Month: January 2014

He was a gift from God. That’s how a woman described 9-year-old Jose Cordova to her children on a hot Friday afternoon. They stood just a few feet from the spot where Cordova was struck and killed by a driver on Thursday night. Her son witnessed the crash. “They know he was here for a

Now that El Paso billionaire Paul Foster has been appointed the new chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents, what does that mean for UTEP and El Paso?ABC-7 spoke at length with the 55-year-old Foster on Friday. He’s a man that already wears many important hats and now has added yet another one

The El Paso Diablos will play their final home game this weekend at Cohen Stadium, bringing with it the end of an era for a franchise whose roots date back to the late 1800’s. The team name has been part of the lives of El Pasoans for decades. ABC-7 sat down with former team owner

Las Cruces mayor Ken Miyagishima says he will not run for re-election and is applying for vacant Doa Ana County manager position. He was elected mayor in 2007. In 1992, he became New Mexico’s first American of Japanese descent to be elected to public office. In 2001, following his election to City Council, he became

A 9-year-old boy died Thursday night after he was struck by an SUV, El Paso police said. He has been identified as Jose Cordova. The boy was riding his bicycle near the corner of Raynor Street and the 3000 block of Jefferson Avenue when he was hit by a Ford SUV just before 8 p.m.

The debate on immigration is heating up in Las Cruces. About 75 people marched through the streets to demand change. Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) took questions in a town hall meeting on Thursday evening. More than 100 people packed the room to question Pearce. The congressman has made it clear he does not support a

The Fountains at Farah offers a mix of stores that are new to El Paso, and others that either opened new locations or left their old space behind. The stores that are raising some concerns – Best Buy and Barnes & Noble – are leaving their current locations at the Viscount Village Shopping Center and

Earlier this month a researcher at University of Virginia released a map depicting the segregation, diversity and clustering of races. While some of the largest cities in America are showcased as segregated, El Paso looks different. Thanks in large part to its proximity to the border, when one zooms in on the map, it is

El Paso billionaire businessman Paul L. Foster was elected chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents Thursday afternoon. “I just want to thank you all for your conficence,” Foster said at the regents meeting after being elected, according to a webcast of the meeting. “I just want to say I look forward

Aug. 22, 2013 Update: Las Cruces Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in the fatal stabbing of his 30-year-old friend Wednesday night. Israel Torrez has been charged with an open count of murder, resisting or obstructing an officer, and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. He is accused of stealing his friend’s car. Shortly after

The El Paso Diablos’ final homestand of 2013 is underway and will end on Sunday. Diablos general manager Matt LaBranche told ABC-7 Wednesday night that the team will not be playing baseball in the 2014 season and there is still no official word on which city they will end up calling home starting in 2015.

The Ysleta Independent School District raised its tax rate from $1.33 per $100 of home valuation to $1.36Wednesday night. YISD has the second highest rate in the county. Canutillo ISD, with a tax rate of $1.46 per $100 of home valuation, attributes the district’s high tax rate to the issuance of bonds and tax ratification

The reality show star and owner of the kennel transporting ten dogs who died on their way to El Paso said it was a tragic accident. The dogs were on their way to El Paso from Denver, Indiana. Vohne Liche Kennels owned the dogs and was taking them to the Canine Center of El Paso,

City Council has voted unanimously to ask former and current representatives to voluntarily turn over all personal emails dealing with the Downtown Ballpark. But former City Representative Steve Ortega says not so fast! “If there’s a court order, I will be happy to turn over the documents,” Ortega told ABC-7. “I don’t think we should

All 78 cats that were removed from a Central El Paso home earlier this month will not survive. Some cats, including kittens, have died because of respiratory issues. The rest have been euthanized or will be euthanized according to Animal Services spokeswoman Tammy Fonce-Olivas. The cats are being euthanized because they are not healthy and/or

Aug. 21, 2013 afternoon update: El Paso Police say two men have been arrested in connection with the Aug. 19 shooting death of 18-year-old Saeed Nami. Las Cruces Police Dept.’s SWAT and Criminal Investigations Section assisted in the arrest of 21-year-old George Diamos who was in Las Cruces at the 3200 block of E. University.

