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Incoming mayor, city reps to be sworn in Jan. 6; season’s first flu death reported [1]

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Date: 2024-12-20

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.

Mayor-elect Renard Johnson, 6 Council Members to be Inaugurated Jan. 6

Mayor-elect Renard Johnson and the six City Council members elected this fall will be formally sworn in at a ceremony Monday, Jan. 6.

The city representatives being sworn in will be Josh Acevedo, reelected in District 2, and newly elected city Reps. Alejandra “Ale” Chavez in District 1, Deanna Maldonado-Rocha in District 3, Cynthia Boyar Trejo in District 4, Ivan Niño in District 5 and Lily Limón in District 7.

The inauguration will take place at 6 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre in Downtown, and is free and open to the public.

RELATED: Mayor-elect Renard Johnson talks about economic development, taxes, services and other issues as he prepares to take office

The first City Council meeting with Johnson as mayor will be Jan. 7. Current Mayor Oscar Leeser and the five outgoing council members had their last meeting Tuesday, Dec. 17.

City Breaks Ground on New Health Clinic in Central

The city of El Paso broke ground Thursday on the Medical Center of the Americas Health Clinic at 4240 Alameda Ave. The planned 10,500-square-foot health clinic near Washington Park in Central will offer services including HIV prevention, sexual health care and tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. The city’s Department of Public Health will operate the clinic.

“El Paso Community Clinics are vital components of our department, addressing one of the community’s greatest needs – access to care,” health director Dr. Veerinder Taneja said in a press release. “These clinics provide preventative screenings and ensure individuals receive necessary medical treatment.”

The project has a budget of about $9 million funded by a grant from the American Rescue Plan Act.

El Paso Youth Dies of Flu; Health Officials Encourage Flu Shots

El Paso public health officials this week confirmed the first flu-related death in the respiratory virus season. The case was a girl younger than 13 with underlying health conditions.

“We are deeply saddened to report the tragic loss of a child in our community,” said city-county health authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza in a news release.

Ocaranza urged everyone ages 6 months and older to get the flu shot, “the best protection against the flu and its serious complications.” High-risk groups for flu complications include people ages 65 and older, young children, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions.

Influenza season runs from fall through winter, with activity peaking between December and February. It is possible to catch the flu and COVID-19 at the same time. El Paso physicians recommend getting the COVID-19 vaccine, which can be administered at the same time as the flu vaccine.

UTEP Residency Candidates Learn Where They Will Teach

Seventy undergraduates who are part of the University of Texas at El Paso’s Miner Teacher Residency program learned which school they would teach at for a year during a ceremony Dec. 16 in UTEP’s Undergraduate Learning Center.

These students will start their residencies when their school districts start their spring semesters on or around Jan. 6, and complete them in December 2025.

Seventy teacher candidates from UTEP’s College of Education tore open envelopes to reveal the schools where they will spend their yearlong teacher residency on Dec. 16, 2024. (Courtesy The University of Texas at El Paso)

The program, which started in 2019, is an immersive opportunity for teacher candidates to get hands-on experience with lesson plans, classroom management, parent engagement and professional collaboration.

Candidates will work alongside a trained mentor teacher, and receive feedback from an on-site UTEP faculty member. They will receive a stipend and part-time work opportunities.

According to UTEP, the 20 participating elementary and middle schools are part of the Canutillo, El Paso, Fabens, Socorro and Ysleta independent school districts. The Clint and Tornillo school districts also are residency partners, but did not take students for the January to December 2025 cohort.

When participation in the fall start and the spring start for the 2024-25 academic year are counted, the program will have students at more than 40 campuses throughout those seven school districts, according to Erika Mein, associate dean for academic affairs in UTEP’s College of Education.

Since its inception, more than 600 students have participated in the residency program that aims to produce graduates who are ready on their first day to meet the needs of their students who could come from different cultural, linguistic and/or economic backgrounds.

4 Accused in Juárez Migrant Detention Center Fire Face New Charges

The Attorney General’s Office in Mexico this week sought to present new charges against four of the 11 people charged in the March 2023 fire in the holding cell of the National Migration Institute in Ciudad Juárez, according to La Verdad. Forty detained migrants died and another 27 were injured in the fire.

Screen captures from security camera video show an overcrowded men’s cell at the Juarez migrant detention center on March 27, 2023, before some of the men placed their vinyl mats against the cell’s wrought iron fence and then smoke filled the center.

A hearing on the additional charges related to damage to the federal building was set to be held before a federal judge on Monday, but the hearing was postponed due to the lack of judicial notification to some parties and the absence of lawyers representing one of the accused and some of the survivors, La Verdad reported. No new hearing date was set.

LEARN MORE: Misplaced fire extinguishers. No sprinkler system. A key missing in plain sight. How a Juárez migrant detention center fire turned into a death trap.

Attorneys with the National Migration Institute sought to file additional charges against Venezuelan Jeison Daniel C.R., one of two migrants accused of setting fire to vinyl sleeping mats in protest of poor conditions at the detention center; as well as three INM employees: Daniel G.Y., Rodolfo C. de la T.; and Gloria Liliana R.G., who are accused of homicide, causing injuries and negligence in the performance of their official duties. The defendants are only identified by their first names and the initials of their last names in court documents.

WATCH: Death Trap: Cristhian’s Story of Survival in Juarez Migrant Detention Center Fire

They are among 11 people charged with various crimes – from negligence to homicide – in the March 2023 fire at the center. The building sustained significant damage and has remained closed since the fire.

Among the 11 is Francisco Garduño Yáñez, who a few days ago left his position as commissioner of the National Migration Institute, La Verdad reported. He was released from prison soon after the charges were filed against him in April 2023.

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[1] Url: http://elpasomatters.org/2024/12/20/el-paso-news-mayor-city-reps-swearing-in-flu-death-utep-teacher-residency/

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