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Pellicano Drive expansion still on hold, cleanup event brings dumpsters near you, direct flight to Mexico in the works [1]

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Date: 2025-05-02

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.

Pellicano Drive Expansion on Hold Despite Court Ruling

The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority was justified in defaulting J.A.R. Construction Inc., the contractor for the widening of Pellicano Drive that filed for bankruptcy before completing the project, the United States Bankruptcy Court recently ruled.

The ruling is a step toward allowing the CRRMA, which manages transportation projects for various governments, to continue legal proceedings to hold the contractor accountable for the completion of the long-stalled $21.6 million improvements. The Pellicano improvements were initially set to be completed in July 2022.

The county of El Paso contracted CRRMA for the project in 2017, and the mobility authority awarded the contract to J.A.R.

Once completed, the 3.1-mile stretch of Pellicano Drive from Joe Battle Boulevard to Darrington Road/Berryville Street will have a six-lane divided roadway with raised medians, concrete pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalks, landscaping, safety lighting, storm drainage, signing and striping.

Half of that work was done before construction stopped in 2023.

There is no estimated completion date, or date for when construction will resume.

Spring Cleaning? Bring Household Items to Nearby Dumpsters

The city of El Paso will place large dumpsters throughout the city as part of a cleanup event Saturday, May 3. The initiative is part of the Environmental Services Department’s citywide cleanup where residents can dispose of large, unwanted household items that do not fit in residential collection bins.

Here’s what can be tossed: Extra household trash, furniture, carpet, lumber, wood pallets, textiles such as clothing, sheets and towels and yard waste such as grass clippings, tree trunks and other green waste.

Here’s what cannot be dumped: Household hazardous waste, commercial or construction waste, concrete, rocks or dirt, tires or rims, mattresses, appliances and used electronics and batteries cannot be dumped in the dumpsters. Those items can be disposed of at the city’s citizen collection stations. Click here for the locations of the stations.

The dumpsters for the Saturday clean-up will be available from 8 a.m. to noon at the following locations:

Central/Mission Valley : Hidden Valley Park, 200 Coconut Tree Lane

: Hidden Valley Park, 200 Coconut Tree Lane Eastside : Near Zaragoza Ave. and Gambusino Ave.

: Near Zaragoza Ave. and Gambusino Ave. Eastside/Mission Valley : Ralph T. Cloud Park (formerly Yucca Park), 7975 Williamette Ave.

: Ralph T. Cloud Park (formerly Yucca Park), 7975 Williamette Ave. Northeast : Near Marcus Uribe Drive and Benny Emler Drive

: Near Marcus Uribe Drive and Benny Emler Drive Downtown/South Central/West Central : Chihuahua Recreation Center, 417 Charles Road

: Chihuahua Recreation Center, 417 Charles Road Westside/ Upper Valley: Near Ethel and Edgar Roads

Mexico’s Top Immigration Official Charged in Juárez Fire Replaced

Francisco Garduño Yáñez, Mexico’s top immigration official who had been charged in the deadly Ciudad Juárez migrant center fire in 2023, is no longer commissioner of the National Migration Institute, or INM by its Mexican acronym, La Verdad reports. Sergio Salomón Céspedes, the former governor of Puebla, took over as commissioner of the agency Thursday, May 1.

Garduño Yáñez left the institute amid legal proceedings against him on charges of failing to comply with his obligation to monitor, protect and provide security to the facilities and migrants under his charge and promoting crimes committed against migrants. A federal judge in January suspended criminal charges against him on the condition that he offer a public apology to the fire victims, complete the government’s victim compensation plan, visit centers once every three months and take courses in human and civil rights.

Several human rights organizations had demanded his resignation or that he be fired. In December, Garduño told Mexican reporters he was no longer in charge of the agency after then-newly elected Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced he would no longer serve in that position. No action had been taken until April 17, when Sheinbaum announced that Salomón Céspedes would take over as commissioner in May.

La Verdad reports that leaders of human rights organizations said Garduño must follow up on the legal proceedings against him and comply with the judge’s orders, including issuing a public apology that had been tentatively set for Friday, May 2.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Changes Asthma Coverage

Blue Cross Blue Shield, the largest health insurance company in Texas, changed a policy last month that would affect patients with severe asthma. The company now requires that patients’ health care providers get prior approval before administering certain asthma medications in clinic. The treatment, a class of medications called biologics, are injections or infusions that target parts of the immune system to reduce inflammation in the airways.

