Category: kvia-local-news

Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — ABC-7 reported the City of El Paso approved a new ordinance requiring short-term vacation rental owners to contribute to El Paso’s hotel occupancy tax (HOT).

The city said this will create a more equitable lodging tax structure while generating an estimated $3.5 million annually to support tourism-related investments throughout the community.

Isaac Martinez, a local Airbnb and business owner, said he was first concerned about the ordinance, but then he learned it is not going to impact owners directly. The tax will be directly applied to guests looking for a short-term rental to stay in El Paso.

“Between my wife and me, our main way of running our business is to be, you know, to be servant-led, to be servant to our guests,” Martinez told ABC-7.

Once he and his wife became Airbnb owners, they wanted to start supporting other homeowners because they knew people who do that here want an extra source of revenue and income to support their families.

“So that’s the main reason why we wanted to start and operate a full-service business that helps people start their Airbnbs, pretty much maintain them as well, clean them and also support with guest communication and support. The main reason was just to help other families that are also kind of sort of like us that are starting and maybe they have children or they have elderly parents are trying to support,” Martinez also said.

According to him, these taxes will be applied directly to the guests and the city is trying to have a partnership with all the short-term rental platforms for them to apply for taxes directly.

It is unknown how much extra will be charged by those taxes, as the city is still taking time for implementation and outreach; the City of El Paso also said that the action approved will begin no earlier than 90 days or later than 180 days after adoption.

“The owners or hosts that are running their businesses like an actual business, I don’t I feel like there’s not going to be any big problem or there’s not going to be a big issue as far as occupancy or getting fewer bookings, because everything’s going to be on an even playing field, with the hotels and other hosts,” Martinez added.

He also said, “This ordinance will not affect guests as much as they think it will.”

“A lot of these guests, they’re looking for amenities that hotels don’t provide, or motels don’t provide, because they’re looking for a more comfortable stay somewhere where they could host some of their family, because a lot of the times we get people from out of state or even from out of the country that have family here in El Paso, and they want to host their families inside our Airbnbs to have a reunion or just like a lunch or dinner.”

For him, his wife and their business, their plan is always to improve their properties and make them better for their guests and anyone coming from out of town.

“I just wanted to give some reassurance to hosts all around El Paso that this tax ordinance should not be a big factor and as far as getting bookings, instead of trying to see this as a negative, we should definitely look at it as an opportunity to become better hosts, so that we could attract the right guests,” Martinez said.

“More than anything, I think these taxes, once that are implemented into the city and as a city keeps on bringing in events such as Coldplay and BTS, all that to is going to be a benefit to us because we’re getting more bookings and now we’re able to to charge a better price for our homes and also be competitive with with other hotels and motels.”

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Yvonne Suarez

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Chih., Mexico (KVIA) — A highly-anticipated and attended community fair returns to Juarez this summer.

The Feria Canaco is one of the biggest events to take place in Juarez. The 2026 Feria runs June 11-28. This year’s fair brings in hundreds of vendors, games, and more than 20 rides for children of all ages.

Admission to the fair is 70 pesos, or about $4. Concert tickets run between 250-3,000 pesos depending on day and act, which is between $15-$175 dollars.

Popular music groups will bring their songs to the Teatro del Pueblo Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 9 p.m. in during the feria.

Here are the scheduled performers:

June 12: Majo Aguilar

June 13: Horoscopos de Durango

June 14: Conjunto Primavera

June 18: Cadetes de Linares

June 19: La Arrolladora Banda Limon

June 20: Aleman

June 21: El Tri

June 25: Wisin

June 26: Chicos de Barrio y Kumbia Kings

June 27: Mago de Oz

June 28: Cuisillos

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Friday, the Office of Field Operations Port of El Paso said Customs and Border Protection officers rescued five people hidden inside rail hoppers trying to cross into the U.S.

Among the five rescued were a 28-year-old mother and her 12-year-old son, officials said in a social media post.

The hoppers had hazardous lime scale powder.

“Prolonged contact or inhalation of lime powder can cause severe respiratory distress, chemical burns or death,” officials said on social media. “All individuals were medically cleared and given access to showers and allowed to recover.”

OFO posted a video about the inspection-turned-rescue on Instagram. You can watch the full video below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Port Director Andrew H. Douglas (@cbpportdirelpaso)

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Starting Sunday, Sun Metro is bringing changes to its system; riders can expect new routes and schedules.

