El Paso Times
EPISD schools go from ‘F’ to ‘B’ in 2026 TEA ratings
On the heels of the El Paso Independent School District receiving a “B” in statewide accountability scores from the Texas Education Agency, superintendent Dr. Brian Lusk said there is still room for improvement. The 2026 report using A-F...
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‘IT’S A RELIEF’
Aswirl of dust, rocks and excitement filled the desert air as the first two dozen cattle trotted across the U.S.-Mexico border. ● The rhythm of hooves from the white, brown and black cattle echoed along a strip of cement beside the border fence, mixing...
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Colleges confront decline in reading
Anyone who has spent time on a college campus lately has probably heard laments from faculty about their students’ reading habits, or rather nonreading habits. Such complaints are more than an unfounded nostalgia for a bygone age. Reading – not just...
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Most booked restaurants in city
Wondering where El Pasoans are making dinner reservations these days? OpenTable has a fresh list of El Paso’s mostbooked restaurants. The reservation platform released its latest rankings on Aug. 6, highlighting the El Paso restaurants diners are...
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El Paso targets DWI hot spots ahead of holiday
Driving while intoxicated in El Paso remains “a serious and persistent problem,” which tends to increase during the Labor Day holiday as summer comes to an end, law enforcement and state traffic officials said. The DWI problem was tragically...
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Mexico begins exporting cattle to U.S. again
AGUA PRIETA, Mexico — Mexican cattle exports into the U.S. resumed through the Douglas, Arizona, port for the first time in more than a year after a suspension tied to the spread of New World screwworm. The first cattle began the journey into the U.S....
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Record start for UTEP
Another fall semester at the University of Texas at El Paso means another first day of classes as thousands of students flock to campus. After announcing another record class of incoming freshmen and surpassing 27,000 in total student enrollment, UTEP...
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TCEQ probes pollution emmissions at refinery
An equipment breakdown at the El Paso Marathon oil refinery in early August resulted in the release of much more pollution than previously reported. The breakdown on the night of Aug. 4 resulted in the release of 31,100 pounds, or 15.6 tons, of 33...
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WATER WATCH
The massive Meta data center rising in Northeast El Paso has brought concerns about water access to the forefront of many citizens’ minds. When the El Paso City Council voted against renegotiating Meta’s contract in early June, many public cries...
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Iran vows ‘devastating’ response to threat
DUBAI – Iran said on Aug. 21 that its response to any new U.S. threats would be “devastating” after Washington pledged to impose the toughest financial penalties in history with the aim of toppling the Iranian leadership. Washington prepared for...
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Abbott takes aim at EPISD
It did not take long for Gov. Greg Abbott to blame El Paso Independent School District’s financial exigency on ‘bloated’ bureaucracy and poor taxpayer accountability during his stop in the city. Abbott announced a new education initiative to cut...
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HIGH SEASON
Summer sales have spelled big money for New Mexico’s cannabis industry. As of June 2026, the state has officially surpassed $2.35 billion in cannabis sales — more than $1.7 billion in adult-use recreational sales and nearly $643 million in medical...
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Area school districts get A-F ratings from state
The latest round of school accountability scores was released by the Texas Education Agency, and borderland districts ranged from B+ to F. The 2026 report using A-F accountability ratings shows that 61% of the state’s roughly 9,000 public school...
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‘IT’S ALMOST SPIRITUAL’
Grammy award-winning and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists Santana and The Doobie Brothers brought their Oneness Tour to the Don Haskins Center Aug. 16. Santana, whose sound is almost instantly recognizable, brought his hits spanning more than five...
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Where are ‘Flock’ cameras in El Paso?
Flock cameras continue to spark controversy across the country over potential violations of privacy and constitutional rights. El Paso city leaders approved the use of more than 150 Flock cameras, so here is a guide to what you need to know about the...
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‘It’s no secret that there is pushback’
Seeking to make the El Paso area a data center hub was a major element of the Borderplex Alliance’s economic development plan released in summer 2025. Detailed plans to recruit data centers and their suppliers are one chapter in the 176-page “2030...
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U.S. tells Iran it will step up pressure
LONDON – Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to grind to a near standstill on Aug. 14 after two more ships were attacked there and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. A senior Iranian source said...
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El Músico Tequila mixes tequila, music
When the world is on lockdown, you can lament what you’re missing or have lost, or you can start fulfilling a dream. El Paso native Jaime Cabrera found renewal and a new goal. On Saturday night, people in the Borderland can taste Cabrera’s dream:...
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DHS drops plan for ICE detention center in Socorro
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar announced that the Department of Homeland Security will no longer consider three warehouses in Socorro for use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. The properties have been transferred to the General...
