Category: kvia-local-news

Nina Gallegos

UPDATE (5:55 p.m.):

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – El Paso Electric spokesman Daniel Perez told ABC-7 this project will not impact ratepayers.

“It’s a generation facility for a specific customer. And that specific customer will be paying for those costs. There’s nothing here that would impact any other any of our other customers,” Daniel Perez said.

When City Attorney Karla Nieman was asked about the cost to ratepayers she disagreed with Perez.

“The proof is in the pudding. Their expert and their reports haven’t shown how they are actually going to ensure that meta pays. We’re confident that our case shows that El Paso Electric needs to be more transparent about what the cost for media is going to be,” Nieman said.

Meta denied ABC-7’s request for an interview. Their spokesperson sent a statement.

“Meta’s El Paso data center represents a significant long-term investment in this community — supporting thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of operational jobs, generating millions in local tax revenue, and supporting the digital infrastructure that El Paso businesses and families rely on every day. We’re glad to continue working with the city on the path forward and remain excited to be part of El Paso’s future,” a Meta spokesperson said in an email.

El Paso Electric has until June 23 to file their testimony.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Thursday, the City of El Paso formally opposed El Paso Electric’s application for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN), according to a news release.

The CCN is related to a plan to build a $551.8 million natural gas power plant to support the Meta data center in Northeast El Paso.

The news release said EPE hasn’t demonstrated that the project is a cost-effective choice for existing customers.

“EPE is asking to build a half-billion-dollar power plant for a single new customer without performing the analysis Texas law and regulations require,” said City Attorney Karla Nieman. “The City’s position is simple: El Paso ratepayers should not be paying for the costs or risks associated with serving a single large customer. We entered settlement discussions in good faith and proposed reasonable protections that would have held families and businesses harmless, but El Paso Electric chose not to provide those assurances. That is why the City is asking the Public Utility Commission to deny the application as proposed.”

In testimony filed with the Public Utility Commission, the city identified significant concerns with the application:

No competitive bidding: EPE didn’t ask for bids or compare options and chose the project based on direction from Wurldwide.

No long-term analysis: EPE didn’t do a long-term cost study, rate impact review, or financial projections.

Higher cost option: The project is more expensive than gas turbine alternatives in their own resource plan, which are more fuel efficient.

Uncertain need: It’s not certain the facility is needed long-term after 2029 becuase the demand depends on future data center growth.

Unproven reliability: EPE didn’t fully assess how reliable the technology is or Enchanted Rock’s experience.

The city expressed a concern for existing customers to be exposed to risks and costs with a project of this scale, according to the news release

The city cannot unilaterally alter previously-approved development. It said it will continue to push for more transparency about the project, accountability from those involved and protections for El Paso residents from paying higher rates, according to the news release.

ABC-7 has requested interviews from Meta, El Paso Electric and City Attorney Karla Nieman. Please check back for updates.

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Max Zepeda

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Thursday, the City of El Paso will host a free watch party for Mexico’s second World Cup match against South Korea at Cleveland Square Park in Downtown El Paso.

Fans who attend can also take part in free snacks, prizes and soccer player card trading, while the game is played on a giant outdoor screen on the Mexican American Cultural Center, the city said.

The park is located at 510 N Santa Fe St.

The city said the watch party starts at 7 p.m. and ABC-7’s Max Zepeda will be live at both 5 & 6 p.m. as organizers prepare to draw local fans Downtown.

The city also said fans are allowed to bring lawn chairs and blankets for comfortable seating, and that free snacks will be available while supplies last.

Beyond watching the game, there will be free snacks, prizes and soccer player card trading, the city said.

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Gabrielle Lopez

UPDATE- Retired Air Force pilot Eric Gonzalez, who also flies commercially, said GPS jamming events are not unusual for pilots.

“It’s not uncommon to get a little blurb on your equipment that, hey, there’s GPS signals infected, and then we rely on our backup instrumentation in that case,” Gonzalez said. “Usually it’s something called an inertial navigation system, where the airplane kind of knows where it is based on where it’s been and where it’s going. It’s a backup to the GPS.”

