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Articles by Robert Gray
El Paso Chamber steps up fight over BOTA truck traffic
From left: Royal Jones, Ricardo Mora and Paul Dipp at the news conference Wednesday hosted by the El Paso Chamber. The El Paso Chamber is pressing elected officials to intervene in plans to permanently remove commercial truck traffic from the Bridge of the Americas, warning that the decision could harm the region’s manufacturing economy and drive businesses elsewhere.
How to speak El Paso
We live in an unusually interesting place, but, at times, familiarity can make us blind to the poetry. I was reminded of that while reading British nature writer Robert Macfarlane’s “Landmarks,” a 2015 book about the sometimes fantastically exact words people have developed to describe the landscapes they inhabit. “Words act as compass; place-speech serves literally to en-chant the land – to sing it back into being, and to sing one’s being back into it,” Macfarlane writes.
Tips for dodging scammers
Scams and fraudsters have gotten scary sophisticated. Long gone are the days of “Nigerian princes” trying to separate us from our money with typo-riddled missives sent from suspicious email addresses. These days, a fake invoice can appear to come from a company you regularly do business with. Using artificial intelligence, scammers on the telephone can imitate the voice of a loved one. Emails can appear to come from a supervisor.
El Paso’s next big economic story?
Over the nearly two decades I’ve been at El Paso Inc., we’ve watched some big economic stories unfold in this region, including the $5 billion expansion of Fort Bliss, revitalization of Downtown and the massive growth of the health care sector, including the establishment of Texas Tech’s medical school in El Paso. Each changed the region’s economic landscape in ways that were difficult to fully appreciate when they began. So, what might be El Paso’s next big economic story?
A day in the life of a meteorologist: ‘Doppler’ Dave Speelman, chief meteorologist at KVIA Channel 7
Fast facts • It takes “Doppler” Dave Speelman three hours each day to prepare the forecast, including analyzing the weather data and preparing graphics. • The “ABC-7 Chicken Cam,” which Speelman sometimes features with the weather, is what most people ask him about when they see him in public. • The weather broadcast is the most popular segment in a TV newscast. • When Speelman is not doing weather for TV, he’s typically working on his farm growing pecans and grass feed.
What’s opening? We want to know
IKEA. Cheesecake Factory. H-E-B. Trader Joe’s. A second Costco. Buc-ee’s. In-N-Out. Great Wolf Lodge. If that list just gave you a tinge of excitement followed by a pang of longing, you must be an El Pasoan. We know it’s quirky to care this much about IKEA. We care anyway. And it’s not just those particular chains. El Pasoans love news about what’s opening in their neighborhoods – big and small. We’re curious about what’s coming next.
How much more can El Pasoans afford?
Electricity bills. Water bills. Fees. Local taxes. For years, El Pasoans have watched the cost of living climb – and if initial city budget hearings are any indication, the trend is set to continue. The relentless increases in taxes and utility rates come on top of the overall inflation that’s been squeezing the pocketbooks of all Americans. The data support what we all are feeling.
Why your power bill jumped and what you can do about it
El Pasoans are opening their electric bills with shock, and June’s usual scorching temperatures are not the only reason for the surge. Why are bills higher, and what are your options? El Paso Electric CEO Kelly Tomblin has responded directly to some frustrated customers. In one email a customer forwarded to me, Tomblin listed three factors, beyond higher temperatures, that are driving up bills. The recent approval by state regulators of a rate increase that raises bills by an average of 13%.
The ‘hardware store’ of the AI ‘gold rush’ is on the border
Between lion dances and martial arts demonstrations at the Lunar New Year celebration in Downtown El Paso, a group of businessmen in suits walked onto the stage. They were with the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce. If you’re surprised to learn there is one in El Paso, you’re not alone. But it makes sense: Taiwanese companies have major – and fast-growing – manufacturing operations in Juárez and nearby San Jeronimo that employ thousands of people.
The ‘hardware store’ of the AI ‘gold rush’
Between lion dances and martial arts demonstrations at the Lunar New Year celebration in Downtown El Paso, a group of businessmen in suits walked onto the stage. They were with the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce. If you’re surprised to learn there is one in El Paso, you’re not alone. But it makes sense: Taiwanese companies have major – and fast-growing – manufacturing operations in Juárez and nearby San Jeronimo that employ thousands of people.
A square takes on a life of its own
In 2016, El Paso Inc. rolled out a redesign that freshened the look of the paper. Longtime readers will remember that the old logo at the top of the front page, known as the flag in newspaper-speak, had been a large red rectangle containing the name “El Paso Inc.” in reverse type. Its spirit has lived on in the little red square that now forms the period after “Inc.” on the front page.
