Category: kyma-local-news

Wesley Williamson

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Onvida Health held a “Go-Gold” walk and lighting ceremony Saturday.

Participants gathered at the cancer center garden and simultaneously lit gold necklaces in honor of the children and families who have faced a pediatric cancer diagnosis.

The illumination was followed by a meaningful walk around the hospital exterior which will also stay illuminated gold for the entire month.

Organizers hope when you’re driving around town and you see the hospital and others lighting up gold that you remember those families that are effected.

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Wesley Williamson

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Friends of the Lower Colorado River held a river clean up event Gateway Park Saturday morning.

Clean up volunteers focused their efforts on picking up small debris and trash left behind by park visitors.

While the area is maintained by the City of Yuma, volunteer clean up efforts are an important part in areas that need more attention.

The Arizona Office of Tourism recently recognized Friends of the Lower Colorado River with an award for their efforts in their region.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A landmark settlement with Meta could change how social media companies protect teens.

The settlement includes changes for teen users, including age verification, limited scrolling and fewer notifications during school.

Megan Shahi, Director of Technology Policy at the Center for American Progress and a former policy employee at Facebook and Instagram, said the settlement is different from past debates over social media because it focuses on how the platforms are designed, not just the content users see.

Shahi says features like infinite scrolling are central to the way social media companies keep people on their platforms, making the changes especially significant.

She also says the settlement could put pressure on other platforms, including TikTok and YouTube, to make similar changes.

Shahi says the next year will be important as Meta works to put the changes in place and the industry responds.

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Moses Femino

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Somerton man is now facing multiple felony charges after the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) said he broke into a home and vehicle.

David Ruiz-Martinez, 23, was formally charged Friday with second-degree burglary, criminal damage and theft. His bond remains at $5,000.

Ruiz-Martinez was arrested Tuesday, August 25, after trying to run from YCSO deputies at his home.

On Wednesday, YCSO searched his home and found evidence related to the burglary as well as narcotics.

Ruiz-Martinez was also on probation for a prior case, and is now facing a probation violation.

In addition, he is facing charges for dangerous drug possession, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana for sale.

He is scheduled to be back in court next Tuesday.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The man who pled guilty to a deadly Yuma house party shooting was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday.

Abraham Colin, 22, pleaded guilty earlier this month to second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges.

Under the plea agreement, Colin will serve 20 years for the murder charge, and an additional ten years for the assault charge consecutively.

The shooting happened in May of 2023 at a house party in Yuma, with prosecutors saying Colin and others arrived at the party with firearms, and Colin fired 21 shots.

Danny Garcia, 19, and Ande Blackthunder, 20, were killed, and other minors were shot.

Following his release from prison, Colin will also serve two years of probation.

A second suspect in the case, 22-year-old Aden Arviso, is still scheduled to go to trial in September.

Arviso is accused of second-degree murder in connection to the shooting.

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Lynette Niebla

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Flashing red and blue lights in your rearview mirror usually mean an officer approaching your window with a traditional pen and notepad.

In El Centro, however, that familiar sequence is getting a high-tech makeover.

The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) has fully deployed a mobile upgrade across its patrol division, trading out traditional paper ticket logs for specialized handheld devices.

However, local authorities stress that this upgrade goes far deeper than just handing out paperless traffic citations.

Under the new system, field officers utilize department-issued smartphones to input traffic violations and scan driver identification cards instantly.

The devices pair directly with compact, belt-worn Bluetooth printers to generate physical receipts for drivers on the spot, entirely bypassing the need for handwriting.

Beyond replacing traffic pads, these units function as computer terminals. Patrol forces can now look up case histories, draft reports, and even review their own body-camera recordings right from the sidewalk.

For the officers working the beat, this means no longer being chained to the laptop mounted inside their police cruisers.

“The department has now implemented our CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system onto our phones,” said El Centro Police Officer Jason Flores. “So instead of going back to our cars and checking our computers, we’re able to get real-time information and live updates from our dispatcher right on our phones.”

This constant connectivity serves as a critical safety net. Even if an officer temporarily loses radio contact in a building or remote area, the smartphone screen continuously updates with new emergency calls and dispatch notes.

By transferring administrative burdens onto a cellular network, leadership expects to dramatically optimize how officers split their time. Slashing the duration of standard traffic encounters directly translates to increased community presence.

“It shortens the time frame on our calls, so we’re able to efficiently handle more calls and serve the community in a better way,” Flores noted, emphasizing that the system fundamentally simplifies field tasks to maximize active street coverage.

Commanders recognize that observing a uniformed officer staring intently at a cell phone screen during an investigation might initially look unusual to passersby. Because of this, the department is prioritizing absolute transparency.

Police emphasize that these devices are highly secured and restricted strictly to official law enforcement business. Far from trying to hide the new tech, the agency is actively inviting the public to take a closer look.

