Latest news with #ElPasoMatters
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials unveil plan to fix dangerous issue with bridge at US-Mexico border: 'You just can't stand it'
After a years-long effort, a major port of entry between Mexico and the United States may indeed see a redesign that could significantly improve air quality and public health for nearby communities. According to local outlet KTSM, the U.S. government is set to modernize the Bridge of the Americas — or BOTA — located in El Paso, Texas. Originally constructed in 1967, the current infrastructure requires an upgrade. As a part of the upgrade proposal and review process, it has been determined that commercial trucks will no longer be able to use the bridge once the project is complete. Funded through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the effort recently overcame a delay to conclude the required environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. El Paso Matters reported in March that the delay occurred to ensure compliance with new presidential executive orders. The "record of decision" obtained in recent weeks now concludes the NEPA process, another step in the project moving forward. U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas, a champion of the redesign, said, "We are one step closer to delivering a transformational investment to our border region, which will lead to cleaner air and a healthier community for generations to come." The decision to eliminate commercial trucks from the port comes in part as a result of the environmental review under NEPA as well as concerns from surrounding communities, which say they have long endured substantial air pollution from idling trucks. San Xavier resident Ricardo Leon, for example, told The Guardian in 2024 that he had developed a cough from the pollution. "On a hot day, it's very, very irritating, annoying. You just can't stand it. Your eyes start burning, you feel it in your throat, you can taste it," he said. Particulate matter pollution from vehicle emissions has been linked to a range of health issues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, including cardiac conditions, asthma, and premature death in those with heart or lung disease. Commercial vehicles can cause more air pollution than passenger vehicles, and marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by poor air quality. El Paso-based organization Familias Unidas del Chamizal, which describes itself as "working to organize families in the Barrio Chamizal to develop a community that can defend itself," said in a statement, per KTSM, "Removing the commercial vehicles is a major benefit to the public health of the residents of the Chamizal and communities that neighbor the BOTA who will no longer be subject to the diesel contamination." Eliminating a route for commercial trucks could cause concern about hampering trade, but the nearby Tornillo, Santa Teresa, and Zaragoza land ports of entry will still be open for this purpose. Assessments of the communities around each of these ports were included in the environmental review, or Environmental Impact Statement. According to Land Line Media, which covers the trucking industry, construction for the upgrade "is anticipated to begin in spring 2027, with 'substantial completion' of the project expected in summer 2030." Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While reducing gas-powered traffic near densely populated communities is a great way to lessen the effects of air pollution on human health, using public transportation, riding a bike, and walking are other methods of cutting back on the heat-trapping pollution driving global temperature rise and extreme weather events. Mass conversion to electric vehicles among commuters as well as commercial transport could also make a big difference going forward. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
How the El Paso Walmart shooting prosecution cost $6 million, even without a trial
EL PASO, Texas (EL PASO MATTERS) — El Paso County taxpayers paid almost $4 million for the defense and $1.9 million for the prosecution of the man who gunned down 23 people and wounded 22 others at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, county records show. More than $2 million of that went to experts hired since 2019 by the defense team representing Patrick Crusius, now 26, who pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon last month after District Attorney James Montoya decided not to seek the death penalty. The gunman, who said he attacked the Cielo Vista Walmart in August 2019 to stop 'the Hispanic invasion of Texas,' was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Three defense attorneys – Joe Spencer, Felix Valenzuela and Mark Stevens – were paid a combined $602,000 over five years, according to the records, while defense investigators were paid more than $694,000. Another $688,000 was spent on 'miscellaneous' items, according to the records. The records showed that the prosecution spent $1.9 million between May 2022 and April 30, with those costs covered by state grants. Those costs were for lawyers and other employees of the District Attorney's Office, and didn't include costs for the police investigation of the attack. Spencer said defense attorneys were careful with expenses while committed to their ethical obligations to vigorously defend their client. Taxpayers paid for Crusius' defense because he was found to be indigent and unable to pay for his own defense. 'We were very cognizant from the very beginning that this case was going to be scrutinized as to how much attorneys fees were paid. So, we were very careful, very conservative. I know, personally, I didn't charge for all the hours that I put in,' he said in an interview with El Paso Matters. Montoya couldn't immediately be reached for comment by El Paso Matters. Spencer said the defense costs increased substantially because of efforts by former District Attorney Yvonne Rosales to recuse 409th District Judge Sam Medrano from the case, which included disclosures of extensive prosecutorial misconduct by Rosales and her associates. She resigned in December 2022. 