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.
3 El Paso High School Mariachi Groups Earn Top State Ratings
Three El Paso high school mariachi groups earned top ratings at the University Interscholastic League state competition Feb. 20-22, in Seguin, Texas.
Franklin High School’s Mariachi Estrella del Oeste in the El Paso Independent School District, Hanks’ Mariachi los Trovadores in the Ysleta district and Pebble Hills’ Mariachi Los Guerreros in the Socorro district received a 1 rating in their respective divisions, the highest possible, during the state mariachi festival.
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Ten other El Paso area high schools received ratings of 2. Several El Paso students received individual honors in the contest.
In all, nearly 100 schools performed at this year’s festival. This year marked the ninth state mariachi contest and the sixth as an official UIL contest.
UTEP President Heather Wilson Receives Lockheed Stock Awards
Lockheed Martin Corp., a global defense technology company, filed a report Tuesday, Feb. 25, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had awarded more than 401.7 shares of its common stock to University of Texas at El Paso President Heather Wilson for her work with the company’s board of directors.
The value of the stock at the close of business Wednesday, Feb. 26, was $441.50 per share. That means her stock was worth more than $177,000. In total, Wilson has 616.37 shares of Lockheed Martin stock.
Wilson also earns an annual cash retainer of $170,000 for her work as a director, according to the company’s compensation summary.
Lockheed Martin elected to add Wilson to its board of directors in May 2024. She is part of the Classified Business and Security Committee.
Wilson started as president of UTEP in August 2019. Her annual salary in 2024 was $654,000, according to a UTEP salary database.
Lucy Liu to be Featured Speaker at YWCA Fundraiser
Actress Lucy Liu will be the keynote speaker for the 30th annual YWCA Women’s Luncheon, the organization’s major fundraiser.
Liu has starred in movies and TV shows such as “Charlie’s Angels,” “Kill Bill,” “Ally McBeal,” and “Elementary.” She also is a director, producer and humanitarian.
The luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 24, at the El Paso Convention Center. Tickets are $100. Information on tickets, tables and sponsorships: ywcaelpaso.org or via email at womensluncheon@ywcaelpaso.org.
Mass Parks Layoffs Affect Carlsbad Caverns, Cloudcroft, Big Bend
Some of El Pasoans’ favorite outdoor weekend destinations are being impacted by cuts to the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service workforce, including Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Lincoln National Forest and Big Bend National Park.
The Trump administration fired about 1,000 National Park Service employees and 2,000 U.S. Forest Service employees this month as part of a broad effort to downsize the government.
Ahead of peak tourist season, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico is prolonging an indefinite suspension on guided tours after the termination of 14 seasonal interpreter rangers and 11 other seasonal workers, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Interpreter rangers lead tours, work the information desk and sell tickets. Self-guided tours are still possible.
Ahead of fire season, 11 to 13 field technicians across Lincoln National Forest’s multiple districts were also laid off, the Cloudcroft Reader reported. The 1.1 million-acre forest in southern New Mexico surrounds numerous mountain communities, including Cloudcroft, a popular trip destination from El Paso. Field technicians perform a variety of outdoor tasks, including wildfire management, trail maintenance and wildlife surveys.
Big Bend National Park, one of Texas’ two national parks, also lost five employees. One of them was a scientist who monitored air, water and dark sky quality for the park, the Big Bend Sentinel reported.
City Looks to Sell 17 Duranguito Buildings, Redevelop Site
City leaders have taken the next steps to sell the 17 city-owned buildings in the Duranguito neighborhood and redevelop the area that was once being considered for an arena.
The City Council on Tuesday approved issuing a request for qualifications for Duranguito in March.
The RFQ aims to find a buyer and developer that will find new uses for the properties that remain fenced in and register eligible buildings on the National Register for Historic Places. Proposals are anticipated to feature ways to preserve the historic character of some buildings, green spaces, housing, affordable housing, and retail and cultural spaces on ground floors.
The Downtown arena plans, a $180 million bond project approved by voters in 2012, were terminated by voters in the November general election.
The city, which purchased the properties for about $13 million, will use the proceeds to pay off part of the outstanding debt acquired when it spent bond funds for studies, engineering services and inspections.
Responses for the RFQ will be due within 60 days. The city anticipates a final selection in the fall of 2025 after reviewing proposals, site visits and presentations by bidders.
