Good Morning El Paso 08.17.16

it’s now up to voters to decide the future of the biggest school bond proposal in el paso’s history. plus—investigations underway in the borderland after two bodies were discovered in different parts of town. and new this morning—tens of thousands of residents are being forced from their homes as massive wildfires continue to threaten the west coast. a very good morning el paso, las cruces, and juarez. i’m stephanie valle. and i’m hillary floren. good morning, everyone. thunderstorms for the next couple of days will stay in area mountains. by the end of the week we will see a slight chance for thunderstorms in both the mountains and lowlands. for sunday and monday more moisture will move into the region to help fuel scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms. temperatures for the next several days will be at or slightly above normal. it will now be up to taxpayers to decide whether to approve the largest school bond in el paso’s history. e-p-i-s-d’s board of trustees unanimously approved a 669- million dollar proposal last night: “natural sound” several people at last night’s meeting clapping after the vote. this is just the beginning. the bond proposal now on the ballot in november. and voters have less than 3 months to make up their minds. you can see the projects the bond would pay for on our website, kvia- dot-com. new this morning– parents of students in las cruces have noticed the price of their child’s lunch has gone up this year. good morning el paso’s denise olivas is live to explain why. … denise? a majority of students at lcps do qualify for free lunch– there are still some students who are paying a little more than last year. let’s take a look at those prices– in elementary schools– a lunch will cost you $1.80- it went up five cents. in middle schools the price has gone up a dime to $2- dollars and ten cents. and in high schools– the price now is $2-25– a fifteen-cent increase. district officials say 26 lcps schools have free lunch programs with balanced meals that include fruits and vegetables. executive director of lcps operations explains the price hike this year: “one of the requirements is tha we work towards…each year we have to evaluate our prices” in the district– 65- percent of students are eligible for for free or reduced prices meals. those prices will stay the same and so will the cost of breakfast. it’s one dollar for all students. now to the latest on the california wildfires. what started off as a small brush fire has turned to a state of emergency. this, as a suspected arsonist of the state has turned to a state of emergency. this, as a suspected arsonist is arrested for fires in another part of california. here’s abc’s stephanie ramos with more details. / fire crews on the ground and in the air in california … battling this resilient brush fire in san bernardino county. mike cron/ lytle creek ca sot: can’t believe the planes that have flown over its kind of scary this blaze dubbed the blue cut fire exploding across at least 18- thousand acres east of los angeles…leaving behind charred homes and cars.. swing sets metled…. forcing at least 82 thousand people out of their homes. the rising heat and high winds, causing this firenado kabc’s longtime chopper pilotover the fire voice of: j.t. alpaugh kabc-tv chopper reporter this is a monster of a fire that is moving faster than any fire i have seen in a very very long time and this is just the latest in a rash of wildfires that has consumed some california counties. this wildfire … called the clayton fire scorched at least 4- thousand acres and 175 structures since saturday. nats: clayton fire most of the area is still off- limits — with thousands forced to evacuate. — but for one california community ….where they’ve witnessed fiery blazes get way too close to their homes… a sigh of relief mixed with outrage. brian l. martin, sheriff of lake county sot: “it is my pleasure to announce …counts of arson” police sa damian pashilk is a serial arsonist who sparked fires across this california town including the one that exploded over the weekend. tag: with a serial arsonist behind bars that’s a winbut fires are still raging in california gov. jerry brown declared a state of emergency in the state. as firefighters try to put out the intense fires. stephanie ramos, abc news two bodies found in different parts of el paso county have authorities searching for answers this morning. the first was found in horizon just after noon yesterday. the second – found last night in the desert of northeast el paso near the new mexico state line. all police are saying is that they’re investigating the suspicious death of a man. at this point, it’s not known how the person died. as for the investigation in horizon…. the el paso county sheriff’s office says it responded to a call of an unresponsive person around 12-30 yesterday afternoon — on the 13-hundred block of horizon. deputies found someone inside a car, dead. the sheriff’s office did not identify the person. and they are awaiting the results of an autopsy before saying how the person died. happening today— new mexico governor susana martinez has ordered all flags at half-staff in honor of fallen hatch police officer jose chavez. chavez’s funeral is set for this sunday afternoon at the pan am center in las cruces. he was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop overthe weekend. this is the first time such an event will be held here. the dona ana county sheriff’s office actually reached out to nmsu asking to use this space because of the size. nmsu offered it free of charge. doors will open at 1 with the funeral to start at 3. the details haven’t been worked out yet — but the dona ana county sherrif’s office says a procession will take chavez’s body one more time through hatch then to the pan am on sunday. / nmsu is also hosting a flag football game. it’s on friday and will benefit law enforcement charities and fallen hatch officer jose chavez. teams will be made of up aggie football players… as well as law enforcement from las cruces and dona ana county. we spoke with one aggie football player who says he wants to honor all law enforcement including his own father— my dada worked very hard for the law enforcement in las cruces he it was his dream job to be in law enforcement and the passion he had for it. the best i can do is play my hardest in this games the game will be friday at 7 p.m. at aggie memorial stadium. admission is free but donations are accepted. 6-07… weather and traffic on the 7s… thunderstorms for the next couple of days will stay in area mountains. by the end of the now it’s time to take a look at the tx-dot traffic cams… much more to come here on gmep— el paso’s downtown management district is helping stores downtown get a facelift—how other stores can be a part of the improvements. and this is abc-7, where news comes first! new this morning— one building in downtown el paso is getting a