Month: December 2017

ABC-7 has learned that the Eastwood High School football team has been placed on probation for three years after it admitted one of their coaches used a cell phone to record plays during a football game. The use of cell phones by coaches for recording and viewing during a game or at halftime is a

A former Las Cruces Police officer turned country singer will perform at this year’s Hyundai Sun Bowl. Frank Ray, who is from Las Cruces, was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazines top 10 country artists to know in December. He released his first solo EP “Different Kind of Country” earlier this year. “It’s certainly

According to officials with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the idea that suicides occur more frequently during the holiday season is a “long-perpetuated myth.” The CDC’s National Center for Health and Statistics reports that the suicide rate is the lowest in December. Local psychologist Dr. Richard Patterson, agrees with the CDC and shared

The U.S. government posted a seventh straight monthly increase in people being arrested or denied entry along the Mexican border, erasing much of the early gains of President Donald Trump’s push to strengthen border security. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that denials of entry at official crossings and border arrests reached more than 39,000

The family of three people killed in a Texas church shooting has filed a lawsuit seeking $25 million in damages against a sporting goods chain that sold two firearms to the shooter. The lawsuit claims Katy, Texas-based Academy Sports & Outdoors was negligent in selling to Devin Patrick Kelley an AR-556 rifle used in the

Texas transportation officials are removing all new tollway projects from a significant 10-year construction plan, including what would have been additional toll lanes on Interstate 35 through Central Texas. The Texas Transportation Commission unanimously voted Thursday to scrap all tolled projects from its $70 billion Unified Transportation Program. The decision came despite pleas of nearly

University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven, the former head of U.S. Special Operations Command who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, announced Friday that he’ll leave the school in May. McRaven, 62, divulged in 2015 that he was diagnosed with leukemia five years earlier. He cited unspecified health concerns Friday as a

A federal judge in Philadelphia on Friday ordered the Trump administration not to enforce new rules that could significantly reduce women’s access to free birth control. Judge Wendy Beetlestone issued the injunction, temporarily stopping the government from enforcing the policy change to former President Barack Obama’s health care law. The law required most companies to

Two men have been sentenced to federal prison in a scheme to catch alligator snapping turtles in Texas and sell the rare reptiles for up to $1,000 apiece. Prosecutors in Beaumont say Travis Leger of Sulphur, Louisiana, was sentenced Friday to 21 months. Jason Leckelt of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 16 months. Both men,

A homeowner in East El Paso found a “viciously decapitated” rabbit in front of his home, Crime Stoppers of El Paso said. Investigators from the El Paso Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Unit are asking for the public’s help in finding the person or persons responsible for the torture and killing of this animal. On

A former soldier from Texas has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after being convicted of making threats to go on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood. Prosecutors say a judge in Waco sentenced Thomas Anthony Chestnut Jr. on Dec. 8. In September, a jury found the 29-year-old Drippings Springs man guilty of

When California rings in the new year with the sale of recreational pot for the first time, Texas will be tiptoeing into its own marijuana milestone: a medical cannabis program so restrictive that doubts swirl over who will even use it. Texas is the last big state to allow some form of medical marijuana, albeit

The White House is embarking on a major campaign to turn public opinion against the nation’s largely family-based immigration system ahead of an all-out push next year to move toward a more merit-based structure. The administration was laying the groundwork for such a drive even before an Islamic State-inspired extremist who was born in Bangladesh

There is a major crash on I-10 West and Piedras blocking the center lanes of traffic. Take Gateway or Montana to avoid the area.

