Author: KVIA

Carpio Griego

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — Former New Mexico State University basketball player Deshawndre Washington failed to appear in court again Wednesday. He’s accused of 15 felonies for an alleged hazing scandal during the 2022-23 basketball season at NMSU.

In Wednesday morning’s motion trial, many virtually called into the courtroom through Zoom. Washington didn’t answer the call of the court when his name came up, according to the court.

Judge Conrad Perea lifted a gag order for the trial so those involved in the case can speak about it publicly.

ABC-7 reached out to Washington’s defense team and the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office for comment.

Monday, Washington missed court and was later seen playing in a basketball tournament in Lebanon. A judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest following his absence.

Washington’s team will be charged for the jurors and interpreters used Monday.

Washington signed with Sagesse Sports Club, a team based in Lebanon, back in May.

According to his agency and father, Washington tried to get into the U.S. for his trial, but couldn’t due to military conflict in the Middle East.

Washington’s agency told ABC-7 it submitted paperwork before the trial started with statements from U.S. Embassy and Lebanese officials explaining he couldn’t travel due to security concerns.

Sean Wright, Washington’s father, said Washington isn’t trying to hide from anything. His agency said he wanted to be in Las Cruces for the trial to prove his innocence.

The New Mexico Department of Justice sent ABC-7 the following statement on the case:

“On the day of trial, the New Mexico department of Justice learned that the defendant, Deshawndre Washington, failed to appear for court and instead was playing basketball for a team in Beirut, Lebanon. The Court has issued a bench warrant for his immediate arrest, as well as a monetary sanction for court costs associated with the postponed trial. Washington is now a fugitive from justice, and the NMDOJ looks forward to his arrest and return so that he may be held to account for his actions.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso Museum of Art made its mark as one of the top five art museums in Texas, according to the City of El Paso. Glasstire, the country’s oldest online art magazine, ranked the EPMA fifth in its latest updated list.

“In a state that is home to nearly 100 art museums and some of the finest collections in the nation, we are extremely proud to represent West Texas and the Borderlands through this recognition,” said El Paso Museum of Art Director Edward Hayes Jr.

Glasstire noted the museum’s commitment to showcasing local and regional artists. It also recognized the biennial exhibition, which features art made on and near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Permanent collections in the museum also caught the magazine’s eye.

The city said the museum’s rank follows recent investment in modernizing the museum, including the “Star Ceiling: El Paso” light display outside the entrance. El Paso artist Leo Villareal created the 120-foot LED installation. Local philanthropist Judy Robinson, the driving force behind the work, recently earned the “El Pasoan of the Year” recognition for bringing it to life.

A view of the “Star Ceiling: El Paso” installation at night. (Courtesy: KVIA/File)

A recent photo gallery capturing Frida Kahlo’s life brought record attendance to the museum, according to the city. “Frida Kahlo: Sus Fotos” also marked the museum’s grand reopening on Feb. 14.

The top four museums featured in the updated ranking are in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth.

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Hillary Floren

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Recovering from addiction can be frustrating and isolating. But Harmony Road Recovery is a full-service outpatient program right here in the borderland that is changing lives every day.

“When you are in that downward spiral of addiction you don’t have a lot of places left  to turn.  Eventually your family stops answering the phone.  Eventually your friends drop, one by one,” says Tyler Hays. He works at Harmony Road, inspiring and encouraging others with his addiction recovery story, which includes a time when he was a client at this same facility.

 “It was a solid year of heavy use and I’ve been sober and clean now for 3 years. I didn’t think I would have many options left after burning the bridges I did. I’m embarrassed by some of the things I’ve done but that doesn’t mean they define me,” Hays says.

Current program participants tell us it means a lot to be mentored and taught by those who have walked in their shoes. Especially after a relapse, it’s important to have someone to talk to who understands the situation.

