Author: KVIA

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A car caught fire on Loop 375 near Mile Marker 19 on Transmountain Monday, according to the El Paso Fire Department. One person was sent to the hospital, EPFD said.

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) cameras showed the car drove off the highway. El Paso fire confirmed it happened before 6 p.m.

A photo of a car that drove off Transmountain on Loop 375.(Courtesy: TxDOT)

Mile Marker 19 is between LP 375 at Tom Mays Park and Museums.

Click here to follow the original article.

Andrew J. Polk

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Socorro Independent School District will be asking voters to approve nearly $50 million in funding from a tax increase in the next election.

The SISD Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously approved putting a Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election or VATRE item on the Nov. 3rd ballot for voters in the district.

If approved, the district’s Proposition A would be expected to bring the district an additional $49.2 million in additional funding for the current and each future fiscal year.

According to a release from SISD, Prop A would cost the owner of an average $250,000 home in the district an additional $10 per month in taxes.

The district says it would use the increase in funds to support teacher and staff compensation, student programs, safety and security, technology, and HVAC and bus replacements.

“On behalf of Socorro ISD, I want to express my appreciation to community members for their dedication and thoughtful discussions during this process,” Socorro ISD Superintendent James Vasquez said in the release. “I also want to recognize the Board of Trustees for their leadership and service to our district. This proposal aligns with the district goals, student programs, and community priorities.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso County Commissioners Court unanimously approved it’s new tax rate for the 2026-27 fiscal year budget, which is expected to be approved and enacted this October.

In a quiet public hearing in Downtown Monday night, only three residents appeared for public comment, voicing their opposition for the tax rate first discussed in last Monday’s meeting.

“By not taking the voter approved rate, we have $46 million less to do the things that people have discussed,” Ricardo Samaniego, El Paso County Judge said Monday night.

For next year’s budget, a $0.451113 tax rate will be used, which is the “No-New-Revenue Rate” the county typicallys use

The reasoning for this is because of the voter-approved rate, which gives the county flexibility to address various needs and negotiate the final rate.

In regards to the public’s frustrations, commissioners urged their constitutions to vent their frustrations to their state legislators in Austin.

“I really hope that people will go and talk to their state legislators,” said David Stout, the commissioner for Precinct 2. “Ask them to put a moratorium on unfunded mandates for counties, because that is really what’s driving your county budget up.”

A second public hearing on the tax rate is scheduled for Sept. 14th, when the county could adopt the proposed budget.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is inviting organizations to apply for funding as part of its Healthy Kids initiative by means of two new opportunities: one relating to out-of-school program for children and teenagers.

The Healthy Kids programme of the PdNHF is aimed at young people who are disconnected and range in age from 5 to 17, and it supports various programmes which help to establish trusted relationships with adult figures, provide positive activities, offer outdoor experiences, and give young people the opportunity to engage in self-directed play.

A new strategic plan focusing on funding programmes which allow children and teenagers to play outside, move their bodies, and spend less time scrolling indoors has recently been approved by the PdNHF Board of Directors.

Jana Renner, senior program officer with the PdNHF, said that since young people now have nearly universal access to smartphones and social media they are spending less time outdoors, engaging in physical activity and meeting up face to face with their peers. She added that widening access to high-quality outdoor, out-of-school programs could help meet these challenges by promoting physical activity, positive relationships, and overall well-being.

In order to be eligible for funding, organizations that meet the criteria must submit a Letter of Intent which sets out the purpose of their research into programs or policies. For information on the eligibility requirements, the details of the application, and contact information, please go to pdnhf.org.

Click here to follow the original article.

CNN Newsource

By Hannah Keyser, CNN

(CNN) — A player development staff member for the San Diego Padres was detained in Texas last week while traveling and is being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Oswaldo Pirela, 34, works as a catching coordinator for the Padres organization and was in El Paso, Texas, to work with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate this past week. His cousin, Jorge Pirela, told CNN on Tuesday that Pirela was detained by ICE at the airport on Monday morning at approximately 4:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. MT while attempting to travel home to Arizona, where he lives with his wife and two young daughters.

His family confirmed the reports to CNN and arrest records show Pirela is currently being held at the El Paso Processing Center.

According to his cousin Jorge Pirela, Oswaldo Pirela arrived in the United States from Venezuela in 2014 and filed for asylum. According to his family, Pirela is currently going through the EB-2 visa process.

“Since the time he applied for asylum, he has continuously renewed his work authorization whenever it was approaching expiration. Everything has always been done through the proper legal process,” Jorge Pirela said in a text message to CNN.

“He is truly an exemplary person. He lives for his family, is a hardworking man, a devoted father and husband, and a man of faith.”

In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Pirela entered the country illegally in 2014 and was granted permission by the US government to stay in the country until February 2018.

“In violation of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his welcome. When approached by law enforcement officers, he was not in possession of legal documentation granting him status in the country. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive due process,” the spokesperson said.

“To be clear, work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States.”

