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Tag: el centro

  • Prominent California farmer charged with killing estranged wife held on $5.5-million bail

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    A prominent Imperial Valley farmer charged with killing his estranged wife was extradited to Arizona on Tuesday, where bail has been set at $5.5 million.

    Michael Abatti, 63, was arrested on Dec. 23 for allegedly killing Kerri Ann Abatti, 59. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder on Wednesday in Navajo County Superior Court.

    An Imperial County Sheriff’s Office booking mugshot of Michael Abatti.

    (Imperial County Sheriff’s Office)

    Once bail is posted, Abatti will be allowed to return to El Centro — where he lives and where he can receive ongoing medical treatments, according to his attorneys, Owen Roth and Danielle Iredale. He is required to surrender his passport, and will be allowed limited travel to Arizona and Wyoming, where the Abattis own property.

    Kerri Abatti was shot in her home in the Arizona town of Pinetop-Lakeside at around 9 p.m. on Nov. 20, authorities say. An autopsy report shows she was shot once in the head. The shot came from outside her house and went through a window.

    Her nephew found her after hearing a loud bang, and called 911, according to autopsy reports. She died while being taken to a hospital in Show Low, which is roughly 10 miles from Pinetop-Lakeside.

    According to the couple’s divorce filings, the Abattis had been embroiled in a bitter feud about the amount of financial spousal support Kerri Abatti was owed following the separation. Kerri Abatti left her husband and their El Centro home in August 2023 after 31 years of marriage.

    While he was on a fishing trip, she left for Pinetop-Lakeside, where the couple owned a 7,000 sq. ft. home on a 14-acre lot.

    Kerri Abatti grew up in Pinetop-Lakeside; it is where her parents, siblings and extended family reside.

    The couple have three adult children who live in California and Nevada.

    Photos of Michael Abatti taken Wednesday in Navajo County show him shirtless and wearing a suicide vest.

    His attorneys told The Times on Monday that he had surrendered to authorities in El Centro when he learned of the arrest warrant. He also waived his right to extradition.

    At a press conference on Monday, Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse told reporters his detectives “had strong reason to believe that Mr. Abatti had traveled from El Centro, Calif., on Nov. 20 to Pinetop, Ariz., committed the homicide and traveled back to California.”

    A pre-trial conference and release hearing is scheduled for March 17 in Navajo County.

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    Susanne Rust, Alex Wigglesworth

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  • Nearly $1.1B to be spent on ‘Smart Wall’ at California border under ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

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    CONCERNING HER FIRING. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED IT’S PLANNING TO BUILD NEW SECTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN BORDER WALL. THE NEW BARRIERS WOULD EXTEND NEARLY TEN MILES ALONG THE SAN DIEGO MEXICO BORDER. KCRA 3’S ANDREA FLORES HAS BEEN COVERING THE SOUTHERN BORDER FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS. UNDER THE BIDEN AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. SHE JOINS US WITH WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BORDER SAFETY AND HOW IT’S GETTING FUNDED. SO THE NEW WALL SYSTEM IS BEING FUNDED BY THE SO-CALLED BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, AND IT GIVES CBP MORE THAN $46 BILLION THROUGH 2029 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. SO THIS IS VIDEO FROM KCRA 3’S TIME AT THE BORDER. THIS WAS BACK IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR WHEN THOUSANDS OF MILITARY TROOPS WERE SENT TO THE AREA TO ASSIST CBP WITH SURVEILLANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE. NOW, THE PROPOSED BARRIERS WOULD BE BUILT NEAR THE TECATE AND OTAY MESA PORTS OF ENTRY. CBP SAYS IT PLANS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN NEARLY TEN MILES OF BORDER WALL. IT ALSO PLANS TO ADD NEARLY 52 MILES OF IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG EXISTING BARRIERS, INCLUDING SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, ACCESS PATROL ROADS AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS. BUT IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES LIKE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE, WHO WE SPOKE WITH BACK IN APRIL, OPPOSES THE PLAN, SAYING THIS WOULD DIVERT MIGRATION FLOWS INTO MORE DANGEROUS AREAS WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES. U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAYS APPREHENSIONS ARE DOWN IN THE SAN DIEGO SECTOR. LAST MONTH, THEY RECORDED 715 ENCOUNTERS. THAT’S A 95% DECREASE FROM AUGUST OF 2024. WE DID REACH OUT TO CBP FOR AN INTERVIEW ON WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS NEW AREA OF THE BORDER WALL WOULD BEGIN

