.

Submissions must be 24 by 32 inches, include the words “Yuma” and “America 250,” and have a patriotic theme. Political artwork will not be accepted.

Artwork is due October 23 and can be dropped off at Yuma City Hall at One City Plaza.

The City will select one piece to represent Yuma at the national display. City officials may also display other submissions at City Hall.

The project is open to K-12 students, including students who attend public school, private school or are homeschooled.

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Carolina Garcia

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – An art exhibit highlighting life along the border opened Wednesday in Calexico.

The “En La Frontera” Art Exhibit is being shown at the Carmen Durazo Cultural Center, with a total of 65 pieces by 41 young artists being selected.

There were cash prizes from several sponsors to encourage more young artists to submit their work.

“We hope to have it biannually. This was possible through our sponsors. It was the Calexico Arts Council and the Elias Elias Fontes Collection. They were the ones who provided the funds so that we could do,” said Norma Gerardo, Recreation Manager for the City of Calexico.

Funding was also provided by the California Arts Council.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma County election officials are highlighting security measures in place ahead of the upcoming general election.

County officials said all tabulation equipment used to count ballots operates completely offline and is not connected to local networks or Wi-Fi.

The equipment is also tested before an election to make sure it accurately records votes.

“We also do logic and accuracy testing on our equipment just to verify that it accurately records votes and tabulators correctly,” an election official said. “So we also have those additional layers in place.”

The local focus on election security comes as the Defense Department said it is stepping up efforts to protect U.S. election infrastructure from foreign cyberattacks and interference.

County officials said their security measures follow state guidelines, election procedures and legal requirements.

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Abigahil Padilla

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – Drivers using Highway 95 in San Luis, Arizona should expect traffic restrictions beginning this week as construction gets underway on a new raised median.

The project will take place between County 21st Street and County 22nd Street, and is expected to last about six months.

During construction, the inside lanes in both directions, as well as the center lane, will be closed. Drivers could also see reduced speed limits and temporary lane closures.

The City of San Luis said it’s all to decrease the number of serious crashes on the highway. 

The latest fatal crash was reported two months ago when one woman was killed after another vehicle veered off it’s lane and struck her car near County 22nd Street.

“The main purpose of this project is to improve the road safety for all drivers. The project consists of adding a medium from County 22nd Street to County 21st Street,” said Francia Alonso, Public Information Officer for the City of San Luis. “This will help reduce the head-on collisions that we’ve had in the past.”

The project is in collaboration with Arizona Department of Transportation, who will provide updates as work continues, including information on construction hours and traffic impacts.

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Connor Emery

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) – As Prostate Cancer Awareness Month wraps up, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

In recent years, new imaging technology, including pet scans, has given doctors another tool to help detect and track prostate cancer.

When found early, prostate cancer can often be treated effectively, and doctors said advances in technology are giving patients more options.

“Prostate cancer is a concerning diagnosis, hope is there. There’s a lot of options. Things are getting better each and every day. And again, it’s making sure that people get checked,” said Dr. Brandon Mancini, Medical Director for BAMF Health. “They follow up with their physician every year, get that PSA blood test, follow through with the recommendations to ensure that their health and safety is prioritized.”

Dr. Mancini is also encouraging men to see a physician if they are experiencing any signs or physical pain in order to get the best treatment.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Amberly’s place launched Domestic Violence Awareness Month by hosting a symbolic event with local law enforcement agencies.

More than ten law enforcement agencies received purple ribbons from Amberly’s Place to bring awareness about this prevailing issue in Yuma County.

“Domestic violence is pervasive in all communities and in ours is no exception, we responded last year to a total of 3,020 victims which 1900 of them were domestic violence victims,” said Tori Bourguignon, Executive Director of Amberly’s Place.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Bourguignon said working together with first responders not just this month, but throughout the year makes it safer for victims to get help.

“Those partnerships with our multi-disciplinary team helps to respond properly and to be able to meet the needs of the victims that we are called to serve on any given day,” Bourguignon shared.

If you are a victim or if you know anyone who is a victim of domestic violence call 911. We also have some resources here.

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Jessamyn Dodd

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – Imperial County District Attorney George Marquez is defending his office’s decision to offer a suspected murderer a plea deal.

Marquez said the decision came down to one thing: 17-year-old T’neya Tovar‘s family wanting to find their daughter and give her a proper burial.

Abraham Feinbloom, 52, was arrested in connection with her murder after cellphone data and witness statements traced Tovar’s last known location to his home.

As part of the plea agreement, Feinbloom is required to show investigators where the rest of Tovar‘s body was, and just a day ago, Tovar’s remains were found.

Feinbloom pleaded no contest to charges of torture and manslaughter. He is facing 13 years to life in prison.

“We assessed the case and the evidence. We made a determination that he was looking most likely at 16 years to life if we got a conviction, and we didn’t know where the body was,” Marquez said.

“The family made it very clear to us that they wanted the body so that they could bury their daughter. That was something that was very important to them,” he added.

Under the agreement, Feinbloom also waives his right to appeal.

“Part of this position also he’s going to give up any appeal rights. In other words, he cannot appeal this. If we go to trial. And he loses and we get a conviction, he could appeal it in theory. Now he can’t appeal.,” Marquez explained.

Marquez says the searches were a collaborative multi-agency effort that spanned many miles.