The policy change affects Blue Cross Blue Shield patients in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Illinois and Montana. It excludes patients on Medicare and Medicaid.

Physicians worry the change will delay critical treatment for the sickest asthma patients. More than 16,000 children and 54,000 adults in El Paso have asthma, according to the American Lung Association. Hispanic children living in Texas border counties also have higher rates of hospitalizations for asthma than children living in the rest of the state.

The typical inhaler is often not enough for people with severe asthma. While people can self-inject the drugs at home, anaphylaxis is an uncommon, but life-threatening side effect – which is why providers may want to start treatment in clinic so they can monitor for reactions.

EPCC Trustees Approve Contract for Adult Diploma/Credential Program

The effort to create a program to help adult Texans to earn high school diplomas and learn job skills at the same time took another step forward at the El Paso Community College Board of Trustees monthly meeting Wednesday at its Administrative Services Center, 9050 Viscount Blvd.

The board voted 5-0 to approve a $300,000 contract with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to continue their work to develop and implement the statewide Opportunity High School Diploma program. Board chair Brian Haggerty was not at the meeting.

EPCC has been working on this project since last year with Alamo Colleges District, Austin Community College, Dallas College and San Jacinto College near Houston.

The program is for adults aged 18 and older who did not complete high school. EPCC expects to launch the program this fall at its five campuses.

Students will be co-enrolled in high school curriculum such as math, civics, sciences and communication, and a career and technical workforce program. People who complete the program will earn a high school diploma and a college credential.

Steven Smith, EPCC vice president of Instruction and Workforce Education, told the board that there are approximately 30,000 adults in the El Paso region who could benefit from this program. On a statewide level, about 14% of the adult state population aged 25 or older, or about 4.5 million people, did not have a high school diploma in 2024, according to WalletHub.

A THECB spokesman said that program graduates will help spur economic mobility, and bolster the number of skilled and knowledgeable workers who can address employers’ needs across the state.

The college approved an initial $100,000 contract with the THECB in June 2024 to develop the program’s structure. That phase ended in September.

City Wants to Hear from El Pasoans About Climate Change

The city of El Paso is hosting two meetings in the coming weeks to let El Pasoans share their thoughts on what the city’s plan to fight climate change should look like.

The first of the meetings – which will both feature games of “climate loteria” – will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 at the Eastside Regional Recreation Center, 13501 Jason Crandall Drive. The second event is set for 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at the Pat O’Rourke Recreation Center, 901 Virginia St.

The El Paso City Council in early 2024 agreed to pay a consulting firm $1.2 million to help craft the wide-ranging climate plan.

El Paso voters in November 2022 approved $5 million for a climate plan that would generally lay out broad strategies to reduce air pollution, address excessive heat and rising average temperatures and conserve water.

In El Paso, which experienced the hottest years on record in 2023 and 2024, stakeholders have suggested the plan should aim to curb urban sprawl and reduce car usage, ensure the adoption of more household rooftop solar panel systems, address pollution from commercial trucks at the city’s international crossings and preserve the natural local environment.

The city has partnered with 11 other local governments, utility companies and business groups under the Chihuahuan Desert Climate Collaborative. The collaborative last year sought over $500 million from two grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, but instead the city won two smaller grants totaling $45 million, in part to pay for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

While still in its earliest stages, El Paso’s climate plan is beginning to take shape. One climate-related initiative underway is a project to build two solar panel installations at El Paso’s airport, one of which will cover a parking lot. That’s funded largely with federal grant dollars. City staffers could also look at ways that the city could mitigate the intense blowing the city has experienced in recent months.

El Paso Airport to Offer Direct Flights to Chihuahua

The El Paso International Airport will begin a new direct international route to Chihuahua, Mexico, next summer.

The new route, the first nonstop commercial flight to Mexico in more than a decade, will be operated by TAR Mexico, according to a city news release.

“International connectivity is essential to our region’s economic vitality, and we’re thrilled to welcome TAR Mexico as a partner in delivering on our strategic vision,” said Tony Nevarez, director of the El Paso International Airport, said in the release.

The service to Chihuahua adds to the airport’s capabilities that include international charter, cargo, and general aviation flights.

Mayor Renard Johnson said the new route “not only strengthens the enduring business and cultural connections between El Paso and Chihuahua but also brings us closer to the people, families, and opportunities on both sides of the border.”

To learn more about El Paso International Airport, visit FlyELP.com.

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[1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2025/05/02/el-paso-news-pellicano-expansion-city-cleanup-direct-flights-mexico/

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