Month: July 2014

A teacher at Centennial High School in Las Cruces has been arrested after police suspected him of alleged sexual contact with a student. Phillip Hernandez, 25, was charged with three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor. Each of those counts are felonies. He was a first-year theater arts teacher. A 17-year-old boy told

After two weeks of playing on the road and living out of suitcases, the El Paso Chihuahuas finally played at ‘home’ Monday night. It was the first time players practiced and played at Southwest University Park. After a sellout Monday, Tuesday’s game is near selling out with tickets only available in the Big Dog House

A Las Cruces mother is suspected of punishing her children in a cruel way. Las Cruces Police charged Cynthia Mora with two counts of negligent child abuse. LCPD discovered that Mora threw her 11-year-old son on a bed and struck him several times with a closed fist. While investigators were at the scene they learned

The El Paso Chihuahuas have arrived at the El Paso International Airport for tonight’s ball park opener. ABC-7’s Asher Wildman is live and talking to players. Stay with us on-air and online for more continuing coverage of this big event for the borderland.

Final touches were being added to the Southwest University Park less than 24 hours before baseball fans pack the stands for the first time. But now that cheers and record-number crowds are coming to downtown El Paso, there’s other concerns. “If they are a little ahead of the game, and you know, kinda keep security

Residents from a west El Paso apartment complex are without a home Sunday morning. A fire destroyed four apartments part of the Colores Del Sol complex in West El Paso. It happened at the 7100 block of North Mesa. ABC-7’s ‘Round the clock news crew was on the scene overnight.

Pope Francis declared Popes John XXIII and John Paul II saints before some 800,000 people on Sunday in an unprecedented ceremony made even more historic by the presence of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square. Never before have a reigning pope and a retired pope celebrated Mass together in public, much less at

High winds and dust have returned to the borderland. A strong low pressure system is moving into New Mexico at this time. Southwest winds are currently blowing at 25 to 35 mph with gusts of 45 to 55 mph in many locations. Visibilities have lowered in widespread blowing dust across the region. Winds may gusts

Homeland Security Investigations arrested Albert Hibbert for allegedly having child pornography. Hibbert is a former music teacher who taught at various schools in the borderland. The 43-year old was arrested after HSI agents say they found photos of young girls on his laptop. District officials say they are working with HSI agents who are asking

New Mexico State men’s basketball head coach Marvin Menzies announced on Friday, April 25 that center Sim Bhullar has decided to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility by entering his name into the 2014 NBA Draft. Bhullar, who was named the 2013 and 2014 Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP and led the league in blocks (3.37/game)

There are four days left until opening night at Southwest University Park. Twenty-four years ago, Cohen Stadium opened its gates for the first time in Northeast El Paso. It was a night the former owner of the El Paso Diablos said he’d like to forget. The hope is that everything goes smoothly Monday night at

An El Paso city representative recently questioned if the Socorro Independent School District is contributing to costly sprawl. “Anytime you go out there – you can go out there and see schools where there’s still no homes there but they expect schools to go out there. Well, I think they’re encouraging homes to go out

For the first time since work has been completed, ABC-7 got an inside look at the newly renovated executive offices at El Paso Independent School District. New paint, new carpet, a new kitchenette, and new bathroom fixtures are among the improvements. During public comment at a recent district board meeting, some teachers criticized Superintendent Juan

El Paso’s next major road construction project could change the way drivers get around town, but the expected $800M price tag could be lower. Thursday morning, the Texas Transportation Commission announced Abrams and Kiewit Joint Venture will design, construct and maintain the Border Highway West Expansion Project. The joint group consists of J.D. Abrams and

Wednesday, April 23, was the first strategic planning committee meeting to discuss how El Paso Children’s Hospital is going to pay University Medical Center the roughly $59 million it owes for rent and other support services. The meeting lasted about three hours and was closed to the public. Although hospital officials weren’t allowed to discuss

