Month: June 2010

Below is a statement from UTEP Director of Athletics Bob Stull in response to today’s NCAA/USC conference call regarding infractions committed by USC’s football and basketball programs. “We are pleased with today’s announcement and the results of the NCAA’s report. Tim Floyd has had a nearly 30-year relationship with UTEP and we regard him not

On Wednesday, New Mexico Game and Fish Officers, assisted by Dona Ana County Sheriff’s deputies, caught up to a wandering black bear frolicking and “hanging out” in an irrigated Pecan Orchard in Garfield. The male, 125 pound black bear, who authorities believe may have wandered from the Black Range, “went down easy,” with the help

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrested an ex-Fabens Independent School District teacher for indecency with a child – sexual contact. Jose Arturo Lopez, 36, was arrested for an incident that allegedly occurred in Dec. 2008 involving a 15-year-old student. At that time, Lopez was employed with Fabens ISD and was working at O’Donnell

Family and friends will gather Wednesday morning to say goodbye to Donna Montelongo, 49, a special education teacher and cheerleading coach at Morehead Middle School. Montelongo was on a motorcycle with her husband Jaime, 50, when they crashed last week on Mesa between Paragon and Castellano. Police have yet to determine a cause. Jaime Montelongo

There are still many questions as to what happens now after a border patrol agent shot and killed a mexican teenager. Many investigations are underway by several different agencies. Not many details are known at this time. We do know…that the Chihuahua State police are handling the investigation across the border. Several witnesses are being

If you’d asked Bekki Scotto a few years back about her interest in attending a high school reunion, she would have rolled her eyes and laughed in your face. Uprooted from Northern California as a 12-year-old after her parents divorced, she landed in Bismarck, North Dakota, where she was a stranger in a strange land.

As the violent drug war continues in Mexico, there are signs that other regional nations, in particular Mexico’s southern neighbor, Guatemala, are being drawn into the conflict, according to a Voice Of America report. On Monday, the head of a U.N. commission targeting corruption in Guatemala resigned, citing drug-gang influence on law enforcement officials as

At the rapidly expanding base in Fort Bliss, Texas, along the U.S.-Mexico border, the military is racing to build new homes for 10,000 additional soldiers. Cranes stack prefabricated containers like children’s blocks to erect barracks overnight. Bulldozers grind sagebrush desert into roads and runways. Just down the street from the construction boom squats a tan,

USC will hold a news conference Thursday to respond to the NCAA’s findings following its investigation into possible violations by the Trojans’ football and men’s basketball programs, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN’s Joe Schad. The NCAA infractions committee held a hearing in February in which USC presented its responses to

A 51-year-old man who was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle in West El Paso on May 6 has died today. Ruben Lemus, 51, of Anthony, New Mexico was riding his bicycle in the 7300 block of South Desert Sunday evening when he was struck by a vehicle. The vehicle fled the scene.

The El Paso Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit, assisted by the El Paso office of the FBI, have arrested a New Mexico teacher on charges of online solicitation of a minor with intent for sexual contact. Terry Jimenez, 61, of the 1000 block of Southwestern in El Paso, was arrested Monday morning

A full page, color advertisement in Monday’s El Paso Times reminds everyone to drink water, but at the expense of more than $1,000 some question if the advertisement is really necessary. Public health officials say definitely, because extreme heat is considered a public health concern. City Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Joanne Bates says the cost

U.S. Border Patrol officials are confirming a shooting on the border just yards away from the Santa Fe bridge in Downtown El Paso. It happened sometime after 7:30 Monday night. Although, eyewitnesses tell ABC-7 a teen was shot and killed by an agent, no U.S. authority is confirming that account. One witness told ABC-7 the

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal on Tuesday announced that hundreds of individuals took advantage of the hot check amnesty period that began on May 14, 2010. During the amnesty period, people who paid their outstanding balances avoided payment of various charges, such as court costs, attorney fees, and the cost of posting a

