Good Morning El Paso Weekend 06.18.16

breaking news overnight about a serious rollover on the eastside… leaving one person dead on the scene. the first family making a tour of the nation’s national parks… including one right near the borderland. and scorching temperatures searing the region… with dangerous highs and very dry conditions expected for the weekend. and in stormtrack weather, iris! this is all the news you need to start your saturday, june 18th. abc-7’s “good morning el paso weekend” starts right now! good morning and thank you for joing us… i’m andrew j. polk. starting with some breaking news. 1 person is dead after an early morning rollover. it happened around 2-30 this morning at the intersection of zaragoza and george dieter. special traffic investigators from the el paso police department are at the scene right now investigating what caused the one vehicle rollover . police confirm 1 person died at the scene and 2 others were ejected from the vehicle and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. as you can see in the video the vehicle rolled several times before coming to a stop on norhtbound zaragoza in front of a car dealership. we will update you as we get more information througout this newscast and at kvia dot com. this is a live look at the intesection right now … as you can see police are still on the scene and the streets are still closed to traffic. if you’re going to be driving around the intersection make sure to avoid the area. scorching hot temperatures are expected this weekend … and today’s is supposed to be the worst. the borderland and other western areas of the country is under a heat advisory. we stopped by ascarate lake yesterday where we saw about a dozen people who were out fishing … but today prepare for dangerously hot temperatures and dry conditions. all this week, check on any elderly people you may know … and bring your pets inside during the day if possible. or at least make sure they have shade and water. let’s get right to our weather with stormtracker iris lopez and the heat is not helping as wildfires continue to spread. 3 western states are battling the fires— one declaring a local emergency. in california– the “sherpa fire” has 3 western states are battling the fires— one declaring a local emergency. in california– the “sherpa fire” has already burned thousand acres in the santa barbara county and is only 5 percent contained. about one-hundred and forty homes and ranches are at risk. officials say the wildfire has already destroyed a water treatment plant and damaged crops. california is dealing with a fifth year of drought conditions: joseph darling / u.s. forest service during the night the winds are blowing out to the ocean but during the day they shift and start blowing up hill in a different direction we have been fighting all night. so now you have to change tactics. in new mexico – fire forcing excavations near the mountains southeast of albuquerque and in east-central arizona, the cedar creek fire continues to rip through rugged terrain. and the fire fight will continue to be difficult the next few days– as forecasters say a heat wave is headed to the region this weekend. the presidential family is out of the white house for this father’s day weekend. yesterday they took a tour of carlsbad caverns. our new mexico mobile newsroom was there as people lined the streets to wave to the first family. they arrived on air force one to roswell… then were flown via helicopter to carlsbad on marine one. the motorcade started with with two police motorcycles, two police units… … followed by seven presidential s-u-v’s … then more than a dozen other vehicles and patrol units — including an ambulance. security increased inside the visitors center. and secret service agents were at the entrance checking guests as they walk inside some families waited for hours in the scorching heat, hoping to catch a glimpse of the president. then the obamas went 800-feet deep into the ground and explored the caves. the visit was meant to draw public attention to america’s national parks. it comes as the department nears its 100th birthday in august. obama called the caverns “cool” and “spectacular. the caverns are a two-and-a-half hour drive northeast of el paso. the city closest to them is carlsbad– another 20 minute drive. it has a population just under 28-thousand people. abc-7’s josie ortegon was there — with our new mexico mobile newsroom: the park is open and all is back to normal in carlsbad, new mexico–but for one day–the small town was a stop on president obama’s agenda, marking the first family’s father’s day vacation: “nats of police motorcade” “nats helicopter” a whirlwind of trip for the first family. the president’s to carlsbad caverns national park not just a vacation but raising awareness about our nations national parks and forests: ranger sot: “the folks in the carlsbad community, they really love the park being here.” before hi arrival, families packed the national park’s visitor center. glenn pereria, california touring with family 8:52 “we would have loved to actually see him but since we can’t see him at least we can say we arrived the same day that he was.” stand-up 1 “securit also increased inside the visitors center. secret service agents at the entrance checking guests as they walk inside.” kirk richard kimberly austin 2:52- “we had n idea we were lucky that we were able to still go in because we were thinking that we wouldn’t be able to make it maybe.” others not so lucky, as the park shut down to visitors at 11. sot:”we weren’t told about this.” president obama’s visi also highlighting the economic boost parks provide: carlsbad caverns draws 400-thousand visitors to the community each year bringing in revenue to local businesses. including families who waited for hours in the scorching heat, hoping to catch a glimpse of the president. “we got up at 4:30 and we drove at 5 and then we got here around 7:30 ish.” when th moment arrived–pure joy. “we were coming here today an we found out that president obama was coming so we’ve full come and waited for the motorcade to pass. it’s an occasion isn’t it? we’ll never see it again.” stand- up 2 “families waited as th first family toured the caverns hoping to get a glimpse again of the presidential motorcade.” ” knew he passed through we’re excited that he’s here in new mexico.” “nats of motorcade leaving.” the president will now make his way to california to tour yosemite national park. in carlsbad, with our nmmn, jo, abc7 and right after their visit the obama’s flew to california. today the first family is visiting yosemite national park. airforce one arrived in castle airport yesterday evening. the president is expected to deliver remarks on the importance of national parks later on today. funerals and memorials will continue today for some of the 49- victims who died in the mass shooting inside an orlando nightclub. in the midst of that terror — we’re told the killer, omar mateen – texted his wife, noor asking if she’d seen the news. both expressing their love for each other. now the former neighbor of mateen speaking out. saying although they never kept