FirstLight Federal Credit Union’s system has been restored, according to the credit union’s website. “The credit union recently experienced computer issues that caused an interruption to services for the majority of the day on Wednesday April 23, 2014,” said a statement from FirstLight president/CEO Karl T. Murphy around 6:30 this morning. “Systems have been up

The El Paso Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit are asking for the community’s assistance in a 2011 missing person case. The morning of Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011 was the last time that family and friends heard from 23-year old Jason Richard Macias. Macias’s family reported him missing on Sept. 2, 2011. Investigators found Macias’s

Mosi, one of four male giraffes at the El Paso Zoo will be heading to his new home in Glen Rose, Texas Friday, April 25. “Mosi is a favorite of Zoo Keepers in the Africa section of the Zoo and will be missed. However, he will now be living with a group of females which

Jenna Farrey is now technically eligible for bond, although she would still have to overcome significant obstacles to be released prior to her trial, which is currently scheduled for December. District Judge Patrick Garcia has modified the bond for the Army wife accused of Injury to a Child in connection with her son, Jackson Farrey.

Raiders of the Lost Atari, listen up: If you’re planning to spend this Saturday rummaging through old trash in search for a now infamous Atari video game, you should attend an informational meeting sponsored by the New Mexico Environment Department tonight. The meeting will be held in conjunction with Souder, Miller & Associates, the consultants

ABC-7 confirmed the name of the woman who was swept up in rushing water and hail this weekend. She was Amber LaStrega, 48, and she was homeless. ABC-7 found a video posted online in March in which LaStrega is being interviewed about living on the streets. “My name is Amber. I was born and raised

According to both ESPN.com and SI.com UTEP men’s basketball coach Tim Floyd is considered a “strong” candidate for the vacant coaching position at Missouri. Frank Haith left the school last week to become the new head coach at Tulsa. As of Tuesday night UTEP’s A.D. Bob Stull had no contact with the Missouri officials about

A Las Cruces-based organization says the city needs to catch up with other major cities across the state in terms of how much employees make. Mark Stephens has owned and operated the Corner Deli in Las Cruces for 23 years. He starts out all employees at minimum wage, which is $7.50 an hour in New

Investigators with the El Paso Fire Department are looking for the cause of a Tuesday afternoon brush fire. The fire broke out near Virginia and Ochoa in West El Paso and became a Condition 4 fire due to the number of firefighters on scene. The fire was spreading west due to wind conditions that were

El Paso Police have one man in custody after a stabbing early Tuesday morning. Just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to the 10800 block of Saigon regarding a 22-year-old man with multiple stab wounds. The victim was transported to hospital for treatment. Officers searched the area for the suspect, who was found in another

A father speaks to ABC-7 after losing his daughter in a fatal car crash this weekend. Crystal Saldana, 22, was hit and killed after police say a car driven by 27-year-old Brian Gamero slammed into the back of Saldana’s car. The collision forced Saldana’s car to the opposite side of Zaragoza, when a ford truck

El Paso County Commissioners on Monday approved a proposal to open the County’s parking garage on days when the Chihuahuas play. The proposal was approved by a unanimous vote. The Commissioners Court approved $1,500 in overtime for attendant for two weeks as a trial period. The County’s parking garage has 800 spots and is about

El Paso authorities are not releasing much information following yesterday’s icy rescue in Northeast El Paso. An El Paso Fire Department spokesman said the woman found buried under several feet of hail on Saturday had a body temperature of 75-degrees fahrenheit. The spokesman would not confirm is the woman is alive or dead, only that

The NM State athletic department today released the final design of the synthetic turf that is currently being installed at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The field will debut on Thursday, August 28 at 6PM for the home opener against Cal Poly as part of Ag Day. The field design will use a liberal amount of crimson,

The Rimington Trophy Committee has released its 2014 Fall Watch List, which features 66 of the best centers in Division I football, including New Mexico State’s Valerian Ume-Ezeoke. This is the second year in a row that Ume-Ezeoke, a native of Garland, Texas, as made the fall watch list. Ume-Ezeoke started at center for the