While the NTSB report does not mention a backup GPS system, it provides a timeline of the flight’s final minutes.

According to investigators, the aircraft departed Roswell shortly before midnight and flew to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in Ruidoso to pick up a patient for transport to Albuquerque.

At 12:08 a.m., the flight crew reported they had the airport in sight. Moments later, the crew said they would cancel instrument flight rules, or IFR, and continue flying visually.

Gonzalez said that decision can increase risks, especially when flying through mountainous terrain at night.

“Hopefully they’ve done a good enough job preparing maps and basically going back to the good old days of the Wright brothers of flying visually to navigate through mountain passes and that kind of thing,” Gonzalez said. “If they didn’t have that skill set, then setting themselves up for failure.”

The report states there were no further radio transmissions from the crew after they reported having visual contact with the airport.

At 12:10 a.m., air traffic control advised the military it could resume GPS jamming operations. Five minutes later, the aircraft climbed from 9,400 feet to 9,823 feet while traveling about 173 mph.

Shortly afterward, the plane struck the ground about 250 feet southwest of its last recorded position, according to the report.

The NTSB investigation remains ongoing.

An Army spokesperson declined to comment on the report, citing the active federal investigation.

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.M. (KVIA) — GPS jamming activities done by the U.S. military happened at the same time a plane crashed and killed all four passengers in the Capitan Mountains area, according to a federal report ABC-7 obtained.

On May 13, an air crew planned to fly from Roswell, New Mexico, to the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport (SRR) in Ruidoso to pick up and transfer a patient to Albuquerque, a preliminary investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Board said.

In the plane were two Generation Jets pilots and two Trans Aero MedEvac flight nurses, according to Trans Aero.

The plane had two types of tracking equipment called Spidertracks and ADS-B, the report said. Both sources had consistent data, but the Spidertracks altitude data was about 600 feet higher than the ADS-B data. The report also said there were “large gaps” in the recorded ADS-B data.

Just before midnight, the flight left Roswell and got clearance to fly to SRR, the report said. At this time, the U.S. military had GPS-jamming scheduled to encompass the area and altitudes the same time as the flight, the report noted. The report also said pilots knew about the jamming.

At midnight May 14, air traffic control told the plane they flew 1,000 feet above their assigned altitude. The pilot said they were fixing their altitude and that the plane lost GPS capability, according to the report.

Air traffic control called an operations supervisor and asked the military to stop the GPS jamming, the report said.

After air traffic control asked for the jamming to stop, the plane started turning. The pilot then asked for more guidance to the runway, the report said.

The plane moved forward for about 20 nautical miles. During this time, the report said air traffic control served other air traffic, including three other aircraft that reported losing their GPS capabilities.

One of the other aircraft said its crew had a hard time finding navigation help and needed additional assistance from air traffic control, the report said.

At 12:04 a.m., air traffic control told the medical flight crew they would get an assigned direction “in a couple minutes,” according to the report.

Air traffic control then asked the military to stop jamming again, the report said.

At 12:08 a.m., the flight crew said they had “a visual on Ruidoso,” but their radio transmission was interrupted by other radio traffic, the report said. The flight crew repeated themselves, and air traffic control cleared the flight to use their cockpit tools instead of outside visual cues.

The crew said they would cancel its Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) “in a couple of minutes,” the report said. IFR helps pilots fly when it’s hard to see.

The report said there were no radio transmissions coming from the flight crew after that.

The plane started turning left toward SSR. At this time, the Capitan Mountains, extending 10,201 feet, were about 14 miles northeast of SRR between the plane and airport, the report said.

At 12:10 a.m., an air traffic control supervisor told the military it could resume GPS jamming, according to the report. The plane started descending toward SRR at the same time.

