News

The Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA) is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with artist, Dana Falconberry, to support The Big Bend River Rangers. The Big Bend River Rangers engage students, teachers, and their families in the protection, connection, and reclamation of the Rio Grande. Students in the program explore the watershed, monitor the river’s health, and learn from elders who are helping to inspire this next generation of caretakers. Dana Falconberry has designed The River is Home. This bandana features the Rio Grande, its canyons, multiple names— in Lipan Apache, Spanish, and English—and the flora and fauna found at the river’s edge. For each bandana purchased, a River Ranger will be gifted one, too. Donations have a more significant impact right now—our friends at Permian Basin Area Foundation are generously matching donations, helping support youth stewardship and this Big Bend Conservation Alliance program. The campaign began on December 2 and will continue through the end of the year.

The City of Alpine has announced the 2024 #AlpineTXPhoto Contest winners. The contest, which was free and open to the public, closed to entries on September 30th.

The Alpine ISD Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the school administration building. Single Member District 4 representative Jimmy Morris was absent due to a work confl ict.

Sul Ross State University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) have joined forces to address the critical shortage of mental health providers in West Texas, one of the nation’s most underserved regions. Through innovative training programs, these institutions are equipping future mental health professionals with the skills needed to serve the unique needs of rural communities. Dr. Barbara Tucker, the Dean of Education and Professional Studies at SRSU, Dr. Audrey H. Stevens, Psy.D., TTUHSC Permian Basin, and Crystal Lujan, M.Ed., a mental health rural fellow, presented the initiative at the Healthier Texas Summit in Austin last month.

The Big Bend Regional Hospital District held its regular meeting on Thursday, November 21, at 4 p.m. at the Alpine office, 105 W.

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Last week, as part of the 50th anniversary of the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosted various local and state law enforcement agencies as part of the EPIC 2024 Law Enforcement Summit. These agencies, who came from various communities across the country, were able to hear what the DEA can do for local law enforcement, especially through the tools and resources available through EPIC.

Information from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas stated that the former Valentine Independent School District employee, Ernesto Villarreal Jr., pleaded guilty to fraudulent misappropriation of school district funds for personal expenses.

Paralleling US Highway 90 to the west from Valentine is the Sierra Vieja range. A barrier between the Rio Grande and the Davis Mountains, this range is pierced by a pass west of Valentine. This location has a varied and unique history. It was the site of the last engagement between the Apache and the US Army, where the military was also primarily represented by a group of Native Americans. It was also the location of an isolated army post constructed to protect the border from incursions during the “border troubles” of the early 20th Century.