Category: kvia-local-news

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for a deadly shooting in a case that had been pending for more than four years. The 34th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday Carlos Sifuentes was 18 years old at the time of the shooting in 2022.

The district attorney’s office said Sifuentes pleaded guilty for shooting and killing 43-year-old Jade Ruiz in her Socorro home on Feb. 2022.

Evidence showed Sifuentes planned to rob Ruiz’ son and was interrupted when she came to the back door of her home. He shot her once, the district attorney’s office said.

“Jade Ruiz’s family has waited years for justice. We are grateful to the prosecutors andinvestigators who stayed with this case until it was resolved,” District Attorney James Montoyasaid. “This conviction reflects our Office’s continued commitment to holding violent offendersaccountable, no matter how long it takes.”

The district attorney’s office said the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit investigated the case.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — The Las Cruces Police Department posted a Facebook video Tuesday showing officers arresting and taking illegal guns from suspects 21 years old and younger.

According to the post, on May 9, officers found a car that drove away from police just after 3 a.m. Police said the car didn’t have headlights on and drove at a high speed.

Police said suspects abandoned the car and ran away. They tracked the suspects and found them at an apartment complex on Solano Drive.

The chase led to officers taking several illegal guns, ammunition and AR-style magazines pictured below:

Courtesy: LCPD

Courtesy: LCPD

Police said the case involved suspects 21 and younger, some of which were convicted felons.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

(KVIA) — Spray parks and pools are set to welcome Borderland residents for Memorial Day Weekend. The City of El Paso said the holiday weekend will kick off the season for all city spray parks. There are also several pools opening for the weekend in Las Cruces.

Pools in El Paso County

El Paso County said the following pools will open for the weekend:

Ascarate Aquatic Center, 6900 Delta Dr.

Adult admission costs $3; youth admission costs $2

Canutillo Pool, 7351 Bosque Rd. in Canutillo

Adult admission costs $2; youth admission costs $1

Fabens Veterans Pool, 526 NE G Ave. in Fabens

Adult admission costs $2; youth admission costs $1

Spray parks in El Paso

According to the City of El Paso, there are nine city-operated spray parks and two splash pads opening this weekend:

Chamizal Community Center, 2119 Cypress Ave.

Sue Young Park, 9730 Diana Dr.

Hidden Valley Spray Park, 200 Coconut Tree Ln.

Grandview Spray Park, 3100 Jefferson Ave.

Pavo Real Enhanced Spray Park, 9301 Alameda Ave.

Westside Community Park, 7400 High Ridge Dr.

Marty Robbins Park, 11600 Vista Del Sol Dr.

Braden Aboud Memorial Park, 4325 River Bend Dr.

Salvador Rivas Jr. Park, 12480 Pebble Hills Blvd.

San Jacinto Plaza, 114 W Mills Ave. (splash pad)

El Paso Zoo Hunt Family Desert Springs, 4001 E. Paisano Dr. (splash pad)

Pavo Real Aquatic Center, 9301 Alameda Ave. (pool opens May 23 at noon)

Aquatic centers in Las Cruces

The City of Las Cruces said its aquatics facilities will have open swim sessions on these days and times:

East Mesa Bataan Memorial Pool, 6141 Reynolds Dr.

Saturday-Monday from noon-3 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Laabs Pool, 701 W. Picacho Ave.

Sunday-Monday from noon-3 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Regional Aquatic Center, 1401 E Hadley Ave.

Saturday: Fitness swim from 7:30-11:30 a.m. and open swim sessions from noon-3 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Sunday: Open swim sessions from noon-3 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Monday: Fitness swim from 7:30-11:30 a.m. and open swim sessions from noon-3 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Las Cruces Natatorium, 1405 E. Hadley Ave.

Saturday: 8 a.m. to noon

Sunday: Closed

Monday: 6-11 a.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

Carpio Griego

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — The Las Cruces Utilities Department has a program meant to reduce residents’ carbon footprint by recycling their yard and food waste into compost. The compost goes back to customers for free.

A recent grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture helped expand the program to include food waste.

Las Cruces Utilities Deputy Director of Solid Waste, Carl Pierce, said these steps towards sustainability is important for future generations because with out it, “there will be nothing left.”

Pierce said sustainability is important to the Las Cruces area, but also said everyone should transition to more sustainable choices. He said composting gives the landfill waste a second life.

