This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
La Nube Sets Opening Date
La Nube children’s museum has set a grand opening date: Saturday, Aug. 10. Located at the corner of Santa Fe and Main Streets in Downtown El Paso, La Nube: The Shape of Imagination is a four-story, 70,000-square-foot museum that will have nine themed-zones with hands-on exhibits for children and adults, a four-story climber, an indoor water experience, terraces, a cafe and a gift shop.
It is one of three signature bond projects approved by voters in 2012. The $70 million museum is funded by taxpayers under the $473 million quality of life bond, as well as private donors under a partnership between the city of El Paso and the El Paso Community Foundation.
Construction of La Nube began in February 2021 and is now in the final phases of completion, including the installation of exhibits and development of educational programs. Annual memberships will be available in mid-May, with individual tickets on sale in July, according to the museum’s website. Information: La Nube: The Shape of Imagination.
Annunciation House, Texas AG Deposition
Annunciation House and the Texas Attorney General’s Office have agreed on a deposition schedule over the coming days that will be the next step in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to shut down the migrant shelter network.
The agreement, outlined in an April 9 court filing, calls for each party to depose a representative of the opposing organization. Depositions are testimony under oath that are usually videotaped. The Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday, April 10, took the deposition of Mary Bull, an Annunciation House employee who received the agency’s request to provide documents on Feb. 7.
Annunciation House will take the deposition of an official of the Attorney General’s Office on or before April 26. The agency must identify the employee to be deposed by April 22. Annunciation House attorneys will question the representative about the reasons behind the Feb. 7 request to examine records and the reasons behind any investigations of the migrant shelter network,
Francisco Dominguez, judge of El Paso’s 205th District Court, has blocked Paxton’s efforts to obtain records while he reviews Annunciation House’s legal challenges to the request. He has said the Attorney General’s Office has “run roughshod over Annunciation House, without regard to due process or fair play.”
UTEP, EPCC Hold FAFSA Workshop
Students and families who want help to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, can attend a workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Educational Service Center Region 19, 6611 Boeing Drive.
The goal of the workshop, organized by El Paso Community College and the University of Texas at El Paso, is to provide experts who can answer questions and provide guidance to students, families and anyone interested in the FAFSA process and federal financial aid in general.
For best results, organizers ask participants to bring their FSA ID, Social Security Number, family financial information and other materials that will help make the application process go smoother. Information: 915-373-5096 or 915-747-643.
El Paso Parks and Recreation Director Appointed
Pablo Caballero has been appointed as the city’s director of the Parks and Recreation Department. He first joined the department in 2018 as a community center supervisor and has served as interim since 2023.
Caballero has 25 years of experience in developing, implementing, and growing sports and recreational programming in both El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, the city said in a news release. He previously served as a physical education teacher and athletic director, and holds a master’s in business administration.
He’ll oversee a department encompassing more than 300 parks, 23 recreation and sports centers, 11 aquatic centers and 10 senior centers.
El Paso Matters CEO Robert Moore and reporters Daniel Perez and Elida S. Perez contributed to this report.
