Month: May 2010

For the first time, we’re hearing from the family of a UTEP student killed just south of Juarez. Alejandro Ruiz Salazar was shot to death alongside Jorge Pedro Gonzalez Quintero – a former UTEP student – on Sunday. At a memorial service on campus Thursday, Alejandro’s brother reflected on why the young man was in

Suspended State Judge Regina Arditti, who is fighting accusation of nepotism, may be facing a much more serious charge of bribery. After a plea deal fell through, El Paso’s district attorney Jaime Esparza said he is moving forward with the case against her. “I don’t think if it goes from nepotism to bribery, it changes

If you’re collecting items excessively and are unable to throw them away…you’re a hoarder. As we just reported in the rat case out of Las Cruces…this can also include animals. El Paso’s Adult Protection Agency recently started a “Hoarding Task Force” to avoid the sometimes… fatal results. “We knew there was a need for it,

With summer around the corner, more people will be heading outdoors. But too much sun exposure is an ever-present concern for doctors. “Being in New Mexico and West Texas, because we are so close to the equator, and because of our elevation, we have a higher risk of skin cancer, and I have probably diagnosed

Two different programs are trying to help El Pasoans save energy and money. The first program is the State of Texas’ “Energy Star” sales tax holiday weekend, running Saturday, May 29 through Memorial Day Monday, May 31. Any appliance or electronic device bought in Texas with the “Energy Star” logo during this time period is

The Las Cruces Police Department – using technology to combat cybersex crimes against children – has resulted in the arrest of a man on 68 counts of manufacturing, distribution and possession of child pornography plus two related charges, according to a police news release. Derek Boberg, 22, of the 100 block of Mimosa Lane, is

Nationally, gas prices have been drifting lower over the past few weeks, which is welcome news for drivers who are gearing up to hit the road for Memorial Day weekend. Gas prices have fallen about 6 percent in the last 22 days. The average price for unleaded gas sits at about $2.75 a gallon, according

A mistrial has been declared in the case of the El Paso County man accused of killing a mother and injuring her two children while he was allegedly street racing. Jurors were sequestered overnight and came back this morning to deliberate, but they couldn’t agree on a verdict. District Attorney Jaime Esparza told ABC-7 one

A 16-year-old female is recovering from injuries after she fell off the hood of a car and was run over. El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies said the incident happened Wednesday night at Gallegos Memorial Park in Canutillo. The teen told deputies that three teen girls, including herself, were riding on the hood of a friend’s

Two men have been arrested after allegedly stealing from the dead. Hundreds of bronze vases were stolen from at least one El Paso cemetery earlier this month. “This is a pretty thoughtless crime. When the family comes to visit their loved one and that memento there, that vase where they had the flowers — that’s

The Obama administration wants to shift U.S. aid in Mexico away from high-priced helicopters and airplanes and toward reforming Mexico’s corrupt law enforcement, courts and politicians. Marking a dramatic change from past years, most of the $310 million that the Obama administration seeks for Mexico in its 2011 budget request is aimed at judicial reforms

President Barack Obama’s Democratic allies in the Senate have repelled a move by presidential rival John McCain to send an additional 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S-Mexico border. The Arizona Republican says the security situation along the order has deteriorated so badly that 3,000 guard troops are needed just to help protect his state.

El Paso astronaut John “Danny” Olivas has left NASA, according to the space agency. His last day was on Monday. Olivas’ father, Juan Olivas, told ABC-7 his son left because of the ending of the space shuttle program and President Barack Obama’s cancellation of the Orion program. He said he had not spoken to his

Register to win four free tickets to the Miss El Paso & Teen El Paso Texas Pageant Pageant will be on May 28 & 29 at Abraham Chavez Theater.

For most students, college is tough enough. But throw the stress and concerns of a drug war just across the border and UTEP professors say it is no wonder students are running into a lot of problems. “Some students come to see us and they’re concerned about family members who have been kidnapped,” director of

It’s a situation no one wants to face, especially a parent. Not knowing where you and your children will spend the night. That’s the challenge facing on family after the place they called home, went up in smoke. The fire happened Monday morning in the 9500 block of Japonica Street in northeast El Paso. El

About 100 people demonstrated outside courthouses in El Paso to protest President Barack Obama’s plan to deploy about 1,200 National Guard troops to the border with Mexico. Some demonstrators Thursday chanted and held signs saying “No National Guard on the border, no need to bring more disorder.” Another sign said “Obama deal with the issues,

ABCNews.com Verizon Wireless has been sued by a customer who alleges that one of its debt collectors threatened to blow his house up over a $308 unpaid bill. Al Burrows, 45, said Verizon had already given him 90 days to pay his bill when he received a call from another bill collector. The second bill

After weeks of derision, Facebook finally unveiled a new, simpler privacy policy, according to a report in PC World. The three big changes were: aggregating all privacy settings into one simple control; blocking unwanted visitors to your profile and others; and stopping third-party applications from sneaking into your personal information. The goal was to silence

President Barack Obama will deploy 1,200 National Guard troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an administration official and an Arizona congresswoman. Obama will also request $500 million for border protection and law enforcement activities, they said. The National Guard troops will work on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence and blocking drug trafficking. The

John Skelton, the former Burges quarterback who played at Fordham University, is adjusting to life in the NFL. Skelton was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona’s quarterback coach said Skelton has made some good progress from mini-camp until now. Read The Arizona Republic’s feature story on Skelton

She’s not yet old enough to drive, and she already owns her own set of wheels. Madalyn Sprague, 14, won the top prize at the Las Cruces Public Schools Count Me In attendance contest: a 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara. Students from all four Las Cruces high schools who had an attendance rate of 90% or

Kids-n-Critters Summer Camp is a week long camp that teaches children not only what the Humane Society is and does, but what they can do to become an ?Animal Ambassadors? in the community. Camp week will be filled with fun activities and of course tons of interaction with various types of animals. Kids will get

Two years ago, Texas stepped up its efforts at performing background checks on school district employees by using employees’ fingerprints. For the three largest districts in El Paso, that means fingerprinting nearly 20,000 employees. “If it’s to protect the kids and you’re here for the kids, then you shouldn’t have any problem making sure that

A mother and her three children were left homeless after a fire destroyed the home they were living in early Monday morning. The fire erupted shortly after Midnight on the 9500 block of Japonica in Northeast El Paso. That is near the intersection of Diana and Dyer. Cynthia Torres, a neighbor of the family, said

Space shuttle Atlantis returned from its final voyage Wednesday, closing out a quarter-century flying career and safely bringing back six astronauts from a successful space station mission. “Twenty-five years, 32 flights and more than 120 million miles traveled. The legacy of Atlantis now in the history books,” Mission Control’s commentator announced at touchdown. About 1,200

In a 4 to 1 vote, the Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners passed a Resolution to Senate Bill 1070. While all commissioners say they endorse federal immigration reform, it is the wording in the document one commissioner said is inaccurate and she does not agree with. “I’m bleeding over this one,? Karen Perez, Dona

Now that El Paso County Commissioners have fired Medical Examiner Dr. Paul Shrode, what is expected to be a difficult search for his replacement has begun. According to the County’s Human Resources director, Shrode will not get any kind of buyout or severance pay from the county, and that has cleared the way for what

The first pair of defendants indicted in El Paso’s ongoing public corruption investigation asked for a delay to the start of their trial. Attorney Luther Jones and El Paso County District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez were supposed to head to trial on June 21 but the I-Team uncovered court documents that state the pair have asked

Counseling sessions are available at UTEP by calling 747-5302.