Good Morning El Paso 01.20.16

the taliban is claiming responsibility for an attack that killed dozens at a university in pakistan-we have the latest. sot full “he is beholde to no one how refreshing? plus—will sarah palin be donald trump’s secret weapon and what does the endorsement mean for ted cruz? / and el paso county’s three big school districts have made a decision on whether kids will go to school when the pope is in juarez / a very good morning el paso, las cruces, and juarez. i’m stephanie valle. and i’m hillary floren. good morning, everyone. before we get to the first forecast… developing now in east el paso el paso police are on the scene of a crash involving a pedestrian at 6501 trowbridge. according to police it happened around 5:30 this morning. they tell us one person was possibly hit by a truck. the extent of his injuries is still not clear but he may have a broken leg according to police. we will update you with more information as soon as it becomes available. our warm temperatures today will lead to breezy to windy conditions tonight and cooler temperatures on thursday. for the weekend we will be dry with temperatures running above average. for the first part of next week we’ll see cooler temperatures but still continued dry conditions. developing now– the death toll has risen to 20 in northwest pakistan, after gunmen stormed a university earlier today. police say at least two of the dead are a student and a teacher. several other people are wounded. police say the attack happened shortly after the university opened. police and the army have exchanged gunfire and explosions could be heard. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. / new this morning. the christian monastery in iraq has been reduced to a pile of rubble…take a look! another victim of the islamic state group, the 14- hundred year old structure has survived many assaults over the years. most recently the chapel was a place of worship for u.s. troops. now, as you can see, there is nothing left of the church. this is not the first ancient monument the militant group has destroyed since sweeping across the area back in june of 20-14. now to the latest on the race for president. for republican frontrunners donald trump and ted cruz?it’s turned into a fight for the anti-establishment wing of the g-o-p. and donald trump is getting a boost from former v-p nominee sarah palin. abc’s megan hughes has the latest. it’s your voice your vote. :14 :46 :58 1:20 sarah palin’s 26- year-old son was america great again?” could conservative heavyweight sarah palin’s endorsement put donald trump over the top in iowa? palin sot: “he is beholden to n one how refreshing?he’s going rogue left and right man, that’s why he’s doing so well!” the te party favorite rambled, rhymed, hit the media, and threw in some of her favorite phrases. palin sot: it’s time to drill baby drill down and hold these folks accountable.” nats: cheering no everyone is so enthusiastic. the new york daily news headline this morning: i’m with stupid. the partnership of the former reality stars is also bad news for ted cruz, who palin backed when he ran for senate. cruz sot: “regardless of what sara descides to do in 2016 i will always remaind a big, big fan of sarah palin’s” the conservative powerhouse endorsement also puts a dent in the attacks on trump’s “new york values” from cruz an rush limbaugh. sot- rush limbaugh: there are a lot of conservatives who think that he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. sot trump: well i am a real conservative and rush has been terrific to me on the democratic side- clinton has been racking up her own big endorsements?with progressive groups like the human rights campaign and planned parenthood. but a new poll shows -vermont senator bernie sanders with a 27- point lead in new hampshire. sanders sot: “the inevitable candidat does not look quite so inevitable as she did eight-and-a-half months ago.” tag: hillary clinton still has a double- digit lead nationally. her campaign is already fundraising off of the palin-trump endorsement- saying in an email “make sure this is nothing more than a bad snl skit come to life.” sarah palin’s 26- year-old son was arrested on domestic violence charges monday night in alaska. according to the arrest report, track palin punched and kicked his girlfriend, then held an ar-15 rifle near his head as though he would shoot himself. the incident happened at the ex- governor’s home in wasilla. palin was charged with domestic violence assault on a female, interfering with a report of domestic violence and possession of a weapon while intoxicated — all ‘class a’ misdemeanors. 27 days and counting until the borderland welcomes the head of the catholic church. pope francis is scheduled to end his trip to mexico in juarez on february 17th. continuing our complete coverage… … on three of the county’s largest school districts announcing they will be giving all staff and students the day off for pope francis’ historic visit. all three will not have class. the ysleta school district spokeswoman just told us… “…the decision to close the district on feb. 17 is based on the potential detrimental financial impact to yisd related to student, faculty, and staff absenteeism, as well as an increased demand for substitute teachers.” the day will have to be made up. a decision on when that will happen will be made at a later time tthe biggest district of the three — el paso isd — … telling abc-seven student safety is the priority. we know hundreds of thousands of people are expected to crowd the border close to where the pope will hold mass … e-p-i-s-d says many of them may trespass at guillen middle, aoy elementary and bowie high schools. the socorro school district is also following suit. the board made the decision at its meeting last night. this morning, still no announcement of any closures for the following school districts. canutillo… clint… and san elizario. february 17th will be a normal school day for students in las cruces public schools. a district spokeswoman told us late this afternoon that parents aren’t asking for a cancellation of classes. students at las cruces catholic schools have a choice. see the pope or go to school. the principal says students will get an excused absence if they choose to see the pontiff. she said: “it made better sense than to close school for day.” last week– utep officials said it would be best to cancel classes so they could manage all the traffic and make sure students and faculty stay safe. how well do you know downtown el paso? put your knowledge to the test with the return of a contest that’ll have you scrambling through the streets. the downtown management district brings back its its “hidden hearts” contes good morning el paso’s denise olivas is live to tell us all about it…denise you can also end up a winner— this week the downtown management district revealed its first two clues. now you have to find the hearts. this is what they look like– colorful paper hearts– also know as papel picado– are placed in certain locations through out downtown. every week leading up until valentine’s day new clues will be given out. and multiple prizes will be up for grabs. officials say more were added this year. here is how you play– find clues through the dwntwn el paso social media pages like facebook, instagram and twitter. or you can head over to the downtown el paso website and click on the “spotlight” section to find the clues. we have a link on our website right now. next– take a photo with the heart. and finally– post it on social media and tag dwntwn el paso on instagram, facebook or twitter. you can use the hashtag #dtep or #hiddenhearts or you can send the photo through a message. a few things to keep in mind– you can also send the photo through a message. and when you post it on social media– make sure your privacy settings are public. every participant is automatically entered for a chance to win the grand prize the “dream date package” includes pedicab ride from pedicabs el paso, dinner for two at tabla, and two tickets for a concert hosted by el paso pro-musica. we’ll have those hints for you coming up in our next half hour. a few traffic alerts to pass along this morning. starting today at around 9 a-m… the intersection of moon road and north loop will be a two way stop. this is expected to help traffic flow on north loop. also… starting today at 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. there will be crews working on the median on i-10 near the fabens entrance and exit ramps is northwest el paso. this closure will be happening for the rest of the week throughout the day until friday. / plus here is a live look this morning of i-10 and mcrae…. the westbound exit ramp at mc-rae will be closed this morning… from 9 a-m till about noon. the right lane will also be closed this is to repair a damaged guard rail. still much more to come here on good morning el paso— some like them and well… some don’t but the so-called “eg beaters” alon i-10 near airway are getting national attention—we’ll have the details. / plus—a new memorial for vietnam veterans is going up here in el paso–we’ll tell you where. / meteorologist krystal klei has your detailed forecast. krystal… and this is abc-7, where news comes first!