Latest news with #Escamilla
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in grisly murder at upscale Los Angeles apartment complex in custody
A man has been arrested in connection with a grisly murder inside an upscale apartment complex in Valley Village, according to media reports. The suspect, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, has been identified as Erick Escamilla. The 27-year-old was reportedly taken into custody at a West Hills hospital. The victim, 53-year-old Menashe 'Manny' Hidra was found dead inside his apartment on April 26, but only after a concerned friend, who said Manny had been home sick with COVID, called police for a welfare check. Three days before the unsettling and tragic discovery, one resident who lives near the murder scene told KTLA that around 3 a.m. on April 23, he heard screams and someone yelling for help. 'I just woke up to some loud noises, something crashing,' he told KTLA. 'There was screaming, and I called our security and, also, right after that, I called the police.' The resident, like many others in the building, did not want his name shared. Even more chilling is home security footage obtained by KTLA that showed Escamilla stalking the building's hallways just before 3 a.m. In the footage, he's seen going door to door, attempting to force his way into several units. Residents said it appears that whoever committed the murder entered an empty fifth-floor apartment and then climbed from that balcony to the victim's balcony. Mother of toddler abandoned at sheriff's station in Southern California located Photos of the building's bloodstained exterior between the two balconies bolster those claims, as well as a photo of a bloodstained door handle leading to an exit stairwell where the killer may have fled after the murder. While police have been tight-lipped about the details of the homicide, investigators said a suspect illegally entered the 53-year-old's apartment where a struggle ensued that left the victim dead. Management's response to the harrowing incident has left some residents of the high-end complex furious and frustrated. Many of them said they've complained about security issues that predated the killing and that even after the murder, there were additional break-ins. Escamilla's arrest comes just short of two weeks since Hidra's body was discovered, leaving residents in the building terrified that the suspect was still on the loose. Police had reportedly been tracking the 27-year-old, narrowly missing him last week, The Times reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
EPCC recognizes top staff, faculty for annual awards
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso Community College is honoring its top educators and staff 'for their tireless effort and unwavering commitment,' the college said. As part of Community College Month, EPCC has announced the 2024-2025 Excellence in Education Award winners and Professional and Classified Staff honorees. This year's President's Excellence Award winner is Rebecca A. Escamilla, dean of Architecture, Art, Math, and Science at the Valle Verde campus, as selected by EPCC President William Serrata. 'Escamilla is driven by a mission to provide experiences that inspire and help students complete their educational goals, knowing firsthand how transformative education can be,' EPCC said in its announcement. 'I am truly honored and grateful for this recognition. This is a testament of the amazing teamwork that was accomplished, and I am likewise honored to work with such a wonderful group of individuals,' Escamilla said. This year's Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award winner is Lorely Ambriz, librarian at the Northwest campus. 'I am deeply honored and humbly grateful to receive this recognition and award. My love and passion for this institution, which has been my second home for almost 30 years, makes this moment even more meaningful,' Ambriz said. EPCC's Minnie Stevens Piper Professor nominee is submitted into a statewide competition to become one of the 10 annual Minnie Stevens Piper Professors for Texas, EPCC said. The 2025 Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award winners are: Full-time Faculty Achievement Awards Laura Erickson Alvarado, speech, Mission Del Paso Carmen Castillo-Attar, counseling, Valle Verde/Northwest Ivette Chuca, mathematics, Valle Verde Adjunct Faculty Achievement Awards Wendy Alvidrez, dental hygiene, Rio Grande James Fynquist, government, Transmountain Edward Lowrance, art, Transmountain EPCC said it also wanted to recognize the following award winners: Douglas Schirmer, Professional Staff Full-time award winner and IT systems manager; Monica Tarin, Professional Staff Part-time award winner and marketing and community relations graphics designer; Timothy Archut, Full-time Classified Staff award winner and academic resource specialist; and Margaret Torres, Part-time Classified Staff award winner and library clerk. All EPCC Excellence Award winners are selected by their peers. The Excellence Award winners, Professional and Classified Staff honorees, will be recognized at EPCC's Employee Recognition Dinner on Friday, May 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man pleads guilty in MS to sexual battery against child
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mexican national has been convicted in DeSoto County after pleading guilty to sexual battery against a child. Javier Escamilla was sentenced to five years in the Mississippi State Prison, but the DeSoto County District Attorney's Office says he will not serve the time in the U.S. and will instead face deportation due to his illegal residence in the country. According to a press release, Escamilla will be deported following the 414 days he has already spent in county jail, at a cost of more than $25,000 to taxpayers. 'This conviction sends a clear and unwavering message — we will not allow child predators to roam freely in our communities,' said D.A. Matthew Barton. 'The safety of our children is non-negotiable, and we will continue to work relentlessly to protect our families from anyone who seeks to harm them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Del Mar College waives dual credit tuition for private school, home-schooled students
