Category: kyma-local-news

Jailene Aguilera

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Here’s a refreshing take on lemonade pack with lots of vitamins, Kale Lemonade.

Ingredients:

– 1 cups fresh kale, stems removed

– 3 medium cucumber, chopped

– 3 medium apple (a sweet variety like Fuji or Honeycrisp), cored and chopped

– 1-2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled

– 1 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)

– 2-3 tablespoons honey (adjust to taste)

– Water (as needed for consistency)

Instructions:

1.Prepare the Ingredients 

Wash the kale, cucumber, and apple thoroughly. Peel the ginger and core the apple.

2. Juicing

Feed the kale, cucumber, apple, and ginger through your juicer, collecting all the juice in a pitcher.

3. Mixing 

In the pitcher with the juice, add the fresh lemon juice and honey. Stir well to combine.

4. Adjust Sweetness

Taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness by adding more honey if desired.

5. Serve

Pour the juice into glasses. You can serve it over ice or chill it in the refrigerator before serving.

This could be a fun way to get your kids to drink, healthier options.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Congressional candidate Adelita Grijalva kicked off her Yuma County canvass event in San Luis Saturday.

The former Pima County Supervisor is running for the representative of Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, the same seat formerly held by her late father, Raul Grijalva.

A proud mother, Grijalva says she is fighting for a future where women and families not only survive, but thrive.

She advocates for quality healthcare, affordable childcare, and strong public schooling.

Grijalva will be back in San Luis for a town hall on June 11. To RSVP for the event, click here.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Over the past two decades, the share of women in agriculture in the United States has steadily increased, with recent studies showing women now make up more than a third of all agricultural producers.

Some of these local leaders outstanding in their field are making a difference right here in Yuma agriculture.

According to a study by Trace One, over 54% of farms in Yuma County are operated by women. Three of these women work as agricultural leaders at our local JV Farms, including Farms Spray & Planting Department Manager Martha Ryan, Food Safety Director Fatima Corona Zepeda, and Southern Colorado Farms General Manager Amy Kunugi.

But sowing seeds into success hasn’t always been easy.

“I just feel like I had to prove myself working for a male dominated industry, but it’s really nice to finally see that women are representing a big part of the industry out in the field. It’s really needed. It’s inspiring, and I’m glad to be part of that,” said Ryan.

Sometimes they’ve had to prove themselves just for a seat at the table, with people still holding onto outdated ideas.

“I get different reactions. It’s really funny. I feel like some people think that the typical representation of a person out in the field is like an older man like the pioneer, so I get mixed reaction. Sometimes they’re like ‘Oh yeah, that’s great,’ or something like ‘You’re in a management role for a farm?'” said Martha Ryan.

“I’ve gone to events where you know you had to sign in. And I was signing in as the grower, and the people at the desk I was signing in didn’t believe I was the grower. And they thought I was the spouse, and so you know that’s gotten a lot better. Things have changed. The industries become more progressive,” said Kunugi.

People sometimes misunderstand and think it’s just about tractors and trailers. But there’s so much more to this multifacted industry.

“It isn’t just about the tractors. It’s a huge amount of different roles that really represent what it’s all about to run a farm,” said Ryan.

“I mean, we need accountants. We need I.T. directors, especially with technology,” said Fatima Corona Zepeda.

But the crops aren’t the only thing growing, so is the number of women taking over the industry. Trace One reports Arizona leads the nation with 47.9% of its agricultural producers being women.

And it’s a bigger deal when they take center stage in Yuma, as our local AG has a large impact on the entire industry.

“It’s very exciting just to know that we supply the majority of the vegetables to our country during the month of November through March,” said Zepeda. “So without our operations here in Yuma County, I don’t think the country would be able to enjoy the leafy greens they do enjoy during these times of the year.”

As this industry continues to grow, these women say they’re looking forward to the future of agriculture.

“We have a lot of women in human resources or accounting or maybe food safety things like that, but there’s not as many of us in the actual production side of it, so I would highly encourage young women to consider agricultural production as a career,” said Kunugi.

