Category: kyma-local-news

Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Americares, Mission of Mercy, and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) are teaming up to help clinics keep patients safe from extreme heat.

The new “Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics Toolkit” offers more than 40 free resources in English and Spanish. The materials include patient handouts, emergency plans, and online tools to help clinics create heat-health and wildfire action plans.

“The resources are already making a difference by offering immediate relief and equipping families with tools to stay safe in the extreme heat,” said Paula Carvalho with Mission of Mercy Arizona.

Clinics, like Mission of Mercy Arizona, used the toolkit this summer to provide cooling stations, hydration supplies, and educational materials to hundreds of patients during high heat days.

Health officials say it is always a good time to think about heat preparedness in Arizona.

“This year, we hit our first 90 degree day in February and our first triple digit day in April, which is outside of our normal heat season. Hot days are not limited to May through September,” said Dr. Eugene Livar with ADHS.

For more information on the toolkit, click here.

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Adrik Vargas

WINTERHAVEN, Calif. (KYMA) – Heavy rain over the weekend left parts of Winterhaven underwater, flooding streets and fields.

Locals say it was the most rain they had seen in years. The storm began Saturday morning and lasted through the afternoon, leaving lingering problems for residents.

“We have to use these huge tubes to drain the water, so that the water can go to the river, so that the streets and fields don’t stay flooded,” said field worker Kevin Cabrera.

We reached out to the Quechan Police Department for more information but have not yet heard back.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – It’s time again for teachers to submit their classroom wishes for the 10th Annual Palo Verde Fiesta Sports Foundation Wishes for Teachers Program.

The program is giving away a record $1.5 million in funding to 540 teachers across the state, each receiving $2,500 to supply their classroom.

The program has funded 31 wishes in San Luis, Somerton, and Yuma since its start and wants to get these resources directly into Yuma County schools.

Last year’s Yuma recipient and Gila Ridge teacher Stephanie Stone shares why the program is helpful.

“It’s very helpful to teachers to get to have some help with those outside resources, so they can do more fun and exciting things in their classroom without it hurting their own pockets,” said teacher Stephanie Stone.

Teachers can submit a brief application online by Tuesday, September 30 at 10:00 p.m. MST sharing their classroom wish. You can find the application link here.

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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.

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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.

Press release 2025-8478 HOMICIDE – Sept 2025Download

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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