Local News

- Wildfire along river about 50 percent contained
- UPDATED 6:45 p.m.: A wildfire along the Colorado River has charred 500 to 1,000 acres in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge and the Picacho State Recreation Area.
As of Monday afternoon, it was reported as about 50 percent contained. The fire is ... Full story

- Couple charged in shooting case
- BY JAMES GILBERT @YSJamesGilbert
- Charges were filed in Yuma County Justice Court Monday against the man and woman arrested in connection with a recent gang-related attempted homicide.
In a brief arraignment hearing, Yuma Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart told 32-year-old Miguel "Ca... Full story

- Resident repeats call: Restrooms at fairgrounds need upgrade
- BY HILLARY DAVIS @YSHillaryDavis
- Jack Kretzer says his rights are being denied, and he doesn't know why. Specifically, he says it's his right to a restroom where somebody with disabilities, like him, can be accommodated while at the Yuma County Fair, and he wants Yuma County to do s... Full story
- Travel costs still sore subject for council, mayor
- BY JOYCE LOBECK @YSJoyceLobeck
- Only a month after tempers flared at a Yuma City Council meeting over the mayor's request for additional travel dollars, how much money to allot for travel by elected officials again drew heated discussion as the council began work on the fiscal... Full story

- Castle Dome’s Sumner gets statewide award
- BY SARAH WOMER - @YSSARAHWOMER
- Of the almost 30 schools in the state that are a part of the Arizona Association of Junior High Student Councils, eighth-grade student Wade Sumner, 14, was recently named the Student Council Officer of the Year.During the 47th Annual Convention, Sumn... Full story

- Defeating diabetes: Scholarships to help local student reach goal
- BY SARAH WOMER - @YSSARAHWOMER
- Yuma High School student Josh Owl, 18, recently received a number of scholarships that will help him pay for his tuition at the University of Arizona, where he hopes to use his education to ultimately become a biomedical engineer and help eradicate d... Full story

- Yuma students awarded $60K in scholarship funds
- BY CHRIS McDANIEL - @YS_CMCDANIEL
- The Yuma University of Arizona Alumni Club has awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 37 high school seniors or junior college students heading to Tucson in the fall.Since 1991, the Yuma Chapter has awarded over 500 scholarships worth $877,000 to Yuma yo... Full story

- Agents foil smuggling try while Customs officers arrest man wanted for murder
- BY JAMES GILBERT @YSJamesGilbert
- Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector arrested a suspected smuggler attempting to transport methamphetamine and cocaine through a checkpoint, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man wanted on an Alabama murder case.Accord... Full story

- County closer to buying Main Street building
- BY HILLARY DAVIS @YSHillaryDavis
- Yuma County is closer to purchasing and renovating a Main Street building for more offices.Regular citizen watchdog Jack Kretzer made the only reply at a public hearing Monday regarding the project's planned financing, a $7.5 million loan. He said th... Full story

- Gifts help students learn about growing plants, healthy foods
- BY SARAH WOMER @YSSarahWomer
- Fourth-grade students in Vicki Peterson's GAP (Gowan Achievement Program) science class watched with curiosity as she walked around the room with a worm farm for them to see up close.
The thin red invertebrates crawled through the soil as she explai... Full story

- Yuma second in nation for mobile homes
- BY HILLARY DAVIS @YSHillaryDavis
- Yuma is well-supplied with manufactured homes.
According to a U.S. Census Bureau report, 29 percent of housing units in the Yuma metro area are mobile homes. That’s plentiful enough for second in the nation, not too far behind Farmington, N.M.... Full story

- Consultant recommends hikes in San Luis utility rates
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SAN LUIS, Ariz. — A consultant is recommending a sewer rate increase of up to 30 percent and a smaller water rate hike to fund improvements to this city’s utility systems and to make the services pay for themselves.
The increases wou... Full story
- Wildfire burning north of Picacho
- FROM STAFF REPORTS
- A wildfire north of Picacho Peak had consumed about 300 acres as of Sunday night. Smoke could be seen from Yuma.The Island Lake Fire is burning completely inside Arizona and was zero percent contained as of about 9:30 p.m., according to the Rural/Met... Full story

- Go Digital Yuma seminar coming Wednesday
- BY HILLARY DAVIS @YSHillaryDavis
- Attendees at next week's Go Digital Yuma seminar can get their digital marketing questions answered by a diverse bunch of local and regional business leaders — experts who have their fingers on the pulse of social media, websites, smartphones, ... Full story

- 11 children were all Crims, Matadors, Wildcats
- BY SARAH WOMER - @YSSARAHWOMER
- On Thursday evening, George and Barbara Rouff accepted an award at Arizona Western College for instilling the importance of pursuing a higher education in the lives of their 11 children.
With 19 and a half years separating the youngest and oldest ... Full story

- Flag tribute at Cocopah Speedway (photos)
- BY CRYSTAL OCHOA YUMA SUN PHOTOGRAPHER
- An American flag measuring 65 feet in height and 112 feet in length was unfurled for all of the drivers and crew at Cocopah Speedway to hold in honor of Armed Forces Night Saturday. Yuma resident Bob Tuffly commissioned the flag in honor of... Full story
- San Luis Community Fund benefits youth groups
- BY CESAR NEYOY - BAJO EL SOL
- SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Youth groups were the first beneficiaries of a new fund set up to finance arts, culture and community service programs in this city.In what are the first distributions from the San Luis Community Fund, $5,000 in grants has bee... Full story
- Interest in mayor position grows
- BY JOYCE LOBECK @YSJoyceLobeck
- The field of potential candidates for Yuma city mayor has grown with Karen Watts recently taking out a nomination packet for the position.
Incumbent Mayor Al Krieger has announced he will not run for re-election.
Others who have taken out nomin... Full story
- Police seek shotgun mugger
- BY HILLARY DAVIS @YSHillaryDavis
- Yuma police are looking for a shotgun-wielding mugger that they say robbed a pedestrian Friday night.According to the Yuma Police Department, the robbery happened at about 10:50 p.m. in the 2000 block of South 3rd Avenue. The victim was walking down ... Full story

- Yuma Marine shows true grit, sets example for others
- BY LANCE CPL. BRENDAN KING - SPECIAL TO YUMA SUN
- The Marine Corps, as the smallest branch of service, prides itself on having a high percentage of service members who are considered "force multipliers." They often handle the responsibilities of two or more Marines of equal or higher grade and set a... Full story