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.
City Council Awards Another $1 Million to Popular Building Redevelopment
El Paso City Council has granted an additional $1 million to support the redevelopment of the Popular Dry Goods Building, 301 E. San Antonio St., in Downtown into 99 apartments and several ground-floor retail spaces.
The unanimous vote last week to allocate $1 million in city funds toward the project comes after elected officials in November 2024 approved an initial incentive package valued at $6.72 million to enable developer Robert Palacios to complete the project. El Paso County subsequently awarded a property tax break to the project worth $727,000 over 10 years.
The latest award is meant to reimburse the developer for improvements to the building’s facade. The typical facade renovation grants the city awards for Downtown buildings are capped at $30,000 per renovation category, but the city approved the exceptionally large grant because of the prominence and importance of the Popular Building redevelopment, according to Karina Brasgalla, the city’s economic development director. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In all, Palacios’ project has received incentives worth about $8.35 million, though much of that is in the form of tax breaks and reimbursements available only after construction is complete. The biggest component is a $4 million zero-interest development loan that the city will forgive as long as Palacios meets certain requirements such as pricing 15% of the housing units as “moderately affordable” – meaning affordable to people making, at most, 80% of the area’s median income.
The city also granted a rebate on city property taxes worth $2.4 million over 10 years as well as smaller fee waivers and rebates.
The $1 million will come out of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 5 fund, which comprises property tax revenue generated from Downtown properties and used to reinvest back into the zone. After the Popular Building allocation, the city expects the fund to hold about $1.7 million, according to city documents.
The Popular Building redevelopment is estimated to cost up to $50 million. The financing details and a construction timeline are far from clear, but Brasgalla said the project developers have hired a general contractor.
Palacios has previously said the project would be completed by 2028 and the city has cited the Chicago-based firm McCaffery Interests as providing “support” for the project. The firm’s operational and financial involvement are undefined, however.
While no major outwardly-visible construction work has begun, Brasgalla said the project is still in the architectural design and permitting processes. Palacios’ group is seeking historic tax credits, she said.
“It is progressing,” Brasgalla told City Council about the project, saying she recently toured the building. “It is very hot in the building, there’s no AC. But it’s really cool to see how they’ve cleaned it out.”
El Paso GOP Congressional Candidate Raises Little Money
Adam Bauman, who won the Republican nomination earlier this year to challenge incumbent Democrat Veronica Escobar for El Paso’s 16th Congressional District seat, has raised little if any money for the race.
“I have not met the $5,000 reporting threshold,” Bauman said in a brief filing with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, July 15. Federal candidates are required to report their campaign donations and expenditures once they raise or spend $5,000.
Bauman has been a congressional candidate for nine months. National Republicans have shown no interest in the 16th Congressional District race, where Democrats have won all but one race in the past century.
Still, it’s rare to see a major party nominee congressional nominee report raising essentially no money less than five months out from an election. Escobar’s most recent Republican opponent, Irene Armendariz-Jackson, had reported raising nearly $40,000 at this point in the 2024 campaign.
Escobar has reported raising more than $865,000 so far in her bid for a fifth two-year term in the House of Representatives.
Two Severe Cases of West Nile Virus Confirmed in El Paso
The El Paso Department of Public Health has confirmed two cases of neuroinvasive West Nile virus this summer, the city announced in a Tuesday news release.
One patient is a man in his 80s who lives in the 79907 Lower Valley ZIP code. He was hospitalized. The second patient is a woman in her 60s who lives in the 79932 Upper Valley ZIP code. She has “significant underlying medical conditions” and was recovering in a rehabilitation facility.
The West Nile virus is transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitos. The virus becomes neuroinvasive when it crosses the blood-brain barrier, infecting the brain or spinal cord. About one in five people infected with West Nile virus develop a fever. About one in 150 people develop neuroinvasive disease.
“While most West Nile virus infections are mild or cause no symptoms, these cases serve as an important reminder that mosquito bites can lead to serious illness,” said Dr. Hector Ocaranza, city and county health authority. “Taking simple preventive measures now can significantly reduce your risk and help protect our community.”
People aged 60 and older and people with underlying medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension are at the greatest risk for severe illness.
In its news release, the health department recommends “the four Ds” for protection:
- DEET: Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR3535, or 2-undecanone when outdoors. Follow label directions.
- Dress: Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks. Apply repellent to clothing, as mosquitoes can bite through thin fabrics.
- Dusk and dawn: Limit outdoor activities during dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus are most active.
- Drain: Remove standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet bowls, discarded tires, birdbaths and other containers. Refresh pet water daily.
The city also advises residents to install or repair window and door screens. People can report standing water or mosquito breeding sites by calling 915-212-6000 or 311.
El Paso Man Sues U.S. After Border Patrol Agent Allegedly Killed His Dog
El Paso resident Seth Daw filed a federal lawsuit seeking monetary damages from the United States after a U.S. Border Patrol agent entered his home, shooting and killing his dog Chop, according to the complaint filed July 13.
The Border Patrol confirmed an agent was involved in a “use of force incident” with a canine during a smuggling investigation the morning of Sept. 9 at a residence. No undocumented immigrants were found at the home.
