Month: January 2014

Rick Perry today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the federal health care reform bill: “This ruling will be a stomach punch to the American economy. It is a shocking disappointment to freedom-loving Americans desperate to get our country back on track. Obamacare is bad for the economy, bad for

Statement from American Medical Association “The AMA remains committed to working on behalf of America’s physicians and patients to ensure the law continues to be implemented in ways that support and incentivize better health outcomes and improve the nation’s health care system. “This decision protects important improvements, such as ending coverage denials due to pre-existing

El Paso Independent School District trustees will get some guidance from business leaders on the district’s road to recovery. EPISD has been dealing with the fallout of having an admitted fellon for an ex-superintendent and ongoing federal investigations regarding an administrator cheating scandal. At a packed board meeting Tuesday, trustees approved the creation of a

The Supreme Court has upheld the individual insurance requirement at the heart of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The court on Thursday handed Obama a campaign-season victory in rejecting arguments that Congress went too far in requiring most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty.

Ruidoso officials say municipal water is safe to drink despite taking on a red tint. Ruidoso Utilities Director Randall Camp told the Ruidoso News on Wednesday the reddish hue being reported in the water is not hazardous. Camp says the color is the result of a large shift in water resources during recent wildfires. He

A Las Cruces High School senior is going for the gold this summer. Letticia Martinez, 16, qualified for the 2012 London Paralympics. Martinez told ABC-7 she spends her life in the water. “When I was a freshman, I tried out and I absolutely loved it. I was not good at it at all. I could

What the City of El Paso should do about plastic bags was supposed to be discussed Wednesday at a special City Council meeting but has been delayed until the end of next month. Up for discussion will be if the City should institute a plastic bag ban, introduce a plastic bag fee or an enhanced

Three concerts into the 2012 season and Music Under the Stars has already reached nearly half of last season’s total attendance. More 17,000 have attended the annual concert series this season compared to 8,500 at this time last year, according to Museum and Cultural Affairs Department officials with the City of El Paso. The ban

Watch continuous live coverage of the Colorado fires by clicking here. Video is courtesy of our sister station KRDO. KVIA reporter Matthew Smith and multimedia journalist Gerardo Najera are in Colorado to help KRDO with coverage. Look for their reports later today.

Convicted murderer Lorenzo Carreon has been sentenced to 60 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Carreon was convicted this week in the of killing 55-year-old Frank Edward Jeffrey with a baseball bat.

El Paso Police say a man wanted on felony charges is on the loose after a five hour SWAT situation in south-central El Paso. It started just before 10 p.m. Tuesday at the 100 block of Awbrey, just off of Alameda near Fox Plaza. Police said they approached the man, who allegedly threatened them and

The public expressed bold opinions during an El Paso Independent School District meeting Tuesday night. EPISD is trying to rebuild community confidence after its former superintendent pleaded guilty to defrauding students and allegations of cheating on student test scores that proved to be true. Out of all of the items on Tuesday’s agenda, including plans

Dona Ana Sheriff’s deputies will file charges against a Chaparral man who allegedly had more than 50 diseased cats living in his home. Charles Gonnell, 62, told ABC-7 the allegations of animal cruelty against him are untrue. “I never thought there was anything wrong with it,” Gonnell said. “They just told me that caring for

The El Paso Diablos have been playing at Cohen Stadium for more than two decades in Northeast El Paso. But in what many are calling a historic decision, the Diablos are going to have to find a new home. Tuesday afternoon, City Council approved the building of a new ballpark Downtown, making way for a

Doa Ana County Sheriff’s investigators said Charles Gonnell, 62, is facing felony animal cruelty charges, animal ordinance violations and codes violations after they seized 52 cats and kittens from his Chaparral home. The staff veterinarian at the sheriff’s office determined all of the cats were suffering from respiratory infections and skin diseases. Gonnell said the

