Month: February 2019

Louisiana State University announced the arrests Thursday of nine fraternity members for hazing-related crimes that included ordering pledges to lie in piles of broken glass, kicking pledges with steel-toed boots and urinating on them. The men arrested, ranging from ages 19 to 23, were members of Delta Kappa Epsilon. The university said their charges range

A member of Portland’s city council said Thursday a newspaper’s report that the commander for the police rapid response team exchanged friendly text messages with a leader of far-right protests that have rocked the city confirms collusion exists between some police and right-wing extremists. “I am not shocked, and I am not surprised at today’s

The El Paso Zoo asked people to name a cockroach after their ex, and they would feed it to a zoo animal on Valentine’s Day. Sarah Borrego, the El Paso Zoo’s Event Coordinator, told ABC 7 that it’s a perfect way to get revenge on Valentine’s day and have closure to a past relationship. Borrego

If new legislation is passed, a state representative told ABC-7 commercial hemp production could soon bring millions of dollars of revenue into New Mexico. “This is a really great opportunity for New Mexico to get into the game,” said State Rep. Derrick Lente (D) from northwestern New Mexico, who is introducing the bill. “New Mexico

President Donald Trump is expected to bypass lawmakers and declare a national emergency on the US-Mexico border to siphon billions from other federal coffers for his barrier along the border. Trump’s action comes after congressional lawmakers reached a budget deal to avoid a federal government shutdown. The bill only includes $1.37 billion for the border

The Trump administration’s policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico while their cases wind through immigration courts violates U.S. law by putting the migrants in danger and depriving them of the ability to prepare their cases, a lawsuit filed Thursday by civil liberties groups claims. The lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco seeks a

Police briefly scuffled with some of the 1,600 Central American migrants who have been confined at an improvised shelter in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras, across from Eagle Pass, Texas. Video of Wednesday’s incident shows some migrants tearing down a temporary awning and trying to wrestle metal barricades away from police. The government

The Senate resoundingly approved a border security compromise Thursday that ignores most of President Donald Trump’s demands for building a wall with Mexico but would prevent a new government shutdown. The White House said Trump, as he’s suggested for weeks, would quickly declare a national emergency and perhaps invoke other executive powers to try to

A shot was fired Thursday on the grounds of a suburban Albuquerque high school on the anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre, but police and school officials said no one was injured and a suspect was in custody. The V. Sue Cleveland High School in the community of Rio Rancho was evacuated just

Texas’ election chief has apologized for releasing a botched list of 95,000 voters whose citizenship was called into question before being fully vetted. Texas Secretary of State David Whitley previously refused to acknowledge mistakes in the three weeks since his office gave prosecutors a voter list that included tens of thousands of U.S. citizens who

There is a crash on US-54 Southbound and Diana. The crash is blocking the left lane creating a delay. Take Gateway South to avoid this area.

A Texas judge has determined a former nurse who prosecutors suspect of causing the deaths of as many as 60 children is competent to stand trial. Judge Andrew Carruthers made the ruling Thursday in the murder case of 68-year-old Genene Jones after reviewing her psychological evaluation. But Carruthers agreed to a request by attorneys for

Aaron Francisco Chavez swallowed at least one of the sky blue pills at a Halloween party before falling asleep forever. He became yet another victim killed by a flood of illicit fentanyl smuggled from Mexico into the Southwest – a profitable new business for drug gangs that has pushed the synthetic opioid to the top

A Texas man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after police found him in the woods with a partially 3-D printed AR-15 rifle and a list of federal lawmakers’ addresses in his backpack. Eric McGinnis was convicted last summer of possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle. He also was found guilty of unlawfully

A rollover on I-10 West just past Executive has resulted in several lane closures. Only one lane is open. Traffic is backing up past UTEP. Avoid the area or exit the freeway a Porfirio Diaz or Schuster.

The Las Cruces community united to show support for a middle school girl, who according to her mother, was bullied for being gay. Over the weekend, a video went viral online, showing 11-year-old Savannah Tirre being punched by another girl several times at Zia Middle School after school on Friday. The video was shared by

Friends and family left candles at the base of a hand-made cross from Bobby Cordero. The 57-year-old man was killed in Fabens Tuesday night. El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies were called out just before 6 p.m. Tuesday to the 100 block of Southeast River Street in reference to “an injured party.” Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Leslie

Former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week to discuss a possible 2020 Senate campaign against Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Politico reports. Politico cites a source familiar with the meeting. O’Rourke, who emboldened Democrats in perhaps the reddest state in the nation, lost narrowly against incumbent Sen.

University Medical Center is making more services available for patients in the El Paso area. It successfully completed a surgery on a man who had been diagnosed with cancer in his stomach, and a tumor was keeping him from digesting food properly. Dr. Antonio Mendoza Ladd, director of endoscopy at UMC, said the obstruction in

The man accused of severely injuring a popular local DJ in a hit-and-run has reached a plea agreement. Pedro Manuel Reyes will serve six months in jail for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Reyes was also sentenced to 10 years of probation for the charge of accident involving serious injury. Reyes is accused of

There is a crash on I-10 East and Airway that is partially blocking the exit ramp. There are no injuries in the crash. No major delay in the area, however drivers should exit at Geronimo to avoid any delay.

It appears multiple zoos around the world are letting people get back on former loves that have done them wrong. The El Paso Zoo has gone viral for its Valentine’s Day enrichment event “Quit Bugging Me” happening Thursday. Since its announcement of the event, the zoo has received hundreds of names of people’s ex boyfriends

The US has charged a former Air Force intelligence specialist born in El Paso with spying for Iran, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court Wednesday. Monica Elfriede Witt, who was also a former counterintelligence officer for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, defected to Iran in 2013, according to the indictment, and

UTEP tight end Luke Laufenberg’s father took a visit to campus recently. “I really enjoyed everybody and enjoyed my visit. But one of the coaches said, ‘Hey, this could be a great success story.’ And I said, ‘Well, with all due respect, it already is.’” Luke Laufenberg’s father happens to be former Cowboys quarterback and

Families of federal employees are hoping lawmakers and the president will reach an agreement on border security, but are already bracing for another shutdown – just in case. Karla Saenz, wife of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, told ABC-7 the longest shutdown in government history forced them to seek help. “We called the mortgage, we

The group of Central American migrants that crossed into Anapra, New Mexico this week is the largest group encountered by El Paso-area agents in recent memory, an agency spokesman told ABC-7. As reported on Tuesday, 311 migrants crossed into the small colonia of Anapra, located near Sunland Park, New Mexico and Mt. Cristo Rey, just

The El Paso Sheriff’s Office investigates animal abuse across the county, and in the rural areas, this sometimes means horses are the victims of neglect. All the work falls on the shoulders of a single organization. They’re struggling to keep up with the care, and are asking for you help. “Some of these horses come

Traffic is being heavily affected on I-10 East near Executive as police investigate a single-vehicle crash. According to a tweet from El Paso Police, clearing time is expected to take one hour. Avoid the area if possible. Look for updates on this article and on ABC-7 at 10.

Progress is being made as search of a new president for the University of Texas at El Paso continues. In a special meeting, the UT System Board of Regents discussed possible candidates for a new president. They also discussed the actions needed to be made “concerning individual personnel matters related to the search for a

Police officers arrested an off-duty security guard accused of shooting his girlfriend Tuesday evening. Police charged Israel Salas, 28, of the 1100 block of east Boutz Road, with one count of aggravated battery against a household member causing great bodily harm. At about 9 p.m. Tuesday, February 12, 2019, police officers were dispatched to investigate