Category: kvia-local-news

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Students at El Paso Community College have a new space to study in. Tuesday, evolve Federal Credit Union held a grand opening of a new student lounge at the Valle Verde Campus.

An evolve spokesperson said the lounge was built to be a relaxing getaway for students, but it also offers financial resources.

Any student can use the space, but evolve said a specialist will help elvolve members with online banking services. The specialist can also help students learn about opening an account with the credit union.

Students can also take financial literacy workshops at the lounge, which has an ATM machine.

At the lounge, students can find activities to unwind. The lounge has free books, board games and coloring books. Students in need of a boost of energy can find a coffee bar at the lounge, equipped with flavored syrups.

The evolve Lounge is tucked in the Student Services Center at the EPCC Valle Verde campus.

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Gabrielle Lopez

DONA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KVIA) — After storms and flooding in Doña Ana County, the county asked residents to share their experiences with roadway hazards.

The county said Road Ready: Road Network Resilience Plan, offers a survey for residents to fill out through Nov. 1. They can also drop a pin to let the county know where any roadway hazard is and how they affect the community.

“Through Route Ready, the County is gathering local experiences to better understand roadway vulnerabilities, access challenges and community connectivity,” the county said in a statement.

Find Route Ready here.

Federal funds run Road Ready, according to the county. The county said Route Ready is a planning effort, not a construction project. The final plan will guide future transportation decisions, project development and funding opportunities.

“The Route Ready Plan will help Doña Ana County better understand where the road network is most vulnerable and identify strategies to strengthen long-term access, connectivity and resilience,” the county’s website read.

Route Ready’s website said the plan will study road hazards, future conditions, emergency routes and how roads connect to essential services, including schools and health care.

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Gabrielle Lopez

SANTA FE, N.M. (KVIA) — Wednesday, a judge ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion in civil penalties after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy policies on Facebook.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the verdict in the state’s landmark Cambridge Analytica case against Facebook.

The New Mexico Department of Justice said Facebook committed 43,899,725 violations of New Mexico law.

“We took on one of the largest companies in the world because New Mexicans deserve honesty, accountability, and the protection of their personal information. Today’s result makes clear that no corporation is too powerful to be held accountable,” Torrez said in a statement.

NMDOJ said the Cambridge Analytica data breach involved the misuse of personal information collected through Facebook. Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, took Facebook user data to make targeted political ads for the 2016 election.

The state challenged Facebook’s representations to consumers about its data practices and efforts to address misinformation.

In the first phase of the trial, a New Mexico jury found that Facebook violated the State’s Unfair Practices Act 43,899,725 times. A trial examined the company’s statements and practices about user privacy, third-party access to personal information and handling of harmful content.

The state’s allegations were tested in court, and Facebook was held accountable under New Mexico law.

NMDOJ said the state secured one of the largest financial penalties against a corporation in U.S. history.

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Nina Gallegos

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Department began commercial vehicle inspections along Transmountain Road as part of an initiative to reduce crashes in the area.

Retired truck driver Sebastian Arellano said crashes like this are preventable.

“It’s such a tragic accident and did not have to happen. It did not have to happen,” Arellano said.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson announced the initiative Tuesday after a deadly eight-vehicle crash at Loop 375 and North Desert Boulevard. Police said a semi’s brakes failed before it charged down the road, causing seven other vehicles to crash.

“Effective immediately, the El Paso Police Department’s commercial vehicle inspection inspectors going to start inspecting vehicles, commercial vehicles that are going up on Transmountain Road,” Mayor Johnson said at the news conference.

The El Paso Police Department started inspecting commercial vehicles on Transmountain in an enhanced safety effort.

El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas said police have worked with the state in the past by putting up signage, directing semis to runaway ramps. Despite those initiatives, he said there are still people getting killed.

“So we’re stepping up the enforcement to make sure that these vehicles are safe on there,” Chief Pacillas said.

Pacillas said police will be looking for commercial vehicles that certified inspectors can pull over.

According to Sergeant Robert Gomez, police can conduct an inspection at any time. Gomez said the El Paso Police Department currently only has six certified inspectors.