'How much time did we spend on the Rosales shenanigans, as well as the motion to recuse Judge Medrano, which was all frivolous?' Spencer said. County records showed that the defense and prosecution spent more than $300,000 in fiscal year 2022, when there was essentially no movement in the mass shooting prosecution aside from efforts related to allegations of misconduct by Rosales and her associates. Spencer said former District Attorney Bill Hicks also added to the costs by providing massive amounts of case material known as discovery in ways that were difficult for defense lawyers to analyze. Most of fiscal years 2023 and 2024 were spent arguing pretrial motions centered on defense allegations of prosecutorial misconduct by the Rosales and Hicks administrations. County records showed that the defense and prosecution spent a combined $3.2 million on the case in those years. Spencer said the costs would have escalated if Montoya hadn't decided to end pursuit of the death penalty, which allowed for a plea agreement. He said the defense team had made it clear shortly after the Walmart attack that their client would plead guilty if the death penalty was off the table. 'We went to the state very early on and said, 'Let's resolve this case. We don't need to try this case.' But they were interested in the death penalty. As long as that was the case, we were in for the long haul,' Spencer said. Cases that include the possibility of the death penalty are expensive to prosecute because the stakes are high. A 1992 report by the Dallas Morning News said the average Texas death penalty case cost $2.3 million to prosecute – an amount that equals $5.3 million in 2025 dollars. The costs provided by the county are for the state prosecution of Crusius. He also pleaded guilty in a separate federal case on hate crimes and weapons charges, receiving 90 consecutive life sentences. The federal public defender's office is generating a summary of defense costs as part of an effort by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama to unseal records in the federal case. That summary is expected to be available this summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sydney Morning Herald
25-04-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Is she going to hug me?' The moment that brought a mass killer to tears
After a self-described white supremacist fatally shot nine people at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, several family members of the victims forgave the shooter. A similar scene played out in 2019, when the brother of Botham Jean hugged the police officer who had killed him, igniting fresh debate over expectations that people of colour forgive their aggressors. Robert Moore, who founded El Paso Matters and previously reported on the El Paso shooting for The Washington Post, said Tinajero's embrace on Tuesday left the courtroom – 'the security personnel, the families, the media, the judge' – weeping. 'I've never been in the position of having to report a story while sobbing uncontrollably,' Moore told the Post. The hearing felt cathartic for the city, he said. Tinajero told the defendant that he had been wrong about El Paso. She said there was no 'Hispanic invasion of Texas', as he had believed; the city was simply welcoming people who would have opened their doors to him and offered him a Mexican meal. 'Your ugly thoughts of us that have been instilled in you would have turned around' had they broken bread together, Tinajero said, according to Moore's dispatch. Not everyone expressed mercy. Other family members of victims wished the defendant misery as he serves his life sentence in prison. Francisco Rodriguez, father of 15-year-old Javier Ramirez, the youngest person killed, repeatedly demanded that the defendant look at him and at his son's picture, Moore recalled. 'I wish I could just get five minutes with you – me and you – and get all of this, get it over with,' Rodriguez said during his victim impact statement, according to the Associated Press. Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, which studies the effects of forgiveness on health, said forgiveness is a response to 'unmerited suffering' that lets someone release resentment, blame and self-pity. But it's not a shortcut to avoiding pain, he added. 'Forgiveness often necessitates real pain and suffering before one releases it,' Luskin said. People of colour are often not given the space to go through that, said Jemar Tisby, a history professor at Simmons College of Kentucky. Instead, he said, they're expected to quickly absolve those who have wronged them. That pressure, he said, denies their humanity by blocking the grieving process: sadness, anger, despair. Tisby said that when he learnt that Tinajero had forgiven the man who murdered her brother, he thought of the outpouring of support for Botham Jean's brother, Brandt, when he hugged Amber Guyger. Senator Ted Cruz and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley praised the embrace at the time as an act of 'Christian love' and an 'amazing example of faith, love and forgiveness'. But Tisby saw it as another instance in a long history of Black people giving White people quick absolution for perpetrating horrific wrongs. 'People of colour are not often given space for those [negative] emotions,' Tisby said. Loading Since the El Paso shooting, Moore, the journalist, said the victims' family members have expressed that 'the act of forgiveness meant that the gunman no longer had any power over their lives'. Spencer, the defence lawyer, said that of the dozens of people who gave impact statements this week, 14 offered forgiveness to the defendant. Two asked to hug him. 'The graciousness that these victims showed, the forgiveness and the love – I'll be honest, if I were a victim I don't know if I'd be as gracious,' Spencer said. 'I pray to God that I would be. But I don't know.' After Tinajero hugged the defendant, Adriana Zandri, whose husband Ivan Manzano was killed in the shooting, asked to do the same. The defendant, Moore said, knew about Zandri's request in advance. When she reached for him he embraced her with his wrists in shackles. Loading Minutes later the judge asked the bailiff to escort the defendant from the courtroom. 'To have the last act of the court process being this amazing act of mercy,' Moore said, 'it was just such an El Paso moment.'
