Month: February 2015

Text of GOP response to the State of the Union address, delivered Tuesday night by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, as provided by the office of the Senate majority leader: Good evening. I’m Joni Ernst. As a mother, a soldier and a newly elected senator from the great state of Iowa, I am proud to

ABC-7 has the latest on the tuberculosis exposure at Providence Memorial Hospital, where more than 800 babies and 50 employees were possibly exposed to the disease by a patient care tech with active TB. ABC-7 has been putting together a timeline of events related to the exposure, ever since receiving a plan of correction report

University Medical Center says recent changes in Medicaid reimbursement structure play a large part in El Paso Children’s Hospital not living up to cash-flow forecasts in a 2007 feasibility report. That report helped convince voters to pass a $120 million bond issuance to build Children’s. ABC-7 is still waiting on the hospital’s financial disclosure Form

Region 19 has named it’s teachers of the year. They are El Paso Independent School District’s Colin Powell Elementary school teacher Amanda Bowser and SISD’s journalism teacher at El Dorado High Carlos A. Briano. They won the region’s highest teaching honor for inspiring their students. They will now go on to compete for the Texas

ABC 7 looked into its archives and pulled out this amazing footage from nearly 27 years ago! This record snow storm is from 1987 and marks the 27 year anniversary on Sunday, December 13. But this year, it looks like we will be waking up to nice warm temperatures compared to these frigid temperatures.

It’s not only a cool place to hang out during El Paso’s scorching summer heat, the El Paso Public Library is holding its Summer Reading Club to avoid the “summer slide effect”. Jack Galindo, the library’s customer relations coordinator said the “summer slide effect” happens during summer vacation when children forget what they learned in

Around four Saturday afternoon, police responded to a crash at I-10 west at Raynolds. Three vehicles were involved, including a semi-truck, RV and small truck. The truck was badly damaged, smashed against the median and a light pole. The driver was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Special Traffic Investigators were on the

The University of Texas at El Paso women made history last week when they sold out the Don Haskins center twice during the WNIT basketball tournament. UTEP wants to celebrate their post-season accomplishments with a rally Saturday April 12 in front of the UTEP library. Coach Keitha Adams and the team will be there to

The severe rains across northeast El Paso caused a lot of problems for commuters and residents Monday, to the point that emergency shelters had to be set up at two area schools. The flooded streets and stranded cars caught up many people in the area. The Red Cross of El Paso worked with El Paso

A woman and an 11-month-old girl were taken to the hospital with serious injuries late Thursday after the vehicle they were in was struck by an alleged drunk driver. El Paso Police say that 36-year-old Rick Juljan was driving his Silverado northbound on Railroad when at the same time 22-year-old Alexus Rosas was driving a

El Paso City Council will meet Wednesday in a special session to discuss the signature projects of the Quality of Life bonds. But Tuesday night, the consultants met with the public one last time to talk about the possibilities. The consultants are very excited about the signature projects, which are the Multipurpose Cultural and Performing

Socorro Independent School District is opening a new elementary school this spring. The district is touting it as the only one of its kind in El Paso. It’s called Purple Heart Elementary since it’s right in the heart of Fort Bliss. The school is located near North Montana and Rich Beem, in front of the

The Public Service Board is moving forward with a plan it says will help prevent widespread flooding in El Paso. The storms that hit the Borderland during the monsoon season not only left extensive damage, but also claimed the life of a woman. The PSB has finished $24 million worth of projects, and are either

The Public Service Board approved its $60 million dollar budget Wednesday. It includes an 8% increase in the stormwater fee paid by homeowners and businesses. Christina Montoya, El Paso Water Utilities Vice President, tells ABC-7 this is the first time the Stormwater Utility has increased its fee since it was created in 2008. Initially, the

Recently, signs opposing that tax hike have popped up throughout Las Cruces. The South Central Regional Transit Project Manager, Jack Valencia, says the services are desperately needed. Latshia Boswell, a frequent rider, agrees. “I don’t know how I’d get from point A to point B,” Boswell said. The free pilot program ,which launched in June,stops

