This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics throughout El Paso.
Former VP Pence Hosts UTEP Event, Draws Criticism From Former Aide
Former Vice President Mike Pence hosted a roundtable discussion Tuesday at the University of Texas at El Paso and also toured areas near the border.
Thank you to the members of Border Patrol and those directly affected by illegal immigration who joined us for an @AmericanFreedom roundtable in El Paso, TX today. Hearing the stories of suffering at the hands of the cartels on the border was heartbreaking and we will not stop… pic.twitter.com/GNobdvgvoR
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) May 21, 2024
The UTEP event was hosted by Advancing American Freedom, a nonprofit Pence formed after leaving office in 2021 that advocates for “conservative values and policy proposals.”
Among the attendees pictured on Pence’s account on X (formerly Twitter) were UTEP President Heather Wilson, and Victor Manjarrez, a UTEP administrator and retired Border Patrol official who moderated a conversation that was off-limits to the public and media except for the NewsNation cable channel.
Olivia Troye, an El Paso native who was Pence’s homeland security advisor when he was vice president, took to X to criticize her former boss’ rhetoric while he was in El Paso.
Dear Mike Pence: next time call your former Homeland Security Advisor, whom you very well know grew up in El Paso, TX. We could have had an honest discussion about the border, talked about the role that faith plays in a lot of the amazing people that live there, their dedication… https://t.co/hU9smC3Jwo
— Olivia of Troye (@OliviaTroye) May 22, 2024
The El Paso County Democratic Party and UTEP College Democrats also criticized Wilson and the university for hosting a political event that portrayed the border region as dangerous.
El Paso Center for Diabetes breaks ground on new facility
The nonprofit El Paso Center for Diabetes is collaborating with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation to open a new, 6,024-square-foot facility with expanded services. The center broke ground Wednesday at 8700 Montana Ave. in East El Paso.
The El Paso Center for Diabetes began operations in 1968 to provide support for families with children with Type 1 diabetes. It now provides educational classes, meal planning and walk-in screenings to people with Type 1, Type 2 and prediabetes. Other services include a weight loss program, cooking classes, and summer camp for children and teenagers with Type 1 diabetes. The center also helps patients without insurance access low cost ways to manage their disease.
In El Paso, 15% of adults have diabetes, with rates of Type 2 and prediabetes higher in older neighborhoods along the border from Central El Paso to Tornillo, according to a 2023 study by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. The new diabetes center is expected to open November 2024.
City Awarded $8.8 million for Northeast Fire Station
The city was awarded $8.8 million in federal funds to reconstruct Fire Station 12 in Northeast El Paso that’s proposed to provide emergency response support to Fort Bliss, Logan Heights and Biggs Army Airfield.
An existing mutual aid agreement with Fort Bliss allows the service area for the new 6,000-square-foot facility to cover military property and “contribute to the overall safety and well being of military personnel, their families, and civilian employees residing on the installation,” the city said in a news release.
The funds are part of the Fiscal Year 2025 Community Project Funding program, awarded to communities to purchase, construct or improve essential community facilities.
The federal funds complement police and fire facilities the city is building under the $413 million 2019 public safety bond.
City takes next step for Northeast amphitheater deal
The City Council on Tuesday introduced the first reading of an ordinance for the sale, or conveyance of 17 acres of land to Notes Live Inc. for the development of a 12,500-seat amphitheater at the Cohen Entertainment District in Northeast El Paso. The move is one of the next steps in the process to finalize a deal between the city and Notes Live, an entertainment venue development company based in Colorado Springs that promises to invest $80 million for the project. The city also introduced an ordinance to expand the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone that surrounds the land, but did not specify the new boundaries in the introduction of the ordinance to amend the zone. The public hearings will be held June 4.
UTEP’s Wilson Named to Lockheed Martin Board
Heather Wilson, the president of the University of Texas at El Paso, was named this week to the board of the global defense technology company Lockheed Martin.
“Dr. Wilson’s deep knowledge of our industry and extensive leadership experience will be a tremendous asset to our company as we continue to drive innovation and deliver 21st Century Security solutions to our customers,” Lockheed Martin chairman, president and CEO Jim Taiclet said in a statement. “Heather has a proven track record in government, academia and the private sector, and I look forward to her strategic insight as a member of the board.”
UTEP’s College of Engineering has had a long relationship with Lockheed Martin.
Wilson, UTEP’s president since 2019 and former secretary of the Air Force in the Trump administration, is one of 12 board members and will serve on the Classified Business and Security Committee.
Lockheed Martin board members received compensation ranging from $142,708 to $395,000 in 2022, according to Securities and Exchange Commission records.
Sanchez resigns as EPCC trustee
The El Paso Community College Board of Trustees voted 5-0 Wednesday after an executive session to accept the resignation of District 4 Trustee Christina Sanchez effective immediately. Trustees Brian Haggerty and Nina Piña were not at the meeting.
Sanchez, who won the Democratic primary for county attorney in March, does not have an opponent in the November general election so she was set to take office in January. However, County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal announced in mid-April that she would resign early for personal reasons. Bernal’s resignation is effective June 7. The El Paso County Commissioners Court directed its staff to prepare an item to appoint Sanchez to fill the remainder of Bernal’s term that ends Dec. 31.
While she wanted to serve through the end of her term in May 2025, Sanchez decided it best to resign to avoid any possible appearance of conflicts of interest.
The board decided to appoint a successor to serve the rest of Sanchez’s term. The college will create application packets for qualified individuals who live in the district that hugs the border and includes homes in the Willows, South El Paso, parts of Kern Place, Sunset Heights, and into the Riverside and Del Valle high school areas.
An EPCC spokesperson said the college expects to post the opening as early as today and close it no later than June 7. A trustee committee will begin to review the applications the week of June 10. For questions regarding the application process, contact Belle Castruita at 915-831-6511.
Although not mandatory, legal, financial or academic backgrounds would be helpful, Sanchez said.
The next EPCC trustee election will be May 3, 2025, for districts 4, 5 and 6. Trustees, who are not paid, set policy for the college, hire and fire the president, set the tax rate and approve the budget.
Sanchez was appointed to her seat in January 2019, and then won an election the following May to a six-year term. She said that she was grateful for the opportunity to serve the college, and for all she learned through the experience.