“You know the saying, ‘a needle in a haystack’. That’s kind of what it was. So we have this vast territory out here in Imperial County, many places where a body can potentially be buried,” Marquez said.

“It was our department, district attorney’s office, the sheriff’s department, the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside District Attorney’s office also helped out in this case, And helicopters and it was just tremendous amount of resources and manpower that went in trying to locate the body.,” he added.

As of now, Feinbloom has not made any statements.

“They’ll interview him. The prosecution can make a statement as well, and you know, just keep in mind the egregious facts in this case are going to be highlighted in there. And that’s for the judge to consider. And also those things can be considered later on if he’s up for parole,” Marquez stated.

In a message, Feinbloom’s attorney Melanie Roe wrote, “Several weeks ago, defense made an offer to resolve the matter with a plea to a reduced count of voluntary manslaughter (upper term) with conditions precedent to the settlement requiring the accused to assist law enforcement in the recovery of the remains.”

Roe alleges that “evidence at preliminary hearing was insufficient to support a holding order on murder as the People failed to produce any evidence of intent to kill, premeditation, deliberation and malice.”

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Lynette Niebla

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – The City of El Centro hosted an in-person meeting regarding Measure T Tuesday evening.

The meeting took place at the El Centro City Council chambers, located at 1275 Main Street, at 6 p.m.

During the meeting, the City revealed that El Centro is currently running on a very tight budget, making it increasingly difficult to keep pace with the 75,000 residents and visitors who utilize city services on a daily basis.

According to El Centro City Manager Robert Sawyer, flat revenues have forced the city to make difficult operational sacrifices to keep their budget balanced.

“Just this year alone, we’ve had 18 requests for new positions within the city of El Centro,” Sawyer stated. “Only one of those 18 positions was approved in order to maintain a balanced budget. There was also a large number of capital requests that we were not able to approve because, again, we have to live within a balanced budget.”

If approved by voters, Measure T would introduce a half-cent local sales tax increase, raising El Centro’s current sales tax rate from 8.25% to 8.75%.

In addition, the City said, “Everyday necessities such as rent, prescription medications and groceries are excluded from the tax,” and said if Measure T is approved, it is expected “generate approximately $8.4 million annually in locally controlled revenue for the General Fund” for the following City services:

Maintaining 911 response Helping prevent crime Retaining/attracting well-trained firefighters/paramedics/police Repairing streets/potholes Keeping public areas/parks safe/clean Increasing driver/pedestrian safety Addressing homelessness Retaining/attracting local businesses Maintaining youth recreation/senior/library programs

To help residents visualize the exact financial impact on their daily spending, the city launched an online Measure T Budget Calculator. For example, a shopper purchasing a $30 blouse at a local clothing store currently pays $2.48 in sales tax. Under Measure T, that tax would rise by 15 cents, bringing the total tax to $2.63.

While acknowledging the public’s general aversion to tax increases, Sawyer noted that the city has hit a wall trying to maintain its current service standards without new revenue.

“None of us want to pay more taxes. I think we pay enough as it is,” Sawyer admitted. “But at the end of the day, we have an obligation to provide services to a community. In order to provide the services, you have to have people to do that. Measure T is here to hire people to provide services to the community and be able to maintain the services that we provide currently.”

To try the Measure T budget calculator for yourself, click here.

Reporter Lynette Niebla was live to provide details on the meeting.

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Jalen Fong

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Which contact method is most successful for scammers: Phone, text, email or through social media?

When you’re contacted on social media, which platform do scammers use most successfully: Facebook, Instagram or Tik Tok?

The 2025 BBB ScamTracker Risk Report found scammers used phone calls most successfully in taking money, followed closely by email, then text message, website and social media.

Scammers were also most successful approaching people through social media, when they used Facebook.

The report looks at which groups are most susceptible to which scams.

Investment/cryptocurrency and employment scams remained the top two riskiest scams in 2025, according to a report from the Better Business Bureau. 

More than 77% of those targeted by investment/crypto scams reported losing money.

The scam type had the highest reported median dollar loss. 

Reports of employment scams rose from 14.4% of published scams in 2024 to 15.8% in 2025. 

The tactics used to perpetrate employment scams have expanded over the past few years.

Employment was the biggest scam for the 18-34 age range.

There is some great information about how the biggest scams work and how to prevent losing money in the BBB ScamTracker Risk Report.

Before trusting any business, check out reviews, complaints and for trusted Accredited Businesses at BBB.org and visit BBB’s Scam Tracker.

Check out BBB scam warnings at joeknowsbetter.com.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to a house fire early Wednesday morning.

YFD said the fire happened in the area of S. Arena Drive and W. 11th Street, near the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley – Yuma Branch, at around 3:15 a.m.

Upon arrival, YFD said fire crews found heavy fire “involving the front porch and carport of a” single-story home, and said the fire also spread to the attic.

This prompted firefighters to quickly attack the fire from the outside, YFD said, “before entering the home to to extinguish the remaining fire in the attic” while crews worked “to protect neighboring homes from the fire.”

After the fire was brought under control, YFD said firefighters searched the home to confirm that all occupants had safely evacuated.

While no injuries were reported, YFD said several cats were found dead from smoke inhalation.

Firefighters remained on scene to check the home and ensure that there wasn’t any remaining hot spots, YFD said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

021 Arena Dr. FireDownload

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