Environmental impact is also important to Pierce. He said rising temperatures and scarcity of water in areas like Las Cruces making programs like this more important than ever.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso Fire Department’s FireSTAR helicopter airlifted someone near Parkland High School in Northeast El Paso Tuesday.

EPFD said it happened after a motorcycle crash. It said the school was not involved in the crash and the school’s field was used to land the helicopter.

Click here to follow the original article.

Yvonne Suarez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The City of El Paso confirmed Monday the El Paso Zoo is taking steps to regain national accreditation.

The zoo is working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since a January 2024 accreditation review highlighted facility maintenance, safety protocols, animal care area conditions, and staff training issues.

The zoo is working with an AZA accreditation mentor as part of the AZA’s Pathway Toward Membership program. The program helps the zoo prepare for reaccreditation and identifies areas where the zoo can improve and reviews progress as it attempts to reach AZA standards.

Past reviews identified animal holding and habitat improvements, facility maintenance, emergency protocols, risk management, and proper documentation as areas where the zoo needed to improve before meeting standards.

Laura Cruz-Acosta, a spokeswoman with the City of El Paso, said a third-party consultant was brought in to “support a review of the zoo’s organizational culture, with focus on employee engagement, leadership development and shared values.”

On September 2025, then El Paso Zoo Director, Joe Montisano, was put on “temporary administrative leave” then officially resigned on Nov. 19, 2025.

The director position has remained opened since. The City of El Paso has recruitment efforts underway for a permanent director and they expect the search to conclude later this year, according to Cruz-Acosta.

“The City remains committed to supporting the Zoo, its staff, and the ongoing work to strengthen animal welfare, guest safety, conservation, and education,” she added.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

ALBUQUERQUE (KVIA) — The state of New Mexico launched an informational website about New World screwworm, the state’s Department of Agriculture said Monday. The site tells users how to identify infestations, protect people, animals and report suspected cases.

NWS is a parasitic fly. Larvae infest open wounds, which can be fatal if untreated, and mostly affect livestock. NMDA said it can affect humans in rare cases.

“Be alert, not alarmed — early detection and strong communication are vital to protecting animals and public health,” New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff White said.

The website includes information on the animal health and economic risks the parasite could bring.

You can find information and resources on NWS using the new website.

In July 2025, NWS shut down the Santa Teresa livestock crossing, which hurt local cattle importers financially.

Click here to follow the original article.

Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – The El Paso County Commissioners Court received a presentation Monday from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office regarding Texas Senate Bill 8, a state law enforced by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

SB 8 requires sheriffs in counties with populations over 10,000 to enter into 287(g) agreements with ICE

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

SANTA FE, N.M. (KVIA) — Monday, the New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously ruled to keep a Doña Ana County man’s intentional child abuse conviction in the death of a 2-year-old in Las Cruces.

The state supreme court said it rejected Lalo Anthony Castrillo IV’s arguments that there wasn’t enough evidence that he caused the child’s death and he was wrongly denied a new trial.

Castrillo requested a new trial based on a photo the child’s mother posted after the trial. The court said it showed the child with a bruise on her head. Justices said the photo was taken six months before the victim’s death.

“Because the photo was taken months before both Victim’s death and the two earlier injuries Defendant claims caused her death, we conclude that the evidence was not material and therefore that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Defendant’s motion for a new trial,” the court said.

An autopsy listed head and brain injuries that happened about the time of the child’s death. A doctor with the Office of the Medical Investigator said “blunt injuries to her head” caused the child’s death.

Justice Briana Zamora wrote in the court decision that the injuries weren’t accidental and the injuries happened when the child was under Castrillo’s care in 2018.

The child died when Castrillo babysat her while the mother, his girlfriend, worked, the court said.

The court also said Castrillo didn’t call 911 for more than an hour after finding the child in distress. The court said he looked up “how to get blood pu[m]ping w[hen] child in shock” online during part of that time.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 60-year-old man with several active warrants, including for manslaughter.

EPCSO said Saturday, deputies stopped William Tudmon’s truck for a broken light. After investigating, deputies found out he had several warrants out of Milam County, Texas.

The warrants included several counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, manslaughter and aggravated assault. Deputies arrested and booked Tudmon into the county detention facility on the warrants without bond.

Click here to follow the original article.