Category: kvia-local-news

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Deputy constables arrested a confirmed Chuco Tango gang member Thursday, according to the El Paso County Constable’s Office Precinct Six.

Deputy constables learned about the possible location of a wanted gang member, 37-year-old Pedro Valdivia, the constable’s office said. They went to the 7600 block of Garden Place in Lower Valley El Paso, off N Loop Drive.

The constable’s office said Valdivia was wanted on a parole violation warrant.

Authorities searched a residence they were directed to, but didn’t find Valdivia.

A deputy constable drove into the Marmolejo Apartments, which was just around the corner off North Carolina Drive. The deputy constable saw Valdivia allegedly standing outside.

The deputy constable arrested him. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail without bond.

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Gabrielle Lopez

RUIDOSO DOWNS, N.M. (KVIA) — Some of Ruidoso Downs Race Track’s events will move to a track near Dallas, according to a news release.

Ruidoso Downs Race Track & Casino said the following events will move to Grand Prairie, Texas: Quarter Horse Racing Triple Crown Series, the All-American Super Select Sale and the Ruidoso Downs Hall of Fame.

The Triple Crown Series includes the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity, the $1 million Rainbow Futurity and the $3 million All-American Futurity.

Ruidoso Downs Race Track owners Johnny and Jana Trotter agreed on a framework with Global Gaming Solutions to move the events. Both are expected to finalize the agreement in the coming weeks, the news release said.

The events will move to the Lone Star Park race track starting in 2027.

On July 22, the New Mexico Gaming Control Board unanimously voted to approve the temporary closure of the race track. Ruidoso Downs Racetrack & Casino announced it would temporarily close due to a flood-damaged culvert.

The race track’s general manager, Rick Baugh, issued the following statement about the races moving to Grand Prairie:

“For generations, Ruidoso Downs has been the home of the Quarter Horse Racing Triple Crown Series. The Triple Crown Series, the Super Select Sale and the Hall of Fame have a treasured history among the breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys and racing fans who built them. That history belongs to those people, and it travels with these institutions.

Following the fires and floods of recent years, we have taken a hard look at what comes next and evaluated every realistic path forward. Our responsibility has always been to protect not just a place but a legacy.

On behalf of Johnny and Jana Trotter, I am announcing that we have agreed on a framework with Global Gaming Solutions to move the Quarter Horse Racing Triple Crown Series, the All-American Super Select Sale and the Ruidoso Downs Hall of Fame to Lone Star Park. We expect the agreement to be finalized within the next few weeks.

This was not an easy decision, but we believe it is the right one. Lone Star Park has the leadership, the facilities and the visibility to ensure these institutions continue to grow, thrive and reach new racing fans for generations to come.

The address will change, but what the horsemen in this industry have built will not change. To every breeder, owner, trainer, jockey and groom who made the Triple Crown what it is and to the fans who filled these stands, thank you. We are grateful to have been part of it, and we are confident that these traditions will continue to grow at Lone Star Park.”

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Miroslava Lem Quinonez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – El Paso Public Libraries are celebrating Library Card Sign-Up Month with a new limited-edition library card featuring original artwork by local artist and illustrator Zeke Peña.

Library Card Sign-Up Month is celebrated nationwide through September. It highlights the value of libraries and encourages people of all ages to discover all the available items obtained with a library card.

“A library card may be small enough to fit in your wallet, but the opportunities it provides are endless,” said Public Libraries Director Norma Martinez.

From books and digital resources to technology, educational opportunities and programs, the library card connects the community to free resources.

This year, Peña’s original artwork brings his distinctive borderland style to the library card.

“Having Zeke Peña’s artwork on our library card makes it even more special because it represents our community and gives El Pasoans something they can be proud to carry while staying connected to their library,” Martinez said.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso police apprehended a man at Jefferson Silva High School Thursday, according to the El Paso Independent School District.

EPISD said a man allegedly running away from law enforcement entered the high school’s grounds. Officers apprehended him.

“At no time were students or staff in danger, and campus operations continued safely. District and campus administrators worked closely with law enforcement throughout the incident to ensure the safety and security of everyone on campus,” EPISD said in a statement.

ABC-7 reached out to the El Paso Police Department for more information.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso International Airport will receive $8.7 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Thursday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA invested $481 to improve infrastructure and safety at airports ahead of the Labor Day travel weekend.

Airports across 36 states will receive funding through the Airport Infrastructure Grants program, according to the FAA. The program can be used for airport planning, upgrades, rehabilitation and other safety needs.

El Paso’s grant will rehabilitate the airport’s apron. The apron is a designated area at airports to park, unload, refuel, board or maintain aircraft.

“We’re investing in airport infrastructure that keeps travelers safe and airports operating efficiently,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in a news release. “These grants will help airports across the country meet the demands of today’s travelers while preparing for the future.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (KVIA) — A roadway project will start on NM 273 in Sunland Park on Sept. 10, the New Mexico Department of Transportation said.

The $5.2 million investment will span five miles of NM 273. NMDOT said it will include milling and repaving of the existing road. Crews will remove the existing asphalt and replace it with new pavement.

Drivers should expect to see construction Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to NMDOT. An anticipated completion date has been set for Nov. 30.

Construction will close one lane, NMDOT said. Drivers should plan for extra travel time.

“This investment in the Sunland Park community will help preserve an important transportation corridor while providing safer, smoother, and more reliable travel for residents, businesses, and visitors,” NMDOT said.

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Gabrielle Lopez

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (KVIA) — Rock musician Rick Springfield will perform at Sunland Park Casino Sept. 18, the casino announced Wednesday.

