Month: April 2019

Franklin swimmer Kiersten Valdez is officially joining the NMSU swimming program after signing her letter of intent Wednesday at a ceremony in the Franklin cafeteria. Valdez, who specializes in the 100 back and 100 fly, says she knew she wanted to stay close to home, so NMSU was a perfect fit. Valdez was joined by

The Annunciation House held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the opening of a new hospitality center used to accommodate the massive amount of migrants coming into Borderland communities. Casa del Refugiado, House of the Refugee in English, was set up in east El Paso. ABC-7 was asked not to publish to exact location of

Eleven student athletes from Montwood High School signed Wednesday to play their sport at the next level. Goalkeeper, Zoey Lopez, will sign with the University of Texas at El Paso. Lopez, who transferred to Montwood her junior year, played varsity one season and was named All-District MVP Goalkeeper. Sarah Polanco, softball centerfielder, will head to

Authorities on the U.S.-Mexico border have distanced themselves from an armed civilian group that detains asylum-seeking families, but the United Constitutional Patriots have never been shy about saying they work with Border Patrol agents. After its activities drew widespread criticism, the group was thrown out of its camp this week for trespassing in Sunland Park,

Beloved Las Cruces playwright, director and professor Mark Medoff died Tuesday at 79 years old. “When people ask me why we stayed here, instead of moving on to greener pastures, this is the green pasture to us,” Medoff told ABC-7 in an August 2018 interview. The highly successful man had the opporutnity to move elsewhere,

The Texas house of representatives has passed two bills that would end twice a year time changes. House joint resolution 117 allows voters to weigh in on the issue of daylight saving time. The second ballot question would ask voters preference between standard or daylight time. Owner of The Clock Manor Trudy Nelson says this

The new tent facility to house migrants at the Border Patrol station in Northeast El Paso is currently under construction and expected to be completed by May 5, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson. A similar facility is under construction in Donna, Texas and expected to be ready May 1st. Each facility

Jim Benvie, with a group of self-described “border patriots” keeping an eye on the Anapra Gap near Sunland Park, told ABC-7’s Christina Aguayo on Friday his group does detain undocumented immigrants until Border Patrol agents arrive. “Do we apprehend people? No! Do we detain people? Yes,” said Benvie, with the United Constitutional Patriots. “Why do

Las Cruces Attorney Kelly O’Connell confirmed to ABC-7 his client, Larry Hopkins, was attacked Tuesday while being held in jail. Hopkins is the self-proclaimed leader of the United Constitutional Patriots, a group that set up a camp near the Anapra Gap, the spot where the border barrier ends in the Sunland Park area. The group’s

A Texas police officer is charged with murder for fatally shooting a man who ran over his foot. Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson says former Patrol Sgt. Russell Butler also had been fired for violating the department’s use of force policy. KVUE, the ABC affiliate in Austin, reports Butler was charged Tuesday with murder and

ABC-7 confirmed the city manager for Las Cruces, New Mexico, has tendered his resignation. The ABC-7 New Mexico Mobile Newsroom obtained a letter dated April 22 and written by City Manager Stuart Ed. In it, Ed told Las Cruces City Council, “After much reflection and thought, I have decided it is an opportune time to

Larry Mitchell Hopkins, a member of the United Contitutionalist Patriots, an armed civilian group that has detained migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border, is expected to plead not guilty to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The 69-year-old Hopkins, who also identifies as Johnny Horton, made his first appearance

Speaking before the Doña Ana County Commission on Tuesday, the Chief Border Patrol Agent for the El Paso sector painted the picture of an overwhelmed agency with not enough agents to handle the number of asylum seekers entering Las Cruces and El Paso. “There is so much stress on the system, you have a variety

President Donald Trump made a new threat Wednesday to send armed soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump tweeted that “Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border,” but he didn’t support the drug-smuggling claim. U.S. Northern Command, which manages military support for

YWCA CEO Dr. Sylvia Acosta talked about the loss of federal funding from Housing and Urban Development and how it affects the organization’s ability to run the Sara McKnight Transitional Living Center.

