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 »

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 »

We opt for Puerto Vallarta: any warm salt water sounds good to me, and as a surfer now living in the desert, Waters opts for waves. A few years ago, we had a great trip in Mexico, training and bussing it all the way to San Blas, in the state of Nayarit — a small town on the coast, just a few hours north of Vallarta. To return to that region in just a few hours is a lovely prospect. by Marlys Hersey    more »

When asked for details on the resignation, Liz Demetri, POATRI board president told the Gazette, “As I stated at the [April 25] meeting, we, the board have no announcement to make at this time. Whatever conversation you and Alida had is between the two of you.”   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 »

Frieda was a cat who found, two blocks away from our house in Boise, Idaho, someone else’s sunny deck and made it her deck – because she loved to be in the sun, we didn’t have a deck, and why would anyone object to her crawling through the fence and making herself at home on their deck? And no one did. by Marlys Hersey    more »

I’m happy to report we at AIG are paying 400 of the good employees of our credit default swap unit $450 million of your money to stay at AIG. You might ask why would we pay the people who were responsible for our write down of $34 billion over $1 million each so they can hang on? Good question. Maybe because were using O.P.M. – Wall Street speak for “Other People’s Money,” which in this case is your money. By John Waters    more »

As 2008 closes I am happy to report we at AIG have borrowed $127.7 billion from you. This represents 84% of the $152.5 billion you have provided through your generous agent, the federal government, and in particular the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. by John Waters    more »

In Mexico there are bars that cater only to men. Women are not welcome in those. This was an affront to Victoria and me. We were learning about women’s rights and we considered ourselves liberal feminists. We thought Mexico, a country we loved, should move forward into this century. But maybe this wasn’t about making a feminist statement as much as satisfying our curiosity about forbidden things no one would tell us. by Beth Garcia    more »

Last month, I predicted that some of our talented AIG employees might find the corporate culture at the NY Fed alluring. Well, those dogs from defunct Bear Sterns beat us to it. by John Waters    more »

The rocky road from the Rio Grande to Rancho Milagro was passable year-round except when it rained, but it didn’t rain very often. It was a long, long, bouncy fifteen miles to Mimi’s. by Blair Pittman    more »

After Dodson contacted Knight by phone, Knight insisted they speak in person. Dodson finally contacted Knight at Knight’s residence about 8:15 pm, at which time Knight told Dodson he had transported sodium cyanide to his son’s property off South County Road in Terlingua and had attempted to dispose of it on bentonite soil. Fearing that a hiker or illegal alien might come in contact with the cyanide, Knight contacted Dodson’s office after first seeking legal representation. by John Waters    more »

And this question leads to another story. Once upon a time long ago and far away a group of men we call the Founding Fathers met for the purpose of creating a governing document, a covenant among the people of the United States. This was not a contract between defined parties, but I think a true covenant among all citizens. by Larry Francell    more »