Month: January 2019

President Donald Trump made a televised plea for border wall funding Tuesday night, seeking an edge in the shutdown battle with congressional Democrats as he declared there is “a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.” Addressing the nation from the Oval Office for the first time, Trump argued

The Humane Society of El Paso has terminated its executive director, who is facing theft and securities fraud charges in Ohio, according to a statement by the shelter’s chairwoman. Luke Westerman turned himself in to authorities in Franklin County, Ohio, on Monday. He was arraigned in court, where he entered a plea of not guilty.

The Trump administration says benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, will be funded through February should the government shutdown continue. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is asking states to issue the February benefits on or before Jan. 20 so that they can be paid to the nearly 40 million Americans

El Paso City Council Tuesday authorized the City to borrow $161.3 million for street, park and public safety improvements. Council’s actions will allow the City to issue $161.3 million in general obligation bonds and certificates of obligation, debt not approved by voters. “We are being financially responsible by only issuing debt when we need it,”

The man police accuse of attacking a couple “randomly and without provocation” allegedly stabbed the husband in the head with a knife and stomped on the wife’s head nearly 20 times, a criminal complaint obtained by ABC-7 states. 31-year-old Marco Huerta, of the 10900 block of Sagebush, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly

The New Mexico State men’s basketball is set to host a women’s clinic on Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 6-8 p.m. (MT) in the Barbara Hubbard Room inside the Pan American Center. Hosted by Sheri Jans, the social event will feature an evening of wine, food and behind-the-scenes tour of the Aggie basketball facility. In addition,

Authorities announced Tuesday that a second black man has been charged in the fatal drive-by shooting of a 7-year-old Houston black girl, whose death her family had initially believed was racially motivated. The Harris County Sherriff’s Office said 24-year-old Larry D. Woodruffe has been charged with capital murder in the Dec. 30 slaying of Jazmine

President Donald Trump says he has ended “catch-and-release” for asylum seekers, but in cities on the U.S. border with Mexico it is catch and can’t release fast enough. Since late October, the U.S. has been releasing asylum-seeking families so quickly they don’t even have time to make travel arrangements, which it blames on lack of

Backers of former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke are hiring staff in California, Nevada and other early presidential nominating states to help build support for the Democrat’s possible presidential campaign. O’Rourke, who had a surprisingly close loss last year to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, left office on Jan. 3 and is deciding whether to turn the

The partial government shutdown is starting to affect air travel. Over the weekend, some airports had long lines at checkpoints, apparently caused by a rising number of security officers calling in sick as they face the prospect of missing their first paycheck this week. Safety inspectors aren’t even on the job. A Federal Aviation Administration

San Antonio police say the reported abduction of a missing 8-month-old boy was staged to cover up “foul play” involving the child. Police Chief William McManus declined to elaborate Monday on whether he believes King Jay Davila is alive. He would only say that investigators “believe there was foul play.” The baby’s father, Christopher Davila,

All lanes are back open after a crash on US 54 South near Transmountain Monday night, according to a tweet from the El Paso Police Department. The crash backed up traffic for about a half-mile long. Emergency officials tell ABC-7 one person was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A closure on I-10 East and Airway has run past its scheduled time. The closure was scheduled to reopen at six a.m. however it remains closed at this time. Traffic is delayed in the area with most of it at a standstill. Drivers should take Montana, Alameda, or Montwood to avoid this area. Drivers heading

Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro introduced himself to Iowa Democrats on Monday night as a champion for universal health care and affordable housing as he indicated he was close to launching a run for the presidency. Castro spoke with party activists at a crowded house party in North Liberty after forming an exploratory committee

The Trump administration is weighing using a national emergency declaration to circumvent Congress and the budget stalemate and force construction of the president’s long-promised southern border wall. “We’re looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency,” President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday amid stalled negotiations. He said during a press conference Friday

