Author: KVIA

Nicole Ardila

For all the art enthusiasts, the El Paso Museum of Art opened up new exhibits for their grand reopening on Feb. 14.

“Frida Kahlo — Sus Fotos” is a traveling exhibit from Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, and is now here in El Paso, but not for a long time.

ABC-7 got a preview of the exhibits before the opening, but filming was not allowed in the “Frida Kahlo — Sus Fotos” exhibit.

An interactive room showed what she’d have in her home, the vibrancy, and how she painted her iconic self-portraits in bed due to her disability.

The exhibit has more than 200 photographs she collected throughout her life from her childhood, her relationship with her husband Diego Rivera, her lovers, family, other artists and notorious public figures at the time.

“This is incredible exhibition to have at the museum, Frida is one of the most iconic artists of the 20th century — she’s intergenerational,” says EPMA senior curator Michael Reyes. “I think she can be recognized from the youngest of children to the oldest of adults. So this is really exciting to have families come in and view this work together and see iconography that we see every day and relate to it in their own personal way.”

Another new exhibit is by Suzi Davidoff, an artist with 30 plus years of practice.

Her exhibit “Wander” showcases her travels with about 100 individual pieces, displaying local and international flora and fauna. 

But it’s not just paint she uses, Davidoff collects dirt and other pigments from her hikes and travels to create a mixed media artwork.

Desert Rinpa is another gallery by Mitsumasa Overstreet, who’s another local artist incorporating southwest desert flora we see on the daily, but with a Japanese twist based on his heritage.

The museum curator is excited for the community to experience it all.

“It’s kind of amazing to see what flora and fauna that we can recognize in this,” says Reyes. “I think a lot of families will find it enjoyable to see things that they can connect to. And it’s also incredibly relaxing, I think individuals will come into the gallery and feel a sense of calm, almost like they’re on a hike themselves.”

The exhibits will remain open until May 17, and the museum always provides free entry.

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Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) — Las Cruces firefighters put out a house fire early Friday morning. It happened around 2 a.m. on the 800 block of N Miranda Street.

The City of Las Cruces Public Safety said firefighters controlled the fire within 20 minutes. No people were inside the home, but crews found three dogs. Two died, and the third was returned to its owner.

Two firefighters were injured. One went to a local hospital for treatment and was later released.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the city said.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — The Northern Economic Development Civil Association in Juárez (DENAC, Desarrollo Económico del Norte A.C.) is a Mexican firm that has been proposing the “Juárez-El Paso Express Tram,” a cross-border tramway that would directly connect El Paso International Airport with Abraham González International Airport in Juárez for those wishing to travel from both sides of the border.

The project is currently in its early planning stages, so for now it is just an idea/ However, DENAC business leaders believe it could boost business, travel and tourism in the border region.

DENAC officials told ABC-7 that the project aims to provide travelers with safer and faster transportation between airports and flights, facilitating access to more than 26 destinations in the United States, Mexico and other countries.

The mayor of Juárez, Cruz Pérez Cuéllar, has previously expressed his enthusiasm for the “super hub” concept. However, he also cautions that the final cost of this “Express Tram” could be high and would require additional funding.

ABC-7 spoke with Héctor Núñez Polanco, president of DENAC, and Javier Reyes, director of DENAC, to learn more about the proposed project and its current status regarding discussions with officials and local governments on both sides of the border.

Watch the full story tonight on ABC-7 at 5 and 6 p.m.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV) – Sergeant Major Janina Simmons says she was never really a big dreamer. ” I didn’t take anything seriously, I was very go home, chill out, and do nothing, I had zero ambitions for anything.”

She grew up in Germany. She and her sister were raised by her mother, who struggled with mental health. Her father was in her life, but traveled because of the military. At the age of sixteen, she moved to Colorado with her dad, a former drill sergeant. Simmons says she faced a new challenge, being one of the few black kids. “I was going through the motions, you’re a human being on earth, just go through the motions,” Simmons said.

She found new hope when she joined the U.S. Military. She’s traveled to Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, and served at Fort Bliss, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Simmons said, “What the Army did for me was give me something to strive for.”  She didn’t set out to make history, but she did; she became the first black female Army Ranger. “When you do something crass like that, I’m not sure that your wants to make history will get you through something as hard as that,” Simmons said.

According to army.mil women began graduating from the U.S. Army’s Ranger School in August 2015. Simmons became the first black woman to complete it in 2019. The U.S. Army website states that Ranger School is one of the Army’s most physically and mentally demanding leadership courses. “I think about my grandma, who was picking cotton in the field. It’s cool to know where we came from, and now I am the first woman to make history,” she stated. “I want to show people that we are limited to your color, your gender, there are no limitations, there’s just none. But one of her life’s toughest battles wasn’t in a combat zone. She said, “I had these lumps on my groin about the size of a grape.” Those lumps turned out to be a diagnosis of stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer.

Doctor Alex Flaris with the Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso says it’s a rare form of cancer that arises from cells that receive signals from nerves and release hormones. “A lot of patients don’t even realize there’s a problem, just vague pain, which you become accustomed to.”  According to the Cleveland Clinic, slow-growing tumors caught early can be surgically removed or treated with hormone inhibitors. Later-stage and rapidly growing tumors require more aggressive treatment. ” I have to get monthly injections; it doesn’t kill the cancer, but it contains it,” Simmons stated.

