Duranguito advocates continue resistance

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Advocates for preserving the Durangito neighborhood remain hopeful after several tumultuous weeks saw construction crews begin demolition of various buildings, culminating in an Austin judge’s ruling that the proposed $180-million dollar arena cannot be used for sports. District Judge Amy Meachum recently reiterated her July ruling that voter-approved bonds in 2012 cannot be used to build a sports arena. Lloyd Lacy, a Navy veteran and UTEP student said: “I’m gonna take a stand to protect our culture, protect our heritage. Barrio Duranguito was basically a safe haven for many people of color, be they black, be they Mexican, Native American, Asian,”

Meachum ruled that “a sports arena does not comport with the quality-of-life purpose the voters approved.”

The city of El Paso issued a statement saying it plans to appeal the judge’s decision “to fulfill the wishes of the voters of the 2012 bond election.”

Meachum’s ruling and reiteration have bolstered the spirits of Durangito advocates. Lacy typifiies the concern the advocates have for the cultural and diverse history of Duranguito,

“It was a safe place where we could grow and thrive without racist encroachment on what we built.”

A construction crew worker Sept.

Fitness regimen for combat medics includes both physical and mental strength

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When you have one of the most important jobs in the world, defending a nation, you must be physically fit. As a combat medic specialist providing emergency medical treatment to wounded soldiers, one must be strong minded, too. “It’s good being physically fit as it allows you to help casualties. Mentally you have to be fit so you can continue to think about higher-level care,” said Joshua Mutchler, a combat medic. In the field, combat medics are first responders to help wounded soldiers.

In a unique living arrangement, diverse artists work together to create a new kind of community in El Paso

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Put a bunch of artists together in one creative space and what do you get? Less than a year after opening in Downtown El Paso the Roderick Artspace Lofts  is beginning to answer that question as all 51 local units have been filled up with a diverse group of artists who are getting to know each other and planting the roots of a vibrant arts community. “Real bonds are forming and real collaboration is happening between the Roderick residents, a group of people who are dedicated to the pursuit of making beauty and expressing themselves in creative ways,” said Eric Pearson, President and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. Artspace opened in January of 2017 in partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation and the City of El Paso, with the goal of  turning what was a vacant lot at the corner of Oregon and Missouri in Downtown El Paso into “an arts destination animated by artists and creative businesses.” “I hope that the community they are building is going to look outward beyond the walls of the Roderick Lofts and take it out to the streets.” Pearson said.

Army soldiers enjoy life on post, they say

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FORT BLISS, TEXAS – Soldiers at El Paso’s Army base enjoy a high quality of life, spending time with family, friends and enjoying the city’s many cultural offerings, in between strenuous training sessions, some soldiers said. “Living on base allows my family to be closer together,” said Sgt. Alon Humphrey. “You know, do things, instead of being separate, we actually do things together.”

Among duties conducted by Army personnel is a fast-paced training called Sling Load. During this training, each group of soldiers learn how to attach a large missile gun to a helicopter all while in the middle of a sand storm and loud helicopter noise and downdraft.

Army helps deployed soldiers cope with PTSD

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When a soldier is deployed into a place of combat, dealing with separation from familiar surroundings and loved ones may be difficult. To get through the especially trying times, soldiers have an abundance of resources made available to them by the Army – both on base and while they are deployed. According to the 2016 “Army Posture Statement,” the Army has approximately 190,000 soldiers deployed to 140 countries. Business Insider, a news website, compiled statistics from various publications and reports that a large number of Army soldiers are spread across Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Poland. While deployed, soldiers experience many combat stressors such as seeing dead bodies, being shot at and attacked, and knowing someone who was killed or seriously injured. According to The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), almost 14 percent of troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are at risk for other mental health problems. This percentage is similar to Vietnam theater Veterans (12 percent) and Gulf War Veterans (10 percent) who suffer from PTSD.

