This is your weekly update, which takes a quick look at the week ahead and some developments that El Paso Matters is following.
Holiday Lights Out Soon: The winter holiday lights displays across the city will be turned off shortly after Christmas. El Paso WinterFest at San Jacinto Plaza in Downtown winds down on Monday, Jan. 1; while Holiday Lights on the Lake at Ascarate Park, 6900 Delta Drive, will come to an end on Saturday, Jan. 6. Magic of Lights at Camp Cohen, 9700 Gateway North Blvd., runs through Sunday, Dec. 31. Click here for details on the holiday events.
Attorneys Joe Spencer, left, and Mark Stevens, make their way into the 409th District Court’s chambers for a status hearing a year ago on the Walmart mass shooting case. (Robert Moore/El Paso Matters)
Walmart Mass Shooting Hearing: A status hearing for the man charged with killing 23 people during the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart has been set for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 18 by the district judge presiding over the state’s case. At the hearing, both the prosecutors and defense team are expected to discuss a possible trial date. Patrick Crusius, the lone gunman in the Walmart attack, has already pleaded guilty in federal court to various hate and weapons charges and has been sentenced to 90 life sentences.
Better FAFSA Soft Launch: Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, recently announced that the much-anticipated “Better FAFSA,” which is supposed to debut by Dec. 31, will have a soft launch around that date. The notice did not say exactly when that launch would begin. The office said that its representatives will use the soft launch period prior to and following Dec. 31 to monitor and respond quickly to potential user issues. The FSA stressed that students and families do not need to rush to complete the form as it will not transmit the results to colleges and universities until later in January. The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid is supposed to be quicker and easier to fill out and should increase the number of students who are eligible for $150 billion in federal financial aid.
The post The Week Ahead: Last chance to see winter holiday lights, displays appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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