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San Vicente ISD Superintendent Jessica Milam and SVISD Board Vice President Suzette Mendoza participated in the Terlingua CSD Multipurpose Groundbreaking Ceremony held on Jan 7. Students from SVISD attend Terlingua Common School District in grades nine through 12. San Vicente ISD and Terlingua CSD have partnered together with Big Bend Educational Cooperative to improve student experiences in the Big Bend. Pictured are Mendoza and Milam. Courtesy photo

What are you especially looking forward to your senior year? I am most definitely looking forward to walking the graduation stage, and seeing my family in the stands cheer me on. What activities are you involved in your senior year? I am a member of the debate team and National Honor Society, and I am also an athletic trainer.

After the Civil War, the men who served in the Union armies created a veteran’s organization, the Grand Army of the Republic. GAR posts were created anywhere veterans lived, including Fort Davis, where most of the members were serving military. Their organization was called the Jeff Davis Post, but not named after the man they deemed a traitor to their country, Jefferson F. Davis, former President of the Confederacy. Their post was named for Jefferson C. Davis, Union general and military governor of Alaska.

Beginning Jan. 22, DHS required non- U.S. individuals seeking to enter the U.S. via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and provide related proof of vaccination. These new restrictions will apply to non-U.S. individuals who are traveling for both essential and nonessential reasons. They will not apply to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or U.S. nationals.

On Jan. 21 the Brewster-Jeff Davis-Presidio County U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency announced that Lady Chachi Hawkins of Alpine was elected to represent her local administrative area during the recent county committee election.

It’s a chilly but exciting day for a bake sale as Epic Competitive Cheerleading team members Riayah Ramos, Zakirra Fuentez, Destiny Salguero, Kacia Luna, and Lucille Fraser pause for a photo outside Porter’s grocery store in Alpine on Jan. 22. Epic Cheerleaders range in age from four to 13, and come from Alpine, Fort Stockton, Pecos, and Iraan. They held this fundraiser to purchase uniforms and attend competitions. Avalanche photo by Roxanne Hill

Emergency medical service for north Brewster County and Alpine is still up in the air, but after several meetings among stakeholders, it appears the county will take the lead going forward. Composed of representatives from Brewster County, the City of Alpine, Terlingua Fire and EMS, and Big Bend Regional Hospital District, a task force was established to address the situation left by the dissolution of the longstanding ambulance service that ended with Mike Scudder’s death.

Alpine ISD Board of Trustees held its regularly scheduled meeting at the Alpine High School library on Jan. 19. The meeting was led by both Interim Superintendent Dennis McEntire and outgoing Superintendent Becky McCutchen.

It takes a veteran to know a veteran, and for new Brewster County Veterans Service Officer Adam Daley, helping veterans navigate through the system brings not only satisfaction, but also fosters a sense of camaraderie and trust that continues long after military service is complete.

The Gospel for the First Sunday in Epiphany is the only account of Jesus between Joseph returning to Nazareth and the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River, initiating His public ministry. St. Luke records this story of Jesus in the temple at age 12 in the second chapter of his Gospel. The Virgin Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for Passover, and left Jesus behind. They realized later that He wasn’t a part of the large caravan traveling back to Nazareth.