If you spot an officer using one of the new mobile setups in town, the department welcomes you to walk up, initiate a conversation, and ask questions.

By fostering these one-on-one chats, El Centro officials hope to give residents a firsthand look at how modern tools are being used to protect and serve the Valley.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) – If your utility bill is becoming harder to pay, you could be eligible for state assistance through a new program launched earlier this year.

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) is investing $15 million into PowerAZ, a temporary program run through the Department of Economic Security.

It provides up to $640 in direct utility assistance, and families experiencing a crisis or other hardship may qualify for up to $500 more.

Venus Ramirez, Customer Assistance Program Manager for APS, says more families may qualify than they think.

“So some people think, ‘Oh, I don’t qualify,’ but since the income guidelines are higher than your average other programs, then a lot of folks do,” Ramirez explained.

The program is for moderate-income households, including families that make a little too much to qualify for other utility assistance.

If anyone wants to see if they qualify, or learn how to apply, click here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

UPDATE (5:59 PM): According to the San Luis Police Department, Omar Daniel Marquez and his vehicle have been found.

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – The San Luis Police Department (SLPD) is asking the public’s help in searching for a missing person.

In a Facebook post, 28-year-old Omar Daniel Marquez was last seen leaving his home in San Luis, Arizona Wednesday afternoon.

Courtesy: San Luis Police Department

Marquez was also last seen driving a dark gray 2018 Toyota Tacoma, Arizona license plate number D4A0PX, and was wearing a T-shirt, sweatpants and tennis shoes, SLPD said, adding he was driving northbound from San Luis.

If anyone has information regarding Marquez’s whereabouts, call SLPD at 928-341-2420.

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Dillon Fuhrman

PHOENIX (KYMA) – A Yuma-area man has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison for firearms trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The sentencing happened Tuesday after 21-year-old Jorge Adan Garcia Hernandez of Roll, Arizona previously pled guilty to aiding and abetting the receipt of firearms for use in a drug trafficking crime, the DOJ said.

Between April of 2023 and November of 2024, the DOJ said Hernandez sold firearms from federal firearms licensees to the following people:

Juan Carlos Yanez Molina, 27, of Somerton

Jonathan Daniel Hernandez Noriega, 25, of San Luis, Arizona

Jose Guadalupe Cota Garcia, 25, of Mexico

Roani Hernandez Jr., 27, of Bullhead City, Arizona

During a delivery back in June of 2024, Hernandez gave 21-year-old Carlos Eduardo Diaz-Barba of San Luis, Arizona five pistols and magazines, which Diaz-Barba then tried to smuggle them into Mexico at the San Luis Port of Entry on Hernandez’s behalf, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said the firearms were to be delivered to Los Salazares, which is a faction of the Sinaloa Cartle.

Evidence collected also revealed that Hernandez was the leader of Fuerzas Especiales Jackson, which is a group of sicarios operating in San Luis, Mexico, the DOJ said.

In October of 2024, Hernandez was arrested after law enforcement, according to the DOJ, discovered plans to “retaliate against a rival group for an attack” in San Luis, Mexico after they killed and injured members of his group.

As a result of Hernandez’s arrest, a firearm trafficking cell operating in the Yuma area was disrupted, and a group of sicarios operating in San Luis, Mexico was dismantled, the DOJ said.

Molina, Noriega, Garcia and Hernandez Jr. were previously convicted of material false statements during the acquisition of firearms, with the DOJ saying Molina was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison, Noriega was sentenced to three years in prison, Garcia was sentenced to nearly one year in prison and Hernandez Jr. was sentenced to nearly one year in prison as well.

In addition, the DOJ said Diaz-Barba pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the the receipt of firearms for use in a drug trafficking crime, and he will be sentenced Monday, August 31.

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Lauren Duffel

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The memory of a Yuma man continues to be kept alive as family, friends, and community supporters gathered to celebrate Jacob Sims‘ 25th heavenly birthday.

Loved ones came together at Kennedy Skate Park for a balloon release in Sims’ honor.

“The skate park, the hockey rink…those are Jacob’s favorite places to go. He would come here as a kid riding his bike, riding at the skate park,” said Genia Sims, Jacob Sims’ grandmother.

Sims was murdered in November of 2024. Six people were arrested in connection with his death, but four of them are still facing charges.

Genia said the fight for justice continues.

“The fight for justice is never-ending. It’s a fight, and it shouldn’t be a fight, but it is a fight. You have to fight for everything. You have to fight for a voice,” she said.

During the gathering, Genia announced that she had launched a foundation in Jacob’s honor to help others fighting for justice. The foundation is called Justice 4 Jacob Sims.

“That’s one way to keep Jacob’s memory alive, but it’s also helping other people. That’s who Jacob was…he loved helping others. If you needed him, he was there,” Genia said.

The fight for justice continues, but Sims’ memory will live on forever.

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