Author: KVIA

Gabrielle Lopez

UPDATE (June 12, 2026) — The City of Las Cruces expanded cooling station availability ahead of Saturday’s high heat, it said Friday.

Here are the cooling stations open this weekend, according to the city:

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave.

Open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mesilla Valley Intermodal Transit Terminal, 300 W. Lohman Ave.

Open Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Open Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Meerscheidt Recreation Center, 1600 E. Hadley Ave.

Open Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ABC-7’s StormTrack Weather team issued a First Alert for high temperatures and rain chances this weekend. Las Cruces is expected to stay shy of triple-digit heat, but stay high at 99.

For a list of cooling centers in El Paso County, click here.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — Cooling centers in Las Cruces will open Tuesday — just in time as the area prepares for possible triple-digit temperatures in its forecast.

From June 9 to June 11, some community centers, libraries and other buildings across Las Cruces will be available for a break from the heat.

These locations are open June 9-11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the city:

Frank O’Brien Papen Community Center, 304 W. Bell Ave.

Henry R. Benavidez Community Center, 1045 McClure Rd.

Munson Center, 975 S. Mesquite St.

Sage Café, 6121 Reynolds Dr.

The Thomas Branigan Memorial Library is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. From Friday-Saturday, the library will open 10 a.m. and close 6 p.m. Sunday, the library is open 1-5 p.m., the city said. Its address is 200 E. Picacho Ave.

The Mesilla Valley Intermodal Terminal (300 W. Lohman Ave.) is available as a cooling station from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the city said.

Lastly, the Meerscheidt Recreation Center (1600 E. Hadley Ave.) will be available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The city said the facility is under construction, but designated areas will stay open for the public to cool off in.

For a list of cooling centers in El Paso, click here.

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Rishi Oza

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso District 2 City Representative Josh Acevedo is hosting a community meeting at Austin High School to discuss the Meta Data Center contract Monday. The contract will be discussed during city council’s meeting tomorrow.

The meeting is open to the public and starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Rep. Acevedo introduced the item last week, aiming to get the contract that Meta has with the city cancelled. The data center began construction last year and is expected to cost over $10 billion.

Acevedo cited concerns from the community about resources that would be needed and potentially putting financial strain on taxpayers.

The city has said that it’s hard to cancel a contract like that because it could lead to litigation and financial issues for taxpayers.

ABC-7 will have a full report on the meeting tonight on ABC-7 after the game.

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Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — Las Cruces’ annual Jazz Arts Festival is changing up its June lineup through a collaboration with the Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society. The jazz society will perform a free Juneteenth concert at the Rio Grande theater.

Juneteenth, which takes place June 21, is a federal holiday celebrated to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S.

El Paso-based musician David Rodriguez will lead the Havana Quintet, a Cuban music group. They’ll play a mix of traditional and contemporary Cuban rhythms like bolero, mambo and Latin jazz, according to MVJBS.

The Havana Quintet is part of the Team Havana project working to share Cuban and Latin music around the world. Rodriguez was born in Havana, the MVJBS said.

The free concert is on Sunday, June 21 at 2 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre (211 N Main St.).

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Monday, the FBI Albuquerque Division said a man with ties to Juárez, Mexico, is wanted for alleged drug-related crimes in New Mexico.

According to the FBI Albuquerque Division, law enforcement stopped 61-year-old Raymond Lawrence Gonzales’ car April 17, 2024. He drove from Arizona to Albuquerque and had 72 kilograms of fentanyl pills.

On June 24, 2024, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Gonzales after he was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

He has ties to Mazatlán and Juárez, according to the FBI. His wanted poster said he is “known to have violent tendencies.”

According to Gonzales’ wanted poster, he is 5’6″ with brown hair, brown eyes and weights 220 lbs. He also has a tattoo on his right shoulder and a scar near his right eye, the FBI said.

He also may go by Mark Zamora Lawrence, according to the wanted poster.

Any information about Gonzales can contact the Albuquerque Field Office at 505-889-1300, or 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

Below is his wanted poster from the FBI.

6.8.26 Wanted Poster GonzalesRLDownload

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Nicole Ardila

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Illegal dumping is an issue across El Paso County, but many El Pasoans might not have seen it hidden along Transmountain Road — especially below the westside overlooks.

For more than a year now, ABC-7’s Nicole Ardila has been finding out who’s responsible for picking up this trash from what could be illegal dumping.

The piles of garbage range from bottles and cans of alcohol to tires and construction materials, something the wind is not solely responsible for. 

Wondering who is supposed to clean this up, Ardila met with the Franklin Mountains State Park officials to find out how they play a role, and what their priorities are.

She also met with clean-up organizations who are determined to finding a solution and one wildlife expert is sounding the alarm on how this will continue to affect the borderland’s plants and animals if nothing is done.

Watch Nicole’s special report, “Trash Mountain,” Wednesday, June 10 at 10 p.m. only on ABC-7.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso remains under an ABC-7 First Alert for triple-digit temperatures ABC-7’s StormTrack Weather Team is tracking throughout this week.

The borderland is no stranger to the summer heat, with some playgrounds the one at Crestmont Park having covers over them to limit sun exposure.

Earlier today one El Pasoan in the area told ABC-7 about his experience living in the Borderland for years and dealing with the heat.

Willie Newberry has lived in El Paso for the last 47 years. He’s experienced heat exhaustion before. 

“I was working out inside. And the heat kind of overwhelmed me a little bit, and I got dizzy. So therefore, I went back to the house and setting the tone. You know, kind of went away like that.”

Not once, but twice!

“I had no water with me, so, I start sweating a lot and i kind of got dizzy then, too, so I knew I had to stop, so I stopped. Got to sat while I cooled off. I walked back to where I was going, back to my destination,” said Willie about his second experience.

For anyone spending time outside when temperatures pass 100 degrees, willie says — don’t! He has simple tips to stay cool. 

“I stay in the pool or stay in the house, and the air conditioning. I try to prevent being out here in the heat.”

With temperatures expected to continue to climb this week, it’s important to protect yourself from the sun, take cover when you can and stay hydrated.

Heat exhaustion can set in within 30 minutes of direct sun exposure at these temperatures and symptoms can including dizziness, nausea and heavy sweating.

Heat stroke is when the body stops sweating and internal temperature hits 104° F or higher. It becomes a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate medical attention.

The elderly, young children, outdoor workers and people without functioning air conditioning are at the highest risk during this first triple-digit stretch.

Overnight lows in El Paso are only dropping to the mid-70s. That means there’s little relief for homes without air conditioning, leaving heat stress to accumulate around the clock.

The city could activate cooling centers if we reach triple digit temps today. Extended activation to keep cooling centers open later and open on Sundays will not be triggered unless there’s three consecutive days at or above 103° F.

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Gabrielle Lopez

UPDATE (2:40 p.m.) — Fort Bliss said military police blocked traffic onto the 375 as El Paso police responded to the armed person report.

El Paso police took the suspect into custody.

EPPD Detective Judy Oviedo said the call about the armed person came after a crash. An officer went up to the person’s car and saw the weapon.

EPPD said the person hit a barricade.

A K9 bit the suspect, according to Detective Oviedo. The suspect went to a local hospital for treatment.

All lanes have reopened, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso police reported a person with a weapon in the area of Purple Heart Memorial Highway (Loop 375) and Liberty Expressway near Biggs Field Monday.

Police learned about it at 10:43 a.m. The incident is near the William Beaumont Army Medical Center.

The area around Liberty and Exit 31 is shut down. Police said people should avoid the area.

This is a developing story. ABC-7 is going to the scene to learn more.

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Nina Gallegos

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The USDA confirmed New Mexico’s first screwworm case Monday. NMSU Assistant Entomology Professor Dr. Caleb Hubbard says ranchers in the area need to be vigilant to prevent the spread.

“You know, we all have to recognize that we in moments like this, we all have to come together,” Dr. Caleb Hubbard said. “Because if you’re not inspecting your animals and they’re infested, well, then that’s going to move from one producer to another producer, and then that’s how it’s going to spread.”

The threat is forcing clients of a local livestock auction house to consider prevention efforts as a new business expense.

“It is a lot of money for ranchers to have to do and a lot more and a lot of time and effort for them to do. But, you know, we have to keep our food source going,” Landmark Mercantile Livestock Auction spokesperson Jaden McClure said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins held a press conference Monday to explain Texas’ response to New World screwworm.

Gov. Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to active Texas’s emergency response to a Level 2, or an escalated response, Monday.

“The protection of our ranchers, livestock producers, deer breeders, and the Texas economy from this pest is a top priority,” Gov. Abbott said in a news release.

The USDA has confirmed four cases in Texas as of Monday.

“Sterile flies are the well-established solution to the spread of the New World screwworm,” said Gov. Abbott. “The USDA is importing and dispersing those flies across South Texas and will recalibrate to deploy those sterile flies wherever needed. Texas is resilient. It is critical to stay vigilant and stay informed.”

New world screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs on open wounds of livestock. These wounds can become fatal if left untreated. The state plans on combatting it with a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg.

You can report suspected New World Screwworm cases in livestock to the Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Gabrielle Lopez

Editor’s note: The original version of this story stated former Zoo Director Joe Montisano filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. A former zoo employee filed the lawsuit against the city, Montisano and other zoo employees.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens will have a new leader. Monday, the city announced the appointment of Gary Lunsford as the zoo’s permanent director. He served as interim director since September.

Lunsford’s career in wildlife includes his time as an inspector for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums, the city said.

He comes from Massachusetts, where he worked as the Buttonwood Park Zoo director, according to the city. Outside of El Paso and his home state, he’s worked at zoos in Canada, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

“With more than 30 years of experience in zoo operations and an unwavering dedication to our animals and the teams who care for them, makes him the ideal leader for the Zoo’s next chapter,” said City Manager Dionne Mack.

Former El Paso Zoo Director Joe Montisano resigned in November after being placed on temporary administrative leave in September 2025.

A former zoo employee filed a wrongful termination lawsuit afainst the city Montisano and other zoo employees, which has been dismissed after a settlement was reached May 27.

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