EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A Wisconsin native who helped a border community come to grips with a mass shooting, the COVID-19 pandemic and historic migration is celebrating 10 years at the helm of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso.

Bishop Mark J. Seitz on Sunday reflected on a decade of service in an overwhelmingly Catholic community where he has preached compassion for the stranger and called on people to turn to God in their darkest moments.

The bishop celebrated his decennial just days after a federal judge sentenced Patrick Wood Crusius to 90 consecutive life sentences for hate crimes related to killing 23 people and wounding 22 others at an El Paso Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019.

“This terrible exhibition of hatred and the unfathomable loss that so many people experienced… how many life sentences can there be? How many times can we kill a killer in order to heal?” Seitz said. “The only one who can heal is God. […] Not to say the pain will ever fully go away, but we will find a way to move forward, to endure, and even become better people and a better community…”

Seitz said the church remains on watch of how it can spiritually assist survivors of the massacre and family members of the victims – who last week had a chance to face the killer in court and tell him how much he wronged them and their loved ones.

“The chance for people to face the killer and tell him how much they have suffered is very important, but it also revealed how (bad) the hurt is, even four years after,” the bishop said. “The church needs to be there; Jesus needs to be there. I hope we will be able to assist the victims and all our community to find a way to move forward and remind people that God is present here and capable of bringing good out of evil.”

Seitz became a priest in 1980 and a bishop in 2010. He came to El Paso in 2013 after serving as the auxiliary bishop in Dallas. He presided over the diocese’s centennial celebration in 2014 and coordinated events in El Paso to coincide with Pope Francis’ visit to Juarez, Mexico, in 2016.

The El Paso bishop also was heavily involved in local efforts to provide a humanitarian response to a series of migrant surges beginning in the fall of 2018 and coming to a slowdown late last May, as the U.S. government forced asylum-seekers to apply online or risk losing future immigration benefits if they just showed up between ports of entry.

“From the day I came, I felt I was a part of the family. The welcome I received was incredible,” Seitz said. “We all have our moments like every family, but ultimately, we realize we are together in this, not just on this side of the border, but as a binational community.

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - A few weeks ago KGNS reported on a section of the Texas Property Tax Code that allows taxing entities to exempt up to 20 percent of your homestead value from being taxed, this would provide property tax relief to homeowners; however, the decision to do this lies with governing boards of each taxing entity before a deadline.

That deadline was set for July 1, but it came and went with not one additional taxing entity even considering adding a homestead exemption discount.

The City of Laredo placed the item on the agenda for discussion.

After KGNS’s prior interview with Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, there was no doubt he agreed property tax relief is needed but that relief is not going to come from a homestead exemption.

That exemption offers up to a 20-percent discount on your homestead.

According to Judge Tijerina, part of the problem is finding out just how much it would affect their budget.

“Currently, our budget office is working with our auditor’s office to obtain the revenue side of the budget, and awaiting the certified appraisal values from the Webb County Appraisal District. Commissioner’s court needs concrete numbers before making any decisions that will financially impact our budget. Furthermore, we continue to explore the 3-2-1 option,” said Judge Tijerina.

Laredo College is also taking a pass on the exemption.

“The Laredo College Board of Trustees will meet on August 3 to discuss the college’s tax rate. With the passage of house bill 8, the Texas Higher Education coordinating board is expected to provide new funding formulas by the middle of July, which will have a direct impact on the board’s decision,” said Laredo College President Dr. Minita Ramirez

The city however did discuss the exemption; however, the city administration quickly shot it down saying they would take a big hit if they offered taxpayers even the minimum one-percent allowed.

“Prices are going up for our materials and supplies, construction supplies etcetera and so there are a lot of needs for additional employees, health insurance costs are increasing,” said City of Laredo Deputy City Manager Rosario Cabello. “A million dollars to us on a one percent equates to x positions, x projects, x programs.”

The proposal isn’t quite off the table for next year; in a statement the city says, “They will look at the possibility of offering a higher percentage of homestead exemption next year. This action takes two public readings to enact and council agreed there was not enough time before the July 1 deadline.”

Once again, the state does allow between a one percent and 20 percent discount per homestead, so perhaps next year, it may be more than one percent.

During a recent workshop, finance administrators recommended lowering the current homestead exemption discount from 15 to 10 percent to help pay for teacher salary increases at UISD.

This would have meant all UISD homeowners paying higher property taxes but the board of trustees voted that down.

As far as offering property tax relief this year, there’s still a chance.

Taxing entities still have time to vote on lowering the tax rate by a few pennies. That decision will be made this summer as the budget process is currently underway at all three entities, the city, the county and Laredo College.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Laredo residents along Highway 359 are entering day two of a water boil notice.

Today, the city’s utilities department said crews have addressed the repair and are currently flushing the lines to ensure the elimination of air pockets.

After that, workers will test the water for contamination.

The utility department emphasizes that the boil water notice continues to be in effect until those results are in.

The hope is that those affected won’t have to wait that long. City of Laredo spokesperson Noraida Negron says, “We are expecting for it to be lifted in 24-48 hours. What happened is that we were able to fix the issue yesterday. We fixed the 12-inch line that broke, and now what we’re doing is we’re flushing the line.”

Residents who are still affected can still pick up bottled water at Freedom Elementary this weekend.

The city says a portion of residents already have their water in service.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - It’s not Coachella, Lollapalooza, or any big-name festival, but a youth festival taking place later this month is hoping to be Laredo’s spiritual version.

The King of Kings Festival is encouraging all high school-age students to attend with their friends.

Organizers say there will be special guests, music, and activities with a deeper purpose.

