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What: The Museum of Space History’s Astronomy League is hosting a Free Star Party! A great opportunity to encourage that young or old stargazer!

When: Saturday, May 27, 2023, from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

Where: In the large parking lot above the Tombaugh Education Building on the campus of the Museum.

Why: Because it’s fun to star gaze! Bring yourself and your family, we will bring the telescopes! If you have an interest in astronomy or are a telescope owner, consider joining the museum’s Astronomy League. New members are always welcome, membership forms will be available at the star party. League membership is free.

About the New Mexico Museum of Space History: www.nmspacemuseum.org

The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. A Smithsonian Affiliate, the museum showcases the significant role New Mexico has played in the development of the U.S. Space Program and features the International Space Hall of Fame, and New Horizons Dome Theater.

3198 State Route 2001 | Alamogordo, NM 88310, (575) 437-2840 for more information or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at: www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum/

El Paso, Texas, May 18, 2023 – El Paso Community College (EPCC) has partnered with the United States Army in the first of its kind program to train paramedics. The Accelerated Paramedic program will prepare soldiers in just 170 days. The graduates from the program can return to their units as paramedics and assist in back filling needed medical positions.

Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Jennifer Francis attended the group’s first day of class and presented them with their charge. EPCC is the first college in the nation to have the honor of offering this accelerated training. “We are excited about this collaboration with EPCC and the opportunity to develop our Soldiers’ skills in peacetime which will enhance our capabilities in time of war. After three years of study, EPCC’s program showed it worked with our initiative,” CSM Francis said. “EPCC’s criteria and benefits blew other colleges out of the water.”

Soldiers will train six-days a week and complete the program on October 31, 2023. At the conclusion, they will be certified paramedics with 41 college credit hours. With other education and earned credit, they can easily obtain an Associate of Applied Science-Paramedic and earn points to a promotion. “EPCC has partnered with the United States Army for over 15 years in paramedic training,” Tony Ayub, Coordinator of the EPCC Emergency Medical Services Paramedic program said. “This program will increase the number of paramedics at a national level.”

EPCC has served the military and veteran community since its founding in 1969. From workforce training for returning Vietnam veterans to our first permanent campus located in Logan Heights on Fort Bliss, EPCC is and always will be there to assist and train our military to further their careers while on active duty and after. The college’s newest initiative is Credit for Heroes. Trade skills earned in the military can be used to earn college credit accelerating degree obtainment.

EL PASO, Texas – As the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) is reminding the public of the importance of knowing how to control bleeding in case of an emergency. May is National Stop The Bleed Month, a national public awareness campaign to improve victim survival following mass shootings and other acts of mass violence. The Stop The Bleed program, which was founded by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), encourages people to become immediate responders until professional help arrives. You can be trained to save a life by:

•Calling 911
• Applying pressure with hands
• Packing wound and pressing
•Applying tourniquet

An interactive Stop The Bleed course can be found online at stopthebleed.org.

TxDOT partners with law enforcement to urge everyone to “Click it or Ticket”

AUSTIN – It has been nearly seven years since Eden Ganzerla lost control of her car while driving to work and crashed into a retaining wall, breaking nearly every bone in her body. Since then, she has endured thousands of hours of physical, occupational and speech therapy, the result of one fateful decision to not wear her seat belt.

Ganzerla now struggles with a traumatic brain injury, speaks with the aid of a computer, and is slowly learning how to walk and talk again.

“Before the crash, Eden was very outgoing and talkative, living life to the fullest with her animals and friends,” said John Ganzerla, Eden’s father. “Now, she lives with us in Dripping Springs and is dependent on her mother and me for even the simplest everyday tasks.”

Eden Photos Before Her Crash. Eden with her friends at senior party

Unfortunately, choosing to not wear a seat belt is an all too common mistake in Texas. In 2022 there were 1,258 people killed who were not wearing their seat belt, a 2.5% increase from the year before.

Eden Photos After Her Crash.Eden continues to push the ball down the court

“It’s critical for everyone to take just a few seconds to buckle up, every ride, every time,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important precautions motorists and their passengers can take to protect themselves in a crash. Whatever reason you may have for not buckling up, I promise it’s not worth your life.”

While more than 90% of Texans make the right choice to wear a seat belt, that still means 10% of Texans make the dangerous choice to stay unprotected on the road. TxDOT’s goal is to get 100% of drivers and passengers to wear their seat belt 100% of the time.

