Large puppets used to celebrate immigrants in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A show involving 'larger-than-life' puppets celebrated immigrants and sought to educate the audience, its organizers aid.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, its artist-in-residence Kill Joy and the Kitchen Table Puppets and Press troupe teamed up for a performance Saturday evening, April 5 at the Falstaff collaborative space in South-Central El Paso.
'The two-week tour across Texas features larger-than-life puppets that celebrate the resilience of immigrant communities amid escalating anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. The tour aims to educate audiences about their constitutional rights by sharing Know Your Rights materials. Performances will culminate in a night market, where audiences can support local artists, small businesses, and advocacy organizations,' said a news release announcing the performance.
The tour will also bring awareness to the stories of Texas families torn apart by anti-immigrant policies, according to the ACLU Texas website.
After performing in El Paso, the tour will make stops in Houston (April 8), Austin (April 10), and San Antonio (April 15).
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
NMSU's Animation, Visual Effects program ranks in top 200 nationwide
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — New Mexico State University's (NMSU) Animation and Visual Effects program is ranked among the top 200 programs in the nation, according to the university on Friday, May 23. Animation Career Review ranked over 200 programs across the U.S. and in the 2025 rankings list, NMSU's Animation and Visual Effects program rose to 17th. According to the university, this is the 14th year in a row that NMSU's program has ranked in the Animation Career Review list. 'We've really been trying to ramp up our visual effects component in what we teach,' said Derek Chase, professor in NMSU's Creative Media Institute, who specializes in 3D animation.'Although our ranking has specifically outlined animation in recent years, we actually just hit Animation Career Review's top five for Southwest visual effects ranking too.' According to NMSU, the Animation Career Review considers animation programs in degree-granting institutions, except two-year community colleges. The criteria the list uses include the following: academic reputation admission selectivity depth and breadth of program faculty values as they relate to tuition and indebtedness graduation rate geographic location employment data 'We are drawing in talent from the student and the faculty side,' Chase said. 'We have had students from all over the place. We just had a graduate who was from Alaska originally. More and more people are applying to our program, especially in the surrounding Four Corners states and Texas. We have always been a big draw for students from nearby El Paso and Juarez, Mexico.' The Animation and Visual Effects program at NMSU has grown since 2018. The number of majors has grown by 40 percent and the number of degrees granted by 50 percent, according to NMSU. 'I think our success comes down to a combination of factors,' Eddie Bakshi, who specializes in teaching 2D animation production at CMI, said. 'We offer a really great product. We offer great teachers and a very competitive program among all animation schools for a very modest price. As prices keep going up at many larger schools, our students get a quality education that is more affordable.' Nathan Billman, who recently graduated with a degree in animation at NMSU, said prior to pursuing animation, he was a psychology major and then changed his mind. 'I was two and a half years in and found that I didn't really want to be a counselor, so I made my switch,' Billman said. 'It's been really hard because I don't have an art background, but I've really enjoyed it. I've been embraced, and I've gotten better and better. It's really been nice to have the faculty who are there for you.' Abril Delgado Quintana, who will graduate next semester at NMSU and grew up in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, said the animation program was a huge step for her. 'It was a huge step for me, especially coming from where I was born and where I grew up,' Delgado Quintana said. 'It was like, wow, it's impressive. The accessibility, the collaboration, it makes you want to work closely with fellow students and professors.' For more information about the program, you can visit NMSU's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Business Insider
13-05-2025
- Business Insider
'The Apprentice' winners ranked from least to most successful
7. Brandy Kuentzel, season 10 Kuentzel, who took the season 10 title in 2010 after a consistent performance throughout the series, returned to her legal roots after the show. She was the general counsel and director of advocacy for the San Francisco SPCA from 2012 to 2022, where she oversaw all legal affairs and advocacy campaigns, according to her LinkedIn profile. In January 2023, she cofounded and was named CEO of a veterinary start-up called Ease Pet Vet. The company connects pet owners with online veterinarians who can help with animal behavioral issues. According to the site, the company "specializes in common issues," which include "challenges such as reactivity, house soiling, generalized anxiety, noise fears, and separation anxiety." She's a successful lawyer and businesswoman, but is the least well-known "Apprentice" winner since she has stayed out of the public eye. 6. Stefanie Schaeffer, season 6 After winning season six in 2007, Schaeffer, now 50, pivoted away from the business world to become a TV and YouTube host. She was a correspondent for the TV Guide Channel and, as a former lawyer, hosted a 2008 web series called "Know Your Rights" to help people better understand the legal system. An avid golfer, she often plays in celebrity golf tournaments and has both guest-hosted and offered commentary on The Golf Channel. She's also involved with charities that advocate for autism awareness, cancer research, and children's issues, and hosted the YouTube show "The Future Is Bright" presented by the Autism Society of America in 2015. 