The Age
25-04-2025
- The Age
‘Is she going to hug me?' The moment that brought a mass killer to tears
After a self-described white supremacist fatally shot nine people at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, several family members of the victims forgave the shooter. A similar scene played out in 2019, when the brother of Botham Jean hugged the police officer who had killed him, igniting fresh debate over expectations that people of colour forgive their aggressors. Robert Moore, who founded El Paso Matters and previously reported on the El Paso shooting for The Washington Post, said Tinajero's embrace on Tuesday left the courtroom – 'the security personnel, the families, the media, the judge' – weeping. 'I've never been in the position of having to report a story while sobbing uncontrollably,' Moore told the Post. The hearing felt cathartic for the city, he said. Tinajero told the defendant that he had been wrong about El Paso. She said there was no 'Hispanic invasion of Texas', as he had believed; the city was simply welcoming people who would have opened their doors to him and offered him a Mexican meal. 'Your ugly thoughts of us that have been instilled in you would have turned around' had they broken bread together, Tinajero said, according to Moore's dispatch. Not everyone expressed mercy. Other family members of victims wished the defendant misery as he serves his life sentence in prison. Francisco Rodriguez, father of 15-year-old Javier Ramirez, the youngest person killed, repeatedly demanded that the defendant look at him and at his son's picture, Moore recalled. 'I wish I could just get five minutes with you – me and you – and get all of this, get it over with,' Rodriguez said during his victim impact statement, according to the Associated Press. Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, which studies the effects of forgiveness on health, said forgiveness is a response to 'unmerited suffering' that lets someone release resentment, blame and self-pity. But it's not a shortcut to avoiding pain, he added. 'Forgiveness often necessitates real pain and suffering before one releases it,' Luskin said. People of colour are often not given the space to go through that, said Jemar Tisby, a history professor at Simmons College of Kentucky. Instead, he said, they're expected to quickly absolve those who have wronged them. That pressure, he said, denies their humanity by blocking the grieving process: sadness, anger, despair. Tisby said that when he learnt that Tinajero had forgiven the man who murdered her brother, he thought of the outpouring of support for Botham Jean's brother, Brandt, when he hugged Amber Guyger. Senator Ted Cruz and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley praised the embrace at the time as an act of 'Christian love' and an 'amazing example of faith, love and forgiveness'. But Tisby saw it as another instance in a long history of Black people giving White people quick absolution for perpetrating horrific wrongs. 'People of colour are not often given space for those [negative] emotions,' Tisby said. Loading Since the El Paso shooting, Moore, the journalist, said the victims' family members have expressed that 'the act of forgiveness meant that the gunman no longer had any power over their lives'. Spencer, the defence lawyer, said that of the dozens of people who gave impact statements this week, 14 offered forgiveness to the defendant. Two asked to hug him. 'The graciousness that these victims showed, the forgiveness and the love – I'll be honest, if I were a victim I don't know if I'd be as gracious,' Spencer said. 'I pray to God that I would be. But I don't know.' After Tinajero hugged the defendant, Adriana Zandri, whose husband Ivan Manzano was killed in the shooting, asked to do the same. The defendant, Moore said, knew about Zandri's request in advance. When she reached for him he embraced her with his wrists in shackles. Loading Minutes later the judge asked the bailiff to escort the defendant from the courtroom. 'To have the last act of the court process being this amazing act of mercy,' Moore said, 'it was just such an El Paso moment.'