From May 22 through June 4, including Memorial Day Weekend, law enforcement from around the state will be working overtime ticketing motorists who are not buckled up. State law requires that every person in a vehicle be secured by a seat belt whether riding in the front or back seat. Fines and court costs for failing to fasten seat belts can add up to $250 or more.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the Click It or Ticket initiative has saved more than 7,399 lives, prevented more than 120,000 serious injuries, and resulted in $28.5 billion in economic savings since its inception in 2002.

TxDOT’s Click It or Ticket campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.

El Paso, Texas (May 16, 2023) — El Paso’s Border AIDS Partnership (BAP) presents its 4th Annual AIDS Walk fundraising event and Fun Fair. This year’s event includes a 5K run and an optional 1-mile walk. Registration starts at 7 am with the run/walk starting at 8 am. You may also sign-up the day of the event starting at 7 am, in the event you could not pre-register in time. The health fair with vendors begins at 8:30 am.

•The run is a 5k route around the lovely and historic neighborhoods surrounding Memorial Park.
•Registration is $25 and includes a commemorative shirt.
•Pre-registration is available at: https://runsignup.com/Race/Register

We are very excited about our 4th AIDS Walk. The walk had been postponed for two years due to the pandemic but returned in 2022. We hope that by joining us on this very special day you also will remember our loved ones who we have lost to AIDS, and will help support those currently living with the virus.

This is a family and pet-friendly event so please bring your kids. Pets are welcome. There will be a dog costume contest so dress them to impress!

In 1994, the El Paso Community Foundation and the US/Mexico Border Health Association created a local HIV/AIDS partnership to provide assistance to nonprofit organizations in the region working on this critical health problem. With support from AIDS United, the collaboration became the Border AIDS Partnership, a bi-national and tri-state funding collaborative that provides funding for HIV/AIDS education and prevention activities in El Paso, Southern New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez. BAP now operates as an independent 501c3 nonprofit.

Since 1996, the Border AIDS Partnership has distributed more than $2.3 million to support innovative HIV prevention and education programs. Previous grantees include Centro Caritativo Para Atención de Enfermos de SIDA, University Medical Center of El Paso’s Teen Advisory Board, Programa Compañeros, support group HIVida, Actúa y Toma El Control, Opportunity Center for the Homeless, and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Families & Youth, Inc.

What: Border AIDS Partnership’s 4th Annual AIDS Walk Fundraiser
When: Sunday, May 21, 2023, 8am-12pm
Where: Memorial Park, 1701 N. Copia St.
Registration: 7am
Start of Race: 8am
Fun Fair: 8:30am-12pm

Contact:
Wayne Hilton – whilton.bap@gmail.com
Rudy Vasquez – Marketing Director, El Paso Community Foundation, (915) 534-8427 rvasquez@epcf.org

For more information or for help signing up, call (915) 533-4020. You can also find us on Instagram at @BorderAIDS_EP and Facebook at www.facebook.com/borderaidspartnership.

Mike Cook’s excellent review of Joshua Taulbee’s amazing performance of 40 different characters in Becky Mode’s comedy Fully Committed can be seen on our our NSTC website www.no-strings.org. The review is on the Info link associated with the show as well as published in this week’s Bulletin. The production runs through Sunday, May 21.

Reservations can be made on the website or by calling the Black Box Theatre at (575) 523-1223.

SANTA FE – Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May reminds New Mexicans of the importance of staying safe as they ride or share roads with motorcycles as the spring and summer riding season is now underway.

“It’s job one on New Mexico roads for both motorcyclists and drivers to share the road safely. Stay alert for both fellow commuters and traffic hazards” said Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Patrick M. Allen.

During the recently completed New Mexico Legislature, House Memorial 45 declared May Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in the state as it’s also designated nationwide by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to the DOH Office of Injury and Violence Prevention and the NHTSA:

•55% of motorcyclists who died in a crash in our state in 2020, the most recent data year available, were not wearing a helmet.
•Motorcycle crashes involving another motor vehicle have led to nearly half of all motorcyclist deaths nationwide.
•In 2020, per vehicle mile traveled in the United States, motorcyclists were about 28 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to die in a motor vehicle crash and were 4 times more likely to be injured.

