Cat Found With Tin Can Stuck on Its Head

The City of El Paso Animal Services Division saved the life of a feral cat that was found with its head trapped in an empty tin can in South-Central El Paso.

 

Animal Services received a call earlier this week of a feral cat that had its head wedged in a can. It was found along the 5000 block of El Paso Drive. Animal Services officers found the young male cat and took it to the City’s Animal Shelter for treatment.

 

Animal Shelter staff put the cat under anesthesia and safely removed the tin can. Technicians examined the cat and found him to be in good shape. The cat was also neutered and vaccinated against rabies.

 

The cat was released back into the neighborhood where it was found and will now be cared for by a feral cat colony manager; a person who feeds and cares for feral cats in their neighborhood. Feral cats are not available for adoption.

 

Animal Services believes the cat was most likely looking for food and got his head stuck in the discarded tin can. This incident highlights the danger that litter imposes on domestic and wildlife animals. As a reminder, the City of El Paso Environmental Services Department encourages the public to avoid littering by keeping trash in garbage bags and place them securely in trash bins.

 

The Animal Services Division is working to humanely control the feral cat population through the use of a trap-neuter-release (TNR) program in which feral cats are trapped, spay or neutered and released into the neighborhood where they were collected. Ultimately, over time, the population of the colony will decrease and keep other cats from coming into the territory.

 

For more information on the TNR program or to become a feral cat colony manager, call the City of El Paso Animal Services Division at (915) 842-1000.

Active Shooter presentation - ARE YOU PREPARED?

With the recent incident at Houston’s Lone Star Community College, it is important for the El Paso Community College (EPCC) family to know that the EPCC Police Department is prepared in case a similar event happens on one of our campuses.  ARE YOU PREPARED?  Chief Jose Ramirez frequently visits all EPCC campuses and delivers “Active Shooter” presentations.  The presentation educates students and staff on what you can do in this type of dangerous situation.

The next “Active Shooter” presentation will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, February 1, 2013 in the EPCC Administrative Services Center, Building A Auditorium, 9050 Viscount Blvd.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

For information on future “Active Shooter” presentations, contact the EPCC Police Department at (915) 831-2200.  

Influenza Update Illustrates Severity of Disease

In an effort to maintain a steady stream of information regarding the current flu season, the City of El Paso Department of Public Health is releasing the most up-to-date statistics on confirmed cases of the disease in our community. The total number of influenza cases reported during 2012 is 3,094. That is more than three times the number of cases seen the year before in 2011 which was 873. More than half of the 3,094 cases were reported in the month of December 2012. A total of 1,704 cases were reported in the last month of the year.

As the 2012-2013 flu season continues, the Department will begin releasing flu data based on the current flu season.  This means that flu totals will include the months of October, November, and December of 2012 and data collected during the first few months of 2013. This will help us maintain consistency with information being released at the state and national level. Calendar year totals will still be accessible via the epidemiology program website located at: http://home.elpasotexas.gov/health/epidemiology.php under the “Notifiable Conditions Reports” drop-down menu.

The flu season total for 2012-2013 is currently 1,989 cases with cases for the month of January still pending. This compares to 31 cases for the same time period in the 2011-2012 flu season. No deaths have been reported in El Paso.

The Department would like to remind the public that flu vaccines are still available at our Immunization Health Centers located throughout the city.  The cost of the vaccine is $10.00 for children six months to 18 years of age who qualify, and $35.00 for the general public. Please call (915) 771-5822 to set up an appointment.

For more information on flu prevention, please visit our website at:

http://home.elpasotexas.gov/health/seasonal-flu-information.php and you can call   2-1-1 for information on flu vaccine providers.

El Paso Police Promote Strategies to Survive an Active Shooter Event

The El Paso Police Department in continuing the proactive practice of keeping our community safe has posted a video, in English and Spanish, that will improve your chances of surviving an encounter with an Active Shooter. 

The Department recently received a video outlining several key components of dealing with and surviving a potentially deadly situation.  Please take a moment to view these videos and feel free to share them with your family and friends.  Often times, simply discussing strategies amongst your friends, co-workers and family members can greatly increase your chance of survival when confronted by dangerous situations.  Please check this link for direct access to the videos on our website:

http://www.elpasotexas.gov/police/top_links.asp

ROAD CLOSURES

The following roads have been closed:

I-10 Eastbound Exit Ramp to US 54 (north)

US 54 Northbound at the Bridge of the Americas

Traffic is being detoured to Paisano Dr.

