Central Oregonians enjoying new amenities at Bend’s Pine Nursery Park

KTVZ on August 24, 2026

Adrielle Hasara

(Update: adding video, comments from Bend Park and Rec)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — From new pickleball courts to upgraded ball fields and trails, an $8 million improvement project at Pine Nursery Park is nearing completion.

Some of the newest additions include eight pickleball courts, a full basketball court, three new entrances to the off-leash area, and a pedestrian connection to Deschutes Market Road.

Central Oregonians are already putting the new amenities to use.

“We got an email this morning that there were a large group of people playing basketball last night, and that’s great to hear,” said Jason Powell, construction manager for Bend Park and Recreation District.

“I have heard quite a bit about the fact that the trails are a lot smoother, and that makes people happy. So, yeah, there have been a lot of positives,” Powell added.

Crews repaired roughly 1.5 miles of the park’s perimeter trail, installed 99 solar pathway lights, and added artificial turf and new lighting at the softball fields.

The new amenities are open, but an issue with an electrical component is keeping the lighting offline for now. Powell said connecting the power is the biggest remaining step before the project can officially wrap up.

“There are punch-list items, and some landscaping things still need to be established and grown in, but the main thing is to get the power in so we can get the lighting commissioned and online for this fall, when we would like to have extended lighting hours on the fields,” Powell said.

Once operating, the new lighting will be DarkSky certified, meaning it is designed to direct light where it is needed while limiting glare and light pollution.

The lights will also allow people to use the fields, courts, and perimeter path during more early-morning and evening hours.

Construction began last fall and was funded mainly through system development charges, with some property tax dollars also included.

Whether visitors come to Pine Nursery Park to walk their dogs, play a game, or simply enjoy the outdoors, they are likely to notice something new.

Earlier Story — BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bend Park and Recreation District is putting the finishing touches on an approximately $8 million improvement project at Pine Nursery Park in Bend, Ore. Several new facilities are now open to the public, including a full-court basketball court, eight new pickleball courts and upgraded sports fields.

Pine Nursery Park is a 159-acre community park that draws approximately one million visits each year. The park has been developed in phases since 2006 and the latest renovations fulfill high-priority projects identified in the district’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan and its 2024 midterm update.

Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company completed the work following a competitive bidding process. Improvements across the park include a new pedestrian connection to Deschutes Market Road, off-leash dog area upgrades and paving and lighting repairs along the perimeter loop trail. Maintenance area improvements feature a new storage shed and fencing.

Crews also converted ball field infields to artificial turf and added sports field lighting. Dark-sky compliant lighting was installed along both the fields and the paved perimeter loop pathway to extend usability during the fall and spring when daylight hours are shorter.

The project involved partnerships with local organizations. Bend Park and Recreation District renovated a storage space for exclusive use by Oregon Adaptive Sports, while the Bend Pickleball Club raised half of the funding for eight new pickleball courts.

The addition brings the total number of pickleball courts at Pine Nursery Park to 24. Eight of the courts remain open for public drop-in use at all times, except during a small number of annual tournaments.

Jase Newton, recreation services director for the district, highlighted the community partnerships involved in the park’s expansion.

“Collaborating with partners and seeking opportunities to collaborate is on display at Pine Nursery Park and it serves the community best when we’re able to align goals and resources,” Newton said.

Newton added that the district aims to maximize public investments through these facility upgrades.

“By enhancing existing amenities, the district can deliver greater value to the community, expand recreation opportunities and ensure responsible stewardship of public resources,” Newton said.

Final elements of the project are scheduled to be completed by early fall.

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High Desert Chamber Music announces new venues for 2026-27 season

KTVZ on August 24, 2026

Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — High Desert Chamber Music is relocating both its Concert Series and Annual Gala to new venues in Bend, Ore., for the 2026–27 season.

The Concert Series will move to First Presbyterian Church of Bend, while the Annual Gala will be held at the Riverhouse Convention Center.

The venue changes mark the start of the organization’s 19th season. High Desert Chamber Music was established in 2008 to bring chamber music performances and music education programs to Central Oregon.

The new concert location at First Presbyterian Church of Bend offers an elevated stage, increased audience capacity and expanded on-site parking. The Riverhouse Convention Center provides larger function space and additional amenities for the annual gala.