On Sept. 9, Daw agreed to let agents search his home for immigrants, but told agents he was securing his 7-year-old dog in the entryway bathroom, according to the lawsuit. Daw instructed agents to let him know before opening the bathroom door so he could move his dog first. While Daw was retrieving his driver’s license from his truck, Agent Jorge Muñoz separated from the group and went back inside alone, according to the complaint.
“Within about a minute, Mr. Daw heard a gunshot and ran toward the house,” Singleton Schreiber, the firm representing Daw, described in a news release. “Agents outside grabbed and restrained Mr. Daw with enough force to bruise his arms, and Agent Muñoz pointed his firearm at him. Inside, Mr. Daw found blood throughout his living room and found Chop, shot, in a window nook in the kitchen.”
Daw attempted to stop the bleeding as Chop whimpered in pain and agents ignored his pleas for help, according to the complaint. Daw held Chop and the dog died 45 minutes later.
“The physical evidence is inconsistent with any claim that Agent Muñoz fired in response to an aggressive or charging animal,” the complaint reads.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing the incident and the investigation is expected to finish within the next few weeks, said a CBP spokesperson. CBP declined to provide further comment on the lawsuit.
EPCC Invites Adults Without Diplomas to Learn About Opportunity High School
El Paso Community College invites adults ages 18 and older to learn about two programs that could help them earn a high school diploma and a college credential from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 23, in the Transmountain Campus foyer, 9570 Gateway North Blvd.
EPCC representatives will explain the benefits of the Opportunity High School Diploma and Career and Technical Education programs. The program launched in spring 2026 and graduated members of its first cohort in May.
The college has funds for OHSD scholarships for the fall 2026 semester. Participants who complete six credit hours may apply for financial aid.
The OHSD program is self-paced for students who work full time and have family obligations. Its coursework focuses on civics, science, communication and workplace skills. Assignments just need to be submitted before the end of the term.
Additionally, the college offers the CTE courses in online and hybrid formats, as well as in-person models evenings and weekends.
Participants will have access to college tutors, mentors, advisers and counselors, and support programs such as the math and writing labs.
World Population Review data from 2026 showed that 14% of Texas adults ages 26 and older did not have a high school diploma. The 2024 EPCC Fact Book states that 18.9% of El Paso County residents, or about 105,000 people ages 25 and older, do not have a high school diploma.
The OHSD was among the programs developed after the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 8 in 2023. It gives adult learners the chance to earn a high school diploma and, at the same time, be co-enrolled in college courses in high-demand fields such as health care, welding and computer science that could lead to a credential.
EPCC was among five community college districts in the state to help design this program under the direction of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Historical Marker Honors Chamizal Community Leader
The founder of the Chamizal Civic Association, Elvira Villa Escajeda, will be honored Saturday, July 18, with the placement of a historical marker at the intersection of Park Street and Olivas V. Aoy Ave.
The El Paso County Historical Commission, former Chamizal residents and community members will unveil the historical marker following a ceremony honoring her life and legacy at 10 a.m. in the Hart Elementary School cafeteria, 1110 Park St.
Escajeda, who lived from 1920 to 2022, was a community organizer, businesswoman and seamstress as well as pioneering civic leader, community advocate and founder of the civic association, according to a news release.
She and her family lived in a home on South Florence Street in the Segundo Barrio and were active members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She attended Alamo Elementary School and Bowie High School, according to the Texas State Historical Association. She was the first of her seven siblings to be born in the United States.
She was a leading voice for more than 5,600 residents displaced by the 1964 Chamizal Treaty and through her advocacy was able to secure fair-market compensation for homes and reimbursement of moving expenses for displaced families.
Her efforts included organizing regular community meetings with residents, demanding transparency in the relocation process and traveling to Washington, D.C. She advocated for displaced families through correspondence with President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Sen. John Tower, and others.
In 1964, she attended the binational Chamizal Treaty ceremony as a special guest of then-Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos.
State Leaders Order Higher Education Institutions, Others to Trim Budgets by 3%
It is unclear how local public institutions of higher education will deal with the order issued this week by state leaders to trim their next two base budgets starting in September 2027 by 3% to help fund state priorities such as property tax cuts.
El Paso Community College’s Keri Moe, associate vice president for External Relations, Communication and Development, said the college had not been notified about this directive to her knowledge.
Representatives from Texas Tech Health El Paso and the University of Texas at El Paso did not respond to questions about what this directive would mean for students, programs or employees.
College and university leaders are supposed to incorporate the budget reduction in their Legislative Appropriations Requests that will be submitted for the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January. The 90th Texas Legislature will use that information as it negotiates and passes its spending plan for the next biennium.
This order also went out to state agencies and appellate courts. It will not affect K-12 public education or the new private school voucher program.
Carlos Aguilar, a longtime economics professor at EPCC, acknowledged that it is early in the process to consider where the cuts will come from, but he offered some general suggestions.
He said institutions could review their contracts for security and janitorial services, and consider consolidation of service-oriented departments such as those that assist students with disabilities or who need counseling. He said institutions seem to create outreach programs for every need.
“I’ve seen an explosion of services provided by institutions,” Aguilar said. “You create a department and you need a supervisor and it needs employees. The budgets just blossom.”
He said his experience tells him that the first cuts will involve office supplies and travel budgets. He would like institutional leaders to consider salary cuts for the top administrators, but he said that was not realistic.
“I’m an economist,” said Aguilar, who has taught at the college for more than 50 years. “I like to be fair, but equality is not always equality.”
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