5. Randal Pinkett, season 4 Pinkett, who won in 2005, had co-founded the consulting firm BCT Partners in 2001. His website calls BCT "a multimillion-dollar research, consulting, training, technology and analytics firm." He also holds five academic degrees and is a published author. After his appearance on "The Apprentice," he remained somewhat in the public eye, returning to the show as a boardroom advisor. In 2016, alongside other "Apprentice" candidates, he publicly opposed Trump's first presidential run, per NBC. "We acknowledge Donald's success as a businessman, and genuinely appreciate the opportunity 'The Apprentice' afforded all of us," Pinkett, now 53, said at a press conference before the New York primary in 2016. "We, however, strongly condemn Donald's campaign of sexism, xenophobia, racism, violence, and hate." Pinkett maintained this position during the 2024 campaign, when he and five other "Apprentice" alumni endorsed Kamala Harris in an open letter published by Politico. They called him a "divisive, self-interested, and erratic leader with a fragile ego." Trump did not publicly respond to their letter at the time. 4. Kelly Perdew, season 2 After winning season two in 2004, Perdew founded a hedge fund and a consulting firm, and he gives speeches about leadership. Perdew's fund, Moonshots Capital, invests in technology startups and companies started by veterans. His creative consulting agency, DuMont Project, works with direct-to-consumer brands. A former military intelligence officer, Perdew, 58, was appointed to President George W. Bush's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2006 and re-appointed in 2008. He has also served on several company boards, including Pandora and LinkedIn, and frequently gives public speeches on leadership, technology, and career development. 3. Sean Yazbeck, season 5 Yazbeck won season five of "The Apprentice" in 2006. After overseeing the construction of the Trump SoHo condominium in New York City, he started his own telecommunications company called Wavsys, which was named an Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Company in America in 2014. Yazbeck, 52, who grew up in London, was also awarded the British Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2014. He returned to "The Apprentice" as a guest board member and dabbled in voice acting with a small part in the 2006 animated film "Over the Hedge." Per his LinkedIn, he's also co-founded other companies such as Scopeworker, a supply chain company, and Admazing, which connects businesses that are looking to advertise with mobile games. 2. Kendra Todd, season 3 Some "Apprentice" winners become successful businesspeople, and some become television personalities, but Kendra Todd's career balances both. Todd, 47, won "The Apprentice" in 2005, the same year that Realtor Magazine named her one of their Top 30 Under 30 brokers. After her time on the show, she released the bestseller "Risk & Grow Rich: How to Make Millions in Real Estate," then combined her real estate expertise and TV experience as the host of HGTV's "My House Is Worth What?" from 2006 to 2008. Todd founded her own real estate firm, the Kendra Todd Group, in 2009, where she continues to work today, per her LinkedIn. She has also made appearances on "Fox and Friends" as a real estate contributor. In response to the letter that some "Apprentice" alums signed endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, Todd spearheaded a response from 10 other former contestants to support Trump's campaign, Fox News reported in October 2024. "It is disappointing and shameful that these contestants would use the platform that Donald Trump gave them to attack him in this manner," they wrote. "Is this the thanks he gets for literally changing the trajectory of our lives?" 1. Bill Rancic, season 1 Rancic, who won the very first season in 2004, capitalized on his "Apprentice" success as a motivational speaker and bestselling author in addition to his business ventures. As a motivational speaker, Rancic, 53, teaches audiences about productivity and his successful business methods. He has hosted and appeared on several TV shows talking about entrepreneurship and has written four books, including a New York Times bestseller called "You're Hired." Rancic married E! News co-anchor Giuliana Rancic (née DePandi) in 2007, and the couple went on to star in their own reality show "Giuliana and Bill" from 2009 to 2014. They own six restaurants together and support several philanthropic causes related to cancer and infertility after Giuliana's breast cancer diagnosis in 2011. With several burgeoning businesses and star power, he's the only "Apprentice" winner who has remained a household name years after the show aired, hence earning the accolade of most successful "Apprentice" winner.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
County creates arts committee, pilot program in each precinct
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County Commissioners Court approved during its meeting on Monday, May 5 the formation of an arts committe and pilot arts program for each precinct. The County is also taking steps to move forward with creating an arts master plan. County Commissioner David Stout's office made the announcement. 'Arts are critical for a healthy community. We have amazing creative talent in El Paso. The County is here to engage with them and support their efforts,' Stout said in a news release. 'Especially in a community that doesn't have a lot of capital investment from outside, public art is an efficient, cost-effective way to invest in ourselves.' Stout's office said there are several benefits to having a public art program — improving local sentiment and supporting tourism and travel to the area. A 2017 study by America for the Arts said that El Paso sees an annual $103.4 million economic impact from the arts and the arts supports the equivalent of 4,000 jobs. The impact produces millions of dollars in combined revenue for restaurants, bars, hotels and motels, transportation and government, Stout's office said. The El Paso County Arts Advisory Committee is being established as a pilot committee to provide advice to the County Commissioners Court and the County's chief Administrator to advance and enrich the arts and cultural activities and policies within El Paso County. This includes developing and implementing an arts master plan, Stout's office said. El Paso County was put aside at least $100,000 for the arts master plan and $55,000 for each precinct and $55,000 countywide for arts programming, Stout's office said. Monday, the County contracted with the El Paso Community Foundation to manage the arts programming. Further, the County is procuring an agreement for an arts master plan, which the arts committee will have a role in developing, Stout's office said. 'This action today is the result of discussions that began during Covid, when the arts became essential for people who were staying home and staying safe, but artists themselves were not able to work publicly,' Stout said. 'I am proud of our administration for developing policy to address both the economic and community development aspect of public art, and grateful to the Court for ongoing support and for the vote today.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.