The El Paso Matters Podcast
by Diego Mendoza-Moyers
To go deeper on the most important news stories affecting El Paso, Texas, El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers and guests dive into topics relating to the Borderland from politics and economics to education, healthcare and the environment.
Episodes
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Climate change, public benefits and the path ahead for data centers in El Paso
On this episode of the El Paso Matters Podcast, reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers talks with Assistant Editor Pablo Villa about his recent reporting on data centers, what it was like to tour one data center campus and to share some updates on the three projects underway in El Paso. You can read…
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El Paso Sheriff's office faces multi-million dollar budget deficit. Why?
El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte's office has come under fire from county leaders as the office faces a $6 million budget deficit. El Paso Matters senior reporter Elida Perez joins the podcast to discuss the sheriff's office's financial situation, why Ugarte is facing a deficit, and the...
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How a surge in ICE arrests is playing out within El Paso
So far this year, more than 3,500 people have been arrested in El Paso by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, part of a national surge of hundreds of thousands of arrests this year. Who are the people facing deportation? And how is the legal system working amid the surge in...
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News and notes on AI data center projects in El Paso
The two major AI hyperscale data center projects in El Paso are moving forward on their own tracks. The New Mexico Supreme Court recently allowed the air permit proceeding for Project Jupiter to advance - paving the way for the data center to develop its on-site power plant. Meta, meanwhile,...
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A conversation on climate change, increasing electric bills in El Paso
El Paso has seen record heat so far in 2026 as average daily temperatures this year have been more than 3 degrees above the historical norm as of mid-September. Hotter temperatures mean El Pasoans are running their air conditioners more often, which increases electric bills -- a vicious cycle in...
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UTEP athletics enters the Mountain West Conference. Here's what to know.
The University of Texas at El Paso this year exited from Conference USA and entered the Mountain West, a higher-profile athletic conference with teams including University of New Mexico and Nevada-Las Vegas. UTEP has had to raise millions from donors to leave its former conference as well as to...
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Ysleta High School turns 100. A discussion on football, its stadium and the school's history
Ysleta High School is turning 10o-years-old as a four-year high school. El Paso Matters assistant editor Pablo Villa discusses his reporting on how Ysleta Independent School District funded a renovation of Ysleta High's football stadium amid broader financial challenges, and discusses the…
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After months of discord, El Paso City Council fights over annual budget, property tax hikes.
El Paso City Council nearly failed to pass an annual budget last week after hours of debate and discussion on the city's spending and proposed property tax increase on households. But council representatives eventually broke the deadlock to advance a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. El Paso...
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El Paso County Commissioner on Marathon refinery pollution dump, response
On August 4, failures at a unit within Marathon Petroleum's El Paso refinery complex led to the facility releasing over 15 tons of various pollutants into nearby neighborhoods in South-Central El Paso over a three-day period. El Paso County Commissioner David Stout joins the podcast to talk about...
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ICE cancels plans for mega detention center near El Paso. Now what?
The federal government is dropping plans to build an 8,500-person detention center for migrants in Socorro, Texas just outside El Paso months after purchasing three warehouses for $120 million. El Paso Matters Editor Cindy Ramirez joins the podcast to discuss her reporting on why the governments...
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How much will El Paso property taxes increase next year?
As El Paso City Council and the El Paso County Commissioners Court remain on track to adopt budgets for the upcoming fiscal year in the coming weeks, El Paso Matters senior reporter Elida Perez joins the El Paso Matters Podcast to discuss how much homeowners should expect to see their property…
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An update on data center projects in El Paso
At least two major AI data center projects are proceeding in El Paso, with another potentially planned on federal Fort Bliss property. However, the El Paso City Council recently adopted policies that would make it harder for a company to build another AI data center campus within city limits.…
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El Paso seeks unpaid animal services bills from nearby communities.
The city of El Paso says the county government, nearby towns owe the city hundreds of thousands of dollars for animal services. Why aren't they paying? El Paso Matters reporter Elida Perez joins the podcast to discuss her reporting on the feud over who should pay to round up and care for stray...
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Unaccompanied migrant children face cold court system as government fast-tracks removals
El Paso Matters editor Cindy Ramirez joins this week's podcast to talk about how the legal system is working -- or not -- for young migrant children living in the U.S. alone often in foster-like care. Cindy's emotional story shows how many children are forced to navigate their court cases without...
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More on the financial struggles within El Paso's three largest public school districts
EPISD considers a $445M bond after declaring financial exigency, YISD faces a shrinking savings cushion, and Socorro ISD may soon exit state conservatorship. Education reporter Claudia Silva explains the financial situation at each of El Paso’s three largest school districts. You can read…
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El Paso County is planning major renovations at Ascarate Park. Here's what to know.
El Pasoans recently got a first look at the wide-ranging renovations El Paso County is planning for Ascarate Park, the region's biggest park. El Paso County Commissioners have tried for years to find ways to clean the lake, improve fishing and add new amenities at the park. Plans have shifted in...
