Month: February 2015

Hundreds of Wounded Warriors, including at Fort Bliss, were reportedly harassed and abused by staff between 2009 and 2013. It has top military officials talking. There were allegations of “disrespect, harassment and belittlement of soldiers” at a place where they should have been getting help — the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Bliss. “Was there

ABC-7 went to Silver City to talk to Audrey Martinez Teran, the mother and wife of three victims killed in the Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre. “I would have been a grandma,” Teran said. “Would they have married? “Would they have kids? I just miss what their life would have been.” Martinez Teran still visits

ABC-7 continues to stay on top of the latest negotiations between El Paso Children’s Hospital and University Medical Center. There was a board of managers meeting Tuesday afternoon that lasted more than four hours. For the second board meeting in a row, the negotiations between Children’s and UMC was discussed behind closed doors and no

Last year both the Yselta and El Paso school districts began looking at their declining populations and aging buildings. While the districts are grappling with similar issues, the processes they’re using differ. Both districts were once thriving, but now, their neighborhoods are filled with retirees and their students are now adults. Younger families are moving

A couple of big Downtown projects are nearing the finish line, but another has fallen behind schedule. “It’s a really exciting time in Downtown El Paso right now,” City of El Paso Public Affairs Coordinator Martin Bartlet said. With as many as 90,000 bowlers coming to town for the USBC Open Championships starting next month,

The Days of Remembrance Expo is right around the corner. David Tutera, celebrity wedding planner, will be there presenting his spring gowns for 2015. The event consists of wedding gowns, quince & sweet 16 dresses, ballrooms, photographers, tuxedos, florists, jewelers and your one stop shop for all your event needs! But Jan. 17, is the

Another hot, humid day is expected around the region. Moisture still lingers over the Borderland, but at the surface drier air is shifting over the western portions of the region. Today, temperatures are expected to rise back into the 90s at the lower elevations. El Paso will hit a high of 97 and the forecast

Dry air continues to hang over the region at the upper level, with some moisture still trapped near the surface. This means isolated rain chances stick around in the forecast, but showers are not likely for El Paso and Las Cruces. The better chance of rain will be over the higher elevations of the Sacramento

A water tanker that flipped on it’s side kept crews busy early Saturday. It happened around 1:20 a.m. on Paisano and Executive Center. Police say the driver lost control and the truck over-turned. He suffered minor injuries.

El Paso Fire Department officials confirmed crews recovered a male body in a canal near the intersection of Delta and Coles in south El Paso. The fire department said via Twitter that water rescue crews were dispatched at approximately 8:33 a.m. to the scene. Assistance was requested by Border Patrol agents who discovered the body.

Plenty of drivers have been dealing with serious headaches for months, and residents are saying they’ve been left in the dark about what’s going on with a major water utility project on the Westside. The water main replacement near the intersection of Sunland Park Drive and Mesa Street has been more than a hassle for

The El Paso City Planning Commission voted to postpone a hearing on building a neighborhood-style Wal-Mart Thursday afternoon. The commission listened to presentations from the city which is advocating for the new store, but only if Walmart can meet the area’s Smart Growth zoning features. If the store cannot, they will have to vote on

An El Paso tradition is dead, at least for this year. ABC-7 has confirmed this summer’s Viva! El Paso has been cancelled. Luz Ramos, president of the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts, which put together the show for decades, said the organization is dissolving and will not be able to put on the

Virgin Galactic is planning on conducting testing of its new spacecraft without its longtime partner, Scaled Composites, according to the Los Angeles Times. Last October, Scaled Composites conducted a test flight of SpacesShipTwo, the rocket crashed over the Mojave Desert, killing one of the pilots on board. The two companies began their work together in

A Virgin Galactic spaceship crashed Friday, killing a pilot and leaving another in the hospital. The SpaceShipTwo was part of Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo and was supposed to launch sometime next year from Spaceport America, right in our own backyard, near Truth or Consequences. This crash undoubtedly puts the launch date back. When Abc-7 spoke to

From the irreverent to the thought-provoking, here are some of the stories that stirred, outraged or entertained our social media followers the most in 2014.

It’s a Friday afternoon and Golden Star Chinese Restaurant on El Paso Street is empty. The eatery is a favorite after-school spot for Las Cruces High students. But on this unusually slow Friday, they’ve chosen to eat elsewhere. “It’s kind of depressing the atmosphere here,” said night time manager Nikki Taylor. “All the employees know

It’s lunchtime in Vinton, and La Mission Restaurant is closing for the day. “The AC is not working,” said owner Laura Rios. Since Friday low-pressure water is ebbing from the faucets, but failing to flow strong enough to flush toilets, power showers or swamp coolers. And residents are boiling. “It’s hot. It’s very, very hot,”

The El Paso Police Department and its Theft Protection Task Force are working to crack down on vehicle thefts in the city. They are encouraging motorists to take advantage of a free event this weekend where officials will offer free Vehicle Identification Number etching. Every vehicle has a 17-digit number, usually located onthe bottom corner

The prosecution and defense are preparing for the second day of testimony in the suppression hearing for Daniel Villegas. His defense attorneys want his confession to a deadly drive-by shooting more than 20 years ago thrown out of evidence. This is the third time the El Paso district attorney is pursuing capital murder charges against

A man police said robbed a restaurant Saturday evening was arrested. The robbery happened at the Village Inn on the 7800 block of North Mesa, officials said. Police received a call regarding an aggravated robbery incident around 6:18 p.m. According to police, 58-year-old Kosta Argeanas entered the restaurant and demanded money from a female employee

Are you ready for some bowl games? Our brief December hiatus comes to an end Saturday with four games, the second of which comes at 2:20 p.m. ET when Utah State and UTEP square off in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What should we expect from these teams,

What some have called the worst video game ever made has fetched thousands of dollars for a New Mexico city. An old “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” game cartridge drew the highest bid among 100 Atari games auctioned on eBay by Alamogordo officials. The games were part of a cache of some 800 Atari video games buried

Ysleta school district officials said they are requesting that a teacher accused of having an improper relationship with a student not return to the classroom. A YISD spokeswoman told ABC-7 they are recommending against the renewal of Victor Talamantes’s contract. The board of trustees would make the final determination. Talamantes, 39, was arrested for allegedly

A violent armed Las Cruces home invasion Tuesday morning has resulted in three arrests. The victims are a couple in their 80s. Jesse V. Saenz, 43, and Dianna T. Parra, 38, were arrested later that same day. Daniel Hernandez, 23, turned himself into police Wednesday afternoon after a warrant was issued for his arrest. They’re

Feb. 4, 2015 Update: The man who was critically injured this week, allegedly by an off-duty Border Patrol agent, was shot in the head, according to the affidavit. Jesus Rodriguez is named in the affidavit as the person who was injured and taken to Del Sol Medical Center and is in critical condition. The affidavit

Gregory Smith says he tried for years to get his son to seek treatment from the VA for his PTSD. Smith told KVIA that his son William Smith served in the Army from 2003-2007. He said his son was not the same when he returned from his second tour. Following several years of difficulty where

Restaurant owners and managers are feeling extra generous on this Veterans Day. For some veterans, a simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way, but some free donuts or even a complementary meal can add that extra touch of appreciation. If you’re in the mood for something sweet or looking for a place to have

Traffic slowed to a crawl on I-10 East Thursday morning after a rollover near mile marker 5. Emergency dispatchers confirm one person was ejected from the vehicle, but have not released any further information.