Boston Globe
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
He murdered their loved ones. Their response: Forgiveness — and a hug.
Even defendant Patrick Crusius was caught off guard, said his attorney Joe Spencer. As Tinajero approached, the defendant whispered to Spencer's co-counsel, 'Is she going to hug me?' Advertisement 'His confusion was, 'Why would she want to do that?'' Spencer told The Washington Post. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But when the defendant saw 'love, not anger' on Tinajero's face, Spencer said, and Tinajero held him tight, 'I think that's when it hit him.' Since his arrest, Spencer said, the defendant had hardly ever shown emotion. But when Tinajero hugged him, Spencer saw his client turn his head away with tears in his eyes. The stunning courtroom scene, closing the judicial chapter of one of the deadliest mass killings in US history, comes as the kind of anti-immigrant rhetoric that Spencer said inspired his client — including from President Trump — reverberates at the highest levels of politics. Amid the tension, the act of forgiveness remains divisive. Advertisement After a self-described white supremacist fatally shot nine people at a Black church in Charleston, S.C., in 2015, several family members of the victims forgave the shooter. A similar scene played out in 2019, when the brother of Botham Jean hugged the police officer who had killed him, igniting fresh debate over expectations that people of color forgive their aggressors. Robert Moore, who founded El Paso Matters and previously reported on the El Paso shooting for The Post, said Tinajero's embrace on Tuesday left the courtroom — 'the security personnel, the families, the media, the judge' — weeping. 'I've never been in the position of having to report a story while sobbing uncontrollably,' Moore told The Post. The hearing felt cathartic for the city, he said. Tinajero told the defendant that he had been wrong about El Paso. She said there was no 'Hispanic invasion of Texas,' as he had believed; the city was simply welcoming people who would have opened their doors to him and offered him a Mexican meal. 'Your ugly thoughts of us that have been instilled in you would have turned around' had they broken bread together, Tinajero said, according to Moore's dispatch. Not everyone expressed mercy. Other family members of victims wished the defendant misery as he serves his life sentence in prison. Francisco Rodriguez, father of 15-year-old Javier Ramirez, the youngest person killed, repeatedly demanded that the defendant look at him and at his son's picture, Moore recalled. 'I wish I could just get five minutes with you — me and you — and get all of this, get it over with,' Rodriguez said during his victim impact statement, according to The Associated Press. Advertisement Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, which studies the effects of forgiveness on health, said forgiveness is a response to 'unmerited suffering,' that lets someone release resentment, blame, and self-pity. But it's not a shortcut to avoiding pain, he added. 'Forgiveness often necessitates real pain and suffering before one releases it,' Luskin said. People of color are often not given the space to go through that, said Jemar Tisby, a history professor at Simmons College of Kentucky. Instead, he said, they're expected to quickly absolve those who have wronged them. That pressure, he said, denies their humanity by blocking the grieving process: sadness, anger, despair. Tisby said that when he learned that Tinajero had forgiven the man who murdered her brother, he thought of the outpouring of support for Botham Jean's brother, Brandt, when he hugged Amber Guyger. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley praised the embrace at the time as an act of 'Christian love' and an 'amazing example of faith, love, and forgiveness.' But Tisby saw it as another instance in a long history of Black people giving White people quick absolution for perpetrating horrific wrongs. 'People of color are not often given space for those [negative] emotions,' Tisby said. Since the El Paso shooting, Moore, the journalist, said the victims' family members have expressed that 'the act of forgiveness meant that the gunman no longer had any power over their lives.' Spencer, the defense attorney, said that of the dozens of people who gave impact statements this week, 14 offered forgiveness to the defendant. Two asked to hug him. 'The graciousness that these victims showed, the forgiveness, and the love - I'll be honest, if I were a victim, I don't know if I'd be as gracious,' Spencer said. 'I pray to God that I would be. But I don't know.' Advertisement After Tinajero hugged the defendant, Adriana Zandri, whose husband, Ivan Manzano, was killed in the shooting, asked to do the same. The defendant, Moore said, knew about Zandri's request in advance. When she reached for him, he embraced her with his wrists in shackles. Minutes later, the judge asked the bailiff to escort the defendant from the courtroom. 'To have the last act of the court process being this amazing act of mercy,' Moore said, 'it was just such an El Paso moment.'