At 12:15, the report said Spidertrack data showed the plane suddenly climbed from 9,400 feet to 9,823 feet at 150 knots groundspeed (about 173 miles per hour).

The plane hit ground about 250 feet southwest of the last recorded data. A fire started spreading in the forest, the report said.

All four passengers died in the crash. On May 18, Trans Aero MedEvac identified the four victims:

Keelan Clark, Generation Jets Pilot

Ali Kawsara, Generation Jets Pilot

Sarah Clark, Trans Aero MedEvac Flight Nurse

Jamie Novick, Trans Aero MedEvac Flight Nurse

The reported included a map of the plane’s flight path.

Courtesy: NTSB

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Marcel Clarke

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — After capturing the attention of viewers across the country on the latest season of American Idol, El Paso native Julian Kalel is performing on July 4th at the Convention Center Plaza Downtown for a free community event.

Kalel will return to El Paso for a special hometown performance aimed at thanking the community that supported him throughout his journey on the national stage.

Destination El Paso said the concert will take place at 1 Civic Center Plaza.

Throughout the competition, El Pasoans rallied behind Kalel, voting week after week and celebrating each milestone as he advanced through the competition. His performances earned praise from the three iconic judges, while bringing national attention to ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

Join ABC-7’s Marcel Clarke this Thursday on ABC-7 at 6 p.m. as she talks with Julian Kalel about life after the show, his future plans and his upcoming free hometown concert.

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El Paso Matters

by Claudia Lorena Silva

The Socorro Independent District adopted a balanced budget for the second year in a row and is looking to start rebuilding its savings next year after a decade of spending more than it generated in revenue. 

The SISD board voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a $462.1 million general fund budget with a $550,000 surplus that will pay for the operating costs of the district’s aquatic center.

The budget is a nearly 2% increase over the previous year and does not include pay raises.

SISD Chief Financial Officer David Solis said that even though the district’s budget is balanced, it is still facing challenges, including declining enrollment and limits on payroll spending.

“While we’re proud of the work that we’ve been able to accomplish, we still know that there’s still so much more that we need to do,” Solis told El Paso Matters.

Solis said he expects to finish the fiscal year, which ends June 30, with a 1% to 2% surplus budget, which would come out to about $4 to $8 million.

Texas Education Agency conservator Michael Hinojosa, who has been overseeing SISD for the last two years, said he may delay his exit from the district by another month due to unspecified special education reporting issues he said were not part of the state’s original exit criteria.

“There is an opportunity that by the end of July, it could be removed. Part of this is that the special ed data lags, and until they have significant data to clear to you, it may not happen,” Hinojosa said, referring to the conservatorship.

Some board members, including trustees Ryan Woodcraft and Marivel Macias, expressed concern that the conservatorship would be extended over a metric they were unaware of.

“I feel last night that the rug was pulled out from underneath us. In the 13 months I’ve sat on this board, not one point was the criteria presented to us from TEA,” Woodcraft said. “Now, it’s almost like we’re being punished for something that wasn’t communicated properly to us from the state.”

Hinojosa said the district won’t face any repercussions after an El Paso Matters report prompted the discovery that Superintendent James Vasquez didn’t complete the legally required evaluations for his cabinet members in 2025, when the district laid off dozens of employees.

SISD acknowledged that Vasquez hadn’t evaluated his cabinet members in the past two years in response to questions from El Paso Matters. The news organization reported on an El Paso Independent School District audit that found that its two previous superintendents, Juan Cabrera and Diana Sayavedra, skipped legally required evaluations for their top cabinet members for more than a decade.  

Hinojosa said Vasquez took accountability for failing to complete the evaluations and is confident he will complete them in the future. He was critical of EPISD’s failures, which included a request from Sayavedra after she left the district that her direct reports complete and sign evaluations for the three previous years.

“The difference with the two districts, one was egregious, and it went back and they asked people to falsify information. I think this one was just the fact that you had an inexperienced superintendent, there was a transition, they asked for a waiver, and they were so focused on getting the year done that it was just sloppy. And being sloppy is different than having people change documents,” Hinojosa told El Paso Matters.