Cinemark has rolled out the red carpet for a new monthly movie subscription to compete against online streaming services. The Cinemark Movie Club gives members one 2-D movie ticket every month, a 20 percent discount on snacks and waives online booking fees for $8.99 a month. Subscribers can roll over unused tickets, which don’t expire

Testing of the first El Paso street car is expected to begin in January. All week KVIA has been bringing you some insight on the street cars. We’ve covered the restoration process, the history and the resurgence of the street cars. ABC-7 sat down with Sun Metro officials who will be overseeing the street cars,

The force was strong in the borderland as Star Wars fans packed movie theaters to watch ‘The Last Jedi’. Don’t worry — no spoilers ahead. At the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in west El Paso, there was a show before the show. The El Paso Youth Orchestra played a Star Wars theme in the lobby as

UTEP and NMSU are among the teams interested in former Texas quarterback/wide receiver Kai Locksley, according to reports. Locksley has gotten plenty of attention this month after posting nearly 3,000 total yards of offense and 40 total touchdowns (20 passing, 20 rushing) as the starting quarterback for Iowa Western Community College this past season. Coming

El Paso Police are warning homeowners to keep a watchful eye on their belongings and packages, for ’tis the season of thieves, who are getting more creative about how they’re stealing packages. ABC-7 recently obtained a photo of a woman caught in a home surveillance video impersonating a postal worker as she allegedly stole a

The Horizon City man who died after being shot in the face left behind a son, the victim’s sister told ABC-7. On November 4, 2017, 22-year-old Erik Aragon was shot and found unconscious behind an AT&T store near Horizon Boulevard and Darrington Road. Aragon was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his

Las Cruces police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that critically injured a 42-year-old woman Thursday. It happened shortly before Noon on Thursday, December 14, 2017, at the corner of Santa Fe and Organ Avenue. Police said the victim, a 42-year-old woman, suffered multiple injuries and was transported to Mountainview Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

Daisy Ridley went from obscurity to international stardom when J.J. Abrams picked her to play the central character of the new Star Wars trilogy, and her character Rey quickly became a fan favorite and an inspiration to young girls around the world. The 25-year-old British actress returns to the Star Wars fold in “The Last

The FBI has release surveillance images of the man who allegedly robbed a bank in Far East El Paso. The robbery was reported shortly before 3 pm Thursday at the BBVA Bank at 1610 N. Zaragoza. El Paso Police said the suspect, who fled on foot, is armed with a gun. Surveillance images released by

Detectives hope the release of several photos will help investigators identify the person whose remains were found Sunday off Rinconada Boulevard. “We’re asking for anybody in the public who may recognize either the jewelry, the patch, the sunglasses, or the handwriting,” said Dan Trujillo, a spokesman with the Las Cruces Police Department. LCPD has released

Police arrested a woman who allegedly neglected two pit bulls in the backyard of a residence in Far East El Paso. Oyuki Diaz, 30, was charged with two counts of Cruelty to Non-livestock Animals. On July 24, 2017, patrol officers responded to a residence at the 14400 block of Pacific Point to assist Animal Services.

Houston police believe the same group of masked men is responsible in the thefts of ATMs from the lobbies of five hotels over the past six days, including four in the last four nights. Police Robbery Division Lt. Cathy Richards said Thursday that in all five heists – the last three at Marriott hotels –

One Las Cruces family’s Christmas decorations attract eyes from all over town. “We want to add more, but we’re running out of space,” said Maria Gonzalez, with a laugh. She placed them just after Thanksgiving with her husband’s help. There are light-up lollipops, inflatable cartoon characters and hundreds, if not thousands of colorful lights. “Hey,

As temperatures dip below freezing in Las Cruces, two sisters are helping the less fortunate by crocheting scarves and tying them around poles across town. “I don’t know these people, but if I were cold and somebody gave me a scarf, it would mean the world to me,” said Sarah Jean Gomez. The handwritten notes

Police officers arrested a man accused of stealing a woman’s purse moments after he asked her for a dollar for gas. Luis Arena, 25, is charged with Aggravated Robbery. Police said, that on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, Arena approached a 74-year-old woman walking out of All Saints Catholic Church at 1415 Dakota. Arena reportedly asked

A federal grand jury in Oklahoma has indicted a 63-year-old man accused of kidnapping his stepdaughter and holding her captive for 19 years in Mexico and elsewhere, during which time he fathered her nine children. An indictment handed up in Muskogee on Wednesday accuses Henri Michelle Piette of kidnapping Rosalynn Michelle McGinnis in 1995 or