He says they won’t stop every commercial vehicle, but the goal is for drivers to be in compliance of regulations.

When stopped, police are looking for safety measures like brakes, lights, seatbelts and couplers. Sergeant Gomez says the officer will not only check the driver’s logbook but will get underneath the vehicle to check components of the vehicle.

Sergeant Gomez says if a commercial vehicle is deemed unsafe during the inspection, an officer will give the driver the opportunity to fix the vehicle on the side of the road.

If the driver is unable to correct the violation on the side of the road, he says a commercial vehicle truck will be called to move the truck off the side of the road.

A semi under inspection on Transmountain Road.

Sergeant Gomez says vehicles that are deemed unsafe face Class C citations. He says the cost of those citations can get up to $500.

Arellano says that cost is a lot higher than if a truck driver were to check their vehicle before getting on the road.

“So here we go again. You didn’t take care of it before you left. Now it’s costing them in a lot more money than the minutes it would have taken them to just take care of this,” Arellano said.

Arellano says the time it takes to check the brakes beforehand is worth it.

“It’s going to take time. Let me tell you, what’s it going to cost you more? Waiting an hour or two, spending 300 bucks on a mechanic or replacing brakes or whatever, or the amount of money that is paid off when a when somebody perishes during a truck accident,” Arellano said.

Tuesday, Pacillas urged drivers to give inspection crews the space they need and to expect possible congestion in the area.

In response to questions about why semis aren’t diverted from using transmountain all together, spokesperson Lauren Macias-Cervantes said “the department generally does not have the authority to prohibit the use of a state highway by a class of vehicles that are operating within applicable legal size and weight limits.”

She went on to say local governments may request traffic restrictions, but it will require review and approval through the appropriate transportation authorities.

Arellano said what police are doing is just the beginning.

“This is a great start. It’s a great start, but it’s so much more,” Arellano said.

ABC-7 has reached out to the El Paso Sheriff’s Department, El Paso Police Department, Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Department of Transportation to learn the protocol for stopping tractor-trailers and semis, what is being checked, and which citations drivers are at risk of receiving.

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Gabrielle Lopez

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KVIA) — Wednesday, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced a federal civil lawsuit against two men associated with Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit seeks to block estate payments and recover damages for survivors.

Torrez named Darren Indyke, Epstein’s personal attorney, and accountant Richard Kahn in the complaint. The New Mexico Department of Justice alleged that Epstein ran a sex trafficking operation that Indyke and Kahn knowingly participated in. They allegedly used their positions and Epstein’s accounts to finance and conceal the abuse.

“Jeffrey Epstein did not operate alone, and his death does not end the pursuit of accountability for the people who helped make his crimes possible,” said Attorney General Torrez.

The lawsuit alleged the men managed financial accounts and authorized transactions connected to the trafficking operation.

Indyke and Kahn denied any knowledge or participation in Epstein’s trafficking. They testified before the House Oversight Committee earlier this year.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse joined the attorney general at the announcement.

“My hope is there can be some measure of accountability and some measure of justice,” Torrez said at Wednesday’s news conference.

The lawsuit asks the court to:

Prevent payments from Epstein’s estate to Indyke and Kahn while the litigation proceeds. Restrict their ability to authorize and receive estate payments. Declare that they engaged in racketeering and trafficking activity in violation of state and federal law. Require them to divest Epstein-related interests and restrict certain future investment activity. Award compensatory and punitive damages, restitution, and disgorgement of benefits to survivors, including treble damages under state racketeering law.

On Oct. 16, Torrez joined a coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to congressional leadership urging them to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act II. The NMDOJ said the legislation would give state attorneys general and survivors the power to enforce the transparency Congress demanded.

The original Epstein Files Transparency Act went into effect in November 2025. It gave the public access to the full investigative record of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. The law required the U.S. Department of Justice to to make the files publicly available by Dec. 19, 2025.

Nearly a year later, the NMDOJ said the Justice Department still hasn’t released the files.

“Survivors deserve answers, not continued obstruction from a federal government with a responsibility to protect its citizens,” Torrez said in a news release.