Harmony Road is a full-service outpatient program in which a team of professionals creates personalized treatment plans for each patient. They focus on mental health and substance abuse. There is also a sober living housing area with 27 rooms. This year there’s a garden growing, thanks to a partnership with the National Immigrant Farming Initiative.

“I was a bad drug addict.  This place, it saved my life and now I’m an operating partner.  I work in the garden and it helps me get my mind off everything else.  Your hands get dirty and you see the progress day by day,” says Harmony Road employee Jose Reyes.

For anyone who feels they’re battling addiction alone, Harmony Road is like an extended hand.

Tyler Hays says it’s important for El Pasoans to know there’s a group here that genuinely cares about them rebuilding their lives.

“There’s a stigma they think oh, they’re worthless members of society that need to be thrown away.  But stuff like this where we’re growing and beautifying the community I hope to end that stigma.  You plant the seed, you work it and it grows into something beautiful in the end of the day,” Reyes says. Positive words from a man who says he is piecing his life back together after it was ruined by addiction.

The program at Harmony Road is all about accessibility, no matter where their clients are. Participants can even take part on their cell phones. For more information, click on this link: https://www.harmonyroadrecovery.org/

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Carpio Griego

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) — For almost 20 years, Christian Valle took charge of production for KRWG, a public media station in Las Cruces. Monday, the NMSU graduate died at 46.

Valle helped with the student-led News 22 broadcast, which provided NMSU students with hands-on experience in production in front and behind the camera.

Valle produced award-winning work ad earned recognition from the New Mexico Broadcasters Association in 2018 and 2021, NMSU said. He also received won two Rocky Mountain Emmy Nominations in 2019 and 2020.

His latest award came in 2022 from the National Educational Telecommunications Association for COVID-19 Marketing and Communications, according to NMSU.

ABC-7 has reached out to his co-workers and family members for comment.

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El Paso Matters

by Elida S. Perez

The El Paso County Commissioners Court is considering a preliminary $542 million general fund budget for the next fiscal year that could require a tax increase of about $164 a year on the average value home.

The county introduced its preliminary budget and proposed its voter-approval tax rate Monday, though the court could adopt a lower tax rate as it works to finalize its budget over the next month. To adopt the no-new-revenue rate, however, the county would have to cut $40 million from the preliminary spending figures presented during the budget hearing.

The hearing outlined the preliminary budget expenditures that include pay raises for non-uniform county staff, increased spending for the Sheriff’s Office, judicial salaries and programs such as economic development and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. At the same time, culture and recreation, health and welfare, and public works will see decreases in spending.

The general fund comprises day-to-day government services such as public safety, the county jails, courts, elections and administrative offices and is supported primarily through property taxes and fees. The county’s preliminary overall budget includes $128 million that includes enterprise funds, capital projects and debt payments.

The county on Monday introduced the voter-approval rate of about 50.4 cents per $100 of property valuation for the next fiscal year. The voter-approval rate – the highest it can adopt without going to voters – would yield a county tax bill of $1,159 on the average value home of $194,879. That’s an increase of about 16.5% from the tax on an average value home last year.

The county by practice the last few years has introduced the voter-approval tax rate as it works towards finalizing a budget, though it doesn’t always adopt that rate. By law, taxing entities cannot adopt a tax rate higher than it proposes on public notices, but they can adopt a lower rate. The no-new revenue rate is what is needed to generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the previous year on the same properties.

Much of the proposed increase to the budget comes from the Sheriff’s Office for public safety.

The office requested $161 million for the next fiscal year’s budget, about $24 million more over the current year. The county is counterproposing with about $152 million as the two work toward a final budget before it is adopted.

The Sheriff’s Office has been a key driver in increased expenditures as the county jails spend nearly twice as much on daily overtime compared with two years ago. 

The county is not authorizing any new positions in the upcoming fiscal year, but has worked with the Sheriff’s Office to implement a new staffing strategy meant to cut down on overtime expenses for jail operations it has accrued in the past year.