It doesn’t make sense. That’s the reason District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez says his office will no longer provide passports at the El Paso County Courthouse. But others say passports are big moneymakers for the county, so they’re fighting to keep the service. Passport service is not mandated by state law. Sanchez says rather than fighting

The FBI is investigating an attack on a Border Patrol agent monitoring the border near the Santa Fe Port of Entry Downtown. A witness told ABC-7 she saw a group of young men trying to cross into the U.S. and that the Border Patrol agent shot and killed one of the teenagers. “I thought the

U.S. and Mexican officials are trading suggestions of misconduct as the shooting of a 15-year-old Mexican by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on the border with Texas swells into a full-blown international incident. Arturo Sandoval, spokesman for the Chihuahua state Attorney General’s Office, says a shell casing was found near the body. A spokesperson for

Border Network For Human Rights Statement On Death Of Mexican Teen “The Border Network for Human Rights, an 11-year-old community organizing group with about 4,000 members in El Paso and Southern New Mexico, wishes to release the following statement regarding the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old middle school student from Jurez by a Border Patrol

FBI Statement On Border Patrol Agengt-Related Shooting “At approximately 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 7, 2010, Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents responded to a group of suspected illegal aliens being smuggled into the US from Mexico near the Paso del Norte Port of Entry. One subject, Oscar Ivan Pineda Ayala, was initially detained

El Paso City Council and El Paso Electric agreed to a compromise Tuesday on the electric company’s proposed rate hike that would raise customers’ bills. El Paso Electric initially wanted a rate hike increase of $51 million but it came to an agreement with the city on a $17 million rate hike increase. Beginning July

Tony Romo’s bid to qualify for the U.S. Open has been delayed by bad weather. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is one of 36 players vying for two spots in a 36-hole sectional qualifier at The Club at Carlton Woods, just north of Houston. Romo was 2-over par after five holes when air horns halted play

El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal is reminding the public that hot check writers with outstanding arrest warrants that today is the last day to take advantage of the current amnesty period. Individuals that pay their outstanding amount by Monday will avoid arrest during an upcoming county-wide warrant round-up being coordinated by the County

Furniture Factory Warehouse, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection May 28, said in court documents that it owes furniture to more than 4,500 customers who have placed $700,000 in deposits, according to a report on FurnitureToday.com The 12-store retailer also reported owing about $1.3 million in unsecured trade payables. Furniture Factory Warehouse reported owing

A drunk man who fought with patrons on a quincenera dance floor was tased by off-duty El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies Sunday night. The man, identified as Rogelio Solis, 28, of the 1600 block of Fiesta, became aggressive and belligerent toward authorities when the deputies began to talk to them, according to sheriff’s officials. After

Beware of triple-digit high temperatures this week. El Paso’s high temperature Sunday was 110 degrees, breaking the June 6 record of 105 in 1996. In addition, the high temperature on Saturday was 106, breaking the June 5 record of 105 back in 1980. The high on Monday will hit 104. Don’t expect any relief from

The scorching hot temperatures are a concern for everyone, but seniors are especially at risk and need to be watched at all times. One big reason is the elderly tend to be desensitized to the heat. “The elderly tend to have a more thinning of the skin and also due to certain medications that they

Texans are bombarding the governor’s office with calls and letters to try to stop tax dollars from subsidizing a satirical film about a vengeful illegal immigrant. The coming film, a bloody action movie with a star-studded cast titled “Machete,” could be eligible for more than $1.5 million of taxpayer subsidies under a program designed to

New Mexico’s tax department is promising relief from sleeplessness, panic attacks, high blood pressure and other ills: Just pay your back taxes. The Taxation and Revenue Department unveiled a tax amnesty program Monday that will allow New Mexico businesses and residents to avoid interest and penalties while catching up on unpaid taxes. The program began

Increased solar activity in the next few years is expected to have an impact on Earth, NASA announced on Monday. “The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity,” Richard Fisher, head of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, said in a

Boise State will not be getting an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference – at least for now. Commissioner Craig Thompson says the decision not to expand the nine-team conference is due to the potential shake-ups of other athletic conferences. Officials from the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big 12 are all considering adding new