Hinojosa was appointed to oversee the district, along with Andrew Kim, after a state investigation found the district was inundated with leadership issues and had improperly graduated students in 2019.

Kim attended his final board meeting in March, as he and Hinojosa prepared to recommend the end of their conservatorship in June, which would have needed to be approved by the state education commissioner.

Two years ago, SISD officials were concerned that operating on budget deficits for nearly a decade had almost depleted the district’s savings, which it uses to pay employees in between state funding disbursements. That has forced the district to take out short-term loans to make payroll.

Now, the district plans to start approving surplus budgets next year, under a multi-year plan to rebuild its savings.

SISD plans to adopt a budget with a $2 million surplus for the 2027-28 school year and a $3 million surplus for the following year. 

SISD ended the 2024-24 school year with enough reserves to keep the district running for 29 days in an emergency. He said he is unsure how the current school year will end until he finds out if the district will have a surplus next month.

SISD policy requires the district to have enough savings to operate for 75 days. The highest score a school district can get under the state’s financial rating system is a B if it has less than 75 days’ worth of savings.

The district estimates it will have 800 fewer students compared to last year, which is nearly a 2% enrollment reduction.

Despite the anticipated decreases in enrollment, SISD expects to get a 5% increase in state funding compared to the budget adopted last year and plans to spend 5% more on instruction, which is primarily made up of teachers’ salaries.

Solis said this is because the board adopted a budget that did not include funding increases from the 2025 Texas Legislature. 

SISD is also preparing to call for a voter-approval tax ratification election, or VATRE, that would bring in more funding to the district.

The board expects to vote on its tax rate in August and decide whether to call for a tax ratification election.

SISD voters narrowly rejected a VATRE proposal last year that would have shifted a portion of the tax rate used to pay its debt to pay for operations, known as a penny swap, which would have generated over $49 million in revenue.

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Nina Gallegos

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — ABC-7 uncovered an internal YISD audit that found the district could become insolvent within two years. In an interview Wednesday, YISD Superintendent Xavier De La Torre answered questions about the audit. 

The audit was never shared with the public.

In a May 20 board meeting, YISD Internal Auditor Amy Sanchez gave a quarterly budget presentation to trustees. Sanchez’s presentation did not include reference to a May 7 internal audit she completed. That audit stated there is a priority risk for YISD’s budget, with a significant risk of YISD becoming insolvent within two years.

That presentation did not include the May 7 internal audit in its backup attachments. ABC-7 reached out to Sanchez to ask why and has not heard back. 

In the interview with De La Torre, ABC-7 asked him about the audit not being included in the May 20 meeting agenda. 

ABC-7 : “Typically past practice, when an audit is done, an auditor will share the findings with the public and he or she will go over the responses. And that obviously didn’t happen on May 20th. So just wondering if there was a reason for that. What was the reason?”

De La Torre: “I’m not sure I agree with you. It obviously did happen, given that it’s part of the board packet and that audit is contained in that board packet, and that board packet is available to anybody who wants to download it or have a send it to them.”

De La Torre went on to say, “You couldn’t find it. But by law, it has to be there.”

After the interview, De La Torre went to the YISD website to check for the backup attachments and could not find them. 

YISD has a board meeting Wednesday night to present a budget plan. ABC-7 asked De La Torre what the public should know. 

ABC-7: “The board is having an important budgeting budget meeting tonight. Can you explain a little bit about what you want taxpayers to know?”

De La Torre: “I’m not sure that there’s really anything that is unique about tonight’s board meeting. I think we’re presenting a deficit budget of $14,900,000. We’ve worked hard all year to get down to that. We’ll continue to work during the 26-27 school year to eliminate that deficit, so that we can end the year with a balanced budget. And we’ve got some ideas relative to how we do that. But it is a budget that dedicates 87% of the resources we receive to people, to the employees, both certificated employees and hourly employees. It doesn’t have any unusual or unexpected unanticipated investments or expenses. It’s pretty straightforward.”

