Month: February 2015

There was a slight change in how the El Paso City Council opened Tuesday’s meeting. And the group behind it hopes it leads to bigger changes. City council meetings are usually opened by an invocation, a short appeal by any group that wants to sign up to do it for whatever deity or religion they

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stopped in El Paso during his “Back-to-School Bus Tour” Tuesday. Duncan will be touring schools throughout the Southwest for the next week. Duncan told an audience it is no mistake he chose to stop and visit an EPISD school. The secretary said he is hopeful with EPISD’s new

New Mexico State women’s basketball team got back to the Pan American Center with an 82-61 win over Western Athletic Conference opponent Chicago State. The night saw sophomore Abby Scott highlighted with a career-high 36 points and a new record for 3-pointers in a single game. “I am really proud of the team tonight,” head

From his throne behind the drums, a young boy begins to find the beat. Roger Barraza joins in, playing the ominous riff from The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” as he locks eyes with his drummer and they play on. More than just a place to rock out, this stage also is a place to

El Paso Independent school district officials said Thursday they’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to deciding to delay the start of the school day on days with risks of inclement weather. Several local school districts and private schools decided to delay the start of school on Thursday because of the risk for

The former business manager of a Central Texas school district has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for embezzling more than $500,000 from the district. Patty E. Smith was sentenced Friday in federal court in Austin and ordered to pay restitution for stealing the money from the Lohn school district, about 60 miles

This year, National School Choice Week chose Houston for it’s Celebration Kick-Off. The organization says Houston Independent School District embraces public school choice by offering a menu of educational options, such as public charter and magnet schools. But parents, tired of low-performing public schools, have other choices too. Meet Deb Roennebeck, the mother of four,

The El Paso Independent School District and the Ysleta ISD are both figuring out ways to reinvest in their facilities.But not only do the districts have old schools, which average around 50 years old, the style of the classrooms is literally, “old-school.” Now the goal is to rebuild them as 21st-century learning environments. Open educational

Five school districts in El Paso County are holding elections and voters will have to decide on board members and bonds. “I think it’s going to be interesting to see, in light of what’s happened locally in EPISD,” said UTEP’s Political Science Professor Dr. Gregory Rocha. “Does that mood or feeling that people have about

El Paso’s International Museum of Art is in danger of closing. Museum officials told ABC-7 they fear they may have to close its doors by the end of the month if they don’t find revenue. “The museum has been struggling for some time in terms of creating a revenue stream that we can count on,”

This Saturday the El Paso Police Department had 11 DWI incidents and arrests. Police said the arrests happened during a 21.5 hour period. Arrests took place at multiple locations around the city, including on U.S. 54. EPPD wants drivers to be careful as schools go back in session this week.

Police arrested two people Saturday morning following a collision involving a police vehicle on the freeway. It occurred on Interstate 10 near the Yarbrough exit. According to Police dispatch, an officer was making a DWI arrest when another vehicle hit the officer’s car. Dispatch said that driver was also arrested for DWI. No injuries were

Santa Teresa is one step closer to incorporating, but Doa Ana County says there are still a number of hurdles standing in the way. Those include a looming annexation attempt by neighboring Sunland Park. Members of the Santa Teresa incorporation group have presented a petition with more than 900 signatures to the county. They now

The area around the Santa Teresa airport has seen a major boom in recent years. The expanding port of entry, airport and railroad facilities have turned it into a hotspot for warehouses and industrial use. But now there’s a problem: It’s almost out of warehouses ready for new businesses. The ribbon cutting of a new

UPDATE: Sunland Park City Council expected to hold meeting Tuesday night at 6:30pm at 1000 McNutt Road. ABC-7 was sent what appeared to be a portion of the meetings agenda. It stated Councilman Kenneth Giove will propose that council approve a resolution concerning annexation of unincorporated areas surrounding Santa Teresa. That has not been confirmed

