Category: kyma-local-news

Karina Bazarte

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Imperial County made their voices heard as California child care providers are protesting to demand fair wages and better benefits.

More than 30 child care providers and families rallied to send a message to the California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday morning.

The focus of the proposal is also to increase funding for low-resource families to provide access to child care.

United Domestic Workers (UDW) say the governor promised them better salary and better benefits.

“We are here doing a rally coming out being loud to the state letting them know that we need to be respected and that we need fair wages,” said Gabriela Guerrero, a child care provider in Imperial County.

UDW says child care providers from all over the state will be gathering in Sacramento on June 11. 

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) has issued a notification regarding a Level 3 sex offender in the Yuma community.

YCSO says Jason Sims, 54, told them he was living in the area of South Walnut Avenue and East 10th Street.

Sims is described by YCSO as five-feet, nine-inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes, and is not wanted by YCSO at this time.

In December of 1990, Sims pled guilty to one count of sexual battery in the San Diego County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 73 days in the San Diego County Jail as well as sentenced to three years of probation upon release.

However, Sims pled guilty to one count to failure to register as a sex offender in the San Diego County Superior Court at three different times:

October 20, 2001: Sentenced to over a year in the California Department of Corrections RJ Donovan Facility.

September 6, 2017: Sentenced to three years in the California Institution for Men.

September 17, 2019: Sentenced to over a year in the California Institution for Men.

Sims, according to YCSO, is considered a Level 3 sex offender with a high risk to reoffend.

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Dillon Fuhrman

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Area Port of San Luis arrested a woman in connection to an alleged child-smuggling attempt.

According to a press release, the incident happened at around 3:00 a.m. Tuesday when CBP says officers came across a 23-year-old woman, who is a Mexican citizen and legal U.S. resident, driving a 2013 Chevrolet sedan and had a child sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle.

During the examination, CBP says the woman presented a U.S. birth certificate for the child and told officers she was the child’s mother.

However, officers noticed the child “was in an abnormally deep sleep” and did not appear to be the age indicated on the birth certificate, CBP says.

It was then officers discovered the woman and the child were not related and while the birth certificate was legit, it did not belong to the child, who was actually a five-year-old boy from Mexico and did not have valid entry documents, according to CBP.

CBP also says the woman gave the child sleep sedatives “prior to the attempted crossing to assist in evading detection.”

“Sedating children is a dangerous and common tactic we see utilized by human smugglers attempting to avoid detection through our ports of entry,” said Chris Leon, Area Port Director for San Luis. “Our CBP officers are up to date on emerging smuggling trends and committed to safeguarding our borders, especially when it comes to the protection of children.”

Following this, CBP says officers seized the vehicle while the woman was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – April’s Rubber Ducky Drop will be in support of a Yuma charity organization.

The Lemon Grove’s rubber ducky events has locals buy ducks for a chance to win up to $10,000. Rubber ducks will be released into an irrigation canal and the first to cross the finish line will be the winner.

April’s charity recipient is the Yuma Childhood Burn Survivors Foundation.

“Surviving a harrowing burn incident is bad enough, but for children, they lose their skin elasticity and therefore need extensive skin grafts to support their growing bodies. Westyn has had 4 surgeries just this year!” wrote the Lemon Grove.

You can buy a rubber ducky here.

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Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Catholic Charities Day Center in El Centro is receiving just over $1 million in new funding aimed at expanding homeless services across Imperial County.

The money, approved by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, comes from a state grant and will support efforts like housing assistance, street outreach, and other basic services. But some local advocates say more needs to be done to reach people in rural areas who are often overlooked.

“County-wide means county-wide,” said Diahna Garcia-Ruiz, co-founder of Proyecto Heber, a nonprofit that supports community needs in the town of Heber. “These are county funds, use them all over the county.”

Garcia-Ruiz emphasized the lack of outreach in remote communities, where many unhoused residents aren’t aware of available services.

“No one really goes out there and looks for them,” she said.

Teresa, a local resident who once experienced homelessness, said the Day Center changed her life.

“They helped me find a place to live. Me and my daughter were homeless, but not anymore,” she shared.

She hopes the new funding will help the center reach more people like her, not just those currently on the streets, but those who are at risk.

“They help a lot here,” she said. “If they can help more people, that would be a blessing.”

As the Day Center looks to expand its impact, community leaders are calling for funding to prioritize transportation and rural outreach, to make sure no one is left behind.

