Author: KVIA

Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Monday morning, El Paso County commissioners started budget hearings for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The proposed budget could include a tax increase for El Pasoans.

Aug. 3, commissioners voted to use the voter-approved tax rate as a budget ceiling for the current proposal. That tax rate is $0.504717 per $100 of taxable value for tax year 2026.

In addition to the county’s voter-approved tax rate, the proposed rate consists of a maintenance and operations rate of $0.441718 and an interest and sinking rate of $0.062999 per $100 of taxable value.

Commissioners are considering a $542 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2027.

The commissioners court hasn’t adopted a property tax rate. In a news release, it said it may adopt a lower rate, which it has done before.

During the hearings, the commissioners court looked into proposed programs, services, projects and the effect of the budget and tax rate on taxpayers.

El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said, “If we got to a point that it was between increasing taxes and lowering the quality of public services, there’s no doubt that you would never put the community in any difficult situation because you’re trying not to increase taxes or you’re not trying to pass on the taxes to a constituent.”

The county is expecting to be over budget for the sheriff’s department this year, which could result in lower wages for other departments.

“We know how sensitive the community is about increasing taxes. So that’s going to be our ultimate goal is that that doesn’t happen,” Samaniego said. “We’re looking at everything possible to make sure that we don’t go out to the community and increase the taxes.”

ABC-7 reached out to Republican Minerva Sheldon’s campaign for comment on the budget hearings. She is running against Samaniego for El Paso County Court in the November election. Her campaign did not respond.

Public hearings for the budget will continue next week on Aug. 17 and later on Sept. 14.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office released a statement responding to the projected budget shortfall:

“In response to reports regarding the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office’s projected budget shortfall, I want to provide the people of El Paso County with information about what is driving it and what we are doing to address it.

First, this is a projected year-end shortfall, not the amount the Sheriff’s Office is currently over budget. It is based on current spending and estimated costs through September 30, and that number can change.

A significant part of the projection is related to overtime and staffing. The Sheriff’s Office operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including two detention facilities that must be safely staffed around the clock while we continue providing law enforcement services throughout our areas of responsibility. When we do not have enough employees available to meet required staffing levels, overtime becomes necessary.

The reality is that providing effective public safety services requires substantial resources and carries significant costs. Operating detention facilities, putting deputies on our streets, investigating crimes, responding to emergencies, training our employees, and maintaining the equipment necessary to serve our community require significant resources. But every taxpayer dollar must also be justified and spent responsibly.

Since taking office, I have raised concerns about whether our authorized staffing levels reflect the actual needs of today’s Sheriff’s Office. That is why we are requesting a professional, independent staffing assessment of our detention and law enforcement operations. I want the data to tell us what we actually need—whether that means additional staffing or identifying areas where we can operate more efficiently.

We are also working closely with Commissioners Court, County Administration, and the County Budget Team to control expenses and reduce overtime wherever it can safely be reduced. But simply cutting overtime without addressing why it is necessary is not a long-term solution. I will not compromise the safety of our employees or our community simply to make a number on a spreadsheet look better.

I care deeply about the men and women of this Sheriff’s Office. Since taking office, we have reduced vacancies, improved retention, and worked to strengthen employee morale by showing our employees that they are valued and supported. Taking care of our employees is not separate from taking care of our community—it directly impacts the quality of public safety services we provide.

And we are seeing results. During my first year as Sheriff, crime in our areas of responsibility decreased by 14 percent. I am proud of that accomplishment, but the credit belongs to the men and women who serve this community every day. That progress came through hard work, accountability, supporting our employees, and keeping our focus on public safety.

As Sheriff, I accept responsibility for the decisions made within this organization, and I take our responsibility to taxpayers seriously. We will continue looking for efficiencies, controlling expenses, and making responsible decisions while advocating for the staffing, equipment, training, and resources our employees need to safely do their jobs.

We must protect our community. We must support the men and women who serve it. And we must be responsible with taxpayer dollars. 

El Paso County is our home. I am proud of our employees, proud of the progress we have made, and committed to being transparent with our community as we work together toward responsible, long-term solutions.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

CLINT, Texas (KVIA) — An allegedly intoxicated driver hit two pedestrians during a church bazaar in Clint, Texas, Saturday, according to the El Paso County Constable’s Office for Precinct Six.

