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-Juárez 10K Rescheduled for Jan. 17
The 7th Run Internacional U.S.-Mexico 10K, postponed earlier this month because of the U.S. government shutdown, has been rescheduled for Jan. 17, 2026.
The unique race, which goes through El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, was originally scheduled for Nov. 17 but was postponed Nov. 7 because the ongoing government shutdown left agencies without the staffing to allow the race to go on, organizers said.
More than 2,500 runners are expected to participate. Those who registered for the November date have until the end of the month to decide if they’ll run in January. A limited number of new registrations will be accepted in December.
View Ascarate Park Renovation Concepts at Community Meeting
El Paso County is hosting a community meeting for the public to learn about the early design concepts for Ascarate Park and provide input for the future of the park. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Ascarate Park Pavilion, 6900 Delta Drive.
The renovations are part of the bond approved by voters in November 2024. The El Paso County Commissioners Court last month approved a contract with Exigo Architecture and its design team for the work. Their team includes landscape architects Surroundings Studio, ecological consultants Biohabitats and infrastructure experts CDM Smith.
Planned enhancements for the park include a new entrance, restoring the lake’s shoreline and ecological systems, rehabilitating the lake’s inland, expanding and renovating walking trails and updating shelters, restrooms and concessions. A new festival area with fencing, ticket booths and restrooms will be built.
Visit the bond dashboard at epcounty.com/dashboards.htm to keep up with the county’s progress on the approved projects.
Abbott Appoints GECU CEO Crystal Long to State Economic Board
Crystal Long, president and CEO of GECU credit union in El Paso, has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
The corporation is the private side of a public-private partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism tasked with marketing Texas, domestically and globally, as the best state for business.
Long also serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Cornerstone League, board of trustees for the TruStage Retirement Plan and is a member of the National Credit Union Foundation FinHealth Fund Advisory Committee. Additionally, she is a trustee on the Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare Board and a member of the Borderplex Alliance Executive Committee.
City Awarded $13 Million for Shared-Use Path in South El Paso
The city of El Paso has been awarded a $13.39 million transportation grant to design and construct a new shared-use path, which allows people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike or use wheelchairs without being on the road with cars.
The Transportation Alternative Set-Aside grant, issued by the Texas Department of Transportation, will be used for new shared-use pathways along segments of Magoffin Avenue, Piedras Street and Paisano Drive from Cotton Street to the Bridge of the Americas.
Shared-use paths provide safe, separate spaces for non-motorized travel and recreation, promote healthy lifestyles, strong community connections and sustainable transportation, the city said in a recent news release announcing the grant.
The funding comes under a competitive process for fiscal year 2025, which drew more than 220 applications, the city said.
The city recently completed a similar $1.6 million project that helped rebuild Magoffin Avenue from San Antonio Avenue to Cotton Street, converting the existing three-lane street into a two-lane street. The work included building a parkway with landscaping and trees, decorative street lighting, ADA-accessible ramps and parking on both sides of the street.
City to Launch Adopt-A-Street Program for Parkway Cleanups
El Paso residents will soon be able to help keep their neighborhoods tidy through a new Adopt-A-Street volunteer program — though participants won’t be cleaning the streets themselves. Instead, the year-long pilot will focus on parkways, the strip of public right-of-way between the curb and the sidewalk that can be cleaned without entering the roadway.
The City Council recently authorized staff to develop the program, which will designate mile-long segments in each district for adoption. Volunteers must commit to at least four cleanups a year over two years. The city estimates first-year costs at about $32,000 for equipment, safety gear and signage.
RELATED: El Paso Council rejects proposed transportation fee intended to boost street repair funding
Officials stressed the program won’t replace the Environmental Services Department’s ongoing median-cleaning efforts, which require traffic control and are considered too dangerous for volunteers. The Streets and Maintenance Department will oversee the new pilot, with supervisors checking cleanup sites and a public website expected to launch next year.
UT System Regents Approve New Rules for Faculty Advisory Groups
The University of Texas System Board of Regents formalized revisions to faculty’s role in higher education policy formation Nov. 20 during the group’s quarterly meeting in Austin. The decision was in line with the state Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 37 earlier this year.
It made official a plan the regents approved last August that allowed campus presidents to establish faculty advisory groups to replace faculty senates, which were abolished Sept. 1 under SB 37. Faculty senates were groups of elected faculty representatives who functioned as a legislative and advisory voice in academic, policy and governance matters.
Craig Field, who UTEP faculty voted in as its next Faculty Senate president last spring before the group’s elimination, said that the institution had established a working group on faculty governance, and individual committees related to research, student grievance, faculty welfare, academic policy, graduate curriculum and undergraduate curriculum. He stressed that he commented only as an El Pasoan and not as a representative of the university, the working group or the individual committees.
Field said that the group has six members and the committees have a total of about 60 faculty members. University President Heather Wilson selected the participants based on nominations. The group has met regularly since it was established in July, and the committees have met at least once, said Field, who is a member of the group and chair of the research committee.
UTEP representatives did not respond to additional questions about the new advisory groups and committees.
The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents voted in August to allow the presidents at its campuses, including Texas Tech Health El Paso, to keep their faculty senates as long as they comply with the new law.
Albert Burnham, president of the El Paso Community College Faculty Senate, presided over his first meeting under the new rules in October. He said that the only differences were that this meeting was broadcast to the world, and that the senators needed to attend the meeting in person. Previously, they could attend virtually.
Burnham said that EPCC senators or executive committee members have not shared any feedback to the changes brought on by SB 37.
One change this year is that EPCC President William Serrata decided which senators would be “faculty-elected” (serve one two-year term) and which would be “presidential-appointed” (serve up to six consecutive one-year terms).
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