The project has received about $88 million in funding so far.<\/p>\n
Information: pasodelnortetrail.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rep. Escobar Requests Answers on El Paso Warehouses Toxic Air Emissions<\/p>\n Following an investigation published by Grist and El Paso Matters, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is asking medical devices manufacturer Cardinal Health to respond to her concerns about its high level of ethylene oxide pollution<\/a>, a chemical linked to breast and lung cancers. Cardinal Health operates two warehouses in El Paso that store sterilized medical equipment, located at 1 Butterfield Trail and 1320 Don Haskins Drive.<\/p>\n LEARN MORE: Breast cancer, dizziness, headaches: El Paso residents question warehouse\u2019s toxic emissions\u2019 health impact<\/a><\/p>\n Grist, a nonprofit environmental news organization, modeled self-reported ethylene oxide emissions<\/a> from the two warehouses and found emissions exposed people living closest to the facilities to a cancer risk as high as 1 in 5,000 \u2013 far above the level the Environmental Protection Agency deems acceptable. Residents and warehouse workers said they didn\u2019t know the extent of their exposure and risk. Cardinal Health deemed the technology to reduce emissions \u201ccost excessive,\u201d Grist reported.<\/p>\n In response to the investigation, Escobar sent a letter this week to Cardinal Health CEO Jason Hollar asking for transparency. Her questions include what protective measures are taken for employees and what is the long-term plan for community engagement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I understand the EPA does have a rule regulating EtO emissions from sterilization plants, these regulations do not currently cover off-site warehouses,\u201d Escobar wrote. \u201cThis leaves communities like El Paso particularly vulnerable \u2026 Given the community concern and public reporting, it\u2019s disappointing that Cardinal Health has not provided comment in response to questions from El Paso Matters, nor has the company engaged in a dialogue with El Pasoans about what the company is doing to address these concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n Escobar\u2019s full letter can be read online<\/a>.<\/p>\n EPCC Trustees OK $4.5M in Upgrades to Valle Verde Campus Building<\/p>\n The El Paso Community College Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $4.5 million contract to upgrade parts of the highly used Building A at the Valle Verde campus during its Dec. 2 meeting at the Administrative Services Center, 9050 Viscount Blvd.<\/p>\n The contract with El Paso-based Ara Contractors LLC is to update hallways, offices and shared spaces in the building, the campus\u2019 largest enclosed structure, which is 47 years old. The project is in its early planning stages, but college officials expect upgrades to be completed over the next year to 18 months.<\/p>\n A college spokeswoman said the 202,397-square-foot building has undergone routine maintenance through the years with no major upgrades other than a new roof and an elevator project that is underway.<\/p>\n The enhancements are supposed to include energy-efficient lighting, vinyl tile floors, new ceiling tiles and a fresh coat of paint. The amphitheater and courtyard will get eco-friendly windows. Additionally, contractors will add new planters to the Amphitheater to enhance drainage.<\/p>\n The college also has ordered some hallways to have \u201csticky spaces,\u201d which are areas with amenities where students would want to congregate.<\/p>\n UTEP Selects Experienced Fundraiser for Institutional Advancement Job<\/p>\n The University of Texas at El Paso picked Jesse Pisors, a higher education administrator with almost 15 years of university development experience, as its next vice president for Institutional Advancement. He starts Monday, Dec. 8.<\/p>\n Pisors has led development and alumni relations offices at Texas A&M University campuses in San Antonio and Victoria, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.<\/p>\n He most recently worked as president of Pasco-Hernando State College, which has five campuses and two instructional centers north of Tampa, Florida. Its fall 2024 enrollment, the most recent numbers available, was 9,657. He served there for 16 months.<\/p>\n Pisors resigned in May before a special meeting<\/a> called by the institution\u2019s board of trustees to discuss enrollment data, especially poor retention numbers, that it had requested for about a year.<\/p>\n The new UTEP administrator<\/a> earned his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s from ORU in history and school administration, respectively, and his doctorate in higher education\/higher education administration from Texas Tech University. The subject of his dissertation was fundraising challenges and expectations that university presidents face. Pisors and his wife, Nayeli, have two adult children.<\/p>\n Pisors will replace Gary Edens, who served as the office\u2019s acting leader since February. Edens is a professor of practice in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations and a former UTEP vice president for Student Affairs.