After a long day of flying, the pilot of a Cessna 172 can land his or her private plane on the runways of the Dona Ana County Airport at Santa Teresa. Once landed, the plane is parked in the hangers of Francis Aviation, a first-class fixed business operator, just a third of mile down Airport

The year 2013 will go down as yet another historic moment in time for a community that has made an indelible footprint in El Paso’s history. What started as San Elizario’s “David and Goliath” fight against annexation by a once-corrupt Socorro City Government will end with the community winning its independence and preserving the rich

One of Texas oldest townships is marking a historic day Saturday.San Elizario is holding its elections for the first time. As of 7:30 p.m. voting results on the El Paso County website show Maya Sanchez with 75 percent, Paul Johnson Jr. with 20.69 percent, and Carlos R. Guerrero with 4.31 percent. The polls opened at

A spokeswoman for the El Paso Sheriff’s Office confirms one person is dead after an early morning wreck between Clint and the city of Socorro. The wreck happened at about 5:45 am on the11900 block of Alameda at Vianney Rd. EPSO dispatch said traffic is down to one lane on each side of Alameda. Special

Around the Borderland, a number of events are happening today to mark Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including the YWCA’s Race Against Racism in the Upper Valley. ABC-7 asked the runners and organizers if racism is a problem in El Paso. “A problem with racism? No,” said Ryan Holmes. “El Paso’s one of the

Two men involved in a countywide corruption scam received their sentence Tuesday morning. Former Bear Sterns broker Robert “Bobby” Ruiz and former councilman and lobbyist Raymond Telles faced District Judge Frank Montalvo after pleading guilty to attempting to bribe former County Judge Anthony Cobos. Ruiz is sentenced to two years in prison, three months probation

The El Paso Rotary Club is celebrating it’s 100-year anniversary by opening a free clinic in the Lower Valley, apart of it’s centennial project. The club raised enough money via donations to open a free clinic at 301 S. Schutz. The clinic will provide medical services to all. There is no government funding. The clinic’s

Police say five people were injured in a rollover in east El Paso. It happened late Sunday night on Gateway West between Viscount and Hawkins. Police say the car rollover over after hitting a fire hydrant, but could not say if speed or alcohol were factors. All five people were taken to a hospital.

The 84th Southwest International Professional Cowboy Association Rodeo continued Saturday at the El Paso County Coliseum. Bareback bronco riding, steer wrestling and tie-down roping are just a few of the events being featured. Cowboys and rodeo organizers say the events weren’t created for show, but rather borne out of practical need. Injured rodeo bull rider

Eduardo Robles told the court God is real, and he’s been forgiven. But the 27-year-old’s crimes aren’t forgotten. The family of 19-year-old Fernando Corral shared their pain with the man they believe is to blame for killing their son. “They still have the memory of their son and brother in their lives,” said MADD victims

KVIA took a road trip to Fredericksburg. The 500-mile seven-hour drive to a city in the Texas hill countryis a trip straight into the heart of Texas-German cultural heritage. We visited a variety of museums, shops and restaurants. Chef Glenn Jung from Rathskeller’s restaurant says, “Many of the recipes that we use in the restaurant

Drivers, you may now exhale a sigh of relief. Socorro City Council approved Thursday, Jan. 15, to pave 60 roads. The Socorro public works director categorized all the roads in the area on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the worst conditions possible. Now 60 roads in poor condition will either be

An upcoming stormwater project will close part of a busy street for weeks starting Oct. 27 in East El Paso Crews will install underground utility and stormwater infrastructure on Wedgewood Drive in the area just north of Montwood Drive, and will need to close that area approximately eight weeks. The reconstruction of Montwood Drive is

The Rescue Mission of El Paso learned where its new home will be located. Tuesday, city council members approved a land swap that made a property located on the 100 block of Cotton Street the Rescue Mission’s new location. The property is currently used by the El Paso Water Utilities to store vehicles. In return,