News - KTSM.com

Local Soldier Remembered

Monique Griego / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:05:35 -0600

A soldier from Anthony, New Mexico has died while fighting the war in Iraq.

Fort Bliss leaders tell us Specialist Tony Carrasco was killed on Wednesday in Iraq but details are still not known.

The 25 year-old was a Gadsden High School graduate.

Tonight Carrasco's former teacher honors his memory.

He was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Troubleshooters Investigates Contractor Controversy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:48:38 -0600

Fernando Pacheco owner of Tri State General Contractors was hired in August to do some work on district clerk, Gilbert Sanchez' home, both inside and out. He says the roofing work was finished within a couple of days, and he was paid 3-thousand dollars.
Then he called one of his employees to do sheet rocking work on the inside. From the get-go Pacheco says it was hard to set up a work date.

"I gave it to my sheet rock guy," Pacheco said, "we were half way through September and I said what's going on? I can't get a hold of Mr. Sanchez."

Fort Bliss Holds Moment Of Silence Following Fort Hood Shooting

Oralia Ortega / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:45:40 -0600

Today the borderland took time to pay respects to the victims of the Fort hood massacre. Thirteen people killed, more than 30 others injured. Fort Bliss along with U.S. military forces worldwide took time to bow their heads for a moment of silence this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Fort Bliss is keeping a close eye on soldiers in the wake of yesterday's massacre. Major General Howard Bromberg told the media today that the post is asking soldiers to watch each other and report any suspicious or strange behavior.

Chop Shop Unveiled in East El Paso

Adrienne Alvarez / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:35:29 -0600

EL PASO--- A year-long investigation into a large car theft ring puts 13 people in jail, and authorities say they're all connected to a sect of the Juarez cartel.

El Paso police, aided by FBI agents, raided the warehouse in the 1000 block of Kessler Thursday.
So far, officers have found more than $500,000 in stolen cars and parts.

Ten of the accused are also facing federal drug trafficking charges, selling cocaine on the side.
They've all been indicted and faced a judge in federal court this afternoon.

El Paso Honors Fort Hood Victims

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:35:53 -0600

El Paso - - Flags in El Paso and across Texas are flying at half staff on orders from Governor Rick Perry following the massacre at Fort Hood.

Fort Bliss held a moment of silence today to remember the 13 dead and 38 wounded in a gunman's attack.

Tonight, the nation also mourns the victims of the Fort Hood shooting spree. The army post is in the district of Texas Representative Chet Edwards, who led a resolution on the house floor in memory of the victims. The resolution states the American people share the pain and grief of this tragic loss.

Six People Dead In Juarez Shootings

Trevor Connor / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:33:43 -0600

Six people were executed in Juarez as the death toll continues to climb.

Yesterday, three people were gunned down inside a truck in south Juarez.
One of the men inside is believed to be a lawyer.

Wednesday night, another three men were killed while they were driving in east Juarez.

Apparently, the three were gunned down near a mall where several people were shopping at the time.

No arrests have been made in either case.

Airman Killed in Juarez Despite Military Ban on Travel

Adrienne Alvarez / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:21:37 -0600

EL PASO--- It's the rule at Fort Bliss and at Holloman Air Force Base; enlisted men and women are not allowed to cross in to Juarez or any other border city.

Now it seems unlikely that ban will be lifted any time soon, after an U.S. airman was killed this week in Juarez.

Staff Sgt. David Booher, 26, was shot and killed early Wednesday morning at the Amadeus strip club across the border.

An EMT in the Air Force, Booher had family in Juarez and was reportedly trying to help other victims at the scene.
For Fort Bliss Sgt. Rachael Estes, it's horrible news.

La Familia Michoacan

Ben Swann / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:20 -0600

A recent operation by the FBI ended in the arrests of hundreds of members of the La Familia drug cartel.

A cartel few people have ever heard of. So who is La Familia?

As it turns out, they are the most violent drug cartel in Mexico.

What's more, La Familia has created a new model of fusing their crimes with the communities in which they operate.

Car Crashes Into East El Paso House

Monique Griego / KTSM News — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0600

A car crashes into a house in far East El Paso.
Inside that house, a baby, who was injured and taken to the hospital.
Neighbors say a car was speeding down a street lost control and crashed into a house.
We've since learned more about what the driver was speeding away from.

New Information About U.S. Airman Killed In Juarez

Oralia Ortega / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:50:36 -0600

We are getting new information on a U.S. military member who was killed in Juarez. Holloman Airforce Base says Staff Sgt. David Booher was killed at the Amadeus Strip Club tuesday. He was one of six people shot dead by gunmen. Booher was a member of the 49th Fighter Wing.

