EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A Texas man who was recently sentenced in federal court for killing 23 people and wounding two dozen more at El Paso’s Cielo Vista Walmart in 2019 has been transferred to state custody. A source familiar with the situation told ABC-7 the transfer was set to happen at 1 p.m. Tuesday
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — More than $15,000 worth of gift cards purchased in 2022 for the City of El Paso’s ‘U-Matter Program’ remain undistributed as of June 2023, according to documents obtained by ABC-7 through an open records request. As ABC-7 reported earlier this month, a transaction list of the procurement card (P-card) of
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Two City of El Paso contracts totaling more than $30 million for street resurfacing as part of the 2022 Community Progress Bond are now tied up in litigation. ZTEX Construction, Inc. is suing the City of El Paso after not being awarded the two contracts, alleging the city made several
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — City of El Paso District 3 City Representative Cassandra Hernandez accounted for nearly 40% of the gasoline purchased using taxpayer-funded cards by El Paso City Council and the Mayor’s Office from January 1, 2023 through April 30, 2023, according to an internal audit. The audit states Hernandez’s usage during this
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Working lunches that cost El Paso taxpayers more than $17,000 over the last 16 months will no longer be provided during El Paso City Council meetings effective Monday, according to an internal memo obtained by ABC-7 through a source. The authenticity of the e-mail sent by El Paso Mayor Oscar
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso District 3 City Representative Cassandra Hernandez paid the city $6,700 to cover gas expenses incurred on her city-issued, taxpayer-funded gasoline card in 2022. Rep. Hernandez said in a news release on May 5, 2023 that her “family has decided to pay the City of El Paso $6,700, an
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso City Manager Tommy Gonzalez’s office spent more than $100,000 using taxpayer-funded procurement cards (P-cards) from January 2022 to April 2023, according to documents obtained by ABC-7. The documents show each transaction made during that time period on two separate P-cards, one belonging to City Manager Tommy Gonzalez and
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Questions still remain how former District 6 City Representative Claudia Rodriguez spent $7,555.48 in one day using taxpayer money in October 2022. Rodriguez made eight transactions using a taxpayer-funded purchasing card on the same day the city representative hosted a city-sponsored Halloween event, but there is no indication those purchases
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — In an exclusive interview with ABC-7, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said he’s concerned about the amount of spending on city procurement cards, or P-cards. “I want to look at that and make sure that the citizens of El Paso know that we are looking at it and we will
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said in an exclusive interview with ABC-7 on Friday that the city’s chief internal auditor felt ‘pressured’ to change his report looking into the 2022 usage of taxpayer-funded city gasoline cards by city council members. Chief Internal Auditor Edmundo Calderon’s report found “excessive” use of the gas
Continue Reading
UPDATE (5/25/23): El Paso D.A. Bill Hicks followed up with Assistant District Attorney Doug Tiemann who told him he only spoke with an El Paso Police detective on one occasion for about 45 minutes. “Mr. Tiemann emphasizes what I emphasized, which is that the case, the facts of the case, the whole case, was never presented,”
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Texas Department of Public Safety state trooper pursuits of suspected smugglers happened at an exponentially greater rate in El Paso in 2023, according to data obtained by ABC-7. There have been more than 5,000 pursuits involving Texas DPS state troopers since the inception of Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — An updated emergency driving and vehicular pursuit policy from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is now in effect. The letter from the acting commissioner, Troy A. Miller, says the updated policy does not prohibit vehicular pursuits, but the policy “restricts pursuits in certain circumstances that are considered especially dangerous and
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Federal officials will begin conducting a “targeted enforcement operation” in El Paso Wednesday, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Immigration enforcement officials will process individuals for vetting and placement into Title 42 expulsion or Title 8 removal proceedings. The operation will be conducted by CBP and U.S. Immigration and
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Her daughter was killed in 2019, but more than three years have passed, and she still doesn’t have closure. That El Paso mother, who ABC-7 is not identifying due to her daughter’s case still pending in the courts, is anxiously awaiting the trial of her daughter’s accused killer. “It’s like
