Month: January 2014

An El Paso icon has died, ABC-7 confirmed Saturday morning. Paul Strelzin died late last night at a local hospital. He was 75-years-old. Strelzin, “the Mouth,” is remembered for his out-spoken and passionate nature. Strelzin was a former Bowie High School principal, sports announcer for the Diablos and the University of Texas El Paso. ABC-7

A search warrant affidavit states Jesus “Jesse” Gandara Jr. had several roosters, chickens, and chicks that allegedly did not have food or water. At about 11:40 a.m. on April 25, El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies executed an evidentiary search warrant at Gandara’s home in the 300 block of Vineyard in Socorro, Texas. While conducting a

Former Socorro City Council Rep. Jesse Gandara Jr. spent the night in jail after being charged with animal cruelty and possession of 2 ounces of marijuana. Gandara did not want to make a statement as he walked out of the El Paso County Jail early Friday morning. He was arrested Thursday after the El Paso

Socorro’s City Council is being shaken up. Judge Stephen Ables ruled Thursday morning that Guillermo “Willie” Madrid and Jesus “Jesse” Gandara Jr. are in office illegally and that they must be removed. Both resigned their positions on council in early February but continued to serve. The County sued Socorro, alleging the council members extended their

Less than a year away from Opening Day, construction is officially underway on El Paso’s new $50 million Triple-A Downtown Ballpark. It’s only been 10 days since City Hall came down and although the massive debris pile has yet to be completely removed from the site, with only 11 months left to build the Ballpark,

Scholars, lawmakers and people trying to decipher the proposed immigration bill are concerned the pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the U.S. illegally is contingent on an “imaginary number.” The bill lays out a 13-year plan to citizenship for the estimated 11-million people living in the country illegally. Before that plan to

An El Paso jury found Hector Tellez guilty of two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault in the deaths of two Christian rock band members. Prosecutors said 34-year-old Hector Tellez was drunk when he hit and killed the two 16-year-olds on Loop 375 back in 2011. Prosecutors called 16 witnesses, but

Government cutbacks are affecting airports and flyers across the country today . Sunday’s hundreds of flight delays are being blamed on air traffic controller furloughs.El Paso hasn’t seen the effects like other airports across the country have this week. On Monday , flights departed and landed for the most part “on time” at the El

Fireworks have been rare in El Paso County for the past two years. Commissioners voted to ban all fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday in 2011. They did the same in 2012. With drought indexes already showing worse conditions than last year, it appears we’re heading down the same path again in 2013. “I

The intoxicated manslaughter trial for 34 year old Hector Tellez began Monday in El Paso’s 384th district court. Tellez is accused of causing the deaths of 16 yr olds, Jonathan Cervoni and Aaron Carrillo on July 8th of 2011 when he smashed into their disabled car on the shoulder of Loop 375. Cervoni and Carrillo

A discussion about banning electronic communications during El Paso County Commissioners Court meetings drew a lengthy discussion about First Amendment rights. El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Lewis said he wanted to implement the policy to increase transparency. “I do oppose cell phones, quite frankly whether it’s private or personal,” said Sergio Lewis, stressing that he

A family of four was forced out of their Lower Valley home after their water heater exploded late Sunday night. The incident happened on the 8500 block of Tigris just before midnight. The family was awakened by a loud explosion. Fire crews quickly put out the blaze. An investigation revealed that a fuel leak from

One teenager died and four others were injured following a vehicular collision in far east El Paso early Sunday morning, officials said. According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, just before 1 a.m. a Jeep Cherokee containing a 16-year-old driver, two 16-year-old passengers and two 17-year-old passengers collided with a brick wall. Sheriff’s officials

Officials have caught a man who they believe escaped custody while at University Medical Center Saturday morning. According to a spokesperson from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Officer, 30-year-old Omar Moran was on the run after being placed into custody on charges of robbery, failure to identify, and parole violation. He was sent to UMC

As first responders continue to search for the injured or dead in the tiny town of West, Texas, a look at how the explosion occurred is underway. Numerous national media outlets report that 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia exploded on Wednesday. It’s the same fertilizer used by most farmers throughout Texas, including the Borderland. “Living

