Category: kvia-local-news

Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — When employees at Overfly Sports crafted a baseball bat for St. Louis Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez earlier this year, they never thought he would go on to accomplish the unimaginable!

Overfly Sports is a custom bat-making company that’s based in El Paso. It manufactures more tan 30,000 baseball bats every year for players in the major and minor leagues.

It has locations in the United States and Mexico. The majority are made in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, while a smaller percentage is produced in El Paso.

The shop has made custom baseball bats for Báez for six years throughout his time in the minor leagues.

When it was his turn to debut in the majors, he wanted a special engraving on his bat.

“We engraved major league debut on the knob. And that one bat, one bat, was sent to him about two weeks prior to his debut. So he held on to it and was saving it for that day,” Kurt Gross, owner of Overfly Sports, said.

Gross never imagined Báez’s baseball bat would be in the national spotlight!

During a thrilling game against the Chicago Cubs, the 23-year-old went on to make history. Báez became the first player in MLB history to hit three homers in his first three at-bats.

The family was at dinner when the game unfolded as text messages started trickling in.

“Our group chat within the company started blowing up,” Gross said.

The accomplishment is one the Gross family still can’t fully comprehend.

“I mean, it was amazing to see that come to fruition. To see him succeed the way that he did in a historic manner in his debut was beyond anyone’s imagination,” Gross added.

“We couldn’t really believe it. Like, it was kind of like, is this is this fake? It’s almost—I mean, the odds of that are unreal,” added Will Gross, an employee at Overfly Sports.

While the specific baseball bat Báez used was manufactured in the Mexican facility, Overfly Sports is proud to say it played a small part in making history happen.

“We’re proud to be making major league bats here in El Paso; that’s something that we don’t take for granted. We love telling everybody that we’re here and we’re from El Paso, and it’s just a little bit of history that’s made in Major League Baseball. But we’re proud to say that it was done here in El Paso,” Kurt said.

Báez’s thrilling rookie season came to a premature end thanks to an injury. Kurt said Báez’s baseball bat won’t be going to the Hall of Fame because the player decided to keep it.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Sometimes, you have to pause one passion so another can take priority. 

One Borderland collector is putting his cards and collectibles shows on hold while he works towards his next goal.

“It’s helped me, you know, put what i’ve learned into place,” said Brandon Beltran. “A great friend of mine, Victor. He got me into it. He said, you know what? Let’s run some card shows.”

It started as an idea between friends. Back in may 2025, Brandon Beltran started 915 Cards & Collectibles.

“I thought it was going to be a one off, but it ended up just taking off and, you know, creating a life of its own,” said Brandon.

The show started at Bowl El Paso and grew into a bigger show at the El Paso County Coliseum. Then Brandon paused the shows to earn his accounting degree from UTEP.

“We came back in February, and I was just very surprised by the turnout that we had. It was crazy to see, because I felt like we had more people this year than last year.”

That turnout showed Brandon The Borderland hadn’t forgotten him, or the hobby they share. 

“You could think coming back that everyone’s going to forget who you are. But actually they didn’t and I’m very blessed that they didn’t,” said Brandon.

Now brandon is putting his shows on hold again. This time, to pursue a graduate degree.

“Seeing everything being put together every single month just brings a lot of, you know, thankfulness because, you know, they trust you and they they come back and they support you,” said Brandon.

But Brandon says this could still be another pause, instead of a goodbye.

“We’ll see what the cards have in 2027. So, never say never,” said Brandon.

To find out more about 915 Cards & Collectibles, check out their social media page here.

And if you’d like to submit a story for your next Sunday Funday Moment, send an email to olivia.vara@kvia.com.

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Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Texas Attorney General and the Republican nominee to represent the state in the U.S. Senate Ken Paxton is scheduled to appear at a campaign sanctioned event in El Paso on Wednesday night.

Alongside Paxton, Brandon Herrera, the Republican nominee for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District which includes El Paso County, is expected to attend the event as well.

According to his campaign, Paxton is labeling this stop in El Paso as part of his “Protecting the Texas Promise Tour, ” which coincides with an agenda he plans to enact under the same name, if elected.

This includes proposed tax deductions related to health care and homeowners among others, per the campaign

Paxton, who has served as Attorney General in Texas since 2015, will be running against Texas State Representative James Talarico for a seat in the U.S. Senate on November 3.

Meanwhile, Herrera, who narrowly defeated incumbent congressman Tony Gonzales in the primary, will be up against both Democratic candidate Katy Padilla Stout and Independent candidate Ben Mendoza in November.

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Andrew J. Polk

DOÑA ANA COUNTY, New Mexico (KVIA) — As floodwaters recede for most of the region from Monday’s rain, the evacuation orders in place for some communities have now been lifted.

Doña Ana County lifted the last evacuation order still in place Monday for Rincon this morning. County officials are still urging caution for anyone returning to areas that saw the worst of the flooding damage.

The evacuation orders for Salem, Hatch, Garfield and Placitas in the northwestern parts of the county were lifted Monday night. The decision to have residents return came after officials determined that the major flooding risk had subsided.

Emergency management officials for Doña Ana warn that localized flooding, debris, roadway damage and other hazards can still remain in the area. There was at least one water rescue in the area this morning.

According to the county, anyone going to the flooded areas should follow these warnings:

Avoid driving through flooded roadways or around barricades. Stay away from damaged bridges, roads, drainage channels and other hazardous areas. Use caution around standing water, debris and areas that may have been damaged by flooding. Continue monitoring official Doña Ana County and local emergency management updates for changing conditions.

