Month: December 2016

Mount Hope Lutheran Church will be shutting down it’s long-running preschool and daycare services December 9, 2016. The church, located at 9640 Montwood Drive, has offered preschool and daycare services for nearly 50 years. Pastor Matt Barnhouse told ABC-7 the decision was made by the church council because of financial issues and a drop in

City Council Tuesday approved a civil social host ordinance making it illegal to provide an environment where underage drinking takes place, regardless of who provides the alcohol. Police officers arriving at parties where alcohol is being served to minors say it can be difficult to determine who is responsible. With social host liability, the focus

El Paso City Council Tuesday approves directing the City Manager to consider urban design and historic preservation when designing the Downtown arena. The action by the city does not change the arena’s footprint, rather directs the city manager and architect of the voter-approved $180 million multi-purpose cultural and performing arts facility to consider and incorporate

An professor at New Mexico State University is asking the school’s president to change his mind when it comes to a “sanctuary campus” designation, meant to protect undocumented students enrolled in a university. The movement has gained steam in the wake of Donald Trump’s election to the presidency. In a memo sent to students and

A jury convicted the former Las Cruces school bus driver who had sex with a 15-year-old student, District Attorney Mark D’Antonio announced Tuesday. Darien Pete, 27, pleaded no contest with no agreement to sentencing or a reduction in charges. He was convicted on two counts of Criminal Sexual Penetration of a Minor, both fourth-degree felonies.

Surveys show a small but growing number of older adults are using marijuana – a trend that worries researchers who say not enough information exists about how pot affects older users. Abundant research has been done on how the drug impacts developing brains, but little is known about the potential consequences on older users –

A lack of human and financial resources is partly to blame for New Mexico’s backlog of more than 5,400 untested evidence kits from rapes and other sexual assaults. State Auditor Tim Keller has released the findings from a special review aimed at identifying practices that led to the untested kits languishing in evidence vaults around

Prosecutors say two 60-year-old cousins from Mexico must serve life terms in U.S. prisons for helping set up the 2013 Texas slaying of an attorney who once led a drug cartel. Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Cepeda was sentenced Tuesday in Fort Worth. Ledezma-Cepeda in May was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for hire in what prosecutors

A sheriff says seven special-needs teenagers aged 13 to 16 years old have been removed from “deplorable” conditions at a Houston-area home where they were locked for long periods in a closet. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said in a statement Monday that the malnourished teens were found Nov. 23. They were kept in

A traffic stop Saturday led to the arrest of a wanted woman allegedly in possession of crack cocaine, police said. Debra Dukes, 58, is charged with “Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1: Crack Cocaine.” Dukes was in possession of less than a gram of crack cocaine, police said. A police officer pulled Duke

It’s going to be busy in west and central El Paso. Here are the closures you need to watch out for. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Tuesday) – Lane closure on I-10 East from Piedras to Copia. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Tuesday) – Lane closure on I-10 East from Mesa to Resler. 8 p.m.

UTEP men’s basketball has been struggling lately. Not only did forward Terry Winn leave the team, but the Miners have lost back to back home games against Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State. At the latter home game against Northwestern State on Saturday, some fans held up individual letters that read “Fire Floyd.” After the game

The City said Monday it will install a Nativity scene at San Jacinto Plaza this weekend. For years, a Nativity scene was part of the Plaza’s Christmas display, and when the plaza closed, the Nativity scene moved to Cleveland Square with the rest of the Christmas display. When the Christmas display moved back to San

El Paso County will be continuing to work with the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority for the foreseeable future, despite a recent scam involving the diversion of millions from a city of El Paso project. The county is working with the RMA on tens of millions of dollars in road and transportation projects, mostly in

Maria Ceniceros was sentenced Monday to five years probation after pleading guilty to several state counts of Forgery, Fraud, and Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Identity Theft. State prosecutors dismissed 115 additional charges. If Ceniceros violates her probation, she will have to serve 12 years in prison, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the charges were dismissed

The dust is finally settling from last month’s Presidential election, and already, El Pasoans who want to be the city’s next Mayor are on the campaign trail. There’s word a surprise horse is possibly in the race. Seven people are in the process or have already named campaign treasurer in their bid to be the