ABC-7:  “On what date did you first find out about the May 7 findings from that audit?”

De La Torre: “We’ve known that running deficit budgets isn’t a best practice for 3 or 4 years. So that report, while it may seem interesting, it is a postmortem autopsy we’ve known since 2022, 23 that we were running a deficit budget. And so those findings, that explanation isn’t very timely. The internal auditor sat in all of the meetings when these discussions were happening 3 or 4 years ago. And yet this is the first year that she’s decided to file a report.”

ABC-7 asked the Superintendent to clarify his previous statement calling the internal audit a ‘postmortem autopsy,’ continuing to say the audit wasn’t timely. 

ABC-7: “Are you saying that you’ve known for several years that the school was at a risk of insolvency?”

De La Torre: “We knew for several years that running a deficit budget. That required us to go into the unassigned fund balance, the reserve which is a lot like a piggy bank, cannot be sustained. It’s not sustainable.”

ABC-7 has been trying reach the internal auditor who created the May 7 audit, Amy Sanchez. We have not heard back. 

ABC-7 did receive a statement from YISD Communications Director Tracy Garcia-Ramirez Wednesday afternoon regarding the internal audit.

“Ysleta ISD strives to be open with the public by providing clear, straightforward information about our financial documents and how they can be accessed. We also take seriously our responsibility to follow the law and safeguard confidential information, while still making sure the public can review the records they have a right to see.

It is important to clarify that the General Fund Financial Observations document in question is an internal report, not a formal audit. It was generated by the Internal Audit Department (IAD) and, as such, it is called an Internal Audit Report — a report generated by the department, but it is NOT an official audit. IAD reports are not required by law to be posted online or included in board meeting materials; as such, it has not been our practice to do so. The financial audit that must be posted under the Tax Code is the annual audit prepared by our external auditor, which is available on our District Transparency webpage. Final reports by the IAD are provided when requested through the Open Records Request (ORR) process, but even then, these reports are subject to review and redaction to protect sensitive or confidential information.

The General Fund Financial Observations report in question was a formal communication from IAD to the Board of Trustees, notifying them of a significant risk that was identified. During the course of the Risk Management Audit, IAD identified a potential deficit in the health plan fund.  That deficit — in combination with the then-recently announced $11-million loss due to reduced hold harmless funding as well as multiple fiscal years of general fund deficits — caused IAD to review fund balance and financial indicators. IAD identified a significant risk and had a responsibility to communicate it to the school board.

Ysleta ISD values the trust our community places in us, and we remain committed to handling public information in a way that is transparent, responsible, and easy for families and taxpayers to understand.”

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Gabrielle Lopez

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) — A 36-year-old Galveston man was arrested for allegedly stealing a vehicle from El Paso and trying to drive it into Mexico with plans to sell it, according to court documents ABC-7 obtained. Law enforcement arrested him at a port of entry, documents said.

Tuesday, police went to the Santa Teresa Port of Entry because of a reported stolen vehicle, court documents said.

Customs and Border Patrol agents alleged Hamo Amos stole a vehicle from El Paso, court documents said.

Amos admitted he saw the vehicle unlocked and drove it with plans to sell it in Mexico, according to court documents. He also allegedly said he “wanted to get caught by law enforcement.”

Documents said Amos gave different names and birth dates before CBP took his finger print and found out who he was.

Jail records show he was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center and charged with transferring a stolen vehicle and concealing his identity. He was booked without bond.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Wednesday, U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David Venturella saying at least three people experienced suspected overdoses at Camp East Montana in El Paso.

The letter cites 911 calls where emergency crews responded to two suspected overdoses, both men, at the detention center, Rep. Escobar said. She said they happened within less than 24 hours of each other on May 23-24.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the alleged overdoses were tied to psychiatric medication and self-harm, Rep. Escobar said in the letter.