According to a news release, a Precinct Six Constable did a routine patrol at the 600 block of Avenida de San Lorenzo Ave. when someone flagged them down to report that a car hit and possibly injured a person. It happened at 11:23 p.m.

The constable found the crash at the intersection of Church Street and Garcia Street. The constable learned a black GMC Sierra truck hit two people while they crossed the street leaving the San Lorenzo Church Bazaar Festival.

An investigation by the Precinct Six and Four Constables Office found that 20-year-old Emmanuel Meza Rabelo from Fabens allegedly drove the GMC the wrong way on a one-way street.

Meza Rabelo allegedly didn’t see the two crossing Church Street and hit them, the constable’s office said.

The two victims sustained minor injuries, and the Clint Fire Department and Life Ambulance treated him, officials said. A 60-year-old woman asked to go to a hospital for her injuries.

Authorities said the driver showed signs of intoxication and asked him to submit a field sobriety test., which he failed.

Authorities took him into custody and sent him to a station to provide a breath sample. The constable’s office said his alcohol concentration was above the 0.08 legal limit.

The Precinct Six Constable’s Office secured an arrest warrant for Meza Rabelo for driving while intoxicated. Authorities booked him into the El Paso County Detention Facility on the charge with a $10,000 bond.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Meta will comply with his standards and guidelines for data centers. Meta has a data center planned for Northeast El Paso.

“Meta commends Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s leadership and welcomes his continued efforts to protect ratepayers, conserve water, and promote responsible data center development in Texas,” Meta said in a press release.

Gov. Abbott directed the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to make sure data centers costs don’t fall on Texas residents.

The governor’s guidelines ask PUCT and ERCOT to make sure data centers pay for their own electricity, reuse their own water, reduce electricity costs, don’t disrupt neighborhoods and pay their own way and eliminate reliance on taxpayer-funded incentives. Data centers also have to disclose project ownership and controlling interests.

An El Paso Electric spokesperson says, “El Paso Electric believes that new large load customers, including data centers, should pay the costs required to serve their power needs. Existing residential and small-business customers should not and will not be asked to cover those costs.”

They say existing agreements between El Paso Electric and potential new big customers require those customers to pay the costs associated with serving their projects.

An El Paso Water spokesperson says, “EPWater established clear water use requirements for the Meta facility, and Meta agreed to meet those terms in 2023. Those requirements reflect EPWater’s commitment to ensure the community has the water resources needed to grow while safeguarding the long-term water security and sustainability for residents and businesses.”

The Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are tasked with reviewing and auditing all submitted information before any project can proceed. Companies that fail to comply with ERCOT’s audit process face denial of their project approvals.

Meta said it will pay energy and water costs and publish detailed information on its annual sustainability report about its energy and water use.

Additionally, Meta introduced its “Future is for Everyone Fund,” which will invest in teachers, first responders and energy and water infrastructure through customized programs shaped by needs in Texas and the country.

Since Gov. Abbott issued his directives, developer Diode said it failed to meet the standards and discontinued its proposed data center near Dallas. Amazon, Google, OpenAI and QTS Data Centers said they’re working to comply with the directives, according to the governor.

“We support Governor Abbott’s efforts to conduct a comprehensive review of data center growth in Texas and look forward to being a collaborative partner with state and industry officials, utilities, and local communities. For Meta, we don’t just build here, we invest here. And thousands of Meta employees are proud to call Texas home,” Meta said.

Democratic Texas Representative Gina Hinojosa criticizes Gov. Abbott’s data center plan, saying Texas needs a moratorium on data centers.

“We need a moratorium on data centers until the legislature can meet to put in place real protections so Texans can have a seat at the table to decide if and how data centers come into their communities. When the companies being regulated are cheering for the rules, you know the rules were written for them, not for Texans,” Rep. Hinojosa said.

Rep. Hinojosa is running for Governor of Texas in the 2026 general election against incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

A City Spokesperson says Gov. Abbott’s announcement reinforce protections the city has already advocated for. However, the City’s existing agreement with Wurldwide remains in effect and has not been amended.

“If the Public Utility Commission of Texas adopts binding requirements that apply to the El Paso project, the project would be required to comply with those requirements through the applicable state regulatory process,” a City Spokesperson said.

Community advocate Veronica Carbajal says she’s concerned without a legally binding document, El Pasoans are at risk.

“That’s really what we’re talking about, is making sure that whatever they’re saying is written and is legally binding, so that we can take it to court when, if and when they break their promise. But right now, it looks like they’re consistently breaking verbal promises,” Carbajal said.