Sharing the joys of reading
Managing Editor Victor Martinez shared his newfound love for reading fiction in this space last week, and I’m thankful to now have an excuse to write about one of my favorite topics. In the newsroom, we’ve been enjoying sharing book recommendations. Victor sent me on a space adventure with a recommendation to read “Project Hail Mary,” a 2021 sci-fi novel by Andy Weir, and reporter Luis Rios has sent me on a dark fantasy adventure with his recommendation of Steven King’s “Dark Tower” series.
El Pasoan of the Year nominations
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El Pasoan of the Year nominations
On Dec. 29, 1996, El Paso Inc. began the tradition of highlighting an El Pasoan of the Year: somebody who has done the most to improve life in our city over the previous year. It gives the community the opportunity to honor the contributions of exceptional leaders. And our hope is that by highlighting their accomplishments, we might spur others to great acts. You can read more about past honorees online at ElPasoInc.com/news/el_pasoan_of_year. We would love your recommendations.
City acquiring more property for future convention center expansion
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City acquiring more property for future convention center expansion
The El Paso City Council has approved the $3.17 million purchase of three Downtown properties to support the planned expansion and modernization of the El Paso Convention Center. The acquisitions, including 311 W. Overland Ave. and 315 W. Overland Ave., will complete the city’s ownership of the block bordered by San Antonio and Overland just south of the convention center. The city is tapping into the 17.5% hotel occupancy tax paid by visitors to buy the properties.
‘To an Anxious Friend’
I’ve been digging through El Paso Inc.’s news archives – the old issues bound in large, dusty books – seeking stories for our Inc. Throwbacks series as we celebrate our 30th anniversary. Many of the headlines could have been written today. One from 1997: “How El Paso plans to clear the traffic jams from I-10.” Time passes, but some things never change, like traffic on I-10, apparently. I love reading old newspaper clippings.
Check out your ‘citizen collection station’
Are you a homeowner in El Paso? Here’s a resource you may have overlooked: the city’s citizen collection stations. Despite the awkward name that conjures up images of dystopian sci-fi futures, the city doesn’t collect citizens at the stations. They’ve long been where El Paso residents drop-off extra trash, household hazardous waste and bulky items that don’t fit in the garbage can.
From the editor
On Thanksgiving, before digging into a belt-busting dinner and collapsing before a TV in a turkey coma to watch the NFL, some Americans will partake in an annual tradition: the pre-dinner family touch (or flag, perhaps?) football game. Among them will be El Pasoan Laneah Bryan, a professional flag football player who gathers a group of girls and friends every year on Thanksgiving for a game of flag football. “I love it,” she said.
Highlights from the state of education
It’s back-to-school season, and that means shifting schedules, anxious kids, last-minute supply shopping, homework, and a flood of automated calls and forms. But life is starting to settle down into a familiar rhythm and structure at the Gray household as the dog days of summer fade. Fittingly, the El Paso Chamber hosted its annual State of Education and Workforce event Thursday.
El Paso family’s Asia trip highlights adoption journey
For three weeks, I have been in Asia with my family. The paper has been in the very capable hands of managing editor Victor Martinez and staff writer Sara Sanchez. We have a small (but mighty!) news team, and filling in for me has been a lot of work. I am thankful to have such supportive colleagues! It was an important trip for our family. My wife and I completed the last of our four international adoptions about four years ago.
El Paso children need families
For three weeks, I have been in Asia with my family. The paper has been in the very capable hands of managing editor Victor Martinez and staff writer Sara Sanchez. We have a small (but mighty!) news team, and filling in for me has been a lot of work. I am thankful to have such supportive colleagues! It was an important trip for our family. My wife and I completed the last of our four international adoptions about four years ago.
Peter Poessiger Retires After 47 Years in Army Museums
When reporter Luis Rios pitched a story about how the Army is considering closing the military museum on Fort Bliss, I immediately thought of Peter Poessiger. Over the years, I have had the opportunity as a journalist to meet many wonderful El Pasoans – characters of all sorts – and my interview with Poessiger was a particularly fun assignment. It was 2012, and he was retiring “a very happy camper” after 34 years of active military service and 13 years of military museum work.
A memorable interview at the museum
When reporter Luis Rios pitched a story about how the Army is considering closing the military museum on Fort Bliss, I immediately thought of Peter Poessiger. Over the years, I have had the opportunity as a journalist to meet many wonderful El Pasoans – characters of all sorts – and my interview with Poessiger was a particularly fun assignment. It was 2012, and he was retiring “a very happy camper” after 34 years of active military service and 13 years of military museum work.