Latino journalists, please tell us how its going for you at work

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 The world of journalism is changing – morphing into something not anticipated just a few short years ago. 
 With those changes, the workplace has evolved into something entirely different from what we used to know and opportunities for advancement also might have changed. 
 So, how’s it going? Have the changes been good to you, your career? Are you better off now than you were before the digital revolution? Are you still getting the job satisfaction and opportunities you received prior to the industry’s evolution to a more digital platform? 
 We’d like to know – anonymously, of course. We are polling members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and other Latino journalists to find out. 
 Two researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso, professors Maria de los Angeles Flores and Zita Arocha, are conducting a survey among Latino journalists to determine how the changes have affected opportunities and job satisfaction. 
 Researchers will continue to collect data through the end of December and the results of the survey will be presented at the NAHJ 2018 conference in Miami. 
 “It is essential to identify the obstacles that Latino journalists face daily to generate dialog within their respective organizations on effective approaches to better train, retain and promote journalists of color,” Flores said.    
 The results will be forward to media leaders and media organizations after they are presented in Miami. 
 The survey will improve the organization’s ability to “comprehend, assess and map the frontier of the industry for journalists at any level in their career,” said NAHJ President Brandon Benavides.

UTEP students experience Cuban culture first-hand in study-abroad course

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During eight days in June 2017, UTEP students learned about Cuban media, art and culture during one-on-one exchanges with visual artists, writers, journalists, economists, communication students and ordinary Cubans during a study tour of Havana. UTEP Professors Zita Arocha and Dr. Irasema Coronado led the group of students from various majors such as political science, communication, multimedia journalism and theater arts. Highlights of the study trip included a day of learning about environmental and digital journalism at the Centro Internacional de Peridoismo Jose Marti and the above intimate conversation with editors and journalists at Cuba’s Educational Television station. Communication majors Guillermo Villaseñor-Baca and Tania Moran produced these multimedia stories about the trip, which most called a “life altering” and “transformational” experience.

Cuban TV journalist sees border as struggle between cultures

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On a sunny afternoon last March, Cuban journalist Rafaela Balanza Recasen made an unusual visit to the borderline that separates El Paso from Ciudad Juarez. On this, her first visit to the United States, she had no preconceived notions about the border, only that over the last few years thousands of Cuban citizens have crossed the border bridges on foot to seek asylum in the U.S. As the 57-year-old television journalist stood facing the border wall at Sunland Park, New Mexico, she fell silent and reflected on the dangerous journey that has driven many of her countrymen to flee the island and make their way through Latin America to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.“Before me (I see) the tall fence,” she wrote in her diary and later shared with UTEP students about the experience of seeing the border wall for the first time. “It is an infinite wall. I approach and sink my feet into the fine sand… The silence is all pervading. The blue sky seems ironic.

Rickmobile brings out El Paso’s interdimensional comedy fans

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How much does El Paso love the top TV comedy among millennial viewers? When the Rickmobile came to town in September, bringing special merchandise from the animated show, Rick and Morty, El Pasoans got their portal guns out, got “schiwfty,” and flooded the Alamo Drafthouse. Rick and Morty, the Adult Swim show created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon has amassed a large following that only continues to grow after its third season. Fans say the show is different from other adult animated shows and quickly becomes addictive. “It was like a vortex, and I just started watching it and I couldn’t leave and stop watching it,” said Aaron Woods, 20, a UTEP student majoring engineering leadership with a minor in commercial music.

PTSD treatment for combat veterans still a challenge with mixed success

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As the longest war in U.S. history rages on in Afghanistan, the military continues to struggle with battling the mental wounds of combat when soldiers may be reluctant to seek help. “I have received behavioral health counseling multiple times. It has been difficult for me to admit that I had a problem, but going and accepting has helped me tremendously,” said Sgt. Jacob Holmes, a 10-year veteran who works with the Army’s 24th Press Camp Headquarters which is a unit of soldiers/journalists, currently stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso. Holmes, who responded to interview questions by email, was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2012.

There’s more than one path to become a U.S. Army officer that few people may know about

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After more than six months, Brandon Westcott can finally relax, but only for a short while. Westcott, a December 2016 UTEP graduate, submitted his Officer Candidate School packet for the United States Army in February. A physical, five recommendation letters, physical training test, and an interview later, he finally received the answer he was hoping for: Accepted. “Usually most people who want to become an army officer do ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Course) or go to a military institute like West Point,” Westcott said. “I did ROTC for one semester at UTEP but couldn’t stay in and keep my minor of Intelligence and National Security Studies because ROTC has to be made your minor.