Isabelle Senger serves as the founder and executive director of High Desert Chamber Music. She noted that the new locations mark a major milestone as the organization enters its next phase.

“We are excited about these changes and what they represent for the future of High Desert Chamber Music,” Senger said. “Both moves give us new opportunities to welcome our community, strengthen the concert and gala experiences and build on everything we’ve accomplished together since 2008.”

The 2026–27 Concert Series will feature a six-concert schedule. The opening performance will feature the Yu&I Duo, composed of violinist YuEun Gemma Kim and guitarist Ines Thomé.

Alongside its performance schedule, High Desert Chamber Music provides free educational outreach connecting professional musicians with regional students. Season subscriptions and single tickets are available online, by phone or at the organization’s office in Downtown Bend.

The 2026–27 concert season begins Sept. 25, 2026, at First Presbyterian Church of Bend.

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“Purpose Over Pleasure”: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth Turns Down $305,000 Salary and Delivers a WOW Lesson in Leadership

CNN Newsource on August 24, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    August 24, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — HOUSTON — Jonathan Traylor captured it in three unforgettable words: “Purpose over Pleasure.” And every so often, a public official makes a decision that gives those words real-world meaning—so refreshingly unexpected that taxpayers collectively lean closer and say, “WOW.” Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth has created one of those moments, choosing employees, fiscal stewardship and the mission of serving Harris County over personal financial gain after announcing that she would not accept her newly authorized $305,000 salary if the increase had to be absorbed within her office’s existing budget.

Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth has created one of those moments.

photo

After Harris County Commissioners Court approved salary increases placing several countywide elected officials at $305,000 annually, Hudspeth announced she would not accept her newly authorized salary because the additional compensation came without additional funding for her office. Recent county budget proceedings confirm the $305,000 salary level approved for most affected elected officials.

Why?

Because accepting more for herself could mean having less available for the people helping her office serve Harris County. Somebody cue Jonathan Traylor.

“Purpose over Pleasure.” That simple phrase from Traylor’s song could practically serve as the soundtrack to Hudspeth’s decision.

Hudspeth could have taken the money, smiled for the cameras and kept moving. Instead, she thanked Commissioners Court for recognizing the responsibilities and demands of her position while explaining that the increase would have to be absorbed within the County Clerk’s existing budget.

Her priority, she said, remains filling positions requested during the budget process and maintaining staffing necessary to serve Harris County residents.

In other words: recognition appreciated; mission first.

Making History—Then Giving Leadership Meaning Hudspeth is no stranger to breaking barriers. In November 2020, she became the first African American woman elected Harris County Clerk. Today, the Clerk’s Office notes that she spent 19 years serving in multiple roles under four county clerks before ascending to the office herself.

That history makes this latest decision even more compelling.

Representation matters—but what leaders do with the opportunity to lead matters even more.

Hudspeth’s office touches the everyday lives of residents through public records, property documents, marriage licenses, court records and other essential government services. Behind every counter, computer, filing system and customer-service interaction are employees expected to make a massive county government work.

Hudspeth essentially said those people deserve consideration before her paycheck gets bigger.

That is servant leadership with receipts.

There was no attack on Commissioners Court. No political theater. No self-congratulatory press conference declaring herself the patron saint of fiscal responsibility.

Instead, Hudspeth was gracious, measured and remarkably clear.

There is also an important distinction: elected officials should be appropriately compensated for enormous responsibilities. Declining an increase does not mean the work is not worth the salary.

It means Hudspeth decided that under these particular budget circumstances, purpose outweighed personal benefit.

And perhaps that is why the moment resonates.

Leadership is not always about what you can obtain. Sometimes character becomes clearest through what you are willing to sacrifice.

For Harris County residents, Hudspeth has offered a timely reminder that public service can still mean exactly what those two words suggest: serving the public.

Jonathan Traylor gave us the phrase.

Teneshia Hudspeth just gave Harris County a powerful illustration:

Purpose over Pleasure. People over Paycheck. Service over Self.

Now that deserves a Houston-sized WOW.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
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University of Missouri reports modest increase in student enrollment for first day

KMIZ on August 24, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri’s student body was a few hundred people larger on the first day of classes this year compared to last year.