“Hopefully, we can inspire young students to pursue a career,” said Zepeda.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs visited Yuma Friday afternoon to discuss the importance of Medicaid funding.

Gov. Hobbs stopped by Sunset Health Clinic where she toured the facility, and spoke with both doctors and locals.

Following the tour, she heard from several local residents on AHCCCS who are dependent of the Medicaid funding.

After taking the time to listen, Hobbs quoted former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer saying, “You can’t balance the budget by killing people, and you heard from these people, that people are going to die, and we can’t do that.”

Multiple locals shared their perspective about how reliant they are on this funding.

“It’s indispensable that we have medical aid from AHCCCS so that it can help us…the economic situation is tough,” says local Lucas Vizcarra.

Hobbs says that everyday people can help fight for funding.

“Everyone should be talking to their members of Congress, and this doesn’t just affect people on Medicaid, it affects everyone,” she said.

The governor also spoke about her budget and highlighted some of its key points.

“Border security funding, I called for a big investment in childcare. It’s a huge need across the state, I called for raises for our Department of Public Safety officers…those are still priorities. I think they’re areas where we should be able to find common ground,” Gov. Hobbs says.

The governor’s team says she is trying to emphasize the importance of Medicaid, especially in rural communities.

You can watch a livestream of the meeting below:

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local store is asking the community to come together for a good cause. Kabat’s Fortuna Ace Hardware store in the Fortuna Foothills is doing a sock drive to help support Cristina’s Closet.

“You can either buy…donate a pair of socks and at the end of the month, we will deliver them to Cristina’s Closet,” said Sean Toomey, Store Manager.

Cristina’s closet is a safe space where locals can find clothing for job interviews or professional needs free of charge. The nonprofit says they’ve served over 2,000 people with over 7,000 outfits, all from community donations.

Cristina McInnes, the founder of Cristina’s Closet, shares the impact she hopes the drive will have.

“When they asked to partner up with me to do the sock drive, it’s just so incredible! I mean we’re really literally down to our last pair of like ten socks, so this just has come at a perfect time. And with the socks that they’re looking to get, it’s going to almost give us a full year,” said McInnes.

Starting June 1, customers can purchase and donate a pair of socks for $2.

“Our goal right now for our store for the month of June is going to be about 300 pairs of socks,” said Toomey.

If you want to help out and donate a pair of socks, you can visit any of the registers at Kabat’s Fortuna Ace Hardware store.

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Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) isn’t just moving water. It’s growing fish.

At the IID Fish Farm in El Centro, thousands of sterile grass carp are bred, tested, and released into canals each year to help control weed growth, all without the need for chemicals.

“We go production, blood testing, then the stocking, so it’s a year-round process,” said Pablo Cortez, Hatchery Operations Coordinator.

The farm is the only one of its kind in the West and uses science and sustainability to keep the region’s water clean. It’s also saved money in the long run.

“Early 90s, late 80s, the IID was spending about a million and a half for chemical and mechanical clean up,” Cortez said. “With the grass carp, our budget is pretty much the same, but we are attacking the entire Imperial Valley which is about 1,600 miles of canals.”

That kind of impact starts with daily care.

“It’s a year-long process from feeding them to making sure they have alfalfa, feed, making sure that the elements haven’t gotten to them, having proper aeration for oxygen,” said Arturo Guzman, a fish biologist at the farm.

One key step is blood testing the fish to make sure they’re triploid, sterile and safe to release.

The job is labor-intensive, and teamwork is essential.

“It’s definitely a group effort. Not one of us can do it ourselves,” Guzman said.

These fish aren’t just swimming, they’re clocking in to help keep the Valley’s waterways flowing clean and weed-free.

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Adrik Vargas

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of Imperial is in the early stages of planning a brand-new regional park, and the parks and recreation department want the public’s help shaping it.

The future park site spans 143 acres of open space along LaBrucherie Road, between Ralph and Larson. Right now, it’s just an undeveloped field near the new Cambria Hotel, but officials hope it will eventually become a hub for recreation and community events.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department held a town hall meeting to hear directly from residents about what they’d like to see developed at the park.