close contact and mateen and his wife often kept to themselves: “at that time, he seemed to be loner. he never – i never saw him with friends from school over at the house. he never went anywhere, he just hung around in the neighborhood. he was very antagonizing.” it’s still unclear what was said between mateen and his wife or whether she knew about his murderous rampage. she and mateen’s father are now on the no fly list. it’s been one year since another horrific mass shooting. this one at a church in charleston south carolina. yesterday was the 1 year anniversary. emanuel a-m-e church is hosting several events this weekend. nine churchgoers — all black — were shot by a white man who walked into the church, joined a bible study, and then opened fire. yesterday south carolina governor nikki haley spoke at a church service in memory of the victims: south carolina) “so, june 17, 2015 — it’s a day we’ll never forget. it’s a day i got a text message from my chief of staff. it’s a day i got on the phone with my chief of sled. he said there had been a shooting at a church and it didn’t look good. and he said, ‘you need to know, this is senator pinckney’s church.” the shooter, dylann roof was allegedly trying to start a race war. back in the borderland– police are asking for your help finding the driver who may have stuck a pedestrian on i-10 thursday night. the pedestrian is a man believed to be in his 20’s, and an undocumented immigrant. police say he was struck by at least 4 vehicles while trying to cross i-10 near porfirio diaz around 10 thursday night. the crash had police closing the freeway for about 9 hours until seven friday morning both police and the border patrol are involved in the investigation. police explained why the freeway had to be closed for so long: “it’s a crime scene and potentially it could be a homicide investigation, regardless we are still investigating the death of an individual and its gonna take time, it’s time- consuming, it’s a painstaking process its very methodical and in this case the scene is a very large scene.” if you witnessed the incident or were involved — police are asking that you give them a call. the border patrol-who’s assisting the investigation have arrested two men around the same time and close to where the man died. abc-7’s julio-cesar chavez went to the border fence to see how people are crossing: “in the past there were probabl people almost every day” business owners along the border say before they had the big border fence undocumented immigrants would go through regularly one explaining people who jumped across overnight would hide out near their containers. “or over there until we wer able to, until we came in the morning and unlocked the gate and then they would run out” but with the fence installed two years ago, the difference has been night and day “it’s been cut dramatically i’ve seen one or two people running across, but that’s about it” although the fence is one of the biggest tools in the border patrol’s belt, it’s not the only one. agents say their job requires a combination of resources “we also have sensors, and we have cameras, we have surveillance” surveillance tools that help them know where people are crossing over, each buying agents vital time “we literally have seconds to minutes to make an apprehension if someone does come in illegally” in areas with gaps, like this one close next to the chihuahuita neighborhood in downtown el paso, agents say manpower is key george gomez, border patrol ” w have border patrol agents here in the urban environment, you’re gonna have agents that are going to be positioned a lot closer than you would have versus a rural environment” as to just how many people cross the border without getting caught, agents said we just can’t tell since you can’t count the people you don’t have julio-cesar chavez, abc-7 don’t forget to pick up your copy of the el paso inc. this week only in the el paso inc: find out about the very first tenant moving into the new cardwell collaborative research building, and how they plan to hire local scientists. why small businesses need to start planning for the new overtime rules now – even though they don’t start until december. and what a national burgers and fries place likes about el paso, as it expands in the sun city. el paso inc. is online at elpasoinc.com, and available for home and business delivery. call 534- 4422 to subscribe. imagine studying rigourously for a major test… only to find out you’ll have to take it again. that’s what dozens of students are forced to do this weekend. only on abc-7.. we spoke to james tift– who’s grandaughter found out on tuesday the s-a-t exam she took two weeks ago is now thrown out. tift told abc-7 that his granddaughter — an incoming senior at coronado high school — wasn’t given a reason why she had to retake the test.. only a make up date. 3.46 “she studied very hard for the test, and worked hard and took it, and thought it was over.” 6.39 “as smart as they’re supposed t be, it’d seem like they would know which test they’re supposed to be giving.” 6.45 abc-7 reached out to find out why the test was being disregarded. the district said the college board was behind the administering of the test that weekend. the college board’s spokeswoman told abc-7 in a statement that reads in part: “some may test materials arrive after test day. the late delivery caused confusion, and those materials were mistakenly used during the june administration. “as a result, june exams cannot be scored. … students will receive scores from the makeup administration in time for early college application deadlines.” so instead, mr. tifts grand-daughter is starting over — taking the test again. children in the socorro school district will soon get an early start in education for free! the district announced it will start providing free half-day universal pre-kindergarten for all students. this now includes children who do not meet state requirements for free pre-k. we got a chance to visit a school that will be one of several that will become home campuses for pre-k students. the children at mission ridge will learn more than number and their abc’s: aside from the academic, the math the reading, they’re going to have experi3ence with the social development area. … to make sure all the emotion academic needs are met for out students ” keep in mind that it’s only for a half-day. for a full day of pre-k, parents can pay tuition for the other half — about 180 dollars per month. and if your child qualifies for head start, they will get a full day of early childhood education. another music festival is hitting the streets of downtown el paso. but are recent events affecting festival goers? coming up, the security measures enforced to keep everyone safe during the 2-day music fest. and later – as the investigation continues in the night club massacre.. officials are now looking into the weeks that led up the shooting. what investigators say shows the gunman was preparing to die. it is , right now we’ll take a live look at traffic this morning: and in stormtrack weather, iris! stormtrack weather is next! you’re watching abc-7… where news comes