Category: kvia-local-news

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- Emergency situations can occur anywhere, including in places we generally consider safe, such as schools, places of worship, and community centers.

The ProAction Emergency Services Institute, a licensed provider, aims to help people react quickly when it matters most. It provides STOP THE BLEED training for high school students and for the wider community.

You can get signed up by clicking on this link:

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-TxDOT El Paso is letting drivers know that I-10 East at Anthony will be closed overnight for two weeks so crews can place bridge beams.

According to TxDot El Paso, the closures are scheduled for Thursday, July 30, and from Sunday, August 2 through Thursday, August 6, near Anthony. Fourteen bridges are being rebuilt as part of this widening project. The seven eastbound bridges are now ready for beams. The first bridge is just past the state line, and the seventh is south of Vinton. Crews need to do a lot of prep work to make sure the beams are placed safely.

Crews will place the beams over the next two weeks. The seventh bridge will be the last one to get its girders. Right now, forms are still covering the caps as they continue to strengthen.

At the same site, workers are using hand tools to finish up the details.

To complete the beam work, I-10 eastbound will be closed overnight at Anthony for two weeks. Drivers will be detoured to South Desert, so please plan ahead. In lanes, crews are still carrying out work, and preparations are underway for future paving.

TxDot says once crews are done placing beams, they’ll continue with bridge work. Bridges on the westbound side still need work; they won’t be ready for placement until the fall.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX( KVIA-TV)- The El Paso Summer Coin Show will be taking place on Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2 at the Airport Marriott, located at 1600 Airways Boulevard in El Paso, and we are inviting coin collectors, history enthusiasts, and families to attend.

Observe the interesting world of coins and numismatics. The exhibition will include dealers from Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and other states, providing a wide range of rare coins, currency, bullion, and collectibles.

The fee is $5 for a single day or $7 for two days and children can enter for free if they are with a paying adult.

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Carpio Griego

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — A professor at New Mexico State University wants to find a way to make ice cream stick around a little longer. Thanks to funding by Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Sergio Martinez-Monteagudo’s idea turned into a reality.

He developed the project with the help of six graduate students. ABC-7 spoke with three of them before they graduated this summer.

Muhemmad Azeem Urnrehmen Alvi, Nana Nkansah, and Olatunde Ojo all had their own projects to do as part of the team.

The concept sprouted when Martinez-Monteagudo realizing that there was a hole in the ice cream industry.

“We started talking about different innovation and what is new in terms of making ice cream that can provide a cutting edge,” Martinez-Monteagudo said. “I came up with some ideas, and one was to modify the proteins in a unique way so that you can bind water stronger so when it melts, it takes longer to separate.”

There was a secondary reason Martinez-Monteagudo began this research journey with his students: his concern for the issues of food waste and sustainability.

“One of the biggest problems in the world is food waste. So we reduce that and it has significant implications on sustainability, economic and overall well-being,” Martinez-Monteagudo said.

“When I think of it, we’re talking about next generation, not just myself when I leave,” Martinez-Monteagudo added. “It’s thinking about the next generation and following that has to have the resources to survive and basically have a quality of life.”

Martinez-Monteagudo worked with his team of graduate students to create the modified proteins this new ice cream required, which the lab equipment was eventually able to do even though it was on a small scale.

The equipment cracked the code by allowing the team to insert what in this case was ice cream mix and start a process that changes the proteins to allow them to have a stronger bond to water once they are re-frozen, the key to making the ice cream last longer.

One of the graduate students on the team, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering Muhemmad Azeem Urnrehmen Alvi, told ABC-7 that once he found out about the project, he thought it was too “sweet’ to pass up.

“I was really excited when I started working on this project because I love the ice cream,” Alvi said. “I was working with the polymers and you can’t eat your research but in this case I can.”

The team was able to find a template for their product by sampling 36 kinds of ice cream and mapping out each ones melting curve.

