Month: March 2015

El Paso police report that one person is dead after a motorcycle crash in West El Paso early Thursday morning. The incident happened just before 1 a.m. on the 700 block of Thorn. The motorcycle rider was declared dead at the scene. Police have not said if speed or alcohol are factors. This is the

A distance spanning nearly 1,500 miles. That is where the Carpenter’s border collie, Josie, was found after missing for 8 months. Josie’s owner, Racheal Carpenter, said she thought their dog died. “We kind of thought she had either gone off and died somewhere or was hit by a car and just hidden,” Carpenter said. But

March 19, 2015 Story: The El Paso Police Department has identified the officer who died in Wednesday’s fatal traffic collision as Adrian Arellano, a 10-year-veteran of the El Paso Police Department. Police also identified Maria Soto as the driver of the Honda Civic involved in the collision. Police say that both escort motorcycles used in

The El Paso Independent School District Board of Managers voted in favor of creating its first early childhood center. Master principal Laila Ferris will oversee the Mesita Early Childhood Center, that will be built where Vilas Elementary stands now — just about two miles from Mesita Elementary. Mesita Elementary will become a second through fifth

A Las Cruces judge has ordered prosecutors to preserve as evidence a white powder found in the wallet of a Santa Fe county deputy who was allegedly shot and killed by his partner in Las Cruces last year. Police charged former deputy Tai Chan with capital murder for allegedly killing fellow deputy Jeremy Martin. The

The Texas Department of Transportation revealed this week traffic models indicating the demolition of the historic Lincoln Center in South Central El Paso need a little more work. The state agency has said it needs to demolish the building in order to build a new freeway ramp near the Spaghetti Bowl. Last year, city council

A former New Mexico State University student has pleaded guilty to hindering an investigation into an online threat to shoot up the school last year. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Zachary Milton Hess of Las Cruces pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a misdemeanor. He was charged with being an accessary after the fact to the

A 24-year-old El Paso man has been charged with murder in the death of a woman last month. Chico Fierro has been charged in the death of Karyna Rodriguez shortly after noon on Feb. 15, 2015. Police say that the body of 24-year-old Rodriguez was found inside the an apartment in the 8500 block of

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is assisting in the investigation of a plane crash that was found by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Hudspeth County. The single engine fixed-wing Cessna 182 aircraft was reported missing March 17, 2015. The pilot died in the crash. Due to the current weather conditions at

City council will consider allowing young people and veterans to ride Sun Metro buses free. According to the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, there are a lot of teens from around the city who can’t get to non-profit programs Downtown because their families either don’t have cars or can’t afford transportation. During

The group tasked with overseeing the construction of a brand new cultural center will now have new leadership. Originally, El Paso City Council appointed Bernie Sargent, who leads the Bond Oversight Advisory Committee, to be the chair of the Cultural Center Sub-committee. Sargent has said voters approved a cultural center, not an Hispanic Cultural Center,

Medical marijuana could be an option for patients with cancer and other serious ailments in Texas. El Paso democrat Marisa Marquez, representative for District 77, introduced a bill in the state House Friday that would allow it. ABC-7 spoke by phone with Marquez about why she is behind the bill. She said among the reasons

A new Vietnam veterans memorial in Las Cruces is nearing it’s grand opening at the end of this month after more than eight years in the works. The monument at Veterans Memorial Park will officially open March 28, but won’t be completely done for some time yet. The monument will honor all New Mexicans who

UTEP faces Murray State in an NIT game Tuesday night. Meanwhile, New Mexico State is set to face Kansas in an NCAA tournament game on Friday. ABC-7 sat down with the athletic directors from both schools recently to discuss their conference affiliations and what’s being done to better those situations. For the fifth year in

The UTEP men’s basketball team will be making its first NIT appearance in four years this week when they take on Murray State tonight. Tonight’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg and Darrin Horn calling the action at 7 p.m. MT. But there’s a totally different feel from the last time

El Paso Fire official says there was small gas explosion in the kitchen of the UTEP Union. A worker suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to be checked out as a precaution. Students interviewed by ABC-7 said they heard the explosion but did not evacuate because nobody else was evacuating.