A public hearing on this year’s tax rate will be held Aug. 17. The county adopts its final budget in September ahead of the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

The meetings mark the start of budget season for some of the region’s key taxing entities — the city, county and hospital district — as officials determine the property tax rates that will help fund public services while shaping homeowners’ tax bills for the coming year.

On Tuesday, Commissioners Court will hear the proposed budget for the El Paso County Hospital District that includes University Medical Center of El Paso and El Paso Children’s Hospital, while the El Paso City Council on Tuesday also will receive a presentation on its proposed budget and potential tax rates for the next fiscal year.

Here are some of the key proposed changes to the county budget for fiscal year 2027.

The Judge Enrique Pena Juvenile Justice Center on Delta Drive, El Paso, Texas, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Luis Torres/El Paso Matters)

Public safety

The preliminary public safety budget, which includes the Sheriff’s Office and constables, is about $181 million, a 9% increase over the previous year. The additional funds include about $4 million to pay raises and benefits through collective bargaining agreements and an $8 million increase for overtime for jail operations.

Non uniform-employee pay raises

The preliminary total budget includes an increase of about $5 million for 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, and a 2.5% STEP increase, a salary increase tied to the county’s pay schedule, for all non-collective bargaining agreement employees effective Jan. 1.

General government

The general government category that includes expenditures for administration, including the offices of the county auditor, clerk and chief administrator as well as other entities such as the El Paso Central Appraisal District and city of El Paso for tax collection services, will be about $215 million, a 17% increase. The increase is due, in part, to increases for fleet maintenance repair, salary increases and capital improvement program increases.

The county of El Paso’s Ascarate Park, 6900 Delta Drive (Cindy Ramirez / El Paso Matters)

County elected officials pay raises

Commissioners Court did not discuss any potential pay raises for elected officials Monday, including to themselves. Any proposed salary boosts to elected officials including commissioners, county clerk, county attorney, district clerk and county sheriff, among others, would be presented and discussed Aug. 11. 

The Commissioners Court may consider a 4% cost of living adjustment for elected officials that has been budgeted, but not yet presented, County Administrator Betsy Keller said during Monday’s budget hearing. Keller said elected officials last received a pay raise in 2023. The cost of living has increased by about 9% since then, she said.

Commissioners Court has not voted to give itself pay raises since commissioners approved a controversial 16% pay raise for the 2024 fiscal year. County Commissioners get paid about $133,500 a year while the county judge’s annual salary is $152,700.

Culture and recreation

The culture and recreation category that includes county parks, pools, the digital library and golf course will see a decrease of about 6% to $10 million. The reduction is largely due to decreases in spending for maintenance, utility and operating expenditures based on anticipated usage.

Resource development

The budget for resource development – which funds economic growth, business development and agricultural extension services – will be about $11 million. That’s a 56% increase largely funded through uncommitted reserve funds in effort to boost its Economic Impact Fund, an incentive program designed to attract businesses to the county.

County voter-approved bonds

Voters in November 2024 approved three county bond proposals totaling about $155 million. The funds will go toward park improvements, a new medical examiner’s office and a first-time county animal shelter. 

The county has issued about $12 million in general obligation bonds as of June for the three propositions with the largest portion of about $8 million going toward park improvements. About $2 million has been issued for the medical examiner’s office and another $2 million for the animal shelter.

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Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — A man received a 14-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Tuesday. Drake Armendariz shot and killed a 17-year-old boy in the Las Cruces area back in March 2023.

The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Armendariz’ sentencing. It said Armendariz was 16 years old at the time of the shooting on March 3, 2023. He fired six rounds into a vehicle driving on I-25 just outside Las Cruces.

The gunfire hit Benjamin Archuleta, a passenger in the vehicle, and was transported to a hospital. He died one day before his 18th birthday, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.

