Month: January 2014

Sunday marked the day the ING New York City Marathon was meant to run. Instead of thousands of runners, streets remained calm. Replacing water bottles, runners, and police barricades were men and women recovering from the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy. Larisa Pitchkolan, a marathon runner from El Paso, was in New York City. Instead of

The Texas Department of Transportation announced three more connector ramps will be constructed as part of the new I-10/Loop 375 Americas interchange, casually referred to as the “east side spaghetti bowl.” Once the current construction on the interchange is complete, crews will begin construction on a ramp connecting the eastbound lanes of I-10 to southbound

An email thread in which one El Paso City Representative asked the City Manager not to disclose all of the details of a baseball stadium deal to another City Rep., has gone viral. The email thread is a conversation between City Rep. Cortney Niland and City Manager Joyce Wilson that took place between June 5,

El Pasoans will vote on quality of life bond items on Nov. 6. Click the stories below to see how the quality of life bond could affect the city. Stories are in order of most recent to oldest. Projected economic, fiscal impacts of bond projects ABC-7 Xtra: The Passing of the Propositions, healing the two

Officials at a Texas hospital say a 14-year-old boy who was the likely target of a school shooter in southeastern New Mexico has been brought there in critical condition. Eric Finley of University of Medical Center in Lubbock says a 13-year-old girl also might be en route in critical condition. Police say the shooting happened

An unattended fireplace is being blamed for a house fire in West El Paso late Monday night. No injuries are being reported from the incident that happened around 11:20 on the 700 block of Ringold. Firefighters say the blaze started as a wood fire in the fireplace, but then spread to the ceiling at the

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized 35.5 pounds of heroin at the El Paso port of entry over the weekend. The estimated street value of the heroin is $1,136,000. “This is an enormous seizure,” Hector Mancha, CBP El Paso Port Director, said in a statement. “CBP in El Paso, West Texas and New

Agencies across the nation observed National AMBER Alert Awareness Day Monday, Jan. 13. The date marked 18 years since 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. Citizens in north Texas helped develop the program after Hagerman’s body was found in 1996 just four miles

Texas enrollments in the online insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act rose nearly eightfold in December, according to 2013 figures that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released Wednesday. Texas ranks third in the number of 2013 enrollments following the troubled launch of healthcare.gov on Oct. 1. As of Dec. 28,

UPDATE: Daniel Villegas’ bond hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. in Judge Sam Medrano’s courtroom. PREVIOUS STORY: Attorney Joe Spencer confirms the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals mandate has officially been released and that Daniel Villegas will have a bond hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the 409th District Court. In mid-December, Judge Sam Medrano of

The City of Deming and Hidalgo County have settled a lawsuit with a man who was anally probed in a search for drugs. According to a KOB-TV report, the lawsuit was settled in December for $1.6 million. What Happened A review of medical records, police reports and a federal lawsuit show deputies with the Hidalgo

A team of 20 auditors is expected to begin an audit of the El Paso Independent School District Monday. EPISD officials said the comprehensive audit is to check all educational systems of the embattled district. The auditors of Curriculum Management Systems, Inc. will spend the next week visiting all EPISD schools and talking with faculty,

A newly formed group called El Paso NORML is trying to make Texas the next state to reform its pot laws. The founding members from the El Paso chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws are hosting their first meeting 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Hilton Garden Inn and hundreds

Seasonal illnesses are as much a part of winter as snowmen and hot chocolate. Houston is feeling the effects of one particular virus — and we’re not talking about the flu. Respiratory syncytial virus — RSV — sends about 125,000 American infants to the hospital every year. Texas Children’s Hospital reported more than 600 cases

Two El Paso Independent School District schools have been rated academically unacceptable by the Texas Education Agency in a recent audit. The schools are Bassett Middle School and Bonham Elementary School. District officials say the two schools were not meeting criteria set by the TEA’s new accountability system. In that system there is a new

During his keynote remarks at a Texas Public Policy Foundation event Friday, Attorney General Greg Abbott said the state should get government mandates “off the backs” of Texas teachers and give parents more educational options for their children. “We must give teachers training, mentoring, support and encouragement so that they can truly educate rather than

A power outage in Canutillo affected some Canutillo ISD schools, including Bill Childress Elementary, Canutillo Elementary, Canutillo Middle, and Alderete Middle. The power went out Friday morning and was out until about 2:30 p.m. The Canutillo ISD dispatched central office personnel to the schools as “fire watchers” because the fire warning system was out.

The National Football League is nearing its end and in a few weeks a new champion will be crowned on Super Bowl Sunday. While it is still unknown which two teams will make it to the big game, sports fan everywhere are likely already planning Super Bowl parties. The Texas Department of Transportation is using

The University of Texas at El Paso men’s basketball team played their first game since university officials announced they kicked McKenzie Moore, Jalen Ragland and Justin Crosgile off the team for suspected sports betting. Fans ABC 7 spoke with at the UTEP game Thursday evening say the recent investigation against three former players isn’t going

It’s been 50 years since President Lyndon Johnson declared a “War on Poverty.” A lot has changed since then, but the battle rages on in El Paso. The national poverty rate has dropped from 19 to 15 percent in that time. Poverty for a family of four in 2012 meant earning less than about $24,000.

The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) is considering stopping the sale of toll tags at ACE Cash Express stores after residents criticized the partnership with the payday lender. The CRRMA board will vote on whether to end the sale of toll tags at ACE and instead sell them at a city facility, such as

Jenny Holguin held back tears Wednesday evening as she watched a Dallas story online about what happened to her brother, Luis Rocha. “All his ribs are broken and his face is all broken,” Holguin said. She last saw her older brother two months ago when he came to visit her at work. “We need support.

After losing three players the UTEP men’s basketball team suddenly added a pair of players by Tuesday night. “UTEP football players and former local high school basketball players Aaron and Alvin Jones to be added to our roster!!! #UTEP #minerstrong” UTEP assistant basketball coach Bob Cantu tweeted Tuesday night. The Jones brothers will dress for

UTEP, which lost three men’s basketball players for gambling, said it regularly educates its student-athletes about the dangers of gambling and the stiff penalties for violations. The NCAA and UTEP do a lot to make sure players know the price of gambling is a year’s suspension plus losing a year of eligibility. In the NCAA

For the first time residents in the new city of San Elizario are preparing to choose a mayor and five city council members. The elected officials will be chosen in an election on May 10. “Finally my dream came true when we had good people working the polls (and) good people that voted. People that

Video: UTEP statement on basketball players gambling Video: UTEP Q and A following basketball players announcement

City Council will be asked to give it support in a resolution to seven low-income housing projects in Tuesday’s meeting. The projects are all vying for nearly $2.5 million a year, for the next 10 years, in regional tax credit dollars. The chosen projects are from three different federal and non-profit developers. They were selected

The accused ‘Manhattan Heights Rapist’, Arturo Valtierra, appeared in the 243rd District Court Tuesday morning with his new defense team, but an immediate trial date was not set. Valtierra is accused of violently assaulting three women and attacking a couple in the Manhattan Heights neighborhood in Central El Paso. “I don’t know for sure but

The father of UTEP guard Jalen Ragland, who has been suspended from the team indefinitely, had no comment Monday night to several questions regarding his son. ABC-7 Sports Director Asher Wildman spoke with Jalen’s father, Steve Ragland, but the family was mum on all topics. When asked why his son was suspended Steve Ragland responded,

The winter storm is not the only thing hitting a huge part of the country. Flu cases are also on the rise nationwide. Monday we learned that’s not the case so far in El Paso, where the number of cases is much lower than this time last year. This time last year, El Paso clinics