Month: December 2016

An Army sergeant who worked as a military recruiter has admitted he funneled dozens of assault weapons to a Mexican cartel last year with the help of other soldiers. The San Antonio Express-News reports Sgt. Julian Prezas pleaded guilty this week to charges that include lying on federal firearms forms. Prosecutors relied on the testimony

Borderland parents poured their hearts out at a so-called listening session hosted by the U.S. Department of Education. Officials were in El Paso as part of a tour of Texas to take public comment on the state reportedly capping student enrollment in special education. Federal officials will visit Houston, Dallas, Austin, El Paso and the

Compensation packages for 16 top University of Texas System system officials and university and medical school presidents included about $2 million in bonuses, according to documents obtained by The Texas Tribune. That amount, approved by UT System regents last month, will likely rankle some top state legislators who have been critical of executive compensation at

Last week ABC-7 reported about a group of UTEP fans who held up signs that spelled “Fire Floyd”. At one point former UTEP football coach Mike Price ripped one of the signs away from the fan. The signs were out again Tuesday night. The group didn’t bring the Fire Floyd sign this time around but

Here’s a look at road closures for Wednesday. All of them are on the Westside. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Wednesday) – Lane closure on I-10 East from Mesa to Resler. 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. (Wednesday night – Thursday morning) – Lane closures in both directions of I-10 between Sunland Park and Executive. –

The City of El Paso will host the first of a series of meetings where they will take input from the community on the design for the Sun City Lights project the Paseo de las Luces, The Paseo de las Luces stretches between South El Paso St. and the Paso del Norte international bridge and

The two teams might be headed in completely opposite directions record-wise, but UTEP and New Mexico State collided at the Don Haskins Center Tuesday night, as the Aggies topped the Miners 79-68. NMSU has now won seven of its last eight meetings against UTEP. The Aggies have also won seven straight ball games this season.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A publicist says Alan Thicke, who played the likable father on the sitcom “Growing Pains,” has died at age 69. Carleen Donovan, who is a publicist for Thicke’s son, singer Robin Thicke, says the actor died from a heart attack on Tuesday in Los Angeles. She had no further details. Alan

The tradition of sending tamales to the city of Austin continues for the 13th year Wednesday morning, courtesy of Visit El Paso, a division of Destination El Paso. Officials with the Convention Development Department said there isn’t a better Mexican dish that personifies the type of detailed, quality service and unrivaled hospitality that you’ll find

After more than 200 meetings and five hours of debate Tuesday, Doña Ana County Commissioners approved a Unified Development Code that will rezone the entire county and streamline the process for new neighborhood developments. Commissioners Ben Rawson and Leticia Benavidez voted against approval. In 2012, the county and other entities, started the Viva Dona Ana

When the Stanford football team squares off against North Carolina in the 83rd Annual Hyundai Sun Bowl on December 30th, it will do so without the support of its controversial marching band. The Stanford band was suspended last week through next Spring after a year-and-a-half long investigation. A panel found repeated violations of school policies

A trial is underway for a former Fort Bliss soldier accused of Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant, allegedly leading to the death of Constable Robert White Halloween Night 2014. Devon Huerta-Person faces 5 to 99 years or life in prison, or probation, if convicted. The prosecution argued Huerta-Person fought with Constable White and hit

Kanye West returned to social media for the first time since his hospitalization to talk about his meeting with Donald Trump. West wrote on Twitter that he met with Trump Tuesday to “discuss multicultural issues” that included “bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.” “I feel it is important to have a direct

The 1987 snowstorm buried El Paso under nearly two feet of snow, easily our biggest snowstorm on record. Officially 22.7″ of snow fell at the airport. The snowstorm went on to impact the Central Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. In Chicago it was nicknamed the ‘Heart-attack storm’ because the storm claimed the lives of at least

Police say an argument outside Pockets Bar in Far East El Paso escalated into a stabbing that left a 34-year-old man wounded with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The stabbing happened shortly before 3 a.m. On the 1400 block of N. Zaragoza. EMS crews rushed the victim to Del Sol Medical Center for treatment. The

