Category: kvia-local-news

Gabrielle Lopez

UPDATE (9/19/26) — Socorro Police Department (SPD) says 35-year-old Rojelio Enriquez Jr. was arrested and charged after barricading himself following a call for a family violence incident.

According to police, officers were dispatched to the Nevarez Palms Apartments for a family violence incident in progress around 12:22 p.m.

Police say officers attempted to talk to someone inside the home around 12:27 p.m. when a pregnant woman, later identified as the victim by police, came out through a bedroom window.

The victim told police that Enriquez Jr. was still inside the apartment and had allegedly choked her and pushed her against the wall, causing pain and contractions. The victim also told police that Enriquez Jr. had a gun, which he allegedly put to her head and threatened to kill her.

Based on that information, SPD said officers treated the call as an armed, barricaded subject, prompting the department’s Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) to work to secure any necessary warrants.

SPD officials say they made multiple attempts, but Enriquez Jr. remained inside the apartment. A search warrant and arrest warrant were acquired, charging Enriquez with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

Officers entered the home and found Enriquez Jr. in a crawl space beneath the furnace, and he was taken into custody without further incident.

Enriquez Jr. was arrested on the Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon charge and taken to the El Paso County Detention Facility, where he is held with no bond.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Police reported a barricaded subject in a Socorro apartment on Friday.

According to police, it’s happening on Nevarez Road near the intersection with Alameda Avenue.

Socorro police advised to avoid the area to give emergency services the space they need for the incident.

At the scene, ABC-7 also saw the Texas Game Warden and state troopers.

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KVIA ABC-7

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — KVIA-TV received an honorable mention for unearthing a hazing scandal involving the Franklin High School football team at the 2026 Nancy Monson Spirit of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Awards.

The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Awards, presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, go to news organizations that use or highlight open government laws. KVIA-TV Content Manager Lesley Engle, who led the investigation, received the recognition Friday at the FOI Foundation’s state conference in Austin.

“This acknowledgement from the Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Awards reinforces ABC-7’s commitment to investigative journalism – and seeking the truth for our viewers through public records requests,” said KVIA-TV News Director Sean Flanagan.

(Courtesy: KVIA)

“Congratulations to the Texas journalists who are receiving these awards. They used public records combined with other reporting to seek the truth and shine light on institutions and officials in their communities. This keeps citizens informed so they can watch over their government,” said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the FOI Foundation of Texas.

In April 2025, ABC-7 Sunday Xtra Host Andrew J. Polk and Engle uncovered “inappropriate physical conduct linked to hazing” among teammates on the Franklin High School football team.”

ABC-7 obtained documents that show the investigation looked into players’ behavior inside the team’s locker rooms. The allegations included genitalia placed on a player’s face or mouth.

The school launched an investigation after Principal Amanda Bowser received two anonymous letters alleging hazing within the football program in October 2024, according to records ABC-7 obtained.

Records show Assistant Principal Guillermo Ramirez filled out a Sexual Harassment Report Intake form nearly a month later. Investigation findings triggered changes within the football program after the season ended.

Longtime Franklin High School Football Coach and Athletic Director Daren Walker was reassigned from the program for a “personal matter.” The El Paso Independent School District didn’t answer ABC-7’s questions about his employment status.

Read and watch the full investigative report by clicking this link.

Engle’s most recent investigation revealed El Paso County Commissioners and the County Judge spent nearly a quarter million dollars on travel over the past several years, including more than $126,000 by a single commissioner. Engle and Reporter Andrew J. Polk dug through hundreds of public records to shed light on how elected officials are spending tax dollars and examined the policy that allows unspecified exemptions to expense caps.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso Police Department is responding to an aggravated assault in Far East El Paso on Friday.

EPPD Detective Judy Oviedo said it happened on the 4600 block of Turf Road near El Dorado High School.

Police didn’t share any other information at this time.

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Mia Tricarico

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — For many students attending the University of Texas at El Paso, trips to the gas station have challenged their budgeting. Students’ commutes vary as many live in Far East El Paso or across the border in Ciudad Juárez.

Some student drivers admitted to pushing their luck by riding on fumes and letting the gas light stay on until payday, adding unnecessary wear and tear to their vehicles.

National and statewide gas price averages are pointing toward what could be the most expensive September on record. El Paso isn’t quite at it’s all-time high, which was $4.90 in June 2022.

However, El Paso has the highest gas prices out of all major metro areas, according to Daniel Armbruster from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Armbruster said prices in El Paso sit at an average of $4.41 per gallon. The state average is above $4.

The shock factor extends heavily to commercial and personal diesel drivers. Right now, the average price for diesel in El Paso reached $6.20 per gallon — higher than the national average of $5.96.

The root of the hike in prices lies overseas. West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled above $102 a barrel. It’s driven by ongoing global market volatility and supply concerns surround the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor for global crude oil supplies.

“You know, historically what goes up must come down,” said Armbruster. “But when you have a major development involving the Strait of Hormuz, it makes it really difficult to say if the prices will drop given that the situation is so fluid.”

UTEP student Michelle White said she had to pick up a full-time job to cover her gas expenses.

“When they get too high. I choose to ignore them until they get lower. And then I go get gas,” White said. “I’m running on like two more miles before I go get gas. And that’s when I go get it.”

Armbruster advised against straining vehicles’ gas tank.