We tracked down one of Booher's friends who tell us the 26-year-old had family in Juarez and would visit often. The friend, John Boyle, tells us Booher was set to be deployed either to Iraq or Afghanistan. Boyle says Booher was in Juarez visiting with friends on his day off.

13 Dead After Shooting At Fort Hood

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:38:37 -0600

Fort Hood - A military mental health doctor facing deployment overseas opened fire at the Fort Hood Army base on Thursday, setting off on a rampage that killed 13 people and left 30 wounded. The suspected gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is hospitalized on a ventilator after being shot four times by a civilian police officer.

The violence was believed to be the worst mass shooting in history at a U.S. military base.

Roach Racing

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:22:54 -0600

The Annual Great American Bug Race has plenty of fans.

The event has been bugging people for 27 years at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Used at a fundraiser, participants can buy a runner for 50 cents.

Most of the insect contestants are cockroaches.

Each roach coach is responsible for retrieving their bugs to race in another heat, and it's easier said than done.

There are strict rules such as "no bugs eating the competition, no adding extra legs or wings, and no performance-enhancing drugs."

Raw: Olympic Torch Relay

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:20:52 -0600

The symbol of the Olympic games continues to travel across northern Canada.

The Olympic torch relay got under way bright and early Wednesday morning in old crow, Yukon.

The Olympic flame road into town in style on a dog-sled.

Martha Benjamin was the final torch-bearer in old crow.

She used to be a member of the town's cross county ski team.

After arriving via the dog sled, she lit the Olympic cauldron at the community celebration in old crow.

The torch is on a 106-day journey across Canada on the way to Vancouver, the host city for the 2010 winter games.

Medication Mistakes

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:17:12 -0600

Every year, 4 million people end up in the emergency room or a doctor's office because they got the wrong medicine or the wrong dose.

The Institute of Medicine says one-and-a-half million of these mistakes are preventable.

It's FDA's job to make sure medicines are safe but now the agency is concerned about whether patients are taking their medicines as directed.

"We have an overarching responsibility to assure that medicines are used safely," said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

Next Stop: The Moon!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:12:26 -0600

A team of rocketeers from Mojave, California are on their way to claim their million dollar X-Prize for winning the Northrop-Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.

In dramatic fashion, the Masten Space Systems team laid claim to the prize by successfully flying their rocket ship twice last Friday.

Why would NASA spend $2 million on a competition between a handful of space junkies?

"You have a bunch of people devoting enormous amounts of time and usually far more money than the prize itself is worth," said Doug Graham with Masten Space Systems.

Pilfered Pooch Recovered

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:07:43 -0600

Residents in one west side Detroit neighborhood say thieves are breaking into their homes and stealing dogs.

Carolyn Rhodes and Brittany Thomas live four blocks from each other on Murray Hill Street.

Both women said their teacup Yorkshire Terriers were stolen in break-ins that occurred within two days of each other.

Both women put up reward fliers.

Thomas said a couple returned her dog, Madison, after the bought it from a man who was selling it at an area gas station.

My Dad The Rat

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:04:10 -0600

A Troy, Michigan man has turned his 16-year-old daughter in to police after he discovered she was growing marijuana in her bedroom closet.

Troy police said officers were called to the man's home on October 31 and found the single marijuana plant and other accessories used to grow the drug.

Lt. Michael Lyczkowski said the man told officers his daughter had kept the closet locked to keep her siblings from taking her clothes.

Lyczkowski said the man decided to check his key against the lock, and when he found that it wouldn't open the closet, he became suspicious.

Born In A Buick

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:06 -0600

A newborn baby is doing fine after his mother gave birth in the passenger seat of a Buick while his father rushed to get to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.

“I was shocked,” said Travis Bippert. “I wanted to see it actually done in the hospital, but with childbirth you can’t expect it to go the way it’s supposed to go.”

Travis Bippert, Jr., 8 lbs. 6 oz., was born on Harry St. just blocks from the hospital. His father pulled into the Quik Trip at Harry and Webb Rd. while speaking with a 911 dispatcher on his cell phone.

Unstoppable Prankster

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:58:18 -0600

The FBI and Jordanian embassy are working together to stop thousands of prank phone calls that have made life a nightmare for employees of a Phoenix, Arizona medical office.

The office has been receiving hundreds of calls each day for the past few months.

Workers there say the culprit is a man making the calls half a world away from a computer in Jordan.

The staff believes the man is angry after a relationship ended with a former employee.

The office gets almost one thousand calls a day and the man told them he'll keep it up for 25 years.

Raw: Tasered on Tape

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:56:12 -0600

A man Tasered by a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer says he was stunned for no reason and that dashcam video of the incident will prove it.

