Category: kvia-local-news

Lauren Bly

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A dog named Buddy has an important job at the El Paso District Attorney’s Office.

The small therapy dog works as a victim assistance companion alongside his handler, Lorena Garcia, helping crime victims through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

“A lot of times victims come for trials here in our office with the attorneys,” Garcia said. “And I take Buddy in the room, and immediately you can see a smile.”

Garcia said Buddy’s presence helps ease tension for victims meeting with prosecutors.

“Even though they’re going through such a hard time coming here and talking to the prosecutors, as soon as they see Buddy walking in, you can see a smile,” she said. “They start playing with him and interacting with him.”

Buddy has his own work station at the office and regularly visits attorneys, paralegals and staff throughout the building.

“He’s so loved,” Garcia said. “We tour the whole second floor. I think Buddy’s providing more emotional support to all of you.”

Buddy also served during emotional victim impact statements connected to the Aug. 3 mass shooting in El Paso.

“That was hard,” Garcia said. “He was in that courtroom many, many hours. By himself, he was getting close to the people that he felt needed him.”

Garcia said Buddy is uniquely suited for the role because he was once the victim of abuse himself.

“Him being a victim of abuse and then becoming a comfort dog, a therapy dog for victims of crime — I think that’s really awesome,” she said.

Garcia first saw Buddy on television in 2020.

“We saw a picture of him hanging from an iron with a very short leash on top of a box,” she said.

El Paso Animal Services rescued Buddy and partnered with local nonprofit Laws N Paws to help rehabilitate him.

“When Buddy was taken in, he was hospitalized for an extensive amount of time,” Laws N Paws volunteer Jasmine Gallardo said. “He was able to receive procedures and any type of treatment needed for him to heal.”

Gallardo said Buddy’s case began as neglect and escalated into abuse.

“At some point he was out there for such an extensive amount of time that the owner should have realized what was happening,” she said. “The owner was choosing to ignore it, which is where they were charged with animal abuse.”

Court records show Buddy’s former owner, Lupe Amalia Rodriguez, was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals. She was ordered to pay fines and served several days in jail.

Garcia later delivered Buddy’s victim impact statement in court.

“I stood and I spoke on his behalf,” she said. “From being abused by her at her house, now Buddy is a therapy dog at the district attorney’s office.”

After completing rehabilitation through Laws N Paws, Buddy was recommended for therapy dog training after the DA’s office reached out looking for a therapy animal.

“It was because of his demeanor and also his size,” Gallardo said. “He is a smaller guy.”

Buddy passed his therapy dog exams and was officially sworn in at the DA’s office, with Garcia volunteering to become his handler.

“I feel very honored and very happy to be here,” Garcia said. “I guess it was meant to be.”

Garcia said Buddy still struggles with some trauma.

“He hears loud noises, he gets scared, and I just calm him down,” she said.

But despite that, Buddy has become a success story.

“He’s totally a success story,” Garcia said.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) — Agriculture officials, international trade representatives and other leaders from Chihuahua, Mexico, Texas and New Mexico met in Santa Teresa Thursday to discuss challenges the cross-border cattle trade is facing with New World screwworm in the region.

It’s been nearly two years since the U.S.-Mexico border has been closed to live cattle and livestock imports into the U.S. due to the spread of the New World Screwworm and this has halted and crippled all cattle business in the area.

Experts say this has also disrupted the supply chain, as local businesses have been facing inventory shortages while Mexico also works to stop the spread of the parasite.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made the order and she has also announced a phased, risk-based reopening of ports for cattle, bison and horses to resume trade soon.

The New Mexico Border Authority (NMBA) hosted the NW Screwworm summit in Santa Teresa today, where local leadership from El Paso, Juárez, New Mexico and even from the cattle and livestock business from both sides of the border agreed to take further steps and find solutions for this problem in the region.

“There are two issues, one is the reopening of the border that obviously has to be dealt with between both federal governments, but also dealing with the flies at the local level and that’s the other part,” said Gerardo Fierro, Executive Director of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. “For the reopening of the border, it has to be between USDA and Senasica (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria) and then how the states, the livestock ports can also help meet those requirements, those protocols, so that cattle from Mexico crosses into the U.S. again.”

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said they want to use the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS), a USDA-developed toxic bait designed to reduce wild New World screwworm populations quickly. It works by using a synthetic attractant (Swormlure) to draw in adult flies, combined with a feeding bait and insecticide to kill them before they can lay eggs in any animal wounds.

According to the Texas Agriculture Commission, this is how SWASS could fight the outbreak:

Integrated strategy: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and livestock advocates are urgently lobbying the USDA to pair SWASS with the existing Sterile Insect Technique (SIT).

Immediate Knockdown: SWASS can eliminate up to 85% to 95% of adult wild flies in targeted areas within weeks.