Route and schedule changes come with Sun Metro Rising, the City of El Paso said.

“We are making it so that the rides, the trips that you do are quicker, faster, get to your destination sooner,” Anthony DeKeyzer, Director of Sun Metro said.

DeKeyzer said they minimized routes from 59 to 39. With that reduction, Sun Metro also reduced 16 minutes from the average ride, he said.

According to the Sun Metro website, routes 59 and 89 saw a schedule change. Routes 41, 55 and the Microtransit program are new.

A new program, Microtransit, will debut Sunday in the Upper East El Paso area, according to the city. It will be the city’s first on-demand, all-electric public transportation service serving the area, according to the city.

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar secured $720,000 in federal funding for the Microtransit program, the city said. The money went into buying electric vehicles and chargers.

DeKeyzer said Microtransit is limited to the Upper East Side because Sun Metro found it was “really needed” for the area. He said it will replace routes that go through parts of the community had had low ridership.

Microtransit vehicles are small and shuttle-like. They will replace the larger, 40-foot Sun Metro buses often seen around the city.

Below is Sun Metro’s Microtransit map.

MicroTransit-Map-and-Stops (1)Download

For a full list of route and schedule changes and discontinued routes, you can visit the Sun Metro website.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Friday, the Justice Department said two Mexico residents appeared in federal court this week in El Paso to face charges for allegedly smuggling migrants, including a child, in the U.S.

The DOJ said on Sunday, 39-year-old Abraham Romo-Rivera and 29-year-old Amairani Munoz-Molinar tried to cross the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry from Mexico.

Romo-Rivera allegedly drove the vehicle, which carried Munoz-Molinar, a boy and a woman, the DOJ said. Romo-Rivera and Munoz-Molinar showed their permanent resident cards and claimed the two other passengers as their children, the DOJ said.

A Customs and Border Protection officer noticed the woman tried to hide her face, the DOJ said, and sent the vehicle for another inspection. An officer also noticed the woman’s supposed identification documents didn’t match her. The DOJ said she allegedly disclosed she was a Mexican citizen.

Investigators found out Romo-Rivera was allegedly expecting a $10,000 payment to smuggle woman and boy through the border, the DOJ said.

During a pat-down search, an officer found an envelope with the woman and boy’s actual birth certificates and passports, the DOJ alleged. Officials then found out the boy was a minor, the DOJ said.

Romo-Rivera and Munoz-Molinar were arrested and charged with one count of bringing in and harboring the migrants. If convicted, they could each face up to 10 years in prison, the DOJ said.

A federal district court judge will decide their sentence.

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Lauren Bly

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso have found that the use of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic could lower the risk of people developing alcohol, opioid, nicotine and cocaine use disorders.

The study was led by UTEP School of Pharmacy researchers Tadesse Abegaz and Gabriel Frietze.

In the study, 142,000 cases of patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity, of which around 20,000 were prescribed GLP-1 medications. Researchers looked at whether these users were more or less likely to develop substance use disorders.

“Our findings add to growing evidence that GLP-1 medications may influence more than appetite and blood sugar regulation,” said lead author Abegaz. “These medications appear to affect brain pathways involved in reward and craving, which could help explain the lower rates of substance use disorders observed in our study.”

The study found that people taking GLP-1 medications had:

74% lower odds of alcohol use disorder

69% lower odds of opioid use disorder

68% lower odds of nicotine use disorder

75% lower odds of cocaine use disorder

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Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — During warm months, it’s important to take extra care of your skin! You can spend time outdoors without raising your skin cancer risk by protecting your skin.

Dr. Zainab Mohammodu is a board-certified dermatologist. She sees patients at Epiphany Dermatology in El Paso.

She said there’s a reason why El Paso is called the Sun City: “El Paso actually has some of the highest UV indexes in the country.”

She provided some easy tips to follow:

Apply sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher, and reapply frequently.

Wear sun-protective clothing and face coverings.

Wear wide-brimmed hats.

“The areas that are the most exposed daily include the face, the ears, the neck and the back of the hands. And so those are the areas that I really emphasize for patients to look out for and to remember to apply every day,” she said.

She also said truckers are at higher risk of skin damage because the sun is directly aimed at the left side of their faces.

“They have more freckles on this side, or they have more of those scaly spots that we talked about previously on this side. That just shows you the impact that the sun can have on your skin when you’re not even realizing it,” Dr. Mohammodu said.

