Author: KVIA

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Out of thousands of McDonald’s workers in the U.S., one lucky general manger from El Paso got to see Spain claim its second World Cup victory Sunday in New Jersey.

Teresa Castillo is a general manager at the McDonald’s on Dyer Street and Fred Wilson Avenue in Northeast El Paso. She said her boss’ boss nominated her for the experience because of her location’s performance.

She said she didn’t even know she was in the contest!

 “It’s like something that you could only dream about,” Castillo told ABC-7. “I’m still excited. I had so much fun over there.”

Four general managers got to explore the New York City area for four days, according to Castillo.

Castillo got to see the FIFA World Cup winner’s trophy during her trip.(Courtesy: Teresa Castillo)

Outside the New York New Jersey Stadium, which is where the final World Cup match took place, Castillo got to ride around in a limo, meal reservations and even a cruise.

Castillo said she rooted for Argentina at the match. Despite the team’s loss, she said experiencing the match in person made her beyond grateful.

“It’s nothing compared to looking at it in the TV. It’s so loud,” she said. ” It’s a lifetime experience that I will never forget.”

Castillo rooting for Argentina during the final World Cup match in New Jersey.(Courtesy: Teresa Castillo)

Castillo said after learning McDonald’s offered the trip, she became motivated to be better. She suggested others keep working because one day, “it will all come back in a great way.”

Castillo said she felt like a celebrity after her World Cup trip as customers kept asking about her trip.(Courtesy: Teresa Castillo)

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The City of El Paso said residents play a key role in keeping the community safe from mosquito breeding sites. Recent rainstorms have increased mosquito activity across the city, and the city’s Vector Control Program of the Code Enforcement Department wants to teach residents to reduce them.

Dr. Hector Ocaranza told ABC-7 during mosquito season, residents need to pay attention to practicing prevention. He said mosquitoes can carry viruses like West Nile and Zika.

The city’s Vector Control Program said residents can follow these steps. Dr. Ocaranza called them the “Four Ds:”

DEET: Use insect repellents that have DEET. The ingredient makes it hard for mosquitoes to smell humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Repellant bottles will say if it has DEET.

Dr. Ocaranza said babies shouldn’t use DEET since they have sensitive skin. Those with sensitive skin should talk to a doctor or physician for alternatives.

DRESS: Wear long sleeves, long pants and socks when outside.

DUSK & DAWN: Take extra care during peak mosquito biting hours (from dusk to dawn) or avoid outdoor activities during this time.

DRAIN: Drain standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet bowls and birdbaths. After it rains or after watering the lawn, residents should toss standing water.

A repellant bottle with a DEET ingredient label.(Courtesy: KVIA)

Ginny Castaneda from the Vector Control Program said this mosquito has been slower than usual and the program has seen less captures. However, she said preventing mosquito breeding “starts with you.”

An example of stagnant water — where mosquitos can breed — is a small puddle under a bridge at Memorial Park.(Courtesy: KVIA)

While the Vector Control Program handles mosquito breeding areas in city properties, Castaneda said it’s residents’ responsibilities to apply the Four Ds to their personal properties.

She said it only takes a small amount of water — about the size of a soda can — for mosquitoes to start their breeding process.

During a mosquito abatement demonstration, the city scooped a small puddle under a park bridge and caught several mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes scooped by the Vector Control Program during a public demonstration.(Courtesy: KVIA)

Concerns about standing water can be reported to the Vector Control Program at 915-212-6000.

Click here to follow the original article.

Carpio Griego

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso County has one of the highest rates of Texas residents without air conditioning, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. An estimated 10,964 households have to brave the heat without AC, according to an analysis of local air conditioning estimates.

The same data estimated 10,747,240 Texas households have AC — ranking the state to have the ninth-highest coverage. However, El Paso County ranks first with an estimated 3.7% of households without AC.

For residents like Anyalo Martinez, an increased electric bill can create too much of a financial burden to keep the cool air on. Others may not be able to afford a swamp cooler or refrigerated air.

Martinez told ABC-7 his family uses alternative cooling methods like using fans, sleeping without a shirt or taking cool showers during the day.

The El Paso Extreme Weather Task Force has been offering fans to households in need. To see if you qualify for a free fan, dial 211.

The city has a designated list of buildings that have free air conditioning. According to the city’s website, these locations are open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.:

Galatzan Recreation Center – 650 Wallenberg Dr

Marty Robbins Recreation Center – 11620 Vista Del Sol Dr

Valle Bajo Community Center – 7380 Alameda

Nations Tobin Sports Center – 8831 Railroad

Chalio Acosta Sports Center – 4321 Delta

Click here to follow the original article.