There’s also a problem with SIT Alone: while the USDA is dropping millions of sterile flies to stop the parasite from breeding, scaling up production can take months to years. Commissioner Miller argues SWASS is needed to immediately knock down the population while sterile flies complete the eradication process.

“We should be deploying the SWASS system, the fly bait first and then following up with the sterile flies,” said Commissioner Miller. “I think everyone here today learned something. I know I did and about the fly bait, we did discuss it is very cheap compared to producing 500 million flies a week, that takes a billion dollar facility.”

“We are in an education listening mode today, especially the City of El Paso, where we have to make sure that we are in communication with our partners in Juárez and as well as the County of El Paso, to make sure that we are prepared, as County Judge Samaniego said, to have a strategy in place to handle this situation if it does continue to move our direction; hopefully doesn’t conitnue to do that,” said El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson. “The New World Screwworm situation has crippled our cattle industry here in the border region.”

“For us, this relationship is so important that we are the ones convening this meeting, precisely to take proactive measures. In our municipal government activities, we have sought to focus on prevention before any situation arises that might cause alarm,” said Juárez Mayor Héctor Ortíz Orpinel. “The communication we maintain, the ability to create the necessary conditions to have the right tools in the event of a contingency, and the ongoing dialogue among various parties on both sides of the border, I believe, all of this will greatly help us prepare.”

“Naturally, we are also in communication with the Mexican federal government, whose support we always deeply appreciate, seeking not merely a standard Mexican government-to- US government interaction, but rather ensuring they understand the situation as we are experiencing it here in Juárez and, of course, in the other cities,” Mayor Ortíz Orpinel added.

All government and nongovernment participants signed a memorandum of understanding saying they will:

Protect animal health and strengthen agricultural economies.

Improve surveillance, early detection, and rapid information sharing.

Coordinate prevention, containment, and eradication efforts.

Support science-based innovation and proven technologies.

Promote secure and resilient cross-border agricultural commerce.

Encourage continued partnership among governments, producers, veterinarians, researchers and industry.

They also committed to:

Establish ongoing technical cooperation.

Maintain regular communication and coordination.

Convene future binational meetings to review progress and emerging risks.

Develop recommendations that strengthen regional preparedness and response.

Work together to protect agriculture, animal health and the future of the U.S.-Mexico border region.

More meetings are set to be held soon.

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Paul Schulz

DONA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KVIA) — New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has again denied a request to allow a portion of a natural gas pipeline to cross state trust land for the proposed Project Jupiter data center in southern New Mexico.

The State Land Office announced Wednesday that Garcia Richard rejected Energy Transfer’s request to reconsider her March 2026 decision denying two rights of way applications and one business lease for a 0.6 mile section of a proposed 17 mile natural gas pipeline.

According to a letter dated July 14, Garcia Richard said approving the request would not be in the best interest of the state trust, citing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions associated with Project Jupiter, as well as the project’s expected impact on New Mexico’s water supply and natural resources.

“In New Mexico, we truly mean it when we say water is life. We can’t live without it and we know how precious and rare it is in our dry climate,” New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said. “Massive AI data centers like Project Jupiter can rapidly deplete critical natural resources like water and threaten ecosystems by generating shocking levels of emissions to power their operations. I am once again rejecting Energy Transfer’s request because the proposed natural gas pipeline appears to offer very little benefit to the State Land Office’s beneficiary institutions, the local community, or New Mexico as a whole. It’s my duty to protect state trust lands and New Mexicans from proposals that appear to offer more obvious risks than benefits.”

Oracle, which is building Project Jupiter, said the project remains on schedule and will bring significant economic benefits to New Mexico.

“Project Jupiter is being built for and by New Mexicans and will dramatically change the economic trajectory across the state,” an Oracle spokesperson said. “We’re creating 4,000 construction jobs, with more than 440 New Mexican residents already working on site today, 1,500 ongoing project supported jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the community, including $50 million to improve and repair Doña Ana County’s water system.”

The spokesperson also said the company’s cooling and fuel cell energy systems use less water annually than nine average U.S. households and that its new power strategy significantly reduces emissions compared with its original plan.

Oracle said it aims to power 100 percent of the electricity used by its AI data centers with carbon free energy by 2035, which is 10 years ahead of the net zero goals outlined in New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act. The company said it will continue working with its partners and state officials to move Project Jupiter forward.

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Mia Tricarico

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A long awaited renovation was completed today for the Fred & Maria Loya Family YMCA. The U.S Soccer Foundation donated the facility $200,000 which made their dreams of a brand new soccer complex come true.

The YMCA kicked off the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony, there were mascots, dances, summer campers and the YMCA team.

The new complex showcases two fields, one for children with mini nets and the other is a full size field for adults. The YMCAS senior sports director Anthony Noga told ABC-7 the field’s capacity can host up to 200 children, or twenty teams.