Carbajal said she’s also concerned about the cost of the generators for the proposed McCloud natural gas power plant.

“Meta’s intention is to pay for those generators for up to five years. That’s a maximum of five years. And then they will be transferred to El Pasoans so that once they are transferred to us, we will inherit the balance on the loan for those 800 generators and also the transmission lines to get them connected to, to our homes,” Carbajal said.

El Paso Electric contends there is no automatic process that would shift those costs to residential customers.

District 2 City Rep. Josh Acevedo says he wants more clarification on how these rules apply to El Paso, considering it’s not a part of the ERCOT.

“I think that we really need to include El Paso for once. And the releases that the Governor has put out since June 10th to today, he keeps referencing ERCOT. And here locally, Paso Electric is operating in the sense that we’re included in that. But we’re not part of ERCOT, right? And so we need more clarification on what he’s putting out there. And at the same time, we have three metadata centers in in Texas, we have temple, we have Fort Worth, and we have El Paso now. And so what are we actually going to do besides rhetoric real action?” Acevedo said.

The PUC still has to determine what requirements will apply to large data centers not on the Texas grid, which El Paso is not connected to.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Friday, the Department of War announced more than $180 million has been invested into schools of mines and metallurgy. President Trump also led a press conference explaining the investment. The University of Texas at El Paso will get part of that grant, according to the school’s president, Heather Wilson.

“We’re putting our miners back to work and we’re reclaiming America’s rightful place as the minerals superpower of the world, which is what we are. People just didn’t know that for a while,” the president said.

The money will help build technology innovation hubs, project-focused partnerships between students and defense industry, prototypes and certifying students with degrees in mining, geology and metallurgy, the DOW said.

According to the DOW, resources are provided through the Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment.

University of Texas at El Paso President Heather Wilson attended a press conference in Washington Friday as President Donald Trump spoke about the investment.

Wilson said there are only 14 mining schools left in the U.S. Upon UTEP’s mining engineering program launch in 2027, UTEP will be the 15th.

“It’ll be the only mining engineering school in Texas, but it will be making a significant contribution to the nation,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the goal is to graduate 100 about students from UTEP with mining engineering each year. she said last year, less than 200 graduated with the degree in the entire country.

The DOW listed proposals of where the investment will go:

$32.7 million (proposed) to the Colorado School of Mines for a Critical Minerals Innovation & Commercialization Hub to enable pilot-scale tech development, materials qualification and workforce-industry integration.

$25 million (proposed) to the South Dakota School of Mines for Critical Minerals Merit Scholars Consortium establishing four integrated workforce development programs across three leading mineral-STEM institutions (South Dakota School of Mines, University of Kentucky and Missouri S&T University).  

$23.6 million (proposed) to Johns Hopkins University founding a multi-material recycling innovation hub connecting an emerging technology developer (AGILEWorks) for scrap sourcing, process innovation, testing, qualification and integration into existing defense platforms

The investment is part of President Trump and the DOW’s commitment to solidify the country’s role as a global leader in mineral production and processing.

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Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — A multi-agency gang investigation in Las Cruces led to federal charges and the seizure of firearms and narcotics, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said Friday.

Federal, state and Las Cruces law enforcement officers finished a months-long investigation targeting gang activity in the city.

During the investigation, officers executed 58 legal processes, which included search warrants, arrest warrants and court orders, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Authorities seized 19 firearms, three machine gun devices, two sets of body armor, 265 grams of methamphetamine and 200 grams of fentanyl, officials said.

A workbench with various disassembled firearm parts, magazines, and a tactical vest arranged on the surface.(Courtesy: USANM)

A small plastic bag of blue pills sits on a digital scale showing a weight of 18.6 grams.(Courtesy: USANM)

Several small plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance are placed on a digital scale reading 26.5 grams.(Courtesy: USANM)

The investigation also led investigators to solve 11 drive-by shootings in the Las Cruces area, officials said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it charged six people with federal offenses in the investigation. The cases included:

Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone

Discharging a Firearm in a School Zone

Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number

Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment

Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon

Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

Others were charged in state court, officials said. Those offenses included:

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon

Shooting At or From a Motor Vehicle (multiple counts)

Unlawful Possession of a Handgun by a Person Under Age 19 (multiple counts)

Possession of Cocaine

The Las Cruces Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit led the investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Las Cruces/Doña Ana Metro Narcotics Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Safe Streets Task Force and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office partnered with LCPD.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A 36-year-old man has been charged with sexual assault of a child after his teenage step-daughter alleged he sexually assaulted her for years, according to an arrest affidavit. Documents from the El Paso Police department alleged Adam Salvador Martinez committed the offense from February 2024 to June 2026.

