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.
Mass Shooting Plea and Sentencing Hearing Moved to Larger Room at Courthouse
Monday’s plea and sentencing hearing for the man who killed 23 people and wounded 22 others at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 has been moved to the County Commissioners Courtroom on the third floor of the County Courthouse.
The meeting room for El Paso County Commissioners Court seats more than 200, four times the capacity of the 409th District Court, where the hearing originally was scheduled. The change, which was facilitated with the assistance of County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, will allow all family members of people killed in the attack to attend the hearing, District Judge Sam Medrano said.
The hearing is expected to last less than two hours. The Monday Commissioners Court meeting, which usually begins at 9 a.m., will start at 12:30 p.m. this week to accommodate the hearing.
Beginning at p.m. Monday, Medrano will resume the hearing in his courtroom on the fourth floor of the courthouse. People injured in the 2019 attack, and family members of those whose loved ones were killed, will give statements to the court on how their lives were affected by the attack. Those statements are expected to continue through Wednesday.
Security at the courthouse will be heightened Monday, and anyone going there should expect delays.
Measles Outbreak: 18 Infected in El Paso County; City Launches Dashboard
The El Paso Department of Public Health has created an online dashboard as local measles cases have increased to 18 with two hospitalizations. One of the cases, a teenage boy, is fully vaccinated with two doses against measles. The rest are a mix of children and adults who were unvaccinated or have unknown immunization status.
“Transparency is essential in helping the public stay informed and safe,” said Vinny Taneja, El Paso public health director, in a Thursday news release. “This dashboard will serve as a centralized source of accurate information as we continue to monitor and respond to the current measles outbreak.”
Health officials this week added the following locations and times as potential measles exposures in El Paso:
- Walmart, 1850 Zaragoza Road, 4:45-7:45 p.m. Friday, April 4
- El Paso International Airport, 8-11:20 a.m. Friday, April 4; 1:30-3:50 p.m. Monday, April 7; 1:30-5:35 p.m. Thursday, April 10
- Los Toreados, 5331 Marcillus Ave., 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, April 4
- Eastwood High School, exposure times not reported, case confirmed Tuesday, April 15
- Jared Jewelers, 8889 Gateway Blvd. West, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, April 5; noon-9 p.m. Sunday, April 6; 11 a.m.-9:15 p.m. Monday, April 7
- Chuze Fitness, 1430 Lee Treviño Drive, 1-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 9
The city announced the first measles cases in the community last week. Measles spread in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez stem from the West Texas outbreak that was first confirmed in late January and has since risen to more than 550 cases in Texas, more than 330 cases in Chihuahua and more than 60 cases in New Mexico.
Gaines County, the epicenter of the 2025 measles outbreak, has a low vaccination rate. Local health authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza warned that though El Paso residents have a high vaccination rate of 98%, health officials were prepared for cases to break through in undervaccinated pockets. Ocaranza encouraged people to get up to date on their MMR vaccines, a method proven to lower the risk of measles infection, transmission and complications.
Northeast Amphitheater Land Sale Nears Closing, Fire-Pit Sales Open
The company investing in building an amphitheater in Northeast El Paso will kick in an extra $20 million for the project and get 20 acres of city-owned land for the deal – an increase from the originally agreed 17 acres.
The City Council on Tuesday approved changes to economic incentive agreement with Venu Holding Corp., formerly Notes Live, for the development of the 12,500-seat amphitheater. The changes were approved with a 6-2 vote. City Reps. Josh Acevedo and Alejandra Chávez voted against the changes because a non-compete clause was left in the contract. The clause prevents the city from developing a live entertainment venue of more than 4,000 seats within a 60-mile radius of the amphitheater.
The original $31 million economic development agreement called for the city to convey 17 acres at the site of the former Cohen Stadium along with other tax rebates while the company was required to commit an $80 million investment for the development of the property. The company will now put in $100 million from its private investment for the amphitheater and get 20 acres of land.
The amendments also included an “El Paso First” clause to prioritize local hiring and procurement during the development and construction process. There will also be shared-use parking.
The land purchase and sale agreement, which has been a source of delays, has been amended five times to extend the inspection period since the city first entered into the deal in July. The cause for delays stemmed from an unexploded ordnance map at the Cohen Entertainment District. Venu added extra insurance to address the concerns.
