Category: kyma-local-news

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Friday is the kick off of the annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival!

We went live from the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex with all the fun in store this weekend.

The Annual Hot Air Balloon event in Yuma is the Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival, which takes place in November.

The festival is scheduled for November 14-16, 2025, is organized by the Caballeros de Yuma, and features mass ascensions in the early morning and a “balloon glow” on Saturday night, with opportunities for tethered rides. 

Sunrise balloon launches on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from West Wetlands Park. A Saturday evening event at Yuma’s Desert Sun Baseball Stadium where balloons glow.

Tethered rides are offered on Saturday and Sunday. These are on a first-come, first-served basis and are weather permitting

For more information, visit the Caballeros de Yuma website HERE.

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Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Art Center hosted the 25th annual Tribute of the Muses Awards ceremony on Friday, November 14.

The awards are important for recognizing artists of Yuma and giving them a space to be appreciated for their hard work. 

In addition, the ceremony presented four awards: The Helios Award, the Odyssey Award, the Apollo Award, and the Tribute of the Muses Award.

The event opened with a red carpet at 6:30, followed by the award ceremony at 7:00, and concluded with a black-tie reception at 8:00.

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Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The mural, located along the canal path between 16th and 24th Street, is a mural you can interact with directly from your phone.

Scan the code, point your phone towards the mural, and see screens and demos as if they were right in front of you.

This is only Phase 2 of Onvida Health’s East Main Canal Beautification Project, which began with planting about 100 trees along that same canal path.

The project is in collaboration with Onvida Health, the City of Yuma, the Clean and Beautiful Commission, and NextGen.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The innovation continued Friday for day two of the Desert Difference AG Tech Conference.

The second day is a time for multiple people, from growers to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, to tell their story and talk about their businesses.

The goal is to make Yuma a proving ground for agriculture technology.

At the two-day conference, people were able to display AG-related cutting-edge technology.

Xiong Chang, the CEO and co-founder for Tensorfield AG, was able to bring one of their machines.

Change says the event provides plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.

“Just really engaged with understanding exactly what we’re trying to build, getting guidance from growers who have been very open with us about their challenges, and there’s nothing more fun for a group of engineers to have a clear direction set by customers,” says Chang.

Raul Heredia, the CTO for Motive Companies, says younger entreprenuers should check out the conference in Yuma.

He says it provides some insight into the landscape of up to date agircultural technologies, and that Yuma is a good starting point.

“In understanding the importance of connecting with the community and providing products that will deliver technology that is going to make a difference in the future,” Heredia said.

As they say at the conference, it is more than a trend, it’s a movement that looks to reshape the agriculture industry.

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Joaquin Hight

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The event began at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, Nov 13. It featured booths and demos of new Ag equipment.

It was a way for local growers to connect and share the latest tools, helping desert farmers adapt and thrive.

Yuma is described as the perfect proving ground for agricultural equipment due to its harsh sunlight and wide variety of weather conditions that allow technology to be tested.

As a result, International companies attend events like these to test their equipment and showcase it to local growers.

The event will continue on Friday, November 14, with much more to showcase.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – There’s less than 24 hours left until our annual Share Your Holiday Turkey Drive happening Friday!

The Turkey Drive is a one-day food drive to provide meals for families in need who can’t afford them this holiday season.

All of the proceeds go to the Crossroads Mission for their Three Days of Thanksgiving event. The mission shares what their turkey goals is and what items they need.

“1,000 turkeys and nonperishable food items…also eggs, milk, butter,” said Crossroads Public Relations Director Sassa Culver.

The month of November is also Mission Month.

“Mission month we have a goal of raising 100,000 pounds of food and $100,000,” said Culver.

The mission says thank you to the Yuma community for what they do to help Crossroads all year long.

“We can’t do it without the community, and every year the community pulls through for us,” said Crossroads CEO Myra Garlit.

They say it’s such a special feeling when they get to help out.

“When we are feeding the community over the three days of Thanksgiving, just the gratefulness and the warmth that we feel from the people that we’re serving it’s amazing! It’s so rewarding,” said Culver.

We will be collecting all these items at all Walmart locations in Yuma and the Foothills this Friday, November 14, from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. We hope to see you there!

