Month: July 2018

Growing up in eastern China, Panshu Zhao fell in love with America. He read the Bible his parents gave him, watched Hollywood movies and studied the ideals of democracy. He jumped at the chance to attend graduate school at Texas A&M University. In 2016, Zhao enlisted in the U.S. Army as part of a special

Arturo Lozano-Mendez, an alleged high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, made his initial appearance in El Paso’s federal courthouse following his extradition from Mexico to the United States Thursday afternoon. The 47-year-old Lozano – aka “El Garza” — is one of two dozen alleged high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel leaders, including Joaquin Guzman Loera aka “El Chapo”

A Sept. 5 trial has been set for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in southern Arizona accused of falsely claiming he was born in the United States. Marco Antonio De la Garza Jr. has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements to authorities. Authorities say De la Garza claimed he

Sinaloa cartel drug lord Damaso Lopez was extradited Friday from the border city of Ciudad Juarez to the United States, Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office said. Known by his alias “El Licenciado,” which is a title for college graduates, Lopez was the right-hand man of drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and helped him escape

Grieving emergency personnel in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec carried the caskets of four comrades through the town’s streets Friday as authorities investigated whether an attempt to douse burning fireworks with water may have triggered further blasts that killed a total of 24 people. The four were among seven firefighters, police officers and civil

The Trump administration asked a judge Friday for more time to reunite families who were separated at the border under its “zero-tolerance” policy to prosecute every person who enters the country illegally. Hours before a hearing in San Diego, the Justice Department filed papers seeking an extension of the deadline, which is July 10 for

The police department’s Animal Cruelty Unit charged an El Paso man after police discovered the chained body of a dead in the front yard. Arturo Calderon, 51, is facing three counts of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals. Detectives and Animal Services officers found the dead dog at a residence on the 12100 block of Obrady in

Texas is being recognized for its efforts to attract businesses to the state. WalletHub.com just named the Lone Star State the best state in the nation for business. The finance website came to the conclusion after examining things like worker engagement, access to resources and the cost of doing business. State leaders have often touted

Police are accusing a former recreation-league football coach of allowing minors to alcoholic beverages during a party at a vacant rental property. Shortly after 2 a.m. on July 4, 2018, Las Cruces police received a call of a rowdy party at a home on the 1800 block of Myrtle Avenue. Police arrived to see about

El Paso Police are asking the public for help identifying the man seen on surveillance assaulting an elderly man at a South-Central El Paso car wash. On the morning of Thursday, June 21, 2018, a 75-year-old man arrived at work at “Rob’s Car wash” at 6901 Delta. The victim began sweeping the car wash bays,

Fighting breast cancer ravages a patient’s body both physically and emotionally. We each decide how we chose to fight it. It has been 10 months since my journey began and I’ve shared different stages of my recovery. Now, it’s time to share one more step cancer patients go through and part of the process that

Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged, the Associated Press has learned. The AP was unable to quantify how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been booted from the Army, but immigration attorneys say

Officials at the University of Texas at El Paso are weighing in on the White House decision to rescind policies to promote diversity on college campuses. ABC-7 reached out to UTEP this week after the Trump administration reversed a set of Obama-era policies and urged colleges and universities to ignore race when making admission decisions.

Two people and a dog escaped a burning home in Chamberino. Crews from the West Valley, Las Alturas, NMSU and Mesquite fire departments responded to the house fire at 2:30 a.m. Friday on Calle Bambu. The NMSU fire department chief confirmed to ABC-7 that ammunition in the home began shooting off shortly after the fire

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help an El Paso family that was involved in a deadly crash in Ciudad Juárez on Tuesday. Click here if you want to donate. A woman identified as Gabriela Estrada and her four-month-old son died. Authorities told El Diario de Juárez a drunk driver, Davila Escobedo, crossed

Today is International Kissing Day and to celebrate, well, find someone to kiss. It’s not only for romantic couples, it can be a kiss to your mom, father, sibling, friend and even your pet. People with nationaltoday.com surveyed 1,000 Americans and came up with this statistics: HOW DO AMERICANS RATE THEIR KISSING SKILLS?#1: “Good” (32%)#2:

Kristi Albers looked like the 21-year LPGA veteran she is while practicing Thursday at El Paso Country Club. Albers, a native El Pasoan, is one week away from making a return to high-level golf at the first-ever U.S. Women’s Senior Golf Championship at Chicago Golf Club. Though she looked sharp Thursday at practice, she knows

City representative Claudia Ordaz Perez and city staff hosted a public meeting Monday to discuss a proposed pet grooming ordinance. “Right now, if you and me wanted to pick up a pair of scissors and open up a grooming shop, we could,” Ordaz Perez said. “We’re going to give people, we’re going to give businesses

Another 4th of July holiday has come and gone and once again residents living outside the El Paso city limits are having to pick up all the trash left behind. Out in Montana Vista some lots were littered with trash, everything from beer bottles to boxes of used fireworks. ABC-7 spoke with Ryan Urrutia, Commander

Parents beware when taking your child to the playground, even if that playground is made out of plastic surface. The surface on plastic slides can be 10 degrees hotter than the actual temperature outside, and sometimes, temperatures on swings and playground handles can cause blisters on those who touch the surface. Playgrounds are even hotter

The Fourth of July provides tons of excitement for people all over El Paso. But for Animal Services, it means one of the busiest weeks of the year. “Last year alone, in that first week of July, we had more than 800 animals come in,” Ramon Herrera told ABC-7. The shelter has reported receiving about

A Texas teenager is in custody after authorities say his car careened out of control while racing another vehicle and struck three police motorcycles as officers stood nearby. Eighteen-year-old Melvin Valle was being held Thursday at the Galveston County jail on charges that include reckless driving. He also was being held on an immigration hold.

Police identified the woman killed in a rollover on I-10 East near Copia as 31-year-old Aizza Traylana Chavez. Chavez was reportedly heading east in a 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor when she lost control of the vehicle. Chavez struck a guardrail and the vehicle rolled several times, police said. Chavez died at the scene. The crash happened

A Las Cruces man is accused of shooting and killing his fiancee’s 14-year-old Alaskan malamute after the dog bit him Saturday, Las Cruces Police said. Joel Armendariz, 35, of the 7500 block of Sierra Bella Place, is charged with one count of extreme cruelty to animals. Police said Armendariz and his fiancee live together along

Police officers arrested a man accused of striking a neighbor with a broken glass bottle. David Bernal, 28, of the 1700 block of West Hadley Avenue, is charged with one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Las Cruces police were dispatched to the 1600 block of Mahaney Drive shortly after 12 a.m. Thursday,

President Donald Trump says he has accepted the resignation of scandal-plagued Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt had become a constant source of embarrassment to a president who had entered Washington promising to “Drain the Swamp.” Pruitt has faced an array of ethical questions about his travel spending, security costs, dealings with industry lobbyists

A Las Cruces grandmother lost her trailer home and all her belongings in an overnight fire on Wednesday, she told ABC-7. “I don’t have anything else,” Senaida Ochoa told ABC-7 in Spanish. “It’s very sad.” The grandmother has eighteen grandchildren. The fire happened in the Angle Mobile Home Park near Valley Drive and Hadley Avenue.

The Trump administration said Thursday it will meet court-ordered deadlines for reuniting families separated at the border. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters that his department is ready to reunite children in its care with their parents, starting next Tuesday with those under age 5. However, Azar warned that entire families may

Nineteen people were killed and at least 31 were injured Thursday when two explosions ripped through fireworks workshops in a town just north of Mexico City. The dead included four firefighters and two police officers who rushed to the scene after the first explosion, only to be killed by the second blast. Video shot from

Police are investigating the “verbal abuse” of a 16-year-old boy allegedly assaulted at a Whataburger for wearing one of President Trump’s red “Make America Great Again” caps. A video posted on Twitter shows a man throwing a drink in the face of 16-year-old Hunter Richard. The is heard telling the teenager, “you ain’t supporting s***.”