Whether Texas scales back on nearly $1 billion in border security spending or pursues a North Carolina-style transgender bathroom law will depend on what Donald Trump does in the White House, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday. Despite expecting Trump to build new physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, Abbott said he doesn’t want a

After a tough 1 point loss to rival UNM on Dec. 3, the Utep Miners will play their second straight rivalry game when the team hosts NMSU (8-2) in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 on Tuesday. The Miners are trying to stamp out a four-game losing skid, and a three-game skid at

Investigators are asking for the public’s help identifying a couple suspected of stealing a large amount of denim-wear from Sears. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that helps lead to an arrest and conviction. The alleged shoplifting happened shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday, December 11th. Police said a young

Is hydraulic fracturing – better known as fracking – safe, as the oil and gas industry claims? Or does the controversial drilling technique that has spurred a domestic energy boom contaminate drinking water, as environmental groups and other critics charge? After six years and more than the $29 million, the Environmental Protection Agency says it

Law officers in South Texas have apprehended a 15-year-old Mexican boy accused of driving a vehicle hauling more than a half-ton of smuggled marijuana. Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector Chief Manuel Padilla Jr. says the bust, involving drugs with an estimated street value of $1.1 million, shows how transnational criminal organizations exploit youth. A

Businesses in Las Cruces are bracing for the city’s next mandated minimum wage hike. City councilors agreed in 2014 to phase in a higher minimum wage, starting at $8.40 in 2015. That will go up to $9.20 on Jan. 1 and then $10.10 in 2019. Richard Aguilar is the vice president of Tresco Inc., a

Police are looking for the person or people who shot and killed a dog Friday. Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that helps identify those responsible. A Las Cruces resident who lives on the 4400 block of Los Arboles Court returned home at about 7:30 p.m. Friday,

A newly blond Kanye West visited Donald Trump today, and the two men posed for photos but didn’t say much about their discussion. Trump said the two were “just friends” and called the musician a “good man.” The president-elect said they discussed “life.” The two did not answer questions about whether West would perform at

The majority of road closures will be on the Westside. Here’s a heads up: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Tuesday) – Lane closure on I-10 East from Mesa to Resler. 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. (Tuesday night – Wednesday morning) – Lane closures in both directions of I-10 between Sunland Park and Executive. – I-10

GOES-16 weather satellite could be a game changer for ABC-7 StormTRACKers. The GOES-R series products will be aimed at monitoring severe weather and helping forecasters issue more accurate severe weather warnings. StormTRACKer Nichole Gomez talks about the new weather advancements with NWS Meteorologists John Fausett and Jason Laney.

A foul odor has been plaguing an up valley neighborhood for months, “I don’t know exactly the time I started noticing it, I noticed definitely over the summer”, says homeowner Kristi Heathcote. “It smells kind of like sulfur, like eggs I guess, it’s not very pleasant”, adds Heathcote. ABC-7 asked El Paso Water if the

It is business as usual along Stanton Street, but traffic along the busy El Paso roadway will soon be squeezed to one lane — in one direction. In a few weeks, construction crews will start work on the next stretch of rails for the city’s street car project. The project is being spearheaded by the

Tuesday night will be the last night the purple glow of the “Camino Real Hotel” sign will be seen in downtown El Paso. The Meyers Group and Two Sabes LLL will begin preparations for the renovation of Hotel Paso del Norte with the removal of the “Camino Real Hotel” sign from the rooftop this Wednesday

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Civil Air Patrol, a group of pilot civilians who work with the Air Force to help the military and other agencies. Their main missions have been education, outreach, and emergency services. The organization has a very interesting history, starting in its foundation just one week before Pearl

UTEP running back Aaron Jones and offensive lineman Will Hernandez have been named to the AP All-America team. Jones was named to the third team, while Hernandez was named to the second team. No UTEP Miner had been named to an All-America squad in the past decade (last was Johnny Lee Higgins, who was named