The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the case was originally dismissed prejudice in February 2024 by the previous district attorney. After taking office, Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando Macias reviewed the case and had the charges reinstated.

District Attorney Fernando Macias said, “This case is a reminder that choices have consequences, and our office will continue to hold violent offenders accountable, including young offenders.”

Armendariz originally received a 30-year prison sentence. The district attorney’s office said with 16 years suspended, he has an effective sentence of 14 years. He also received 793 days of pre-sentence confinement credit.

Upon his release, Armendariz will be a convicted felon, serve two years of parole and have five years of probation, the district attorney’s office said.

“We waited 3 long years for justice, but the time has come,” said Lucky Archuleta, the victim’s uncle. “You probably deserved more, but God forgives.”

In March 2023, authorities also arrested 16-year-old Daniel Ortiz in connection with the shooting, ABC-7 previously reported.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Community College announced it will bring back Tejano New Stages, an event featuring original stories by emerging playwrights. This will be Tejano New Stages’ third year running.

EPCC Theatre Director Ted Karber Jr. created the free event back in 2024, and calls it a “reader’s theatre of original scripts.”

This year’s Tejano New Stages is scheduled for Aug. 7-8 at 7 p.m. at the EPCC Forum Theatre at the Transmountain campus (9570 Gateway Blvd. North). Admission is free.

Audiences won’t see any sets or costumes — just pure storytelling.

Eight EPCC theatre students will read and perform their work. Instead of a fully-staged production, Tejano News Stages focuses on voice performance, EPCC said.

(Courtesy: EPCC)

The event gives students an opportunity to use their voice and emotional connection to bring their story to life.

“This event continues to create a space where new voices, original stories, and students and local writers can be celebrated. There is something special about hearing a new work come to life for the first time and sharing those stories with our community,” EPCC Assistant Threatre Director and Stage Manager Colleen McCrary said.

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Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Destination El Paso, in partnership with the city, annouced Tuesday night that the 2027 Texas Society of Architects Annual Conference and Design Expo will be returning to El Paso next October.

It marks the first time the event has come to the Borderland since 2022, and for just the third time in the event’s history.

“Today isn’t just about announcing another conference,” said El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson during a press conference in Downtown Tuesday night. “It’s about recognizing how far El Paso has come.”

According to a press release provided to ABC 7, the conference scheduled for October 7-9, 2027 will draw 1,800+ attendees to El Paso and $1.4 million into the city economy.

In the release, Destination El Paso writes the following:

“The Conference showcases El Paso as a premier destination for meetings, architecture, culture and innovation…The 2027 Texas Society of Architects Annual Conference & Design Expo reflects El Paso’s continued momentum as a destination where architecture, culture, innovation and hospitality come together to create meaningful visitor experiences and economic impact.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Tuesday, the El Paso City Council unanimously approved funding to continue operations at the Welcome Center for the homeless. ABC-7 previously reported the center planned to shut down Aug. 31 when the council voted against one-time funding.

The City of El Paso said part of the fiscal year 2027 budget will help the Welcome Center run 24 hours a day from September 2026-February 2027. In the meantime, the Opportunity Center for the Homeless will discuss a long-term funding solution with community partners.

The council approved $380,000 in gap funding as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget Tuesday.

City Representative Chris Canales made a motion to use the money, which is from an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investment interest. It passed 8-0.

In June, El Paso City Council voted against $430,000 in ARPA investment interest revenue, prompting the planned closure for the end of August. The money would have acted as one-time funding. The motion failed with a 5-4 vote.

John Martin, the Opportunity Center’s deputy director, said at Tuesday’s city council meeting that he applied for several grants. He also said the Welcome Center has funding through its current contractual agreement through Aug. 31.

Martin mentioned looking at a second location to avoid the cost of the current lease.

At the Welcome Center, first responders and outreach teams help connect people with services like shelter navigation, medical care and case management. It operates through the Opportunity Center for the Homeless.

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