In addition, the county is encouraging anyone who wishes to offer donation to the flooding recovery efforts to do so through The Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico’s Greatest Need Impact Fund.

The fund offers support across southern New Mexico, including natural disasters and emergencies.

You can donate through the online donation portal or visit www.communityfoundationofsouthernnewmexico.org.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-The El Paso Zoo will host Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, October 17, from 7 to 11 p.m. The adults-only event features craft beer, live music, animal encounters, and after-hours zoo access. Guests must be 21 or older and are encouraged to wear costumes while enjoying games, food, and local vendors.

Proceeds support the zoo’s conservation and education programs. Tickets are limited and available online at www.ElPasoZoo.org.

The zoo encourages responsible drinking and will require valid ID for entry.

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Hillary Floren

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Working out has been proven to boost mood and get those endorphins (the feel-good hormones) going! And guess what? Today is National Women’s Health & Fitness day.

The idea is to celebrate what exercise and movement can do for women’s physical and mental health.

The holiday was created by the health information resource center in 2002.

For those women who have been waiting for a reason to work out, this might be the perfect day! After all, it could improve your mood, and reduce your stress and cortisol reduction.

Those who exercise regularly also report better sleep, and focus during the day.

If you choose to partake in a physical activity today, encourage others by posting it on social media, with the hashtag “women’s health fitness day.”

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Joseph Montero

SANTA FE, New Mexico (KVIA) – According to a Facebook post, the New Mexico National Guard positioned teams across the state in light of Tuesday’s continued flooding conditions, and assisted with local flood response.

Teams assisted local first responders with a vehicle recovery in Veguita. The New Mexico National Guard rescued a woman trapped in her vehicle in an arroyo near Hatch, New Mexico while other teams remained read for additional operations.

Two Guard members and a Light Medium Tactical vehicle responded to roof collapse in Doña Ana County National Guard said. The LMTV remained on standby as local fire personnel entered the residence.

A LMTV and two Guard members responded to the request of the Socorro Fire Department after two vehicles and their drivers became stuck in mud. An LMTV was used in the successful vehicle recovery, the New Mexico National Guard said.

“The New Mexico National Guard Joint Operations Center continues coordinating Guard personnel, equipment and response capabilities across the state in support of state and local agencies.Guard teams will remain prepared to respond to additional requests for assistance as weather conditions develop overnight,” the New Mexico National Guard said.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — With more heavy rain and thunderstorms coming through the Borderland, officials are urging everyone to stay safe while driving in severe weather.

The main advice: stay home if you don’t need to be outside.

ABC-7 spoke with TxDOT El Paso District’s Public Information Officer Lauren Macias-Cervantes.

Other tips she shared for the public are the following:

If you do need to be out on the roadways, check road and weather conditions beforehand. Check your vehicle before heading to the roads to check if it is ready for the drive. Check tire condition, working wipers, gas tank, all fluids, jumper cables and have an emergency kit just in case. Bring additional supplies such as food, water, blankets and towels, among others. If conditions are not ideal, delay your trip. Bring more supplies if you are traveling with a kid or with a pet.

“Once you’re ready to go out on the road, make sure that you leave with plenty of time, have your seatbelt on, don’t speed and slow down, especially in wet conditions,” Macias-Cervantes said. “To allow for anything that you may have to react to, perhaps you know there’s a vehicle that gets in your way or some, you know, something that you need to avoid, like water or a pothole on the roadway; so it’s very important to have that increased following distance in front of you.”

TxDOT also asks you to check weather and road conditions in its more than 200 live traffic cameras; you can check them here.

“Very important to always have your lights on and slow down in these conditions,” Macias-Cervantes added. “Avoid any flooded roadways; you want to make sure that you’re not going through a roadway that has a huge ponding area and again, delay your travel if you can and take that alternate route.”

If you need help on the road, you can call TxDOT’s Highway Emergency Response Operator (HERO) assistance program at 915-790-HERO. It is not a 24/7 service, but they do work every day of the week until 9 p.m.

“Another very important tip is to avoid being on cruise control, driving in cruise control during the rain, because that could increase your chances of hydroplaning and losing control,” Macias-Cervantes also said. “If you do come across an intersection that doesn’t have a functioning traffic light, go ahead and treat it as a four-way stop.”

TxDOT urges all community members: if you do see the department’s barrels or barricades blocking a flooded roadway, do not move them for your safety, because that road is not safe to drive through.

“Always check those conditions; it doesn’t matter if you’re heading to work,” Macias-Cervantes added. “Leave with plenty of time and check on your vehicle; a lot of the vehicles that our HERO units assist are a result of people not maintaining that maintenance on their vehicles, not checking their tires, not getting those changes and not checking those necessities for vehicle trouble.”

When there are severe weather conditions in the borderland, TxDOT El Paso District Office works with two different National Weather Service offices, as the El Paso District covers from El Paso through Presidio, Texas. They also work with the Midland, Texas area and with partners in New Mexico.

“I think the most important thing to remember is that when there is inclement weather, if you don’t need to be out on the roadway, then go ahead and stay home. If you do need to go out, monitor those weather conditions and make sure that your vehicle is ready to go. Check those road conditions with our live cameras. Leave with plenty of time; drive to conditions, plan that the trip is going to take you a little bit longer and know an alternate route just in case you encounter any flooding or any crashes.”

For additional information, you can click here.

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Joseph Montero

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso Fire Department has confirmed to ABC-7 that one person was transported to the hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car.

It happened at the intersection of Socorro Road and Americas Avenue in the Lower Valley.

The fire department says the call came in at around 9 p.m.

This is a developing story and will be updates as more information becomes available.

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