The El Paso Police Department’s Crimes Against Children section learned from the victim’s mother that Martinez allegedly started sexually assaulting her when she was 13 years old, documents said.

The victim, now 17, and her mother went to the Advocacy Center for the Children of El Paso.

Investigators interviewed the victim, and she said she had a “romantic, sexual relationship” with Martinez, documents said. She also told investigators she had more than 100 sexual encounters with him.

The victim alleged some of the encounters happened while the victim’s mother or another minor were home, documents said.

Documents alleged Martinez “put her on birth control but she stopped taking it.” The victim also alleged Martinez would tell her “they are not technically related so it was fine.”

The victim told investigators she later felt uncomfortable and wanted to stop, documents said. She alleged Martinez would ignore her when she told him she didn’t want to engage in sexual encounters.

According to documents, the victim said their last encounter happened two weeks before she left the state to visit her father in June.

Detectives met with the victim’s mother, who said Martinez took the victim to get birth control, documents said.

The mother also reportedly confronted him about the victim’s outcry about the alleged sexual assault, investigators wrote. When she asked him when it started, Martinez allegedly said “since she was 13,” according to the affidavit.

Martinez allegedly blamed the victim and said she initiated it, documents said.

According to jail records, El Paso police arrested and booked Martinez into the downtown jail on a $150,000 bond.

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Mia Tricarico

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) — Discolored, yellow water is once again pouring from household taps in Santa Teresa, leaving residents frustrated, distrustful and forced to spend hundreds on home filtration systems just to get usable water.

Residents have exhausted all options from installing Puronics water purification systems, water softener systems, heavy metal tanks, additional carbon filters, UV filtration, to even making their own water.  

The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA), which supplies water to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa—tells ABC-7 that an overnight system outage may have caused the temporary discoloration. However, for residents, this latest incident follows a long history of water quality concerns and administrative fines.

Homes across the community report trying everything—from installing high-end water softeners, heavy metal tanks, Puronics purification systems, and UV filtration, to making their own distilled water at home.

Recent System Fine: Earlier this year, CRRUA agreed to a $189,000 settlement with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) following years of drinking water violations, including unnotified arsenic spikes and operational deficiencies.

System Deficiencies: An NMED Sanitary Survey identified 58 operational deficiencies within CRRUA’s facilities, including previous failures to properly maintain arsenic filtration systems and prompt customer notification protocols.

Santa Teresa resident Joanna Muna said she has had water issues for 10 years and started taking matters into her own hands.

She said she spent hundreds of dollars to install a flitering system with carbonation filters, UV light and a water purifier.

“It’s stealing from people’s livelihoods, stealing from their health. It needs to be fixed,” Muna said.

Other residents said they’re sticking to bottled water.

ABC-7 reached out to CRRUA for an interview, they declined. However, a spokesperson responded with a statememnet that read:

“CRRUA tested the water from the distribution system outside the property line. The water was clear and within acceptable levels for chlorine and ph. CRRUA recommends that customers who notice discolored water flush their outdoor faucet for several minutes until the water clears. If the discoloration remains, call the CRRUA customer service number at 575-589-1075 or the after-hours emergency number at 575-202-7173.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — La Nube STEAM Discovery Center is coming up on its second anniversary. To celebrate, children’s admission will be free Saturday.

Child admission is free for a morning and afternoon session, La Nube said. You can reserve up to four free child tickets with the purchase of one adult ticket for $20. Walk-in admission isn’t available, according to La Nube’s website.

The morning session takes place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the afternoon session runs from 1:3o-5 p.m.

La Nube recommended families reserve for free admission ahead of time because of limited space. You can reserve spaces through this website.

In addition to celebrating its birthday, La Nube said it received the 2025 Hands On! International Children in Museums Award, an international honor in the children’s museum field.

Miffy will also make a special appearance at the discovery center to take pictures with visiting families.

(Courtesy: La Nube)

La Nube members get an exclusive opportunity in the Galería, according to the discovery center. La Nube said members can expect surprises, snacks, refreshments and an exclusive celebration.

