The past year in El Paso brought moments of reckoning, change and reflection — in courtrooms and classrooms, along the border and across neighborhoods shaped by faith, culture and shared history.
From landmark criminal cases to shifting immigration enforcement and decisions with lasting impacts on schools, infrastructure and the environment, the stories that defined the year often intersected with daily life in ways that were deeply personal.
Some of the year’s most consequential moments unfolded in the judicial aftermath of the 2019 Walmart mass shooting, when the gunman pleaded guilty after the district attorney decided not to seek the death penalty. Families of victims publicly grappled with grief, justice and forgiveness…