Month: May 2012

Leading Democratic candidates for Congressional Dist. 16, Silvestre Reyes and Beto O’Rourke, debated live on ABC-7 Xtra on Sunday night. Watch the full debate here. You also can watch the debate in separate, shorter clips by clicking the following links: ABC-7 Xtra Debate Part 1: Reyes Vs. O’Rourke May 20, 2012 ABC-7 Xtra Debate Part

As the drought in El Paso county continues, Commissioners Court has decided to ban aerial firework sales and usage during the fireworks season. It is the sixth time a fireworks ban has occurred while County Judge Veronica Escobar has been on Commissioners Court. The regional manager of TNT Fireworks spoke before Commissioners Court, telling them

An El Paso police prisoner who attempted to escape custody while being treated at University Medical Center Sunday morning, was found hiding in the ceiling of the hospital. El Paso police say the 31-year-old man was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials while trying to pass through the Bridge of the Americas early

The borderland will be seeing it’s first annular solar eclipse in 18 years on Sunday evening. The eclipse will begin at 6:33 p.m. and peak with the most coverage of the sun at 7:39 p.m. then continue until sunset. Most areas should have prime viewing conditions with mostly clear to clear skies, except for areas

It’s the most heated race in the Democratic primary in the Borderland. Congressman Silvestre Reyes is trying to win another term in office. But his main challenger, Beto O?Rourke, is fiercely trying to win the seat. The biggest issues: Jobs and the economy. The East Side Spaghetti Bowl – just one of the job-producing projects

Multiple units arrived on the scene of an aggravated assault in east El Paso County early Saturday morning, according to a dispatcher with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department. The incident occurred around 1:15 a.m. in Montana Vista area off John Henry Road. ABC-7 received multiple calls into the newsroom from viewers that shots had

ABC-7 StormTRACK meteorologists visited local schools this spring to bring a hands-on approach to science and weather. The program aimed to educate children about local weather phenomena and teach kids how to react during severe weather scenarios. Children participated in experiments involving air pressure, water pressure, making clouds and even learned how to make a

Jerry Hernandez burst into tears as he remembered seeing his 20-month-old granddaughter in the hospital after she was airlifted in on Thursday. “I can’t see how someone can do that to her, and she’s only 18 months and already she’s gone through this twice,” Hernandez told ABC-7. Police found Hernandez’s granddaughter, Nancy-Lynne Reyes, bleeding and

A vehicle has wrecked on Interstate 10 near Tornillo. According to a dispatcher with the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Department, deputies are enroute to determine what happened. At this time it is not known what agency was involved, however, deputies report that a vehicle pursuit was underway before the wreck. ABC-7 viewers nearby the wreck report

Temperatures will heat up as we head into next week. Expect a high of 93 degrees on Sunday with mainly sunny skies. Skies will reach partly cloudy Monday afternoon and highs will reach 96. We come close to triple digit heat on Tuesday with a high of 99, mainly sunny skies and breezy to windy

The neighbor who called the police after finding a 20-month-old baby bleeding and crying in Las Cruces told ABC-7 if she wouldn’t have called, that baby would have died. Lourdes Acosta said she heard the baby next door crying and found a disturbing scene when she went to investigate. “When I opened the door the

A Las Cruces man confessed to allegedly holding his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter under scalding water as a punishment, according to court documents. According to an official statement of facts, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s deputies claim 25-year-old Peter Carreras was watching Cora Berroteran the afternoon of April 28. The statement alleges that Carreras tried to put

It’s one of the biggest mysteries. How do gas stations determine gas pricing? And why is it that some areas of town have significantly lower prices than others? “I still can’t figure it out why we pay more than other people,” said one man while putting gas in his vehicle. Perhaps you’ve grappled with the

Recent news reports show El Paso continuing to make efforts to be more like bigger cities, but when it comes to cuisine-on-wheels, downtown is being left in the dust. Gourmet food trucks have become a draw for urban cities like Austin, Portland and Los Angeles. From one spot, diners are able eat lobster macaroni-and-cheese, a