Joe Battle (Loop 375) Southbound at Edgemere

Closure of Transmountain (Loop 375)

The TxDOT Emergency Operations Center was activated this morning at
approximately 8:30 a.m. Emergency Call Takers are available for road condition updates at (915) 790-4333.

Transmountain is scheduled to be closed at approximately 10 a.m. today and will continue closed through Friday around 5 p.m., weather permitting.

For Texas road conditons log into:  http://www.drivetexas.org/Full/

SUGGESTIONS:
If you do not need to leave your home, don't.
Make sure your vehicle is prepared for this type of weather.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Stay a good distance from the vehicle in front of you.
Drive friendly and safely.

Municipal Court Sessions Cancelled

Presiding Judge Robledo has canceled all remaining Municipal Court sessions for today.

Additionally, court sessions for Friday morning, December 4, 2013 that begin at 7:00 am through 8:30 am also are cancelled. 

Cases automatically will be reset for a future date.

El Paso Water Utilities congratulates customers for significantly reducing water consumption in 2012

Annual water consumption down more than half-a-billion gallons compared to last year

Year-end water consumption tallies once again prove that El Pasoans have adopted the “Less is the New More” lifestyle – conserving water, protecting our natural resources, and living more responsibly in the Chihuahuan Desert.

§  Collectively, customers of EPWU used 637 million gallons fewer in 2012 than in 2011.

§  Individually, each El Pasoan served by EPWU used an average of 134 gallons per day in 2012, down from 139 gallons per person per day in 2011.

“Congratulations and thank you to El Pasoans for once again proving why this community is a world-wide leader in water conservation,” said EPWU Vice President John Balliew. “Living in the Chihuahuan Desert, we each have a responsibility to conserve. The less water we use today, the more we’ll have tomorrow. That’s why we say LESS is the new MORE.”

While conservation is a decades-long commitment for El Pasoans, Balliew explained the need to conserve will remain especially important in 2013. Because of drought in New Mexico and Colorado, the reservoirs on which EPWU relies for much of the city’s drinking water remain very low. Therefore, El Paso Water Utilities anticipates a severely reduced river water supply again in the New Year.

While EPWU is drilling new wells, building new pipelines, and extending the network of “purple pipes” which delivers reclaimed water for irrigation and industrial use, conservation is a key stepping stone on the path to sustainability.

Updates on the region’s on-going drought along with resources to help El Pasoans conserve can be found at EPWU’s Water Conservation Web site: LessisMoreEP.org.

Zaragoza To Completely Close Tonight

It will be necessary to COMPLETELY CLOSE the North and southbound lanes of Zaragoza (FM 659) between Joe Battle Blvd. and Sun Fire Blvd.

This operation will be in place tonight, December 20 at 9 p.m. to the following morning at 6 a.m.

DETOUR:

     Southbound traffic along Zaragoza will need to take Sun Fire to Montwood

     Northbound traffic along Zaragoza will need to take Montwood to Sun Fire

El Paso Zoo Delayed Opening

The El Paso Zoo will be opening at noon due to icy pathways on zoo grounds.

Sun Metro Service Advisory

Sun Metro's fixed-route service will be running on the regular schedule with some minor delays caused by icy road conditions.

 

There are some service delays for the LIFT, paratransit service, because of unsafe road conditions around the LIFT’s primary facility at 5081 Fred Wilson.

 

Sun Metro passengers are asked to please have patience as drivers work through the icy conditions. The public is asked to please be courteous to Sun Metro buses and fellow commuters to help prevent unnecessary accidents and anxiety.

 

For more information about the Sun Metro fixed-route service, call 533-3333.

For more information about the LIFT service, call 544-2514.

 

We will continue to monitor the weather and provide updates via email and Facebook as the day progresses.

Municipal Court Sessions Cancelled

Presiding Judge Robledo has canceled all remaining Municipal Court sessions for today.

Additionally, court sessions for Friday morning, December 4, 2013 that begin at 7:00 am through 8:30 am also are cancelled. 

Cases automatically will be reset for a future date.

The following roads have been closed | 1/3/13

I-10 Eastbound Exit Ramp to US 54 (north)

 

US 54 Northbound at the Bridge of the Americas

Traffic is being detoured to Paisano Dr.

 

Joe Battle (Loop 375) Southbound at Edgemere

Fort Bliss Closure due to weather conditions

Fort Bliss officials have declared personnel will be
released at 11 a.m. today (Jan. 3) due to severe weather conditions. For
tomorrow (Jan. 4), only key and essential personnel are to report for duty.

Information concerning medical appointments and facilities
associated with William Beaumont Army Medical Center will be forthcoming.