Del Mar College is expanding its dual credit tuition waiver program to include private school and home-schooled students in fall 2025. This means that students at schools like Annapolis Christian Academy, St. John Paul II High School, Arlington Heights Christian Academy, Grace Temple Academy and Incarnate Word Academy, as well as home-schooled students, won't have to pay for tuition or fees when taking a dual credit course at Del Mar College. The Del Mar College board of regents unanimously approved the waiver for private school and home-schooled students on Tuesday. This academic year, the college has 94 dual credit enrollment students from private schools or home school. This includes some online classes, as well as some students who come to campus to attend class in person with other college students. Currently, private school students pay just more than $33 per credit hour. The college collected about $40,000 in dual enrollment revenue from home-schooled and private school students last fiscal year. The college previously eliminated dual credit tuition costs for students from partnering public schools, shifting to a state funding model. Del Mar College President Mark Escamilla said that the tuition waiver program for dual credit creates an opportunity for enrollment growth. "The gains are going to be first and foremost for those students, financially, long term," Escamilla said. Del Mar College regent David Loeb said that he heard from interested home schooling parents and private schools after the college waived tuition for public school dual credit students. This spring, 3,268 high school students were enrolled in a dual credit course. Dual credit head counts at Del Mar College have been rising since 2022. Last spring, the dual credit headcount was 2,965. The college also plans to waive tuition for qualifying full-time students who complete an associate degree within three years beginning with freshmen who start in fall 2025. Corpus Christi ISD, Del Mar College partner to enhance dual credit Is your child about to take the STAAR test? Here's how to help them prepare A head start in life: How students can work toward degrees in Corpus Christi high schools This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: DMC waives dual credit costs for private school, home school students
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Doulas improve the experience of childbirth. Now their services will be covered by Medicaid in Utah
After years of being brought up in the Utah Legislature, a bill to have Medicaid cover doula services passed through both the House and the Senate. The bill's sponsor has also introduced a variety of bills focusing on children's health and welfare. SB284, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, will require the state to apply to expand its Medicaid plan to cover doula services. The bill passed through the Senate by unanimous vote last week, and on Wednesday, the House passed the bill with 55 yes votes and 16 no votes. The bill will now go to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature. Escamilla has been working on getting this bill through passed for years, and was successful in 2025. During her time as a lawmaker, she says she has learned that persistence is important, also pointing out changes in the Legislature that helped this bill reach the finish line. 'I also think that we're seeing more women in the Legislature, and some of the newer legislators are younger, and some of them, even their wives, have experienced working with doulas,' Escamilla said. 'We have more people that actually have experience with doulas. That helps a lot.' Annual health care costs associated with preterm delivery across the country is $26.2 billion, studies have shown that the beneficial impact of doula services is associated with an annual savings of $58.4 million. Escamilla said that not only are doulas cost effective, but having a doula helps provide a better health outcome for both the mother and the child. Doulas have been associated with 3,288 fewer preterm birth annually, and with having fewer C-sections. She added that while expecting mothers don't get a ton of face to face time with their physicians who have so many other patients, doulas are there for them through the whole process. These doulas act as a coach through pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum to help women understand everything that they are going through. 'The doula becomes the coach, and it helps you, it educates you,' Escamilla said. 'The whole experience becomes better.' The covered doula services would include: Training and registration requirements for doulas paid by Medicaid. Non-medical advice and information provided by the doula. Emotional support provided by the doula. Physical comfort provided by the doula. Medicaid-covered payments during an individual's pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum time. Once the bill goes into law after receiving Cox's signature, Utah will have to apply to amend the state's Medicaid plan to cover doula services before Oct. 1. 'It's all about kiddos,' said Escamilla, who each year introduces multiple bills focusing on children's welfare and health care as well as infants and expecting mother as with the SB284. This year the senator had five bills fall under this focus and she acted as the Senate sponsor for multiple House bills that focused on children as well. She said it is important to her to protect children and to pass legislation that looks out for them. 'We should put our money where our mouth is,' Escamilla said. 'It's something that's very important to me, because children they're one of the most vulnerable populations we have. No one else is going to speak for them. And they have, they don't have control over what they do or their lives, really.' Escamilla has also had bills fail this session, like SB221, which would have required child care workers to receive a background check and be CPR certified was stopped in the House. Another bill Escamilla bill that didn't make it through this year was SB189, which will be known as the Child Care Capacity Expansion Act. The bill, which failed on Thursday, would flip unused, state-owned buildings into child care centers. 'It's the nature of the beast, and being part of the minority, sometimes it takes longer, and you have to work harder, to get through the whole thing. You have to fight your way through. But I also, I trust the process, I do and in many instances, it doesn't work in my favor,' Escamilla said about bills that don't make it through. The senator pointed out that lately there have been multiple major child abuse cases, and that more needs to be done in response to those and to prevent similar things from happening again. 'We need to do more to red flag some of these cases of isolation, where DCFS can act and help,' Escamilla added.