Pirela’s detainment is the latest collision between Major League Baseball and the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policy. Last summer, the Los Angeles Dodgers said they denied ICE entry to their vast parking lots outside Dodger Stadium as the Trump administration was making large sweeps for undocumented immigrants in the Los Angeles area.

Protesters flocked to Dodger Stadium to chant against ICE’s presence and the incident raised alarms in Southern California about the Trump administration’s deportation operations.

The Trump administration is looking to increase the speed of its deportations and is casting a wider net about who can be arrested. Asylum seekers such as Pirela have been frequently caught up in immigration operations and sent back to their home countries despite attempting to follow the proper legal processes.

Pirela has been with the Padres since 2024. The team has been in touch with his family regarding the situation, Major League Baseball confirmed.

“We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas,” the Padres said in a statement to CNN. “We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time.”

This story has been updated with comment from the Department of Homeland Security.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — One person is in the hospital after a crash involving a Sun Metro bus in Northeast El Paso Tuesday, according to police.

Police said the crash happened near Marshall Road and Railroad Drive just after 7:30 a.m.

At the crash site, ABC-7 saw a grey truck with its airbags activated.

Click here to follow the original article.

Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Montana West near Justice Drive and Tierra Este has reopened after flooding temporarily closed the road overnight last week.

Carlos Vijarro, who lives less than two minutes from Montana West, said, “I’m sure some of the vehicles were not meant to drive through that amount of water, but, they tried it.”

“Some of them failed. Some of them succeeded, but it was just not, not worth the try for us,” Carlos said. “Even with the rains that we had yesterday, it was a ten minute rain drop that happened. All of, Tierra Este, gets completely flooded in a couple of minutes.”

Several vehicles became stranded while trying to drive through the high water.

ABC-7’s Olivia Vara asked the City of El Paso, El Paso Water and TxDOT about the flooding response, cleanup and planned drainage improvements.

TxDOT said the flooding happened in an active construction zone and that drainage installation is in progress.

“It’s just gets to the point where we really don’t see where the taxpayer’s money is being used, especially for drainage systems or anything like that. Like, it’s something that could be fixed. We just don’t see any progress in it, especially in this side of town,” Carlos said.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-El Paso VIBE is holding its second annual Dining in the Dark on Saturday, 22nd August, from 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM at the Radisson Hotel, located at 1770 Airway Blvd., El Paso, TX 79925.

During the event, the guests will have the opportunity to taste a special multi-course meal entirely in the dark, using their sense of taste, smell, sound, and touch to enjoy the evening.

All the money raised will go to the El Paso Visually Impaired and Blind Experience. Each ticket costs $75 and can be bought at the door or in advance at elpasovibe.org.

Click here to follow the original article.

Carpio Griego

UPDATE (Aug. 25, 2026): According to court documents, Doctor Bradley is now allowed to travel and reside outside of the U.S. He’s also been granted a $50,000 appearance bond.

A judge also allowed both the state and Deshawndre Washington to make one public statement to correct any incorrect or misleading information published about his failure to appear in court.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — The New Mexico Department of Justice filed a motion Friday requesting motions for depositions for former NMSU men’s basketball players Kim Aiken Jr. and Doctor Bradley after Deshawndre Washington missed court Aug. 3.

A deposition is sworn oral testimony given out of a court. It carries the same legal weight as testifying in a courtroom.

The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office previously charged Washington, Bradley and Aiken with a combined 37 felony sex crimes tied to a hazing scandal.

Washington delayed his trial by failing to appear in court. He was later seen playing in a basketball tournament in Lebanon. His agency told ABC-7 he had issues returning to the U.S. for court due to conflict in the Middle East.

According to documents, Aiken entered a plea agreement in December 2024 and agreed to testify against his former teammates “in exchange for a guilty plea to lesser charges.”

Bradley entered a plea agreement in October 2024 under the same conditions, documents said.

According to documents ABC-7 obtained, the deposition said.

Documents and Aiken and Bradley were ready to testify Aug. 3, but couldn’t due to Washington’s absence.

The deposition requests cited a rule that said depositions may be taken by agreement of the parties or by the order of the court upon showing it’s necessary to take the person’s deposition to prevent injustice.

Instead of asking to admit the content of the deposition at trial, NM DOJ is asking to preserve testimony in case the matter proceeds to trial in the future, and the witnesses aren’t available for trial.

In the final point, the documents said the counsel for the defendants opposes the relief request.

ABC-7 has reached out to the attorney general’s office, the attorneys representing Aiken and Bradley and victims’ families for comment.

Of the former player’s lawyers, Aiken’s lawyer was the only to respond with the following statement:

“Mr. Aiken is ready to testify in whatever way is helpful.”

Another attorney who spoke to ABC-7 was Joleen Youngers, who represents clients related to the scandal still involved in civil cases that have 2027 court dates.

Youngers told ABC-7 the multiple delays for the Washington trial have sometimes meant there have been times she has told people involved in her case traveling to New Mexico they have to turn back.

Another point Youngers discussed was the mental impact, saying she couldn’t discuss specifics of her cases or clients but did say ‘they would love to have it in the rear view mirror.’

Click here to follow the original article.