Earlier this year, New Mexico reopened a criminal investigation into Zorro Ranch, a property Epstein owned outside of Santa Fe. Some alleged victims said they were sexually abused there. Zorro Ranch was sold in 2023. The property’s new owner is cooperating with law enforcement.

The complaint announced Wednesday alleged some survivors were lured to Zorro Ranch with promises of educational, career or financial help.

NMDOJ alleged Indyke handled the 2011 transfer of Zorro Ranch title to a company Epstein controlled.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-The YWCA El Paso del Norte Region is gearing up for its seventeenth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser, set for Thursday, October 22, at San Jacinto Plaza.

The festivities begin with park and registration opening at 5:00 PM, followed by the signature walk at 6:00 PM. Participants are invited to form teams, register as individual walkers for $150, or simply attend as spectators free of charge. Registration is available online at www.ywcaelpaso.org. Interested corporate sponsors and attendees with questions are encouraged to contact walkamile@ywcaelpaso.org.

The highlight of the evening is men and boys donning red high heels and walking a mile to raise awareness and funds in support of survivors. “We appreciate the support we receive every year from men, boys, and families across our Borderplex Region who work with us in the fight to end domestic violence,” said YWCA CEO Sereka Barlow. “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an event that is more than the walk in red heels. It is a symbol of how far we are willing to go to help women and children who deserve safety and security.”

Immediately following the walk, participants and supporters can enjoy an after-party featuring live music, food trucks, and signature drinks.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international campaign, and in El Paso, it provides vital funding for YWCA’s Sara McKnight TLC and Supportive Housing Program, which provide refuge and support for women and children experiencing homelessness, often as a result of domestic abuse or other forms of violence.

For more information and to register, visit www.ywcaelpaso.org.

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Katrina Villarreal

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — One person was sent to the hospital with serious injuries after a motorcycle crash in East El Paso Wednesday morning.

The El Paso Fire Department said the call came in just before 4 a.m. It happened on Gateway East Boulevard and Hawkins Boulevard. The fire department also confirmed one person was hospitalized.

Officers at the scene of a motorcycle crash in East El Paso off Gateway East Boulevard and Hawkins.

The crash closed off all lanes on Gateway East; they reopened at 6 a.m.

This is a developing story.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chose El Paso to build its 10th temple in Texas, according to a news release.

The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to build the temple at the corner of Northern Pass Drive and Paso del Norte Boulevard in Northwest El Paso.

The church said the temple will be a single-story building spanning 22,300 square feet.

Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ from meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday services. Meetinghouses are used for worship services and weekday activities. They are open to the general public.

Temples are “special places of worship” for sacred ceremonies, the church said. When a temple is first built, it briefly opens for public tours. Once dedicated, attendance is reserved for “faithful members of the Church.”

The El Paso Texas Temple was first announced in October 2024, according to the church. It will be the 10th temple in the state. Other temples have been built in Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio and McAllen.

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Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Texas State Senator César Blanco, who represents El Paso in District 29, has announced a community meeting focused on presenting solutions to emergency preparedness at El Paso’s Marathon Refinery in South-Central El Paso.

This meeting comes just two weeks after Marathon held a town hall at Riverside High School discussing the issues and potential solutions following the Aug. 4 emissions event.

According to Sen. Blanco, the meeting is being labeled as a “Community Safety and Solutions Forum,” will be conducted alongside the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and other stakeholders to discuss “opportunities to strengthen communication, coordination, and emergency preparedness.” 

The forum will take place at the El Paso Community College Administrative Services Center on Viscount Boulevard. It’s scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

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Gabrielle Lopez

DONA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KVIA) — A train derailed in Doña Ana County Tuesday, according to a county social media post.

A train derailed in Doña Ana County. (Courtesy: Doña Ana County via Facebook)

The county posted a notice about the derailment around 2:30 p.m. Crews are on site to clear the area.

No injuries were reported.

A train derailed in Doña Ana County. (Courtesy: Doña Ana County via Facebook)

Doña Ana County said Doña Ana Road from Lujan Road to Highway 187 is closed. Drivers should avoid the area. The county said roads are expected to reopen by Friday afternoon.

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