City council members will consider raising the parking-meter rate for meters nearest the ballpark on Tuesday. The proposed ordinance wasn’t popular with drivers ABC-7 spoke with on Wednesday. The proposed hike would increase the rate drivers pay at the meters close to the ballpark from 75-cents an hour to $2.50 an hour. A City-commissioned study

The City of El Paso has started looking into its 2014 fiscal year budget and officials are proposing a tax increase. In 2013, the total city budget was more than $756 million. The proposed budget for 2014 will increase by $27 million, to about $784 million. City officials said they need the additional money for

ABC-7 has new information on a story first reported Oct. 9 regarding a call for an investigation of the probation department. This started around allegations of an inappropriate relationship between a probationer and his officer. It all came to light after a deadly car crash involving a former probationer, David Zavala. Zavala is charged with

Allegations of poor management and revelations of an inappropriate relationship. One organization said those are the reasons why it is calling for an investigation into the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department. The push for an investigation came after a crash Sunday night involving David Zavala, 25. Zavala was booked into the El Paso

The El Paso Police Department’s Crimes Against Person’s unit is investigating a shooting that happened in Northeast El Paso Sunday night. At about 9 p.m., Northeast patrol officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 6100 Sun Valley. Police say that a fight happened between two men and that during the

El Paso Police have released the name of the man whose death has been deemed suspicious. Edgar Lespron, 36, of El Paso sustained head trauma at some point prior to being transported to Sierra Providence East. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police were investigating Lespron’s death in the 1400 block of North Zaragoza

In years past, Castner Range has been known for a gold glow during Spring. That is the time when people visit the Museum of Archaeology to get a closer look at the Mexican gold poppies in full bloom. This year, the poppies had a weak show. Only a small amount of flowers bloomed around the

Local Catholic church leaders say El Paso’s new bishop may already have been chosen, but won’t be appointed until after a new pope is elected. It’s a small sacrifice for some, who say Pope Benedict may have sacrificed his entire legacy all in the name of humility. “I’m really sad to lose him. I really

The unofficial start of summer is only a few days away and El Paso is already feeling the heat. To stay cool this summer, families will likely find the nearest swimming pool. Whether it’s a city pool or a private pool, safety should always be the main priority. This year, so far, The Texas Department

El Paso police are on the lookout for two suspects they say are responsible for breaking into two convenience stores in the Lower Valley early Wednesday morning. The incidents happened around 1 a.m. at the 7-Eleven locations on the 7900 block of Knights and the 200 block of Padres. The stores are about three miles

The El Paso Police Department’s Special Traffic Investigations Unit is investigating a single vehicle crash that has left a man in critical condition. Police say the crash happened at about 2:10 a.m. July 21 in the 9400 block of Railroad. Police say that they believe the driver, a 19-year-old man, was traveling north on Railroad

El Paso police are investigating a stabbing that took place in downtown El Paso early Friday morning. The incident took place near the intersection of Mesa and Missouri around 2 am. Several streets in the area were blocked off for hours during the investigation, but they have since reopened. Emergency crews confirm the victim was

Roughly 75 fourth- and fifth-grade students at Socorro Independent School District elementary schools will have a new opportunity to get fit this summer. Prissilla Escobar, a current University of Texas Austin sophomore and former Socorro High student, has put a plan into motion she’s calling “Prissilla’s Pledge Camp.” “The motto of UT Austin is, ‘What

National Play Therapy Week started Sunday, February 1st. “It becomes me getting into their world the only way I have found that I can do that is through play”,” said Leah Miller, a Registered Play Therapist. Miller learned first-hand the importance of play therapy she says her first client was a two year old. “She

Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard is packing his bags. The El Paso native is leaving Fort Bliss at the end of the month after almost three years as commander. Gen. Pittard writes a periodic column for the post’s newspaper, the Fort Bliss Monitor. This one, published the week of May 12, encourages soldiers to just be