“No idea is a bad idea, so any ideas are valid. We will give those ideas to the design firm we select to move forward to the next phase of this project,” said Anthony Lopez, Imperial’s Parks and Recreation Director.

This kind of community engagement is part of phase one in the park’s planning process. Lopez says the city has seen increased demand for athletic fields and outdoor gathering spaces, and the new park could help meet that need.

“Over the last few years, we’ve had a growing demand of use of specifically our athletic fields, and we just don’t have the space anymore, so this is an opportunity to expand the resources we have here,” he said.

Although the park is still in development, the city says it’s committed to including the community every step of the way, and they’re still welcoming feedback.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Police Department (YPD) announced the arrest of two people after they found a toddler’s remains.

YPD says they responded to the area of E. 25th Street, near S. Carolyn Way, before 2:00 p.m. Friday after receiving reports of suspicious activity in the area.

Once they arrived, YPD says officers found “what appeared to be human remains,” possibly of a two-year-old boy.

YPD says they called their Investigations Unit to take over the case, leading to the arrest of a 20-year-old woman, who is the boy’s mother, and her boyfriend, a 23-year-old man.

They were then booked for first degree premeditated murder and abandoning/concealing dead body parts.

The investigation is ongoing, and if anyone has any information regarding the case, call YPD at (928) 373-4700 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.

If anyone’s information leads to an arrest, they may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.

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Adrik Vargas

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local brewery in Downtown Yuma is making headlines this week, not for a new beer, but for a brunch. And not just any brunch. A drag brunch.

Prison Hill Brewery is getting ready to host its first-ever drag brunch this Sunday at 11 a.m. The event has generated quite the mix of reactions online, especially after the flyer noted it’s open to all ages.

Some folks are excited to see something new and inclusive coming to town. But others are raising eyebrows wondering if drag is something young kids should be around.

“People need to understand what state they live in,” said local resident Chloe Curtis. “But then also, as long as you keep it age appropriate, you can’t have your kids seeing all that.”

Prison Hill owner Chris Wheeler says he stands behind the event and the team who brought it to life.

“My staff brought this idea to me,” Wheeler said. “It was something we hadn’t had before, and I gave them full permission to run with it and organize it…and that’s how it came about.”

He says the brewery has hosted all kinds of events in the past, and this is just another way to bring the community together.

“I like being able to give back to the community,” Wheeler added. “And I think Prison Hill has been a vehicle for me to do a lot of good.”

While debate over the “all ages” detail continues online, others in town say that decision should be left up to parents.

“I saw that a lot of people were saying stuff about the all ages aspect,” said local Kennah Tuffley. “I just feel like if you don’t want your kid to go, then don’t take your kids. It’s not your responsibility to parent other people’s kids.”

Whether you’re excited to attend or just watching the comment section light up, one thing’s for sure: Yuma is definitely talking.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs visited Yuma Friday afternoon to discuss the importance of Medicaid funding.

Gov. Hobbs stopped by Sunset Health Clinic where she toured the facility, and spoke with both doctors and locals.

Following the tour, she heard from several local residents on AHCCCS who are dependent of the Medicaid funding.

After taking the time to listen, Gov. Hobbs quoted former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

“You can’t balance the budget by killing people, and you heard from these people, that people are going to die, and we can’t do that,” Gov. Hobbs says.

Multiple locals shared their perspective about how reliant they are on this funding.

“It’s indispensable that we have medical aid from AHCCCS so that it can help us… the economic situation is tough,” says local Lucas Vizcarra.

Gov. Hobbs says that everyday people can help fight for funding.

“Everyone should be talking to their members of congress, and this doesn’t just affect people on Medicaid, it affects everyone,” she said.

The governor also spoke about her budget and highlighted some of its key points.

“Border security funding, I called for a big investment in childcare it’s a huge need across the state, I called for raises for our department of public safety officers, those are still priorities, I think they’re areas where we should be able to find common ground,” Gov. Hobbs says.

The governor’s team says she is trying to emphasize the importance of Medicaid, especially in rural communities.

Click here to follow the original article.