By the end, they were able to produce a batch of ice cream that lasted three hours.

When research and hours in a lab can result in something like a potential change in the formula for a major manufacturer like Blue Bunny, Alvi told ABC-7 it makes him happy.

“That’s a different kind of happiness,” Alvi said. “From the ideation or conceptual basis, you think and then you research how to create that and then to have the product in your hands is the utmost happiness.”

There is another aspect to address the line waste concerns Martinez-Monteagudo outlined.

The alternative process involves extracting milk fat for the express use of re-using it in another batch of ice cream. Graduate student Nana Nkansah took charge of that job.

“This topic is not something that’s out there,” Nkansah said. “You could search online, but not really find data on how to extract fat from ice cream. So when we began, it was a little bit challenging because it’s kind of noville because nobody’s doing it.”

Nkansah showed ABC-7 some of the final product, which only filled half a mason jar. He said the purity was essential for the ability to re-use this fat.

But before any fat extraction was possible, the team needed to add proteins for stabilization, which was Olatunde Ojo’s job.

Ojo’s equipment is able to map the movement of the proteins and track the time until the foam returns to a liquid state.

In all, that allows Ojo to track how long the batch lasts before it melts.

The team’s work aims to make ice cream last longer, but also bring change by reducing food waste.

Martinez-Monteagudo knows these issues can’t be solved with just one blanket, but he hopes his work can be a step in the right direction.

“Every improvement helps it doesn’t matter if it’s small or big, the subtle changes that people don’t realize will be a lot easier to implement,” professor Martinez-Monteagudo said. “I want to inspire or create awareness that there are ways to solve problems. I will not be one big solution at one time, it will be step by step.”

Martinez-Monteagudo said working with the graduate students is why he got into into academia in the first place.

“The way I look at it is I’m working with the leaders of the next generation of leaders that this country needed that this place needs,” professor Martinez-Monteagudo said. “With my students, I put a lot of attention on the mentoring aspect. How are you going to critically think about how are you going to solve a problem?”

Watch “Meltless Mission” Thursday on ABC-7 at 6 p.m.

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Armando Ramirez

UPDATE (6:25 PM) — The El Paso Police Department has identified the motorcyclist as Isaiah Nathaniel Coronado.

PHOTO COURTESY: EPPD

Police says he is facing Evading Arrest Detention w/Vehicle.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso Police Department (EPPD) released body camera footage on social media Tuesday showing a high-speed chase involving a motorcycle.

EPPD said in the post the motorcyclist fled from officers near Zaragoza and I-10 East on July 16.

In the body camera footage, a motorcyclist can be seen passing the an officer on a motorcycle at a high rate of speed, who tried issuing a traffic stop.

The motorcyclist is seen in the video maneuvering around traffic in the area and eventually loses control of the motorcycle and crashes.

One officer’s body camera shows the officer ordering the motorcyclist to get on the ground and tackles the motorcyclist. More officers arrived at the scene and placed the individual in handcuffs.

Below is the edited video that the department released reminding drivers not to make a “minor mistake into a felony.”

(Courtesy: EPPD)

ABC-7 has reached out to the EPPD for more information regarding the chase.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to keep Camp East Montana open for at least another year with Amentum Services, according to documents published last Wednesday. It argued full and open competition can’t be used, and no other contractor can meet the agency’s needs in the documents.

ICE plans to extend the contract with Amentum Services at a possible cost of $776 million, according to a notice.

Amentum was initially awarded the contract in March, which was at $452 million. The company took over Camp East Montana after the previous contractor, Acquisition Logistics, had its contract reviewed.

Amentum’s contract will be more than $1.2 billion if it operates the detention facility through September 2027, according to documents.

“The acquisition is critical to maintaining uninterrupted detention operations following contract termination, ensuring ICE’s statutory mandate for the custody and removal of individuals subject to immigration proceedings,” ICE said in the notice.

