This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
Take Your Kids to Vote Saturday: ‘Future El Paso Voter Day’
The El Paso County Elections Department is encouraging parents to take their kids to vote with them on Saturday, Oct. 26, to foster their civic duty and participation.
Children who accompany their parents or grandparents to vote will receive a “Future Voter” sticker. Additionally, children who visit one of the following voting sites between noon and 5 p.m. will receive an election pack with fun goodies:
Bassett Place, 6101 Gateway Blvd West
City of San Elizario Municipal Court, 12004 Socorro Rd.
Dorris Van Doren Library, 551 Redd Rd.
Marty Robbins Recreation Center, 11620 Vista Del Sol Dr.
Nations Tobin Sports Center, 8831 Railroad Dr.
“Research shows one of the strongest influences on a person’s voting habits is their parents. If a child’s parents vote, they are more likely to also vote,” Lisa Wise, El Paso County elections administrator, said in a news release.
Information: epcountyvotes.com
Four El Paso Tacos Make Texas Monthly’s ‘50 Best Tacos’
Texas Monthly taco editor José R. Ralat ate his way around the state, visiting more than 400 taquerías to put together a list of the 50 best tacos in Texas, which was published Monday. He found four of his favorite tacos in the El Paso area, ranking three of them in his top 10. The Chuco choices were:
Conejito pibil at ELEMI, 13500 Eastlake Blvd., Horizon City.
Tripa y tembloroso at Taqueria El Tiger, 10167 Socorro Road, Socorro.
Mushroom at Taconeta, 311 Montana Ave., El Paso.
Ceviche at El Botanero Mariscos, 12150 Radiance Road, El Paso.
Tacos de asada at El Tiger Taqueria on Feb. 18, 2023. The food truck can now be found outside Tinta Sangre Tattoo & Art Gallery, 10167 Socorro Road, Socorro (Priscilla Totiyapungprasert/El Paso Matters)
Aguachile, mushroom tacos and baja fish taco at Taconeta, 311 Montana Ave., El Paso on Oct. 22, 2022. (Priscilla Totiyapungprasert/El Paso Matters)
The burritaco at La Colonial Tortilla Factory got an honorable mention. El Paso Flautas, a food truck opened by El Pasoans in Austin, also made the best 50 with its Chico’s Tacos-inspired offering.
Ralat described some of these taco shops as part of what he calls the New Tejano movement, where people from blended cultures – often Mexican immigrants and first-generation Mexican Americans – are creating dishes that are both forward-looking and nostalgic. One example, the tripa y tembloroso at food truck El Tiger, features chewy chicharrones with crispier tripas, topped with kimchi marinated in salsa morita and all piled on a nixtamalized corn tortilla.
El Paso County Awards Businesses with Healthy Food Financing
The El Paso County Economic Development Department and UT Health Houston, El Paso campus announced Thursday the recipients of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative award, totaling $336,704. The county program provides capital to projects that address food access in low-income and underserved communities. Projects, for example, may sell healthy food at affordable prices or strengthen the food distribution system. Funds can help businesses expand their services and open new retail outlets.
The award recipients are:
Chuco Town Farms, which grows vegetables in San Elizario.
McCombs Meat Market in Northeast El Paso.
La Mejor Carnicería & Mercado, which serves workers in West El Paso.
County Offers Free Pesticide to Control Beetle Infestation
El Paso County is working with the city of Socorro to distribute free pesticide to fight the infestation of red flour beetles that’s affected residences and businesses in the Lower Valley. El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday approved $25,000 in assistance funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommended the pesticide, which will be available for pickup today and Saturday.
The beetles feed on pecan shells used as ground cover in Socorro and the Lower Valley. El Paso Water will begin moving pecan shells from Lower Valley properties to the county landfill Monday to reduce the insects’ source of food, but residents may expect a temporary surge of beetles that day, according to a county news release.
People can pick up pesticide with instructions, one per person, at the Ysleta Annex at 9521 Socorro Road from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 26.
TTHEP Sees Enrollment Increase
Texas Tech Health El Paso registered 75 more students this semester than last, according to recently released fall 2024 enrollment figures. The schools and their numbers are: Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, 470 (down four from last year); Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, 256 (up 16); Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine, 221 (up 60 due to a new freshman class); and Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 50 (up 3). The 997 students increased 8% from the 922 enrolled students in fall 2023. This is the 10th straight year of higher enrollment numbers.
EPCC to Open Fourth First-Year Experience Center
El Paso Community College will open its newest First-Year Experience Center during a ceremony from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Oct. 28, at the Northwest Campus’ Main Building, Room M-96, 6701 S. Desert Blvd.
The center will offer workshops, academic and registration support as well as holistic case management to First-Time-In-College students during their initial academic year. The college will staff the center with advisers, faculty coaches and peer (student) coaches. Center hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Students may use the center to study and do homework alone or as groups. They will have access to computers or could check out an iPad.
The Northwest’s FYE center is the college’s fourth. EPCC previously opened two FYE centers at the Valle Verde campus and one at the Mission del Paso campus. Officials plan to open similar centers at the Rio Grande and Transmountain campuses in 2025. Those campus’ FYE offices offer fewer amenities and staff members.
College officials report that students who received FYE services during the past two academic years have shown a 12% improvement in retention, and are 6% more likely to have ended their semester in good standing.
El Paso Emergency Management Office Gets Accreditation
The El Paso City-County Office of Emergency Management has received accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program.
“This accreditation validates the hard work and dedication of our team, partner agencies, nongovernmental organizations and community stakeholders in ensuring El Paso is prepared for any disaster,” said Jorge Rodriguez, emergency management coordinator for the El Paso office.
The EMAP accreditation is awarded to emergency management programs that demonstrate compliance with the Emergency Management Standard, certified by the American National Standards Institute. Accreditation is valid for five years, during which programs must maintain compliance and undergo reassessment to retain their status.
The office is responsible for coordinating the community’s response in large-scale emergencies or disasters, including creating an emergency plan, providing training and testing of the program, working with multiple response agencies and providing the public with alerts and information.
The El Paso Office of Emergency Management the past several years has led the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the record migrant influx.
EPISD Board President Pressured to Recuse Himself on School Closures
Parents, a union leader and fellow trustees have called for El Paso Independent School District Board President Israel Irroballi to recuse himself in any decisions regarding school closures or a potential bond election because of his role as executive director of the El Paso Association of Contractors.
EPISD Superintendent Diana Sayavedra announced on Oct. 17 recommendations to close 10 of the district’s 48 elementary schools due to declining enrollment and falling birth rates. District leaders have discussed the possibility of bringing a bond proposal to voters to upgrade air conditioning, improve safety and security, and make other improvements.
Sayavedra said the bond proposal would also be used to rebuild Zavala Elementary School, which was recommended for closure, in a new location.
“We are going to be dealing with literally hundreds of millions of dollars in a potential bond, hundreds of millions that is all going to contractors,” Trustee Alex Cuellar said during the meeting. “If that is not a conflict of interest. I don’t know what is.”
Irrobali said he would not recuse himself from discussing or voting on school closures.
“This is not a bond conversation,” Irrobali said. “That is where we’re at today, is talking about the school redesign process.”
The president of the El Paso Teachers Association, Norma De La Rosa, said the organization plans to file an ethics complaint about Irrobali’s decision.
The post El Paso’s top-ranked tacos, kids day at the polls, EPISD trustee’s role questioned appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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