Category: kyma-local-news

Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The second suspect accused of trying to murder a man in a shooting was formally charged Tuesday in court.

35-year-old Lorenzo Melano Casillas appeared in front of a judge after being taken into custody earlier this week.

Casillas is facing three charges including attempted first degree murder and aggravated assault.

His bond will remain at $1 million. He’s scheduled to be back in court this week.

Casillas is accused of being involved in a shooting that had one local taken to a Phoenix hospital with gunshot wounds.

YPD says a 35-year-old man was arrested on Thursday, May 15 and taken into custody without incident.

The second suspect was booked into Yuma County Detention Center along with the previous suspect, 33-year-old Abel Melano.

At about 1:50 a.m. on May 9, officers were called about a man with a gunshot wound in the area of Arizona Avenue near W. 32nd Street.

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Adrik Vargas

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – A new bill in California could soon make it a felony for adults to solicit sex from 16- and 17-year-olds. Right now, it’s a misdemeanor, but Assembly Bill (AB) 379 wants to change that.

People in the Imperial Valley say it’s about time something is done to better protect teens.

“By making it a more harsher consequence or penalty, I think it’ll sway the people from actually soliciting, and actually going younger and younger,” said local Erika Robles Marquez.

The bill still needs to pass in the State Senate. If it does, it would apply across California, including right here in the Valley.

Some locals think the tougher penalty could help, even if it’s not a perfect solution.

“Not completely because there’s still people doing it underwater, I believe, but that would help preventing more cases from happening,” said Hector Perea, another local.

Others say it’s not just about the law, it’s also about what happens at home.

“I believe it should be more on the family, to educate our teens on how to say no to dangerous situations,” said Maria Elena Maya, another local.

Maya also pointed to how the internet has made it harder for parents to keep track of what their kids are doing.

“Right now, there’s a lot of internet, a lot that keeps parents from knowing what our kids are doing. If we are more protective of our kids, it’s good, but also pass laws that should make more consequences for those soliciting sex from teens,” Maya expressed.

As AB 379 moves forward, many in the Valley say stronger laws could help send a clear message: Kids should be off-limits.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Students from around Yuma county are receiving scholarships from local Agriculture groups.

The local 4-H program gave nine students scholarships, while the Seed Trade Association of Arizona gave them out to 11 students.

Each year the organizations provide scholarships for kids who are looking to go to college or trade school.

James Romney, a local student who received two scholarships, shares how influential the 4-H program has been for him.

“It’s changed me to who I am today and it’s kind of hard to measure how much 4-H has affected me because I’d be completely different if it wasn’t for 4-H it taught me a lot,” Romney says.

Since 2011 the Seed Trade Association has raised over $75,000 and given it out to 85 local students.

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Marcos Icahuate

WELLTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A student was reported to have brought a gun to a school ceremony, according to the Wellton Police Department (WPD).

Officers were called on the evening of May 19 about a possible firearm on campus during the Wellton Elementary School 8th Grade Promotional Ceremony.

The student in possession of the alleged gun was found and escorted away from the ceremony, when officers saw that the firearm was a toy pistol, according to WPD.

Officers determined the toy to be non-functional.

WPD says the student will be facing consequences in accordance to local laws and school district policies.

No injuries or threats were reported.

You can read the full press release here.

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Dillon Fuhrman

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The City of San Luis, Arizona says their offices will be closed next Monday, May 26, for Memorial Day.

While offices will reopen on Tuesday, May 27, the City says, “Emergency services will remain available.”

Trash collection scheduled for Monday and Thursday will be collected on Tuesday and Thursday, with the “Tuesday and Friday routes will be collected on Wednesday and Friday,” the City says.

If anyone needs to make a utility payment during that time, the City says residents can use the following options:

Pay online

Call 855-314-2095

Speak to a live operator at 800-720-6847

Use the self-serving kiosk outside City Hall

Use the drop box outside City Hall if residents pay with a check or money order

If anyone has a water or sewer emergency, call the Police Department Communications Division at (928) 341-2420.

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Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Residents across Imperial County are sharing their reaction to President Donald Trump enacting the “Take It Down Act.”

