Month: March 2011

A missing teenage girl from Las Cruces is reunited with her family after nearly four months. Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office (DASO) officials tell ABC-7 that 15-year-old Bennie Barela-Gutierrez is back with her family, thanks to numerous tips and phone calls on her whereabouts. Gutierrez was last seen on December 18th, 2010. According to the

Hundreds of pounds of metal collecting dust in the garage may also be eating up hundreds of dollars a year in electricity. In effort to reduce wasteful appliances, El Paso Electric teamed up with Jaco Environmental for a new refrigerator recycling program. “What happens typically is they end up in a resale shop some place

The defense and prosecution presented their opening statements Thursday in the joint public corruption trial of former El Paso District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez and political broker Luther Jones. Jones also served as a state representative, county attorney and county judge in El Paso over the past 30 years. Prosecutors told jurors the evidence will show

KVIA TV Annual EEO Public File Report The purpose of this EEO Public File Report (?Report?) is to comply with Section 73.2080(c)(6) of the FCC?s 2002 EEO Rule. This Report has been prepared on behalf of the Station Employment Unit that is comprised of the following station(s): KVIA TV and is required to be placed

A new survey out this week ranks nearly all the counties in the United States based on the health of their residents. The County Health Rankings report is compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Foundation President and CEO Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey said the report shows that,

A 28-year-old Juarez man is crushed and killled by a semi-truck parked in a Lower Valley backyard. According to El Paso Police, the initial call went out as an industrial accident at a residence along the 7800 block of Caliche Street in the Lower Valley. When officers arrived at the home, they found a man

El Paso County Sheriff’s Officers are on the scene of a noontime accident in Fabens. Deputies tell ABC-7 two pick-up trucks collided at the intersection of Northeast Camp and Northeast 2nd Street in Fabens. According to officials, a 1991 Chevy struck a 1981 Ford. As a result of the wreck, the Chevy came to rest

A war of words broke out between El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles and Socorro Councilman Jesse Gandara Jr. over a criminal complaint filed Tuesday afternoon by the city representative. Wiles said El Paso County Sheriff’s Detectives had been investigating a complaint that afternoon regarding the pavement of some Socorro driveways. Wiles said an unidentified

Some consider marijuana a natural supplement to chemotherapy, a reducer for chronic pain and an appetite stimulant. Thousands in New Mexico legally use it for these, among other, medical purposes. Dr. Oz discussed the effects of the controversial medical cannabis on his show Tuesday. Cancer, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or chronic pain are the most

After dozens of complaints from El Paso residents who have solar panels on their homes, El Paso Electric and the city will work together to create a net metering plan. ABC-7 reported last week on one woman who found out that she owed the electric utility more than $2,000 in bills for four months despite

A man is at University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries following an early morning crash, according to El Paso police. Investigators said Lorenzo Loera, 23, was speeding on Interstate 10 west near Artcraft Road shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday when he lost control of his Toyota Tacoma. The truck hit a barrier and rolled over

Board members with the El Paso Independent School District eliminated 116 positions Tuesday night, saving the district an estimated $5.6 million. These positions include 62 language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) clerks, 26 at-risk coordinator positions and 28 central office positions. Board members said eliminating 62 LPAC positions will save the district $1.3 million. Cutting nine

Eliminating 26 at-risk coordinator positions is saving the El Paso Independent School District $1.2 million. District officials say the decision was an attempt to do everything they can to avoid cuts in the classroom. But one union president said slashing these positions is hurting some of the classroom’s most troubled youths. “Think of yourself and

An El Paso man allegedly got rid of marijuana by eating it. Police say an officer pulled over Richard Parker on the 2200 block of North Stanton Street in West El Paso due to a defective brake light early Wednesday morning. It was then that the officer said he smelled marijuana from inside Parker’s Lincoln.