She said both men, ages 35 and 34, are back at Camp East Montana and in stable condition.

Calls reportedly detailed a third suspected overdose at the end of February, Rep. Escobar said.

In the letter, Rep. Escobar demands answers as to how detainees accessed the amount of medication to trigger an overdose; what safeguards failed to prevent the alleged overdoses; and whether DHS, ICE or another agency is investigating the incident.

Rep. Escobar said ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight inspected Camp East Montana and found 49 standards violations.

“This misconduct raises serious questions about whether the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are capable of operating this facility and meeting even their own most basic, internal standards,” she said in the letter.

Read Rep. Escobar’s full letter below.

oversight_letter_on_cem_overdoses_rep._escobarDownload

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Gabrielle Lopez

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) — Law enforcement in Doña Ana County are pushing a new safety initiative to reduce criminal trespassing and unlawful shootings on private property around the jetport in Santa Teresa, the county announced Wednesday.

The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and Sunland Park Police will work together to address residents’ worries about unauthorized access to private property, gun use and stray gunfire, the county said.

“After several homes in the district I represent, District 6 for the City of Sunland Park, were struck by stray bullets, it became clear that this issue requires action. No family should have to live with the fear that a stray bullet could threaten the safety of their loved ones,” Sunland Park Mayor Pro Tempore said in a statement.

Starting Friday, law enforcement will start patrolling the area during historically high-activity time frames, according to the county.

The county said property owners involved in the initiative allowed law enforcement to enforce trespass laws on their behalf, and said they’re willing to pursue prosecution against people trespassing on their property.

Under New Mexico law, criminal trespass happens when someone knowingly goes into or stays in private property where access isn’t allowed. Punishment includes citations, arrest, charges and potential civil liability, the county said.

Additionally, the City of Sunland Park will install two cameras at the Highway 136 entrance, the county said. One camera will read license plates while the other is for surveillance. Sunland Park Police can access the cameras for investigations.

Deputies and officers will stay in touch with nearby people to teach them about responsible gun use and legal shooting locations, the county said.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Wednesday, six high school seniors celebrated their selection into the fourth MedFuture cohort, a program that helps University of Texas at El Paso students get into Texas Tech Health El Paso’s medical school.

According to UTEP President Heather Wilson, more than 30 UTEP graduates go to medical school every year.

MedFuture gives selected students pre-medical help while completing their undergraduate studies at UTEP, TTHEP said. Support includes a research class in biological sciences and orientation opportunities.

“This program helps to identify and develop the best students for medical school right out of high school so that they are more likely to stay here and serve our region,” Wilson said in a statement.

Sixty-three students from 25 schools in El Paso County applied for the program, UTEP said. A joint committee from UTEP and TTHEP chose these students based on their grades, commitment to medicine and potential to become doctors:

Shayan Arabi Mianroodi from Coronado High School

Maya Flores from El Paso High School

Mandana Kargar from Montwood High School

Jazlynn Martinez from San Elizario High School

Maite Rodriguez from San Elizario High School

Catherine Whitlatch from Franklin High School

“I didn’t really consider the program. I figured, ‘It’s so competittive, why would I get in,'” Maya Flores said. “I know it’s cheesy — but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Flores said it wasn’t hope didn’t encourage her to apply for MedFuture — she said she got to where she is in spite of others’ discouragement.

“A lot of people said I couldn’t do it,” she said. “In addition to all the academic work I did, there was a lot of mental undoing of barriers that came with it.”

Flores said she hopes to match into pediatric emergency medicine and work in rural and under-advantaged areas.

Franklin High School senior Catherine Whitlatch said she grew up playing with doctor toys and taking care of her stuffed animals as patients. Throughout high school, she took any opportunity to learn skills that would help her the medical future she aspires to achieve.

Whitlatch hopes to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, a profession dealing with surgical procedures on organs inside the chest.

“The goal of becoming a doctor and knowing i can impact people lives in a positive way has really kept me going,” she said.

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