City Offices Closed Today For July 4th Holiday + More Local News

City Offices Closed Today For July 4th Holiday

El Paso City administrative offices are closed today in observance of Independence Day.  All city offices will be shut down through the end of the weekend.  Regular operating hours will resume Monday.  Trash and recycling pick-up will still run on its normal schedule.

New Bus Route Connects Rural Communities

A new bus route is making its debut in the Lower Valley.  El Paso County has introduced the new Mission Trail Express serving about 85,000 residents.  The bus route connects the rural communities of Ysleta, Socorro and San Elizario.  The route is free to the public from now through Labor Day weekend.

Court Orders Three States To End Same-Sex Marriage Bans

Texas and two other states are being ordered to end their respective bans on same-sex marriages.  A federal appeals court yesterday directed district courts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to issue orders to end enforcement of the bans.  The appeals court ordered the trial courts to act on the final resolution of the cases by July 17th and "earlier if reasonably possible."  All three states have some sort of pushback after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the marriage rights of same-sex couples last Friday.

Texas Attorney General To Face Felony Security Fraud Charge

A special prosecutor investigating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton plans to charge him with felony securities fraud.  Kent Schaffer tells WFAA-TV that new evidence uncovered by the Texas Rangers has lead to the decision to elevate the charges against Paxton.  The original investigation involved Paxton's failure to register with the state of Texas as a securities adviser.  Schaffer plans to present his case to a grand jury in Collin County in the next few weeks.  If convicted of first-degree securities fraud, Paxton could face a sentence of life in prison.