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.
Vista del Sol Drive to Undergo Reconstruction, Community Meeting Set
The city is hosting a community meeting to get feedback for the upcoming reconstruction and resurfacing of portions of Vista del Sol Drive.
The Vista del Sol improvements include reconstruction of the road, new street signs and markings, Americans with Disabilities Act sidewalks, driveways, ramps, and curbs and gutters. The city will resurface the road from Phil Gibbs Drive to Chelita Drive and Jim Thorpe Drive to Winslow Homer Drive. The section from Winslow Homer Drive to Loop 375 will be reconstructed, a more extensive process that involves removing and replacing the existing road.
Community feedback is being sought by the Capital Improvement Department while the city is in the design phase. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 22, at the Marty Robbins Recreation Center, 11620 Vista del Sol Drive.
The $9 million improvements are part of the $272.5 million community progress bond approved by voters in 2022, the vast majority of which is going toward street infrastructure such as reconstruction, resurfacing, connectivity and intersection safety.
Click here to learn more about active Capital Improvement Department projects.
El Paso ISD Implements New Districtwide Dress Code
El Paso Independent School District students will need to adhere to a new districtwide dress code when they start school in August.
The new policy announced Tuesday introduces universal uniform colors — white, gray and navy — that can be used at any campus that requires uniforms, along with their designated school colors. Previously, campuses created their own dress code policies for students.
EPISD said it’s aiming to simplify expectations for students.
“This updated dress code represents a forward-thinking approach that helps build school communities that promote a sense of belonging and policies that are clear and supportive of learning,” EPISD board President Leah Hanany said. “We want to make daily life easier for families and teachers and keep the focus on nurturing student growth.”
The full dress code guidelines for each grade level can be found on the district’s website.
Escobar, Salazar Reintroduce Dignity Act Immigration Reform Bill
U.S. Reps. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, and Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Florida, along with 20 other representatives this week reintroduced a bipartisan immigration reform bill – the Dignity Act of 2025. The updated bill addresses legal status and protections for undocumented immigrants, border security, asylum reform and visa reform.
“I have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of our broken immigration system, and as a member of Congress, I take seriously my obligation to propose a solution. Realistic, common-sense compromise is achievable, and is especially important given the urgency of this moment,” Escobar said in a news release.
The 2025 bill would grant legal status and protections to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States without a criminal record, provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, reforms the asylum screening process, creates new regional processing centers, invests in border security and modernizes land ports of entry, and mandates accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The congresswomen first introduced a version of the bill in 2023, although that bill included a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants while the 2025 bill does not.
Congress last passed immigration reform in 1996, when several legal immigration pathways were eliminated. Over the last 10 years, eight attempts at immigration reform have failed, most blocked by Republicans, according to the news release. The latest effort in 2024 was led by Republican Sen. James Lankford, who led a bipartisan group of senators trying to fund a border security and foreign aid package.
United Way of El Paso Distributes $2.4 Million to Area Nonprofits
The United Way of El Paso County has awarded $2.4 million to various local nonprofits, including 17 agencies and 22 programs. The grants from the agency’s Community Impact Fund will be distributed from 2025 to 2028 to programs that address health, education, housing and other community needs.
“By leveraging unrestricted donor dollars with their capacity-building grant process, United Way ensures the greatest return on investment for donors, nonprofit partners, and those whose lives they aim to improve,” the agency said in a news release.
Among the recipients are the Children’s Grief Center, Creative Kids, Opportunity Center for the Homeless, Paso del Norte Children’s’ Development Center, Project Vida, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club of El Paso, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of El Paso, Center Against Sexual and Family Violence and Estrella del Paso.
Information: unitedwayelpaso.org or unitedwayelpaso.org/donate to donate to the Community Impact Fund.
The post Input sought on Vista del Sol street rebuild; EPISD changes dress code appeared first on El Paso Matters.
Read: Read More