Fans of Springfield can see him play live starting at 8 p.m. He will headline a one-night-only outdoor show. The casino said the concert will take place outside the property’s Turf Club.

Concertgoers have two ticket options. General admission offers standing-room tickets on the floor, close to the stage.

VIP tickets include access to the Turf Club. Inside, concertgoers will have a private table and bar. The Turf Club has windows open to the outdoor stage, according to the casino.

Springfield is a Grammy Award-winning singer behind the hit “Jessie’s Girl.”

The casino said his concert marks the return of premium ticketed concert experiences to Sunland Park Casino.

You can find ticket information here.

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Gabrielle Lopez

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) — New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez announced Thursday that the state Department of Justice filed responses supporting two emergency petitions before the state Supreme Court. NMDOJ argued that state agencies cut corners on legally required processes to accommodate the Project Jupiter data center.

Project Jupiter is a large-scale artificial intelligence data center in development in Doña Ana County.

Water Case (Center for Biological Diversity v. Anderson)

According to Attorney General Torrez, the NMDOJ filed a response supporting an emergency writ of mandamus against State Engineer Elizabeth Anderson. The petition challenged the Office of the State Engineer’s (OSE) two-day approval of an application that allowed a water well to supply construction water for the data center.

The NMDOJ alleged the approval allowed Santa Teresa Capital, LLC to repurpose and existing well without the notice and hearing New Mexico law requires.

In the filing, NMDOJ argued that the State Engineer lacks the authority to approve without notice and hearing. It said the water code’s emergency exception only applies to “a genuine emergency threatening crop loss or serious economic loss to an existing use.”

Attorney General Torrez said the OSE ignored its own guidance on what qualifies as an emergency and disregarded previous hearing decisions rejected similar claims of economic loss.

Additionally, he said the OSE failed to schedule a hearing on the petitioner’s protest, filed Jan. 9, for nearly 10 months. The attorney general claimed the OSE denied the petitioner any hearing while a meter allegedly showed the well pumped more than 100 million gallons of groundwater from the Lower Rio Grande Basin.

Torrez said the basin faces severe drought and is subject to New Mexico’s Rio Grande Compact obligations to Texas.

Air Case (New Energy Economy v. Kenney)

The NMDOJ filed a response supporting an emergency request to stay for prohibitory mandamus in a New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) air quality permitting matter for Project Jupiter’s proposed power plant.

Torrez claimed the proposed power plant uses methane-fueled cells that would generate “an unprecedented concentration of this technology anywhere in the world.”

According to the NMDOJ, the NMED hearing officer set a hearing date for Oct. 19 and rejected the applicant’s request to accelerate it. The hearing officer allegedly said the case’s complexity and due process concerns prevented the acceleration.

On July 19, the hearing officer moved the hearing to Sept. 14 and advanced the deadline for technical evidence and expert testimony from Oct. 1 to Aug. 24.

The hearing officer allegedly denied discovery entirely on Aug. 12, less than two weeks before the evidence was due, NMDOJ said.

NMDOJ argued that the Air Quality Control Act didn’t require the timeline to change.

“The same rules must apply to everyone,” said Attorney General Torrez in a statement. “Whether you’re a family defending a water right or a global corporation with money and political clout. Notice and a fair hearing exist to protect the public, and bending those rules for a powerful applicant undermines public trust, regardless of the outcome. My office will keep using every tool available to make sure state agencies follow the law and answer to the people they serve.”

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Joseph Montero

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – El Paso City Representative for District 8 Chris Canales released a statement in which he says the El Paso Police Department will halt the use of Flock’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) camera devices.

Canales said he was notified by Police Chief Peter Pacillas.

The City Representative went on to add that this is a direct result of the termination of grant funding from the state government.

Earlier in the year Canales proposed that the City of El Paso not renew its agreement with Flock. He Also proposed that the city discontinue the use of networked, AI-powered license plate readers.

The proposal was unsuccessful, with City Council voting 2-6 against it.

Canales said he now believes this new decision is the correct one.

“Flock has time and time again shown itself to be untrustworthy as a company, with its system prone to misuse and abuse.”

“I have many outstanding concerns about potential violations of privacy, data sharing and access, and the many scandals and negative incidents nationwide.”

“For clarity, I haven’t seen these issues arise in El Paso. I understand the need for modern solutions to law enforcement, but to me, Flock was never a good solution because of these immense drawbacks and risks.”

ABC-7 reached out to Rep. Canales and the El Paso Police Department for comment.

EPPD Police Chief Pacillas shared a public statement regarding the announcement on social media:

“Following the recent order by Governor Greg Abbott prohibiting state funding for Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), the El Paso Police Department has halted the use of state-funded ALPR devices.

While ALPRs serve as a critical tool that enhances investigative speed and public safety efficiency, EPPD has always operated this technology under strict oversight, limited access, and rigorous privacy safeguards. Restricting these devices shifts our work back to manual investigative methods, impacting overall response times.

The El Paso Police Department committed to providing efficient, transparent law enforcement while protecting civil liberties and exploring solutions to keeping our community safe.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

UPDATE (Sept. 3, 2026, 1:24 a.m.): The Texas Department of Public Transportation said all lanes are now open on I-10 East.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — One person was hospitalized after a crash on I-10 East near the Vinton exit. Both eastbound lanes are currently closed, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

The person who was hospitalized has minor injuries, EPCSO said.

Traffic is being diverted at Mile Marker 0 in Anthony from I-10 onto South Desert Boulevard. EPCSO said there’s no estimated time of when the highway will reopen.

Drivers should take an alternate route. EPCSO said traffic backed up past Mile Marker 0 into New Mexico.

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