The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the alleged sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery and arson that took place in Terlingua on December 6, as a possible hate-crime. The hate-crime provision may be invoked given that the attack seems to have been motivated by perceived sexual orientation of the victim. By John Waters    more »

Since 1996, licensed citizens have been carrying concealed handguns all over Texas. The “blood running in the streets” and “return to the old west” concerns of the anti-gun contingent have not come to fruition…neither in Texas or any other right-to-carry state. Anyone who has taken the required training course, will probably tell you that they came away from it with the fervent hope that they would never have to use their weapon. If for no other reason, than the legal entanglements that even a self defense shooting involves. One instructor told me, “When you pull that trigger, you’ve spent at least a hundred thousand dollars, even if you’re 100% in the right." by Don Cadden    more »

Not a comprehensive history of the region, this is the sort of book that will appeal to lovers of Big Bend, admirers of tenacious spirits, and anyone enchanted by ephemeral faces suspended in old photographs. by Megan Wilde    more »

The flip side of this feat, though, is that the hummers need to fire up quickly in the morning. This means they must start feeding to replenish their energy reserves. If you have conditioned a hummingbird to come to a feeder, that’s where it’s headed first thing, looking for the quick sugar fix. Here’s the catch: adding sugar to water lowers the water’s freezing temperature.... by Mark Flippo    more »

The media reports that research shows text-messaging while driving is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol. Scary stuff. Six of my nine grandchildren drive. by George Pitlik    more »

Ojinaga has a population of about 30,000 and put on a parade which was well beyond the scope of its numbers. I assumed I could arrive a few minutes before parade time, grab a good spot, watch the festivities, and be done in an hour. Boy, was I wrong. Downtown was thick with people, marchers, and floats. I was lucky to find a parking place and found it even harder to get a good spot to watch the parade at the plaza. People had obviously been holding their places for some time. It lasted over two hours. Every school in town had worked to construct ornately beautiful floats pulled by semi trucks, intricately depicting revolutionary scenes. by Pilar Pedersen    more »

The gallery is located in the “Old Town Square” row of buildings on the corner of N. 5th Street and Sul Ross Avenue, and is open 11 am to 5:30 pm Wednesday through Sunday, with alterations for major holidays.   more »

Fritz obviously feels bad about the incident and needed to tell someone, preferably a stranger. This is a service I often find myself providing to the people who give me a lift. I am The Road Priest, listening to tales of iniquity. It’s a metal confessional box on wheels. The difference is, I look my sinners in the eye. I want to tell Fritz to do twenty Hail Marys but I don’t know if that’s the right amount or even what a Hail Mary is exactly, so I just utter “That’s messed up, man.” and leave it at that. by Mark Kneeskern    more »

Yesterday I tried to make myself leave the house. I got as far as the bench on the front porch – and then I sat down quickly because from there the Catalina Mountains stood out from and above everything else, about thirty-five miles away from me. Clouds hung over them, like the rest of Tucson, but in places the sun would break through, as if to spotlight one peak, then another. The message was clear: Look at this—isn’t it fabulous? Now see this one—can you believe it? by Beth Garcia    more »

In an effort to disrupt human-trafficking, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) will bus will transport two busloads consisting of 94 Mexican Nationals, per day, caught illegally in Arizona, to the Port of Entry in Presidio. The transported individuals will then be released and allowed to walk across the international bridge to Mexico. by John Waters    more »

The number of people who sacrificed their fortunes, health and had to compromise their ideals in order to protect us from ourselves were considerable, and to them we owe a great debt. But until Burns told us, how many of us even knew their names? By Larry Francell    more »

My job is entertainer and informant. I try to convey something of the spirit of the border lands, without overloading guests with facts. I use anecdote, personal reminiscence and contemporary references to tell of the area’s violent history, distinctive geology and varied natural habitat – particularly its colorful residents, including contemporary ones I have interviewed. The landscape speaks for itself, it just needs explaining. I try to keep the tone of my narrative light, and am always looking at audience response. Drooping eyelids means I’m boring them. By Jim Glendinning    more »

Mark Foster and Deborah Tout have gardened year-round since they moved to Alpine in the summer of 2003. Foster, 55, who has gardened “on both coasts and a lot of places in between,” since he was ten years old, thinks this area is “absolutely the easiest climate I’ve grown in.” by Marlys Hersey    more »

I see many cheeseheads walking up the bank of steps outside the facility and we exchange whoops of joy at our being connected by the strange word. The other half of my sign, “Yooperland,” is being questioned by passersby, which is a good thing, as I want interaction to spawn some ride possibilities. I know that the people from Yooperland will understand, because they are Yoopers of course, so called because they live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, or “the U.P.” Several Yoopers approach me and give me high-fives, prideful of their origins. But all of these Yoopers have moved away, mostly to Milwaukee. In fact, everyone seems to have come to the game from Milwaukee. By Mark Kneeskern    more »

The proposal for a Wilderness Area within this park is not new. When the idea of designating two-thirds of Big Bend National Park as wilderness was first proposed, then-President Richard Nixon said, “At a time when our Nation is seriously concerned with conserving our energy resources, it is also important that we protect another treasured national resource — our wilderness areas and the many varieties of plant and animal life which thrive uniquely in wilderness environments.” By John Waters    more »

And perhaps best of all, staff levels have never been better; the organization now has three paid medics and fifteen volunteer firefighters, plus a group of almost a dozen newly-trained first responders, in addition to already on board stalwart volunteer ECAs and drivers. by John Waters    more »

This had been going on for a week. Every time I dialed my daughter’s number another young woman spoke before Missy answered. This time the words were decipherable; before I’d only been able to tell it was a young woman speaking. As soon as my daughter answered she disappeared. by Beth Garcia    more »

There happen to be a crappy discount made-in-China crap store across the road from where I stand, and so I go with my small backpack of important items, leaving the big pack along the road. This is clearly an act of desperation, as I would usually cut off my hands before going into such a place looking for a hat. What I find is a fairly despicable bucket-hat-for-the-indolent, Panama hats so misinformed I can’t help but wonder if they were made in a sweatshop in North Dakota, plasticky cowboy hats(the kind you wear to attract other people with plasticky cowboy hats). by Mark Kneeskern    more »

Always so tender hearted, you never thought twice about bringing home strays who needed warmth, nourishment, and love…. So we always kept puppy and kitten chow handy, until we found the perfect home for each and every one. As the years passed, our hearts and generosity expanded, insuring that our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables were filled with misplaced and lonely souls who graced our presence, sharing in God’s blessings during the holidays.   more »