Several major issues serve as roadblocks for Texas hospitals. According to comments made by Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs last month, the state will likely face a $15 billion to $17 billion deficit for the state’s Medicaid funding. Making matters worse, a new five-year Medicaid waiver program implemented by the state has

A Texas man is accused of beating, strangling and starting to eat his family’s dog after chasing a neighbor on his hands and knees while barking and growling. Michael Terron Daniel of Waco was charged with felony cruelty to a non-livestock animal in the fatal attack against the dog. Daniel remained jailed Tuesday, a day

Lorenzo Carreon, convicted of fatally striking a man with a baseball and leaving his body in pool of blood for a full day, now awaits word of his sentence. A jury found the 40-year-old Carreon guilty of killing 55-year-old Frank Edward Jeffrey inside his South El Paso apartment in 2010. Investigators found Jeffery’s body laying

While the City Council discusses whether to approve a new ballpark to be built where City Hall currently sits, some opposition has been expressed. If approved, the will city will partner up with the newly formed Mountain Star Sports Group, LLC, which is looking to buy the team and have it relocate to El Paso.

Local immigration advocates weighed in on the “show me your papers” requirement of Arizona’s immigration law during the Border Network Human Rights meeting on Monday. The Supreme Court struck down key provisions of Arizona’s state law that cracks down on illegal immigration, but upheld one of its most controversial portions, that allows Arizona’s law enforcement

Monday night, friends and family of Meagan Blanco gathered to remember the recent Hanks High School graduate. She died over the weekend of leukemia. Blanco’s loved ones packed the Crestview Funeral Home wearing orange, the color designated for leukemia awareness. Blanco’s family said she was an extraordinary girl who was a straight A student who

The final fire risk assessment of 750 Downtown buildings will be published in about two weeks. The Wesley Hardin building fire put a big spotlight on Downtown that led to thorough inspections to avoid “deterioration, open shafts, debris and destruction,” said El Paso Fire Marshal Calvin Shanks Shanks said they discovered three major problems: Flammable

The Fort Bliss community came together for a groundbreaking ceremony honoring fallen soldiers Monday afternoon. The memorial is for war heroes from the First Armored Division’s Third Brigade Combat Team and so far more than $36,000 have been raised for the project. At the ceremony, ABC-7 spoke with Major General Dana Pittard, the post commander,

The sexual relationship between a 29-year-old former city police officer and a 15-year-old girl, now a married couple, is now the subject of a New Mexico state police investigation and a special prosecutor. The Albuquerque Journal reported that former Truth of Consequences police officer Noah Pestak could face a statutory rape charge after he married

Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Arizona law, SB 1070. The Supreme Court struck three of the four provisions of the law; however, it upheld section 2(B), the specific portion that requires local law enforcement to ask people for proof of immigration status if they

A nationwide child prostitution sting by a multi-agency task force resulted in the arrest of more than 100 alleged pimps and the recovery of dozens of exploited children, including one each in El Paso, the FBI announced Monday. Operation Cross Country, which for a three-day period targeted truck stops, casinos, street “tracks” and the Internet

If a person decides to get behind the wheel after having a few drinks, or when situations become tense with family members and arguments quickly become physical, police will get involved. It can happen any time. El Paso Police will administer tests and determine whether people were driving while intoxicated, and police will determine whether

A 29-year-old Salvation Army youth minister accused of raping a 16-year-old girl he met in the program he ran said she was probably hallucinating or having a nightmare before he was arrested Friday. According to a police report, the girl told police she felt pain in her vaginal area when she woke up in Luis

Many would agree that Dr. Christopher Powers was an accomplished man: a doctor with a law degree who taught and was quite the athlete. An obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Powers’ life came to a tragic end Thursday night. For several weeks, Dr. Powers battled critical head injuries after a bicycling accident in the Sacramento Mountains

Bringing a Triple-A minor league baseball team to El Paso and building a stadium for it won’t be cheap. The cost could balloon to heights far outside the $50 million number that has been discussed to build the stadium. According to the City’s economic impact projections, the construction would cost an estimated $26.8 million dollars