The notice also said the contractor must “demonstrate the capacity for rapid operational transition and sustained adherence to all regulatory and performance requirements.”

Acquisition’s contract was worth $1.2 billion and was set to expire in September 2027.

In the notice, ICE said Amentum meets the qualifications to provide “uninterrupted detention and facility management services at Camp East Montana.”

ICE also mentioned a lack of alternative bedspace available nationwide, and said no other contractor can provide services without “significant risk to detainee welfare.”

The agency said it tried looking into a different provider or moving detainees, but determined those choices “impracticable.”

In addition to risking detainees’ well-being, the notice said a lapse in contract could expose the government to substantial operational, legal and humanitarian risks.

“Therefore, Amentum is the only available responsible source that can fulfill the agency’s immediate and critical requirements,” the notice said. “The sole source action is necessary to maintain continuity of operations, protect detainee welfare, and uphold ICE’s statutory mandate.”

ICE said the government will continue to surveil the marketplace and conduct market research to look for possible measures for removing or overcoming competition barriers in future acquisitions.

In addition, the agency said it will monitor industry developments and Performance Work Statement (PWS) to make sure it meets operational needs and doesn’t restrict competition.

A DHS spokesperson sent ABC-7 the following statement:

“Camp East Montana is NOT closing. ICE has contracted with a new provider following the termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War. ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody.

This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards WITH the ability to provide MORE medical care on-site. This contract also allows more on-site staff and a PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan. ICE will have even more oversight of the contractors at this facility. Far from closing, Camp East Montana is upgrading.

Amentum has been a close partner with ICE in managing Camp East Montana, and was best suited to take over as the prime government contractor for this facility. The contract was awarded on March 13 and is currently in effect.

Amentum’s size, maturity and pedigree make them the right partner at the right time and we will work closely with them in their implementation of higher standards of medical care, more thorough case processing and intake procedures, and delivery of performance requirements according to well-defined accountability measures.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

SOCORRO, Texas (KVIA) — An off-duty police officer helped a 1-year-old child left alone in a running vehicle last Thursday, according to the City of Socorro. It happened at a Walmart on Horizon Boulevard and Darrington Road.

According to the city, a Walmart employee flagged down an off-duty Socorro Police Department officer. The officer asked emergency medical personnel and the Horizon City Police Department for help.

The child was evaluated at store.

The city said no one was arrested and an investigation will be presented through a non-arrest process for consideration of a charge of abandoning or endangering a child with intent to return.

“This incident serves as an important reminder that young children should never be left unattended inside a vehicle, even when the vehicle is running,” the city said. “Circumstances can change quickly, and a young child may be unable to protect themselves or seek help.”

The Socorro Police Department took the lead in the investigation.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Fort Bliss officially opened the first of ten 3D-printed barracks this morning during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Custer Road.

The project, built in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and construction technology firm ICON, marks the largest deployment of robotic construction capabilities for the Department of War to date, according to Fort Bliss officials.

Each barracks was built in just over six months, a fraction of the time required for traditional construction.

Once all ten are complete, officials say the complex will provide housing for up to 560 service members.

Officials add that the 3D-printed construction method is faster and more cost-effective than conventional building techniques and could transform how the Army builds infrastructure on installations nationwide.

According to the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office, the design prioritizes energy resilience, a key factor for operations in the harsh desert climate of Fort Bliss.

The nine remaining barracks are expected to follow in phases, with the full project serving as a model for future military housing.

The project marks the largest deployment of robotic construction capabilities for the Department of War to date, according to Fort Bliss officials.

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Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A 33-year-old woman from El Paso pleaded guilty to smuggling unaccompanied children in the U.S. Tuesday.

Dianne Guadian and three other members of an accused human smuggling organization brought accompanied children between the ages of 5-13 into the U.S. illegally from Juarez.

The other three members allegedly included her parents — Susana and Daniel Guadian from Mexico — and Manuel Valenzuela, an El Paso resident.

