News

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The Alpine Emergency Services Board held its regular meeting on Thursday, March 6, at 5:30 p.m. in the Alpine Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) meeting room. All members were present, with Aaron Rodriguez attending virtually. Four AVFD members were also present: Ethan Sullivan, Larry Rodriguez, Alex Montemayor, and Zach Davis.

The Big Bend Chapter of the Native Plant Society will hold its monthly meeting on Saturday, March 15, at 1 p.m. in the AEP room of the Alpine Public Library.

House proposes $7.5 billion in new school funding Critics say a House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year. It would also invest $750 million in teacher pay and $450 million in teacher training.

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Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) led a bipartisan letter with 43 of his colleagues, including several U.S. Representatives seated on the House Committee of Agriculture and the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand eradication and containment efforts relating to the New World screwworm (NWS). The NWS poses a critical threat to our nation’s livestock, farming, and wildlife industries. Without guardrails in place, an outbreak could inflict detrimental economic losses on the national economy.

Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances for pet owners make animal shelters a necessity, and since 2017, D.J. Hensley has been sheltering animals in Brewster County. Her journey to those humble beginnings officially began in 1996, when she moved to Brewster County and just started taking in stray animals that needed a home. To date, she says she’s taken in over 1500 animals in total. “When I started this, I was just taking in animals from Marathon, but that grew to taking in animals from all over Brewster County and even some from Fort Davis,” Hensley said.

Continuing the fight against illegal immigration, the lead agent for the Big Bend Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol issued the oath of office to Texas National Guard soldiers at the Alpine Border Patrol Station, granting them the ability to enforce federal immigration laws.