\u201cHal wasn\u2019t just an artist to me. He was a friend who showed me what it means to live with purpose every day,\u201d said Casa Auto Group Vice President Luke Lowenfield<\/a> in a statement. \u201cHis work will always be part of El Paso, and his impact will continue to be felt across our community.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Hal Marcus, celebrated El Paso artist and musician, dies at 74<\/a><\/p>\n Additional works by Marcus will be displayed, with select pieces and books available for purchase. The event will also include a presentation titled \u201cThe First Thanksgiving\u201d by Duncan Earle, as well as live performances by Eden Performing Arts and refreshments from Caf\u00e9 Mayapan.<\/p>\n Marcus, who died April 12, was known for work that reflected the culture and history of the Borderland.<\/p>\n YISD C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Academy May Be Renamed Under New Policy<\/p>\n The Ysleta Independent School District may rename the C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Academy after accusations of sexual assault came out against the titular labor rights organizer.<\/p>\n The YISD school board voted 5-1 Wednesday to revise its policy on renaming schools, which previously only allowed campus name changes if their \u201ceducational function\u201d or \u201csupport activity\u201d is adjusted.<\/p>\n Trustee Connie Woodruff was absent and Trustee Shane Haggerty voted against the motion.<\/p>\n Haggerty raised concerns that the district is rushing to remove Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s name without input from the Lower Valley community, where the alternative school sits.<\/p>\n \u201cThe name on the building isn\u2019t just honoring a man, it\u2019s honoring our community\u2019s history, their labor, their struggles. And I think any decision to change that name shouldn\u2019t be made by seven individuals reacting to allegations. It should be made by the community as a whole,\u201d Haggerty said.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Borderland reassesses C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez legacy amid abuse allegations<\/a><\/p>\n Under the YISD policy, Superintendent Xavier De La Torre can recommend a campus name change, which will need to be voted on by the board.<\/p>\n The district plans to hold community meetings to get input on a name change, but did not provide details.<\/p>\n Since the allegations against Ch\u00e1vez were made public<\/a>, schools, cities and organizations around the country have renamed buildings and covered or removed statues honoring him \u2013 including the Las Cruces Public School District, whose board this week voted to remove the name from an elementary school. The district will adopt a new name in July after community input, according to Organ Mountain News<\/a>.<\/p>\n El Pasoan Named to EPA\u2019s Science Advisory Board<\/p>\n El Pasoan Kristina Mena has been appointed to the Science Advisory Board<\/a> of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mena, a microbiologist and dean of the El Paso campus of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, accepted the appointment last week.<\/p>\n The Science Advisory Board is made up of academic experts and industry players who provide scientific recommendations to the EPA. This is Mena\u2019s third appointment, after serving on the board during President Barack Obama\u2019s second term and President Donald Trump\u2019s first term. She was also appointed to the Drinking Water Committee.<\/p>\n The makeup of the board has reset with each recent change in presidency, as administrations purge and replace appointees. The percentage of chemical and agriculture industry representatives grew under Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n READ MORE: The unregulated link in a toxic supply chain and how it affects El Paso<\/a><\/p>\n Mena\u2019s focus encompasses access to clean drinking water and sanitation. The country will need to address two areas: aging infrastructure, which impacts ability to deliver water with consistency, and severe weather events that disrupt water services, she said.<\/p>\n Both of these are issues El Paso faces, though El Paso has generally been better than other cities at expanding access to potable water, such as in the colonias, Mena said.<\/p>\n Mena said the Science Advisory Board\u2019s overarching goal is to use peer-reviewed studies and best information available to inform policy making. The science should be the same regardless of who\u2019s in office, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, public health speaks to so many things that\u2019s related to water, air, food, access, social determinants of health, economics,\u201d Mena said. \u201cThose topics tend to be interwoven in everyday political conversations and decision making \u2026 Regardless of political party, those aspects impact everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Sun Bowl to Keep ACC-Pac-12 Matchup in 2026<\/p>\n The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl will maintain its Atlantic Coast Conference-Pacific-12 Conference (or Pac-12 Legacy) matchup for the 2026 edition of the game, preserving a structure that has defined the El Paso bowl\u2019s recent contests.<\/p>\n The decision was announced April 17 by Bowl Season, the organization that serves as a collective for every college football bowl game. The 93rd edition of the Sun Bowl is scheduled for noon Dec. 31 at Sun Bowl Stadium.<\/p>\n The decision follows the College Football Playoff extending its current format through the upcoming season, prompting bowl organizers to keep existing conference tie-ins in place for at least one more year. For the Sun Bowl, that continuity ensures another pairing between two high-profile conferences at a time when the broader postseason landscape remains in flux.<\/p>\n RELATED: As college football shifts, the Sun Bowl holds its place<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe are excited to continue with the ACC and Pac-12 Legacy schools in 2026,\u201d Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas said in a statement Monday. \u201cBoth conferences\u2019 universities have given us incredible games in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n The matchup format has produced competitive results in recent years. In the 2025 game, Duke University, the ACC champion, defeated Arizona State University.<\/p>\n The Sun Bowl\u2019s reliance on established conference affiliations has remained a cornerstone of its national profile, even as college football leaders continue to weigh changes to the postseason model. Broader discussions about conference alignments and bowl partnerships are expected to resume ahead of the 2027 season once the playoff format is finalized.<\/p>\n FAFSA Adds Identity Fraud System\u00a0<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Education on Sunday will add a real-time identity fraud detection capability<\/a> to its Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, but this should not concern students and families, an El Paso Community College official said.<\/p>\n Rebecca Escamilla, EPCC interim vice president of Student and Enrollment Services, said that people who fill out the form may notice that students have to verify their identity as they work on their application. The Department of Education may flag forms with unexpected information for an additional review.<\/p>\n Escamilla said that students might see a few extra steps initially, but the overall financial aid process should get faster with fewer delays.<\/p>\n The Department of Education, which will work with a financial services firm, decided last year to include the new detection service due to what it called coordinated efforts by artificial intelligence bots and international fraud rings that pretend to be students. Last December, the department announced that it had prevented more than $1 billion in federal student aid fraud.<\/p>\n Bill DeBaun, senior director for data and strategic initiatives at the National College Attainment Network, said the education department\u2019s Federal Student Aid office suspects that very few legitimate FAFSA forms will be flagged as fraudulent.<\/p>\n \u201cFraud detection for a real student will seem invisible while completing the form,\u201d DeBraun said in an email to El Paso Matters. \u201cFraudulent FAFSAs will see the security screens pop up.\u201d<\/p>\n Escamilla encouraged students to fill out the FAFSA because it could unlock thousands of dollars in financial aid for those who want to attend college. She said students and families may contact EPCC financial aid advisers with questions, or attend the FAFSA information session from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Region 19 \u2013 Education Service Center, 6611 Boeing Drive.<\/p>\n The deadline to submit a FAFSA for the 2025-26 academic year is June 30. The next round of applications should open Oct. 1.<\/p>\n El Paso ISD Adopts Renewable Energy Resolution<\/p>\n The El Paso Independent School District is aiming to transition all its facilities and vehicles to be powered entirely by renewable energy by 2050.<\/p>\n The EPISD school board voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a sustainability and energy efficiency resolution promising to invest in renewable energy to save money on electricity as energy costs continue to rise.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Kristina-Mena-headshot.jpg\")
Kristina Mena, dean of UTHealth Houston \u2013 El Paso<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AnimalServicesFacebook-e1759966062686-1024x657.jpg\")
Animal Services employees run an obstacle course with a dog for enrichment. (Courtesy of El Paso Animal Services Facebook)<\/p>\n