“Driver behavior is the number one factor when it comes to maximizing your fuel efficiency,” he said.

White said a “good portion” of her paycheck goes toward filling her tank.

“The job hurts me with how much I time I have for studying,” White added.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A student took an unloaded gun to Riverside Middle School Friday morning, according to the Ysleta Independent School District. No injuries were reported.

The district said it happened before classes started. School administration and security officers searched the student and their belongings, and found no ammunition.

YISD said police were notified and the student’s parents were contacted. Additionally, the district is taking disciplinary action.

Classes continued according to the school’s normal schedule, the district said.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-It is a silent killer that takes more lives every year than the combined total of deaths from prostate cancer, breast cancer, and opioid overdoses, and yet we hardly know its warning signs. We’re talking about sepsis. Dr. Ogechika Alozie and Amber Dominguez explain what you need to know.

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Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)- El Pasoans Elizabeth Wyant and Arturo Amaro took a leap of faith, turning their business dreams into reality. Now, it’s paying off!

In 2024, the duo opened Chéri Nails and Spa in West El Paso. The salon is reinventing the beauty industry locally, giving customers a modern salon experience while using unique nail techniques.

Wyant always knew she wanted to enter the beauty space with the goal of one day opening her own business.

Both siblings graduated from Franklin High School. Wyant was part of El Paso ISD’s Center for Career and Technology Education. CCTE offers a variety of programs to help equip high school students with real-world skills.

She wanted to learn more about makeup specifically. After the two-year program, Wyant would receive a cosmetology degree. The program helped her gain various beauty skills, including hair, facials and nails.

“The program actually gave me the ability to get other skills, not just one single thing,” she said.

After graduating from Franklin High School, Wyant would pursue a journalism degree from UTEP.

During her university years, the opportunity arose for her to do nails as a side hustle. She loved it!

Wyant would move to South Korea to study abroad. It was an eye-opening experience for her; she realized El Paso was behind in the beauty space. She hoped to bring her new expertise to the Sun City.

After returning to the Borderland, she earned her teacher certification and became an elementary school teacher. While it was a stable career, she felt unfulfilled professionally. She quickly realized she needed to follow her heart and pursue the nail industry.

“So that’s when I told my brother, and he had always told me, like, let’s open it now, salon!”

Amaro had previously been pursuing a degree in law enforcement. After his plans changed, he started his own business ventures.

Now, both siblings are living the best of both worlds! Wyant helps run the creative side of the business, while Amaro assists with business operations.

“It just brings the artist out in me, and I really enjoy that. I also enjoy seeing when people come out of the salon, and they’re happy,” Wyant said.

The leap of faith has paid off for the siblings.

They want to continue inspiring other generations of business entrepreneurs. They have even hired other EPISD CCTE graduates.

“We hope we inspire people to, you know, encourage them to open their business if they have that little, you know, passion for something,” Amaro added.

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Joseph Montero

UPDATE (Sept. 18, 2026): The El Paso Police Department said a 16-year-old girl died in Thursday’s crash. Police didn’t release her name.

Investigators unit went to the crash site and learned the teen “lost control” and hit a tree, police said.

EPPD said this is the 44th traffic death of the year, compared to 43 at this time last year. The investigation is ongoing.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — At least one person is dead after a single vehicle crash in south-central El Paso, according to the El Paso Police department.

Police said the crash happened at 4001 East Paisano Drive, near the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

The call came in at 9:30 p.m. Thursday evening, the Special traffic investigations unit is currently on the scene.

This is a developing story and we will update you as we learn more.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Two Ysleta Independent School District Schools made their way to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s 2026 Lone Star Ribbon Schools list. The district said the honors are El Paso’s first two.

Established by Gov. Abbott, the program recognizes “outstanding academic performance” in Texas public schools. Eligible campuses have to earn an “A” rating from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and demonstrate consistent student success.

Glen Cove and Presa Elementary Schools are two of 25 Texas schools that made this year’s list.

“Young Texans are the future of our state, and it is critical that they have access to a high-quality education,” said Gov. Abbott in a statement. “We will invest in the students, teachers, staff, and parents who are essential to building a bigger, brighter Texas for generations to come.”

Thursday, YISD shared a statement celebrating its two elementary schools’ recognition. YISD Superintendent Xavier De La Torre said the following:

“This is an incredibly proud moment for us. To win this kind of prestigious recognition from the state of Texas – and to be the first in the El Paso region to achieve this success – is a huge point of pride for our students, families, teachers, and leaders at these exceptional schools.

Without a doubt, both Glen Cove Elementary and Presa Elementary have demonstrated what can happen when a school community believes in every student’s potential.”

YISD said Presa and Glen Cove earned “A” ratings for the past five years.

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Miroslava Lem Quinonez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – A gift from the Burgess family to Texas Tech Health El Paso will establish a fellowship to train dentist to care for patients with special health needs, according to the university.

The donation will create an endowment supporting the Hunt School of Dental Medicine’s first graduate fellowship in special needs dentistry. A dental school graduate selected for the fellowship will spend on year gaining advanced experience caring for patients.

The gift was inspired by the family’s experience with their sister Karen, who received specialized dental care from faculty and students at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic.

According to the university, the fellowship will make the Hunt School of Dental Medicine the 10th dental school nationwide to offer a dedicated postdoctoral fellowship focused on special needs dentistry.

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