Sen. Jose Rodriguez and local leaders participated in a walking tour and informational forum regarding the history and residents affected by the proposed Downtown arena. The targeted footprint for the arena encompasses two city properties, seven businesses and seven residential properties, housing around 50 people. The location is about two blocks south of the Downtown

District Attorney Jaime Esparza presented El Paso County Commissioners with a report detailing progress made implementing a county-wide truancy plan. “We want our students to go to school, period. And I think we’ve had some good luck with that,” Esparza said. The Texas Legislature passed new requirements for counties during its last legislative session. County

City Manager Tommy Gonzalez announced the appointment of Mario D’Agostino as the Interim Fire Chief of the El Paso Fire Department. D’Agostino, the current Assistant Chief, was one of several “highly qualified candidates from within the fire department,” city officials said. “D’Agostino did rise to the top with his extensive knowledge in both operations and

Investigators looking into the police shooting that resulted in the death of 36-year-old Joshua “Josh” Clay Dunne said a relative told officers Dunne was possibly suicidal and could have been armed with a 9 mm handgun and a hunting knife. Officers were dispatched to Dunne’s residence shortly before 4 p.m. Friday, December 2, 2016. When

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN CORRECTED TO STATE FAMILY, NOT LCPD, IDENTIFIED THE MAN KILLED IN A SHOOTING. Family identified the man killed in the officer-involved shooting Friday as 36 year-old Josh Dunne. It happened Friday evening before 5 p.m. at the Sleep Inn on 2121 South Traviz Drive. According to police, it started

County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to appoint Eric Rodriguez as county treasurer after former treasurer David Gutierrez was removed from office last week. A jury found Gutierrez guilty of gross immorality after he allegedly offered an employee $1,000 dollars for sex. Rodriguez was sworn in by Third Judicial District Chief Judge Fernando R. Macias, immediately

Renowned author and motivational speaker, Luis Carlos Montalvan, was found dead inside a hotel room at the Indigo Hotel downtown. Police found Montalvan’s body inside a hotel room Friday night at 11:53 p.m. The hotel is located on the 300 block of N. Kansas. Police said there were no signs of foul play and a

Questions loom over the future of pipeline construction in San Elizario. Representatives of El Paso County Water Improvement District 1 (EPCWID) and the Comanche Trail Pipeline are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in federal court, one day before a temporary restraining order that halted construction is set to expire. Both parties were given more than

Stanford and the University of North Carolina will face off in 2016 Hyundai Sun Bowl. The game will take place on Friday December 30th, at 12 P.M at the Sun Bowl. Stanford is a member of the Pac-12 Conference’s North Division, UNC is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, or the ACC.

A pedestrian was killed on the freeway Monday night near I-10 West and Executive. It happened at around 6:30 pm, causing the westbound lanes of the freeway to be shut down for hours. The freeway has since re-opened. Police are investigating the possibility that the man may have jumped from the Executive bridge, or that

Legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses is scheduled to perform at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso Wednesday, September 6, 2017. Promoters said the band has extended its ‘Not In This Lifetime’ tour, which sold more than 2 million tickets and grossed more than $200 million in 2016, to include 30 more stadium dates

After a week of speculation, the popular 80’s rock band confirmed through twitter which cities the band will perform in. The “Not in this Lifetime Tour” kicks off next month on January 21st. Guns N’ Roses will perform at the Sun Bowl Stadium on September 6th 2017. Pre-sale tickets go on sale Monday and sales

Dallas-based attorney Brian Loncar was found dead Sunday, according to WFAA. The station reported the Dallas County medical examiner confirmed the death but did not provide additional details. The ABC affiliate in Dallas reported it had been just days after Loncar’s 16-year-old daughter’s funeral after she committed suicide. Loncar’s family released a statement to the

El Paso police said 25-year-old Roberto Romero was driving southbound on the 4800 block of Dyer Street when he hit 33-year-old Phillip Mosely. It happened Sunday around 2:30 a.m. Mosely was transported to University Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Romero and his two passengers remained at the scene but police said no