Instead of preparing for his high school graduation, 18-year-old Armando Garcia is in jail without bond. The El Paso High School senior, who won awards for his violin performances with the school orchestra, is facing child pornography charges. “I will not believe (the charges) until (they’re) proven and even then I’ll question them because this

A stretch of road in the Upper Valley will be closed for the next three weeks while city crews update the drainage equipment in the area. Montoya Drive between Luckett Court and Oleaster Drive is blocked off with orange barrels and barricades. Dirt is piled up in mounds on the road. Officials with the city’s

High winds return today as a low pressure system moves eastward, creating blustery conditions. Otherwise, expect sunny skies and warm temperatures today and this weekend with highs in the 90s. A chance for rain does return by Monday, but for now it’s only at 10%.

Friday’s forecast: Sunshine with a 100 percent chance of fun and learning. We wrapped up our spring session of the ABC-7 Weather Academy at Beall Elementary School in Central El Paso. More than 158 first through third graders packed into a gym to watch and participate in multiple weather experiments. We made a miniature cloud,

After reading about toxins found in human breast milk, writer Florence Williams decided to have her breast milk tested. The results surprised her. Her breast milk had trace amounts of pesticides, dioxin and a jet fuel ingredient, as well as high to average levels of flame retardants. In her new book, Breasts: A Natural and

Jaiden Kiing Valenzuela, the 2-year-old who survived a car crash that killed his family on Wednesday, has died. Jerry Rivas, stepfather of Andrew Valenzuela, the driver of one of the vehicles in the fatal crash, said Jaiden died at 2:15 p.m. Friday. Valenzuela died at the scene after the car he was driving crashed into

The North to Eastbound Ramp between Americas Ave. (North) and Gateway East is closed and will remain closed through Monday, May 21 at 5 a.m. The South to Westbound Ramp between Joe Battle Blvd. (South) and Gateway West will be closed tonight, May 17 through Monday, May 29 each night from 7 p.m. to 5

El Paso band Sparta has released a new song, “Chemical Feel,” and offered it as a free download. “I felt incredibly good to get back into the studio and record some new Sparta material. It is always a good feeling to come out of a break with something you really believe in and something you

Here are the total votes in early voting for the Republican Primary: As of Wednesday, May 16, 2012: 1,749

Three people were killed in a two-vehicle traffic collision on Westside Drive near Vinton Road just west of Vinton, Texas. The collision occurred just before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Dona Ana County Sheriff’s office officials said a blue coupe was traveling on Westside Drive when the driver ran a stop sign and collided with a white

Here are the total votes in early voting for the Democratic Primary: As of Wednesday, May 16, 2012: 7,669

A whole semester’s worth of instruction may have been gained by students in a matter of hours. Teachers, administrators, even students tell ABC-7 that a rush to graduate students who’ve fallen behind motivated El Paso Independent School District administrators to award full credit for minimal coursework. “They’re basically getting a free credit,” said a current

El Paso County sheriff’s officials said a 67-year-old man died at an El Paso County strip club Friday night. The manager at the Red Parrot strip club said that the man, identified by sheriff’s officials as Robert Gene White, was getting lap dances, but when it came time to pay the dancers, he was unresponsive.

Andrew Valenzuela could always get family and friends to smile. His demeanor helped earn him the nickname “King.” “He was a good guy. He was always there for his family. Never gave up on life. Always with his head up. Taught me a lot in life … (He was) like a mentor to me and

A homicide investigation is underway after a man was stabbed in Northeast El Paso Wednesday night. It happened shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday on the 11000 block of Rockdale. An El Paso Police spokesman said a man was stabbed and taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The man died later on Wednesday. The victim

An El Paso jury found 21-year-old Juarez man, Sergio Rene Montejano, guilty of the 2009 murder of 45-year-old Juan Santos. Deliberations began on Tuesday afternoon, and after being sequestered overnight, the jurors finally handed down their guilty verdict Wednesday. Montejano was accused of randomly shooting and killing Santos while he was walking with his wife,