I can vividly remember the first interview like it was yesterday. (Joshua Gutierrez/Borderzine.com)

Terrified of doing interviews, journalism forced me to face my fear

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EL PASO – I have always had a fear of that word, for myself or to interview others. My major is multimedia journalism, so I knew that I would have to learn to love interviews, one-way or another. I guess the reason you could say that I picked that major is because I have always been fascinated with sports and I would love to be involved with the company ESPN. My best friend Sean Sida always told me when I was growing up, “do something that takes you out of your comfort zone.” He always pushed me to go to new places or talk to new girls, although I was terrified. So this past fall semester when I was taking the Digital Video and Audio production course at The University of Texas at El Paso with professor Lourdes Cueva Chacón, I had to get out of my comfort zone almost every week.

William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC) on Ft. Bliss. (Joshua Gutierrez/Borderzine.com)

Many soldiers return from war only to face post-traumatic stress

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EL PASO — When Marine Sgt. Miguel Marquez returned home from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan he realized that post-traumatic stress disorder was preventing him from adjusting to civilian life. “I started drinking heavily to help deal with life back at home because I didn’t know what else to do,” said Marquez, 28. Thousands of soldiers coming home with mental and physical injuries from the wars of the last decade suffer from PTSD. According to the United States Army Medical Department about 10 percent to 15 percent of soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) suffer from PTSD.

There were 18 accidents at speed zones in El Paso in 2012. (Joshua Gutierrez/Borderzine.com)

High number of citations issued in school zones raises concerns

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EL PASO – Five per cent of all the citations issued by El Paso police for automobile related violations ranging from parking to speeding – 11,181 tickets – were handed out here in 2012 on and near school zones according to the El Paso Municipal Court. There were 18 accidents in school zones here in 2012 according to El Paso Municipal Court records. “I take the number of citations very personally due to the fact that I have daughters and at any point your kids could be walking in a school zone,” said Gabriel Rubio, a retired 11-year veteran of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department. The former deputy sheriff said that the blatant disregard for children’s safety as revealed by the large number of citations makes him worry about the safety of children and people in the school zones. “People these days and especially young teenagers don’t seem to care much about the school zones or the speed limit in school zones because they are too busy texting,” says Ana Ramirez, a Mountain View High School security officer.