Taylor Sanchez is coordinating a course coming to Las Cruces on April 27 that offers dog owners the chance to introduce their canine to muzzled poisonous western diamondbacks. The training is at Aggie Storage, at 960 Sand Castle Ave. It costs $80. Email k9snakeawareness@gmail.com to register and make an appointment.

El Paso law enforcement is investigating a shooting in Central, according to authorities. It happened at Yandell Dr. and Newman St., not far from I-10. Police confirms a man was sent to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Authorities said no arrests have been made. It is unclear how the shooting started.

Crash on Loop 375 and Pellicano blocking the left shoulder. The crash is creating a delay. Drivers need to take Zaragoza, or Saul Kleinfeld.

U.S. Border Patrol agents found a 3-year-old boy alone in a field after likely being abandoned by smugglers at the southern border, authorities said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said late Tuesday that the boy’s name and phone numbers were written on his shoes when agents found him that morning. The agency said it is

The train known as “The Beast” is once again rumbling through the night loaded with people headed toward the U.S. border after a raid on a migrant caravan threatened to end the practice of massive highway marches through Mexico A long freight train loaded with about 300 to 400 migrants pulled out of the southern

The El Paso NWS expects its radar to be down for repairs for the next few weeks due to updates that will extend its life into the 2030s. Meteorologist Laren Reynolds with the national weather service says, “Our radar has been running continuously for the past 23 years and it’s a big computer so with

The UTEP men’s basketball team could be getting a key addition soon. The key word there is “could.” According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated, LSU graduate transfer Daryl Edwards is considering both UTEP and Fresno State as potential transfer destinations. The 6’3″ guard spent the last two seasons with LSU, playing

Drivers crossing into Juarez, Mexico, will have to pay more in May due an adjustment in currency exchange rates, according to the City of El Paso. Starting May 1, 2019, the price will be $3.50 for personal vehicles. The rate for pedestrians will remain the same at $0.50. The City of El Paso International Bridges

The football field at Canutillo stands out for obvious reasons. Namely, it’s blue. But the new turf being installed this spring will stick out for more reasons than its unusual color. Hellas Construction is busy installing a new blue field that features a “Cushdrain” elastic layer that is paved into place. That bottom layer of

Voters will get to decide whether to keep a piece of land in Northwest El Paso as open space, rather than have it developed in the May 4 election. The area, which is more than 1,000 acres of land, referred to as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 12, was sectioned to help incentivize development. Preservationists have

The last remaining veterans who set up a camp near a gap in the border barrier in order to alert Border Patrol about illegal crossings have left the area. “This is a very disappointing day. We were just working to protect America,” said one of the veterans. On Tuesday, Sunland Park Police and police officers

A U.S. government watchdog agency has launched an investigation in the wake of an Associated Press report revealing complaints about how immigration authorities treated hunger strikers at a detention center in Texas. The Office of Inspector General for U.S. Department of Homeland Security this month interviewed two Indian men who said they had suffered mental

Two U.S. soldiers in a remote area of Texas were confronted by Mexican soldiers who thought the Americans had crossed into Mexico, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The Mexican troops reportedly removed a weapon from the American soldier who was armed. U.S. Northern Command, which manages military support for Customs and Border Protection, said the Americans

A Houston high school principal has implemented a dress code for parents because she says it is necessary to establish high standards for students, despite criticism that the move could be discriminatory. James Madison High School will turn away parents who show up to school wearing pajamas, hair rollers, leggings or certain other items of

Rattlesnakes are out of hibernation now and that can mean serious trouble for dog owners who fail to take precaution while out hiking or walking on trails with their pets. A rattlesnake avoidance training course is coming to Las Cruces this weekend to help dog owners and their canines know what to do during potential