Now I am a journalist in search of the truth. To be more accurate, I am a reporter covering the issues and people of the Big Bend. Over the past several years we have strived to provide a quixotic lens on a unique region by way of thorough research, investigation and analysis. We have had our ups and downs.   more »

At nightfall Boren commanded the attention of the group and told the returning veterans he would lead them in an interpretation of the Navajo Enemy Way Chant Ceremony. Historically, the ceremony’s goal was used to exorcise the spirits of the violence and ugliness that warriors had experienced and to pray for and protect from the spirits of slain enemies. by John Waters    more »

The face looking back at me was young, maybe twenty at the most. I had never seen a wearier expression but a light seemed to come on in his eyes at my offer. His whiskers had grown out for more than a few days and unruly, desert-colored hair poked out from beneath a ball cap. He had on too many clothes for the warmth of the day and was sweating. by Beth Garcia    more »

I quickly assessed my surroundings and noticed that there was some kind of dark zone near the football field of Bernalillo High, “Home of the Spartans,” says a sign on top of the school. As I set up the poles and scanned the school property for movement, I feel the thrill of the road. by Mark Kneeskern    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 »

South Brewster County residents awoke to no electricity on the morning of Wednesday, July 30 in what was to be the start of almost 2 days without power. Power was lost on Wednesday morning at about 2:30am and restored at 11:20 am. Power was again lost at about 4:30 in the afternoon and restored on Thursday at about 1 pm. A third interruption of power occurred Saturday, Aug. 2. by John Waters    more »

To be around Border Patrol agents is to hear the phrase “bad guys” fairly often. Until last week, I don’t think I have heard that more than a handful of times since I was a kid playing cops and robbers, which perhaps reveals more about me and my possible naïveté than is germane to this story. It definitely reveals a lot about the core work of the Border Patrol... by Marlys Hersey    more »

Then the process begins, and those that suffer the most are the poor little Hirundo rusticas. Every year around the first of April our colony of barn swallows reappear and this time, as a result of painting, they came home to no houses. It seems that in the process of painting the nests had to go, another unintended consequence. by Larry Francell    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 »

In a first for the state of Texas, the Gazette has confirmed that the General Land Office is selling land with the state reserving solar energy rights to the property. The GLO has long reserved other rights such as mineral, geothermal; more recently wind rights and now solar energy. by John Waters    more »

Granted, my visit was on Memorial Day weekend, so a vibe was to be expected, but with the temperature at 102, the number of guests moving around was impressive. Impressive too was that people were still outside, on the patio, imbibing cold beverages, seemingly unbothered by the heat. For the first time in my living near and reporting on Lajitas in nearly five years, the place had a buzz. Could Lajitas be rising like a phoenix out of the ashes? by John Waters    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 »

A large portion of Wellman’s talk ended up being about, well, preventing Big Bend NP from becoming another Organ Pipe NM in Arizona, where Wellman was Superintendent when the tides turned, so to speak, and within just a few years, the park was ravaged by illegal immigration. Organ Pipe became, Wellman told the group, “a war zone between two drug lord factions.” The “hundreds of miles of illegal roads in the park” and some 200,000 migrants coming though a park half the size of Big Bend took a huge toll on the park’s natural and human resources and forced the closure of 90% of the park to public access. 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 »

In response to Congressional pressure, the Department of the Interior is proposing new regulations allowing park visitors to carry guns in areas managed by the National Park Service and/or the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuges. While there has been no groundswell of park goers seeking a right to carry concealed weapons in those management areas, the new regulations in this election year would allow concealed weapons. by Fran Sage    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 »

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 »