December 2022

Happy New Year Alpine. It is hard to believe that another year is winding down and 2022 is in the rear-view mirror.

With what seemed like a short summer break, the Alpine Lady Bucks were back on the court this past weekend. The Bucks volleyball team looked a bit different this year than it has in the past.

Two Sul Ross State football players were named to the D3football.com 2022 All-Region 3 team. Offensive lineman Ajani Batts earned third team offense.

This past year has seen drought conditions affect wildlife, and deer are one of many that have suffered because of it. The earlier months of 2022 saw little to no precipitation and high winds. The month of June saw some precipitation, but this miniscule amount was overshadowed by hot days. It wasn’t until August of this year that the tri-county area saw any significant precipitation to combat some of the drought conditions that affected the area deer population.

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The Big Bend livestock show is held in Alpine every year in the month of January. It is a big production and a big responsibility, and there is no way it could be successful without the many volunteers that make it happen. “I would imagine there are at least 100 to 150 folks that volunteer their time, to set everything up from start to finish for our livestock show,” stated Doug Fox, with the Alpine FFA. “Preparation for our show is an ongoing, year-long process and we couldn’t do what we do for these kids without the help of all our volunteers, including Calan Ahrens and Stephen Wood, who make sure that people are served the best concession food in West Texas,” added Fox.

Recently the City of Alpine and City Attorney Rod Ponton issued a press release in regard to the conflict concerning the replat application and proposed use of property, located at 1911 North State Highway 118. Earlier this summer, Horse Apple 118, LLC, who was the listed property owner of the location at the time, requested from the City of Alpine the annexation of their property as commercial. This request was submitted for the appropriate designation in order to construct a commercial building and hold operations as such. The City of Alpine in June and July granted the request under the Government Code Chapter 43, Sub Chapter C-3, and proceeded with the required service agreement with Horse Apple 118, LLC. An annexation ordinance was drafted, and all required notices of the proposed annexation as a commercial property were posted. This included holding a public hearing and publishing the notice in the newspaper and on the city website.

Melanie Kay Neie, 43, passed away suddenly on the clear, sunny afternoon of Nov. 2 at her home in Alpine. Melanie was born six minutes after her twin sister on April 14, 1979, much to the surprise and delight of her parents, Sue and Van Neie. Melanie grew from a beautiful baby girl into a lovely, beautiful young woman. She spent her entire life working and helping people and fur babies in need, something she loved to do. She was funny, smart, and sweet and all who knew her loved her. Her loss leaves us all heartbroken and devastated. Melanie always gave her all in helping others, never expecting anything in return, and the world is a darker, sadder place without her in it. Melanie is preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Millie and Van Neie, Sr., maternal grandparents, Melba and Gene Watson, and aunts Vivian Ratcliff and Kary Allee.

Raul Acosta Garcia was born on March 15, 1953, in Alpine, to parents Magdaleno and Maria Garcia. He passed away peacefully amongst family on Dec.15, in Kingwood.

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups unsalted butter ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups finely ground Directions: Preheat oven to 325 Place butter, ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, salt in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about two to three minutes.