Month: January 2014

An odd odor caused kept some El Pasoans awake Monday night. Viewers who called ABC 7 about the smell told us it was coming from Western Refining. After calling Western Refining, employees told us the smell was due to some tanks undergoing maintenance. They did not have a clear answer as to when that maintenance

The number of deaths on Texas roads is down. Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation estimate that since 2003, traffic fatalities have decreased 21 percent. While the number is down, any death is one too many. Starting this week, the Texas Department of Transportation is displaying a message reminding drivers to be safe. And

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says deferred immigrants aren’t eligible for state benefits, yet Texas already provides them with two major ones: in-state tuition and driver licenses. Since Aug. 15, immigration attorney Daniel Caudillo has processed more than 100 deferred deportation applications at his two offices in El Paso and Oddessa. Many of them are students,

El Paso City Council unanimously approved the city’s 2013 budget and the tax rate. The 2013 tax rate is the same as the 2012 tax rate of .658-percent. In most cases, council members saidEl Paso homeowners will be paying less in property tax dollars this year. The reason is because the city’s home values decreased

There’s a treasure in Downtown El Paso. That’s how Robert Keller describes an incredibly well-preserved edition of “Mexican Antiquities” by Lord Kingsborough. Its pages contain ancient messages from the Aztecs and Mayans. The book consists of nine massive volumes and was the most comprehensive book about the Mayan and Aztec cultures by Europeans in the

The Texas Education Agency introduced monitor, Dr. Judy Castleberry to the El Paso Independent School District during Tuesday’s school board meeting. “It’s the anger and the passion about fixing the system that’s broken, in regards to its students, that prompted me to take the job,” said Castleberry. After years of allegations of grade manipulation and

The Caravan for Peace is in Texas as part of a cross country bus tour to raise awareness about the U.S. role in Mexico’s drug war. The road trip started in San Diego a week ago Sunday and includes 26 U.S. cities.The Peace Caravan rolled up to El Paso city hall Tuesday morning and packed

One of the most vocal critics of the city’s baseball stadium plan claims there were illegal backroom meetings between city representatives and stakeholders. Stephanie Townsend Allala, a probate attorney leading the Occupy City Hall movement, requested emails between city officials from the city. Those emails show city staff organizing several meetings during the spring and

It took less than 200 yards for Brandon Chacon, 15, to bruise and blister his hands beyond recognition Tuesday. Chacon, taking part in a football drill known as “bear crawls,” is now unable to play football all because of a punishment administered by an assistant coach. “I think they went too far, too far,” said

More than six city employees arrested, $1 million dollar budget deficit and a bickering city council — these are just some of the issues that have plagued the city of Sunland Park this year. Now a newly appointed mayor is trying to turn it all around. Just a few weeks after the city had to

A construction worker was killed just before midnight after being hit by a van on I-10. The crash happened on the westbound lanes just before the Artcraft exit. According to El Paso Police on the scene, construction crews were working overnight to repave the outside lanes when a man driving a minivan was involved in

For more than a decade, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been working on a solution to clean up a hazardous waste site in Las Cruces. The Griggs and Walnut Superfund site was designated in 2001 after EPA officials found toxic levels of a contaminant in four drinking-water wells in the city. When the area

A family is mourning the death of their matriarch after a house fire in the Lower Valley on 7400 block of Sequoia Way. Maria Concepcion Macias, 78, died from injuries she suffered when her daughter’s home went up in flames on Wednesday morning. Investigators said a lamp sparked the blaze. Macias’ son-in-law, Rito Contreras, is

There were four town hall meetings held tonight by representatives for and against the stadium. City Reps. Steve Ortega, Dr. Michiel Noe, Cortney Niland and Susie Byrd held meetings to explain the ballpark. Rep. Eddie Holguin, who opposes the stadium, met with others who want to stop construction before it starts. East El Paso resident

