Month: December 2017

Renovations on one of El Paso’s most visible, historic landmarks are set to begin in less than a month. The Plaza Hotel, which is owned by El Paso businessman Paul Foster, was built in 1930. The building has not served as a hotel since 1990. That will all change once the renovations are complete. “Over

The City of El Paso offers Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) tags for toll booths at the Zaragoza and Stanton international bridges with the hope of saving drivers time by not having them stop to pay. Commercial truck drivers are using the pre-paid passes, but city officials said those behind the wheel of passenger vehicles are

City of El Paso police officers and firefighters will soon be making more of an investment in their future. City Council Tuesday unanimously approved an amendment increasing the annual active member contribution rate to the El Paso Firemen and Policemen’s pension fund. Tyler Grossman, the executive director of the El Paso Firemen and Policemen’s pension

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law a sweeping defense policy bill that authorizes a $700 billion budget for the military, including additional spending on missile defense programs to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons threat. But there’s a catch. The $700 billion budget won’t become reality until lawmakers agree to roll back a

An award-winning Mexican journalist and his son are facing deportation after living in Las Cruces, New Mexico for nearly nine years. Emilio Gutierrez Soto, 54, and his son Oscar sought asylum in the US. Gutierrez worked for El Diario del Noroeste, a newspaper in the state of Chihuahua. He said his problems in Mexico began

The mother and sister of Grammy-nominated performer, and Americas High School graduate, Khalid, will be giving away Christmas gifts to students at Ernesto Serna School, the Socorro Independent School District announced Tuesday. Linda Wolfe, Khalid’s mother, and his sister will be handing out the presents at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 13, 2017. The school is

The most influential person in the world of sports does not play, coach a team, or run a league. The site sportsbusinessdaily.com has instead chosen President Donald Trump as the person who has had the greatest impact on sports and sports business in 2017. The annual list, which recognizes 50 influential individuals/duos, did not include

Federal authorities say a Texas man posed as a film director in order to molest numerous boys. The Dallas Morning News reports 45-year-old Kevin Scott Morris, a former Dallas County jailer, pleaded guilty Tuesday to enticement of a minor. Morris’ plea agreement mentions 10 victims. He was indicted in January on enticement and child pornography

Crews Tuesday began installing the first of the Sun City Lights archways in El Paso. The archway in Kern Place “came out of a conversation about the original archways in that neighborhood,” said Laura Foster, the chief architect with the City’s Capital Improvement Department. Crews will add trees, lighting, public art and also improve the

The Vista Middle School teacher accused of embezzling more than $20,000 from the Mayfield High School Band Parent’s Association pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing band booster monies. Michele Ramsey, a past treasurer of the association, stepped down when the association’s bank accounts were audited earlier this year. Ramsey was sentenced to 18 months probation and

Advocates for a Mexican journalist detained in a remote West Texas facility asked the U.S. government to grant him asylum instead of deporting him to a country where he believes he’ll be killed. Emilio Gutierrez Soto fled to the United States a decade ago after articles he wrote alleging corruption in the Mexican military caused

El Paso Police say they found a female English Mastiff emaciated from a lack of food and dehydration after responding to a call on the 2100 block of Diciembre. The dog, named Bella, was taken in to Animal Services, but eventually had to be euthanized due to her worsening condition. The incident happened on September

Doña Ana County commissioners voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to give raises to the sheriff’s command staff. “This was the best thing that could have happened today,” said Doña Ana County Sheriff Enrique “Kiki” Vigil. Because union-member deputies and sergeants recently received $1.5 million in court-ordered raises, some command staff members within the department were

Connecticut police say a man threw another man 45 feet off a bridge because he intervened in an argument between the suspect and his girlfriend. Shelton police charged Gregory Rottjer with attempted murder in connection with the Thanksgiving morning encounter that left the victim seriously injured. He faces arraignment Tuesday. Rottjer’s friend Matthew Dorso was

The El Paso Police Department says on Saturday, December 9th, around 10:35 PM Jacob Desantiago, 33, was stopped by police on the 4400 block of Lawrence for failure to signal intent. He was driving a white, 2013 Ford Fusion. The investigation revealed that he was a convicted felon and in possession of a shotgun and