Total enrollment for Monday’s first day was projected to top 31,650 students, the university stated in a news release. MU reported about 31,300 students on the first day last fall.

The number includes 9,138 students new to MU and 6,078 first-time college students — about the same number of first-time students as in fall 2025.

MU reported its first-year retention rate is 91%, and the graduation rate is 77%.

Official enrollment numbers are compiled after the fourth week of classes.

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UTEP School of Pharmacy welcomes 51 students during white coat ceremony

KVIA on August 24, 2026

Armando Ramirez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) School of Pharmacy hosted a White Coat Ceremony on Saturday evening for the university’s Doctor of Pharmacy Class 2030.

During the ceremony, family and friends joined University administrators and faculty as students received their first white coat. According to UTEP, the white coat symbolizes professionalism, clinical care, and service, as well as the trust and responsibility students will carry in caring for patients.

Photo Courtesy: UTEP

Students were called up to the stage one by one, and two faculty members presented the white coats. After that, the class read the Oath of a Pharmacist, where they pledge to be ethical, to look out for patients, and overall be a good pharmacist.

Pharmacy student Nya Sanderson said that anyone who wants to get back to their community and has an interest in science and medicine should study Pharmacy.

Photo Courtesy: UTEP

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Active-duty military spouses detained amid Trump’s deportation campaign

KVIA on August 24, 2026

ABC News

By Catherine Bouvet

Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez woke up to a gut-wrenching call at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday: Cristy Maryori Villafranca Trejo, his wife and the mother to their 6-year-old daughter, was aboard a plane about to be deported to Honduras.

​Turcios told ABC News that he scrambled to stop it. He stayed on the phone with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, sending documentation showing that his wife’s immigration case was still pending. After the officer confirmed the paperwork, Villafranca was pulled from the flight and returned to Camp East Montana, the detention center at Fort Bliss, Texas, where she remains.

​It was the latest turn in an ordeal that began July 11, when masked ICE officers detained Villafranca outside a Walmart​ as the couple’s young daughter watched. Villafranca left Honduras in 2016 due to violent crime in the country, her husband said.

Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez ‘wife was detained by masked ICE officers outside a Walmart​ as their six-year-old daughter watched.Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez

“My wife is everything to me, to my family, for my daughter, and it’s just sad that we are still being treated like criminals, just because we weren’t born in this country,” said Turcios, who became a U.S. citizen in 2024 after joining the military.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not reply to an ABC News request for comment about Villafranca’s case.

Turcios’ family is hardly alone. President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign has swept up more than 50 parents and spouses of service members during his second term, with at least six deported, according to an investigation by the Associated Press.

Danitza James, CEO of Repatriate Our Patriots, which works with Families United to help active-duty service members and veterans reunite their families, said that, beyond providing legal representation, the organization’s only other strategy has been to call Congress to request help.

She said she is currently working with eight active-duty service members and one veteran whose family members have been detained as of Aug. 20. ABC News spoke with two of the families that she is working to unite.

The cases complicate one of the administration’s central arguments for its aggressive expansion of immigration enforcement. Trump has repeatedly said ICE is targeting the “worst of the worst,” and has described immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as “animals” and “dangerous criminals” that should not be in the country.

An ABC News review of state and federal records did not find criminal records for any of the military spouses named in this story in the states where they live.

“She’s been a very supportive wife since the first day that I decided to join the military. I was deployed for nine months. She took care of my family,” Turcios said of his spouse. “She’s not a threat to anybody. We’re just trying to keep our family together.”

PHOTO: Hedar Leonel Turcios JuarezArmy Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez holds a picture of himself with with his wife Cristy, who is currently on immigration detention, at home in El Paso, Texas, July 21, 2026.Ryan Romero/AP Photo

The Trump administration’s detention of undocumented spouses and parents of active-duty service members comes as the U.S. is at war with Iran, leaving troops without the support of their families and shifting their focus away from their military careers, advocacy groups say. Some have been forced to take leave from duty to care for their children in their spouses’ absence, according to advocacy groups and families ABC News interviewed.