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs was in Yuma Wednesday to announce some new updates regarding the agricultural broadband towers.

Gov. Hobbs signed two bills supporting the project.

Senate Bill 1320 enables the legal operation of autonomous farm equipment on public highways and roadways.

While Senate Bill 1661 establishes a government framework to ensure the long-term sustainability of A-specific broadband networks.

“I was really proud to sign these bills that will enable Yuma Farmers to take advantage of the new system,” Gov. Hobbs says.

The goal is to elevate Arizona agricultural technology.

“This is like a real-life example of like of how those high-tech things make a difference, and it’s not only putting that high-tech to work to make farming better, but it’s like setting an example,” said the governor.

Arizona Senator Tim Dunn shares how even other countries are looking at Yuma’s agricultural development.

“This broadband authority and this broadband situation has worldwide attention, what people are going to come and do innovation here, what are they going to do, because we are already pillars, we’re already the ones that are the envy of the world as far as we can do,” says Sen. Dunn.

Gov. Hobbs shares how she’s always looking towards the future.

“We’re focused on how we can continue to bring economic development and support projects like this that improve not just the lives of people here but across the state and across the country,” says Gov. Hobbs.

They are expecting to complete the project in August of next year

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Arizona Game and Fish Commission Appointment Recommendation Board has sent the names of two candidates to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ (D-Ariz.) office “for consideration in filling the upcoming 2026 vacancy on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.”

According to a press release, Patrick Cooley, President and CEO of Keithly-Williams Seeds, was one of two people selected after six people were interviewed by the board during a meeting last week at the Arizona Game and Fish Department headquarters in Phoenix.

The department said Gov. Hobbs’ nominee, pending confirmation from the Arizona Senate, will replace Clay Hernandez as his five-year terms is expiring at the end of the year.

To learn more about this, click here.

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Karina Bazarte

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The Sun Valley Research Center (SVRC) is taking a Mobile Research Unit on the road to hold free memory assessments.

According to a press release, THOR (Taking Health on the Road) West is touring California and Arizona in order to help raise awareness of the importance of brain health.

SVRC says they’re holding a free memory assessment event at the Westmorland Senior Citizen Center, located at 298 W. Third Street, Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The tour coincides with National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – In the Imperial Valley, where the desert meets the border, finding a sense of belonging can be difficult, especially for queer and trans residents. For Angel, it took years to feel truly seen.

“I would hear a lot of derogatory terms when I’d go out,” Angel recalled. “My mom explained what they meant, and I realized for the first time that people saw me as different. It was painful.”

The fear became more personal after a terrifying incident at home. When Angel’s mother suffered a heart attack, a neighbor made a disturbing comment suggesting they could break into the apartment while she was gone.

“That scared me really bad,” Angel said. “I didn’t sleep that night.”

Experiences like those pushed Angel to search for a safe community nearby. But even in local support groups, they often felt judged or misunderstood.

“I remember sharing that I’d just started hormone therapy,” Angel said. “And the response I got was basically that I might regret it someday. It crushed me. I wanted support, not doubt.”

Then, Angel discovered queercasa (purposefully lowercased), a new grassroots group working to create safe, affirming spaces for queer and trans people in Imperial County. From the very first meeting, things felt different.

“It just felt like friends getting together for dinner,” Angel said.

Queercasa hosts game nights, clothing swaps, and karaoke events for Hispanic Heritage Month. They’re small gatherings with a big impact.

“Someone got their first dress at one of the swaps,” Angel shared. “For someone in our community, that’s a huge moment…to finally feel comfortable enough to be yourself.”

For Angel and many others, queercasa represents more than just a local organization. It’s a new beginning for the Valley’s LGBTQ+ community.

“Ultimately, it’s about all of us coming together,” Angel said.

Even in a place where acceptance hasn’t always come easily, Angel says there’s hope.

“There are people here in their 60s who’ve stayed, who’ve built community despite everything,” they said. “We’re still here, and we’re going to keep showing up for one another.”

A new chapter is taking shape in the Imperial Valley, one rooted in acceptance, connection, and care.

If you want to get involved with queercasa, you can head to their website.

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