Category: kyma-local-news

Adrik Vargas

CALIPATRIA, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – City leaders in Calipatria are speaking out after Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to close another California state prison, though he didn’t say which one.

Concern quickly spread in Imperial Valley. Congressman Raul Ruiz released a statement saying Calipatria State Prison should not be shut down, and local leaders agree.

“I know there are a lot of rumors, concerns, and worries floating around the Imperial Valley and our surrounding areas regarding Calipatria State Prison,” said Calipatria Mayor Michael Luellen. “I just wanted everyone to know we are taking deliberate action to meet with the Governor’s office and truly understand the full situation.”

The prison has long been a cornerstone of the local economy. Leaders say it’s not just jobs on the line, it’s the community’s future.

“We down here in Imperial Valley always fight for our residents on a daily basis, no matter the season, political or not,” the mayor said. “And I urge the Governor to have the same consistency as well, especially because he touts that he’s long supported equity and inclusion. And if the state prison were to be dismantled and taken away from the local economy, that is the opposite of what he claims to support and inspire throughout the state of California.”

Congressman Ruiz added that rural communities like Calipatria can’t take another economic hit.

“We know that there’s a high rate of poverty and shutting down the state prison would add to the unemployment and increase poverty levels,” said Ruiz. “But we’re getting ahead of things and making it very difficult for him to even consider Calipatria State Prison.”

For now, the future of the facility is uncertain. But local leaders say they’re not backing down from a fight.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – 45-year-old Alfredo Enriquez Flores pled guilty to manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.

He could face a maximum punishment of up to 21 years.

Flores is accused of running over 21-year-old Esteyan Madel on New Year’s Day.

Steve Madel, Esteyan’s father, shares how they’ve been dealing with the loss.

“They said it gets better, it doesn’t get better. I’m going to have to carry this for the rest of my life, but you know what I mean, I have to be strong for the rest of my family,” Steve says.

Meanwhile, Esteyan’s grandmother, Theresa Madel, who helped raise Esteyan, shares what sentence the family would like to see.

“To me, 20 years is good enough, because you know why? He took my grandson’s life. Every day I miss him, he was, just there all the time and I see he’s there all the time I pretend he’s there all the time,” Theresa said.

Flores will learn his sentence in court next month.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – National Emergency Medical Services week, or EMS Week, is celebrated every third week of May.

We spoke with several EMS professionals who shared more about their experience and what it takes to succeed in the field.

Our region is home to hundreds of EMS professionals, many of them who say they don’t do it for the attention or recognition.

Edgar Castro, a paramedic & fire engineer at the San Luis Fire Department (SLFD), says, “We just do it because we like to help others, especially when they’re having one of their worst days.”

The purpose of the week is to recognize and show appreciation for the emergency medical professionals who tirelessly serve our communities.

These professionals includes EMT’s, paramedics, and dispatch centers.

Division Chief for EMS at the Yuma Fire Department, Dan Espino, says it feels good to be acknowledged.

“There’s people’s stories and commitments that are a part of their career, those stories go untold, probably because we’re not great at celebrating, and we don’t look for that attention. So I think it’s just a great time of the year to remember all the people that serve in your community,” Espino shared.

Fire Captain Eduardo Ramirez at the SLFD says 24/7 emergency services pulls the most out of his men.

“The nights. We’re running calls all day and it’s taxing on the body, trying to stay awake. It’s a challenge to be able to perform, make the right decisions, and treat people the best that we can,” says Ramirez.

The EMS professionals shared what they love most about their careers.

Castro says “Getting to help people, especially taking care of the kids because they don’t really know what’s going on. They see us, they get scared, but we really want to make a difference in their life.”

With 20 years under belt, Ramirez shares a life lesson he’s received from the job.

“You learn gratitude. You learn to be grateful for your day, it’s a great job, it’s the best job in my opinion. If they decided to call 911, that means something bad happened, and we’re there to care for them,” Ramirez explains.

A good way to honor EMS week is a simple “thank you” to a local ambulance or medical professional.

No matter the time or place, you can always count on our EMS professionals to be there for you when it counts.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma City Council discussed and set a maximum number for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The maximum number the budget can be is $547,121,059, which is around $26 million more than the previous year.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 includes all departments within the city such as government, parks and recreation, and police.

“The budget is the document that makes everything else possible throughout the year, so if you want to get something done as a citizen, you have an idea that you think the city needs to do, then it needs to somehow find itself into the budget,” Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls says.

Almost half of the proposed budget will be going towards the capital improvement program.

This includes includes new construction, improving assets, and equipment purchasing.

Deputy Mayor Carol Smith shares her thoughts on how budget discussions have taken place.

“There’s only a certain amount of money that can be spent, until that changes I think we have it lined out pretty well, I think that the discussion that we’ve had over the last two nights sounds good to me,” Smith said.

Mayor Nicholls shares one project he is looking forward to being developed.