On Monday, President Trump signed the bipartisan bill into law, criminalizing those who publish nonconsensual, sexually explicit images and videos including those generated by AI, as well as require platforms to remove the content within 48 hours of notice.

Last month, the House of Representative unanimously passed the bill, 409 to 2. Earlier this year, the Senate also unanimously passed the bill.

Locals in Imperial County say although they agree with the law, social media companies should take down explicit content sooner.

“As soon as they detect it, take it down…48 hours, things go viral in seconds, so I don’t think it’s enough time maybe within an hour will be better, but still, once they put anything on the internet, it flies, so I don’t think is enough time,” said Arlenne Renteria, a seamstress.

 

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into health care.

Onvida Health announced a collaboration with Ambience Healthcare, the leading AI platform for clinical documentation.

The company offers a system that listens and creates thorough and compliant documentation in real time.

This means it could free up physicians to spend more time caring for patients and less time on paperwork.

Onvida Health says this new collaboration will improve documentation integrity as well as the workload for physicians.

Dr. Marc Chasin, the Senior VP & Chief Information Officer at Onvida Health, says, “It decreases the burnout potential for providers by allowing them to really get back to why they went into medicine, which is to treat patients, allowing the doctor to really focus on the care and and the science and delivering appropriate medicine as opposed to the cognitive burden they feel by documenting and typing on their computer.”

The pilot program will begin this June among 100 providers.

They will test out the system, make improvements, and roll out the system to all medical groups later this summer.

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Softball World Series is attracting hundreds of people the local area.

This gives the local community an opportunity to sell itself and show the country what Yuma has to offer.

According to Visit Yuma, around 800 people are in Yuma because of the tournament.

With 20 of the nation’s top junior college softball teams in town, their fans and family are also spending money in Yuma.

“Those people are staying in our hotels. They’re eating at our restaurants, they’re going to our shops, they’re experiencing our community, and so it is a huge economic opportunity. It’s also a huge opportunity for our community to truly showcase who we are,” said Marcus Carney, the Executive Director of Visit Yuma.

Gabriela Sosa, a catcher for one of the teams competing, says she is enjoying what Yuma has to offer.

“We’ve enjoyed it quite a lot. I mean like I said, coming from somewhere where southern hospitality is a thing, here is absolutely no different. Everyone’s been super accommodating like Coach Shelton said,” Sosa says.

Burgers and Beers restaurant is also seeing an increase of clients becuase of the tournament.

“There’s been a lot of movement this tournament helps Yuma Valley a lot, and we’ve seen a lot of rush in here. We’ve been packed these days and other than having Mother’s Day the other weekend, this tournament has been really great for us and for the community,” Jaime Honold, Burgers and Beer CFO.

Meanwhile, La Quinta Hotel shares how it’s also benefiting from the tournament. With around 45 rooms reserved for players and coaches, not including family and friends, it is safe to say business is booming.

“Being a hotel, that’s what we call it heads in beds, right? We need heads in beds and so something like this allows us to do that…Any tournament that we’ve had we’ve been at like 90% occupancy up to sold out,” said Crystal Rinaldis, General Manager at La Quinta Hotel General Manager.

The championship game is scheduled for this Saturday, meaning tourists will have more time to take in all that Yuma has to offer.

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Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) says Interstate 8 (I-8) eastbound near Yuma is closed.

ADOT says this is due to a vehicle fire at milepost 18, and is advising drivers to expect delays and seek an alternate route.

While the left lane on I-8 eastbound is now open, ADOT says the right lane is still closed. However, the westbound lane on I-8 remains unaffected, according to AZ511.gov.

KYMA will keep you updated on this developing story.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – All week long Marine Corps Air Station Yuma will be conducting it’s 2025 Semper Durus Exercise.

The antiterrorism and force protection exercise is designed to improve emergency preparedness and rapid response capabilities to threats and crises.

The exercise involves live training environments and realistic scenarios including active shooter drills, cyber-defense, and bomb threats.

The local community near may notice increased security measures and the presence of force protection personnel on and near the base all week long.

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