Month: January 2014

A Travis County judge on Monday granted an order permitting attorneys for Stephanie Townsend Allala to proceed with depositions related to her 2012 open records request connected to correspondence between City officials and proponents of the baseball stadium project. The City of El Paso had filed a motion to stop the depositions but Judge Orlinda

Two people were sentenced to time in federal prison in the ongoing public corruption case. Charlie Garcia was sentenced to seven months in jail, three years of supervised release, $20,000 fine and has to pay $5,575 in restitution to the Socorro Independent School District. Ray Rodriguez was sentenced to four months in federal prison, three

After responding to a call, El Paso Police said one of their officers was hit by a car Saturday night. Police said the call routed Officer Mark Gall, 25, to the 800 block of Montera. He then found a man who he thought was involved in the report, sitting in his car. Police said when

El Paso Police said a Fort Bliss soldier was killed in a hit and run crash Saturday night. Errol McKinney, 33, was killed on his motorcycle on the 9100 block of Dyer just before 10 p.m. A Fort Bliss spokesman has confirmed McKinney was a soldier who had returned from deployment in Afghanistan within the

El Paso Police need your help finding a missing 16-year-old girl. Jade Alexis Alexander is from west El Paso. Police have been searching for her since May. Her friends told police she’s been spotted in El Paso since then. It has also been reported that Jade was not happy at home. Officers also have information

Customs and Border Protection seized more than 300-pounds of marijuana at the Zaragoza bridge this week. All the suspected smugglers are women. CBP officers said the women were nervous when they confronted them. CBP said the pot is worth more than a quarter of a million dollar. CBP El Paso port Director Hector Mancha said

A suspected El Paso con-artist, under investigation since last December, is finally captured. The El Paso County Sheriff’s have been searching for fugitive Laura Gonzalez, after a woman said Gonzalez stole some her jewelry and other things from her home. Gonzalez’s record begins in 2009, when she racked up criminal warrants from a fraudulent catering

The political matchup that had everyonetalking in 2010 could resurface in 2014. In 2010, Norma Chavez was the incumbent District 76 Texas House representative. She had represented El Paso for 14 years before she was ousted by Naomi Gonzalez in the primary. The biggest news that year wasn’t the outcome, it was the way the

With the State Fair held in Dallas every year, it’s very much an East-Texas thing. But this year, those in West Texas might get a big kick out of the new Big Tex, who after burning down last year is now wearing boots designed by an El Paso factory. ABC-7 got a tour of the

While threats of a government shutdown loom, President Barack Obama’s health care law is moving forward. On Thursday, Obama appeared before Maryland voters to push the Affordable Care Act. With polls showing many Americans still skeptical of the law known as “Obamacare,” the president went back to the basics of explaining how 48 million uninsured

New Army regulations targeting tattoos are close to being approved by senior military leadership. Current soldiers who have tattoos, no matter where they are on their body, will be grand fathered in. But no one with a tattoo on their neck or below their elbow or knee will be allowed to join the Army if

The City of El Paso has been monitoring bike usage during the summer to determine how best to improve cyclist connectivity. City officials are establishing a “bike plan” which aims to prioritize bike corridors and figure out what kind of bike facilities are needed for different roadways. “The city received about $100,000 of federal money

he Ysleta Independent School District approved changes to its employee health care plan Wednesday night. The new plans raise healthcare contributions for both employee premiums and deductibles. They also raise the contribution to the plans by the school district for each employee. The district will now pay $410 per employee per month in 2014, up

New Mexico State University students could win $2,000 cash. All they have to do is attend NMSU football games and stay for the whole game. Some NMSU students told ABC-7 they don’t go to football games. When they heard they could win money or parking passes, they changed their tune. Other students and some national

Their son is gone. The trial is over. But the anger remains over how El Paso police officer Karl McDonough’s death is being handled by the City. In a couple weeks, the McDonough’s will deal with the three-year anniversary of their son’s death. Karl McDonough was killed in a crash with a drunk driver. As