“House Memorial 45 emphasizes the importance of proper motorcycle training, helmet use and adherence to traffic laws,” said New Mexico Department of Transportation (DOT) Traffic Safety Division Director Jeff Barela. “Motorcyclists are their own culture, and they are passionate about riding. In turn, the DOT and DOH are equally as passionate about motorcycle awareness which could prevent serious injuries and save lives.”

As part of Motorcycle Awareness Month, the state’s health and transportation departments recommend the following steps to stay safe:

For motorcyclists
•Complete rider education courses and obtain a current motorcycle license
•Wear a DOT-compliant helmet and other protective gear
•Follow the speed limit and adhere to all traffic safety signs, signals, and laws
•Signal properly to other drivers
•Never ride while impaired or distracted

For other drivers when sharing the road
•Observe all traffic signs, signals, laws and adhere to the posted speed limit
•Yield to motorcyclists, especially while turning at intersections
•Avoid distractions, including dangerous cellphone use behind the wheel
•Use turn signals when changing lanes or merging with traffic
•Check all mirrors and blinds spots before changing lanes
•Give more distance when driving behand a motorcyclist than other passenger vehicles

For more information on motorcycle safety, visit www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/motorcycles.

PHOTO CAPTION: Andrea Hernandez 3rd from right-Trailblazer ECHS Grand Opening 2017

El Paso, Texas, May 9, 2023– When Andrea Hernandez walks across the stage at the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) Graduation Ceremony, she will be the youngest in her cohort receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. At 19, she will be carrying the pride of El Paso Community College (EPCC) with her as well. Andrea was in the inaugural class at Americas High School’s Trailblazers Early College High School (ECHS) in 2017. She received her associate’s degree from EPCC in 2021 and transferred into the UTEP Nursing program.

EPCC has been a big supporter of the ECHS Initiative since 2005. “Early College High Schools, a partnership between EPCC and eight school districts in the region, create a supportive environment for students underrepresented in higher education that challenges them to reach their full potential,” Tonie Badillo, EPCC Dean of Dual Credit and ECHS said. “Andrea is a great example of that!”
EPCC’s ECHS gives students the opportunity to receive an associate’s degree while attending high school. “The teachers at EPCC had higher expectations,” Andrea said. “All Early college teachers were incredibly supportive and fostered student success.”
Andrea decided to be a nurse at a young age. “I watched how considerate nurses were and that was the only choice I wanted to follow.” Already hired at the Hospitals of Providence, she will be a Registered Nurse and plans to specialize in Progressive Care once she passes the NCLEX State Board of Nursing exam.

Stamp Out Hunger is this Saturday. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) has sent out postcards and bags to residents in El Paso. Residents could still participate in this national food drive even if they had not received a bag. So please grab a bag, grab healthy non-perishable food from their pantries, and place it by the mailbox for letter carriers on Saturday.

That’s not all! We still need volunteers to help letter carriers take in donations. So please consider donating your time and volunteering at one of the ten post offices or the food bank on Saturday, the 13th.

Every volunteer opportunity we have is on our website.
elpasoansfightinghunger.org/volunteer

About El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH) is El Paso’s only food bank and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief network. EPFH distributes food in three counties, El Paso, Culberson, and Hudspeth. Utilizing mobile and client-choice pantries, EPFH serves over 150,000 food-insecure people. Here in the borderland, 1 in every three children and 1 in every four adults are uncertain about the source of their next meal. EPFH also helps the public with social services programs like SNAP, Home Delivery, National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank’s mission is to combat hunger in our area… because no one should go hungry.

Amidst the prevailing humanitarian crisis downtown, we find ourselves in a critical situation where immediate assistance is required. Particularly, we are seeking dedicated volunteers who can lend a helping hand in the areas of street feeding and meal preparation for migrants. The gravity of the situation necessitates our collective efforts to address the pressing needs of the affected individuals.

In recent weeks, the demand for our services at the food bank has reached unprecedented levels. To offer a perspective, last year, on the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving Holiday, we encountered an unusually high number of families, serving more than 1400. However, the situation has intensified significantly, as we now find ourselves providing meals to an average of 1500 families per day over the last few weeks.

In light of this escalating need, we earnestly appeal to compassionate individuals to step forward and join us as volunteers. By contributing your time and skills, you can play an invaluable role in alleviating the distressing circumstances faced by numerous families. Together, we can make a substantial difference in their lives and work towards mitigating the challenges posed by this ongoing crisis.

