Category: kyma-local-news

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) has welcomed a new Director of Public Works, and she is no stranger to the installation.

Donnett Brown began her career at YPG in 2008 as an Environmental Protection Specialist. Now, after years of leadership and environmental work, the Marine Corps Veteran has achieved what she says was always her longterm goal.

“It’s always been my end goal to be Director of Public Works,” Brown said. “When I started here, I said, ‘I want to be DPW director.’ The DPW is the workforce of YPG.”

As Director of Public Works, Brown oversees the installation’s infrastructure and facilities to help ensure the post operates safely and efficiently.

Her department is responsible for maintaining utilities, buildings, roads, and other essential services across the massive proving ground.

“I didn’t realize how much we do until you’re in the seat,” Brown said. “Until your AC is broken, until your utilities go down. It’s essentially running a small city within the City of Yuma. It’s a vast installation of over 830,000 acres, slightly bigger than Rhode Island. It’s a lot.”

Brown said one of her top priorities is supporting her staff and making sure they have the resources needed to support YPG’s mission.

She also hopes to encourage young professionals interested in higher education and leadership roles. Brown said education helped shape her own career and advises students to be strategic when pursuing their goals.

“Pick a program area when you go into college because it’s expensive,” Brown said. “Start off with community college, find where you want to go, but pick an area where you can take care of yourself financially and then use that as a stepping stone to pursue your passion.”

Brown also credits mentorship as a major factor in her success and encourages others to seek guidance from experienced professionals.

“It’s critical to seek out people where you want to go that are already there and ask them, ‘How do I get there?'” Brown said.

Brown says she is excited for the challenge ahead and looks forward to continuing to learn while working alongside her team at YPG.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Friends of the Lower Colorado River is asking the community’s help in cleaning up beaches along the Colorado River.

According to a press release, the event is taking place at Gateway Park Saturday, May 30, 2026, with the volunteer group arriving at 6:30 a.m. and check-in starting at 7 a.m.

During the event, the organization says there will be two cleanup efforts, with some volunteers loading up and heading to the California side while the other volunteers remain at Gateway Park.

The organization says they will be working with the Quechan community to cleanup highly used areas of the river.

“Our river is the lifeblood of this community, but it needs our help,” said David Sanchez for Friends of the Lower Colorado River. “I was glad to meet with the Tribal Council to work on this issue together. As a community, it is important to remember important outdoors concepts such as Pack It In & Pack It Out if there isn’t a garbage can near by.”

The organization is asking volunteers to wear study shoes, and says the cleanup supplies and water will be provided, along with Visit Yuma, who is sponsoring the event, providing coffee and donuts to the volunteers.

For more information on the event, or on how to get involved, click here.

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Jessamyn Dodd

WESTMORLAND, Calif. (KYMA) – Locals in Westmorland are reacting to a three-alarm fire tearing through an abandoned home in Westmorland spreading to next door properties.

The fire happened at around 3 a.m. Sunday in the area of C Street, near the Westmorland Community Presbyterian Church.

When the Westmorland Fire Department (WFD) realized the extent of the fire, the following fire agencies were called to help them:

Imperial County Fire Department

El Centro Fire Department

NAF-El Centro Fire

Brawley Fire Department

Calexico Fire Department

Holtville Fire Department

Centinella State Prison

Calipatria State Prison

Calipatria Fire Department

“It was a second alarm, we hit a third alarm because next door, with a resident in there actually caught on fire also. So, we had fire on all areas of the building. Everywhere, we were trying. We had engines in the alley trying to stop it as much as we could, but the wind wasn’t in our favor,” said Chief Cesar Zarate with WFD.

A resident in the home on the other side of the fire was evacuated, and Social Services were called to help her with finding a safe place to go.

Chief Zarate says they were able to save the prayer area of the church, but the rest of the building was not spared, and the wind was very powerful, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

“It’s been a vacant lot next to the church for many years. An abandoned home that we knew, you know, this was our biggest fear and it happened. All of our social hall, and other buildings and Sunday school classrooms are all gone,” said Carrie Augusta with the Westmorland Community Presbyterian Church.

Church members and Westmorland Fire Marshal Jesse Zendejas say they have been reporting the abandoned property for years, and nothing has been done.

“The city, other official building officials, fire chief have determined that this property was a fire hazard and a nuisance so we wanted to get it cleaned up. And it’s been at least for the last five years we’ve been asking them to clean it up,” Fire Marshal Zendejas shared.