FBI Special Agent In Charge David Cuthberson confirmed to ABC-7 that agents have made another arrest in the abduction of Horizon City resident Sergio Saucedo. This, after prosecutors in the kidnapping trial for Rafael Vega and Cesar Obregon-Reyes asked the judge to warn jurors not to watch any media reports tonight because of the development

Jury selection began Wednesday in El Paso’s latest public corruption trial. Former El Paso District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez and local attorney Luther Jones are accused of fraud. The trial was supposed to start up last June, but prosecutors asked for more time, citing the amount of evidence which includes 1,500 voice recordings. In a federal

In an effort to get their rookie power forward some playing time, the Lakers assigned Derrick Caracter to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League on Tuesday. Caracter, a second-round pick (58th overall) out of the University of Texas El Paso, played in just 40 games this season for the Lakers. Read more on

NEW YORK (AP) – ESPN has sued Conference USA, accusing the league of violating their contract when it signed a new deal with Fox. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in New York seeks either damages of at least $21 million or for the conference to honor the extension the network claims it agreed

The brother of a southern New Mexico mayor who faces gun smuggling charges has been arrested on marijuana charges. A federal magistrate in Las Cruces denied bond Wednesday for Gilbert Espinoza on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. A criminal complaint says Border Patrol agents who stopped him Saturday on Interstate

UTEP Football to Commence Spring Drills on Thursday EL PASO, TEXAS ? The UTEP football team will kick off 2011 spring drills with an 11 a.m. practice on Thursday (March 31) at Glory Field. Per NCAA rules, the Miners will have 15 spring practices including the annual Orange and Blue game on Saturday, April 30.

The widow of an alleged drug dealer took the stand Tuesday in the federal trial of two men accused of abducting him in Horizon City in 2009. Sergio Saucedo later turned up dead with his hands cut off and placed on his chest on a Juarez, Mexico, street. The kidnapping took place in broad daylight,

After months of meetings, El Paso city representatives approved the controversial Transmountain corridor highway plan on Tuesday. In 2008 El Paso City, County and State leaders approved the comprehensive mobility plan which included connecting Loop 375 and U.S 54. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has allocated the money for part of that project which

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that former National Center for the Employment of the Disabled CEO Ernesto Alonzo Lopez was sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $4 million in restitution to the U.S. Department of Defense for embezzling millions of dollars in government program funds. According to

An El Paso teen has been arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography, according to the El Paso Police Department. Officials said Jose Luis Rojo, 19, was arrested just before noon Tuesday on the 6400 Block of Edgemere Boulevard in east El Paso. The El Paso Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Unit, including

Detectives with the El Paso Police Department narcotics unit and the Special Investigations Group said they have arrested two people, one of whom is a veteran of the El Paso Police Department, on misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana. Police arrested 32-year-old Robert Barragan, an eight year veteran of the El Paso Police Department, along

A gruesome and bloody car crash scene unfolded just outside El Dorado High School in far east El Paso on Tuesday. Bodies lay strewn across the dirt and students watched paramedics attempt to revive the victims. It was part of the Shattered Dreams program the school participated in to raise awareness about the devastation underage

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has released the names and conditions of those injured in the crash that killed a 9-month-old baby Saturday morning. The crash was a result of negligence on behalf of the child’s grandmother, 59-year-old Maria Honesto, sheriff’s officials said. Officials said the child was in the front seat in a baby

A man who went missing Saturday afternoon, John Lee Williams, 37, has been found in central El Paso. Williams was last seen in far east El Paso at a bus stop on Joe Battle Boulevard and Montana Avenue. According to sheriff’s officials, Williams called them for a ride from the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Downtown

The newly incorporated city of Anthony continues to make history. Graffiti and vandalism are two problems Mayor Ramon Gonzalez said he wants cleaned up, starting with the help of the city?s first ever police chief. Currently, Anthony City Hall is considered law enforcement?s temporary building, primarily because the police chief, appointed Saturday, makes up the

Nearly 20,000 people watched, cheered and placed their bets. In the end, it was a surprise win at Sunday’s big Sunland Derby. The horse named “Twice The Appeal” stole the show from the favorite, “Astrology” at the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. “It’s a dream come true,” Rusty Brown, one of Twice The Appeal’s owners,