“There are so many military families of active-duty service members that are living in the shadows of this immigration machine, that is putting them in fear of seeking resources and asking for help, while their service member is actively serving our country, and sacrificing for our nation,” said James of Repatriate Our Patriots.

Military service has long been a pathway to citizenship

For decades, military families have occupied a protected corner of the immigration system, according to the National Military Family Association. Under policies embraced by Republican and Democratic administrations, the undocumented parents and spouses of service members have generally been shielded from deportation.

Military recruiters have also long promoted military service as a pathway to citizenship, including through programs which can allow undocumented relatives of troops to remain in the country while applying for a green card and work authorization.

The bargain extends to troops themselves. Green card holders can join the U.S. military and troops can apply for naturalization after a year of honorable service, an incentive that stretches back to the Civil War. During World War I, Congress went further, streamlining the citizenship process for troops whose enlistment could effectively mean automatic citizenship.

Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez is currently taking care of his six-year-old daughter, who just started first grade, while he is on active duty at Fort Bliss. His wife is currently detained at Camp East Montana.Courtesy Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez

“Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws,” a DHS spokesperson said in response to the recent arrest by ICE of the father of an active-duty sailor for alleged immigration violations. “Military service by an immediate relative does not automatically grant parole, lawful status, or immunity from immigration enforcement.”

Racial and ethnic minorities are making up a growing share of the military. In the Army, the Pentagon’s largest service by far, Hispanic recruits grew from about 19% of new enlistees in 2020 to nearly 27% last year, according to internal service data reviewed by ABC News.

Naturalizations through military service have also more than tripled over roughly the same period, rising from about 4,500 in 2020 to 16,000 in 2024, according to Department of Homeland Security data. The Philippines, Mexico, Jamaica and Nigeria were among the leading countries of origin for troops who became U.S. citizens through their service.

Turcios left Honduras in 2014, also to escape violence in the country, he said. After attending high school in the U.S. he joined the military and became a U.S. citizen in 2024 after a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. Then he began pursuing citizenship for his wife, hoping his service would help expedite her naturalization process, he said.

Instead, Villafranca, undocumented spouses and parents of many other active-duty military personnel have been forced into detention, according to lawyers, advocacy groups and military families. 

Villafranca relayed allegedly inhumane conditions in Camp East Montana, according to her husband. The facility is the country’s largest detention center, which sits on land formerly used for Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

PHOTO: Immigration Detention ConditionsA sign marks the entrance to a series of hardened tents at the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center in the desert at a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, Feb. 13, 2026.Morgan Lee/AP Photo

Turcios said his wife had to wear the same clothes for about four days. Access to clean clothing remained an issue until he reached out to Rep. Veronica Escobar, D- Texas, who sent an inquiry to ICE regarding Villafranca’s lack of clean clothing. Turcios said that after a few weeks, they finally fixed the issue.

Detained at green card interview

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo’s wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser was taken into custody in front of Jaramillo, who was dressed in uniform, and their five-year-old son during an appointment to be interviewed to get her green card on July 8.Courtesy Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo

​Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo has served in the military for 11 years and is currently stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. His wife, Maisa Lopes Eliaser, came to the U.S. from São Paulo, Brazil, in 2019 on a tourist visa, which she had overstayed while Jaramillo was helping her pursue citizenship.

She was taken into custody in front of Jaramillo, who was dressed in uniform, and their five-year-old son during an appointment to be interviewed to get her green card.

Lopes Eliaser spent two days in Pickens County Jail in Georgia before being transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she slept in a large room with approximately 80 people for about six weeks, her husband said.

PHOTO: ICE Pregnant Detainees ACLUThis image taken from video shows the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., April 7, 2025.Stephen Smith/AP

​On July 13, Lopes Eliaser said ICE officers put her on a bus to the Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana. She was then flown to Bogotá, Colombia, where the plane stopped before its final destination, Brazil. During the layover, Lopes Eliaser called her husband using someone else’s phone, he said.

