Category: kyma-local-news

Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – As kids head back to school, it’s just a matter of time before we start to see a rise in respiratory infections, from the common cold to the flu and other more serious viruses.

Close contact in classrooms can cause respiratory viruses to spread quickly.

Dr. Donald Hubbard, Medical Director and Emergency Medical Physician at Exceptional Community Hospital, says this is due to proximity.

“People are together, they’re close, so if one gets it, everybody’s exposed to it. These don’t really go away in the summertime, but the people are generally not together as much,” he said.

Dr. Hubbard adds there are common symptoms to look out for.

“I would say if somebody has a little cough, they have a runny nose, maybe a little bit of a sore throat, that’ll probably get better by itself within a few days. When you have to start worrying is if they start having trouble breathing, if they have a severe sore throat, they probably need to be seen,” Hubbard shared.

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Abraham Retana

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local health care provider broke ground Thursday on a new birthing center.

Regional Center for Border Health started the construction of the San Luis New Vida Birthing Center.

The $2.5 million state of the art project will provide baby delivery and neo-natal services.

“It’s a good package for women at a reasonable price for people to deliver their babies in a very comfortable environment, friendly environment for the moms to choose and the families to be there accompany the mom,” said Amanda Aguirre, CEO of the Regional center for Border Health.

The San Luis New Vida Birthing Center will be located on Oak Avenue next to the San Luis Medical Mall.

Construction is expected to be completed in February of next year.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – A new community-led effort is focusing on life around the Salton Sea.

Residents and local groups are coming together to make their voices heard.

The Campaign for Thriving Salton Sea Communities is led by Alianza Coachella Valley. It brings together residents, nonprofits, researchers, and agencies to support the community’s well-being.

One of the big projects is a trail network connecting communities throughout the region. The idea is to improve access, mobility, and create more opportunities for local economic growth.

As Aydee Rodriguez from Alianza explains, “We’re talking about a network that would, include, not just, you know, like, like sidewalk or pavement, but then also lights, electric charging stations to prepare our community for, the transition to cleaner vehicles, broadband, and electric, grid stability.”

The group is also using community science to collect data on air and water quality.

“We’ve been doing collection of water samples and testing them for various, like, nutrients, or like chemicals,” Aydee said. “And then what we’ve done is we’ve also installed, two hydrogen monitors right above the water, one in the north and the south end to monitor how much hydrogen sulfide is coming out of the sea at what times.”

Challenges remain, and Alianza hopes to work through them this fall at a roundtable.

“What does it look like to, work together in collaborative funding? Because sometimes, like, we’re forced to compete against each other for certain funding buckets,” Aydee said. She also emphasized the need for more data. “Linking emissions coming out of the Salton Sea to public health consequences, illnesses, sicknesses. Because if we had that, then I think that we could hold more accountability to those responsible.”

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Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – When the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert closed earlier this year, many cancer patients in Imperial County felt lost.

Now, thanks to community support and new technology, the El Centro nonprofit is open again.

“We want to, just reassure people that were available and we’re going to work as a team with our patients because we need to work as a team,” said Helen Palomino of CRCD. “We can’t do as much as we used to because we’re small, but we’re still extremely effective.”

Before shutting down, the center partnered with Pear Suite, a case management system that helps track services and handle billing.

Palomino said the system has made reimbursements faster and reporting much easier.

“It’s an amazing experience to see everything that was billable, that it automatically picked up,” she said.

But it wasn’t just technology that made reopening possible.

“We brought together a group of very powerful women who came together with the bandwidth of either health care experience or the ability to fundraise,” said County Supervisor Martha Cardenas-Singh. “It was very important and urgent that cancer fighting patients have the Resource Center as their champion.”

For patients across Imperial County, the reopening means hope and help are once again close to home.

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Abraham Retana

WELLTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – An east Yuma County town is getting ready in case there are any chances of rain activity following last week’s powerful storms in our area.

Starting Thursday, September 4, there will be sand and sandbags available for Wellton residents.

You can pick up your sandbags at the fire department on Los Angeles Avenue near William Street at anytime.

You can also go to the Ace Hardware store on Wellton-Mohawk Drive near Avenue 30 1/2 E from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“This is just a coordinated effort between us and the Wellton Mohawk Irrigation District to better come, better protect the town and protect our citizens,” said Richard Marsh, Wellton Town Manager.

There will also be sand available at the empty lot on Helen Avenue, next to the National Bank of Arizona.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The man allegedly involved in the murder of his girlfriend near Senator Wash in Imperial County was back in court Friday.

56-year-old James Hill was arrested Tuesday in Yuma County and remains in custody with no bond.

Hill waived his extradition rights to expedite the process to appear before a judge in Imperial County.

His attorney says he is expected to be back in court next week.

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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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