Arizona Edition

Arizona Edition: AG Mayes on AgTech cut, Republican candidates in Yuma

By Carmen Márquez,

Victor Calderón, Sisko J. Stargazer, Alexandra Rangel Moran

Published September 12, 2026 at 3:50 PM MST

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Arizona Edition

On this week's Arizona Edition, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Thursday the state land department had terminated five agricultural leases held by AgTech in Yuma County.

KAWC civic engagement reporter Carmen Marquez spoke with Attorney General Kris Mayes about the news.

And Yuma-area Republican voters and elected officials gathered earlier this week to meet and greet top Republican candidates for statewide offices.

KAWC reporter Victor Calderón spoke with governor candidate Congressman Andy Biggs, lieutenant governor candidate Sine Kerr (a former state senator whose district included part of Yuma) and treasurer candidate Elijan Norton.

Also, KAWC education solutions reporter Sisko Stargazer reports on student scholarships from the Flinn Foundation.

And finally, we share some of our interview with Ben Smithwick, the new executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce from our show Yuma Edition. You can catch that show every Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. on KOFA Border Radio 94.7 FM/1320 AM or kawc.org or the KAWC YouTube channel and Facebook page or on the KAWC/KOFA app. The show rebroadcasts weekdays at 6:30 p.m. on KAWC.

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Carmen Márquez

Carmen Márquez is a Mexican-American journalist born and raised in Yuma. For almost a decade she worked in national TV and radio focusing on undocumented communities in the United States. She has produced documentary episodes for LWC Studios about Latina health (100 Latina Birthdays podcast.), worked with UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute and produced for various outlets including Latinus and Channel 4 News London. She has also co-hosted What's Up Yuma? Radio on KOFA Border Radio.

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Victor Calderón

Victor is originally from West Sacramento, California and has lived in Arizona since 2012. He began his print journalism career in 2004 following his graduation from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Victor has been a reporter for the following daily newspapers: The Monterey County Herald, The Salinas Californian and the Reno Gazette-Journal, where he covered stories including agriculture, education and Latino community news. Victor has also served as a local editor for Patch, a national news organization with hyperlocal websites, in Carmichael, Calif. in the Sacramento area. He also served as the editor for The New Vision, the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, which includes Yuma and La Paz counties. Victor lives in Yuma. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and following most sports.

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Sisko J. Stargazer

Sisko J. Stargazer is an award-winning education solutions reporter for KAWC in sunny Yuma, Arizona, where they also help with the KAWC Student Newsroom. Their 2025 coverage of Arizona school facilities funding earned a first-place Digital Writing award from the Public Media Journalists Association, and their reporting has been featured on NPR’s national newscast.

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Alexandra Rangel Moran

Alexandra Rangel is the Content Director for KAWC and KOFA. She joined KAWC in October 2025 as a civic engagement reporter. Although she has since moved into a leadership role, she continues to enjoy reporting and staying connected with the community.

See stories by Alexandra Rangel Moran