Category: kyma-local-news

Danyelle Burke North

Danyelle Burke North became a pilot for the day and flew on one of the helicopters. She joined performers and gives us a bird’s-eye view from one of the aircrafts.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Just two more days until the 60th Anniversary of the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma Airshow.

“We get to show people what we do and how army aviation has evolved through history, and we should give them a little glimpse of what we go through with all the training and also all the missions,” said cobra pilot Floyd Werner.

We’re riding along with the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation which is one of the performers in the Yuma Airshow. You may recognize the aircrafts from the group in several movies and documentaries.

“We’ve done ‘Stranger Things.’ ‘We Were Soldiers’ once with Mel Gibson, the scene where the helicopter comes in and lions, that’s actually one of our helicopters,” said Cobra pilot Floyd Werner.

They say they’re excited to perform in the magic of the Yuma Airshow for the first time and will be offering living history flight experience rides to the public.

The event is free and features aerial acrobatics, military displays, and community events, drawing large crowds to the MCAS Yuma in Arizona.

The show generally attracts between 15,000 to 35,000+ spectators annually. Recent 2025 data showed over 15,000 attendees.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A new Spencer’s store is coming to Yuma, and some locals say they’re excited to see another shop opening at the mall.

The store will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, March 14, at Yuma Palms, located at 1309 Yuma Palms Parkway, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

During the event, the first 100 guests will receive $10 gift cards, along with treats, freebies, and giveaways.

Some shoppers at the mall say they’re happy to see new businesses opening in the area and bringing more variety to local shopping.

The new location will bring the popular retail chain to Yuma, where shoppers will soon be able to visit the store in person.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Locals across Yuma County are invited to attend Der Yumans’ Volkswagen on the River 2026 this weekend.

There will be three events happening at the Yuma County Fairgrounds this weekend. On Friday, Volkswagen owners/enthusiasts will participate in a camp-out at 10 a.m.

On Saturday, there will be a show, swap-meet and raffle, which is open to the public, and on Sunday, there will be a pancake breakfast strictly for Volkwagen owners/enthusiasts.

All proceeds from the event will go towards Crossroads Mission. To learn more about the upcoming event, click here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Nurses Foundation (YCNF) has announced they are hosting the annual Nurses Gala in May.

According to a press release, the gala is taking place at the Quechan Casino Resort from 6 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

YCNF says the gala kicks off National Nurses Week, where they recognize “the dedication, compassion and excellence of nurses serving the Yuma community,” and says the gala honors the nurses through the following three awards:

Clinical Nurse Excellence

Excellence in Nursing Mentorship

Excellence in Nursing Leadership

The nominations are open through April 10, and any member of the community, including patients, colleagues, family members and friends, can nominate a nurse.

In addition, tickets are available through April 18. For an individual ticket, it’s $55. For a table of 10, it’s $600.

To submit nominations and purchase tickets, click here. To learn more about the gala, read the press release below.

Press%20Release%20YCNF%20Gala%202026Download

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Police Department is asking the community’s help in identifying a man wanted in connection to damaging a home last month.

According to a post on Facebook, it happened in the area of W. 17th Street, near S. Fourth Avenue, before 1 a.m. on February 21, 2026.

If anyone has information regarding the suspect’s identity, call YPD at (928) 783-4421, or 78-CRIME at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.

If anyone’s information leads to an arrest, they may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.

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Lauren Duffel

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is conducting road work on Cesar Chavez Boulevard in San Luis, Arizona.

According to a press release, this is in coordination with the City of San Luis, and is meant to improve traffic flow and decrease congestion in an area of high cross border travel.

“We’re going from two lanes to five lanes. This is an expansion that we’ve been working on it for the past 20 years,” said Nieves Riedel, Mayor of San Luis.

This is happening at the same time as the San Luis Port of Entry project, bringing significant traffic changes to the area.

“It definitely is making an impact right now as we speak. On the way we move around,” Mayor Riedel spoke.

Riedel says she wants residents and anyone visiting San Luis to be aware of traffic changes, and to drive safely and plan their travel ahead.

One local, Antonio Gomez, says he’s used to heavy traffic in the area adding, “I live in the rural area three miles from here, and I come to town every few days…I try to avoid the usual traffic.”

Other locals, like Eric Leon, aren’t bothered by the construction.

“The traffic is not bothering me. Other than that, everything’s fine,” Leon expressed.

This is expected to be completed by early spring 2028. To learn more about this, click here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma School District One celebrated student achievements during a recognition event Wednesday.

According to a press release, the event honored 45 students and 33 teachers across the district “who demonstrated exceptional academic success in several competitions and programs.”

