August 2023

For the third consecutive season, the Alpine Cowboys ended their Pecos League playoff run in unceremonious fashion. The Trinidad Triggers took down the Cowboys at Kokernot Field in the best-of-three, first round for the second year in a row. Trinidad won the first and third games of the series while Alpine was victorious in game two. Trinidad now faces the Tucson Saguaros in the Mountain Division Championship series, with the winner advancing to play the San Rafael Pacifics in the title series.

Alpine High school football had their first practice this Monday, and new head coach and Athletics Director, Andy Smith, is setting strong expectations for both the teams and the individuals on them. As for the first practice, Coach Smith said, “The kids brought a lot of energy, the coaches too.” Even though a very high percentage of the players participated in the summer workouts, according to Smith, in the beginning practices the coaches slow everything down to instruct and lay the groundwork for good habits and better outcomes.

FIGHTIN’BUCKS FOOTBALL Aug. 11 Alpine vs McCamey -Scrimmage, JV 5 p.m., Varsity 6 p.m.

“I’m a-goin’ where the dust storms never blow.” — Song lyrics, “Ain’t Gonna Be Treated This Way,” American folk singer Woody Guthrie. While in the West Texas city of Abilene a couple of weeks ago, I spent time visiting familiar landmarks.

I’m looking back on all of the good news – some of it really big news – out of Sul Ross State University in the last few weeks or so alone. I’m so proud of all that we’re accomplishing, especially as we look to improve our student experience so that we increase enrollment and retention, which remain our two top goals on our Alpine campus.

Invasion and big government Texas and the USA have undergone an almost silent invasion, with what I call a Biden invasion. This invasion has allowed untold millions in illegal drugs and immigrant mules to enter the U.S. Some get captured. That is in the news we read, but when you push numbers, there is a lot more that gets in, than gets caught. Where does it go? Well, the cartels have their own system of business distribution. A well-regulated and well thought out business plan. This has to be true because of all the deliveries coming in that are producing illegal drugs easily obtained, and subsequent deaths due to overdose that are at an all-time high. Washington does not help the southern border. Texas is left to deal with the problem. And all the border crossers from countries not friendly to the USA come here and drain humanitarian resources that well deserving American citizens could use. These resources are now diverted to non-Americans. Now, the current thought is that all border crossers will vote Democrat and draw entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, housing, and so on. I believe this to be a product of a failing system of government. Republicans and Democrats fighting each other. What happened to “We the People?” It’s now a government of have and have nots. Salaries of politicians are a paltry amount, yet when they leave office, they leave with millions of dollars. Where does that money come from? Not from taxpayers, but lobbyists with pay off money, including China, Russia, Saudia Arabia, and who knows from where else. Robert Lafarelle Midland, Texas

Janice “JJ” Lerich passed away peacefully at her home in Carlsbad, NM surrounded by family and friends on July 17 after a battle with cancer. JJ was born December 17, 1956, in Fort Worth, to Richard Carlous Jones and Gloria Jean Lewis Jones, while her father was serving in the US Air Force at Carswell AFB. As a young girl, JJ lived with her parents in Kyllberg, Germany until she and her mother moved back to the U.S. due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The family came to Alamogordo, NM when JJ’s father was stationed at Holloman AFB where he served as an air traffic controller. JJ graduated from Alamogordo High School in 1974. She married Klad Zimmerle and they had a daughter, Desiree Sunshine. JJ met the love of her life, Scott P. Lerich, in Orogrande, NM in 1993 and they were married in May 1994 in San Antonio. Grandson Dean Anthony “Bubba” Thatcher was born in Anchorage, AK in 1997.

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Last week, Big Bend Post 79 received the 2023 American Legion Community Service Award for the Department of Texas. “We here at Big Bend Post 79 are committed to helping out Big Bend area veterans and community at large,” Post 79 said in the award announcement.

According to information received the United States Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas, a Presidio County woman plead guilty in Alpine federal court last Tuesday, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.