Category: kyma-local-news

Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma City Council turned down an amendment requiring elevators for new multi-story buildings regardless of size.

On a three-to-three vote, the council did not pass codes requiring multi-story buildings less than three-thousand square feet to have an elevator or a lula.

The amendment would have only applied to future commercial buildings built.

Still, the council argued not many buildings met these requirements to begin with, and it would cost future building owners even more money to install.

Council member Chris Morris sent us a statement saying: 

“The City Council made the appointments for the board members that make up the Building Advisory Board, and I think it’s important that us as a council, that we try to follow those recommendations provided by those professionals.”

City Council member Leslie McClendon says that while she is disappointed in the vote, she is still grateful for the improvements the board has made towards ADA compliance.

“They did their due diligence in allowing Chapter 11 to go through with a little bit more of some stipulations to approve, improve, what we need moving forward, so I’m very happy,” she says.

But Alexis Liggett, a local mother of a disabled child, says she is disappointed the amendment did not pass.

“I recognize that substantial changes are being made to improve accessibility and I’m really grateful for that, but at the same time these updates are really just kind of catching us up to barriers that shouldn’t exist today,” Ligget said.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local school is without a building after flooding from the recent storms. Positive Expressionz is a micro school in Yuma that serves children with disabilities and special needs.

For the past two and a half weeks, students have been without a classroom because of flooding damage. Money continues to be spent for things that are essential, but with no building, no students can attend, meaning no funds are coming in.

“Not only was the building physically devastated, but it also impacted not only the lives of ourselves because we were out of work, and we weren’t able to see these wonderful children every day,” said para professional Michael Acosta. “But it also devastated their lives as well as their parents’ lives because now they’re out of that service as well.”

The school set up a GoFundMe to help secure a safe new building and replace damaged materials. If you’d like to help, you can find the GoFundMe here.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – After winning the seat for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, Adelita Grijalva had a strong message for the Trump administration.

“We reject the MAGA agenda, and we will hold this administration accountable,” she said.

Grijalva received almost 70% of the vote, currently totaling over 61,000 votes.

She beat out Republican candidate Daniel Butierez who received about 30% of the vote, getting over 26,000 votes.

Grijalva says she already has plans for when she takes office. 

“On my very first day in office, I will be the deceive 218th signature on the discharge petition to force the vote on the release of the Epstein files,” Grijalva says.

Meanwhile, some Yuma locals have mixed reviews about election’s outcome.

“I’m not very happy about it. I think it would have been better if we had had a Republican that was able to win because I’ve had some issues with Grijalva before,” said Yuma local Joanne Schickle.

“I think that, being Democratic myself, that’s a good thing, so whenever I hear of any Democrat winning anything, I’m all for it,” said Josh Hudgens, another Yuma local.

The Yuma County Recorder’s Office says almost 9,000 turned in their ballots, which amounts to a local voter turnout of about 15%. 

Yuma County Recorder David Lara shares why it’s important to come out and vote.

“If you don’t vote, don’t complain. That’s how you voice your complaints and it’s sad but this happens nationwide…It’s not just locally here, so that’s one of the things I’ve been trying to do since I got elected as recorder is bring up those numbers,” Lara said.

Grijalva is taking the seat of her father, the late Congressman Raul Grijalva.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) says San Luis High School is closed Wednesday.

YUHSD says the school is without air conditioning due to “a problem with the chillers at the school.”

As a result, YUHSD says all students will attend class from home through the Canvas Learning Management System.

During that time, students are to visit each other courses through Canvas check assignments, instructions, and updates from their teachers, YUHSD says.

YUHSD says they will update all parents with the status of school for Thursday through ParentSquare and the district’s social media accounts.

In an update later in the day, YUHSD said San Luis High will be closed Thursday, September 25.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A new beer event returns to Yuma County.

The second annual Prison to Prison Beer Run is set for October 18, 2025. Locals are invited to dress as criminals and go for a beer run.