Impact of AI on journalism and news production
Cara Pridemore, an El Pasoan and journalism student at Mississippi College, had a question for us last week as she started her summer internship at El Paso Inc.: How is artificial intelligence impacting journalism and what does it mean for the future of news? Good question. I wish I knew the answer. With many of her fellow students using AI prompts to help with schoolwork, Pridemore wondered how we use AI in the newsroom.
A day in the life: El Paso electric lineworker
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Another twist in the tale of Tony Hsieh
When I met an old college buddy of mine for a weekend in Las Vegas (aka Sin City, the Gambling Capital of the World and the City of Lost Wages), there was one thing we just had to do: go on a tour of a corporate headquarters. But this wasn’t just any corporate headquarters. It was Zappos. The online shoe and clothing retailer, founded in 1999, had a reputation for having a company culture that was one of the best in the world.
Another week, another dust storm
The dust just won’t seem to stop. This weekend, I’ll be once again wiping, sweeping, vacuuming and mopping. In the last issue of El Paso Inc., I wrote about the surprisingly large cost and global impact of dust storms. In response, somebody forwarded me a 2007 study by El Paso researchers on blowing dust and sand, which “are arguably the most unpleasant features of the weather in El Paso,” the study states.
The great El Paso dust-ocalypse
As a legendary Jedi turned Sith once said in a burst of teenage angst, “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating – and it gets everywhere.” I’d say the same about dust. After last week’s dust storms (plural!), I’m once again wiping, vacuuming and mopping. It’s a never-ending battle. On Thursday, you could find El Paso Inc.’s staff at the windows gawking at the brown-out and periodically coughing. I piped the “Dune” soundtrack through my headphones.
Q&A: Ted Houghton, founder, Houghton Financial Partners
In the basement at Houghton Financial Partners is a cozy Texas-style living room, dominated by a panoramic photo of the Texas Capitol, leather furniture and a metal star on the wall. It’s backlit so that it glows. Here, Ted Houghton, who founded the firm 50 years ago, meets with influential clients and heavy hitters. It’s an environment he’s comfortable in. Houghton, who became close to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has spent much of his career advocating for El Paso on state boards.
Q&A
In the basement at Houghton Financial Partners is a cozy Texas-style living room, dominated by a panoramic photo of the Texas Capitol, leather furniture and a metal star on the wall. It’s backlit so that it glows. Here, Ted Houghton, who founded the firm 50 years ago, meets with influential clients and heavy hitters. It’s an environment he’s comfortable in. Houghton, who became close to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has spent much of his career advocating for El Paso on state boards.
It’s a boy!
The El Paso Zoo hosted a gender-reveal celebration Wednesday for giraffe parents Gigi and Juma and their new baby, a 6-foot-tall calf. Has the gender-reveal trend reached its peak? Despite the gender reveal taking place at the zoo, I’m happy to report this one was tame. There were no gender-reveal-related explosions, ill-advised alligator feedings or plane crashes – all of which have really happened at such celebrations around the country.
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FBI El Paso tells its story
On the third floor of FBI El Paso’s headquarters, assistant special agent in charge Britton Boyd leaned over and whispered in my ear, sharing a detail about a nearby fingerprint card I would have overlooked. It was Tuesday, and the bureau was holding a press conference to introduce its new miniature museum. The historical display is a project that Boyd has worked on with colleagues for the past year. “The genesis for this idea came from watching a Netflix series,” Boyd told reporters.
In El Paso, warmth and grandkids beckon
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Recharging in the city of the Alamo
Our Uber driver was the garrulous, eager-to-share-local-knowledge type, which is helpful when you just landed in a city you visited once a decade ago. I was in San Antonio for a long weekend to play tourist and catch up with a longtime friend of mine who, unfortunately, lives across the country. He was in the city of the Alamo for a cemetery conference (You read that right.), so I used some points to grab a direct flight.
Brace yourself for November
The November ballot is voluminous. And I’m not just referring to the highly contested presidential election that is making it hard for anything in the vicinity to find breathing room. The ballot is packed with local races and propositions that will shape El Pasoans’ daily lives much closer to home. They will impact how much we pay in taxes and the future of the controversial Downtown arena.
From the editor
When the University of Texas at El Paso introduced Scotty Walden as its new head football coach, El Pasoans were told he would bring energy, passion and a youthful drive to the job. It didn’t take long for the 34-year-old to show what that meant.
