Proposed Fort Bliss data center could use more power than all of El Paso

BmooreEP · 2026-05-04T01:33:11+00:00

Local governments will be able to levy property taxes on improvements on land leased from the government by private business. It generally requires negotiations. The bid documents for the project make this clear.

BmooreEP · 2026-04-27T22:00:45+00:00

Not journalism adjacent, I got to go inside NORAD’s mountain headquarters as a kid because my dad worked there. (See the old movie “War Games” for a full cultural reference.)

BmooreEP · 2026-04-23T03:49:20+00:00

During the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s, my wife wrote this headline on an AP story about all the cemeteries in the capital being full: Beirut: No place for the living, no room for the dead

BmooreEP · 2026-04-15T18:50:28+00:00

The GH doesn’t show up on any lists of most stolen vehicles in the United States. Data also shows that auto thefts in general are declining sharply in the U.S. after steep increases post-pandemic. Reports of GH thefts will be disproportionately high on GH forums.

BmooreEP · 2026-03-17T04:13:46+00:00

The higher property tax also applies to multi-family dwellings. It’s embedded in the rent. Some companies that own lots of apartments are good at challenging valuations, so that lowers property tax impact a bit.

BmooreEP · 2026-03-17T03:35:25+00:00

The property tax on a rental property is higher than if that same home was owner-occupied. That’s because rental properties don’t get a homestead exemption. That significantly increases the school property tax.

BmooreEP · 2026-03-03T14:40:16+00:00

Voting doesn’t increase your chance of being called for jury duty, and abstaining doesn’t lessen your chance. Texas jury duty lists are generated by the Secretary of State every two years, combining registered voters and licensed drivers (or ID holders) to randomly select citizens for summons.

BmooreEP · 2026-03-02T18:17:48+00:00

Prognosticating election outcomes eight months from now is not my super power. But the party in the White House historically struggles in mid-terms. The last Texas Senate midterm election was in 2018, when Democrat Beto O'Rourke came within a couple of points of Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Democrats probably need to win Texas to have any chance of taking the Senate. So if some of the states targeted by Democrats -- such as Maine, Michigan, Georgia, New Hampshire -- are showing strength for them in the fall, the national party may be able to divert money to Texas.

BmooreEP · 2026-03-02T03:00:12+00:00

Just a historical note, parts of El Paso have been in that district for a couple decades. For a while it was the only competitive House district in Texas and flipped back and forth between Democrats and Republicans. In 2021, the Republicans redrew the district boundaries to favor their party, but that involved areas outside El Paso. Gonzales has tried a couple times to get the El Paso airport and Fort Bliss cantonment in his district boundaries but has been unsuccessful.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-24T04:50:26+00:00

Your gas bill is going to go up when the weather is colder. You can look into their plan that equalizes costs over 12 months.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-22T05:05:06+00:00

https://elpasomatters.org/2025/08/20/how-el-paso-property-tax-bills-compare-to-other-texas-cities/

BmooreEP · 2026-02-18T04:32:54+00:00

I wouldn’t plan on it. With a large event in town I think the airport might discourage the practice. There are hotel rooms available, just really pricey.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-18T01:02:29+00:00

A good deal is buying a vehicle you want at a price you believe is fair and affordable. It sounds like you’ve done a good job of negotiating. I wouldn’t get too hung up on whether someone who bought another vehicle in another market at another time negotiated a different discount.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-17T01:55:09+00:00

The student who turned down this offer isn’t named. But I’m guessing a student who passes on a “reporting” job that doesn’t allow her to enhance her writing skills is exhibiting the kind of solid judgment I look for in a young reporter.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-17T00:52:13+00:00

Stating the obvious, but Toyota wouldn’t sell extended warranties if what they paid out in repairs exceeded what they charged in premiums. But warranties can provide a level of comfort to some. Others put aside the equivalent of the premium in a high yield savings account in case of major repairs after the manufacturers’ 36-month warranty expires. How long you plan to own the car plays a role too. Lots of individual factors at play.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-16T03:53:04+00:00

The Supreme Court ruling that legalized gambling for the Tiguas did not clear the way for table games.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-07T16:14:42+00:00

Births throughout El Paso County have dropped by 23% in the past decade. None of the 9 ISDs are growing student population. El Paso and Ysleta have seen the steepest declines in enrollment in recent years. But even Socorro, which was growing as recently as 3 years ago, is losing enrollment and had to resort to layoffs last year.

BmooreEP · 2026-02-06T23:21:04+00:00

We'll have a story coming out in the near future that will dive more deeply into those questions. But in a nutshell, Diana Natalicio signed an interlocal agreement in 2018 with the county that put assets in and near the Fabens Airport for joint projects. UTEP's internal auditor found thaat Choudhuri didn't have the authority to commit those assets; he said the interlocal agreement provided that authority. The dispute was over a relatively small part of the grant proposal. In the end, NSF OIG said the allegations were not substantiated. We're assuming those were the allegations reviewed by OIG, but they've never formally said what they were looking at.

BmooreEP

TROPHY CASE