Month: February 2015

El Paso-area job seekers have had tomorrow circled on their calendars for quite a while, the 11th-annual get-hired employment fair is the largest in El paso and one of the biggest in the state. Businesses began setting up their booths this morning at the Downtown Convention Center Workforce Solutions Upper Rio Grande C-E-O Lorenzo Reyes

ABC-7 first brought you the story of Jesus Solis, a Las Cruces elementary school teacher charged with 52 counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor last summer. But ABC-7 learned Wednesday, Solis’ charges have been dramatically down-graded. The ABC-7 I-Team learned of the change of plea setting by checking www.nmcourts.gov. ABC-7 reached out to

Jesus Solis, a former Las Cruces elementary teacher once charged with more than 50 counts of Criminal Sexual Contact of a Minor, has giving up his teaching license. Solis’ license wasn’t affected after the district attorney reduced the charges to four counts of Misdemeanor Battery. Officials with the Las Cruces Public Schools District and the

The Jefferson-Silva High campus is anticipating athletic upgrades, although it also asked for classroom updates, but was denied. The El Paso Independent School District reallocated money left over from it’s 2007 bond toward athletic upgrades for a number of schools, including new stadiums at Franklin High and the Jefferson-Silva campus. More than $2 million was

The El Paso Independent School District has suspended 12 varsity soccer players and kicked one off the team after a disturbing fight involving the Andress and Jefferson High varsity soccer teams. It occurred Tuesday night at Jefferson and left one player in the hospital with serious injuries. According to Jefferson students, the fight started after

El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar sees the recent employment turnover as an opportunity. In the past year, many of the county’s department managers have retired, resigned or been fired. That means new faces will soon be running several county departments. During a commissioner’s court meeting Thursday, long time County Tax Assessor Victor Flores called

Bowie and Jefferson high school alumni were enraged at rumors the two schools were going to be combined into a single school. El Paso Independent School District Superintendent Juan Cabrera held a town hall meeting Wednesday night to calm their fears. Cabrera firmly states there are no plans to consolidate the schools. And he apologizes

UPDATE 02/19/14:“The school is also getting $500,000 to renovate or build a new field,” said Alejandro Patio, EPISD Bond Accountability Advisory Committee Chair. “Ironically, EPISD facilities is working on a design that would keep the field in place. However, even if the field has to be moved, we are looking at a brand new baseball

Tempers flared Wednesday evening at an El Paso Independent School District committee meeting. The topic: a stadium for Jefferson High school. It’s the size of the stadium some Jeff alumni say is a waste of money. Earlier this year, EPISD reallocated extra money from it’s 2007 bond to go to new construction. This is when

A restaurant named in honor of El Paso legend Don Haskins has closed. It was almost a year to the day when ABC-7 had an exclusive look inside “The Haskins House.” Friday, a notice of lock out was posted on the door. ABC-7 caught up with the Haskins family to hear how they feel about

Classes at El Paso High School have been canceled for Thursday, Feb. 5 due to a water main break at Virginia and Schuster, according to El Paso Independent School District officials. Because of the water main break there is no water at the school. El Paso High is the only school being affected.

Two days into the new year, are you already blowing off your resolutions? Have you made them at all? Well, there is a way to stay on track. ABC-7 met up with life coach Tish Times. Times shared a few pointers to help keep those new year commitments. The fireworks are finished… and the clock

Is it the screeching of birds of prey or could it be something else? The wild bird sounds can be heard echoing through parts of downtown, and many are baffled. ABC-7 was at the intersection of Campbell and Florence streets where the reports have been running rampant. Some people claim seeing a Monstrous bird, up

Forty people in New Mexico and West Texas have been arrested in a wide-sweeping drug trafficking bust. The federal operation focused on traffickers in Southeastern New Mexico after an investigation into a suspected meth ring that lasted more than a year. Most of the suspects were from Carlsbad. More than five pounds of meth, 53-thousand-dolars

Police are searching for a man who robbed a Jack in the Box in West El Paso on Sunday night. It happened at the location on Mesa Street and Brentwood Avenue. Police say the man flashed a handgun, demanded money and took off on foot, prompting a search of the area. A Custom and Border