County Takes Next Steps to Issue Debt for Roads, Infrastructure
The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare documents needed to issue about $52 million in certificates of obligation for streets, water and sewer projects.
The debt issuance, if approved by the court, would not increase the debt service portion of the county’s tax rate. The county is also considering issuing up to $100 million in certificates of obligation in the next year, although other funding sources for projects are also being considered.
The projects that would be funded through the $52 million COs, a form of debt paid through property taxes that doesn’t require voter approval, include $16 million for improvements to Ascension Road that connects Montana Vista to Horizon City in the far Eastside; $2.5 million for stormwater infrastructure in Canutillo; $33.5 million for first-time water and wastewater infrastructure including fire hydrants for Hillcrest Estates, Ponderosa, Western Village and Schuman and Serene Acres neighborhoods.
County commissioners will meet March 17 to vote whether to issue the notice of intent required to give taxpayers time to provide feedback or file a petition opposing the debt. With enough signatures, a petition could call for an election where voters would decide if the certificates of obligation can be issued. Commissioners would then vote May 5 on whether to issue the bonds.
EPPD Pebble Hills Regional Command Improvements Contract Approved
The City Council on Tuesday approved a contract for up to $631,000 for architecture and engineering services for improvements at the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center.
The bid was awarded to Dekker LLC for tenant improvements to the command center at 10780 Pebble Hills Blvd. for design, planning, code compliance inspections, cost estimates, American with Disabilities Act compliance, construction administration and other services.
The work will include plumbing, electrical and mechanical upgrades, installing bulletproof doors and windows in some areas, making certain areas ADA compliant, painting, and repairing or replacing flooring.
The funding will come from the $413 million 2019 public safety bond approved by voters.
The firm was also hired for architect and engineering services for the El Paso Fire Department headquarters and new police department headquarters that will be part of a joint training facility on a 300-acre parcel in Northeast El Paso. The total contract for the headquarters is about $4.5 million.
UTEP Remains Among the Nation’s Top Research Institutions
The latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education included the University of Texas at El Paso on its list of R1 institutions, which means UTEP remains among the nation’s top research universities. It first earned its R1 designation in 2018.
Today’s criteria to earn a Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production title requires universities to have research expenditures of at least $50 million and graduate at least 70 students with research doctorates. This is the first year that universities and colleges are required to spend $50 million in research and development under new criteria the Carnegie Classifications system debuted in 2023. Before this year, universities were required to spend $100 million in research.
The university reported in February 2024 that it had $145.7 million in research and development expenditures. Additionally, UTEP graduated 130 students with research doctorates, or Ph.D.’s, in fiscal year 2024. In the past seven fiscal years, the highest number was 152 in 2022 and the lowest was 84 in 2021.
The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching changed the metrics needed to earn R1 status in 2023.
ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced Feb. 13 the 187 U.S. institutions that achieved the R1 status. That is more than the 146 institutions that made the previous list in 2021. Sixteen of them are in Texas, the most of any state in the nation.
In a news release, UTEP said that its research spans many fields to include health, water, aerospace, border studies, education, engineering, national defense, cybersecurity, biomedical sciences, and energy and environment.
UTEP President Heather Wilson noted in the release that the institution was the nation’s only R1 university with a 100% undergraduate admission rate.
City Works to Draw, Retain Employees Amid High Vacancies
The city is improving its employee benefits and compensation in an ongoing effort to grow and retain its workforce, Human Resources staff told the City Council on Tuesday.
About one in five city positions have vacancies in key service areas, according to an El Paso Matters analysis.
The city increased its starting wage Feb. 23 from $13.61 to $15.75 per hour. Employees making $15.25 an hour received a 50-cent per hour raise. The city is also addressing wage compression by continuing to adjust salary scales to ensure management is getting paid accordingly. The wage compression, where lower-level employees’ pay was reaching management level, occurred when the city in the past gave some employees pay raises based on their specific jobs rather than using an across-the-board approach.
The city’s benefits package includes healthcare options, pensions, tuition assistance, paid leave and health and wellness initiatives. The city is also partnering with local workforce programs and institutions like Fort Bliss, El Paso Community College and the University of Texas at El Paso to recruit local applicants.
The post El Paso UIL state mariachi winners, UTEP president’s stock awards, Duranguito plans appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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