Featured People

Yuman earns presidential award

BY CHRIS McDANIEL - SUN STAFF WRITER

Wanda Broom loves to volunteer and has given so much that she's been honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama.Broom, who mostly volunteers through her church, racked up more than 250 volunteer hours in 20... Full story

NAMEDROPPER

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Bryan P. Heppel Army Pfc. Bryan P. Heppel has graduated from One Station Unit Training at Fort Leonard Wood in Waynesville, Mo. During basic military training, Heppel received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons, map reading, tactics, milita... Full story

Fitness buff shifts focus to competition

BY CHRIS McDANIEL - SUN STAFF WRITER

Yuma's Amanda Butz is a woman who knows fitness. She not only teaches others how to get ripped but competes in several body building competitions each year around the country. She and her husband Richard Butz travel the body building circuit together... Full story

Teddy bears in Cerisa's memory

BY WILLIAM ROLLER - SUN STAFF WRITER

In honor of a former teacher's impact on students, a Yuma dance studio has kicked off its Empty Arms for Cerisa campaign to collect teddy bears for the chronically ill.Cerisa Cardenas, a Yuma High School graduate and former student and instructor wit... Full story

Never too young for cancer

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

Breast cancer does not just strike older women. That is the message that former Yuma resident Elkie Wills wants to send to local women.The 39-year-old Wills was diagnosed with cancer last August. Her message to women under 40: "You need to be respons... Full story

Namedropper 4-11-10

Aron N. FigueroaAir Force Airman Aron N. Figueroa has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.The airman completed an intensive eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air... Full story

Local author pens 12th book

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

Many writers yearn to have their work published by a major publishing company. Winterhaven resident Pinkie Paranya, 75, lives that dream.Paranya has authored 12 books, with her newest book, "Señora of the Superstitions," recently published by ... Full story

Midnight Sun: Procrastinators keep the beat

BY CHRIS McDANIEL - SUN STAFF WRITER

The Yuma County Fair had plenty of musical entertainment again this year, but there was only one act I wanted to see - The Procrastinators. They are a group of three professional percussionists who play urban percussion on average kitchen utensils a... Full story

Summer camp offers cellos, not canoes

BY DARIN FENGER - FEATURES EDITOR

Most kids don't head off to summer camp with a violin under their arm. But Yuma's own Strings Del Rio Summer Music Camp is certainly no ordinary camp experience. Instead of canoes and campfires, students are treated to all things string, be it cell... Full story

4-4-10 Namedropper

Renee Michelle IsraelsRenee Michelle Israels has recently become recognized as a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, a national leadership and honors organization, at the University of Arizona. Israels, majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology, is the... Full story

Yuma fans remember 'Queen of Tejano'

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

Luis Galindo calls himself Selena's No. 1 fan in Yuma. No one who takes a peek into his home would dare say otherwise. It is filled with her music, videos and memorabilia, including a blanket and clock.Galindo, a 20-year-old Arizona Western College s... Full story

Kayaker eyes another Gila ride

BY MARK SCHAUER, SPECIAL TO YUMA SUN

In the desert of Arizona, the sight of a briskly running river surrounded by verdant vegetation and abundant wildlife is usually too farfetched even for a desert mirage.The exception is the special years where heavy winter rains swell the reservoirs ... Full story

Namedropper 3-28-10

Bradley M. KoppArmy Spec. Bradley M. Kopp has returned to Anchorage, Alaska, after being deployed to Afghanistan for one year. Kopp is one of 3,500 members of the 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Richardson.S... Full story

Fundraiser for 2-year-old with rare cancer

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

A 2-year-old Yuma boy is battling Wilm's tumor, a kidney cancer so rare that only a few hundred cases are diagnosed annually in the United States.It is even rarer for the cancer to appear in both kidneys, which is the case with Daniel "Danny" Jesus M... Full story

Midnight Sun: Karaoke for a Cure

BY CHRIS McDANIEL, YUMA SUN COLUMNIST

Two weekends ago I was invited to be a judge at the Karaoke for a Cure, a benefit to raise funds for the fast-approaching Yuma County Relay for Life.I agreed because it is always fun to watch total and complete str angers sing (or attempt to sing) ka... Full story

Namedropper 3-21-10

Brian Edward SnyderU.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Edward Snyder has graduated from Marine Corps boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.Snyder successfully completed 12 weeks of intensive basic training in military justice, uniform, genera... Full story

Sink or swim: Aquabelles revived

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

Sally Hixson admits she's not the most coordinated of performers. "I'm the kind that falls on stage," says the Spokane, Wash., resident.But when Hixson, 65, performs as one of the Gila Mountain Aquabelles, she feels transformed."I feel graceful and p... Full story

Bike race benefits youth program

BY STEPHANIE A. WILKEN - SUN STAFF WRITER

Yumans can tighten their helmets and loosen up their limbs for the sixth annual Tour de Yuma this weekend.The 30-mile bike race Saturday is sponsored by the Yuma Bike Club and will benefit young riders in in the program.Registration is 7:30 to 8:45 a... Full story

Skin stories: Tattoos a 'personal expression'

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

The Yuma Sun recently went looking for the "coolest and baddest" body art.Seventy-six readers responded.Those men and women shared photos of their favorite tattoos - and the stories behind the ink. The entries were posted online and readers voted thr... Full story

Chorus satisfies musical sweet tooth

BY MARA KNAUB - SUN STAFF WRITER

A new group in Yuma is singing sweet harmonies. The Ladies' Barbershop Chorus was formed in November and is still accepting members. Organizers say all female music lovers are welcome to join and participants need not be experienced."If you enjoy sin... Full story

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