$220M for Salton Sea, Abatti v. IID, spike in child abuse cases, COVID-19 updates
Catch up with some of this week's hottest stories
IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Amberly's Place says the return to in-person learning has revealed a disturbing trend in Yuma County. Staffers told News 11, as more and more children head back to the classroom, additional reports of child abuse are surfacing.
Amberly's Place says it helped 249 victims this past April. That is up 30% from the same month last year when the organization assisted 192 victims in April of 2020.
Still, the current number of cases does not reflect child abuse or domestic violence that is not reported. Amberly's Place believes victims are not the only individuals being directly abused, but also others within the household.
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) says it is standing its ground on its belief the waters of the Colorado River belong to all of the people of the Imperial Valley.
There's a chance the Michael Abatti versus IID case might be heard at the U.S. Supreme court level, but the IID doesn't think it will make it that far after it was rejected at the California state level.
Robert Schettler, public informations officer for the IID, says it plans to defend the concept that water rights belong to Imperial Valley residents equally, claiming that farmers are only considering their need for water.
The IID came up with the equitable distribution plan to evenly disperse the Colorado River water, but some agriculture companies in the area argue that the allocation of water isn't fair.
Aimed at protecting and promoting agricultural interests within the Valley, the Imperial County Farm Bureau aligns with farmer Michael Abatti's views that the water rights should be tied to the land.
Governor Gavin Newsom has a new plan to impact the Salton Sea; a story all too familiar, as conditions there have been deteriorating for decades.
Last August, the IID shared with News 11 that those trying to recover from COVID-19 complications, may have a hard time doing so if they live near the area. Imperial Valley residents reacted to Gov. Newsom's proposal of $220 million to go toward the Salton Sea.
Miguel Hernandez, Communications Coordinator for Comite Civico Del Valle, gives credit to assembly member Eduardo Garcia for the work he's been putting into these efforts.
"I think it’s always positive to have additional funding coming to the Salton Sea, it’s a big issue our community has been facing for decades, to see this kind of leadership coming from Newsom and Garcia you know, they’re always trying to push the needle forward to secure funding," shares Hernandez.
Daniel Nuñez, a resident from Imperial who was just at the Salton Sea over the weekend, admits although he's not the biggest fan of Newsom, he says credit must be given.
"This is the most movement I have seen directed toward the Salton Sea in many many years, so absolutely he deserves credit," expresses Nuñez.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 32.8 million coronavirus-related cases have been tracked within the U.S.
That being said, California accounts for just over 11.4% of national cases; while Arizona equates to right under 2.7%.
In regard to nationwide vaccinations, the CDC reports over 245.5 million have been administered. Arizona seems to only make up 2% of the nation's total vaccine administrations, with California representing 12.5%.
