El Paso’s average weekly wage increased sharply as COVID-19 became entrenched and thousands of workers lost jobs, new federal data shows. Normally, a spike in average wages would be cause for celebration, but that’s not ...
For almost 30 years, El Paso has not had a dedicated reporter to the topic of higher education. This means there has been an accumulating gray area as to what higher education means for El ...
Arturo Mireles lost his job at a call center when COVID-19 hit El Paso. He received an eviction notice in December and by Jan. 29, Mireles was homeless. “They came with the troopers, the constables, ...
Three college students have joined the El Paso Matters team for the next several months to help tell the story of the El Paso region. Two of the students are from UTEP and one is ...
A coalition of Texas business and higher education institutions is supporting permanent legal protections for so-called Dreamers, people brought to the country as children without proper documents. But the proposal stops short of providing a ...
The Inupiaq people of Wales, Alaska, have more than 120 words to describe ice. Located just below the Arctic Circle, tribal communities in the Bering Straits region are well-acquainted with frozen conditions. Yet among the ...
Desirae Manzanares, who has worked in El Paso’s business, government and education sectors, is joining El Paso Matters as revenue development director. She will play a key role in building a sustainable business model for ...
El Paso Matters is hiring a managing editor and a reporter to expand coverage of our region. The managing editor will oversee day-to-day news operations and assist CEO Robert Moore in developing strategic plans to ...
The phone is ringing off the hook and people are lined up outside of Bowie Bakery in West El Paso. The shop is only allowing three customers inside at a time as a COVID-19 precaution. ...
Twinkling holiday lights cast a warm glow and Christmas carols blare from speakers at the Outlet Shoppes of El Paso. But in these pandemic times, something is missing from the traditional holiday scene on the ...
Small businesses have borne the economic brunt of the pandemic, with revenue streams dried up and a shifting terrain of shutdown orders. This holiday season, the question of whether El Pasoans shop local may determine ...
El Paso Matters is one of 64 local news organizations nationwide selected to host a Report for America corps member for the next two years. The journalist hired for the position will report on issues ...
Supporting small businesses is more critical this year than ever before, as so many local vendors have struggled to survive through the pandemic. Some El Pasoans are opting to shop local this holiday season, seeking ...
El Paso’s low-income neighborhoods bore a disproportionate share of El Paso’s fall COVID-19 explosion, an El Paso Matters analysis shows. Advocates for low-income families said a variety of challenges face those areas, including many essential ...
Four El Paso bars and restaurants had their liquor licenses suspended by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission last week for violating COVID-19 health orders. The actions were part of an enforcement surge by TABC as ...
The owner of a West El Paso bar/restaurant said state officials suspended his liquor license for 30 days on Thursday after a bartender briefly lowered her mask to talk to a customer. The suspension of ...
Microsoft is providing money and technology support to news organizations in El Paso-Ciudad Juárez and three other communities as part of an effort to bolster journalism, the company announced Wednesday. “The first focus area of ...
It’s been more than six months since the U.S.-Mexico border closed to all but essential travel to slow the spread of COVID-19. The disruption of lives and livelihoods has been widespread in El Paso and ...
El Paso Matters is seeking a higher education reporter to join our diverse and innovative team of journalists covering the El Paso border region. This reporting position — a one-year position that we hope to ...
El Paso Matters is seeking a revenue development director to support our mission of providing in-depth and investigative journalism to enhance civic engagement in a dynamic multi-cultural, binational community. The revenue development director will help ...
Smuggling attempts at the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic include more than drugs. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at international bridges are also finding a popular contraband comfort food stashed in vehicles — ...
As the El Paso City Council remains divided on whether to identify facilities where there have been COVID-19 outbreaks, state agencies in Texas and around the country are beginning to share the information regularly. Opponents ...
Businesses on both sides of the Paso del Norte Bridge, reliant on foot traffic of border-crossers who stop and shop, have been hit hard by the border shutdown. The longer the border remains closed, the ...
Fashion can be a potent and visible form of political resistance. Coded with meaning, our clothing communicates social status, cultural belonging, and is deeply tied to personal identity. For Juárez fashion cooperative Ni En More, ...
By Susan Goodell El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank has undertaken the task of feeding every single hungry El Pasoan, even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. As the weeks went on, it became ...
Under the CARES Act, Texas put a moratorium on evictions through May 14. That means it was illegal for landlords to evict tenants who couldn’t make rent for the month. Here in El Paso, this ...
By William Serrata, Ph.D. Like community colleges across the country, El Paso Community College creates value both for students and the community. Community colleges play a vital role in helping students develop the skills necessary ...
By Rosemary Marin Two weeks ago, the unemployment rate in El Paso hit a historic high of 15 percent. Since COVID-19 began in our region, more than 50,000 people have filed unemployment claims, while hundreds ...
A nursery melody plays throughout the halls of Providence Memorial Hospital whenever a baby is born. It can be a jarring reminder at the bedside of a sick or dying patient: life is still happening, ...
El Paso Matters Voters Guide
Your guide for the Nov. 3, 2020, General Election in El Paso. It includes:
- How candidates responded to our questionnaires on key issues
- Where to find sample ballots
- Voting locations and methods
- Important dates
Borderland Coronavirus Updates
Become a Supporting Member
El Paso needs a nonprofit, member-supported digital news organization that dives into the complex issues shaping our region – and serves as a catalyst for solutions-oriented conversations. You can help by becoming a member of El Paso Matters today.
To donate, go to epcf.org/epmatters.
Tips, Submissions
Do you have a story tip you’d like El Paso Matters to pursue? A press release you’d like to share? A commentary you’d like us to publish? Send your ideas or submissions to news@elpasomatters.org.
Messages for Graduates
Graduation Video Special: Notable El Pasoans and Juarenses salute our community graduates
By David C. Stout The pandemic has taken so much from us — jobs, our way of life, our health, and for far too many, relatives and loved ones have been lost here in El ...