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Andrea Turisk

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) paused to remember nearly 200 men and women who lost their lives working along California highways.

Caltrans says the job of a highway worker is extremely dangerous. Monday’s ceremony honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice, like Jaime Obeso, and called on driver to make sure no more names are added to the list.

At the Caltrans El Centro maintenance yard, 194 orange cones lined the pavement, each one representing a Caltrans worker killed on the job since 1920.

Caltrans District 11 Director Anne Fox says this ceremony serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done.

“It truly hits home on the work we need to do both as Caltrans on adopting and really putting forward a culture of safety,” Fox expressed.

For Caltrans crews, safety isn’t just part of the job, its the top priority the moment the day begins.

Ernesto Almodovar Jr., Caltrans Equipment Operator for District 11 says, “It’s the first thing that we think about when we wake up is that we want to make it right and make it back home at the end of the day and I believe that is essential with my line of duty.”

But staying safe isn’t something they can do alone. Crews rely on drivers to do their part. To stay alert and aware.

“There’s a lot of different obstacles, changes, road conditions that they need to focus on that road and just make it to where they want to go safely,” Almodovar remarked.

Caltrans says drivers can make a difference with one choice. Stay focused. Behind every vest is a person hoping to get home.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Calexico Police Department (CPD) says the incident started with an argument then turning physical while children were present during the attack.

CPD says a 26-year old man allegedly attempted to smother his 27-year-old wife during an argument Sunday afternoon.

The women was able to flee the scene with her children, but police say her attacker followed them.

“The victim reported to the officers that when she tried to flee with her children the suspect followed her into the street,” said Chief Armando Orozco with CPD.

The man was arrested and booked into the Imperial County Jail, and is facing three felony charges including attempted murder and child endangerment.

“Criminal threats are when someone makes a threat to cause physical harm or death to a person, like the victim in this case,” said Chief Orozco.

CPD could not give out more details as this case is still under investigation.

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Karina Bazarte

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Two men from Washington D.C. and Los Angeles were arrested in Calexico after a large quantity of methamphetamine and fentanyl were found in their car Monday afternoon.

The Calexico Police Department (CPD) says they arrested two men in their mid-20s for having over 11 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Police says the initial stop was for having tinted windows, but the officer noticed the suspects were acting abnormal.

“Both males appeared to be nervous. The passenger appeared to be agitated. When asked for any for of ID, they were both shaking, and one subject kept looking at a package between his feet in the front, which appeared to be a little suspicious that when I requested a K-9 unit to assist once they arrived the dog alerted to the front passenger seat as well as the rear seat,” said Officer Alexander Hernandez with CPD.

Police say the suspects were heading to El Centro and don’t believe they came from Mexico.

Both suspects were taken to the Imperial County Jail and booked with felony drug smuggling.

This was also the K-9 unit’s first drug bust.

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Scott Gross

A total of $193,000 will be given to schools across Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska in April.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KYMA, KECY) – ALLO for Education is an initiative created to helping students, teachers, and educators. ALLO ended 2024 with this philanthropic program, where every new residential customer who signed up for ALLO service in November and December was given the opportunity to select a school to receive a $50 donation from ALLO.

Donations have been calculated and a total of $193,000 will be given to schools across Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska this month. Since the start of the program, over $565,000 has been donated to local schools.

“Technology continues to evolve rapidly, and our schools deserve the tools and resources to keep pace,” President, Brad Moline said. “This program reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that educators can teach with the technology-forward resources today’s students need to succeed. Thanks to the support of our community, we’re making a lasting impact where it matters most.”

ALLO would like to thank every community member who signed up for ALLO and selected a school to make a difference. ALLO remains committed to supporting communities and schools.

Together with our customers, we’re building a future where access, reliability, and community impact go hand in hand.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local high school senior is devoting her time to making a difference in healthcare.

In honor of National Volunteer Month, Mylinda Garcia, a junior volunteer at Onvida Health, has logged over 195 hours over the past two years.

Mylinda started in labor & delivery and now is helping in the fast-paced emergency department.

“I’ve loved it ever since. I get more, like, hands on experience here, and just like being able to talk to the nurses and see how it is here, just get more insight on what it would be like in my future,” said Mylinda Garcia.

She’s also part of Onvida Health’s Mentor Me program, where she shadows doctors and gets hands-on guidance on resumes and college prep.

Mylinda says she’s thankful for the program and knows her calling is a trauma and delivery nurse. After she graduates, she will be attending Arizona Western College to pursue nursing.

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