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Two trustees resign amid financial turmoil at El Paso's biggest school district. What comes next?
Trustees overseeing El Paso Independent School District voted to declare financial exigency last week after the district's leaders discovered a $52 million hole in EPISD's budget. Afterward, two elected trustees resigned. On this episode of the El Paso Matters Podcast, education reporter Claudia...
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EPISD is in the middle of a financial disaster. Here's what to know
El Paso's largest school district is experiencing a financial disaster weeks after the district's former finance chief resigned and district officials discovered she was withholding the truth about EPISD's finances and budget overruns. El Paso Matters education reporter Claudia Lorena Silva talks...
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More bad demographic news for El Paso
New Census data show the city of El Paso saw a significant population decline between 2024 and 2025. El Paso Matters CEO Robert Moore discusses his reporting on El Paso's population trends, what declining population figures mean for the Borderland and what local leaders can do in the face of a...
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How government lapses delayed a response to a measles outbreak in El Paso
Lack of communication and coordination between different levels of government led to confusion and delayed a response to contain the measles outbreak in the El Paso area. El Paso Matters Health Reporter Priscilla Totiyapungprasert joins the El Paso Matters Podcast to discuss her investigative...
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How a secretive data center deal could transform El Paso
Nearly seven months after elected officials in Doña Ana County approved a large tax break for the massive and controversial Project Jupiter data center campus, New Mexico journalist Heath Haussamen joins the El Paso Matters Podcast to talk about his reporting on the lack of transparency and…
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Artificial intelligence has arrived in the classroom. What does that mean for education in El Paso?
AI technology that would have seemed like magic to students a generation ago is now in use in classrooms every day in El Paso. But whether students benefit from using artificial intelligence for schoolwork remains an open question. On this episode of the El Paso Matters Podcast, education…
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A beaver... in the desert? The story of how a visitor made an El Paso wetlands park home.
In early 2019, a trail camera captured a beaver sitting at the Rio Bosque wetlands park at dawn. It wasn't the first time the park's managers had seen signs of a beaver at the park -- a kind of sanctuary for wildlife in El Paso's urban landscape -- but it's the first time a beaver made the park...
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El Paso Electric's plan to power Meta's El Paso data center
As Meta Platforms continues to construct a $10 billion data center in El Paso, the region's investor-owned utility El Paso Electric is advancing its own plan to develop an onsite power plant for Meta's data center. El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers and editor Pablo Villa talk about El...
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Takeaways from the March 3 primary election in El Paso
We're back. Our journalists talk primary election results in El Paso and preview November's midterm election. You can read El Paso Matters' coverage of the recent primary election at elpasomatters.org.
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A conversation on data center subsidies and economic development in El Paso
On this episode of the El Paso Matters Podcast, reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers speaks with Andy Vargas, a veteran of the tech and finance industries and a managing partner of the El Paso-based investment firm No Border Ventures. Vargas has been critical of the subsidies local governments granted...
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How the legacy of El Paso icon and WWE champion Eddie Guerrero lives on
Nov. 18 is now Eddie Guerrero day in El Paso, Texas, a celebration of the native El Pasoan's life and impact on wrestling fans worldwide. El Paso Matters editor -- and WWE superfan -- Pablo Villa joins the El Paso Matters Podcast to talk about Guerrero's legacy and how the regional lucha libre...
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El Pasoans' natural gas bills are going up. Here's why
The natural gas utility Texas Gas Service wants to raise El Paso household gas bills by around 25 percent. El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers talks through different aspects of the rate request. You can read Diego's reporting at elpasomatters.org.
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Voters declined to bail out El Paso's second-biggest school district. What comes next for Socorro ISD?
Voters in Socorro Independent School District rejected a ballot proposition during the Nov. 4 election that would have provided more revenue for the cash-strapped district. The decision could affect how SISD navigates its way out of a financial bind and whether it can avoid a state takeover. El...
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Water supply, data centers and customer bills. A discussion with El Paso Water
As Texas voters prepare to decide on a ballot proposition in early November that would allocate $20 billion to shore up the state's water supply, El Paso Water Vice President Gilbert Trejo joins the El Paso Matters Podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on the water situation in El Paso. You can...
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Things to know about Meta's data center project in El Paso
Meta Platforms, the technology giant that owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, is building a $1.5 billion data center project in El Paso. Public anxiety about data centers and their water and electricity usage has escalated in arid communities throughout the southwestern U.S. like El Paso. El...
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El Paso is seeking a new animal services director. Here's what to know.
The city of El Paso will hire a new director for the city's animal services department likely early next year. The next director will be the sixth person since 2015 to lead the department, which has faced public criticism along with leadership turnover over the last decade. El Paso Matters Senior...
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What El Paso's slowing population growth means for the city's future
Unlike the other major metro areas in Texas, El Paso is more spreading out than truly growing. And new projections published this week by Texas’ state demographer show, even in the most optimistic scenario, our population is likely to grow at a much slower pace than it did in the 1990s or in the...