El Paso Police are investigating a shooting near Downtown El Paso that wounded two people. The shooting took place at East Yandell and North Mesa around 3 p.m. Thursday. One witness told ABC-7 that she heard three gunshots. Another witness told ABC-7 that two BMWs were trying to park when one car beat the other

WEST, Texas (AP) – Rescue workers searched rubble early Thursday for survivors of a fertilizer plant explosion in a small Texas town that killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160 others. The blast left the factory a smoldering ruin and leveled homes and businesses for blocks in every direction. The explosion

After a monumental victory over Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden in New York, WBA junior middlweight champion of the world Austin “No Doubt” Trout continues to gain fight fans on both sides of the border -even outside of his home base in the Las Cruces, NM / El Paso, TX area. Unlike his most

The Pentagon is sending about 200 soldiers from an Army headquarters unit to Jordan to assist efforts to contain violence along the Syrian border and plan for any operations needed to ensure the safety of chemical weapons in Syria, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress Wednesday. The decision to dispatch the 1st Armored Division troops

Two men were taken to the hospital and another man was taken into custody after a wrong way wreck in central El Paso early Wednesday morning. The incident happened around 2 a.m. near the intersection of Yandell and Cotton. Police say a man driving a red minivan was going the wrong way on Yandell when

Daniel “Danny” Saenz, the man shot and killed by an El Paso Police officer in March, had steroids and “bath salts” in his system, according to an autopsy report. The toxicology findings detailed within the autopsy report range from caffeine to epitetestosterone, and even include traces of dimethylamylamine, the supplement commonly known as DMAA. The

Progress on the Tornillo Port of Entry remains stagnant across the border. Despite millions of dollars worth of construction, the town of Guadalupe just across the border has yet to see a single piece of construction equipment. While the wait may cause frustration, El Paso County Commissioner Vince Perez says now is not the time

El Paso County commissioners are working to oppose two bills that could handcuff them in future environmental lawsuits. State Rep. Cindy Burkett authored two Texas House bills that change the way future lawsuits will be handled. Commissioners discussed the issues they saw during Monday’s meeting. One bill, referred to as HB 3117, would change the

Cirilo “Chilo” Madrid was sentenced on Monday to 15 years in prison, to be served concurrently, for his role in defrauding the United States, theft or embezzlement of federal funds and mail fraud. He also was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and $500,000 restitution. Madrid, 67, was found guilty of the public corruption charges

Watchers gathered by the hundreds on hilltops and behind windows some watching the weekend’s events from a birds-eye view. Some neighbors said farewell to pieces of their hometown’s history. While others can’t wait to say hello to a Triple-A ball field. But the blast people saw on Sunday wasn’t a decision that came without a

The 10-story El Paso City Hall building has been demolished to make room for a Triple-A baseball stadium. The 34-year-old building in the West Texas city’s downtown collapsed Sunday morning during a controlled implosion. The demolition is part of a downtown revitalization plan that includes building a $50 million ballpark for the Tucson Padres. The

In about 30 seconds, a chapter in El Paso’s history ended with the explosion of the two ASARCO smokestacks with dynamite. Two loud blasts caused by about 300 pounds of dynamite were heard as the chimneys, 600 and 829 feet tall, slowly fell on their sides early Saturday. The rubble crumbled into a dense water

Afire at a mobile home in Northeast El Paso early Friday morning has left a man without a place to stay. El Paso Fire Department officials on the scene ruled it an accident. Chief Battalion MattHiett said a fireplace was left on and the homeowner fell asleep. Thefire started just after 3 a.m. on the

The demolition of the Asarco smoke stacks, and subsequent cleanup of the site, requires a large amount of funding, according to the site trustee Roberto Puga. “The funding from the clean up came from the Asarco bankruptcy settlement,” Puga said. “Asarco put away money into the bankruptcy court and titles to the properties that it

The skyline of the city of El Paso is set to change forever. The Asarco smokestacks are set to come down in less than 48 hours. According to Asarco site trustee Roberto Puga, the project demolition time is slated for 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, but the window remains open 15 minutes before and after that