A provision was also added that would allow the termination of the agreement if the project cannot move forward due to unexploded ordnance or if an archaeological discovery is made on the property that prevents the development of the land.
The city and Venu are expected to finalize the deal by the end of April.
The company will build and own the amphitheater funded largely by selling expensive lifetime fire pit suites to investors. Venu has started airing commercials locally and has opened the El Paso Sunset Amphitheater for investment. Luxury fire-pit suites start at $250,000.
Early Voting in El Paso School Board Elections Begins Tuesday
Early voting for the May 3 uniform election – which primarily comprises school board races – begins Tuesday, April 22.
Trustee seats are up for election in the El Paso and Socorro independent school districts, as well as El Paso Community College. Two smaller school districts – San Elizario and Anthony – also have trustee races in this election.
The towns of Anthony and Horizon City and the city of San Elizario have council positions up for election on the May ballot. A proposition on the Horizon City ballot asks voters whether they want to keep using a local sales tax to fund city street maintenance and repairs, while the Village of Vinton and the Haciendas Del Norte Water Improvement District also have propositions up for vote.
Early voting runs through April 29. Election Day is Saturday, May 3.
Find candidate questionnaires, sample ballots, voting sites and all our election coverage in the El Paso Matters Voter Guide.
Escobar Announces Bid for 5th Term in Congress
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, announced Wednesday that she would seek reelection for a fifth term in Congress.
The reelection announcement, coming six months after her last race, is earlier than in the past for Escobar. She announced her last reelection bid in June 2023.
No Republican has won Texas 16th Congressional District since 1962, with Democrats usually rolling up double-digit victory margins.
In 2024, Escobar defeated Republican Irene Armendariz-Jackson for the third consecutive time, but fell below 60% of the vote for the first time in four congressional races.
No other Republican or Democratic candidates have announced for El Paso’s congressional seat. Armendariz-Jackson closed her campaign fundraising account after the November 2024 election, signaling that she’s not planning to make a fourth bid for the House.
City Buys Former Exploreum Buildings Downtown to Expand Civic Center
Two properties adjacent to the Judson F. Williams Convention Center in Downtown will be purchased by the city for a future center expansion.
The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to buy the buildings at 320 W. San Antonio Street and 301 W. Overland Street for a total of about $4.8 million. City Rep. Alejandra Chávez was not present for the vote.
The two buildings total about 36,000 square feet.
City officials did not say how the buildings will be used, nor did they divulge any details on the planned convention center expansion.
The properties are owned by Mike Churchman and his wife, Laurie Paternoster under Lynx Industries, Ltd.
The Overland building was home to the former nonprofit children’s museum, the El Paso Exploreum, that closed in 2015. The Exploreum closed after they were unable to secure a public-private partnership with the city to continue or expand operations in light of voters approving the 2012 quality of life bond that included millions for a children’s museum, according to the El Paso Inc.
The owners also previously tried to sell the buildings to the city when a different site for the former Downtown arena was being debated in 2018.
City Council Opposes Proposed Police, Fire Pension Bill Legislation
The El Paso City Council will not support a bill introduced in the Texas Legislature that would change how the city’s police and fire pension fund increases are approved.
The City Council on Tuesday voted 7-1 against supporting the bill, with city Rep. Lily Limón being the sole member of council to vote in favor of supporting it.
House Bill 4591, introduced in March by state Rep. Mary González, D-El Paso, would make changes to the current law that governs how police and fire pension funds get increases. The current law stipulates that voters must approve any increases by the city using taxpayer dollars.
Part of the change would allow the City Council to approve requested contribution increases by the pension without voter approval. If the city did not approve the increase or did nothing, the pension fund could, after 60 days, ask voters to approve the increase.
City officials raised concerns over the changes, citing concerns that the city may not be able to sustain increases. Pension officials maintain the changes codify what was approved by voters in the 2023 City Charter amendment election that lifted the city’s 18% contribution cap and would allow the city to raise contributions without voter approval.
The City Charter does not supersede state law that still requires voter approval for increases to the police and fire pension.
The current legislative session ends June 2. The bill has not been scheduled for a hearing. House rules say that the last day for committees to make recommendations on bills is May 12.
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