ABC News

Actress Kaylee Hottle, known for her starring role in two “Godzilla” movies, died Tuesday in a car accident in Maryland at the age of 18, according to police.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ABC News that Hottle was one of two passengers in a car involved in a fatal single-vehicle collision early Tuesday morning.

Hottle was the only person in the car who died. A 19-year-old man, who was not identified, was driving the car and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

Actress Kaylee Hottle attends the world premiere of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on March 25, 2024.Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Excessive speed is “believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” police said.

Hottle was born into an all-deaf family that spans four generations on her father’s side, according to her IMDb.

The actress was best known for her role as Jia in the 2021 movie “Godzilla vs. Kong” and the 2024 sequel, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”

In a March 2024 interview on “Good Morning America,” Hottle described what her classmates thought of her “Godzilla” roles.

“They think it’s super cool,” she said. “They’re seeing one of their friends on the big screen, and it’s alongside Kong too.”

Kaylee Hottle, as Jia, in a scene from “Godzilla vs. Kong.”Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures via AP

Hottle’s father Joshua said in a Facebook video Tuesday that he was flying to Maryland after learning of his daughter’s death.

“I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” he captioned the video, in which he used American Sign Language.

Hottle’s school, Texas School for the Deaf, paid tribute to the 18-year-old on Tuesday.

The school said Hottle was enrolled there as a senior and described her death as a “tremendous loss” in a social media post.

“Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time,” the school wrote, adding, “Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together.”

ABC News has reached out to Hottle’s representative and father for comment.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mia Tricarico

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Popular Dry Goods building in Downtown El Paso will soon get a makeover. The building, which once hosted a Fallas Paredes location, has been there for more than 100 years.

The El Paso City Council recently greenlit an additional $1 million in city funds to subsidize the sweeping transformation of the historic building. The council previously approved a $6.72 million incentive package.

While the project promises to inject much-needed life and housing into the heart of the city, the growing reliance on taxpayer dollars is drawing scrutiny from local residents.

The pushback centers on a simple question: Why is local government injecting massive public funds into a private redevelopment project?

Because the Popular Dry Goods building is cemented on the National Register of Historic Places, the construction guidelines are rigid.

Developers can’t simply gut the building; they must restore and preserve its architectural integrity. This extra care raises construction costs and creates a financial gap developers claim they can’t bridge alone.

Despite the financial friction, city officials and urban planners argued leaving the iconic building empty is more costly in the long run.

A proposed transformation would bring “moderately apartments” to the Downtown area, according to developers. It’s completion date is set for 2028.

In May 2025, Grayce Property Consultants said the building was sold.

Click here to follow the original article.

Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Tuesday, El Paso Community College (EPCC) held a grand opening, ribbon cutting for the Tejano Esports Hive — a central video gaming location for the college’s newest sport at the Valle Verde campus’ student union.

Starting this fall, EPCC will now have an official varsity program where student athletes compete in video games in teams with other colleges.

About 200 other school across the nation will make the league called the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE).

The Hive consists of 14 gaming computers for the student athletes and will serve as the competition area for their inaugural 2026 season. There are also computers that all students can play on.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nina Gallegos

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – On Tuesday, the El Paso City Council did not second an item that would ban cellphones and electronic devices on the dais during meetings.

District 7 Representative Lily Limón proposed the item after community members expressed frustrations during public comment. People said they felt disrespected as mayor and council were not paying attention to the speakers because they were focused on their phones, according to the item.

D7 – ASF use of cellphones and electronic devicesDownload

The City of El Paso Code of Conduct said during public meetings, council members must “practice civility, professionalism, and decorum during discussions and debate.”

It also says council members must be respectful of everyone’s time.

The item said council members being on their phones is a “clear violation of the Open Meetings Act and goes against our rules of conduct.”

Council’s reason for not taking the item was that there are already guidelines in place to prevent council members from being on their phones.

Rep. Limón asked El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson how he’s enforcing those rules.

“This is not to implement a new rule. This is simply the question now, mayor to you becomes, how are we going to enforce that rule that we have,” Limón asked.

“Well, the the answer is that we already have rules of order that address this. And and if I see it happening, I will certainly address it on the dias,” Mayor Johnson answered.

When asked about the rule’s lack of enforcement, Johnson said, “I’m conducting a meeting and I’m not looking for the cell phone use.”

During public comment on the item, one community member pointed out City Attorney Karla Nieman for being on her cellphone during meetings for personal use.