Reagan Strom, Official Top 10 Winner of the Arizona Historical Society’s Postcard Contest. Courtesy: Yuma School District One

Zyla Gonzales, Overall State Winner of the AEA Drug Awareness Poster Contest. Courtesy: Yuma School District One

District One says the following students were recognized during the celebration:

First and second-place school spelling bee winners

Second-place winner at the Yuma County Spelling Bee

Award recipients from the Yuma County Science Fair

The Arizona Historical Society Contest winner

The Arizona Education Association (AEA) Drug Awareness Poster Contest winner

Donivan Schue, First Place Winner of the Yuma County Science Fair for Engineering. Courtesy: Yuma School District One

Natasha Hernandez, First Place Winner of the Yuma County Science Fair for Zoology. Courtesy: Yuma School District One

District One also says not only were the students recognized for their accomplishments, but the event also recognized “also the dedication of the teachers who helped guide and support their success.”

“Events like this give us the opportunity to celebrate the incredible achievements of our students and the educators who inspire them every day,” stated Denis Ponder, District One Superintendent. “Their hard work and commitment to learning make our entire district proud.”

Jacius Skinner, First Place Winner of the School Spelling Bee. Courtesy: Yuma School District One

To learn more about the event, as well as to see the full list of students recognized for their accomplishments, read the press release below.

2025-15 Celebrating Academic AchievementsDownload

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Two stores in Yuma County were cited after state investigators found they were selling tobacco products to minors.

The inspections were part of the Arizona Attorney General’s Operation Counter Strike program, which checks stores to make sure they are not selling tobacco to people under 18.

Last year, the program inspected more than 1,000 stores across Arizona. Nearly 500 citations were issued to clerks and businesses that sold tobacco to minors.

In Yuma County, two stores were cited: Chevron Food Mart near the Big Curve in Yuma and Super Gas Mini-Mart on Main Street in Somerton.

Some local residents say they are disappointed to see this happening in their community.

“It’s sad to see that in our hometown. It’s gotten to the point where just to make a quick buck, businesses are selling to minors, but almost as a way of like targeting them as well,” said Richard Nunez, a local father.

Nunez said he hopes businesses take more responsibility when it comes to protecting kids and says protecting kids from tobacco sales should be a bigger priority.

“The future of the U.S., or our state of Arizona, is in our kids, you know, and if we’re not protecting them, then we’re not protecting the future. So I do think statewide, they should crack down a little bit harder,” he said.

Operation Counter Strike has been running since 2002. During the checks, youth volunteers work with investigators to try to buy tobacco from stores.

If a clerk sells to an underage volunteer, both the employee and the business can receive a criminal citation.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – We’re digging into just how many crashes there have been on 32nd Street in Yuma that led the city to lower the speed limit.

The city reported 159 crashes from 2021 to last year on 32nd Street, between Arizona Avenue and Avenue 3E.

“Four of them have been fatal and several more have had serious injuries,” said City of Yuma Director of Engineering David Wostenberg.

The city shared crash data with us from that area over the past five years.

2022 saw the most crashes at 48. The lowest was 20 crashes in 2023.

“Over those five years, there were a reduction in crashes over the most recent three years. However, that was due to enhanced enforcement by Yuma Police, and they also recommended a reduced speed limit for that area,” said Wostenberg.

When I asked the city director of engineering why the changes now, they said they’ve seen an increase in vehicles on the road since 2020 with about 13.7% of truck traffic now.

“Over the past several years from 2020, there’s been an average increase in the volume of traffic by 10% a year, so we are now at 30,000 vehicles per day on that segment, and, it’s continuing to grow,” said Wostenberg.

That’s why the city is dropping the speed limit from 45 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour on a stretch of 32nd Street starting next week.

They say the changes will help improve traffic flow and reduce crashes.

“The reduction of speed will improve the safety for all road users, not just the motorists, but also our vulnerable road users, the bicyclists, and the pedestrians,” said Wostenberg.

Some locals agree.

“I like the idea. I don’t like giving up my speed, but I do like the idea for safety because it does get a little hairy down there, and if you miss the light, you’re really trying to get it. Yeah, 35 would be a good place to go,” said local Marde Randall.

They say the city will continue to study the road if any futher imrpovements need to be made to help with road safety.

“The city traffic engineering will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the speed reduction. And about 60 to 90 days, I’ll look at it to see how well the enhanced enforcement work- how well the speed reduction has been working,” said Wostenberg.

They remind those on the road drive the speed limit, stay alert, and don’t drive distracted.

“Distracted for one second can mean the difference between a crash and a non crash,” said Wostenberg.

Public works will install the new speed limit signs next Monday morning.

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