Dr. Mohammodu also said it’s important to apply sunscreen year-round, not just when it’s hot.

“When you are outside for longer than two hours at a time, you do have to reapply sunscreen every two hours.  And when you’re in water doing water activities, that shortens to every 80 minutes,” she said.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Wednesday, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man suspected of a hit-and-run.

At 6:17 p.m. that day, deputies went to the intersection of Desert Meadows Drive and Montana Avenue because the crash injured people. Investigation revealed the driver of a Dodge Ram truck hit another vehicle and drove away without giving information or helping, EPCSO said.

EPCSO’s Special Operations Unit did a follow-up investigation and found the truck at a home on the 15100 block of Blaeu Drive in the Homestead Meadows South area. Investigators got a search warrant to take the truck and collect evidence, EPCSO said.

During the investigation, deputies found video showing the truck driving up to the home shortly after the crash, according to EPCSO.

EPCSO said it identified 40-year-old Ramon Pena as the suspected driver and got an arrest warrant.

Deputies later found him at a different home on the 3000 block of Hiawatha Drive in East El Paso and arrested him. Deputies said he violated a court-issued protective order banning him from the house.

EPCSO said it charged him for the crash and violating the protective order. His bond totaled $23,000. Deputies booked him into the El Paso County Detention Facility.

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Gabrielle Lopez

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) — The New Mexico Department of Transportation wants public opinion on a bridge replacement project on the I-10 in the Mesilla Valley area. Friday, NMDOT said it’s taking input through June 25.

NMDOT said the project will replace four bridges; two at I-10 and Fairacres Road and two at I-10 and W Boutz Road. In addition to replacing bridges, the project will upgrade the surrounding roads to meet safety and design standards, according to the department.

A map of the planned bridge replacements.(Courtesy: NMDOT)

An NMDOT engineer said the bridges were built in 1971 and show “signs of age and deterioration.”

Residents and businesses can submit comments and review project information through this website.

NMDOT said comments can be sent to joshua.holguin@dot.nm.gov or 505-470-3637 too.

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Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)— Lily Rodriguez continues to raise money for wildlife following her participation in Colossal’s JR. Ranger Competition. It’s a nationwide campaign that raises awareness and funds for the National Wildlife Federation.

The 8-year-old campaigned around her neighborhood and raised funds to advance in the donation-based competition.

The winner earns $20,000 and enjoys an exclusive wildlife experience with Jeff Corwin.

Lily promised that if she won, she would donate 10% of her winnings to Second Chance Wildlife Rescue in Canutillo.

Out of 80,000 participants, her mother said she advanced to the top 1%. While she did not make it to the final round, Lily continues to raise funds for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue. It’s a nonprofit in Canutillo dedicated to helping injured, abandoned or ill wildlife.

Lily is passionate about nature. When she’s not busy with her schoolwork, you’ll find her outdoors and likely saving any critters she finds alongside her three siblings. Many times it’s her own neighbors who call on her for assistance!

“I like rescuing them,” she told ABC-7.

Lily has already helped save three birds and nurtured them back to health. She then drops them off at Second Chance Wildlife Rescue. It’s there she’s been able to learn from professionals firsthand and deepen her passion for conservation.

“The first one was a little male sparrow I found in my neighbor’s backyard. And then the second one was a pigeon that was stuck,” she explained when asked about the animals she’s helped take care of.

This eagerness is what led Lily’s mother to enter her into the JR. Ranger Competition.

While all four of her children wanted to participate, she didn’t want them to go against each other. So, this year was Lily’s turn to compete.

“It was fun for her. But it has driven her to learn more about wildlife and about how to care, how to respect, how to leave animals in their habitat,” her mother told ABC-7. Lily and her siblings visited neighborhoods asking for donations.

Vicky Fileto, an assistant rehabilitator at Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, said it’s exciting to see young children like Lily so passionate about wildlife and conservation.

“I feel like she’s on a positive trajectory, and I’m excited for her!

Rodriguez said she’s excited to see her daughter leading the way and inspiring others to be the change!

“I feel like I’ve heard her say, she likes to help those who can’t help themselves. She feels a lot of pride.”

Lily said she just wants to make a difference and help Second Chance Wildlife Rescue.

“A lot of animals get hurt every day, and lots of people need somewhere to take them to. But they have nowhere until they come here,” she added.

Rodriguez said she is eager to help another one of her children compete next year.

To learn more about Second Chance Wildlife Rescue’s mission, click here.

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