Every volunteer opportunity we have is on our website.
elpasoansfightinghunger.org/volunteer

For more information, please get in touch with Lonnie Valencia at 915.487.8239.

About El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH) is El Paso’s only food bank and a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief network. EPFH distributes food in three counties, El Paso, Culberson, and Hudspeth. Utilizing mobile and client-choice pantries, EPFH serves over 150,000 food-insecure people. Here in the borderland, 1 in every three children and 1 in every four adults are uncertain about the source of their next meal. EPFH also helps the public with social services programs like SNAP, Home Delivery, National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank’s mission is to combat hunger in our area… because no one should go hungry.

May 2, 2023 – EL PASO, TX – CreativElPaso and El Paso Film Festival are hosting a special screening and celebration for El Pasoan Zach Passero’s full length hand-animated feature, The Weird Kidz. The event is FREE and will be taking place on May 11th at 7:00pm at the Plaza Theatre downtown.

The animated feature recently announced that it was chosen to participate in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market, which is the world’s largest and most prestigious animation festival. The festival takes place in France and there will be two screenings of The Weird Kidz in June, but the borderland will get to see the feature in its hometown first and for free.

Animator Zach Passero grew up in El Paso and much of the film’s storyline is inspired by his time growing up as a typical ‘80s latch-key kid. The Weird Kidz was born from a stew of memories, adventures, movies, and influences from his life. Those influences came together in The Weird Kidz and fulfilled Passero’s lifelong dream of making an animated feature that he could one day show his own kids to explain what his childhood was like.

“I thought back to my growing up in the late 70s and 80s. The differences between my childhood and that of my own children. I remembered the friends, freedoms, rules, influences, and adventures. How the pop culture of the time – the music and movies – always played a role in what those moments felt like and what would or could be,” Passero stated.

Passero graduated from Coronado High School and then went on to attend the University of Southern California Film School. Years later, he returned to his hometown and continued to work as a filmmaker. He collaborates as editor for many of director Lucky McKee’s films, most recently Old Man. He edited and did VFX work on The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot starring Sam Elliot. And recently edited the Texas-centric political doc The Pushback and 2020 Sundance selection First Date.

As a director and animator, Passero has created music videos for Ministry, Jim White, Califone, and Jim Ward. He directed a short segment for the pandemic anthology film ISOLATION, featuring El Paso and starring his wife Hannah Passero, who also painted the backgrounds for The Weird Kidz.
The Weird Kidz is a true Made-in-El Paso project, enlisting many fellow El Pasoans to bring the feature to life, like producers Charles Horak and Lucky KcKee, actors Brian Ceely, Sydney O’Donnell, and Tess Passero, musician Sunnie Baker, and color correction by Cheeky Monkey Post. There are also many recognizable voices in the film – actors Angela Bettis (May, The Woman), Sean Bridgers (Deadwood, Get Shorty) and Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood) round out a vibrant cast. Bettis and Coltrane are scheduled to join the screening in person and take part in the Q and A session.

Doors open at 6:30pm and film starts at 7pm, followed by a Q and A with cast and crew.

Producer Charles Horak added, “The Weird Kidz is not only a great film by a hometown artist, it is an example of what can be made in the borderlands by the area’s growing film community. This film would not have been possible without the support of so many in the region, and we’re delighted we can share the film and the spotlight with a hometown crowd on the region’s biggest screen!”

The Weird Kidz has seen success on the independent film festival circuit and has won the Audience Award at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and Best Picture Jury Award at Nevermore Film Festival. It took part in Salem Fest last weekend and is slated to make its European debut at ANIFILM in the Czech Republic this summer, followed by the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France in June.

Filmmaker Zach Passero along with producers Lucky McKee and Charles Horak are available for interviews.

For more information, please go to theweirdkidz.com.

While the film is animated, it is UNRATED, but would probably pull a PG-13 for its hilarious pubescent humor and mild language, brief animated nudity, cartoon amputations and savagery, and creature mayhem. (It is suggested kids under 10 not attend, but they’re your kids, you know best.)

About El Paso Film & Creative Industries Commission

As the only Texas film festival to showcase emerging filmmakers on a bi-national stage, the El Paso Film Festival is the fastest growing film festival in the state. It provides an inclusive platform where film lovers of every stripe can discover and support the next generation of regional movie makers. EPFF is among the few festivals in the nation that brings the film’s directors to the audience they entertain. In our short history, we have attracted a diverse audience of film aficionados, passionate story tellers and filmmaking executives.

