Good morning, this is El Paso Local Pulse for Sunday, August 17, 2025.

We start our morning in the aftermath of El Paso County’s final gun buyback event, held yesterday just weeks before a new Texas law, House Bill 3053, goes into effect. That law will soon ban local governments from organizing gun buybacks, which have allowed El Pasoans to safely turn in more than 1,200 unwanted firearms in the past few months. According to County Commissioner Jackie Butler, this program has aimed to reduce gun violence and prevent tragic accidents, especially in homes with children or teenagers. The turnout was high enough that by midmorning, officials had run out of the gift cards that were being exchanged for firearms. Now, with the law changing in September, community leaders are left figuring out new ways to keep neighborhoods safe.

In city government news, El Paso County Commissioners met this past Monday to review the proposed budget for the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year. The plan features several million dollars in funding for public safety improvements and local infrastructure. Meanwhile, city officials are alerting us about a rise in email and phone scams — so if you get a suspicious message from someone claiming to work for the city, don’t click any links and report it immediately.

Moving to weather, it’s a warm start: we’re at 81 degrees this morning, with mostly cloudy skies over the Franklin Mountains. We can expect highs around 91, with a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms later today and tomorrow. If you’re planning outdoor activities, especially at Ascarate Park or along Scenic Drive, keep an umbrella handy just in case.

In community news, the Enhanced Library Card program is back and expanding after a successful first year—over 5,000 residents have already signed up, which helps with everything from local job applications to accessing city services. For those interested in city planning, there’s a public meeting Thursday evening at City Hall to talk about proposed updates to local zoning and weed control rules. That’s at 300 North Campbell Street, starting at 5:30.

In sports, our hometown El Paso Locomotive played a dramatic match last night at Southwest University Park, finishing in a 2-2 draw against Monterey Bay. Monterey scored in stoppage time to deny us a win, but Locomotive hold strong with seven wins and seven draws on the season. Local school news is positive as well, with El Paso Independent School District just receiving a solid “B” rating from the state this week.

On the public safety side, police responded overnight to medical and fire incidents near North Lee Trevino and Montwood. There are no major road closures reported, but keep an eye out for emergency vehicles if you’re in the East Side area. Officials continue to urge caution after a recent uptick in reported email scams targeting residents.

Real estate agents report steady interest in central neighborhoods, and about 350 new job postings have gone up this week, mostly in healthcare, education, and logistics. Over in community events, the NAMI mental health fundraiser walk happens at Memorial Park next Saturday morning, and there are new art workshops launching at the El Paso Museum of Art.

And before we wrap up, a quick feel-good story: volunteers joined flood victims’ families yesterday at Ruidoso for a memorial and clean-up effort, turning heartache into hope with neighborly support and compassion.

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