The video shows Rolando Demetrio Ruiz with his hands on the hood of the police a car last april when the officer uses a Taser on his neck.

Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan calls the video "disturbing" and has asked the FBI and the city attorney to investigate.

An attorney for Ruiz released the video and has filed a notice of claim alleging civil rights and other violations.

Steeple Victim Speaks

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:48:09 -0600

A Shreveport, Louisiana man says he knows there's a reason he survived being crushed by a falling church steeple last week...he just doesn't know what it is yet.

October 29, 2009 was the day 57-year-old Michael Williams' life was changed forever.

As he was driving home from work a tornado ripped a church steeple from its base and tossed it onto his car.

Despite the severity of the incident, Williams managed to survive.

He suffered a fractured cervical vertebrae, sternum and partially amputated finger.

The steeple was 100 feet tall and weighs 12 tons.

Clerk Fights Back

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:43:09 -0600

A convenience store clerk in California put up the fight of his life in an armed robbery and it's all caught on security camera.

You see the clerk identified only as "Jose" grab the would-be robber's rifle and struggle hand-to-hand with him.

The two fought for nearly five minutes, and all but about a minute of it is caught on tape.

Jose finally got the weapon, and the robber ran off into the night.

Jose had pushed an emergency call button in the store but deputies didn't arrive until after the struggle was over.

Garrido Report

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:33:53 -0600

The parole agent in charge of supervising convicted rapist Phillip Garrido knew there was a 12-year-old girl inside his home but didn't notice electrical wires that led into a compound where Garrido's alleged kidnapping victim was being held, according to a report from the state Office of the Inspector General.
California's corrections secretary apologized Wednesday for mistakes made in Garrido's parole supervision, while the state police union deflected blame.

Two U.S. Military Members Among Six Killed In Juarez Bar

Oralia Ortega / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:49:28 -0600

Six people were killed at a Juarez bar last night. Tonight we have learned two of them were members of the U.S. military.

A spokesperson from Holloman Airforce Base could only confirm one of the deaths with us. They say Staff Sgt. David Booher was killed at the Amadeus Night Club. He was a member of the 49th Fighter Wing.

The other victim has not been identified. Police say several suspects went into the club and shot the six men. No one was arrested.

Dona Ana County Woman Dies from Swine Flu

Kai Porter / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:48:04 -0600

The New Mexico Health Department confirms a 27-year-old woman from Dona Ana county has died from the H1N1 Virus.
Investigators say she had no underlying health problems.
Dona Ana County plans to start offering free vaccinations to the public in the next few weeks.

Northeast Boy Dies after Getting Swine Flu

Adrienne Alvarez / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:47:57 -0600

EL PASO---- A Northeast El Paso boy has died after getting the swine flu, City Health Dept. Officials.

Brandon Gonzales, 9, died last Thursday, but it was not until today NewsChannel 9 we got confirmation the boy had swine flu.

Parents at the school are finding out too.

Mother of one of Gonzales' fellow classmates Emma Caradine was taken aback by the news we gave her.

Staff at Dr. Lawrence A. Nixon Elementary notified her that Gonzales died last week, but she did not know until we told her he died from the swine flu.

Local Shelter in Need of Donations

Melanie Olivas / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:22 -0600

La Posada Home is more than just a shelter, it is a place dozens of women, children and families turn to when they have no where else to go.

"These are not dead beat mothers, these are mothers that really want to work and provide for their families and provide a better environment for their children," executive director, Monica Martinez explains.

Monica Adams is one of those moms. She and her four children left California a few months ago to escape an abusive home.

"We left all our stuff behind. We came out here with our clothes and nothing else," she says.

Sun Bowl Parade Around The Corner

Ben Swann / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0600

In just three weeks, Thanksgiving will be upon us once again.

That also means it's time for the 73rd annual First Light Federal Credit Union Sun Bowl Parade.

Businesses are being asked for donations to build floats. Call the Sun Bowl Association at 533-4116 to make a donation., or if you'd like to help with building a float.

Schools Fighting Flu Season

Monique Griego / KTSM News — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:39:38 -0600

School districts in El Paso are taking extra precautions when it comes to keeping kids healthy.
The Socorro School District upped it's cleaning procedures months ago in preparation for flu season.
Tonight they invited us to one of their schools to see what they're doing.

Driver Flips Car Not Wearing Seatbelt

Ben Swann / KTSM News — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:40:19 -0600

A driver escaped serious injury in Mesquite, Wednesday evening.

The top of the white car was crushed when it flipped over along I-10 on Stern road.

The car landed in the dirt alongside the road.

State police say the driver was unhurt, despite the fact he was not wearing a seatbelt.

No word on what caused the crash.