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Gabrielle Lopez

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — State and federal authorities in Juárez seized a tiger and an alligator while investigating an alleged homicide Thursday.

During operations, Chihuahua State Police, Mexican National Guard, Mexican Army and the State Investigation Agency looked into a homicide that reportedly happened between July 31-Aug. 1, officials said.

The first search happened at a car wash in the 16 de Septiembre neighborhood. That’s where authorities found a caged Bengal tiger, an alligator and four dogs, according to authorities.

Authorities in Juárez, Mexico, found a caged tiger during a homicide investigation.(Courtesy: SSPE Chihuahua)

Authorities also seized a Hummer allegedly linked to the homicide under investigation.

Authorities seized a hummer allegedly tied to a homicide investigation in Juárez.(Courtesy: SSPE Chihuahua)

The second search happened at a home in the Álvaro Obregón neighborhood — where the homicide allegedly took place, authorities said.

Authorities found traces of blood and other evidence, officials said.

After seizing the animals, personnel from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection went to the site to take custody, officials said. Both properties went under the disposal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for legal proceedings.

The dog and alligator found during the investigation.(Courtesy: SSPE Chihuahua)

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Mia Tricarico

San Elizario, Texas (KVIA) — One hundred animals have been rescued and transported to a ranch after an investigation led to a man’s arrest and an animal cruelty charge, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. The animals were transported to a nonprofit animal rescue called Gracey’s Rescue Ranch.

Santos Gordillo Torres allegedly neglected dozens of animals in San Elizario, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities reported seeing unsanitary conditions with signs of malnourishment.

Images of Santos Gordillo Torres’ arrest after an investigation led to dozens of animals being rescued. (Courtesy: EPCSO)

According to court documents obtained by ABC-7, J. Murphy, an El Paso County Animal Welfare officer, saw the animals lacked basic care like food, water and shelter.

After his first observation of the neglected animals, Officer Murphy issued a 24-hour notice to Torres, telling him to get the animals veterinarian care, documents said.

The next day, Officer Murphy alleged Torres made no effort to get the animals proper care or improve their living conditions, documents said.

The animals were transported to a nonprofit animal rescue called Gracey’s Rescue Ranch.

ABC-7 reached out to Gracey’s Rescue Ranch for an update on the animals’ conditions.

“So when I got the call, we were called to get ten animals. They asked us to come back the next day and they said, how many can you take?”

Thats when Mike Gracey arrived to the property and realized he was going to rescue 100 animals instead of ten.

He told ABC-7 it was more animals than he ever anticipated on rescuing.

“Usually it’s one horse at a time. Even the ten for us was like, okay, it’s kind of a lot. But you know, we we didn’t know what the situation was or what the aspect or hey, we have ten animals in need. We didn’t even know what kind of ten animals.”

ABC-7 asked Gracey if he had any second thoughts once he discovered how many animals were in need of rescue.

“It was really something that we know we had to make happen, and we just knew we could do it. We just had to figure out everything afterwards. We made it happen.” Gracey replied.

County Animal Welfare officer observed that most of the horses hooves were overgrown and that many horses were thin, according to court documents.

Gracey explained to ABC-7 that overgrown hooves cause horses to feel pain, especially when walking or running.

The defendant Santos Gordillo Torres, told deputies he was feeding the horses racehorse food which does not allow the horses to gain weight, according to court documents.

He also told deputies he invested most of his time with the miniature ponies, that he rented out but he confessed he had no formal training or education on caring for livestock animals.

Court documents also said that a female pig was confined in a 120 degree enclosure, with no access to food or water.

The El Paso County Sheriff, Oscar Urgate told ABC-7 in a statement,” The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has zero tolerance for animal cruelty. There is no excuse for abusing, neglecting, or failing to provide proper care for an animal. When these cases are reported to us, we will investigate them thoroughly and take enforcement action when the evidence supports it.”

They also shared a message for the community,” We also ask our community to be our eyes and ears. If you see or suspect animal cruelty or neglect, report it. Speaking up can save an animal’s life.”

While the investigation remains active and ongoing, the focus at Gracey’s Rescue Ranch stays centered on the long road to recovery for the many rescued animals. The sanctuary is currently accepting community donations and volunteers to help cover the unexpected costs of veterinary care, proper nutrition, and rehabilitation for the 100 animals now in their care.

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