This is your Friday Update, which takes a quick look at some developments that El Paso Matters is following.
Appointment to Texas Historical Commission: El Paso businessman Ted Houghton has been appointed to the Texas Historical Commission, the governor’s office announced this week. Houghton is a principal of Houghton Financial, and is the chair of the El Paso Mobility Commission and vice chair of the Medical Center of the Americas. Previously, he served as a commissioner on the Texas General Land Office School Land Board and as a member and chair of the Texas Transportation Commission. His term will expire on Feb. 1, 2029.
Texas Tech El Paso Awarded $6 Million Grant: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso has received a $6 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The grant will help researchers examine cancer and cancer-related health disparities in Hispanic populations along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Impacting Cancer Outcomes in Hispanics project. “Hispanic communities are largely underrepresented in cancer research and clinical trials,” said Rajkumar Lakshmanaswamy, Ph.D., dean of the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at TTUHSC El Paso and principal investigator for the project. “This grant allows us to bridge this gap and ensures the benefits of our research reach those who need it most.” The grant follows a $65 million award from the Texas Legislature to build a comprehensive cancer center at TTUHSC El Paso.
UTEP Honors Exes: The University of Texas at El Paso has named its Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget Award recipients for 2023. Attorney Hilda Galvan and businessman Ed Escudero are this year’s Distinguished Alumni. Gold Nugget Award recipients for each college are: community health advocate Alfredo H. Arellano, nursing; former NFL player, author and motivational speaker Jon Dorenbos, liberal arts; medical laboratory scientist Martha Rubi Gasca, health sciences; Sul Ross State University President J. Carlos Hernández, education; Workforce Solutions Borderplex CEO Leila Melendez, business; Dynatec Scientific Labs President Rudy Piña, science; and Chief Technical Officer for Water, Wastewater and Reclaimed Water at El Paso Water Irazema Solis Rojas, engineering. The honored alumni “exemplify excellence, service to the community and Miner spirit,” the university said in a press release. They will be recognized during UTEP’s Homecoming activities Oct. 29-Nov. 4.
West Texas Broadband Meeting: The Texas Broadband Development Office is having two meetings in Far West Texas to get input on developing a statewide plan to increase internet accessibility, affordability and usage as part of the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan. The first meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the El Paso Community Foundation Room, 333 N. Oregon Street. The second meeting will be Tuesday in Alpine, Texas, at the Alpine Civic Center. The public is encouraged to register for the El Paso public meeting at https://bit.ly/3DmG7MS.
