Parade goers attend the 2021 Flags Across America Northeast El Paso Veterans Day Parade. (Photo by David Poe courtesy Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office)

This is your weekly update, which takes a quick look at the week ahead and some developments that El Paso Matters is following.

Veterans Day Events: Several El Paso area organizations will observe Veterans Day with an array of parades and ceremonies. Veterans Day honors American veterans of all wars on Nov. 11. Here are some of the events:

  • Benito Martinez Elementary School Veterans Parade by the school: 9 a.m. Thursday at the school, 2640 Robert Wynn. A continental breakfast for veterans will be served from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. 
  • Northeast Veterans Day Parade by El Paso Texas Flags Across America: 10 a.m. Friday. Parade starts at Hondo Pass Drive at Stahala Drive and heads north to Diana Drive ending at Old Glory Memorial. Ceremony to follow with music by the Fort Bliss Army Band. Information: oldglorymemorial.org
  • Fabens Veterans Parade by the Fabens High School Student Council and the Veterans Day Committee: 8 a.m. Friday at Fabens Veterans Park, 602 4th Street NE, Fabens. Ceremony and car show to follow.
  • United American Veterans Organization Downtown Parade: 10 a.m. Saturday. Parade starts at Myrtle Avenue and N. Florence Street.
  • San Elizario Veterans Parade and Ceremony by the San Elizario Genealogy & Historical Society: 9 a.m. Saturday. Parade starts at Thompson Road, heads east on Main Street and ends at Veterans Memorial Plaza on San Elizario Road. Ceremony to follow. Information: San Elizario Historic District.

City Council Candidate Forum: The four candidates vying to represent District 2 on the El Paso City Council will participate in a candidate forum hosted by the El Paso Chamber on Nov. 14. The forum will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Chamber’s office, 303 N. Oregon Street, Suite 610. The candidates seek to replace city Rep. Alexsandra Annello, who resigned to run for state representative. The candidates are Veronica “Vero” Carbajal, an attorney who previously ran for mayor; Judy Gutierrez, a former city staffer for District 2 who previously ran for the seat; Josh Acevedo, an El Paso Independent School District board member who resigned his position to run for City Council; and Ben Mendoza, a mediator who previously ran for the EPISD school board. Early voting will run from Nov. 27 through Dec. 5. Election Day is Dec. 9. 

Recall Against City Rep. Hernandez Fails: A recall petition against city Rep. Cassandra Hernandez filed by El Paso Republican congressional candidate Irene Armendariz-Jackson failed to garner the needed signatures. The recall petition was filed following an Ethics Review Commission hearing that ruled Hernandez violated the city’s ethics ordinance related to her use of the fuel card issued by the city. The city discontinued the use of fuel cards by elected officials. 

TTUHSCEP Sees Slight Enrollment Bump: The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso noted a small increase in its study body, according to the recently released enrollment figures for the fall 2023 semester. The schools and their numbers are: Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, 474; Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, 240; Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine, 161; and Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 47. The 922 students are an 8% increase from the 855 enrolled students in fall 2022.