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Doña Ana County officials approve $165 billion data center campus. What happens next?
The massive Project Jupiter data center campus was first unveiled at a public meeting in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Aug. 26. Nearly four weeks later, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners approved incentives for the project despite major debate among the community and concerns about the…
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DACA recipients targeted by ICE in El Paso. What will happen to them?
Two people living in El Paso who received "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" - DACA - were recently arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and set for deportation despite their protected status. But an immigration judge terminated their removal proceedings. Cindy Ramirez,...
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More on the proposed $165 billion New Mexico data center campus near El Paso
An Austin-based company is proposing to invest an almost-inconceivable $165 billion to build a huge data center campus in Santa Teresa, New Mexico near El Paso. El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mend0za-Moyers talks through the proposal, which has raised intense concern and skepticism among…
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El Paso City Council votes on housing, urban development policies. Here's what happened.
City planners in El Paso proposed a couple of policies at the most recent city council meeting that were designed to increase the number of housing units in the city and reduce parking requirements, The big, overarching goal is to increase the supply of housing so affordability here improves, and...
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Pecan orchards in the desert? More on the sustainability of water and farming in El Paso
As climate change and drought pressure El Paso's water supplies, pecan farmers in one of the nation's biggest pecan-growing hubs are testing out new techniques to sustain agriculture in the face of heat and increasingly salty groundwater. El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers speaks with...
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New information about August 3 Walmart shooting emerges
El Paso Matters recently published new information uncovered about the timeline leading up the Walmart mass shooting on August 3, 2019 and the immediate aftermath and investigation. El Paso Matters CEO Bob Moore joins the podcast to discuss what his reporting showed and why El Paso Matters is...
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El Paso Electric wants to raise your power bill. Here are some things to know.
A few notes from reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers on the rate increase El Paso Electric is pursuing. You can read Diego's coverage on elpasomatters.org.
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Why El Paso experiences flash floods
Despite an increasing stormwater fee that El Paso Water customers pay to fund flood-control projects, segments of the city still experience periodic flooding and inundation. El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers and assistant editor Pablo Villa discuss Diego's recent interview with a top…
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Latest on immigration enforcement in El Paso
Nearly six months after President Donald Trump was sworn into office, his administration has created a new immigration enforcement regime throughout the U.S. that has led to an increase in deportations and a major decline in the number of migrants attempting to enter the country through the...
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How UTEP is affected by NIL era as schools begin paying their college athletes
In a new era of college athletics where schools will now directly pay their college athletes, there are new challenges and opportunities for a mid-tier school like the University of Texas at El Paso. ESPN 600 radio hosts Steve Kaplowitz and Adrian Broaddus join El Paso Matters staffers Diego...
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Star El Paso football player navigates NIL, shifting college sports landscape
Star quarterback Jake Fette, a senior at Del Valle High School in El Paso, is a top-five player at his position in the nation. After committing to play at Arizona State University a year ago, Fette is among the highest-profile athletes from the borderland to navigate the new collegiate sports...
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Differing views on El Paso Downtown deck park
As funding comes together to advance the I-10 deck park in Downtown El Paso, Paso del Norte Community Foundation CEO Tracy Yellen joins the show to discuss why the project should be a priority for the city to construct. El Paso City Council Rep. Chris Canales follows in the second half of the...
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Trustees oust the superintendent of El Paso's biggest school district. Here's what to know.
El Paso Independent School District's board of trustees on Tuesday approved the retirement of Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, who accepted a voluntary separation agreement, weeks after an election created a new majority on the district's board. The trustees have said little about why they ousted...
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Two brothers in El Paso bought a Boeing plane. What now?
Two brothers in El Paso decided to buy an abandoned Boeing aircraft with visions of renovating it. Months later, they're still figuring out what to do with it.
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New school board members elected amid tumult, layoffs in El Paso's public education system
Voters selected new school board members to represent areas in El Paso and Socorro Independent School districts. The new faces are set to govern EPISD, where administrators are planning to close eight school campuses next year, and at SISD as teacher layoffs are impending for the...
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Walmart shooting victims, survivors face gunman in court
People directly affected by the August 3, 2019 shooting at an El Paso Walmart faced the gunman in court this week. Some victims forgave the shooter -- even hugging him -- while others spoke of their broken families still left mourning nearly six years later. The shooter now will spend the rest of...
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El Paso deck park plan begins to form
A deck park that would span five blocks and cover I-10 in Downtown El Paso is estimated to cost $207 million to build. City officials are starting to form plans to fund the project and philanthropists are expected to put up tens of millions of dollars. El Paso Matters Reporter Diego…
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About this show
To go deeper on the most important news stories affecting El Paso, Texas, El Paso Matters reporter Diego Mendoza-Moyers and guests dive into topics relating to the Borderland from politics and economics to education, healthcare and the environment.
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Diego Mendoza-Moyers
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