EL PASO, Texas — It took two votes, with several awkward ‘no’ votes against fellow commissioners, for El Paso County Commissioners Court to select a representative for the El Paso United Covid-19 Response Task Force. On Tuesday, commissioners discussed whom would be best to represent the county as part of the task force. The group
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Joe Biden called President Donald Trump “an absolute fool” on Tuesday for sharing a tweet that mocked the former vice president for wearing a mask Monday at a Memorial Day ceremony. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash in Delaware — Biden’s first in-person interview since being knocked off the campaign trail by the coronavirus
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso County Commissioner David Stout proposed dipping into the county’s reserves to provide cash assistance to undocumented immigrants who were not eligible for stimulus funds provided by the federal government under the CARES Act. “These are the folks who put food on your tables. These are the folks that work
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Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign launched a grassroots effort Tuesday focused on mobilizing young voters, a particularly challenging demographic for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The new program, called League 46, consists of three teams: Students for Biden, Young Professionals for Biden and Young Elected Officials for Biden. It will be led by Symone
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Joe Biden on Tuesday said his vice presidential search committee has interviewed “a lot” of the people under consideration to be his potential running mate. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would not commit to choosing a woman of color as his running mate, saying that “we haven’t gotten there yet.” “There are women of color
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — After more than two hours of heated debate from Doña Ana County Commissioners and the public’s email input, commissioners voted 3-2 on Tuesday to require face masks in Doña Ana County as a public health measure to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. The ordinance, which goes into effect
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AMARILLO, Texas — Mayor Ginger Nelson thought her year would be defined by a punch-in-the-gut cancer diagnosis in January. Then the pandemic came. Now the mayor of Amarillo is battling a rare form of blood cancer while coordinating her city’s response to Covid-19, cases of which spiked in recent weeks at a local food plant.
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says she will help make sure that racial- and ethnic-minority voters know about the potential benefits of electing Joe Biden as president. Asked this past week whether she would accept a potential invitation to run for vice president in November, Lujan Grisham said she
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told ABC-7 that he’ll be speaking with El Paso’s mayor and county judge next week to again examine the coronavirus situation, and determine whether it’s safe for the local economy to be re-opened further. Bars and bowling allies were among expanded openings across much of Texas on Friday,
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott says that Texas is working to have the college football season start on time, with at least some fans in attendance, as the state continues to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned,
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ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico — The founder of a group called “Cowboys for Trump” who also serves as an Otero County commissioner is rejecting calls to resign after he metaphorically said “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” A video posted online earlier this week shows Republican Couy Griffin saying he wants Democrats to die
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico health officials on Friday reported 160 new coronavirus cases and eight additional deaths across the state as a legal fight simmers over Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s authority to enforce public health orders aimed at keeping people home and limiting the spread of the virus. The latest data compiled by
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday said coronavirus spread in neighboring El Paso “poses a great risk to Dona Ana County and the entire state of New Mexico.” She cited both the El Paso area’s rising toll of deaths (54) and cases (1,930), including a recent 39% increase
Continue Reading ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico — The founder of the group ‘Cowboys for Trump’ and an Otero County commissioner is facing calls to resign after he said in a video, “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” In a video posted on social media, Commissioner Couy Griffin said he wished for the Democratic Party to die
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AUSTIN, Texas — A federal appeals court Wednesday quickly put on a hold a ruling that paved the way in Texas for a dramatic expansion of mail-in voting due to fears of the coronavirus. The move by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans came less than 24 hours after a federal judge
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso County Commissioner’s Court met in special session on Wednesday for a town hall discussion hosted by Congresswoman Veronica Escobar on community response to Covid-19. (You can watch a replay the video player above.) Escobar shared concerns over the impact El Paso will see due to the county’s unique population.She
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday afternoon that he will delay further reopening in El Paso County as well as the Texas Panhandle because of spikes in infections in the two areas that he described as a “meaningful outbreak.” Abbott also said Monday that El Paso’s hospital capacity is “too close for
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — Republican candidates in a crucial U.S. House race in southern New Mexico are touting in recent debates their love of President Donald Trump and popular Republican themes around gun rights, oil consumption and building a border wall. But little else. Three GOP hopefuls vying to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl
Continue Reading SANTA FE, New Mexico — Cases of coronavirus are still “too high” in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a Friday afternoon news conference. (You can watch it in the video player above.) The governor confirmed a total of 253 deaths and 5,662 infections statewide on Friday, while health officials estimated that current infections
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court late Friday blocked a lower-court order that had allowed residents to vote by mail if they cite concerns about catching the coronavirus at polling places. Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the court for the stay after an appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling last month that
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Two weeks into the reopening of Texas, coronavirus cases are climbing. New outbreaks still crop up. Few states are rebooting quicker than Texas, where stay-at-home orders expired May 1. With cases still rising, including single-day state highs of 1,458 new cases and 58 deaths on Thursday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has defended
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico is giving the green light for some non-essential businesses and services, including retailers, to reopen come Saturday while mandating that face masks be worn in public with few exceptions. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news conference from the state Capitol on Wednesday that the
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego told ABC-7 he and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have spoken about his letter signed by other local officials asking to halt the re-opening of El Paso. The next phase in re-opening the state is currently set for Monday, May 18. Samaniego said he expressed his
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DALLAS, Texas — Texas’ Republican attorney general on Wednesday asked the state’s high court to order local election officials to reject vote-by-mail applications that cite concerns about catching the coronavirus. Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the state Supreme Court after officials in some predominantly Democratic areas approved measures that would allow voters to claim a
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EL PASO, Texas — County Judge Ricardo Samaniego has asked the governor to halt the further re-opening of businesses in El Paso until the coronavirus curve flattens. The request was made in a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed by Samaniego and co-signed by a group of other local elected officials including
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — Is is constitutional for a mayor to require all voters to wear masks while casting their ballots inside city hall? “I ask that you wear a mask to enter city hall,” said Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima. “To protect the members of the public who wish to come out to
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WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is working on a book, to be published in October, about the U.S. Supreme Court. Regnery Publishing announced Monday that the book was called “One Vote Away” and would draw upon the Texas Republican’s long legal background to provide an inside look at key court decisions. “With
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott, in an interview with ABC-7, maintained coronavirus growth “is very slow and very contained” throughout Texas and in El Paso, even though the city just recorded its deadliest day and the state Friday passed a grim milestone reaching 1,004 total fatalities. “In the state of Texas, the growth
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has recruited two Hollywood actors to help raise money for areas of Doña Ana County that were already struggling before the pandemic. Colonias — the unincorporated, low-income areas along the U.S.-Mexico border — often lack adequate housing and potable water, but the issues have
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – Despite push-back from city councilors, Mayor Ken Miyagishima plans to require all voters to wear masks when casting their ballots inside Las Cruces City Hall. “If you want to vote, wear a mask,” Mayor Miyagishima said. “Your proposal would disenfranchise some people,” said Councilwoman Yvonne Flores, who represents District 6,
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