The President of the Loya Family Branch Gilda Gil said,”It was much needed more and more families are looking for opportunities for their children to be outdoors, playing together building those developmental skills that are so essential as they grow up to become adults.”

It was an energetic event and the kids are more than thrilled with the brand new field.

Gilda Gil also explained that the YMCA is committed to offering a “membership for all” which allows people to join regardless of their ability to pay.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A new 84-page report from Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union alleged abuse, medical neglect and poor conditions at the Camp East Montana immigration detention facility in El Paso. The report is based on interviews with detainees, family members and legal advocates.

It alleged some detainees experienced excessive force, unsanitary living conditions, inadequate medical care and pressure to accept deportation.

U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar, who has made multiple oversight visits to the detention facility, said the report “only further confirms what [she has] been sounding alarms about since the facility opened.”

She also alleged many of the most serious problems continue to persist.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the claims “completely false.”

DHS said detainees receive proper food, water, medical care, access to attorneys and family.

DHS also said “no detainees are being beaten or abused.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Wednesday, the El Paso Public Health Department said a man in his 60s tested positive for cyclosporiasis in June — marking the first case in the city this year.

According to Dr. Hector Ocaranza, cyclosporiasis is related to gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

He said for those with a normal immune system, the symptoms may resolve by themselves without treatment.

Health officials said there’s no need to panic.

The man wasn’t hospitalized, and officials said his case isn’t linked to the current outbreak in other states.

Authorities said a few isolated cases are reported in El Paso every year, and the risk to the community remains low.

“Talk to your doctor, see what else needs to be happening and the physicians, they need to have a high index of suspicion,” Dr. Ocaranza said. “That’s why you need to tell them all your science symptoms. And in particular, if you travel somewhere and specially to those areas that are affected by the outbreak.”

Health officials urge the public to wash fruits and vegetables, avoid untreated water and see a doctor if you develop persistent diarrhea.

They said you should also wash your hands frequently and avoid swimming if you’re experiencing these symptoms.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — An El Paso man wanted on multiple child sex crime warrants is now in custody, according to the El Paso County Constable Office, Precinct Three.

Deputies learned Ivan Jade Zacarias was wanted several outstanding felony warrants. The offenses included one count of child sexual abuse and two counts of child sexual assault, according to the constable’s office.

The warrants’ bond totaled $90,000.

Deputy constables asked the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for help, and conducted surveillance at the 8400 block of Villanova in Lower Valley El Paso. Deputies confirmed he was in a home there.

According to the constable’s office, family members were unwilling to surrender Zacarias. Deputies eventually took him into custody on the outstanding warrants.

Zacarias booked into the El Paso County Jail.

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Gabrielle Lopez

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — The Juarez Civil Protection Department responded to 49 incidents within 24 hours, including a fire at the Rio Grande Mall. From Tuesday to Wednesday, the fire department alone responded to 34 calls.

The Municipal Rescue Unit attended to the remaining 15 incidents, according to the General Directorate of Civil Protection.

Officials said the most significant incident happened at the Rio Grande Mall, where a fire broke out in two jewelry stores. Crews evacuated 25 employees and 90 customers at the time.

The smoke affected 80% of the mall’s common areas. The fire damage was confined to the two jewelry stores, officials said.

In total, six fire engines, two water tankers and supervisory vehicles were deployed, officials said.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

Additionally, firefighters participated in a support mission to remove plants with cannabis-like characteristics at two separate locations along the Dren 2-A canal, officials said.

Courtesy: SSPM Juarez

Personnel from the Secretariat of National Defense and the Attorney General’s Office helped carry out the operation.

Officials said you can report irregular situations to 911 or community numbers for various police districts.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assents Control changed how the Juárez Cartel appears on its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, according to a news release published Wednesday. Now, the cartel is listed as a transnational terrorist group, target type criminal organization and secondary sanctions risk.

Before the change, the list named the cartel’s other names (for example, “La Linea”), its location (Mexico) and a note about an executive order imposing sanctions on foreign persons involved in the global illicit drug grade.

The SDN list, which spans over 3,200 pages, includes individuals and companies owned, controlled by, acting for or on behalf of targeted countries, according to OFAC. Collectively, those on the list are called “Specially Designated Nationals.”

If named on the list, SDNs’ assets are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, OFAC said.

OFAC also changed the Los Viagras Cartel to be listed as a transnational terrorist group, target type organization and secondary sanctions risk.

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Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — Las Cruces Utilities on Wednesday warned the public about a possible scam asking residents to submit a form about their water quality. The utility said it didn’t make or authorize any flyers or door hangers about the notices.

The utility said the possible scam may try to collect personal information about homeowners or details about private water systems.

If you receive a notice about the form, the utility said to not complete it and throw away the flyer.

Additionally, the utility said you can contact it at (575) 541-2111 with any questions or concerns about the scam.

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