Month: January 2014

A Las Cruces man arrested last month on child abuse charges for allegedly forcing two children to live in a roach-infested, feces-laden home now faces multiple felony counts of sexually molesting a young girl, according to Las Cruces police. David C. Pearson, 31, of the 1800 block of Rentfrow Avenue, was charged Wednesday with seven

Several groups have reached a compromise about what to do with the land surrounding the Transmountain corridor in Northwest El Paso. The plan took three years of citizen-driven petitions, some contentious dialogue and a lot of compromise. Though the talks were heated at times, Charlie Wakeem, the Chair of the Open Space Advisory Board, said

A 19-year old man was found not guilty Tuesday afternoon.The capital murder trial of Juan Gracia ended with Gracia being found not guilty. Gracia faced life in prison for his alleged role in the shooting death of Jose Gonzalez-Galeana on May 15, 2009. Gonzalez-Galeana was a member of the Juarez drug cartel. It was Gracia’s

On Feb. 22, Daniel Vega-Albela, a New Mexico State University music professor, got in a taxicab to go home. He told ABC-7 he had no idea about the situation that was unfolding with his taxi driver, Darren Henry. “He pulled away from the driveway and that’s when I saw several cop cars that were right

The City of El Paso held a news conference on Monday afternoon to release information on the upcoming demolition of Insights Museum Insights Museum Demolition- Quick Facts The demolition of the Insights Museum building is being performed as part of the El Paso Ballpark Project. The contractor (Construction Manager-at-Risk) for all activities tied to the

A bill being pushed by El Paso County in Austin has once again become a focal point for El Paso’s County Commissioners court. On Monday, Judge Veronica Escobar said the county is running out of time on a bill aimed to give the county more control over Emergency Services Districts (ESDs) in El Paso County.

El Paso’s Ascarate Lake is open. That’s the message county commissioners made clear during public comment on Monday morning. Commissioner Sergio Lewis said a newspaper article stirred concern among people in his district. During Monday’s El Paso County Commissioners meeting, it was stressed that only the Commmissioners Court can close the lake, a move they

An online comment on the El Paso Times website hasEPISD board members fearing for their lives. EPISDboard president Isela Castanon Williams and board member Alfredo Borrego tell us they are frightened not just for themselves but also for their families. Could free speech have gone to far? “People of El paso, we need to revisit

A Michigan man was killed near the border early Friday morning. According to El Paso Police, it was a local officer or a Border Patrol agent that shot and killed him. Michigan State Police identified the man as Daniel John Myers. He skipped out on his parole in Michigan. Since then, Michigan State Police wanted

While many eyes were on the Vatican on Thursday as Pope Benedict XVI spent his last day as pope, Catholics in the southern New Mexico were watching Las Cruces. The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces held an installation mass for its second-ever bishop. Hundreds of people packed the Las Cruces Convention Center to watch Oscar

Following a review requested by the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD), the district’s challenge to Commissioner Michael L. Williams’ appointment of a board of managers and conservator for the EPISD has been denied. Williams’ decision to appoint a board of managers and conservator is now final. “The people of El Paso are ready to

The finger pointing continues in Washington, D.C. On March 1, if President Obama and Republicans – who control the House – can’t come to an agreement on how to target spending cuts– automatic cuts will kick in. That’s the so-called “sequester.” For days, we’ve heard dire warnings about services at risk. So how serious are

There is great change in the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy comes to an end Thursday. Thursday is also the first day Oscar Cantu will be the new bishop of the Las Cruces diocese. Bishop Armando X. Ochoa, who served as the El Paso Diocese bishop for 15 years before being reassigned to

A new report ranks New Mexico as the state with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. According to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, about 93 out of 1,000 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 got pregnant in New Mexico. Those are the latest numbers from 2008. According to the report,

An elderly man was sent to the hospital with serious injuries Tuesday night after being hit by a cab. The incident happened just before 8 p.m. on the 1120 block of McRae right in front of a K-Mart. Police have not released the man’s name, but we do know he is 73 years old and