Doa Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins has announced that his office is now issuing marriage licenses to same-gender couples. Ellins said that he has been considering issuing licenses since last June, when New Mexico Attorney General Gary King issued a position paper stating that New Mexico’s ban on issuing marriage licenses to same-gender couples is

A new Walmart location in Horizon City is said to bring at least 300 job opportunities to the borderland. Walmart officials say the grand opening for this fall is on track. The company is looking to hire part-time and full-time positions. The new store will be located at Darrington Road and Horizon Blvd., a prime

A man and woman are recovering in the hospital after a rollover in Central El Paso early Wednesday morning. The incident happened just before 2:30 a.m. on the 3200 block of Aurora, which is right in front of Crockett Elementary School. Police will not say what caused the man who was driving to lose control.

Ten of 17 working dogs died on a roadtrip from Indiana to the Borderland on Monday. The other seven are reportedly sick. The dogs were bound for Customs and Border Protection k-9 training center at Fort Bliss. Fort Bliss spokesman Maj. Joe Buccino told ABC-7 defective air conditioning is blamed for the deaths. ABC-7 contacted

A divided El Paso City Council approved a new budget on Tuesday and property taxes. FY 2014 Adopted Budget: All Funds Budget $801,421,321 General Fund Budget $351,255,869 For a resident with a home worth $124,090, which is the average valuation in El Paso, the taxpayer will owe about $841.80 in city property taxes next year.

City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to release a series of emails from the personal accounts of several city officials related to the negotiations in the run-up to the approval of the construction of a new baseball stadium at the site of the old city hall. Council did not say when those messages will actually be

A Mexican drug queen being held in El Paso has been deported. Sandra Avila-Beltran, also know as “La Reina Del Pacifico” or “Queen of the Pacific” arrived in El Paso last week after being held nearly six years in a federal prison. Avila-Beltran boarded a plane with dozens of other Mexican nationals being deported. There

The El Paso Police Department is investigating a shooting death that occurred late Monday at a West El Paso park. They are treating the incident as a murder. The man killed is 18-year-old Saeed Nami of El Paso. ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom confirmed Tuesday night Las Cruces Police served a warrant in the Park

El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested an 18-year-old Canutillo man and charged him with aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery. Sheriff’s officials said that on Aug. 13, 2013, Dustin Joseph Rizzo accosted a 20-year-old woman at gunpoint and sexually assaulted and robbed the woman while she was jogging at an El Paso County park.

They may be 13-years old, but if no one else is stepping up they will. Alex Renteria, a Lincoln middle school student, told El Paso County leaders they want to rival the skylines of other cities in the region. Renteria said it’d create more pride in his hometown. Renteria, started a group called “Brighten El

Local cyclist, Rebecca Reza, found out about the death of cyclist TreyHancock from a close friend on Saturday. She said local cycling community is a tight knit one. She immediately went onto Facebook, to see what details she could find and discovered that Hancock had indeed died from his injuries. Reza saidshe felt anger because

An El Paso physical therapist riding his bicycle on a New Mexico highway died after being struck by an off-duty Border Patrol agent Saturday morning. Floyd Trey Hancock, 47, was riding on New Mexico 136 — the Pete Domenici Highway — about 7:40 a.m. when was struck by 29-year-old Anthony J. Aragon, of El Paso.

In five years, Chaplain (Maj.) Mark A. Greschel will meet the age of retirement within the United State Army. According to him, he wouldn’t mind sticking around longer. If current trends continue, he just might have to. While the Army stresses mental fitness, one of it’s greatest shortfalls comes from within the Archdiocese for the

The pieces are coming together with the El Paso Triple-A team. First the seating map and season ticket prices were released earlier this week and now El Pasoans know the team will begin the 2014 season on the road with an eight-game trip, according to a Pacific Coast League official with knowledge of the schedule.