News

The Texas Hotel Lodging Association is presenting a free human trafficking prevention training on Thursday, February 5 in Marathon and Lajitas. The Marathon training will be held at the Marathon Community Center from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the Lajitas training will be held at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in English and from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Spanish at the Lajitas Resort Theater. This program is being hosted by Visit Big Bend.

The Alpine City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 20, at 5:30 p.m. After the meeting was called to order, public comments were heard from the Alpine Humane Society Director MaryAnn Vega (Ward 3) and Interim President Marilyn McGee of Fort Davis, who talked about the Mountain Country Christmas event that they were the new administrators of last month.

The Big Bend Regional Hospital District (BBRHD) held its regular meeting on Wednesday, January 14, at its Alpine office. Chairman Buddy Cavness was absent, and the meeting was led by Vice-Chairman Valynda Henington.

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This year, the Texas Legislature passed, and the governor signed SB10, requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments are the foundation of civil law and moral behavior. Maybe you learned them as a child, as I did. The Ten Commandments are found in the Bible at Exodus 20:1-17 and are restated at Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

INGREDIENTS 1 whole chicken (about 3 pounds) 6 chicken wings 6 chicken legs or thighs 6 cloves of garlic 4 shallots 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 1 carrot 3 to 4 quarts of water Kosher salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 avocados, peeled, seeded, and sliced lengthwise into eighths 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced ¼ cup of oil 6 corn tortillas cut into thin strips 2 cups of grated Monterey Jack cheese 1 lime cut into sixths ½ bunch of cilantro, stemmed for garnish DIRECTIONS In a large, heavy, deep pan, place the washed chicken and chicken pieces. Add the garlic, shallots, peppercorns, carrot, and water.

When cold days settle into West Texas, our instincts usually turn toward hearty meals or a warm bowl of soup. Among our readers, opinions tend to split; some enjoy soup yearround, while others reserve it for gloomy, chilly days. I fall into the latter camp. One soup, however, wins every time: the Tortilla Soup at Reata Restaurant. It has been a Far West Texas staple since the 1990s, when local rancher Al Micallef opened the iconic Texas Ranch Steakhouse. Reata’s vision blends cowboy culture and cuisine with the rich flavors of Old Mexico and beyond. If you haven’t enjoyed it recently, stop in for a cup—and don’t forget to pick up one of Reata’s famous recipe books to bring that West Texas flavor home.