WHERE CAN I SEE MORE GAZETTE PHOTOS?
Why Texas Monthly, of course!

Texas Monthly’s online edition has a multimedia essay, “Mountain Man,” featuring photos taken exclusively by Gazette Publisher John Waters. The photo essay accompanies S. C. Gwynne’s feature article “This Land is His Land” about Texas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson. Gwynne, Patterson and Waters spent two days this January touring the Christmas Mountains and hiking in Big Bend National Park when the photos were taken. Click here.

Alpine’s four candidates for mayor recently sat down with Dallas Baxter to discuss their reasons for running and what they think they can do as mayor of the Tri-counties’ largest city. Alpine’s mayoral election is held May 10. Early voting has already begun, and ends May 6. by Dallas Baxter    more »

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Instead of sending organic materials to landfills and paying the city for the service, compost your yard clippings and kitchen vegetable scraps. As much as 1/3 of city waste comes from yard clean-ups and 1/10 from kitchen garbage. Composting is nature's way of building soil. by Sandra Harper    more »

Now, I’m a born romantic. I cannot help it. After such a touching remark communicating my overall appreciation of her beauty even in her present unkempt state, I figured she would swoon into my arms, and favor me with a kiss. Instead, I got an icy stare and a cold shoulder. by Smokey Briggs    more »

exas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson has responded to the National Park Service’s proposal to acquire the Christmas Mountains in Brewster County. His answer: No guns, no deal: create a National Preserve and we can talk. by John Waters    more »

I enjoyed Blair Pittman’s account of the humanitarian rescue of a cow from Santa Elena Canyon in 2007 [“Cow in the Canyon: a true story with a twist,” March 2008], but his statement that the event was the first time that a cow had been through the Rockslide is incorrect by almost 30 years.   more »

It is absolutely amazing to me how much people spend on herbal remedies and supplements over the counter, when they can barely meet their bills. Some folks cannot afford prescription medications even at Wal-Mart prices of $4 a month for most generics, but will pay good money for moderate- to high-priced supplements. Maybe it’s the idea of making one’s own decisions about what to take for each ailment, but sometimes... by JoAnn Lister    more »

Want your happening for next month listed? Just get the information to us by the 22nd of this month: info@bigbendgazette.com. Meantime, find out what's coming up this month...   more »

While the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) affirms in its mission statement that it “strives to protect our state’s human and natural resources,” that protection has a qualifier: “consistent with sustainable economic development.” In any showdown between profit and health, profit usually wins out. In Texas, the regulatory agency for the environment is open for business. Following are four recent examples in which business interests were dominant over public and environmental health.... by Fran Sage    more »

To make a long story short, it turns out he decided to buy a couple of the new gasoline cans, found a supplier on the Internet, and ordered them – only to receive an email informing him that the company could not legally sell him the cans because they were not CARB compliant, and Texas was now a CARB state. What is CARB? by Smokey Briggs    more »

Last spring, while browsing on eBay, I found and bid on a solar oven. I secretly hoped I would not win the item, but I did. Upon first inspection when it arrived, it seemed well built and was portable. Included were directions for how to prepare whole wheat bread, millet cake, beans, potatoes, onions, sweet corn, chicken, meat, fish, vegetables, and cheeseburger pie, whatever that is. It seemed that you could cook just about anything in the solar oven. I was skeptical yet optimistic. by George Pitlik    more »

After reading Smokey’s article [“Sage Views: The Girls Discover Inflation,” February], I would like to print up bumperstickers that read “Smokey for President 2008” and put them on every car in West Texas....   more »

When a friend from North Texas told her how great the hiking was around Alpine, his home town, Manning came out to hike the Big Bend and, as has happened to so many before and after her, the desert cast its spell. “I wanted to learn all about the desert,” Manning said. by Dallas Baxter    more »

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Ron Paul have something in common they all voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill authorized the construction of 700 miles of barrier between the United States and Mexico – what regionally we call “the border wall.” by John Waters    more »

Following a flood, many a rafter or canoeist has found a stranded cow, horse or burro stuck in the mud. Ropes may be needed, or you just get in there, waist deep in mud, and wrestle it to safety. Keep in mind the animal can kick, bite or gore you, depending on its fear factor. You can’t expect a thank you from these critters. by Blair Pittman    more »

Lupita sighed as she stood to greet them. She’d already made a large batch of dough for tortillas and had instructed her oldest daughter to start a big pot of soup. Hadn’t Carlos told her after the last visit that he was bringing five men? Five at 150 pesos a day for two days would have meant a good increase in the stash of money she had set aside for the trip to Chihuahua to have the baptism. The baby was already a year old and still without a name. by Jackie Siglin    more »

We await further updates from the Brewster Co. Sheriff Dept. regarding a Union Pacific train derailment west of Alpine which occurred at approximately11:50 pm last night near Hwy 90 and FM 1703 (Sunny Glen Road). Meantime, shortly before11 am today, Brewster County Judge Val Beard told The Gazette that the scene of this morning’s train derailment in Alpine is “safe” and has been given an “all clear.” Residents near the derailment who were evacuated have been told they can return to their homes.   more »

I continue to be amused by some of the comments regarding the Christmas Mountains found on various websites. Before discussing the Christmas Mountains I would encourage all to read all the information that is found on the GLO website www.glo.state.tx.us.... In any discussion on any public policy issue, credibility is essential. Comments made or written by those who haven't "done their homework” only serve to advance the cause of those who have the opposing view. I find that most of the negative comments made about the GLO/Christmas Mountains...   more »