The El Paso Matters Podcast

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, announced a $1 billion fund for communities hosting the company's data centers, including El Paso. But what...

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 which climate change drives higher household costs. El Paso Matters CEO Bob Moore joins the podcast to...

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 build up funds to pay players in the NIL era. ESPN 600 SportsTalk hosts Steve Kaplowitz and Adrian Broad...

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 school's origins and history. You can read Pablo's reporting at elpasomatters.org.

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 Matters senior reporter Elida Perez joins the podcast to discuss the city council meeting this week, how...

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 the pollution event, Marathon's response and the county's push to challenge the renewal of the refiner...

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 canceled its plans and what could happen next to the warehouses the federal government now plans to sel...

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 tax bills increase. We also talk about what's driving the tax increases and the politics of how El Paso v...

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. Plus: an update on when $50 million promised by Project Jupiter's developers for water infrastructure in D...

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 animals. Will a new shelter the county is building alleviate the problem? And why are there so many stray...

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 representation. You can read Cindy's reporting at elpasomatters.org.

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 Claudia's reporting at elpasomatters.org.

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 recent years, but the county is now planning to deploy $31 million in voter-approved bond funds to elev...

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 Silva and CEO Bob Moore discuss the situation EPISD is in, what the trustees' resignations means and wh...

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 through how EPISD got here and what comes next for the public school district. You can read Claudia's...

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 declining population. You can read Bob's reporting at elpasomatters.org.

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 reporting on how the government response increased the risk of measles exposure in El Paso. You can read P...

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 ongoing questions about Project Jupiter's water usage, electricity consumption and economic impact on the Bo...

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 reporter Claudia Lorena Silva discusses her reporting on how students are using artificial intelligence in El...

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 it's home and began developing beaver dams and changing the park's landscape. El Paso Matters reporter P...

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 Paso Electric's plan to deliver electricity to Meta's facility, potential impacts to El Pasoans' utili...

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 .

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 Meta in exchange for the tech giant developing a data center in Northeast El Paso. He offers his thought...

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 scene carries on today. You can read Pablo's feature on Eddie Guerrero at elpasomatters.org.

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.