Month: January 2017

Texas lawmakers agree on the need to improve the state’s beleaguered child welfare system, but how to do it and to pay for it during a tight budget year are still very much up in the air. With troubles mounting at the state agency that investigates reports of child abuse and, if needed, places abused

A Republican state lawmaker in New Mexico is reviving efforts to reinstate the death penalty as an option for convicted killers of police, children and corrections officers. Rep. Monica Youngblood of Albuquerque has pre-filed a bill that would bring back punishment by lethal injection to New Mexico. A spokesman for GOP Gov. Susana Martinez said

Expecting a baby? Congratulations! Better put plenty of money in your savings account. The Department of Agriculture says the estimated cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 is $233,610, or as much as almost $14,000 annually. That’s the average for a middle-income couple with two children. It’s a bit more expensive in

UPDATE: As of 4:45 this morning crews cleared all three vehicles and reopened I-10 to the general public. A multi-vehicle crash reduced I-10 West near Cotton to one traffic lane today in the morning. All lanes were reopened at around 4 a.m. At least three cars were involved in the crash. There were no reported

Neighbors say they’re shocked after learning the woman accused of killing 51-year-old Dawn Denise Weatherly on New Year’s Eve lived in the same apartment complex as her. Police arrested Darrin Yeager, 32, late Friday on suspicion of killing 51-year-old Weatherly. Detectives learned that Yeager and Weatherly were acquaintances who had ongoing hostility toward each other.

EL PASO, Texas – There are some changes to road closures for the first day of the work week, here is a list of the ones most likely to affect your commute. Overnight closures: 9 pm – 5 am I-10 westbound at the Mesa Exit and entrance will be completely closed. I-10 East will be

Hundreds of Juarez residents protested the government’s gas price hike Friday evening at the Megabandera, the giant flag directly across the border, and march toward the Bridge of the Americas The protest, organized by the group Juarez Resiste, is meant to be peaceful, in contrast to the more violent demonstrations seen in the interior of

El Paso police have made an arrest in the slaying of a woman whose body was found Monday in an apartment. Police arrested Darrin Yeager, 32, late Friday on suspicion of killing 51-year-old Dawn Denise Weatherly. Detectives learned that Yeager and Weatherly were acquaintances who had ongoing hostility toward each other. On New Year’s eve,

Doctors and an expectant mother got the surprise of a lifetime after she gave birth to conjoined twins. The babies were born at a social security hospital on Friday. The twins appear to be OK at this time. Hospital officials are not releasing much information on the babies. Conjoined twins are born in 1 out

Juarez gasoline protesters tried to organize Sunday and plan future actions through a united front following a massive march at the Bridge of the Americas Friday. The two hour meeting didn’t lend many results. The attempt to organize was set a week since the Mexican government raised gas prices before completely letting go of the

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – TMZ has released video footage that the website says shows the initial seconds of the deadly airport shooting in Florida last week. The 20-second recording posted onto TMZ’s website shows a man walking through the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale airport. The man then pulls a handgun from

HOUSTON (AP) – Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott say they met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen while she was passing through Houston on her way to Central America. The Republican senator said in a news release that during Sunday’s meeting, they discussed how they might improve bilateral relations and that they touched

SAN DIEGO (AP) – SeaWorld San Diego is ending its long-running killer whale show after years of outcry and falling attendance prompted it to renounce theatrical orca displays. The show that featured killer whales cavorting with trainers and leaping high out of the Shamu Stadium pool will have its final performances on Sunday. This summer,

A New Mexico man is dead following a rollover crash near Dell City. Department of Public Safety officials tell ABC-7 the crash happened Saturday morning on Highway US 62 about 23 miles outside of Dell City. Officials say four people were riding in a truck when a tire blew out, causing the driver to lose

For decades, Fritz “Simon” Zimmerle was known as the ultimate concert hype man. Zimmerle was known to run up and down concert aisles with exuberance and passion for rock while hyping up the crowd. Saturday night, rock music filled the patio at Five Points Bistro as family and friends attended to pay tribute to Zimmerle,