Valenzuela pleaded guilty in federal court in November 2025 for the smuggling scheme, which involved giving children THC-laced candy.

A photo of THC gummies recovered by agents during secondary inspection at the port of entry(Courtesy: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs)

Federal prosecutors said the scheme lasted from March 2023 to October 2024.

Tuesday, prosecutors said in August 2024, border officials at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry questioned a co-conspirator during an attempted smuggling attempt.

The co-conspirator said they had done so three times before and received $700 for each child they smuggled. Guadian confirmed this.

Prosecutors said in October 2024, two-co-conspirators tried to smuggle four minors across the same bridge. They reportedly provided Texas IDs. During interrogation, the co-conspirators tried to prove the children were theirs using photos that didn’t match the children seen in their van that day.

They told investigators they received $600 to smuggle the minors to Guadian in the U.S. and would receive $900 for each child in the end. Guadian also confirmed this.

Two of those minors went to the hospital and tested positive for consuming marijuana, prosecutors said. They were taken in the form of gummies.

Court documents state that the group would use drug-laced candy to sedate the children, then present false documents to immigration officials at the border crossing, ABC-7 previously reported.

Now, nearly two years since the original investigation began by the Department of Homeland Security, and nearly nine months the charges were initially made, Guadian pleaded guilty to all four counts against her.

By pleading guilty, her sentence at a minimum would be at least 16 years in prison with the potential of maximum of 50 years, including maximum fees for charges totaling $1 million.

Her sentencing date will be provided at a later time.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Tuesday, Meta announced a venture to finance the development of a data center under construction in Northeast El Paso. According to a news release, the venture involves BlackRock, an asset management company.

The news release said Meta spent more than 15 years developing, constructing and operating data centers. It said BlackRock (with Global Infrastructure Partners and HPS Investment Partners as part of it) compliments Metas strategy.

As part of the project structure and financing, Meta will enter lease agreements with the venture for use of the entire data center campus. It said the leases have a four-year initial term with four options to expand, providing Meta flexibility over a possible 20-year term.

Meta also will provide residual value guarantees (RVG), which have an aggregate threshold of $13 billion that decreases over time, the company said. If certain conditions are met within the first 16 years of the lease term, Meta’s maximum RVG payment would equal any shortfall between the fair value at the time and the RVG threshold for the covered property.

“The parties have committed to fund their respective pro rata share of the approximately $14 billion in total development costs for the buildings and long-lived power, cooling, and connectivity infrastructure at the campus,” Meta said.

At financial close, Meta will contribute the venture land and construction-in-progress assets will be valued at $2.3 billion.

BlackRock will make a cash contribution of $4.9 billion, Meta said.

Additionally, as part of the 80/20 split, Meta will get a one-time distribution of $1 billion to align ownership stakes, the company said.

According to the news release, funds managed by BlackRock will own an 80% interest in the venture while Meta will keep the remaining 20 percent. A $12.5 billion debt financing will fund a part of BlackRock’s investment.

“Building the infrastructure for superintelligence is key to making sure the benefits of this technology are distributed to everyone,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO in a statement. “Our partnership with Larry and the team at BlackRock allows us to move faster and at greater scale — pairing our deep expertise in designing and operating world-class data centers with one of the world’s leading infrastructure investors.”

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said, “We’re excited to partner with Mark and the Meta leadership team on the El Paso data center campus, which will create thousands of skilled jobs and help drive economic growth in the local community,” 

Meta said the data center, which is currently under construction, will have 1 gigawatt of compute capacity.

Meta will provide construction management, administrative and property management services for the campus. It also said it will be the initial sole occupant of the data center until it’s complete.

The transaction is expect to close in the coming days, and the venture is expected to begin bringing the capacity online in 2028.

Meta said the data center in El Paso has an investment of more than $10 billion from the company, which supports 4,000 construction jobs and 300 operational jobs once it’s complete. It said 2,300 workers are onsite now.

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