“I do appreciate the fact that we’ve put some money aside for the Spaceport Initiative, so that’s when that permit comes through from the FAA. If we don’t have a partner yet for the infrastructure build, we can get started on that,” Mayor Nicholls says.

The council and city will have to come to a final budget number in June before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Several attorneys general visited the border in Yuma to see the results of the immigration policies put in place by President Donald Trump.

The 11 attorneys general are part of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach says every state is a border state and enforcing immigration laws has also helped in the fight against fentanyl and human trafficking.

“Now the word has gotten out that you are going to be turned around, so it’s not that we don’t need interior enforcement, it’s that the interior enforcement is what cause the slow down at the border,” said Kobach.

Enforcing immigration laws has brought down the migrant apprehensions from 1,500 to only four a day, but the attorneys general say there’s still more work to be done to cover gaps along the border.

“They only have to be right one time in order to cause mass destruction and complete chaos in this country. The good guys, us, we have to be right every time and people don’t want to invest in this until something bad happens. I would rather invest in this to prevent something bad to happen,” said South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes says the cooperation between state, local and federal law enforcement is key to having safer communities.

“It’s estimated that 500 thousand criminal aliens are free in this country right now. We got to partner with the federal government, we got to for coalitions networks local in the communities to find those people and get them out of the country,” explained Sheriff Rhodes.

“Finish the infrastructure that the Trump team put in effect the first time…that would be the first step and added elements to that infrastructure, turning cameras back on energizing the rest of the observation system that it is along the border,” said Yuma County Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman Jonathan Lines.

The attorneys general say they will continue working together along with the federal government to bring down the number of undocumented crossings from four to zero.

You can watch a livestream of the press conference here:

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Karina Bazarte

BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of Brawley and the Brawley Police Department (BPD) will be hosting a Major League Soccer (MLS) youth program.

The inaugural season of MLS GO is a recreational soccer experience for boys and girls from the ages four to 13.

BPD will be serving as coaches and mentors.

“This initiative is more than just about soccer; it’s about community, mentorship, and providing our youth with opportunities to grow and succeed,” said Chief Jimmy Duran. “We’re excited to see the positive impact this program will have on our city’s young residents.”

Brawley and surrounding communities are invited to support the MLS GO program.

For more upcoming information, visit BPD’s Facebook page here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) has announced the arrest of two people for making criminal threats and possessing illegal weapons.

ECPD says their night shift patrol officers stopped a white SUV in the area of 10th Street and Park Avenue after they received reports of a disturbance in the area of Broadway.

The occupants of the vehicle were detained, according to ECPD, and a K9 unit was deployed, leading them to find illegal weapons.

ECPD says they found a loaded 9mm Beretta APX A1 with a threaded barrel and three high-capacity magazines.

Courtesy: El Centro Police Department

In addition, ECPD says one of the suspects made a criminal threat towards a teen.

This prompted ECPD to arrest the two suspects, one a young adult and the other a teen, for various charges and booked them into the Imperial County Jail and Imperial County Juvenile Hall.

Courtesy: El Centro Police Department

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Karina Bazarte

Karina Bazarte investigates the risks passengers take when entering rides from “raiteros.”

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – They call them “raiteros,” a Spanish slang word meaning a person who gives rides. The community of Calexico says it’s a big problem that needs to be fixed.

Raiteros usually wait by the Port of Entry ready to provide a ride to whoever needs to get from Point A to Point B.

Usually you would think this is a kind gesture, but what you don’t know are the risks a passenger and even the driver are putting themselves into.

That’s because in the state of California, it’s illegal to sell or offer and negotiate transportation without a certificate or a permit.

“The truth is that it feels helpless because it is a battle that has been going on for many years,” said Miguel Hernandez, a taxi driver in Calexico.

Hernandez has been a taxi driver three years, and says it feels like there isn’t a solution to a problem that started 30 years ago.

“The calls that they take from us – they are also calling locally not only calls to take them to El Centro, They take locals. They don’t have permits and they are taking our jobs,” said Hernandez.

In the state of California, it’s illegal to sell or offer and negotiate transportation without a certificate or a permit.

Police say there’s been cases were raiteros negotiated a high price and left a person without money and not at their requested destination. Not only that, the driver can also be at risk.

“We have already had incidents where the driver is being taken for their money and robbed at gunpoint,” said Officer Nicolas Monninger with the Calexico Police Department (CPD).

According to the state of California, if caught for illegal transportation, you can be charged with an infraction and fined up to $500 or even serve jail time.

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Dillon Fuhrman

UPDATE: The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office says Gloria Ontiveros was found dead.

Family members have been notified.

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – A Silver Alert has been issued by the California Highway Patrol, on behalf of the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, for a missing woman from Holtville.

According to the alert, 72-year-old Gloria Ontiveros is five-feet, seven-inches, weighing 180 pounds, has gray hair and brown eyes, and is wearing a multi-color top with a long denim skirt.

She was last seen Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m. in the area of E. Fifth Street and Grape Avenue in Holtville, and is believed to be on foot.

If anyone sees Ontiveros, call (442) 265-2021.

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