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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Although authorized by the federal transportation bill, the $1.2 million for the Lajitas Relief Route remained unspent. After the transportation bill became law the funds could not be spent for anything else, period. by John Waters    more »

While Child Protective Services repeatedly insisted (and the media largely regurgitated this insistence) that the agency had no choice but to pull children from the Yearning For Zion ranch, that it was acting out of extreme concern for the safety and well-being of those individuals, two Alpine legal aid attorneys representing some FLDS mothers found the actions of the state in the ensuing weeks “unbelievably horrible.” by Marlys Hersey    more »

With the new council seated (and former Mayor Clouse in attendance as citizen), the May 20 meeting was dominated by an update on the “Solid Waste Project” by Grant Jackson of Naismith Engineering, Inc., who shared the latest findings from a study, to be completed this August, to help “recommend to you a menu of options available” for when Alpine’s landfill reaches its maximum holding capacity. by Marlys Hersey    more »

Who knew? It turns out that the big ol’ yucca (left) at the southeast corner of the Alpine Civic Center on W. Holland Avenue is the “Largest of its species growing in the United States.” The National Register of Big Trees informed the city of this distinction on May 5.   more »

Joni Marginot, Director of the Marfa Chamber of Commerce, loves the lights being out and seeing the stars. She finds the darkness soothing and said it was beautiful to look down a dark Highland Avenue towards the lighted Courthouse. Marginot said she had not heard one complaint from a tourist. They like it. The skies in Big Bend are an attraction for our visitors. by George Pitlik    more »

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 »

On Friday, Nov. 16, at Alpine’s Gallery Night Artwalk, featured artist James Evans showed a collection of his photos, “Of Missing Persons,” residents of the Big Bend... by Marlys Hersey    more »

I thought about your request for improvements to the Gazette [“On celebrating 4 years of publication,” October 2007] and could think of nothing. It seemed as if nothing should be changed…and then suddenly   more »

Once established, the saltcedar is a tenacious tenant. Its root system is substantial with a tap root sometime reaching 15 feet deep and secondary surface roots which soak up rainfall. It tolerates drought, heat, cold, salinity, fire and flooding. But this is not the worst part.... by Jim Glendinning    more »

The purpose of the Arlington Memorials is, according to the national Veterans for Peace organization, “to make the consequences of war real, and to allow people to express their grief, respect and thoughts.” The several Arlingtons are primarily in honor of fallen U.S. service members, the VFP said, but they are also intended, in accordance with the group’s mission, “to increase the public awareness of the cost of war and to seek justice for veterans and victims of war.”   more »

When most people think of yoga, they think of people twisting their bodies like pretzels, and the way yoga has been adopted in the West definitely focuses on the physical postures, or asanas, that make up much of the practice. Actually, these asanas, or exercises, are only one of the eight limbs of yoga as set down by the Indian sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, over 2,000 years ago. by Ceil Drucker    more »

Always interested in opportunities in radio, Chavigny stays attuned to what’s going on with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With his friend Danny Self, who had a pirate station in Marathon for a while, he tried to get a permit for a low-power FM station, but found that the short window of opportunity typically offered by the FCC was closed. Still, Chavigny watched and waited. And there it was.... by Dallas Baxter    more »