It’s a big night for Ysleta school district employees. The school board will decide how much money thousands of the district’s workers will be paying for health care coverage next year. District employees were shocked when new insurance plans were introduced during the Sept. 11 school board meeting. Premiums and deductibles were up steeply —

The original cost estimate for the ballpark was $50 million, but the actual cost of some amenities caused it to rise to $64 million. To cover that $64 million the city set out to sell $60.8 million in bonds with the the additional $3.2 million needed coming from a year’s worth of the Hotel Occupancy

ESPN personality Keith Olbermann called New Mexico State University president Garrey Carruthers “World’s Worst In Sports” due to the university’s plans to entice students to NMSU football games with cash prizes and other prizes. Watch it at http://youtu.be/ExLkbZqJshc

New Mexico teens can now use their cellphones to get advice on sex. It’s a new program offered by the state department of health. New Mexico is the second state in the country to launch a program of this kind. Some parents who spoke with ABC-7 said they hope teens pick up their cellphones and

The City of El Paso is trying to keep massive new power lines out of the middle of some neighborhoods. El Paso Electric wants to run power lines from a proposed power plant near Zaragoza and Montana to a substation near Rich Beam and Montwood. El Paso Electric Assistant Vice President for External Affairs, Marybeth

Some stinging editorials this weekfrom El Paso newspapers surrounding a vote by City Council. Last week, City Council removed a man touted for his work to renovate Downtown from the Downtown Management District Board. ABC-7 asked for an explanation Tuesday into Leonard “Tripper” Goodman’s sudden dismissal. Council initially voted 6-2 to reappoint seven members, including

The iconic “lagartos” or alligators sculpture Downtown has been removed – but only temporarily. The Luis Jimenez artwork will be shipped to Ohio for restoration and it will return once the San Jacinto redesign is complete next year.

Some Las Crucens are demanding change for what they call a “dangerous” intersection. People who live and work near the intersection of Melendres and Amador say the sound of screeching brakes is as normal as birds chirping. Pedro Ybarra, an employee at a business on the corner of the intersection said he’s only been there

The City of El Paso on Monday announced it would allow MountainStar to provide money for any additional costs to ballpark construction, and also denied concessions requested by the ownership group. Mayor Oscar Leeser, in a news conference, said the city reached a deal with MountainStar that capped the city’s costs to build the stadium

ABC-7 called Ysleta Independent School District officials Monday to ask them about an incident that occurred after Friday night’s high school football game between Del Valle and Parkland at Parkland High School. Del Valle won the game 54-7. An ABC-7 photographer, who was at the game, said Del Valle coach Jesse Perales skipped his usual

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser clarified in a news conference Monday afternoon that the City will not raise the ballpark’s construction budget beyond the $64 million already approved by city council. “We are not paying another penny over $64 million,” the mayor said. Over the weekend, Leeser directed city staff to release to the public

ABC-7 plans to stream on kvia.com Mayor Oscar Leeser’s announcement regarding the agreement the City has reached with MountainStar Sports Group on the ballpark. A news conference is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today. The signal will also be offered on KVIA’s 24/7 Stormtrack Weather channel. That’s 7.3, Time Warner 367 and Comcast 204.

People without a home after this month’s floods are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. On Monday, El Paso county commissioners approved emergency assistance for people who were hit by the storms that devastated parts of the county two weeks ago. The vote basically removes red tape that surrounds the county’s general

The owners of El Paso’s future Triple-A baseball team are asking the city to increase the budget to build downtown’s ballpark. That could take the new grand total of the ballpark up to $74 million if the request is granted. Mayor Oscar Leeser responded in an email to the MountainStar Sports Group Saturday that he

Thursday’s rain devastated an already rain ravaged section of Dona Ana County. An emergency meeting was scheduled for Saturday. Berino residents who were affected were asked to attend the meeting. According to Dona Ana County Fire Marshal Robert Monsivaiz the meeting is meant to assess the damage caused by floodwaters that rushed through several neighborhoods.