UTEP’s Omega Harris and Dominic Artis combined for 49 points, but Southern Miss converted 16 Miner turnovers into 24 points and raced to a 73-65 victory on Saturday afternoon in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles (5-10, 2-1 C-USA) have strung together consecutive wins following a nine-game losing streak. UTEP (2-13, 0-3 C-USA) has lost 12 straight

Two of our very own employees were named “Best of the City” by El Paso Magazine. El Pasoans voted Estela Casas for best news anchor and ‘Doppler’ Dave Speelman as best weather caster. KVIA was also awarded the best news station. The award ceremony was held at Southwest University Event Center Saturday night.

Students from 56 different Socorro elementary and middle schools came together for the third-annual Robocom on Saturday. The students spent months preparing for the robotics competition. They learned how to build and program robots made out of Legos to solve puzzles. “The response has been huge. The kids are excited. They come here full of

Police blocked of part of an East El Paso neighborhood after the discovery of a possible explosive Saturday afternoon. The police department’s bomb squad was called to the 10300 block of Byway Drive about 3 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses told ABC-7 that three homes were evacuated because some had possibly found a grenade. Police have not

After 11 months of waiting, hundreds of parishioners, Tigua, and priests celebrated as they finally had their church, the Ysleta Mission, back after repairs. It was standing room only inside the mission now bearing its historic name–the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Mission.. Guillermo and Rosa Maria, two parishioners, said they had been going there since

PENUELAS, Puerto Rico (AP) – The brother of a man accused of shooting five people to death at a Florida airport is questioning why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after U.S. authorities knew he’d become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices. After serving in the National Guard in Iraq, Bryan Santiago says

HOUSTON (AP) – A Houston fireman has been stabbed in the eye by a man he was trying to rescue. Authorities say police and firefighters responding to a call about a fire at a business saw an unresponsive man inside the building. After a police officer used a sledgehammer to gain entry, Fire Capt. Kenneth

KYLE, Texas (AP) – A 24-year-old Central Texas woman is charged with capital murder in the stabbing death of her 5-year-old daughter. Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler says Giovanna Hernandez was “mutilated” in the stabbing attack at a trailer home in Kyle, about 20 miles south of Austin. Krystle Villanueva is jailed under $1.1 million

A group of Eastlake High School students met Dak Prescott this week. Eastlake’s Varsity Boys and Girls soccer team ran into Prescott in Frisco, Texas. Both teams were there for a soccer tournament. The students were all smiles as they posed with the Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback. The Cowboys are on a playoff bye week.

A spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says the second-term Republican will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump. Michael Lonergan confirmed Friday that Martinez will attend the inaugural in Washington on Jan. 20. Martinez was critical of Trump throughout the presidential campaign and never endorsed him, but offered congratulations after his victory. She publicly

The family of a fallen El Paso Police Officer is still dealing with the pain and sorrow of a devastating loss. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m okay with what’s going on,” said Herlinda Ortiz, the mother of Officer David Ortiz. “It hurts that he’s not here. We ask ourselves, ‘Why? Why did

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser told ABC-7 Friday he is considering the possibility of running for Congress as Congressman Beto O’Rourke considers a possible run for the U.S. Senate in 2018. Leeser said his ability to work with Fort Bliss, the government of Ciudad Juarez, the Pentagon and veterans is something he would like to

Former EPISD Associate Superintendent and Canutillo ISD Superintendent, Damon Murphy, pleaded guilty to a single count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. Murphy is facing a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release of up to three years. Murphy’s sentencing date was scheduled for April

911 calls obtained by ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom reveal the man shot and killed by two Las Cruces police officers was a veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Thursday, the office of District Attorney Mark D’Antonio cleared the two police officers involved in the shooting death of 36-year-old Joshua “Josh” Clay Dunne. The

The Texas Education Agency released a preview of the letter grades schools and districts throughout the state would receive based on a new grading system. Five areas of performance, called domains, were designated by the TEA to measure academic success of schools and districts. The four domains included in the preview are: student achievement, student