This article was corrected on May 20, 2024 to correct that Wayne Vandenburg was the track and field coach and not the basketball coach at UTEP. In a story we first brought to you back in August 2022 about long-time El Paso businessman’s fraud tied to downtown redevelopment is reaching conclusion almost two years after […]
Posted inOpinion
Guest Editorial: Smells Like MAGA To Me
By: Aldo Mena Editor’s note: this editorial contains language that may be offensive to some readers. I am concerned about Bobby Flores and not just because of his poor taste in music. There’s just something about Flores that, for lack of a better term, just “smells” kind of Republican. My concern stemmed initially from an […]
Posted inNews
Exclusive: The Inside Story Behind The Arrests Of The Socorro School Board Members
Editor’s note: Gabriela Castellano provided El Paso News with about 400 pages of documents, video and audio recordings in March. After we notified her in March that we would not be pursuing her story at that time, she responded via text message that we “can use my information to help your case against EP Matters.” […]
Posted inNews
Texas Tribune: Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar indicted on charges of bribery, money laundering
By Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, was indicted with his wife Imelda on Friday on charges of accepting almost $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani energy company and a Mexican bank, the Justice Department announced. Cuellar allegedly accepted the payments after they had been laundered through fake consulting […]
Posted inOpinion
The Politics Of The Border: Analyzing The Political Theater Of March 21
The news headlines blared that “hundreds of migrants rush troops” on March 21 suggesting a border invasion that was unfolding before everyone’s eyes. El Paso District Attorney, Bill Hicks who was appointed by Greg Abbott to fill the unexpired terms of Yvonne Rosales after she resigned, told the Texas Tribune that nine migrants cut through […]
Posted inPolitics
Candidate Analysis: Putting Renard Johnson In Perspective
Editor’s note: the following is an excerpt from the author’s position paper on the candidacy of Renard Johnson, who is running to be El Paso’s next mayor. This is part two of a two-part series. The position paper is available for free by signing up to the Polinotes Newsletter. Click here to sign up. When […]
Posted inPolitics
Candidate Analysis: Renard Johnson And The Politics Of Dangerous Speech
Editor’s note: the following is an excerpt from the author’s position paper on the candidacy of Renard Johnson, who is running to be El Paso’s next mayor. This is part one of a two-part series. Dog whistle political rhetoric is coded language that may sound innocuous to some people but contains language designed to incite […]
Posted inOpinion
Guest Editorial: The Right Time for Heather Wilson to Leave the UTEP Presidency
By: Oscar J. Martínez, PhD, Emeritus Professor, UTEP and the University of Arizona Author’s note: The first in a series on UTEP, this article draws on my experience as a faculty member and administrator during a forty-year career at UTEP, the University of Arizona, and other educational institutions. The focus is on how Heather Wilson, […]
Posted inOpinion
Guest Editorial: Guess Who Wants You To Pay For Connecting Water And Sewer To Their Developments?
By: Jerry Kurtyka, Community First Coalition I attended one of the forums held by El Paso Water Utilities this week to explain the logic of Impact (connection) Fees. These are fees charged to developers to extend water and sewer service to new projects, based on a projection of how many new meters will be installed. […]
Posted inPolitics
City Council Races Starting To Formalize For November Elections
The next city council election is scheduled for November. Oscar Leeser is termed out leaving the mayor’s seat open. In addition to the mayor, districts two, three, four and seven will hold elections in November. Those elected will take office in January 2025. The Mayor’s Office Three individuals have announced that they are running for […]