October 2024

The Alpine ISD Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Wednesday, October 16, at 5:30 p.m. Single Member District 4 Jimmy Morris and Single Member District 1 Eddie Natera were absent. Single Member District 7 Vice-President Mary Mc-Callister led the meeting.

An incredible variety of birds call the Trans-Pecos home. Over 500 species have been documented across the region, representing 81% of the species known to occur in Texas. Our grasslands are especially important as overwintering habitats for many species that nest farther north in the Great Plains during the summer.

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Thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, construction work on significant improvements to the Chisos Basin area of the park is expected to begin May 1 and continue for approximately two years. The Chisos Basin area will be closed to all visitor entry as work begins. This includes the Basin Road, lodging units, Basin Campground, restaurant, NPS visitor center, camper store, and trails within the Basin area. This work will ONLY affect the Chisos Basin area of Big Bend National Park. As significant components are completed, park managers will assess which areas can be safely reopened to regular public access.

Becky was born on June 2, 1953, in Alpine to Francis Patrick “Pat” Rooney II and Shirley Smith Rooney. She grew up in Marathon and the outreaching surrounding areas of the Big Bend, alongside her sisters Francene and Betty. The girls spent most holidays and every summer on the ranch with their loving grandparents, Mimi and Tata (Mr. & Mrs. F.P. Rooney I). Their days were spent riding donkeys so they could learn how to ride, eventually graduating up to a mule. Once Becky mastered the art of mule riding, Tata gave her the nickname Bec-a-Roo. Mimi was always at arms-length with camera in hand, snapping pics of the girls on every adventure. Each trip was sure to include a picnic, packed by Mimi early that morning, and afternoons spent hunting arrowheads in the wide West Texas terrain. Each of the girls would spend the rest of their lives attesting to how they had the absolute best childhood growing up as a Rooney girl. Pat had three daughters, and he made sure to tell everyone that he was raising

Earl Henry Elam, age 89, of Hillsboro, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Sunday, October 13. A Graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, October 18, at Holly Hills Memorial Park in Granbury. A visitation will be held from 5–7 p.m. Thursday, October 17, at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors Chapel in Hillsboro.

Alfredo L. Espinosa, 80, from Odessa, was born February 12, 1944, in Alpine and passed away on July 3 in Odessa. He attended high school in Alpine, and after high school, he joined the Army. Once he completed his service to our country, he returned to Alpine to attend Sul Ross State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. His teaching and coaching career began in Crystal City, and he later moved to Odessa and taught at Ector High School and Ector Junior High as a Spanish teacher and coach for over 30 years. There are not enough words to describe how wonderful of a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, teacher, coach, neighbor, etc. he was. No matter how anyone knew or addressed him by either Alfredo, Firo, “Es,” Maestro, Compa, Mr. Espinosa, and last but not least, as Dad… he was someone special to everyone. Anyone he would visit or run into, he could easily

HEAD OVER MEALS As George Costanza commented in the Seinfeld episode of ‘Soup Nazi,’ “I have to focus; I’m shifting into soup mode.” For many, that’s precisely what cooler temperatures signal to our brains: cooler weather equals bubbly pots of hot, delicious soup. Luckily for us, there is no shortage of soup types that can be made.

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