Jaramillo said he had been communicating with Sen. Mark Kelly, a Navy veteran, about his wife’s case before she was taken to the airport. When Lopes Eliaser disappeared from the detainee-tracking app that Jaramillo was checking, he contacted Kelly again to ask for help bringing her home.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo had to take leave to care for his five-year-old son and fight to get his wife back, who was held in immigration custody for nearly six weeks.Courtesy Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo

“Maisa’s case is an example of this administration’s focus on targeting the loved ones of those who’ve stepped up to serve our country. It’s wrong and makes no sense at all,” Kelly wrote in a statement to ABC News.

Kelly’s office told ABC News that his casework team established communications with the ICE field office and kept Jaramillo updated.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment on Eliaser’s case at the time.

What members of Congress are doing

Jaramillo credits Kelly for contacting ICE and getting Lopes Eliaser eventually returned to the U.S. When she landed in Brazil, she was flown back to the Alexandria International Airport without ever stepping off the airplane. Jaramillo and Lopes Eliaser were reunited and are currently together at their home in Louisiana.

​”That was a nightmare. That was a really, really nightmare,” Jaramillo said. “I’m never going to explain best how difficult it was and still is.”

​While Jaramillo and Lopes Eliaser are now united, they are still dealing with the aftermath of her detention and deportation. Jaramillo had to take leave to care for his son and fight to get his wife back. Now that his wife is back home, he said he will return to service on Monday.

Since Lopes Eliaser was first detained, Jaramillo said he has incurred more than $7,000 in legal fees and costs associated with submitting paperwork, approximately equal to over a month’s pay.

​Jaramillo said his wife is still experiencing health issues from the conditions of detention, which he said were crowded and where she also lacked access to clean clothing. Jarmillo said he took her to see a doctor Thursday.

​James said that many of the other cases of active-duty military service members’ families being detained have involved members of Congress making calls to reunite families.

Kelly has publicly been involved with two other cases of military families targeted by the Trump administration for deportation.

​In a letter sent Aug. 9 to DHS, the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs, congressional Democrats wrote that they will investigate whether the Pentagon and DHS are coordinating to deport military service members and their families.

​”The best way to bring change to this is to the legislative or policy, because this should not be a phone call. This should not be a one-case change,” James said. “This is clearly impacting more than 50 military spouses and cases across the board, and there needs to be a change that is codified.”

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California Supreme Court hears arguments in Bianco ballot seizure case

KESQ on August 24, 2026

KESQ News Team

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KESQ) The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday morning in two cases challenging Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of ballots from the November 2025 special election.

Arguments began at 10 a.m. at the Earl Warren Building in San Francisco.

The justices heard Cervantes v. Bianco first, followed by Attorney General v. Bianco. Both cases stem from search warrants Bianco’s deputies served on the Riverside County Registrar of Voters earlier this year, seizing what the Attorney General’s office says was more than 650,000 voted ballots as part of the sheriff’s investigation into the election.

In a statement released Sunday ahead of the hearing, Attorney General Rob Bonta called the seizure “an unlawful attempt to sow distrust and undermine public confidence in our elections,” saying that “six months after my office intervened, we’ve seen no evidence that any elections crimes were committed that would support the Sheriff’s warrants.”

“Now, we hope that the Supreme Court will put an end to the destabilizing, political actions of this rogue sheriff for good,” Bonta said.

Bianco has not been charged with any crime, and no court has ruled that he violated the law. The sheriff has defended the investigation as a lawful exercise of his authority, and his campaign called the Attorney General’s challenge “pure lawfare” in a fundraising email last week. The election-skeptic group whose claims sparked the investigation told News Channel 3 it hopes the justices allow the probe to continue. Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco has disputed the group’s claim of a roughly 45,000-vote discrepancy, saying the actual gap was 103 votes and attributing it to human error.

Solicitor General Sam Harbourt will argue both cases for the state. Bonta is arguing on both fronts: his office filed one case directly, and the court invited him to argue in support of the Riverside County residents who filed the other. Bonta plans to attend in person and take questions outside the courtroom afterward.

The court’s April order pausing Bianco’s investigation and requiring the seized ballots to be preserved remains in effect. The Sheriff’s Department confirmed to News Channel 3 in June that it still has the ballots.

An appeals court justice, Gordon Burns, will sit temporarily with the six current justices to fill the seat left open by Justice Martin Jenkins’ retirement.

Once arguments conclude, the court has 90 days to issue a decision — meaning a ruling is expected by late November.

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Man charged with drinking while driving after off-road vehicle crash, 1 seriously injured

KVIA on August 24, 2026

Armando Ramirez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPCSO) says that 40-year-old Edgar Amaya is facing a charge of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) after a crash that left one person with serious injuries.

Officials say deputies with the sheriff’s office were called out Saturday, August 22, around to 1:48 a.m. to the 900 block of O.T. Smith Road regarding a motor vehicle crash involving serious injuries.

The EPCSO Special Traffic Investigators (STI) were called out to the scene and took over the investigation.

The investigation determined that a blue Can-Am Maverick, an off-road vehicle, was traveling northbound on a paved pedestrian walkway adjacent to O.T. Smith Road. Officials say the walkway is designated for pedestrian use only and is not open to motor vehicles, also saying that pipe barriers are positioned along the center of the walkway to restrict vehicular access.

The sheriff’s office says that as the Can-Am approached one of the barriers, the driver, identified as 40-year-old Edgar Amaya, lost control of the vehicle and collided with the barrier. The front passenger sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Amaya was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI); he would then be booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility, where his bond was set at $5,000.

Officials say the investigation remains ongoing.

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Miss El Paso, Miss Teen El Paso USA crowned Sunday night

KVIA on August 24, 2026

Carpio Griego

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Sunday night, two El Pasoans took home the 2026 Miss El Paso USA and Miss El Paso Teen USA titles. Laura’s Productions hosted the final part of the pageant at Bowie High School’s Fine Arts building.

Lauren Elizabeth Hernandez won the 2026 Miss El Paso USA title.

Victoria Benitez won the 2026 Miss El Paso Teen USA title.

Pageant director Laura Rayborn said every woman and girl competing for the title has been preparing for almost a year for pageant night.

“A lot of people think it just takes a girl and then she just walks on stage but it’s quite a bit of work,” Rayborn said. “These young ladies are having to perfect their interviews, perfect their fitness, being able to do their walks on the runway, get sponsors, it’s a lot of work.”

Work that payed off as the preliminary round kicked off with each contestant making their mark in a gown that fit perfectly and applause from the family and friends of each contestant as they strutted up and down the stage with judges tabulating their scores based on each move the contestant makes.

One person who told ABC-7 what it’s like to compete was 2026 Mrs. El Paso winner Jennifer Feely, who described going on the stage as nerve racking but exciting especially the chance to meet new people throughout the process.

Women Feely said help build each other up and inspire each other.

“The big thing is just go out there and have fun,” Feely said. “Yes it’s nerve wracking, but at the same time it’s very exciting and just being on stage, the crowd cheering for you, just giving it your all and just shining out there and your confidence it’s what’s most important.”

This was just the first round, judges still had to make cuts to get each field to 12 during the intermission, a time Feely said can feel like ‘forever’ as each woman and girl was waiting to see if they would move on.

“It seems like it’s forever waiting. For you to come out, for them to announce your name and then finally, when you’re out there on stage and doing your poses, it’s just very surreal,” Feely said.

The title is more than a crown though according to both women, Rayborn said it means to Represent El Paso including community work with non-profits and foundations within the city like the El Paso Villa Maria homeless shelter.

Feely said her title is an honor to her, meaning she gets to be a more of a part of the El Paso community as she also pointed to the charity and non-profit work which comes with the title.

“Being Mrs. El Paso to me means just being part of the El Paso community,” Feely said. “It’s just such an honor to be able to represent this amazing city and just being a part of charities, different work that we do.”

After cuts it was time for those chosen to begin the next rounds, the remaining Miss El Paso contestants participating in the swimsuit portion of the competition and the remaining Miss El Paso Teen contestants began their activewear round.

A chance to show the work put into fitness Rayborn mentioned with each contestant again receiving a wave of applause as they once again posed for the judges before another round of evening gowns for both fields

Only two would walk away with a title at the end of the night, a moment Feely remembers well.

“Oh my gosh, it was absolutely amazing, it almost felt like a dream,” Feely said. “You know putting that crown on, putting the sash on, having your family members and just the audience cheering for you it was absolutely amazing.”

A title Rayborn said comes with a new Audi for the Miss El Paso USA winner to drive in their time as winner in addition to both winners receiving diamond rings Rayborn said are courtesy of Johnson Jewelers.

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Former University of Missouri student in critical condition after Harpo’s fall

KMIZ on August 24, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The spelling of a source’s name has been corrected.

A man who fell over a railing at Harpo’s bar in downtown Columbia was a former University of Missouri student and a 2023 graduate of Chilicothe High School.

As of 7:30 pm Monday, MU Health said that Corbin Rodenberg, 21, was in critical condition in a hospital, his mother, Kaley Rodenberg, wrote in a Facebook post. MU Health Care confirmed he was in critical condition as of Monday evening. Rodenberg wrote that doctors had to relieve pressure on Corbin’s brain and that he had multiple skull fractures and a broken pelvis.

ABC 17 News reached out to Harpo’s Bar & Grill, Jamie Varvaro said in a statement to ABC 17 News, “The most important and only comment we have to make at this time is that we join our entire community as our hearts go out to the young man for his recovery.”

“Our thoughts are with former Mizzou student Corbin Rodenberg and his family,” the university said in a statement to ABC 17 News.

Corbin Rodenberg fell from the rooftop bar at Harpo’s at about 9 p.m. Sunday, leading police to block off the street outside.

Witness describes fall

Andrew Stapf, a Columbia College student, was at Harpo’s Sunday night with some of his lacrosse teammates to support a teammate who was working as the DJ.

Stapf said he was standing about five feet from Rodenberg and had seen him sitting on a railing on the rooftop earlier in the night. He also claims security had previously approached Rodenberg and asked him to get off the railing.

After the fall, Stapf said the scene quickly became chaotic as first responders rushed to help.

“I saw lights and heard sirens and I looked back over, and I saw them doing whatever they could, the first people on the scene. It was really graphic. I got a glimpse of it, and I can like picture what I saw perfectly in my head, even though I only glimpsed at it. Then I made my way downstairs with a police officer and then who I presume to be three friends of the person who fell,” Stapf told ABC 17 News.

After Rodenberg fell, Stapf said police later asked whether he had seen any violence or an altercation leading up to the fall. He said he did not. 

He also described the reaction from people who witnessed what happened, saying some were visibly shaken while leaving the rooftop.

“I saw people like dry heaving, crying and then they were running away. And then people got curious, they saw and then they started leaving. Security came, and I can remember the look on the security guy’s face. I mean, he probably was a freshman who just got here, he didn’t know what to do,” Stapf said.

Stapf said word of the incident spread slowly through the bar, with some people downstairs unaware of what had happened even after police arrived.

“By the time the cops got there, the bartenders were still pouring because they didn’t even know what had happened. I would say if I was to give a timeline, within 10 minutes of it happening, Skybar was completely empty, and I had gone downstairs, and there were still people downstairs who didn’t know what had happened,” Stapf said.

The experience, Stapf said, is something he is still processing and could change how he feels about returning to Harpo’s.

“I don’t know if I would be able to enjoy it the same way just because of the incident attached to my memory of what had happened,” Stapf said.

Rodenberg’s background

Chilicothe School District Superintendent Dan Wiebers confirmed Rodenberg graduated from high school in 2023.

“Our entire district staff and school community are keeping Corbin and his family in our thoughts during this difficult time,” Wiebers wrote in response to an email from ABC 17 News.

Elmedin Karamobic, a student at the university, told ABC 17 News he heard about the incident through his housing’s Resident Assistant.

“She sent a text, stating that there was an incident at Harpo’s and if anybody needed any sort of, like, help, or help comprehending the situation, that they’re an available resource,” Karamobic said.

According to Karamobic, the university has not sent out anything regarding the incident.

Soham Maheshwari, a first-year student at the university, said he thinks the university should be telling the students to be careful. When Maheshwari was asked how he felt about this incident happening in his first week here, he said it was concerning.

ABC 17 reached out to Stephens College, located in Columbia.

“Stephens College will not provide a statement or participate in an interview, as there is no affiliation between the College and the injured individual or establishment,” a Stephens spokesperson wrote.

ABC 17 reached out to Columbia College but did not receive a response.

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