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Opening soon
The managers of the soon-to-open Las Espadas Brazilian Restaurant, at the base of the PNC Bank at 6044 Gateway Blvd., have started the hiring process. Alex Danielli, who is Brazilian and the Chief Operations Officer, said he and Jorge Ibarra, CEO and...
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Family at the heart of ‘Olmo’
“Olmo,” a coming-of-age movie about a Mexican American teenager filmed and set in Las Cruces, is getting solidly good reviews after opening in limited release nationwide. The dramedy revolves around a 14-year-old boy named Olmo (played by Aivan...
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Faith unites San Lorenzo devotees across the border
On both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, Catholic communities gather each August to celebrate San Lorenzo. In Clint, Texas, the tradition has continued for more than a century at San Lorenzo Catholic Church, where thousands gather for the annual...
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‘Bite-sized bond’
For the El Paso Independent School District, maintaining 71 schools for an estimated 48,000 students is no easy task, especially when many structures are over 50 years old. To deal with the bevy of infrastructure improvements, the district is...
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New Trump orders curb birthright citizenship
President Donald Trump is making another bid to curtail birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled his earlier effort was unconstitutional, announcing a pair of executive orders limiting who qualifies for automatic citizenship and cracking...
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12 restaurants worth a visit
El Paso has experienced a good wave of new restaurants this year, that range from burgers and Mexican fare to steakhouses and Italian. ● Many of the restaurants, like Portillo’s on the far East Side, started with grand openings and giveaways. Taco...
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Flood relief in sight
One result of El Paso’s historic, devastating floods in 2006 is a huge stormwater pond nearing completion in Northeast El Paso. The Will Ruth Pond, near Dyer Street, will be the largest of almost 500 ponds in the El Paso Water stormwater system. It’s...
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All-female school builds ‘champions’ in STEAM
Before even stepping foot onto the Young Women’s STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy, bright pink rails and its proud female warrior emblem already emanate that it is a different kind of school. At the helm of the all-female academy, which runs from...
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Parents share hopes, hugs as kids start school year
For thousands of El Paso Independent School District students returning to classes, seeing welcoming staff and teachers ready to guide them to their new classrooms was the first step. The cacophony of tears, laughter and surprise at seeing old friends...
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Books, goals and new roles
As the first day of classes beckons at El Paso Independent School District, families and students look to another term at schools that have changed due to financial strain. ● EPISD Superintendent Brian Lusk knows all too well that the legal and...
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‘BUT WHY YOU?’
For many educators and support staff, August is a time of preparation for the new school year, but for 205 downsized El Paso Independent School District employees, there are only conundrums. ● Although the reason was financial exigency rooted in...
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Attack sparks fears wars could merge
WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States insisted that leaders in Kyiv are not playing “a game of chess” with their recent drone strike on an Iranian ship and have no interest in leveraging their conflict with Russia into a wider, global...
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‘America, The Beautiful’
It is not a painting of Uncle Sam or George Washington, but that of a tattooed cholo that welcomes visitors to the new “America, The Beautiful” exhibit at the El Paso Museum of Art. ● As museums across the United States mark the nation’s 250th...
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Literary legacy
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, an acclaimed, awardwinning Chicano author, poet, and young adult novelist, has died. He was 71. Sáenz died after a lengthy illness on Tuesday, July 28, in El Paso. He lived a fascinating life that included serving as a priest, a...
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Who pays El Paso’s biggest property tax?
El Paso Electric is El Paso’s top property taxpayer on a list compiled by the El Paso Central Appraisal District. The utility’s property tax bill from the city in 2025 was just under $5 million, followed closely by the $4.3 million tax bill for...
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100 days out: El Paso Dems back Hinojosa
Armed with a handful of flyers, a group of El Paso Democrats braved the Sunday heat to block walk and bolster support for candidate for Texas governor Gina Hinojosa. As part of the “100 Days” Day of Action across the state, these supporters reached...
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Meta climbs to top of tax rolls
Robert Cortinas says the debate about whether the coming Meta data center complex is good or bad for El Paso is overlooking the huge financial benefit it will have on city coffers. “I don’t think the average El Pasoan realizes about the property tax...
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‘Just terrifying for people’
Each day, dozens of immigrants from across the Southwest are required to travel to El Paso for their check-ins at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Service Processing Center. ● They are driving in from hundreds of miles away — as far as...
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U.S. strikes shipping point on Red Sea
DUBAI – U.S. missiles struck targets across Iran, reaching as far as its Caspian coast, on July 24 after President Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen for extending the war to a second major shipping...