    Nearly $1.1B to be spent on ‘Smart Wall’ at California border under ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

    Updated: 11:19 PM PDT Oct 13, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for Smart Wall construction along the southwest border.At least 10 new construction contracts will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to secure the border.(Video Above: Trump administration announces plans to build new sections of southern border wall)“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This president changed that,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”The Smart Wall is a border security system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology to give Border Patrol agents the best tools in the world to stop illegal traffic. The technology additions will further secure the existing wall in areas where the Biden administration’s policies canceled contracts to do so, according to a joint statement by DHS and CBP.The 10 contracts, awarded between Sept. 15 and 30, are the very first to be funded by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. They also include minimal prior year funding from fiscal year 2021 wall appropriations. That funding was on hold during the Biden administration, according to the release.To expedite the construction of the Smart Wall, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also issued two new waivers for approximately nine miles of Smart Wall in CBP’s San Diego sector and approximately 30 miles of new Smart Wall in New Mexico within the El Paso sector.Contracts in California include:San Diego 1 Project – Awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for $483,486,600 for the construction of approximately nine miles of new Smart Wall and approximately 52 miles of system attributes in USBP’s San Diego Sector in California.El Centro 1 Project – Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $574,000,000 for the construction of approximately eight miles of new primary Smart Wall and the installation of approximately 63 miles of system attributes in USBP’s El Centro and San Diego Sectors in California.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for Smart Wall construction along the southwest border.

    At least 10 new construction contracts will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to secure the border.

    (Video Above: Trump administration announces plans to build new sections of southern border wall)

    “For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This president changed that,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”

    The Smart Wall is a border security system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology to give Border Patrol agents the best tools in the world to stop illegal traffic. The technology additions will further secure the existing wall in areas where the Biden administration’s policies canceled contracts to do so, according to a joint statement by DHS and CBP.

    The 10 contracts, awarded between Sept. 15 and 30, are the very first to be funded by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. They also include minimal prior year funding from fiscal year 2021 wall appropriations. That funding was on hold during the Biden administration, according to the release.

    To expedite the construction of the Smart Wall, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also issued two new waivers for approximately nine miles of Smart Wall in CBP’s San Diego sector and approximately 30 miles of new Smart Wall in New Mexico within the El Paso sector.

    Contracts in California include:

    • San Diego 1 Project – Awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for $483,486,600 for the construction of approximately nine miles of new Smart Wall and approximately 52 miles of system attributes in USBP’s San Diego Sector in California.
    • El Centro 1 Project – Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $574,000,000 for the construction of approximately eight miles of new primary Smart Wall and the installation of approximately 63 miles of system attributes in USBP’s El Centro and San Diego Sectors in California.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Magnitude 3.7 earthquake strikes near El Centro

    Magnitude 3.7 earthquake strikes near El Centro

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    A magnitude 3.7 earthquake was reported at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday 16 miles from El Centro, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

    The earthquake occurred 17 miles from Imperial, 20 miles from Calexico, 23 miles from Brawley and 48 miles from Alpine.

    In the last 10 days, there have been seven earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

    An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes of 3.0 to 4.0 occur each year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.

    The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5.3 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

    Are you ready for when the Big One hits? Get ready for the next big earthquake by signing up for our Unshaken newsletter, which breaks down emergency preparedness into bite-sized steps over six weeks. Learn more about earthquake kits, which apps you need, Lucy Jones’ most important advice and more at latimes.com/Unshaken.

    This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.

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    Quakebot

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