The Mexican government says it will put guards at some 370 illegal crossing points along the country’s southern border with Guatemala. Mexico’s interior secretary has not set a date for accomplishing the task of securing the porous border. Olga Sanchez Cordero said the crossings “will be guarded and controlled to prevent the entry of undocumented

Motorists lined up for a fourth straight day at gas stations in western Mexico Tuesday as the government continued to restrict pipeline deliveries to combat illegal fuel taps. The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has switched to shipping fuel by tanker truck in a few western and central states, but there aren’t enough

The Texas Legislature opens with Republicans having smaller majorities in both chambers as a result of electoral defeats, which suggests that hot-button social issues could take a back seat to such matters as fixing the state’s flawed school finance system, cutting property taxes and paying for Hurricane Harvey recovery. That might mean fewer culture clashes

The executive director of the Humane Society of El Paso has turned himself in to authorities in Franklin County, Ohio, on charges of theft and securities fraud. Luke Westerman was arraigned in court Monday afternoon, where he entered a plea of not guilty. His bond was set at $50,000, along with a recognizance bond of

The UTEP men’s basketball team is off to an 0-2 start in Conference USA play after back-to-back losses against UTSA, but things don’t get easier in the team’s next game. The Miners welcome a 15-1 North Texas squad to the Don Haskins Center at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Mean Green are already 3-0 in conference

The two plots of land that are part of a land swap regarding a proposed resort coming to El Paso are once again in the spotlight. The developer for the land in Northeast El Paso wants permission to tax residents and businesses. The city traded that 2,300-acre plot of undeveloped land in northeast El Paso,

Former Chihuahuas all-star and fan favorite Cody Decker is making his return to El Paso on Sunday, Jan. 20 to host two separate indoor hitting clinics. Decker will provide hitting instruction to children ages 10-15 at Southwest University Park that day. The cost to attend is $35 per player and spots will be awarded on

Students at Eastwood High School are in for some major changes when they return to class from holiday break. Tuesday, a portion of the campus that has undergone some renovations for the last two years will finally be open to students and staff. The East El Paso school is being renovated thanks to voters passing

While investigating the death of a migrant child in the custody of the federal government, a U.S. senator said President Donald Trump is waging a “war on migrant children.” “We’ve seen this war manifested in so many different ways,” said United States Senator Jeff Merkley, a democrat from Oregon. He later added, “Now, the president

The autopsy of Richard Palafox, the man who died following an officer-involved shooting at the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center in October, states he was shot eight times. “People are under this assumption that we can just stand back and shoot it out of their hand. that’s not how we do it, said Ron Martin,

With the government shutdown in its third week and concern mounting over a possible delay in tax refunds, a Trump administration official said Monday that taxpayers who are owed money will be paid on time. Russell Vought, acting director of the White House budget office, said customary rules will be changed to make the payments

A Republican who lost a closely watched U.S. House race in southern New Mexico and has alleged voting irregularities says she will not contest the results. The Albuquerque Journal reports Republican congressional candidate Yvette Herrell announced Monday she will not contest her defeat to Democrat Xochitl Torres Small after her campaign inspected more than 8,000

Las Cruces Police officers arrested a man suspected of brandishing a firearm inside a liquor store while intoxicated. Juan Amezquita, 23, of the 900 block of Laurel Street, is charged with a felony count of unlawfully carrying a firearm in a licensed liquor establishment and a misdemeanor count of carrying a firearm while under the

Landowners in Texas Hill Country are scrambling to figure out how to reroute or stop a $2 billion natural gas pipeline proposed by a Houston-based company. Kinder Morgan is surveying the Permian Highway Pipeline’s possible route running 430 miles (692 kilometers) from the Permian Basin oil and gas field in West Texas to a location

Texas’ top financial official said Monday that unsettled trade policy by the Trump administration and economic “uncertainty” is clouding the spending picture as returning lawmakers face costly expenses including a public school funding overhaul and Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath. Those warnings came even as the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature reconvenes this week armed with more spending power