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Who’s on your playlist?
Trish Long Who’s on your playlist of El Paso artists? A look at singers, songwriters and musicians from El Paso and some Borderland favorites from Juárez includes Billboard chart toppers, Grammy winners and Oscar nominees. Classical, hip-hop, R&B,...
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7 ‘explosive’ diarrhea illness cases under investigation
El Paso public health officials are investigating seven reported cases of “explosive” diarrhea. The seven cases have not shown evidence linking the cases to a single event, location or food source, the El Paso Department of Public Health said in a...
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Renovation near Downtown will host eateries and offices
A prominent, 60-year-old building at Texas Avenue and Cotton Street on the edge of Downtown El Paso is being renovated into spaces for restaurants and offices. Severo Hughston, an El Paso commercial real estate development company specializing in...
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A champion for her community
El Paso County unveiled an official historical marker honoring the life and legacy of Elvira Villa Escajeda, a civic leader and founder of the Chamizal Civic Association whose advocacy helped residents displaced by the 1964 Chamizal Treaty. Escajeda...
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El Paso cafe serves coffee alongside classic cars
El Paso businessman Jair Moncada is combining his passion — classic cars — with the popular coffee culture. Moncada and his business partner Eduardo Espinoza opened Casa Kin, a business that serves espressos, cold brews, matcha and pastries but also...
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RUNNING ON EMPTY
The gently lapping blue waters of Elephant Butte Lake tells a century-old story as indelible and precarious as the striations on exposed islands where water levels once were. ● The city of Elephant Butte and the lake created by a dam in 1915 instantly...
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Trump revisits 2020 election security claims
President Donald Trump in a July 16 prime-time address sought to further sow distrust in U.S. elections, claiming broad vulnerabilities with voting systems and potential for interference from other nations. Trump specifically pointed to China,...
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EL PASO FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS
This year’s El Paso Community Foundation Plaza Classic Film Festival will celebrate its 19th anniversary and is set for Thursday, July 16 through Sunday, July 26. Doug Pullen, program director, is excited to share some insights into what festival...
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‘DEGRADING AND CRUEL’
A new report from Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union details the degrading and cruel conditions in ICE’s massive detention center known as Camp East Montana in El Paso. “Human Rights Watch and the ACLU found that people detained...
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Brunch boom
El Paso is enjoying an uptick in the number of brunch places around the city. And since it’s summer, it seems like a great time to try out a new place, as brunch is all about being relaxed, unrushed, and enjoying a good meal with family or friends in...
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‘We really needed this’
Editor’s note: This article is published by the El Paso Times in partnership with the Puente News Collaborative, a bilingual nonprofit newsroom that covers stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border. MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s improbable World Cup...
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Talarico rallies voters in race against Paxton
Democrat James Talarico brought his U.S. Senate campaign to the Borderland, calling on El Pasoans to join his fight against a corrupt and broken political system. “There is something happening in the great state of Texas,” Talarico said. “There is...
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Borderline impact
Nicholas Natividad’s great-great-great grandfather Juan Velarde was born in a land that, in his lifetime, would be claimed by four different nations. ● In what is now the desert Southwest, Velarde was born among the remnants of the Spanish empire and...
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Ceasefire falls apart as Iran buries slain leader
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to have fallen apart over continued strife over the Strait of Hormuz as Iranians buried their supreme leader, killed by U.S.-Israel forces at the outset of the war. There were no new...
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Quintuplets celebrate their first birthday
El Paso mom Theresa Troia returned to Las Palmas Medical Center with her quintuplets to celebrate their first birthday. ● Doctors and nurses at Las Palmas Medical Center were thrilled to welcome the family back in June, one year after helping deliver...
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‘Tied together really since the beginning’
From a handful of troops providing safety to El Pasoans to a military powerhouse defending America’s front lines, Fort Bliss has played a major role in El Paso and U.S. history as it continues to expand its mission. “Fort Bliss and El Paso have been...
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Citizenship process ‘long, weird and winding’
Dave Nungsey sat alongside 20 other veterans and active-duty soldiers from around the world in a multipurpose room on Fort Bliss in a citizenship ceremony. It was the culmination of a process he had begun when he joined the military but had not...
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Red, white and new
El Paso baby Adalynn Skye Gurrola had a historic birth, coming into the world at 12:12 a.m. on July 4 at Las Palmas Medical Center. Adalynn Skye, who was born at 7 pounds and measuring 20 inches long, wore a patriotic onesie with an Uncle Sam hat and...
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‘It just feels so joyful’
El Paso celebrated America’s 250th birthday as thousands gathered at Convention Center Plaza for an evening of patriotic festivities, music and familyfriendly activities. The July 4 event brought together residents, visitors, military personnel and...
