2013 Editorials Archive Stories

Yuma is taking a major step forward with the Yuma Regional Cancer Center.With it, cancer patients in Yuma will be able to undergo treatments right here in Yuma, with state-of-the-art facilities. Yuma Regional Medical Center is now part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which brings a higher level of care to patients by providing speci

In an effort to speed up the boarding process, American Airlines is testing out something new. Passengers who can fit their items under the seat (thus not using the overhead bin space) get to board first.Got a bag that you planned on carrying on in order to avoid paying baggage fees? They will let you check it for free at the gate.

Today is a special one, although we haven't heard much about it in media reports or around the city lately.May 18 is Armed Forces Day, which is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in May.According to defense.gov, President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to thank our militar

Imagine if you learned you carried a gene that gave you an 87 percent chance of developing cancer.Actress Angelina Jolie faced those odds, and took what many call a courageous step: she opted for a double mastectomy. But taking the step is not the only courageous thing she did – she also took her decision public, in the hopes o

When teachers leave college, they are prepared to teach the academic subjects that have become traditional in public schools, including the famous “Three R's” – reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.Those skills are the essentials of an education and have served students very well over the years.Bu

President Obama has joined the outcry over what appear to be serious misdeeds by the Internal Revenue Service.We hope he takes that a step further and ensures that those who were responsible are truly held accountable for their actions, if the allegations turn out to be true.The uproar stems from activity at the IRS field

The death of a local Department of Public Safety officer in recent days is a reminder of the importance of a piece of legislation signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer last month.It was the death of another DPS officer and the consequences for his widow that were the impetus for the new law, which ensures that survivors of falle

It is striking how often new laws have unintended consequences. Too often lawmakers do not thoroughly think through the possible outcomes of legislation.Gov. Jan Brewer corrected one of those consequences the other day when she signed a law altering an earlier one that had banned the use of medically approved marijuana on the state's

Kindness doesn't have to cost much. In fact, it's often free, and with generous friends and neighbors, a simple act of generosity can keep going indefinitely.That's certainly the case with the Little Free Library, which was featured recently in the Yuma Sun's Desert Life section.The “library” allows readers to

The case in Ohio of the three women held captive is a good example of a neighbor taking action when something was clearly amiss.The unfortunate part is, neighbors claim to have acted several times, but say Cleveland police didn't take them seriously.The case in Cleveland is complicated. Three women were apparently abducte

Some state lawmakers are determined to keep Arizonans from benefiting from new federal Medicaid opportunities.Unfortunately, one of those lawmakers is the powerful leader of the Arizona Senate, Andy Biggs, who has vowed he will do everything he can to prevent the issue from even getting a vote this session. That is likely because he

Some political observers believe the Obama administration is being overly cautious in its response to reports out of Syria that chemical weapons were used against rebel groups in that country.President Obama had said that the use of chemical weapons in Syria – which has been embroiled in a two-year civil war to overthrow the go

Sometimes, the best way to get a message across is by simply picking up the phone.And that's precisely what the Yuma Visitors Bureau has tapped into with its Yuma Calling event.Yuma's economy has three basic pillars: military, agriculture and tourism.Every step taken to strengthen those pillars is welcome as Y

A new law signed by Arizona's governor attempts to make clear what many thought was already state law.It involves guns which are turned into law enforcement authorities or other city agencies. Gov. Jan Brewer has already signed two past laws that prohibited destroying most firearms that are turned in or “found” by police

Apparently, the government does listen – at least to frequent flyers.Sequestration furloughs hit the U.S. air traffic system hard recently, causing flight delays across the country, according to the Associated Press. Because of the sequestration-required cuts in funding, the Federal Aviation Administration reduced the work sche

Would you want a job that included a 20 percent chance you would be sexually assaulted?Obviously not, yet that is what we are asking of female members of our nation's military, according to a survey released recently by the Pentagon.On average, one out of five women serving in the military said in the Pentagon survey in 2

One of the more frustrating aspects of voting in our community is the knowledge that a voter may not actually know the outcome of their civic action for days and even weeks.It is one result – an unhappy one – of the movement toward early mail ballots. A majority of local voters take advantage of this popular option instea

Plans to improve the North and South Frontage Roads in the Foothills likely came as welcome news to residents of the area.In fact, several have written Letters to the Editor that were critical of the county for what seemed to be an unfinished or inadequate repair job on the roadways.Those letters prompted the Yuma Sun to

The Boston Marathon bombings are likely to lead to new security measures, and some of them could raise privacy concerns for some Americans.The quick identification of the two men who placed the bombs at the site appears to be mostly due to video and photos obtained from the scene of the attack. This is likely to bring even more surve

Newspapers often hold public officials accountable for being transparent and open to the public and we certainly are no exception.But this time we would like to take a chance to praise an action of the Yuma City Council in regard to its interaction with the public.It actually appears to have emerged from a controversial a

This weekend, over a thousand Yumans will spend the night walking to raise money for cancer research at Desert Sun Stadium.But there's more to Relay for Life than just fundraising. It's also an opportunity for survivors to connect with other survivors, to remember those who've lost the fight against cancer and to celebrate anyone who

They often work behind the scenes helping people with few of us even knowing about it.We are thinking, of course, about local community service clubs and groups.An example of their service was recently reported in our newspaper. It involved an effort by the Yuma Rotary Club to rebuild part of a school in a small Mexican t

Reading the news over the last few days, one can find a common theme. It seems we've had an unusual number of serious vehicle accidents.A Monday morning accident at Avenue D and County 9th Street claimed the lives of three women.Another accident on Saturday night at 32nd Street and Pacific Avenue left at least two motorcy

A recent action by the state to eliminate the sale of designer drugs such as spice or bath salts is the first step in what will likely be a long battle in eradicating the dangerous substances from our streets.Users of the drugs can experience a variety of effects, including agitation, extreme nervousness, nausea, vomiting, racing hea

It looked like Arizona health providers wouldn't have to provide online information about the cost of medical procedures to consumers after the Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed the law that would have made that a requirement the other day.But now the plan has been resurrected.In her veto message, the governor said she rejected the