Things kick off on July 22nd at 3:00 p.m. and run until 7:00 p.m at the Laredo Safari and Adventure Park.

Live music will be performed by husband-and-wife duo Carolina Ramirez and Daniel Godinez.

However, deadlines are approaching and spots are filling up.

You can register at  kingofkingsyouthfestival.com for more information.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The summer season is the perfect time to travel — but a recent backlog in passport applications is putting some traveling plans in jeopardy.

Jannel Garza and her family almost lost a trip they were planning for months.

This is due to a backlog in passport applications.

About 500,000 applications are sent to the United States State Department every week, but there is not enough staff to process each application.

Ricardo Contreras with the Hidalgo County District Clerk’s Office recalls a time when things were different.

“Routine processing was anywhere from seven to nine weeks, expedited could be anywhere from three to four weeks, five at the most,” Contreras said.

But now, that process is taking longer.

“This is taking up to 13 weeks, so that’s more than two months,” Contreras said. 

Garza says she and her family were lucky to have received their passports in time for their vacation, but things were getting stressful.

“I applied back in April, with the idea to travel sometime in the summer like we normally do, and to my surprise, they did take the thirteen weeks that they said that they would,” Garza said. “I received them yesterday, and I applied back on April 20.” 

Contreras says planning ahead and doing research before traveling is important to make sure you catch that flight.

He reminds applicants to bring necessary documents and a check or money order to pay for the process.

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A federal judge on Friday sentenced Patrick Wood Crusius to spend the rest of his life in prison.

The man who shot 23 people dead and left another 22 injured on the morning of Aug. 3, 2019, at an El Paso Walmart will serve 90 consecutive life prison terms for committing hate crimes resulting in murder, hate crimes involving an attempt to kill and for using firearms to commit murder and violence.

The killer, whose odd behavior during the three-day hearing puzzled and infuriated relatives of the victims, did not address the court on Friday. But his lawyer Joseph Spencer read a statement on his behalf saying Crusius has suffered from mental illness since he was a child and is schizophrenic.

Nonetheless, Spencer said his client took responsibility for his actions and the harm he caused. At the defense’s request, Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama agreed that Crusius, 24, serve the sentence at the maximum-security facility in Florence, Colorado.

“He’s suffering mental illness. He’s not getting the proper medication. He’s getting some medication at the jail but he’s not getting the right medication we’re trying to get him to control his psychotic thoughts.” Spencer told reporters after coming out of the federal courthouse in Downtown El Paso. “The reactions you may have seen (inside the courtroom) are part of his condition.”

Crusius appeared casual and detached throughout the hearing, rocking in his swivel chair and moving his head sideways and back and forth while witnesses were on the stand. Some of the relatives accused him of smirking and rolling his eyes during their impact statements.

“Because of his mental condition, he gets very nervous. The facial expressions are not those of a normal person,” Spencer said.

Relatives of the victims don’t believe Crusius is taking responsibility for his actions, nor that mental illness was behind the mass killings.

“When the lawyers on our behalf (the prosecutors) spoke, I looked at his expression and there was no tears, there wasn’t anything as far as showing remorse. So, I don’t buy any of that crap,” said Dean Reckard, the son of Walmart fatal shooting victim Margie Reckard. “He lied before and he’s lying now.”

Spencer said people should not look for reason “in a house of madness,” and that his client’s brain is “broken.”

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Hanna said there is no indication that Crusius lacked the capability to understand what he was doing.

“We reject that he didn’t know what was happening because of mental illness,” Hanna said in court. He added the defendant had plenty of time to think about what he was doing during the long drive to El Paso, and that he posted an online manifesto first, and 17 minutes later started shooting.

Further, he purchased the murder weapons almost seven weeks prior to the shooting, he said.

Investigators maintain that Crusius secured an assault-type rifle and posted an online manifesto against the “Hispanic invasion of Texas” before driving 10 hours from Allen, Texas, to El Paso to “kill Mexicans.”

“He failed in his mission to hate, divide and separate. He failed because people in this community will never let him succeed. That failure, his failure, will bring hope,” Hannah said.

But Spencer said he does not believe Crusius is a racist.

“When I first went to see him, on Aug. 4, 2019, and I (found out) what had happened, I told him, ‘Patrick, my name is Joe Spencer. My last name may be Spencer, but my ass is 100% brown. I’m Hispanic. Do you have a problem?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m not a racist.”

Crusius next has to face trial on state charges. El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks on Thursday said he expects the state to take custody of the mass shooter in October. The “custody” part is a technicality, meaning he can be in a federal prison and be called to state proceedings either remotely or in person.

Hicks said state prosecutors will seek the death penalty on one count of capital murder involving multiple victims, and 22 counts for aggravated assault.

Crusius’ lawyer says a state gag order prohibits him from commenting on the state case. But, he stated that seeking the death penalty will only delay closure for the community.

“We don’t believe that any jury in this country will give Patrick Crusius the death penalty because of the mitigating evidence that we have, that we produced to the federal government, which is quite capable of making an evaluation,” Spencer said. “They don’t worry about calling a press conference to say, ‘I want the death penalty, we should have the death penalty’ and then they’re going to run for office,” Spencer told reporters outside the courthouse. “That is the difference between the state process and the federal government process.”

Spencer said lawyers know death penalty cases take years to go to trial and reach a resolution, and if the defendant is found guilty the appeals process can take decades and “millions and millions” of taxpayer dollars.

“It may take decades before this community reaches judicial finality. And that is outrageous. […] It is true (we) are morally opposed to the death penalty, but in this case, there has been a history of severe mental illness.”