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A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
BOTTOM LEFT: The 828-foot former ASARCO stack hits the ground on April 13, 2013.
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SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY
The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems pluckedfromancientGreeceanddepositedonaKentuckyhilltop. Oneforeachyear of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. ● If the first eight steps, rising amid the site’s hickory,...
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Where to find firework shows for 4th of July
El Paso families will be able to celebrate both America’s 250th anniversary and Independence Day on Saturday, July 4, with plenty of pomp and patriotism. Families can kick off their Fourth of July by attending parades on the Westside and Eastside. Get...
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Heart behind the boom
For 23 years, Lourdes Falcon has spent her summers selling fireworks, turning a seasonal business into a family tradition that also supports organizations across El Paso. Falcon, a teacher at San Elizario High School, works alongside her brother, Edar...
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Ricardo Pepi’s inspiring journey to World Cup
Ricardo Pepi is absolute proof that a rose can grow in the desert. The striker for the U.S. Men’s National Team was born in El Paso in 2003 to parents who lived in a trailer in nearby San Elizario, his 16-year-old mother Annette and his 23-year-old...
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Prayer for ‘religious liberty’
SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico — Hundreds of people gathered at the base of Mount Cristo Rey to join a prayer pilgrimage up the sacred mountain that has been thrust into the national border security conversation. Bishop Peter Baldacchino of the Diocese of...
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UTEP celebrates move to Mountain West Conference
UTEP’s celebration and pep rally in anticipation of its impending July 1 move to the Mountain West Conference was all about a look to the future, and much of that excitement had to do with a nostalgic past. Technically, the Mountain West is new ground...
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Hotels join commercial boom lining city’s edges
Two new hotels are on the rise in the West Towne/Cimarron area of far West El Paso, another sign of El Paso’s ongoing commercial development boom on the edges of the city. ● A new Residence Inn by Marriott is going up in a still-developing office park,...
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Trump blames Iran for attack on ship
DUBAI – President Donald Trump blamed Iran on June 26 for an attack on a ship near Oman which he said had violated their ceasefire, after Tehran insisted it would control the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states not to side with Washington. The...
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Artist Blast brings real life to museum walls
From bar scenes to bathroom encounters, an El Paso artist’s latest exhibition, “Blast: Trancazos de la Vida Real,” highlights aspects of everyday life that he says are often excluded from high art. ● Martin Zubia, who goes by Blast, said the title is a...
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Meta power plant plan faces opposition from city, others
El Paso Electric’s plan to build a $500 million power plant for the giant Meta Platforms data center complex under construction in Northeast El Paso has hit opposition. The city of El Paso, the Texas Office of Public Utility Counsel, representing...
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Providence stays in-house for new Memorial campus CEO
The Hospitals of Providence’s largest and oldest hospital has a new leader. Victoria Gonzalez, who has worked for the Providence network for 30 years, has been promoted to chief executive officer of the Providence Memorial campus, which includes the...
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Work continues on I-10 at Artcraft Road project
The construction on I-10 at Artcraft Road is moving along at a rapid clip. The Texas Department of Transportation is one year into the project and is currently executing work on several fronts, including utilities and storm drainage. Additionally,...
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El Paso Water selling 592 acres for $8.15M
El Paso businessman Stanley Jobe’s concrete supply company outbid El Paso Electric for 592 acres of vacant Northeast El Paso land being sold by El Paso Water. Jobe Materials, a large El Paso supplier of concrete, aggregates, and other construction...
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Shining a light on Mexico’s missing
Editor’s note: This article is published by the El Paso Times in partnership with the Puente News Collaborative, a bilingual nonprofit newsroom that covers stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border. MEXICO CITY — On the outskirts of the Mexican...
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Next round of Iran peace talks on hold
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that was set to begin at 4 p.m. local time June 19 after escalating violence between Israel and Lebanon complicated President Donald Trump’s efforts to reach a final peace agreement with Iran. Still, the next...
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New amphitheater opening pushed to ’27
The opening of the planned Sunset Amphitheater in Northeast El Paso has been delayed. VENU, the company behind the new concert venue, broke ground on the Sunset Amphitheater in November 2025. The amphitheater was slated to open in March 2026, but...
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El Paso, Juárez set to party for World Cup Mexico vs. Korea
World Cup 2026 fever is hitting the El Paso-Juárez Borderland. The cities of El Paso and Juárez are hosting separate public watch parties for the highly anticipated game between Mexico vs. South Korea at 7 p.m. MT Thursday, June 18, at Estadio Akron...
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