Her doctor told her she has about four years left to live, but she says she feels like she could live 10.In her free time, she’s also a marathon runner. That helps her stay focused and keep a clear mind.Although she is facing this off the battlefield, she has a strong support system, her family and friends. And now she’s making the most out of her time. Simmons is documenting her journey through a book. She hopes it will inspire people to find the light in the darkness and to keep moving forward despite the challenges. She says life is all about your mindset. “The most gratifying feeling you will have is after a time of turbulence. When you’re going through whatever, there’s a rainbow at the end, you just have to make it there.”  Janina tells me that her book, Draw Four,  will be out in a few months. She hopes it can help people understand that life is real: it will beat you down, but you have to keep moving, and success is at the end.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Independent School district confirmed with ABC-7 its Chief of Police. Manuel Chavira, will retire.

“We are grateful for his years of service and the leadership he has provided,” the school district said in a statement sent to ABC-7. “We thank him for his dedication to our students, staff, and community, and we wish him all the best in this next chapter.”

Chavira took the oath of office in January 2021, according to EPISD.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The City of El Paso announced a new nonstop Southwest Airlines service from the El Paso International Airport to the Nashville International Airport (BNA).

According to a press release, Southwest will start the service Oct. 1, 2026. The flights will operate Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. The city also announced these times:

Monday, Thursday and Friday:BNA to ELP: 1:05 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.ELP to BNA: 1:05 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Sunday:BNA to ELP: 9:00 p.m. – 11:05 p.m.ELP to BNA: 1:15 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.

The El Paso International Airport added increased frequencies for Southwest services to two popular routes.

Flights to Austin (AUS) now have four weekly flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Flights to Los Angeles (LAX) now have three flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. There are one to two weekly flights Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The University of Texas at El Paso announced its highest spring semester enrollment in its history Thursday.

According to the university, 24,901 students singed up for the spring 2026 semester — a 4.4% increase from spring 2025.

UTEP’s College of Nursing had one of the strongest gains with a 12.6% increase from spring 2025.

Along with enrollment, credit hours and undergraduate enrollment each increased by more than 5% from last year.

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Gabrielle Lopez

FABENS, Texas (KVIA) — A 23-year-old woman died after an ATV crash in Fabens Sunday, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened on Landfill Road. Investigators say the ATV traveled northbound with two riders. The Driver “failed to negotiate a curve” and hit an electrical pole. Both were ejected from the ATV.

The passengers went to the hospital, but one died to her injuries. EPCSO identified her as Cassandra Silva.

“This tragic incident serves as a reminder that ATVs are not designed or permitted for use on public roadways,” said Sheriff Oscar Ugarte.

EPCSO is still investigating the crash.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A 60-year-old woman from Juarez died after a car hit her on the I-10 Wednesday evening, according to the El Paso Police Department.

EPPD’s Special Traffic Investigation Unit responded to the collision at I-10 West at mile marker eight. Investigators said a car traveled westbound when the woman attempted to cross I-10.

The woman died to her injuries after life saving measures were attempted.

Police said this is the ninth traffic death of 2026, compared to six at this time last year.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Arrivals and departures at the El Paso International Airport have resumed, but not without delays to those originally scheduled to arrive in El Paso early Wednesday morning.

This after a Pentagon plan to use a high-energy, counter-drone laser without having coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration about potential risks to civilian flights prompted Wednesday’s unprecedented airspace shutdown over El Paso, Texas, told by multiple sources acording to CNN.

Those accounts come as the Trump administration has claimed that a Mexican cartel drone crossing into US airspace is what triggered the 10-mile restriction centered on El Paso International Airport.

Late Tuesday, the FAA abruptly issued a temporary flight restriction that immediately grounded all flights up to 18,000 feet around the city for 10 days, effectively shutting down El Paso International Airport.

Hours after the El Paso International Airport resumed, domestic and international flights arriving to the airport have experienced delays ranging from 2 to several hours later than originally scheduled.

ABC-7 spoke with some of the people impacted by these flights once they finally arrived in El Paso.

Gisele Pokorny, one of the passengers on a delayed flight arriving to the El Paso International Airport, told ABC-7 that her flight was originally scheduled to depart from Houston at 10:00 am. 

After hours of waiting, she finally arrived to El Paso around 1 PM. She says she remembers passengers on the plane saying how stressed they were by the delay and that they wanted to get back to their families as soon as possible. Now that she’s finally home, one of the first things she plans on doing, is grabbing a subway sandwich.

“I feel way better now that I have arrived. I’m going to take a hot shower and I’m going to eat some subway sandwich. And I’m just going to relax,” Gisele Pokorny told ABC-7 during an interview.

Another passenger on a delayed flight arriving to the El Paso International Airport told ABC-7 he arrived hours later on his flight from Denver than originally scheduled.

In an interview with ABC-7, Robert Ahuja said he woke up at 5:30 AM to check the news before his flight. That’s when he saw all flights to and from the El Paso International Airport had been suspended. Ahuja says he then spent the next hour on the phone with United Airlines to cancel his flight and get his refund. Four minutes later, they lifted the suspension. Ahuja spent the next 3 hours rebooking his flight to El Paso after canceling it.

All this on his way to Mexico City to see his girlfriend. 

“I would have missed Valentine’s Day with my girlfriend, so it would have been a bad time for me,” Ahuja told ABC-7.

Some flight originally scheduled to arrive to the El Paso International Airport this morning are now expected to be arrive in the afternoon and even evening hours.

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