Skylar Heisey
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A Yuma woman accused of her murdering her brother appeared in court Monday.
21-year-old Danica Watts will plead not guilty in the death of her brother, 24-year-old Michael Patrick Reiter.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, Watts murdered her brother with the help of her father earlier this month.
Watts will be back in court on October 30.
Abraham Retana
SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Somerton Police Department (SPD) is searching for a man in connection to a shooting which left one person dead.
According to a press release, the shooting happened in the area of W. Cactus Street and Mendota Avenue before 11:00 p.m. Sunday.
SPD says the suspect, identified as 40-year-old Ignacio Bedoy of Somerton, confronted his estranged wife and the victim, a 31-year-old man, after he arrived armed and shot the man, who died at the scene.
Bedoy then “fired blindly into an occupied apartment” where multiple children and adults were hiding, SPD says.
After that, SPD said Bedoy fled the area in a black Chevrolet Camaro convertible bearing Arizona license plate number PLA90V.
Courtesy: Somerton Police Department
He is described by SPD as a Hispanic man, approximately five-feet, ten-inches tall, weighing 165 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes, and “was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.”
SPD says Bedoy is considered armed and dangerous, and is asking the community if they see him, do not approach and call 911 immediately.
The investigation remains ongoing, and if anyone has information regarding the case, call SPD at (928) 627-2011 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.
Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local middle school science teacher has been selected to attend the Middle School Research Teachers Conference in Washington, D.C.
According to a press release obtained by KYMA, Jonathan Bailey, who teaches eighth grade science at Gila Vista Jr. High School, will attend the conference, taking place October 3 until October 5, after he entered a lottery and “was chosen out of hundreds of applicants” across the country.
In addition, he is one of three teacher from Yuma, and one of four teachers from Arizona, to attend this year’s conference, where it will bring “middle school research teachers of all experience levels together to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and learn more about Society for Science and STEM research competitions,” the press release said.
“I am so excited to be able to get the opportunity to learn from teachers from all across the country and get the chance to introduce my students to competitions and STEM experiences that I was not aware of previously,” Bailey expressed.
To learn more about the conference, click here.
Eduardo Morales
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The young Yuma man accused of killing his brother entered a plea of not guilty during his latest court appearance Monday.
Outside the courthouse Monday morning, about a dozen people stood outside, protesting in support of 19-year-old Juan Figueroa.
Figueroa is accused of murdering of his brother, 17-year-old Javier Figueroa, by running him over during a road rage fight with another man.
His father, Joseph, says it’s sad to see his son locked up and he believes his son is innocent.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen him, in two weeks now…I used to see him everyday, so it’s kind of hard to see him incarcerated. He can’t be guilty. I mean, we need to find out the truth and I don’t want him to just sit there and just take a plea deal or anything. I want to know the truth,” Joseph expressed.
Figueroa is scheduled to be back in court on October 24.
Manoah Tuiasosopo
(KYMA) – The Yuma sky was lit up Sunday night as SpaceX confirmed they launched 28 Starlink satellites into orbit with this latest flight.
The rocket, known as Falcon 9, lit up the night sky of the Desert Southwest, taking flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc, California.
Lots of viewers from across our area sent in pictures of the launch.
The flight was SpaceX’s 124th Falcon 9 mission this year out of a total 542 launches since 2010.
The base says, “This launch strengthens department of war communications by employing advanced low-Earth orbit technology.”
Paul Vozzella
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Medical professionals from Onvida Health made their way to Arizona Western College (AWC) Saturday to host the “Research Transforming Communities: Empowering Health” Symposium.
The symposium, which took place at 8:00 a.m. at the Schoeing Conference Center, served the purpose of sharing insights and future goals to improve patient care and building a better community.
The event primarily focused on behavioral health and family medicine, and with AWC serving as the host, the school hopes to further the healthcare pipeline between them and Onvida Health.
“It’s important for us to empower and create a pipeline for education. Make it feasible for others to see what is possible in Yuma, and what we can expand to,” said Dr. Eyuel Terefe with Onvida Health.
“We have a great collaboration with Onvida and we are looking into more programming and collaboration in future,” said Reetika Dhawan with AWC.
The symposium lasted until 2:00 p.m. To learn more about the symposium, click here.
Madeline Murray
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Territorial Rotary Club hosted their first Washoe Tournament Saturday.
The tournament took place at Crazy Earl’s at 2:00 p.m., and 100% of the proceeds will go to scholarships for graduating seniors who want to go to trade school.
There were 32 teams who signed up for the event, with the winner taking home $1,500.
Josh Finkbeiner, President of the Yuma Territorial Rotary Club, talked about the event saying, “This is our first year as a Yuma Territorial Rotary. We just charted [on] July 1st of 2025, and this is our first fundraiser ever, and it’s a sellout, and we’re having a great time. We’re going to raise a bunch of money for kids graduating from high school that want to go into the trades.”
Yuma Territorial Rotary Club would like to thank Crazy Earl’s for letting them host the fundraiser there.
Paul Vozzella
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The 18th Annual “Day of Remembrance” was observed across the country and it’s the 12th consecutive year that Yuma is participating.
Local citizens and members of law enforcement gathered at the Yuma Arts Center to honor the memories of murder victims locally and across the country.
Every seat at the vigil was filled to remember victims, and local Salvador Alonso, brother of a victim, was quick to acknowledge both sides to the turnout.
“It was beautiful to see this turnout – to see how many people are willing to support each other,” Alonso said. “It was also very heart-breaking to see this turnout, because you know why they’re here.”
While it is not easy to imagine what the mourning process is like, Mark Martinez, Master of the Ceremony and Yuma County Victim’s Rights Committee Chairman, puts together the event to help families of victims.
“Some people may think we know; we may even say ‘I know what you’re going through,’ but it’s never true,” said Martinez. “We can never truly know, but we hope, as a victim’s advocate group, that this provides some type of healing.”
Of course, the healing process is a long one and the judicial process following tragedy can be a long one, as well. For the Sims family, the judicial process is still in the preliminary stage, almost a year after losing their loved one, Jacob.
“We just want some peace and justice for him,” said grandmother Genia Sims. “They took him away from us. He’s just this huge bright light to us.”
The vigil cannot change the past, but serves as a way to help the future and the city is planning on continuing the event next year.
Paul Vozzella
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Starting October 1, Yuma’s Public Works Department is beginning its Fall Pavement Preservation Program.
This season’s work focuses on improvements in subdivisions, as well as on major arterial, collector and local streets.
With a lot of work going on to improves the roads, the city wants to ensure it does not affect your schedule.
“The contractor is gonna be in the road, utilizing a lot of the area, slowing down the pace of traffic, so please allow a little more time for your commute,” said Jose Garcia, an employee for the Yuma Public Works Department.
The city repeats this process twice a year to ensure roadways remain in good condition and their lifespan is extended.
One local, Michelle Stamps, shared their opinion on the pros and cons of the preservation program.
“[It] keeps our city looking nice,” said Stamps. “Well, I like it because I go to other cities and I don’t see them fixing the road. I’m for it.”
Roadwork is scheduled to run through November with crews working 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
Marcos Icahuate
CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – The City of Calexico will be hosting a tree lighting.
The event is planned for Thursday, November 20 starting at 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The City is also looking for vendors and performers.
Deadline to apply for either is Monday, November 3, 2025.