Impending federal budget cuts could hit New Mexico hard, according to Chris Erickson, a New Mexico State University economics professor. The White House released reports on how sequestration will impact each state individually. As far as New Mexico goes, there could be cuts in funding across the board from public schools to military bases. Erickson

The capital murder trial of the El Pasoteen accused of brokering the murder of a cartel lieutenant began with tearful testimony fromthe confessed hitman, Monday. Prosecutors told jurors Juan Gracia, 19, was a 16-year-old El Dorado High School student when he secured his best friend to do the killing. Gracia, who is not much more

A series of short films promoted by the Catholic Church in Mexico examines the impact of drug violence and focuses on forgiveness as a way to end the bloodshed. “Both the victims as well as the victimizers are living in the tragic shadow of drug trafficking,” said Father Jose Antonio Ordonana, the priest who spearheaded

A video of Green Day that was oddly posted by Tricky Falls’ management on its Facebook page in recent days proved to be prophetic even though the video ended up being taken down. Green Day will be performing a warm-up show at the 1,500-person-capacity club on March 13, just a couple days before they are

Cathedral High School students said goodbye to a beloved janitor two weeks ago. Little did they know that would be the last time they’d ever see him. On Ash Wednesday when hundreds of students gathered to say goodbye to Benjamin Sanchez, a long-time janitor who touched the hearts of everyone he met. They made signs

Burn Lake in Las Cruces is now just a large hole full of dirt. The city of Las Cruces is working to bring the park back to life with new additions and renovations. Many Las Crucens are wondering if the lake will ever be full again. When asked to describe the Burn Lake Park, “barren”,

El Paso County commissioners will soon be discussing bids for a new fleet of Sheriff’s Department vehicles, and the price could be higher than a previous contract that was offered because the original bidder has decided to pull out of the race. In November, commissioners were expected to accept a $2,041,753 bid for more than

No cheerleaders and no mascot! The UTEP men’s basketball team was left to fend for itself in enemy territory at the Battle of Interstate 10 in Las Cruces last weekend. Saturday night at the Pan American Center UTEP and New Mexico State did battle in what turned out to be another great college basketball rivalry

UTEP football coach Sean Kugler’s full, 14-page contract has been released. He will earn a base salary of $280,000 a year during his five-year contract. He will also get $220,000 for speaking engagements, coach’s shows, etc. as assigned by the university. The contract also has strong language related to discipline. Other interesting aspects of the

“Bless Me, Ultima” grossed $503,000 in 263 theaters in its first weekend in wide release, according to Box Office Mojo. “Bless Me, Ultima” debuted worldwide at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso before a staggered release across the Southwest and other cities with large Hispanic populations. “Bless Me, Ultima,” based on the book by Rudolfo

The president of University Medical Center arrived at El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday with a mission. Jim Valenti is looking to get County commissioners onboard with UMC’s plan to sell $162 million in bonds. The bonds would represent a tax increase of $20/year on a $100,000 home. Valenti said the bond money would

The winds wererelentless. Dust storms in the far East side of the county made for low visibility and dangerous driving conditions. Road signs littered the streets, othersigns couldn’t handle the 60 mph winds, shattering to pieces on the concrete below. Planes were barely visible in the skies, even they couldn’t escape the brown haze. In

Just before winds slammed El Paso with 60mph winds, more than 2,000 runners hit the road for this year’s El Paso Marathon Sunday morning. The number of runners grew by more than 20 percent this year, organizers said. Around 450 people ran the full marathon. The winner of the men’s race, 32-year-old El Pasoan Bashar

New Mexico State outscored UTEP 16-3 in the final 7:05, rallying from a nine-point deficit to beat the Miners, 55-51, before a season-best home crowd of 10,729 on Saturday at the Pan American Center. The Aggies (19-9) earned a split of the season series with the Miners (14-12) while winning their ninth straight home game.

The man who killed one person, and left two others injured, has been identified, according to police. Police said 36-year-old Jesse Vasquez was arrested Saturday afternoon when he turned himself into officials. ABC-7’s I-Team was the first to uncover Vasquez’s name, and break it during Good Morning El Paso Weekend. Vasquez was arrested on charges