I would like to make a public confession. I have been officially indoctrinated into the Big Bend Old Fogies Suspected Terrorist Cell. Seriously.   more »

The Book Grant program provides money to qualified Sul Ross students to help them purchase textbooks. Certain requirements apply. Qualified students must have graduated from a high school in Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties, have taken at least 24 semester credit hours of college work, maintain a 3.0 grade point average or better, and be a fulltime student in good standing at the university.   more »

It turns out that Mitre Peak Girl Scout camp, just north of Alpine in the Davis Mountains, is available for day use and group rentals on the off-seasons.   more »

Bourbon, who first made his candidacy public during an interview with The Gazette on Monday, Nov. 16, said he was running because of his “dissatisfaction with the current Commissioners Court and the lack of communication” from the court.   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 »

This painting "Window on the World" was done by Terlinguan artist, musician, homebuilder, and gallery owner Bryn Moore, who will be exhibiting many of her works of art this month at the Hotel Paisano's Greasewood Gallery in Marfa.   more »

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.   more »

Val Beard has served as Brewster County Judge since 1993. From 1983 – 1991, she was Brewster County Attorney. Beard is a Constitutional County Judge with both administrative and judicial authority. In addition to presiding over Commissioners Court, she has active probate, criminal and civil dockets. Brewster County, the largest County in Texas, is an exceptionally diverse, growing rural county.   more »

However, while the legal battle over the children was still in process, the Texas Attorney General launched a criminal investigation based on evidence indicating that at least some of the children had been born to underage mothers. CPS obtained DNA samples from all of the children and many of the FLDS adults and turned the samples over to the Attorney General’s Office, which says the test results confirm their suspicions. Based on this and other evidence seized during the raid, twelve male members of the FLDS were charged with criminal conduct ranging from Bigamy to Sexual Assault of a Child. Raymond Jessup is the first one of the twelve to be put on trial. By Steve Anderson    more »

In late September the congregants at Big Bend Baptist Church provided fellowship and nourishment to the workers of Terlingua Fire & Emergency Medical Services and the educators at Terlingua CSD.   more »

Gallery Night Artwalk is a colorful and zesty affair where visitors spend the weekend touring all-day open houses to view artwork in various mediums while enjoying socializing, entertainment and food along the way. Portraits, sculptures, oil paintings, watercolors, etchings, jewelry, carvings, metalwork, weavings and crafts of all kinds are there for the beholding.   more »

While the 2010 race may be dust, the energetic, creative and eternally optimistic minds at Desert Sports are shaking off the race cancellation disappointment and strategizing on rising like a phoenix, out of the ashes, to new adventures. Possible future Mas O Menos courses are being explored.   more »

Let’s say you Google for news about a celebrity or hurricane that’s getting lots of coverage. Google responds with a list of web pages so you click on a link that looks interesting. Suddenly your PC’s screen fills with warnings that a virus has been detected. Here’s where fear becomes your enemy. by Tim Wilde    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 »