Opinion

Last fall, our current EMS provider, Emergent Air, indicated that they would no longer provide ground ambulance services for the northern half of Brewster County, effective at some point in late 2026 or early 2027. Emergent Air was contracted in 2022 to provide EMS services to the City of Alpine, Marathon, and north Brewster County. Their decision to exit ground 911 service was a business decision on their part and not a performance issue. We appreciate and thank them for the work they have done over the last four years.

For years, our community has understood a simple reality: Alpine ISD has been asked to do more with less. At times, our funding per student need ranked in the bottom 2% in Texas. That’s not a complaint— it’s a reality we’ve had to face head-on. And it’s why the progress we’re seeing now matters so much.

There aren’t many places like Alpine. The remote location, the beautiful views, the great weather: We’ve got it all. There’s a reason some folks refer to this place as the Alpine Vortex. People move away, but many of them seem to find their way back to our small desert oasis.

At least 11 people have died in Texas, nearly half of them children, after Winter Storm Fern swept the state last week, the Texas Standard reported. Among those killed were three young brothers who fell through ice on a private pond near Bonham, about 60 miles northeast of Texas. In the Dallas suburb of Frisco, two teens died after a sledding accident. They were riding on a sled being pulled by a vehicle.

Data centers could strain water supply A new report says the boom in data centers across Texas could consume nearly 3% of the state’s water by 2030, the Houston Chronicle reported. The Houston Advanced Research Center found that the data centers, used to power artificial intelligence, used 25 billion gallons of water in 2025.

The non-partisan Tri-County Voter Promoters will be on hand in Alpine, Marfa, and Terlingua to register voters and to help update voter registrations this week. In Alpine, TCVP will be at the Morgan University Center today from 11 a.m.

When Sul Ross State University officially launches its first Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership this fall, it marks far more than a new degree program. It marks a watershed moment in the university’s institutional identity and its role as a catalyst for educational and community leadership across West Texas.

Deadline to register for March primary nears The last day to register to vote for the March 3 primary is Feb. 2, according to the Texas secretary of state’s office.

“What happened to your head … you run into the door again?” —Question from a well-meaning friend. Consider the lowly plastic strip bandage.

There’s a renewed buzz at our local airport, and it’s not just the sound of military aircraft. For the first time in over two decades, we are undertaking a full update of our Airport Layout Plan (ALP). This plan is a vital tool that guides both current operations and long-term development, ensuring that the airport continues to serve our community efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively.