Author: KVIA

Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — When the idea was pitched to him, District 2 Representative Josh Acevedo felt compelled to organize the inaugural farmers market in Central El Paso, the heart of the city and his home district, District 2.

This event aims to bring together local farmers and artists, promoting community engagement and creativity.

By hosting the market in a central location, residents from all over El Paso will have easy access to unique local products.

The market features family-friendly activities, making it an exciting outing for everyone.

Admission is free, encouraging all El Pasoans to support local businesses.

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Yvonne Suarez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Renovations at Gallegos Skate Park are finally complete after six months of work by Bains General Contractors and MNK Architects.

The renovations include an expansive new skate layout and an adventure course that are part of the County’s 2021 Parks Master Plan and partially funded through a Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant.

“You know what people can expect to see a very modernized park. They can expect to see very crazy and elaborate ramps,” said Bardo Contreras, Bains General Contractors manager. “All of the skaters were so anxious to get inside. They were trying to even, you know, get in before the park opened.”

The skate park is located at Gallegos Skate Park on 7361 Bosque Road, Canutillo, Texas.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Market EP is hosting a free dog adoptions equipped with low-cost vaccines.

It takes place this Saturday, March 31st from 9 AM – 1 PM at Camp Cohen (9700 Gateway Blvd N)

Animal lovers are invited to attend to support pets in need.

The event includes 50 free microchips for the first pets, ensuring their safety.

Local vendors are also offering unique products for those in attendance.

Attendees are invited to enjoy this event’s community spirit while helping animals find their forever homes.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The U.S. Department of Labor will pause operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers, including the David Carrasco Job Corps Center in El Paso, by June 30, 2025.

This decision comes as the program faces significant budget deficits, with operating costs averaging over $80,000 per student annually.

Despite this investment, graduates earn approximately $16,695 per year on average, raising concerns about job placement success and program effectiveness.

The average graduation rate stands at only 38.6%, indicating challenges in meeting educational goals.

Local organizations are stepping in to provide alternative training options, crucial for youths facing homelessness and job insecurity.

According to the press release, the department’s decision aligns with the President’s 2026 budget proposal, reflecting the Administration’s commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.

Around 25,000 students are currently enrolled in the Job Corps program.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-If you are planning a Texas road trip, TX dot has all the information you might need to make your trip the best it can be. Jennifer Wright joins us with helpful tips.

Closures: ( courtesy of Tx Dot El Paso)

-10 Widening West

Saturday, May 31, through Monday, June 2

4 a.m. to 5 a.m. (49HR closure)

I-10 East at Redd Exit Ramp closed

Montana Widening Project

Tuesday, June 10 & Wednesday, June 11

Nightly, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Eastbound Montana Frontage Road full closure between George Dieter Drive and Saul Kleinfeld Drive

Crews will be pouring CRCP. Only local traffic will be allowed to go through.

Thursday, June 12 & Monday, June 16

Nightly, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Eastbound Montana Frontage Road full closure between Saul Kleinfeld Drive and Joe Battle Boulevard

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- The economy is shrinking, inflation just won’t go away, trade war talk is still going on—but somehow, the stock market is up. What should we make of all this? Financial expert Brian Mirau is here to help us make sense of the confusion—and share some smart opportunities for retirees.

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Rosemary Montañez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)–Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the success of their students’ education and overall lives long after the school bell rings. 

Jesus Alvarez, also known as Jesse, had an unconventional journey to the classroom. He went from being a prominent businessman to teaching students at Irvin High School. And he told ABC-7 he has no plans to stop. 

“I really enjoy helping students. You know, to me, their minds are perfect for them to acquire their knowledge. That is going to help them be successful. That’s nothing more that I want. But for kids to be successful,” Alvarez said. 

The classroom wasn’t his office. In the 1980s he started his own refrigeration company that became a multi-million dollar business. Years later he founded a successful bank. 

But from one day to the next, he left everything behind and took on the role of educator. 

Alvarez said many of his students are curious as to why he pivoted from his successful business career. 

“A lot of the kids ask me, you know? And some, some kids don’t believe it, you know? ‘What are you doing here? If you did all that? What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘You know what? Because not everything is about money.’ You know, that’s what I enjoy doing; to me this is my my life. To me it’s my life’s blood to be teaching,” he said. 

Alvarez teaches business and entrepreneurship classes at Irvin High School. Students are taught how to start and run their own business. Alvarez said these are real-world skills they’ll use one day. 

“The kids are hungry to learn, you know, especially things that are going to make a difference in their lives. You know, they want to make sure that, that, what they learn is going to make them successful.”

Alvarez only had plans to teach for five years, but this school year marks his 15th year in the classroom. A golf enthusiast himself, he also coaches the award-winning golf team at Irvin High.

Alvarez said teaching at Irvin has blended his two passions: teaching and golf. 

“You know, people has asked me, ‘When are you going to retire?’ I said, ‘I’m still enjoying it.’ I still enjoy it, I love it, I still see the kids, you know, my kids learn, you know, they pay attention.”

Alvarez said he is proud to know he has inspired students and the next generation of business leaders in our community. 

“They’ll come hug me and say, ‘Thank you for what you did for me. You know, it helped me a lot in my life’, and that many times sometimes brings tears to my eyes because I says, ‘Wow.'” 

Alvarez also spearheads a program at Irvin High where students learn how to file taxes and they even become certified by tax professionals!

Alvarez said he also enjoys traveling and is looking forward to doing just that this summer!

If you have a Good Vibes Only story idea, email news@kvia.com.

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Nicole Ardila

What we eat and drink doesn’t just affect our body, but also our mind and mental health — and ultra processed foods might taste good, but can do more harm.

A local dietitian says ultra-processed foods are anything that comes packaged, has more than five ingredients on the label, and harmful levels of ingredients like sugar and sodium.

Your mind is affected when you drink something sugary like a soda, which releases dopamine in the brain.

‘Your body’s going to be craving more coke, more sugar,” says Ruth Miranda, a registered dietitian/nutritionist. “So what happens now is that you feel this dependency to this sugar item. It doesn’t really have to be a Coke, it can be acoffee drink.”

She says the more sugar you intake, “the more chances of having depression in the long run.”

Other ingredients she says to look out for are high-fructose corn syrup, high levels of sodium, refined sugar and trans fats.

“All those affect your mental health, so we can get mood swings, we feel a lot of anxiety and then we feel depression, and then we go back to feeling really high up and then again we go down to the depression,” Miranda says.

Her biggest concern is that all of this creates a growing addiction in developing brains.

“Now you see it more even in elementary students, they come to the classroom with their big Starbucks and sometimes even Hot Cheetos or things like that,” says Miranda.

She also helped 5 Star Kids Daycare to removed ultra-processed foods from their menus at the center by teaching parents and staff how to feed the kids in a way that’s healthier and enjoyable.

“So before the parents were not very aware of what processed foods can do to the children…” says Arely Winegardner, director of the daycare. “They are getting a lot of chemicals in their brain, they don’t know how much it can alter their brain, and their development. Little children, they’re like little sponges, so they do take a lot of really bad chemicals sometimes from the food.”

They’ve noticed a big difference in the kids after switching their food for healthier options and removing juice bottles — like better sleep, less hyperactivity, and improvement in paying attention.

“We can apply good habits starting from a younger age,” continued Winegardner. “Hopefully they stick to those habits because you never know what they can go through when they’re older, especially mentally, which is a little bit harder to see.”

The daycare is in charge of more than 40 kids and they now they want to help reduce the risk of diseases.

“Just remember that if you choose real foods, whole foods, whole grains, lean meats, vegetables and fruits over processed foods, this can impact in a good way your mental health,” Miranda says.

She suggests instead of buying sugary drinks in the morning, you can meal prep for your kids at night to have it ready for the morning.

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Heriberto Perez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Texas House approved Senate Bill 8 over the weekend, which is set to mandate some local sheriff’s offices in the state to form collaborations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

El Paso County would be one of those Texas counties set to work with ICE if Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs the bill.

ABC-7 spoke with Texas Senator César Blanco and El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte about how this bill could impact local enforcement and operations in the county.

More updates in later newscasts.

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Nicole Ardila

Emergence Health Network launched their new mobile crisis units this month, which is like a clinic on wheels — something they say is the first of its kind in El Paso.

EHN launched three mobile crisis units — two for adults and one for kids.

The main difference is a play station and some toys for kids to decompress and calm down and then proceed with treatment like a tele-health session.

“This is something that really allows us to kind of be there and support them right then and there in this situation, as opposed to adding more stressful tasks, to get them to our crisis clinic,” said Fabian Marquez, who’s part of their Youth Crisis Outreach Team. “We want to be able to support them, we want to be able to do whatever is needed to really help them, to really diminish and stabilize that crisis.”

It’s a modern concept aiming to support families and clients by giving them more access to help if they can’t make it to their Crisis and Emergency Clinic.

The unit is built with complete privacy — including surveillance cameras with a 360 view so the client feels safe.

When it arrives to a person’s home or nearby area, they can do a tele-health session to meet with a therapist.

“It’s not in El Paso thing, right? It’s something that’s kind of statewide and nationwide,” said Marquez. “So, I think that the benefit of this is just the fact that it’s so new. It’s innovative. It’s something that’s going to hopefully make it a little bit more efficient and to make our services that much better.”

This crisis unit is triggered through their hotline or 988, and the service is free of charge.

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