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — One person is dead after being struck and killed by a car on I-10 East at Downtown, according to El Paso Police. Police say the pedestrian died at the scene. Officials say it happened at 8:01 p.m. and prompted the shut down of the eastbound lanes. All traffic is being
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — With a potential state capital murder trial of the accused Walmart shooter looming, newly-appointed District Attorney Bill Hicks is adding prosecutors with death penalty experience to his office. Hicks was sworn in to finish out the term of the embattled former D.A. Yvonne Rosales in December. “When I took over
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — ABC-7’s Be Mindful. multi-platform initiative seeks to strengthen the Borderland’s mental health system by empowering its residents through information and education in order to promote a culture of resiliency, reduce stigma and improve wellness. “Be Mindful. is an opportunity for everyone, for the community to come together and be in a better place,”
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — President Joe Biden’s visit to El Paso Sunday lasted more than an hour than initially scheduled in part because of an unplanned one-on-one meeting with El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser. Mayor Leeser requested a chance to speak with him individually as President Biden stepped foot off Air Force One at
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — An ABC-7 camera captured video showing what appear to be groups of migrants crossing the Border Highway near Fonseca Dr. on Tuesday evening in El Paso. It is an area that is prone to seeing dangerous migrant crossings, but it’s playing out more frequently during the current migrant crisis. The speed
Continue Reading
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — NMSU officials now say a response to a question about the deadly Nov. 19 shooting on the UNM campus involving men’s basketball player Mike Peake “should have been more clearly written.” The university published on Nov. 21 a list of answers to questions it received from media outlets regarding the campus shooting.
Continue Reading
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — The Battle of I-25 will have to wait another year. University of New Mexico Athletic Director Eddie Nunez announced during a news conference Tuesday afternoon both men’s basketball games between New Mexico and New Mexico State University in the home-and-home series will not happen this season. Saturday’s game in Albuquerque
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — Mortgage rates saw their largest weekly drop since 1981 Thursday. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now stands at 6.6%, down 1.2%. But it’s still a far cry from where rates stood one year ago at 3.1%. As rates remain high during a volatile time with high inflation, many prospective homebuyers are feeling
Continue Reading
A new scientific poll of ABC-7 news viewers shows a significant increase in apathy over whether a downtown arena should be built in the Duranguito District. The issue remains tied up in the courts. Historical preservationist Max Grossman and billionaire J.P. Bryan have been entrenched in a legal battle with the City of El Paso
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — Alma Calderon is one of the many breast cancer survivors living in the Borderland, but she said she wouldn’t be here if not for her annual mammogram. It was December 2013 when the mammogram detected a mass that turned out to be breast cancer. And it was an all-too-familiar diagnosis for
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — UTEP played its most complete game of the season en route to a 27-10 win over Boise State, marking the biggest win of the Dana Dimel era. It’s also the first win for the Miners over Boise State in program history. JUCO transfer Marcus Bellon returned a 47-yard punt for a
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — Three years after the August 3rd Cielo Vista Walmart shooting, Cecilia Medina still carries the emotional wounds from that day. She was tidying up her area as a Walmart Associate, doing a job that’s brought her joy for more than 25 years, when she heard popping noises. “The noise. The popping.
Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: Dr. Carla Alvarado will be in the studio Saturday night for a special half-hour show to dive more into separation anxiety and how parents and students can best handle it. Be sure to tune in Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on ABC-7 for “Back 2 School — What Every Family Should Know.” It’s brought
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas — El Paso Water customers who were inadvertently overcharged for their Environmental Services Department fees should seeing a refund on this month’s bill. ABC-7 first noticed a 20% increase on the ESD side of the bill last month and began asking questions of the department as to why the trash collection service
Continue Reading
EL PASO, Texas – Several city representatives say they will direct City Manager Tommy Gonzalez to decrease the City of El Paso tax rate. District 5 Representative Isabel Salcido has placed an item on Tuesday’s city council agenda. The agenda item is co-sponsored by District 3 Representative Cassandra Hernandez and District 7 Representative Henry Rivera. “We
Continue Reading