Ashlie Rodriguez was born in San Diego, Calif., but has lived all over the country with her parents and three younger sisters. Her father’s career in the U.S. Navy took her to places as far away as Rhode Island, Georgia and Mexico City. Moving every two years developed a natural curiosity in Ashlie and a

Among the reasons given for El Paso City Council moving quickly on a deal to bring Triple-A baseball to the Sun City: competition. Boise, Idaho, was one city on a short list of cities reportedly pursuing the Tucson Padres, a Triple-A baseball affiliate that was preparing to leave Arizona following a two-year pact. Representatives from

There were a number of reasons why DACC’s nursing program lost its accreditation, but documents suggest officials knew they were going to lose it long before they told students. ABC-7 obtained stacks of documents including email and mail correspondence between Dona Ana Community College officials and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. After failing

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – A huge explosion rocked Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery early Saturday, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 80 others in the deadliest disaster in memory for the country’s key oil industry. Balls of fire rose over the Amuay refinery, one of the largest in the world, in video posted

The El Paso Sheriff’s Office is searching for the owner of a stray horse found in Fabens on Wednesday. The horse was located on the 15700 block of Island Road. Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Officers were dispatched to the area around 11 a.m. The horse is described as a male Appaloosa, according to officials. Anyone

El Paso Police said they nabbed two teenage brothers right after they broke into a store in Central El Paso and started stealing clothes. At around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday police responded to a call that the La Negrita store off of Gateway East was being burglarized. When police arrived, witnesses led officers to one

Police arrested 31- year-old David Holguin after allegedly threatening a man with a gun inside of a car and then pointing the weapon at police. Police said they were patrolling the parking lot of a Circle-K on the far east side, when they spotted two men in a car and the passenger, allegedly pointing a

Nearly four months since her son and his motorcycle ended up beneath the tires of an 18-wheeler on the 1800 block of Montwood and Trevino a mother still has questionsa bout the wreck. Signs posted throughout the area state the big rigs are prohibited from traveling there. Monica Zubia said 18-wheelers pass through that intersection

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded the number of obese children has tripled in 30 years. Statistics like that led to President Barack Obama signing into law the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. The law changes what schools offer in cafeterias. More fruits, vegetables and whole grains are expected on menus across the

With three cases of West Nile virus confirmed in El Paso and hundreds of cases across the state of Texas, the City of El Paso is doing its part to ensure the public remains safe. At the Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, scientists are working diligently to find a cure for the

Six heroes in the El Paso community were honored today after saving a toddler earlier this month. On Aug. 16, police said 34-year-old Rolando Pacheco kidnapped an 18-month girl from her Upper Valley yard. According to police, it all began when six workers of Asplundh Tree Expert Company were threatened by Rolando Pacheco with a

New Mexico State University researchers presented many new details about the Safe Traffic Operations Program, better known as the red light camera program. They also left the city council with many big questions. Many city council members are left wondering if the program is doing its job or making things worse. “It still seems not

Republican officials earlier released a revised convention-week schedule. Changes in the schedule are the result of the convention’s decision postpone the Monday, August 27 sessions due to weather-related concerns. All Times are Eastern. Tuesday, August 28, 2012 2:00 p.m. Chairman of the RNC Reince Priebus Color Guard Knights of Columbus Pledge of Allegiance by Former

Rain chances will not be in the forecast for the rest of the week. There is a slight chance early next week which includes Labor Day, but only at 10 percent chance. Temps will stay around normal, if not a bit above normal, for the remainder of the week. Highs around 93 or so.

It doesn’t exactly fall under the categories of reading, writing and arithmetic, but a course being offered at Cathedral High School is making an impact. The course is called “The Principles of Victimology,” and focuses on teaching students how to both cope with violence and understand the dynamics of being a victim. For Esteban Ochoa,

A huge weight was lifted off the shoulders of many Doa Ana Community College nursing students on Monday. New Mexico State University announced it would be offering full scholarships for all levels of DACC nursing students who transferred to its Bachelor’s in Nursing program. In a statement released on Monday, Bernadette Montoya, vice president of