“I have photographs a few years ago, prior to when those reservations covers report when Karla Nieman was sitting there on scrolling Facebook and on messenger. And I sat there in the peanut gallery making comments behind her, ‘Facebook? Is that what we pay you for,?'” someone said during public comment.

City Spokesperson Cruz-Acosta explained that the Texas Open Meeting Act specifically outlines guidelines for elected officials, which means it does not apply to city staff.

Cruz-Acosta further noted that city staff, such as the city attorney, are expected to continue their work during meetings.

“The work doesn’t stop for us. We’re actually multitasking,” Cruz-Acosta said.

Mayor Johnson pointed out Section 16 of the Rules of Order.

“Electronic devices within Council chambers shall be used in accordance with all established City practices and procedures and as directed by Information Technology Department staff providing support services during a meeting.

City staff, other than the dignitary protection officers, and members of the public shall turn off the signals of all pagers, cellular telephones and other devices capable of making an audible signal and shall not make or take any telephone calls while in Council chambers once a Council meeting has been called to order.

Members of the City Council shall not use any electronic devices other than the desktop computers provided by the City of El Paso located at their seats during any City Council meeting or City Council work sessions.

The use of communication devices of any kind, including but not limited to: handheld portable communication devices, cellphones, computers, tablets, laptops, watches, etc. is expressly prohibited during City Council meetings and shall not be allowed in the room during closed sessions unless they are being used to aid in executive session presentations.

If the City Council member needs to take a telephone call, respond to a text message, etc. during a meeting, he or she must excuse themselves from the dais or room where the closed session is taking place to engage in that communication.

The use of the desktop computers during City Council shall be limited to voting, viewing presentations, research to aid the council member and communication via email to staff. During meetings, City Council members shall not text, tweet, blog, post on Facebook, Instagram or use any other social media platform.”

The item to ban cellphones during city council meetings will not move forward.

ABC-7 will reach out to the mayor and council members to ask how they plan to enforce the existing rules moving forward.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX ( KVIA-TV)- Veterans can meet with a VA representative to submit a PACT Act claim or learn more about VA health care benefits and eligibility.

Families are welcome to attend a Veteran resource fair, arts and humanities fair, and a special Veteran Car Show.

Free back-to-school supplies will be available for children who are present, while supplies last. Enjoy food trucks and live music from the 1 AD band. The event takes place on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. El Paso VA Main Facility, 5001 N. Piedras, El Paso, TX 79930.

Click here to follow the original article.

El Paso Matters

by Priscilla Totiyapungprasert

El Paso City Council candidate Arturo Alluin spent thousands of dollars in campaign funds on clothing and restaurants, according to his campaign finance report filed July 16, raising legal and ethical questions about the expenditures.

Alluin is running to represent District 8, which includes Downtown, the Southside and Westside. Alluin owns several restaurants in El Paso: Sushiitto in Downtown; Mykonos Mediterranean Steakhouse, formerly known as Meduza, on the Westside; and the Melting Pot located at the Fountains at Farah.

The businessman has raised more than $30,200 in monetary contributions, loaned his campaign $35,000 and spent $42,750 so far on his bid for office. More than $6,000 of his expenditures went to restaurants, including Cafe Central, Los Arcos in Ciudad Juárez and his own restaurants Mykonos and Sushiitto. Alluin often paid for food and beverages using personal funds and reimbursed himself.

The law prohibits a candidate from using campaign contributions to pay a business they own for personal services, but campaign services are allowed as long as the reimbursement doesn’t exceed the expenditure, said James Tinley, executive director for the Texas Ethics Commission.

Tinley declined to comment specifically on Alluin’s finances.

“I would have advised him not to claim,” said Roger Borgelt, an Austin-based attorney who practices in campaign finance. “I think it can be misconstrued as a personal benefit. That’s kind of a gray area … It doesn’t look good.”

El Paso political blogger Jaime Abeytia first reported on some of Alluin’s campaign expenditures.

Filing season for the Nov. 3 election officially opened Saturday, though Alluin filed his campaign treasurer report in February, allowing him to begin fundraising then. Matthew Guzman has also filed a campaign treasurer report for his candidacy for the seat. The District 8 seat is currently held by city Rep. Chris Canales, who has not filed to run for reelection as of July 20.

Alluin said he met with a variety of people and groups at restaurants, including government officials, local representatives, news reporters, neighborhood associations and unions. Alluin said he didn’t think hosting campaign activities at his restaurants benefited him personally because he applied a 50% discount to meals, meaning his business took a loss with each expenditure because of the operating margins, he said.