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Lynette Niebla

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – Dozens of immigration reform advocates, faith leaders, and impacted families converged on the Imperial Regional Detention Facility Saturday for the day-long “Encuentro Convergence 2026.”

Organized by the Imperial Liberation Collaborative, the event protested systemic harm, medical neglect, and unsafe conditions at the ICE prison.

The mobilization featured a morning prayer vigil, community testimonies, and educational workshops detailing conditions inside the facility.

Participants also aimed to raise $2,000 for detained individuals’ commissary funds and rallied support for state Senate bills SB 941 and SB 942.

The day concluded with a faith procession along the U.S.-Mexico border and Border Friendship Park to demand increased accountability, higher oversight standards, and the eventual closure of the facility.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Rural Metro says they found an abandoned vehicle fully submerged in a canal over the weekend.

According to a post on Rural Metro’s Facebook page, the vehicle was found in the area of Eighth Street and Avenue D at around 8:15 a.m. Sunday.

Upon arrival, Rural Metro says crews found a vehicle fully submerged in the canal “with an unknown number of injuries or occupants.”

Rural Metro says crews remained on scene and waited for the vehicle to be removed from the canal to be further assessed.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

Once the vehicle was removed, Rural Metro says crews determined the vehicle to be abandoned.

The cause of the crash and the driver’s whereabouts are unknown, according to Rural Metro.

Courtesy: Rural Metro

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma Silver Spur Rodeo held their annual meeting over the weekend.

During the meeting, which took place Silver Spur Rodeo Clubhouse at 6 p.m. Saturday, they elected board members, handed out donations, and handled corporate business.

The corporation donated over $12,000 to Bridget’s Gift for breast cancer awareness. They also had a little surprise as they handed out the title of Yuman of the Year.

“It going to be Greg Fell…so Greg Fell…he has been such a great person for our community being with the Yuma Police Department…being with the AWC Police Department…now he’s teaching kids how to drive,” said Lefty Leifeste, Chairman of the Yuma Silver Spur Rodeo.

If anyone wants to become a member of the Silver Spur Rodeo, click here and send them an email expressing interest in joining the rodeo.

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Jessamyn Dodd

WESTMORLAND, Calif. (KYMA) – A three-alarm fire tore through an abandoned home in Westmorland, spreading to next door properties.

The fire happened at around 3 a.m. Sunday in the area of C Street, near the Westmorland Community Presbyterian Church.

The resident in the home on the other side of the blaze was evacuated safely as the roof of her home went up in flames and collapsed.

Westmorland Fire Captain Cesar Zarate says fire crews were able to save the prayer area of the church next door, but the rest of the building was not spared, and the wind was very powerful, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

“It was a second alarm. We hit a third alarm because next door, with a resident in there actually caught on fire also. So, we had fire on all areas of the building. Everywhere we were trying. We had engines in the alley trying to stop it as much as we could, but the wind wasn’t in our favor,” Captain Zarate shared.

Fire crews continued working through the morning looking for hotspots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the fire inspector says he has been reporting the property as a hazard for years.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to a vehicle fire over the weekend.

According to a post on Facebook, the fire happened at around 6 p.m. Saturday in the area of Eighth Street and Avenue A.

Upon arrival, YFD says crews found a pickup truck engulfed in flames and threatening a nearby building, prompting them to quickly extinguish the fire, limiting damage to the vehicle of origin and preventing the fire from extending to nearby structures.

While no injuries were reported, the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Courtesy: Yuma Fire Department

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) – 33 Imperial Valley College (IVC) students are getting a major boost to their education after receiving brand new laptops through a technology assistance program.

The initiative is supported by the IVC Foundation and AT&T, and funded through a $20,000 grant aimed at expanding digital access in underserved communities.

“Companies like AT&T are not obligated to support these types of projects. They do it because they see the value of investing in Imperial Valley and specifically students here at IVC,” said Todd Evangelist, Executive Director of the IVC Foundation. “They see the potential in these students, and so does the IVC Foundation.”

Courtesy: Imperial Valley College

Courtesy: Imperial Valley College

Officials say the laptops will help students stay connected to classwork, campus resources, and online learning.

College leaders say the goal is to remove barriers and help students succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

To learn more about this, click here.

Courtesy: Imperial Valley College

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