The day after the Texas Senate voted to loosen state handgun regulations, a House committee Tuesday morning consideredproposals to allow the open carry of handguns with a license and theconcealed carry of handguns on college campuses. The House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety listened to public testimony on House Bill 937 by state

Riled up about tuition costs at state colleges and universities, some lawmakers are eager to dump a2003 lawthat allowsinstitutions and university systems to set their own tuition. Before 2003, the Texas Legislature controlled tuition rates, and the idea of returning to that system is drawing bipartisan support from legislators hearing loud complaints from voters about

Members of the Texas House are debating proposals to allow concealed carry of handguns on college campuses and open carry everywhere else. The House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety mulled proposals on both issues Tuesday. Those discussions came as the full Senate approved loosening restrictions to allow licensed open carry of guns statewide.

El Paso County commissioners now have a better understanding of how University Medical Center and El Paso Children’s Hospital plan to move forward to resolve the multi-million dollar debt. ABC-7 broke the news last Tuesday that UMC and neighboring Children’s finally came to an agreement and Monday commissioners were briefed about the due diligence phase

Justices of the peace have been asking for more security for their offices from the county recently. A shooting outside one office last month may be ramping up the pressure on commissioners to take action. The county has been dealing with more requests for upgrades like cameras and bullet-proof glass from JP offices. But neither

?If Aggie fans thought the men’s basketball team have a tough draw in the NCAA tournament, they should check out who the women’s team is playing. The New Mexico State University women’s basketball team (22-7) will play Maryland (30-2) at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time Saturday on ESPN 2 in College Park, Maryland. Maryland is ranked

From around one Sunday afternoon to 7:30 in the evening is how long it took crews to rescue a hiker who had broken her leg. ComSAR officials said she was injured while hiking the Ron Coleman Trail that takes people from McKelligon Canyon over south Franklin Mountain to Smugglers Pass.She was about two miles up

Nearly a year after President Obama proclaimed the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks a national monument, the designated area now has a sign to showcase its significance. Volunteers with “Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks,” officials with the Bureau of Land Management and other local groups, worked together Sunday to install and unveil the sign. “This will

UTEP will be a part of the college basketball postseason. The Miners were selected to participate in the NIT (National Invitation Tournament). The Miners lost in the conference USA semi finals but finished second in the regular season standings. UTEP will face Murray State on Tuesday night at 7PM on ESPN 2. Old Dominion and

The alleged leader of the Juarez Valley cartel, Oscar Eduardo Vargas, or “El Negro,” was arrested Friday. He was captured in Hermosillo Sonora and brought to Juarez. The Juarez Valley cartel operates and controls the town of Praxedis Guerrero in Mexico, across from Tornillo. The cartel is alleged to have killed at least 200 people.

ABC-7 has confirmed the NMSU Aggies men’s basketball team will face the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks are currently 26-8. The Borderland will learn where the NCAA-bound women’s basketball team is headed Monday. Tune into ABC-7 at 5 and 10 for more details.

City of El Paso officials say the Country Club Road project is finally nearing completion, but they’re not sure the public art aspect will be finished by the time the road reopens. As it turns out, the public art piece, called “Uplift,” didn’t look quite the way it should have during installation, according to a

Whether it was inside or outside, New Mexico State couldn’t seem to miss in the first half of the Western Athletic Conference final Saturday against Texas-Pan American. The Aggies shot 69 percent in the opening half and routed the Broncs 70-52 for their first tournament title and first NCAA bid since 1988. Tourney MVP Brianne

A foodborne illness linked to some Blue Bell ice cream products might have been a contributing factor in the deaths of three hospital patients in Kansas, health officials said Saturday. But listeriosis didn’t cause the deaths, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman Sara Belfry. Officials have not released the names of the