Check-in and early festivities began at 8:30 a.m. at Prison Hill Brewing Co. (278 S. Main St.).

Registration is $65 and participants must be at least 21 years of age.

Proceeds will be going towards Yuma Territorial Prison Museum.

You can register here.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) released a notification about a sex offender living in Yuma.

33-year-old Aaron Castillo is living in the area of E. 38th Place and S. Avenida Compadres in the Foothills.

He’s described as 5’4″, 165 pounds, black hair and brown eyes, and is not wanted by YCSO at this time, according to a press release.

Castillo pled guilty to two counts of attempted child molestation in the Yuma County Superior Court on June 6, and was sentenced to five years.

He is considered a Level 3 sex offender with a high risk to reoffend.

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Marcos Icahuate

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – A fun Halloween event is planned to be held in El Centro.

The City of El Centro Parks and Recreation is hosting Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 24, 2025 at Stark Field (830 S. 4th Street), starting at 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Families are invited for a night of candy, music, games food vendors and more.

This annual event has activities for children such as a hay ride, a “Trail of Terror,” and a costume runway.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local hospital earns three prestigious national recognitions. Onvida Health says it’s been recognized for delivering safe high quality care across stroke, diabetes, cancer and bariatric healthcare.

Some of the honors include American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines–Stroke Gold Plus award, QOPI® Certification from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Comprehensive Accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation program.

“It’s an assurance that we provide standard of care, quality care for our patients, and it helps to build trust within the community within our physician peers as well,” said Onvida Health Cancer and Blood Disorder Center Medical Director Abhinav Chandra.

Onvida Health says this shows their team dedication and patient-centered care.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – State leaders representing Yuma County came together Tuesday for a public town hall at Arizona Western College (AWC).

From the state budget to local needs, the event gave residents a chance to hear directly from their representatives. Lawmakers from both parties shared accomplishments from the last legislative session and answered questions from the audience.

Education was a major topic, with lawmakers highlighting the value that community colleges like AWC bring to the community.

State Representative Nick Kupper (R) said, “If you look at the outcomes of the students, you’re getting higher outcomes per dollar spent at the college than you are for your universities right now.”

The town hall also offered a look ahead at what legislators hope to focus on in the next session, including prison funding and sentencing laws.

State Representative Brian Fernandez (D) said, “If you get arrested for a serious crime in most places, you might serve five, 10, 15 years. In Arizona, you serve your entire life. You just kind of stay there.”

Lawmakers weren’t just talking about the issues, they also shared ideas for solutions.

Fernandez added, “I would like to see elderly people put in a facility. So, that health care be delivered there directly. We can get Medicare, Medicaid money, and then we can use that savings on education.”

The town hall served as a chance for lawmakers to work together and hear from the community they serve.

Kupper said, “It’s very important to make sure you know who you’re representing. You don’t just represent one party, you don’t just represent one city. You represent the entire district.”

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – In Tuesday’s Home Grown report, the University of Arizona is leading a collaborative effort to fight a devastating soil-borne fungus that is infecting lettuce fields in the region.

The fungus, known as lettuce fusarium wilt, clogs the vascular structure of the plant, preventing water and nutrients from reaching the leaves.

This causes the plant to wilt, appear water-deficient, and eventually die, resulting in financial losses for farmers.

Researchers are now testing various chemical formulations to kill the fungus in the soil, while seed companies are trialing different lettuce varieties that may be resistant to the disease.

“You know, we’re finding that some varieties are really resistant to this fungus while some others are not which tells us that if a farmer finds this disease in their field, they can go to their seed salesman and order special seed that’s more resistant to this disease, and they can plant that out and have a better chance for success,” said Robert Masson, agricultural extension agent for the University of Arizona.

The project has been underway for several years with the help of student interns.

The university is also organizing collaborative projects with the USDA, the University of Florida, Yuma Cooperative Extension, and the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture.

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