Good Morning El Paso Weekend 06.19.16

street fest takes over downtown for a second day and well into the night… finally getting some relief from the sweltering temperatures. and that extreme heat nearly setting records – scorching sun city residents and people across the region. and el paso county continues to grow – now into areas outside of any city more than any time before. and in stormtrack weather, iris! this is all the news you need to start your sunday, june 19th, father’s day! abc-7’s “good morning el paso weekend” starts right now this weekend is all about the heat in the boderland. with a high of 108 degrees yesterday …it was the hottest day of this year so far. abc-7 went out to see how people were dealing with the heat … some chose to go on with their outdoor activities but found ways to stay cool. it’s not too hot this morning but get ready for the temperatures to quickly spike throughout the day. good morning and thank you for joing us and of course happy father’s day… i’m andrew j. polk. let’s get right to your storm track weather… storm tracker iris lopez is tracking whether we can expect the temperatures to be just as hot as yesterday. the heat didn’t stop thousands of music fans from enjoying the 15th annual street festival in downtown el paso.. yesterday was the 2nd day of the fest but everyone knew with the scorching temperatures… hydration and finding a way to stay cool was essential. so just how did they get through the heat? abc-7’s jerry najera spent his day at the fest to tell us … the temperatures didn’t start to cool down until about 8:30. most people we saw out here had one technique or another to stay cool in triple digit temperatures: as the gates opened at 6 festival goers trickled in. but with the temps hitting 108 “i though it was going to be at 105” “about a hundred an seven” “ohhh it’s extremely ho people took too some music under the shade for those working the food trucks “it’s probably like 120” they say if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen. i spotted some el pasoans with spray bottles and straw hats “i spray myself keep my hat on” “got keep the sun out of your face because you’ll get the sunburn” others preferred some refreshments to stay cool “definitely lots of water with ice” right now i’m drinking a nice cold shock top” and snow cone booths were quite popular. “i’ from new hampshire texas heat is very different” organizers of th street fest also opened the abraham chavez theater for people to escape the heat “righ here i’m drinking from this bar inside right now” the fest also included a car show but a few spectators weren’t there just for the cars. “be honest are you here to chec out the cars or are you escaping the heat? i might be escaping the heat a little bit it’s pretty hot” and this evening, the most creative award for keeping cool goes to letty evaro. “my technique was to g buy a bandana to support orlando and i asked if i could fill it with ice so i have ice filled in my bandana and it is keeping me comfortably cool” the good news is we talked to paramedics out here and they told me no one had to get treated for dehydration the street fest is going on until 1 am fireworks will start at midnight. the high temps can not only be uncomfortbale but it can be dangerous as well. the first alert is staying in effect for the borderland. the national weather service warns to be on the look out for signs of heat illness like thirst… red skin… cramping … exhuastion and lack of sweat. the heat can really wear some people down. but some people caught up with yesterday tell us they just improvised: “just trying to stay hydrated and change my activities such as swimming indoors and stay cool.” again we are expected to see another triple digit day today so stay hydrated and if at all possible stay indoors! an update to a story we brought to you as breaking news yesterday morning. police say a woman is dead and alcohol and speed played a role in the crash. it happened yesterday shortly after 2 a-m on the 1300 block of zaragoza — that’s at the intersection of zaragosa and george dieter. our ’round the clock new team was there while police were on the scene. police say 25-year- old stephanie marie bueno was speeding south on zaragoza. a she approached the curve, she lost control and hit several poles and trucks at the car dealership. three passengers were ejected from the car, including 24- year-old jessica olvera, who died at the scene. 27-year- old kenneth duran was taken to del sol medical center with serious injuries. at this point no charges have been filed. president obama is spending his fathers day weekend as way to promote awareness for what he says is the biggest threat to national parks. the first family toured the caverns in calsbad on friday then flew to california, where they toured yosemite national park. the obamas spent friday night in a rented cabin in the park. the president says he wants more people to appreciate and visit america’s national park as the system nears its 100th birthday in august. president obama talked about the importance of preserving our national parks and forests and shared his views on climate change: the biggest challenge we’re gonna face in protecting this place and places like it is climate change. make no mistake; climate change is no longer just a threat, it’s already a reality.” the president also addressed the economic boost parks provide to local communities… saying the industry supports six million american jobs a year. el paso county is growing – particularly in unincorporated areas. and that’s creating new challenges for county government: :20 “there are parts of the count where it seems seamless from the city of el paso.” commissione vince perez represents most of the unincorporated areas of el paso county in precinct three. the rapid growth even in just the past few years is forcing county leaders to face issues of infrastructure and services that counties usually don’t address. “as th population is growing, many of these areas are going to be filled by homes. this is becoming a new issue.” accordin to the u-s census bureau, el paso county grew about 4 and a half percent, or more than 35 thousand people between 2010 and the most recent estimates in 2015. that’s translated into almost 20,000 new housing units by census estimates – and new developments are stretching into previously desert areas outside of any city’s limits. that means that services usually addressed by cities are now becoming a focus of the county by necessity. “we’ve invested about $200 million in roads just in this part of town alone to help alleviate the congestion that’s going onto i-10. to help alleviate congestion along roads that aren’t fully complete like pelicano or rojas. because while they might be complete in the city, there’s been extensive work done as the population has grown, we’re now dealing with areas further east.” officials say horse races at ruidoso downs will go on after 2 barns were put under quarentine. friday a horse tested positive for the equine herpes virus and was euthanized. the equine herpes virus is contagious and can spread from horse to horse. jockeys are being asked to take the temperature of their horses twice a day. officials are also working with jockeys to clean and disinfect any surfaces or items that have or may come in contact with horses. more than 70 horses at sunland park racetrack tested positive for the virus after an outbreak earlier this year. officials say there is no need to halt racing at this time. a d-n-a testing company will soon launch in el paso and provice jobs for local grads. according to our news partners at the el paso inc… minerva genetics is the first biotech startup tenant to be located in the brand new cardwell collaborate building. it’s a 29 million dollar research facility that just held it’s ribbon cutting ceremony on friday. the facility is located in central el paso and is named after the businessman and community leader jack cardwell. on monday– minerva will move into the new lab and should begin the hiring process in about six months. for more on this story pick up your copy of the el paso inc. other stories this week include: 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. with the tempertures melting the borderland this weekend how are you finding ways to stay cool? coming up… ways to keep safe from the heat.. while still keeping your fathers day plans. and later – the sherpa wildfire continues to blaze across parts of the east coast… threatening homes, roads and more. 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 first!