Watch out for this new $200 fee
It wasn’t unexpected, but it still stung. I recently took my vehicle in for its annual state inspection and renewed the registration. I paid $7 for the inspection. I then paid the various registration fees to the Department of Motor Vehicles, along with an additional $200. The final bill was $283. Ouch. Why was my bill from the state so high? I drive an electric vehicle – Chevy’s diminutive Bolt EV. I’ve named him Ned.
Welcome Cat, Isabel and Yoali
I’d like to introduce you to the three interns who have joined our small but mighty team of scrappy reporters and editors this summer. You’ve likely already seen their work. Yoali Rodríguez, 22, is a senior at UTEP, where she is pursuing a degree in multimedia journalism. She became a staff writer for Minero Magazine in fall 2022 and recently concluded her second term as editor in chief. She started here as an intern earlier this month.
La Nube impresses
Will El Paso’s new children’s museum live up to the hype? That question has been on my mind as the cloud-shaped building that will house the La Nube discovery center has risen in Downtown El Paso. As impressive as the architecture is, frankly, I’ve been more concerned about the quality of what will be inside. So I couldn’t resist joining El Paso Inc. reporter Reyes Mata and photographer Ruben Ramirez on a tour Monday, the first given to a news outlet ahead of the center’s Aug. 10 opening.
Call in the bacteriophages
Scrolling through the social media app news outlets have to awkwardly refer to as “X, formerly known as Twitter,” a post stopped my finger. “HOW COOL IS THIS? A virus (yes, you read that correctly) could help save BILLIONS of gallons of wastewater produced by fracking.
El Paso Inc. awarded for journalism
El Paso journalists took home more than 40 awards last weekend in a statewide journalism contest. At the annual Texas Managing Editors awards conference April 19-21, El Paso Inc., the El Paso Times and El Paso Matters were recognized for their reporting and photography. I would like to congratulate our news team for its well-deserved wins. El Paso Inc. won multiple awards, including first place in the Specialty Reporting category for a series of stories by El Paso Inc.
A trade crisis brewing at sea (part 2)
Drought and piracy are ancient, and yet recent events have shown they very much remain current threats. In February, I wrote a column focused on the Panama Canal, which has had to restrict ship traffic due to low water levels caused by drought, as well as the expansion of the canal in 2016 to accommodate modern mega-ships. A New York Times investigation at the time found officials ignored warnings that new sources of water would be needed.
SLB Radio Summer Camps 2024
SLB Radio Summer Camps offer middle and high school students one-of-a-kind experiences at the Youth Media Center, including opportunities to learn new skills, get creative, make new friends, and have their voices be heard. Camps are centered on project creation, designed to help all students to walk away with original audio projects to share with family, friends, and SLB Radio listeners. Scroll down to learn more and to register.
Answers to reader's zoo questions
We asked readers via email to send us their questions about the city’s decision not to renew its agreement with the El Paso Zoological Society, ending the nonprofit’s 60-year relationship with the zoo. We received a flood of responses, and I thought I’d devote my column to seeking some answers. There’s clearly a lot of interest in the zoo among our readers! That’s no surprise. It’s a gem.
Answers to readers’ zoo questions
We asked readers via email to send us their questions about the city’s decision not to renew its agreement with the El Paso Zoological Society, ending the nonprofit’s 60-year relationship with the zoo. We received a flood of responses, and I thought I’d devote my column to seeking some answers. There’s clearly a lot of interest in the zoo among our readers! That’s no surprise. It’s a gem.
Welcome El Paso Inc.'s new photographer
On the cover of the 2024 Book of Lists, which you should have received with your newspaper this week or last week, is a photo of five penguins swimming in their new habitat at the El Paso Zoo. The photo was taken by El Paso Inc.’s new photo editor, Ruben R. Ramirez. If you want to know more about the exhibit, and the fun Ruben had photographing the birds, read El Paso Inc. publisher Secret Wherrett’s column on page 6 of the Book of Lists.
A trade crisis brewing at sea
I have to admit, Tuesday morning I wasn’t 100% focused on work. I edited copy for this issue on the left side of my monitor, while I kept an eye on the right side, where I had a browser window open with a live image of the Pedro Miguel locks at the Panama Canal. Operated by the Panama Canal Authority, the webcam image would refresh every 10 seconds or so. Eventually, the pixelated image of a sailboat jerked onto the screen.
Here come the (queueing) penguins
What is it that makes penguins – those tuxedoed birds that can’t fly – so lovable? Their waddle? Belly-sliding? Romantic love lives? The way they seem so awkward yet manage to survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth? No doubt it’s all the above, along with the fact that they typically live in out-of-the-way places that humans don’t, so the wonder never wears off. Maybe we wouldn’t be as amused if they were as plentiful as pigeons. Or maybe they just have a better PR firm.
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