News

Dear Neil, regarding the crape myrtle bark scale – Southeastern Virginia has been battling this pest for years. The scale itself will not kill the plants. However, the sooty mold is the real problem. The more insects, the sootier mold there is. The mold covers the leaves, which reduces photosynthesis. It also covers the thin bark, resulting in poor respiration. After several years of uncontrolled pests, the plant will die. I’ve seen even plants with 8-in. diameter trunks require removal after three to five years. Foliar applications of dormant oil do not work. Contact sprays offer very limited control. Systemic insecticides do the job. After two years, the pests are gone, and the sooty bark has sloughed off. In my opinion, this is not a pest to ignore.

Alpine Avalanche.

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The Alpine ISD Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Wednesday, February 19, at 5:30 p.m. in the administration building.

Texas House members filed a bevy of education bills last week, including a proposed $8 billion investment in public education and a voucher bill that ties the amount of money spent for private schooling to the dollar amount provided to public schools. The Austin American-Statesman reported the bill, filed by Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, would increase the base level of per-student funding by $220 — from $6,160 to $6,380. Additional funds would be provided for special education, bilingual education, transportation, and to rural school districts.

The Brewster County Commissioners met for a special meeting on Tuesday, All commissioners were present. Precinct 2 Commissioner Sara Colando praised a group from the Terlingua CSD school, which on February 1 won the 2025 El Paso First Tech Challenge League Championship in robotics, competing against 5A and 6A schools.

Sul Ross State University has selected Lee Hays as the new head football coach. He was expected to begin in Alpine on February 15.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas has recently released multiple statements on arrests and sentencings for federal criminals. An increase compared to normal.