Borgelt said the 50% discount covers the candidate pretty well, but, “We just have to assume that that’s true.”

No state law prohibits candidates from campaigning abroad, though they cannot accept donations from foreign nationals.

Alluin said he met with constituents who were U.S. citizens in Juárez because they own maquilas on both sides of the border and it was sometimes easier to meet them for lunch in Juárez. Neither he nor his family own the Juárez restaurants listed in campaign expenditures, Alluin said.

“I’m not doing anything out of line,” Alluin said. “I’ve been living on the border my whole life and as a community I think it’s important to hear everybody’s side of where we want to go, especially business owners that have businesses on both sides of the region.”

Elsewhere in Alluin’s campaign finance report he lists multiple expenditures for “campaign clothing” at Brooks Brothers and Dillard’s, totaling more than $2,500.

Generally, campaign contributions cannot be used to purchase clothing that is adaptable to ordinary use, including business attire, Tinley said.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” Alluin said.

Alluin purchased suit attire, such as dress shirts and pants, because he “didn’t dress like this before” and those clothes are part of a candidate’s “uniform,” he said. Alluin said he had campaign shirts made, though he doesn’t think they were made at Brooks Brothers or Dillard’s.

Borgelt said he didn’t think that was an acceptable use of campaign funds. Clothing, even when worn for a campaign, is a personal expenditure unless it’s something such as a T-shirt with a campaign logo on it, he said.

More than $10,000 in expenditures also went to Isabel Salcido, a former city representative who made an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2024. Salcido acted as a campaign advisor and provided marketing material, according to the report.

Salcido said she only advised Alluin on some questions and was not his campaign manager. Alluin said he reached out to Salcido for help getting his campaign started because she had experience running for office, but he acts as his own campaign manager.

In addition to his monetary contributions and loans, Alluin received $3,500 in in-kind contributions, one of which was $1,000 worth of “hair look for social media” from a local hairdresser. Alluin said the hairdresser has been cutting his hair for the last 15 years, but since he wasn’t able to make a monetary donation, he is contributing by giving Alluin a free haircut about every two weeks.

Borgelt questioned whether Alluin even needed to report the contribution because it was for personal services and he wasn’t sure how haircuts qualified as campaign finance.

“People are permitted to donate their personal services in connection with a campaign,” Tinsley said. “Whether a particular expense is ‘in connection with a campaign’ is a fact question.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

CHAMBERINO, New Mexico (KVIA) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a final investigation report about a deadly plane that killed a Las Cruces man two years ago. It happened during a training session at the Dona Ana County International Jetport.

June 2024, a plane crashed on the mesa west of Chamberino, New Mexico, killing 28-year-old Alberto Lozano of Las Cruces, as ABC-7 previously reported. He crashed during his first solo flight in the plane’s type, according to the NTSB report.

Chamberino is about 18 miles north of the jetport.

The report, published July 2, listed the probable cause as an aerodynamic stall and loss of control, but could not determine the reasons based on the available information.

Lozano flew the plane to gain experience in a turbine-powered agricultural plane, according to the report. The chief pilot told him to fly “a couple thousand feet,” practice turns, climbs, descents and return to the airport.

During the flight, the chief pilot and Lozano had difficulty communicating by radio, according to the report. The chief pilot texted Lozano asking if he could hear him, and Lozano said he could barely hear the radio.

The chief pilot told Lozano he may have to communicate by texting, according to the report.

Lozano texted the chief pilot, “It shakes a little bit, I don’t know if its norma.

The chief pilot said it was “just a lot of horsepower on the front of the plane.”

Shortly after, the chief pilot saw smoke near the area where Lozano flew, according to the report.

A witness, a former pilot, said he saw the plane flying about 600 feet above ground and the engine sounded normal, the report said.

Another witness said he saw the plane “rocked its wings left to right several times,” according to the report.

The report further said a mechanic who performed the most recent maintenance on the plane said she made a list of maintenance items that were performed, but she didn’t finish the annual inspection. She also said she didn’t have the official manufacturer maintenance manual to reference while performing maintenance, NTSB said.

The crash happened during the plane’s first flight since maintenance, the report said. The mechanic reportedly didn’t sign off the maintenance, according to the chief pilot.

When asked why he decided to fly the plane when the annual inspection wasn’t complete, the chief pilot said the plane had been “looked over” with no issues identified, the report said. He said it was his decision and the plane flew to the departure airport on a special fight permit.

According to an autopsy report by the New Mexico State Office of the Medical Investigator, the cause of Lozano’s death included thermal injuries, inhalation of products of combustion and blunt trauma.

Click here to follow the original article.