Weekly Rewind: Desert heat records, defunding the police, building new school
From dreading desert heat to celebrating Somerton's first high school
DESERT SOUTHWEST (KYMA, KECY) - So while temperatures are rising, it is happening very slowly. The hottest day for Yuma, ever recorded was July 1995, at an impressive 124 degrees. Therefore, no, we are not setting records year after year, but generally speaking, the trend is most definitely upwards.
The earliest day Yuma ever reached 100 degrees was back in March of 1916; and the latest in the year it has ever stayed in the triple digits was October 1959. But the greatest number of 100 degree days happened just last year. 148 Days exceeded 100 degrees, in 2020.
If you are looking for ways to do your part, there are things you can do. Easy examples include, taking shorter showers, not letting the water run, using less plastic, turning off lights, riding a bike when the weather permits, maybe even changing your pipes to low flow.
According to the Los Angeles Police Protective league, 2020 was the deadliest year for law enforcement since 1974. A total of 264 officers died in the line of duty.
Amidst the recent civil unrest, many are calling for defunding the police. Chief Robert Benavidez with the Imperial County Sheriff's Office believes a reallocation of funds to address certain issues can be met, however, no law enforcement agencies in the Valley have seen changes in funding.
Along with law enforcement across the Imperial County, the sheriff's office shares the same passion of upholding their oath. While a cloud of uncertainty hovers around policing agencies throughout our nation, those with a badge in the Valley say their focus is to connect and protect our community.
After six years of hard work and planning, Somerton is getting its own high school. Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) announced it's receiving more than $33 million dollars to construct the campus and begin classes ahead of schedule.
The process began in 2015, when voters approved a high school bond that allocated $20 million for the school as part of "new construction." YUHSD purchased a parcel of land for the campus in 2017, and began working on securing permits, meeting with the city of Somerton, and finding construction and design teams.
The school's master plan was completed in 2019, but YUHSD didn't receive the funding it needed to move forward in the year 2020. The funding wasn't recommended for the 2021 fiscal year either.
However, in June, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill allocating more than $33 million to not only get the school built, but speed up the construction.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), over 34.3 million coronavirus-related cases have been tracked within the U.S.
That being said, California accounts for about 11.2% of national cases; while Arizona equates to 2.6%.
In regard to nationwide vaccinations, the CDC reports over 341 million have been administered. Arizona makes up just under 2% of the nation's total vaccine administrations, with California representing nearly 12.7%.