The newest Barbie in Mattel’s “Dolls of the World” series comes out later this month. The doll is dressed in mariachi garb. Is it stereotypical, or a good cultural representation? Mariachi groups perform all over the Borderland every week. ABC 7 spoke to a few of these performers about what they think of this year’s

Students and faculty at Irvin High School are very upset about their principal, Laron Sharp, was reassigned to Andress High. One student said the Superintendent’s decision to reassign Sharp was a big mistake. “He needs to know its a very big mistake and everybody is human,” the student said. “He made that decision not knowing

Students and administrators at Irvin High School were outraged after their principal was reassigned. Wednesday, El Paso Independent School District officials announced they’ve reinstated him. Laron Sharp served as principal since February of 2013. It was more than a week ago when the district decided to reassign Sharp to Andress High School. Students and administrators

One of El Paso Independent School District school plans on growing its own fruits and vegetables, raising its own fish and selling the good at local markets. It’s an ambitious effort, but the school is confident its new biofood garden will be a success. “An area right next to the cafeteria will have a salad

This May protests just like the one in St. Louis County, MO, one popped up across country after it was revealed the Internal Revenue Service had targeted certain conservative groups applying for 501 c, or tax exempt status. Now the frustrations many citizens have with the IRS has been exacerbated and everything is being questioned.

Alcohol and speed contributed to a weekend rollover that injured the driver and his passenger, police said. David Zavala, 25, was driving east along the 4200 block of Fred Wilson in Northeast El Paso when he allegedly sped past a red light and lost control of his truck. He then hit a TxDOT sign, causing

A man is dead following a motorcycle accident in Far East El Paso County. Sheriff’s Deputies are working to determine how the man died Saturday night. According to officials, the motorcyclist appears to have lost control and crashed. The man was driving west on Interstate 10 near Fabens. Investigators said they are not sure if

Internet sales tax has been a hot topic in state and federal legislation. Yesterday a bill focusing on the topic made a step towards becoming law. The Marketplace Fairness Act was pushed through a vote by the Senate. The act aims to equalize sales tax laws across the United States for online vendors. The bill

In a 4-to-1 vote, County Commissioners Court signed off on the hiring of a senior trial attorney to oversee the internal affairs department of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. “We could possibly prevent future liability going forward,” said County Judge Veronica Escobar, who voted in favor of the hiring. Commissioner Vince Perez, the lone

The Insights Science Museum is on track to reopen early next year in a new home. It will be located in what used to be Alamo Elementary School in south El Paso. Exhibits are taking shape inside the school and there is plenty of work to be done until the opening. ‘Insights’ was knocked down

An inmate at the Dona Aa County Detention in Las Cruces is in critical condition after a possible heroin overdose, officials said. Guards found the unidentified 28-year-old man unconscious in a booking cell in the facility. The inmate was unresponsive and his skin was bluish-gray in color, officials with the Detention Center told ABC-7. During

It’s a first-of-its-kind for the Borderland! A state-of-the-art indoor go-kart track is scheduled to open soon out in East El Paso. Zero to 60 Motor Speedway will be located in the Kessler Industrial Park at 8600 Gateway Boulevard East, across Interstate 10 from Tinseltown Theater and the Las Palmas Marketplace. “The kart technology is the

A small park became the source of a big controversy last year. Now, some significant changes are coming as part of an agreement involving El Paso Electric. Esmeralda park is off Artcraft, between Upper Valley Rd. and Westside Dr. in El Paso’s Upper Valley. Residents in that area were in an uproar last year when

A new UTEP study shows Central American immigrants have no reason to stop crossing the border illegally. In fact, researchers found they benefit from being detained. The authors, Dr. Kyle Susa and former Border Patrol Chief Victor Manjarrez, Jr. focused on the Fort Brown station in Brownsville,where the majority of Central American children are coming

The Obama administration is ordering immigration agents to ask immigrants they encounter living in the country illegally whether they might qualify under President Barack Obama’s plans to avoid deporting them. Internal training materials obtained by The Associated Press also show that agents are being told to review government files to identify any jailed immigrants they