<\/p>\n The university asked Edens to step in after the office\u2019s previous vice president, Jake Logan, was absent for months while under two Title IX investigations for inappropriate conduct. Logan, who has denied any wrongdoing, started in May 2020 and resigned in\u00a0 June.<\/p>\n READ MORE: UTEP ended Title IX probes into former Vice President Jake Logan after his June resignation<\/a><\/p>\n The office had been successful under Logan breaking institutional fundraising records for four consecutive fiscal years. The office brought in $50.5 million in 2024. This year, it raised $41.5 million.<\/p>\n Registration Opens for City\u2019s Neighborhood Leadership Academy<\/p>\n Residents who want to learn more about how the city of El Paso operates can register for the 19th Neighborhood Leadership Academy.<\/p>\n The free academy begins in February and ends in May. The program includes on-site field trips and tours of city departments such as streets, environmental services and public safety facilities as well as information about city services and programs along with in-depth presentations by department leaders.<\/p>\n Space is limited to the first 60 participants who enroll. Residents ages 13 and older are eligible to participate, although anyone between the ages of 13 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult that is also enrolled in the program.<\/p>\n Classes are held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at various city facilities. The program is 14 weeks with the first class scheduled Feb. 4. The deadline to apply is Jan. 21. Applications can be filled out online at the Neighborhood Leadership Academy link<\/a>.<\/p>\n Information: 915-212-1681 or NeighborhoodServices@elpasotexas.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ysleta ISD Board to Vote on Canceling Class after Super Bowl<\/p>\n Ysleta Independent School District students may not have school the day after the Super Bowl or certain holidays if the Board of Trustees votes to move an existing staff development day to one of the district\u2019s lowest attendance days of the year.<\/p>\n The YISD board is expected to vote Jan. 14 on the district\u2019s calendar for the 2025-26 school year.<\/p>\n Some of the days that may be affected include the Monday after the Super Bowl, the day after Halloween and the Monday after Easter, which consistently have some of the lowest attendance levels of the entire school year, according to a news release from YISD Trustee Chris Hernandez.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not about the Super Bowl or any single date on the calendar,\u201d Hernandez said in a statement. \u201cIt\u2019s about identifying the days where attendance is lowest and instruction is least effective, and making strategic scheduling decisions so we don\u2019t lose unnecessary funding \u2014 especially in a year when every dollar matters.\u201d<\/p>\n The district will be able to adjust the calendar to account for these days without reducing instructional time, adding new holidays and altering required staff development, the news release stated.<\/p>\n The board initially planned to vote on the calendar change Dec. 10, but rescheduled the vote to give parents, teachers and staff a chance to give input.<\/p>\n Community members can speak during public comment at the Jan. 14 meeting or contact trustees directly before the vote. Trustees\u2019 contact information can be found on the district\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n Sun Metro Awarded Nearly $2 Million for Supervisor Vans<\/p>\n Sun Metro, the city of El Paso\u2019s public transportation system, has been awarded a $1.96 million federal grant to replace aging transit supervisor vehicles with cleaner, more efficient vans. The funding was awarded under the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Low to No Emissions competitive program.<\/p>\n The new vehicles will advance the city\u2019s strategy to modernize its transit fleet and reduce emissions, the city said in a news release. Sun Metro will purchase 14 compressed natural gas transit supervisor vans, which are used to assist dispatch, respond to mechanical issues and support passenger transport.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4-14-25-Cardinal-Health-Warehouse-Photos-IPA-9.jpg\")
Seen are the homes and park directly behind a Cardinal Health warehouse on Monday, April 14, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for Grist<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jesse-Pisors-Ed.D-e1764877778613-697x1024.jpg\")
Jesse Pisors (Courtesy UTEP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CB_YISD-9223.jpg\")
The Ysleta Independent School District headquarters in East El Paso. (Corrie Boudreaux\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250307_100628-scaled-e1764885870513-1024x640.jpg\")
Sun Metro Transit Operations Center, 10151 Montana Ave. (Cindy Ramirez \/ El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n