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.
El Paso County Coliseum, Sports Tourism Operations Up for Bid
El Paso County will seek proposals for the future operations of the County Coliseum and its sports tourism program after the Commissioners Court on Monday voted to proceed with the process.
The county has contracted with the El Paso Sports Commission for the management of the coliseum and sports tourism program since 2003. Both contracts were renewed in June 2024 and expire in September.
The county funds the coliseum’s operations through the hotel occupancy tax paid by El Paso hotel patrons. The nonprofit commission reported revenue of $3.6 million and expenses of $3.4 million in its 2024 IRS Form 990 report, the latest available.
The discussion came after Tony Rodriguez, the commission’s director of events, during a May 4 commissioners meeting said he heard that the county was considering an agreement with the University of Texas at El Paso to run both.
County officials refute the claim.
By law, the county is not required to submit a request for proposals to enter into a contract with another government entity to operate the facility or sports tourism program, Erica Rosales Nigaglioni, assistant county attorney, told the Commissioners Court on Monday.
She said both the county and sports commission were aware that a new vendor could take over as soon as October 2025 and would need to prepare for a potential management transition.
The 84-year-old coliseum is the home of the North American Hockey League’s El Paso Rhinos and also hosts concerts, farmers markets, festivals, Disney on Ice, boxing matches and other events.
Trump Officials Sue Catholic Diocese to Seize Mount Cristo Rey Land
The Trump administration is suing the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces in efforts to seize land the diocese owns at the base of Mount Cristo Rey, a mountain that straddles the border in Sunland Park, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez. The mountain is a popular pilgrimage site known for its limestone Christ the King statue erected at the top.
Construction workers began blasting the base of the mountain earlier this year for the Department of Homeland Security’s plans to build a new 1.3-mile-long segment of border wall.
Federal officials are pressuring the diocese through eminent domain, the government power to seize private property for public use. The land would be used to build infrastructure including roads and fencing for border security, according to court filings. The federal government is offering $180,000 for the property.
The Catholic Diocese opposes the border wall construction at Mount Cristo Rey on religious grounds and is fighting the lawsuit. Lawyers representing the diocese asked a judge to block the land title transfer, claiming Mount Cristo Rey is a “holy site” and the land seizure violates First Amendment rights to freedom of religion. An estimated 40,000 pilgrims hike Mount Cristo Rey every year.
The area also serves as a critical wildlife corridor, as well as a significant geological site with fossils and dinosaur tracks, according to scientists and conservationists. The Department of Homeland Security waived federal environmental laws to expedite border wall construction.
The Mount Cristo Rey segment is anticipated to finish in October 2027, CBP spokesperson John Mennell told El Paso Matters in February. Mennell described the area as a high-traffic area for human snuggling. Human rights advocates and researchers warn border wall expansion will increase fatalities and hospitalizations for injuries.
GECU Selects Longtime Executive As New CEO
Alex Rascón, who has been with GECU for 28 years, has been named CEO of El Paso’s largest credit union.
“The appointment of Alex Rascón marks an exciting new chapter for GECU; he brings the highest-level of leadership, deep industry experience and a forward-thinking approach to meet the evolving needs of our members,” Gregory J. Watters, GECU chairman of the board, said in a statement. “We are confident Alex will guide GECU into its next chapter of growth while continuing to focus on our members and the communities we serve.”
He succeeds Crystal Long, the longtime GECU CEO, who retired May 1.
Rascón most recently was GECU’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Dental Building, Medical Record System Upgrade on TTHEP Wish List
A $180 million dental school building is at the top of the Texas Tech Health El Paso’s capital project wish list during the next five years, according to a plan Texas Tech University System Board of Regents approved at its May 7 meeting in Lubbock.
The project’s plan was on the regents’ consent agenda. It had seven additional items such as the $203.7 million Clinical Sciences Building, which is under construction at the campus, 5001 El Paso Drive.
While the CSB is on the list, absent is the $138 million Comprehensive Cancer Center that will be part of the building, which in total will be approximately 356,000 square feet. The cancer center will be named after El Paso philanthropists Steve and Nancy Fox.
The building’s groundbreaking was in September 2025. TTHEP officials expect the complex to open in fall 2028.
TTHEP did not respond to questions about why the cancer center was left off the list, which project could start next and when, and the timeline for that project.
The other entries on the plan for fiscal years 2027-31 were a $77 million electronic medical record modernization, a $53 million faculty and administration building, a $52 million renovation of a warehouse, a $50 million parking garage, a $37 million family medicine clinic and a $27 million renovation of a Department of Public Health building.
The approval includes the submission of the report to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Each institution is required to submit an annual update to its capital expenditure plan to include construction, major repairs or renovations, land acquisitions, and major information technology projects that may be undertaken in the next five years.
The post El Paso County seeks coliseum proposals as Cristo Rey land fight escalates appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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