LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — Investigators now believe the weekend shooting death of a beloved local shoe repair businessman was a result of an interrupted burglary at his shop, Las Cruces police said Thursday. Lonnie Gallegos was arrested early Wednesday at a motel on west Picacho Avenue, days after the deadly shooting of 79-year-old Oscar Amezquita.
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WASHINGTON, DC — The chief of naval operations will self-quarantine after he came in contact with a family member who has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a US official. Adm. Michael Gilday was tested for the virus on Friday and although he is negative at this time he will quarantine for several days,
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FORT BLISS, Texas — Commanders at the Fort Bliss U.S. Army post on Thursday evening described the number of coronavirus cases there as “very low,” without the ability to provide exact numbers because of a Pentagon prohibition. But military officials cautioned they weren’t “declaring victory” just yet, and senior commander Brig. Gen Matt Eichburg extended
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The Department of Veterans Affairs says it is continuing to use an anti-malarial drug touted by President Donald Trump to treat coronavirus cases in a manner “consistent with current FDA guidance” despite the Food and Drug Administration warning it’s not proven to work and could cause deadly side effects. The FDA made clear Friday that
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WASHINGTON, DC — The top Navy officer has recommended the reinstatement of the aircraft carrier captain fired for sending a fraught email to commanders pleading for faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak, officials familiar with the investigation said Friday. Adm. Mike Gilday recommended that Navy Capt. Brett Crozier be returned to
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HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico – Some good news for the Borderland economy. The secretary of the U.S. Air Force has designated Holloman Air Force Base outside of Alamogordo as the permanent home for an F-16 Block 40 Formal Training Unit. The unit — the 8th Fighter Squadron — includes 28 aircraft and about 185
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EL PASO, Texas — A 70-year-old military veteran is the first death stemming from the coronavirus to be reported at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center. The El Paso VA Health Care System announced the death on Tuesday afternoon. A statement from the VA said the man had suffered from underlying health conditions before testing
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FORT BLISS, Texas — All barber shops and salons across the Borderland have been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, so many people have resorted to cutting their own hair or having a stylist come to their home. Some essential workers are required to get their hair cut due to their job. That’s why the
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A sailor who tested positive for Covid-19 on the USS Theodore Roosevelt has died of coronavirus, the US Navy said Monday. The Navy did not disclose the name of the sailor, who was admitted to the intensive care unit of a US Navy hospital on Thursday. CNN previously reported a sailor from the USS Theodore
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FORT BLISS, Texas — A 23-year-old Fort Bliss soldier, credited with helping save children during El Paso’s Aug. 3 mass shooting before later being arrested for military desertion, has been found dead on the Army post. Fort Bliss officials on Friday confirmed the death of Pfc. Glendon Oakley in a statement saying “the soldier was
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FT. BLISS, Texas (KVIA) — Fort Bliss has announced a “stay home work smart” order as well a new daily curfew and face mask policy that will go into effect on Thursday. Fort Bliss said a 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. curfew will be instituted. The policy will also require anyone entering non-residential buildings to
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WASHINGTON, DC — Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned Tuesday, bringing to a climax an extraordinary drama that he advanced by delivering a profanity-laced upbraiding of the officer he fired as captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. In announcing the resignation, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Modly quit on his own accord, “putting
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EL PASO, Texas – With Covid-19 forcing business and job closures across the Borderland, the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank has seen a dramatic increase in families seeking aid. “We are providing emergency food boxes for about 25 to 30,000 families a week,” says Susan Goodell, CEO of the food bank. With the numbers
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LOS ANGELES, California — An El Paso sailor is currently serving aboard the USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed naval hospital ship that is treating patients with non-Covid-19 ailments in an effort to relieve the stress of Los Angeles area hospitals that are dealing with the rising number of coronavirus cases. Mercy has 800 active duty doctors,
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EL PASO, Texas — A new Fort Bliss soldier arrived in the Borderland during the beginning of the global pandemic with his wife who is nine months pregnant. Having a hard time finding house supplies, the couple asked their military community for help and they didn’t let the couple down. Everything on their list was