The New Mexico State Aggies are holding a news conference ahead of their Arizona Bowl matchup with Utah State. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE NEWS CONFERENCE LIVE It is the Aggies’ first bowl game appearance after a 57-year drought. Head Football Coach Doug Martin will address the media along with student-athletes Conner Cramer and Cedric

Detectives with the newly-formed Animal Cruelty Investigative Unit arrested a 29-year-old man accused of assaulting a dog. On Sunday, December 10, 2017, police officers responded to assist Animal Services with a call at 2435 McKinley after a witness reported a dog being physically assaulted by its owner. Police said the witness captured cell phone video

Houston police are looking for seven to 10 men who invaded a luxury hotel in the city’s Galleria area and walked out with the hotel’s ATM machine. Authorities say the men, all wearing masks, stormed into a Marriott hotel about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, threatened an unarmed security guard and a cleaning person and headed for

El Paso Catholics are preparing to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe Tuesday. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso will conduct two Masses open to the public. The first will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Fabens, 127 W. Main St., at 6 a.m. The second

A Montwood High School senior was once again recognized by the state for his musical talent. For the fourth year in a row, Guillermo Lopez was named an All-State Musician by the Texas Music Educators Association. He was selected as first chair bass guitar in the All-State Jazz Band. “I was just very, very excited,”

Tickets go on sale Tuesday morning for Steve Aoki’s latest performance in El Paso. The musician’s “Kolony Tour” is stopping at the El Paso County Coliseum, 4100 E. Paisano, at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 4. Officials announced that rapper Desiigner will also perform. The last time Aoki brought his show to El Paso was in

I-10 West Sunland Park entrance closed I-10 East closed at Sunland Park I-10 East Zaragoza to Eastlake closed Loop 375 closed from US-54 to Campbell Loop 375 West from Zaragoza to San Marcial Paisano closed from Supr 1966 to San Antonio Lane closures on Eastbound Horizon blvd at Eastlake 27 hour closure of I-10 East

The El Paso Streetcars undergoing restoration are making progress. It was two years ago when six El Paso Streetcars arrived in Brookville, Pennsylvania for restoration.The Presidents Conference Committee streetcars or PCC’s were manufactured in 1937. The City of El Paso visited crews with the Brookville Equipment Corporation to see the process firsthand. The first step

He did a bit of everything for the Las Cruces Bulldawgs, and now Brandon Baeza has been honored as the 2017 Gatorade New Mexico Football Player of the Year. Baeza recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns to go along with 496 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. But he

The results of an El Paso County historical survey of the city’s downtown area have been turned over to commissioners. The historical preservation firm Hardy-Heck-Moore of Austin looked at approximately 1,700 properties in the survey area. The area stretches as far north as River Avenue, as far south as the border, as far west as

Las Cruces Police said the 19-year-old woman killed in single-vehicle crash on University Avenue early Saturday morning was possibly speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol. Paramedics rushed Sierra Knox to Mountainview Regional Medical Center, where she was declared dead. Police were dispatched to the crash at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, December 9, 2017

The Salvation Army Las Cruces is asking for help identifying the suspects who stole a red kettle with money outside a Las Cruces Walmart. It happened over the weekend at the Walmart located at 571 Walton Blvd. “The money in this red kettle goes towards keeping Las Cruces residence from being evicted or having their

Court documents reveal detectives used a Facebook messenger conversation to track down one of the two suspects in the killing of 17-year-old Juan Manuel Cervantes. Police charged 18-year-old Daniel Raul Torres and 20-year-old Victor Alexander Valerio with Capital Murder. Police said Torres and Vallejo shot Cervantes during a drug deal set up so they could

A motion to establish a nondenominational invocation message before each El Paso County Commissioners Court meeting failed Monday. County Commissioner Carlos Leon proposed the idea. Leon said he felt it is important to have this message before meetings because the country is very divided. Ultimately, the motion failed by a vote of 3-2, with El

Pop singer Gwen Stefani will close out a star-studded Super Bowl week in Minnesota. The three-time Grammy winner will headline at Club Nomadic at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel on Sunday, Feb. 4. Stefani is the final headliner. Other acts at Club Nomadic include The Chainsmokers on Thursday, Feb. 1; Ellie Goulding and Norwegian electronic dance