MORE PEOPLE ARE DYING IN MOTORCYCLE CRASHES IN TEXAS

May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

AUSTIN – As motorcycle fatalities continue to rise and the spring weather draws more riders to Texas roadways, TxDOT is urging drivers to look twice and be considerate on the road around motorcycle riders.

Amy Jo Miller was enjoying a ride on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle in Bell County when an inattentive driver turned left in front of them, hitting the bike and throwing her across the road. Seconds later, another vehicle then ran her over in a hit-and-run crash, leaving her with multiple serious injuries. Fortunately, she survived, but 15 years later, Amy Jo is still recovering from her injuries.

Amy Jo, now 49, is just one of thousands of Texas motorcyclists seriously injured—or worse, killed—in crashes every year. In 2022, 562 motorcycle riders were killed in motor vehicle crashes, an 8% increase over the previous year.

“People on motorcycles are more vulnerable on our roadways,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “It’s important for drivers to pay extra attention and look out for motorcycles — especially at intersections, when turning in front of oncoming traffic and while changing lanes. We all want to get home safe.”

In addition to National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, TxDOT’s annual safety campaign “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” also aims to protect motorcyclists by educating drivers on how to safely share the road. Below are safety precautions all motorists should keep in mind to help prevent motorcycle crashes:

•Stay alert. Give driving your full attention. Even a momentary distraction, such as answering a phone call or changing the radio station, can have deadly consequences.
•Pay special attention at intersections. One-third of all motorcycle fatalities happen at roadway intersections.
•Take extra care when making a left turn. Always assume motorcycles are closer than they appear and avoid turning in front of an oncoming motorcycle.
•Look twice when changing lanes. Check mirrors, check blind spots, and always use turn signals.
•Give motorcyclists room when passing them. Move over to the passing lane and don’t crowd the motorcyclist’s full lane.
•Stay back. If you’re behind a motorcycle, always maintain a safe following distance. When a motorcyclist downshifts, it can catch drivers off guard since there are no brake lights to signal reduced speed.
•Slow down. Obey posted speed limits and drive according to conditions.

To help drivers fully understand the importance of driving safely and the dangers motorcycle riders face, TxDOT is taking its “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign exhibit on the road during National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The exhibit will feature a virtual reality component that gives participants the opportunity to experience high-risk traffic situations from the perspective of both a driver and a motorcyclist.

TxDOT’s “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.

El Paso, Texas (April 28, 2023) — Every Little Blessing Preschool and UTEP Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) are collaborating for the Spring 2023 term. The community partnership sees 10 UTEP SLP students assigned to an extra specialty rotation at Every Little Blessing Preschool for an expanded professional schedule and real-world experience in the field.

The El Paso Special Needs Education Center/Every Little Blessing Preschool (ELB), an early intervention preschool for students with and without disabilities, is a 501c3 started in 2017. The only one of its kind in the region, ELB uses a curriculum that develops independence, social skills, academic skills, and provides opportunities for students to learn and grow together. The community partnership with UTEP Speech-Language Pathology students provides them the opportunity to engage and apply knowledge in a unique setting while gaining 10-15 hours of direct experience for the Spring 2023 term.

For UTEP SLP students assigned to ELB, duties include:

•Engage in ongoing language and literacy enrichment techniques.
•Plan curriculum-based lessons that directly align with ELB’s thematic planning.
•Support ELB teachers during large groups, as directed.
•Lead language-focused “stations” with an activity that has well-defined objectives, vocabulary, multi-sensory engagement, and is contextualized.

“At table-top stations, we worked with 2-3 children and one teacher per station. This 2:1 ratio was perfect since the children were not over-stimulated, but well supported. This helped me realize our lesson plans should not be limited to just the target words we had in mind, but indirectly model behavior for other social and life skills,” said Bianca Guerra, UTEP SLP Graduate Clinician.

“This community collaboration between us at ELB and UTEP Speech-Language Pathology is a natural fit, and our staff is grateful for the support. We cannot express how important early intervention is to preventing children with intellectual or developmental disabilities from graduating to the couch as they mature,” said Jessica Quinn, director of Every Little Blessing Preschool and the El Paso Special Needs Education Center. “The saying, ‘it takes a village…’ is so true. We look forward to expanding our village of support with UTEP and other community professionals, and we invite anyone to reach out to us if they’re interested in being part of something special.”