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FORT BLISS, Texas — Fort Bliss commanders said Thursday they were stepping back from an announcement just a day prior to raise the risk condition level to “HP Con Delta,” which indicates the cornavirus poses a severe threat at the post. Meantime, officials released photographs and information about one of their quarantine sites for returning
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FORT BLISS, Texas — Fort Bliss on Wednesday evening upgraded the risk level condition it is operating under amid the on-going threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak. Military officials have now gone to “HP Con Delta,” a risk level that indicates the virus poses a severe threat, with rapid community spread and widespread cases. The
Continue ReadingEL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Social distancing is necessary for our physical health, but it is not an excuse to abandon our mental health. The coronavirus pandemic can lead to feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, which is why El Paso Veterans Affairs wants to remind Borderland veterans that help is available: by phone. Those interested
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — As the number of coronavirus cases rose in El Paso to 50 on Tuesday, the number of reported cases out of Fort Bliss remained at seven. That’s the latest number reported Monday, before new Department of Defense guidelines went into effect. The Pentagon issued an order saying military installations like Fort
Continue Reading ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico — Holloman Air Force Base has recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus, base officials and the Alamogordo city manager said Tuesday evening. The 49th Medical Group said in a statement that “an individual assigned to Holloman AFB tested positive for COVID-19” earlier Tuesday. “The individual is under the care and direction
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON, DC — The Pentagon has ordered military bases and commanders, including El Paso’s Fort Bliss, to stop publicly announcing coronavirus case numbers, citing security concerns. The decision came as first virus death of a U.S. service member occurred and as the total number of military-linked cases surpassed 1,000 on Monday. As of the last
Continue Reading FORT BLISS, Texas — Fort Bliss effective 6 p.m. Wednesday upgraded the risk level condition it is operating under amid the threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak that has now infected seven people at the post. The three newly confirmed virus cases at Fort Bliss involve two civilian Department of Defense employees and one additional
Continue ReadingThe Pentagon’s senior leadership broadcast a different message than President Donald Trump on Tuesday, with military leaders warning the coronavirus crisis could last well into the summer as the President seeks to open the economy back up. The severity of the challenge was underlined with the news that three US sailors tested positive for the
Continue Reading FORT BLISS, Texas — Fort Bliss was preparing Monday night to upgrade the risk level condition the post is operating under after a fourth member of a U.S. Army reserve unit assigned there tested positive for the coronavirus. Within the next couple of days, military officials indicated they may go to “HP Con Charlie” –
Continue Reading FORT BLISS, Texas — Two additional soldiers at Fort Bliss have tested positive for novel coronavirus, military officials said late Saturday night, bringing the total number of cases at the U.S Army post in El Paso to three. The two new soldiers infected were roommates of the first soldier who tested positive on Friday at
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Authorities in Mexico say a Mexican navy helicopter has crashed during an anti-kidnapping operation, killing a police officer and injuring 10 military personnel in the Gulf state of Veracruz. The official Twitter account of Veracruz Gov. Cuitláhuac García says the aircraft crashed Saturday in the mountainous Zongolica area while supporting state
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FORT BLISS, Texas — It wasn’t the welcome home that U.S. soldiers expected when they returned from war zones in the Middle East in the past week. When their planes landed at Fort Bliss, they were herded into buses, denied water and the use of bathrooms, then quarantined in packed barracks, with little food or
Continue Reading FORT BLISS, Texas — William Beaumont Army Medical Center on Friday night confirmed a soldier from Fort Bliss has tested positive for the coronavirus. This is the first confirmed case of the virus at the Army installation, although six other cases have already occurred within El Paso. Officials said the infected soldier was assigned to
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The US military said it is working to convert buildings into hospitals and could potentially provide 10,000 hospital beds in New York, as the coronavirus pandemic escalates. Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the head of the US Army Corps of Engineers, said Friday that retrofitting hotels or dormitories into temporary hospitals to alleviate the burden on
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — William Beaumont Army Medical Center, the Department of Defense medical facility that provides comprehensive care to active duty military, their family members, and retirees, announced that mandatory coronavirus screening will now take place at the main gates before anyone is allowed to enter the facility. Officials said the procedure was likely
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