News

Dear Neil, A squirrel must have planted a bur oak acorn in one of our pots last year because we were blessed with a seedling this spring. It grew well (27 inches tall), although it was attacked by a fungus this fall. Should we plant it into the ground now or wait another year?

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Send your community events to kara.gerbert@alpineavalanche. com Upcoming events December 5 Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting, 5:45 p.m.

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On Tuesday, December 11, from 5 to 7 p.m., kids have a chance to contact Santa Claus at the North Pole using shortwave radio. This event takes place in front of Morrison’s True Value Hardware store.

On Wednesday, November 20, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Permian Basin, along with the Area Health Education Center of the Permian Basin and the Texas Department of Agriculture State Office of Rural Health, hosted a National Rural Health Day Educational and Recruiting Fair event at the Odessa Marriott. The event was attended by almost 400 registrants, including 60 rural Certified Nursing Assistant students from Alpine, Crane, McCamey, and Grandfalls- Royalty ISDs, health care training students from Odessa College, Midland College, SRSU, UTPB, and TTUHSC. Also in attendance were TTUSHC Permian Basin resident physicians and 20 rural healthcare organizations. Faculty and leadership from Odessa College, Midland College, UTPB, SRSU, and TTUHSC were present. National Rural Health Day aims to celebrate and advocate for rural health care.

Hillside Baptist Church of Alpine will host its eighth annual children’s Christmas store this Saturday, December 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The store will be held in the Hillside Fellowship Hall and will feature gifts for children to purchase for their entire family! Children are invited to come shop for their parents, siblings, and other family members, where the merchandise is priced from 25 cents to $5.00. Each child is asked to bring a legibly written shopping list of names to help the taggers spell each name correctly. Purchases are limited to one item per person on the list. Adults will be on hand to box, wrap, bag, and tag each gift selected. All proceeds will go to the Children’s Advocacy of the Big Bend here in Alpine (Shana Sullivan, Director). Hillside Baptist Church is located at 205 Church Road, just off East Highway 90 - turn left across from Holiday Inn Express. For more information, please text or call Karen McGuire at 432386-3071.

The Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA) is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with artist, Dana Falconberry, to support The Big Bend River Rangers. The Big Bend River Rangers engage students, teachers, and their families in the protection, connection, and reclamation of the Rio Grande. Students in the program explore the watershed, monitor the river’s health, and learn from elders who are helping to inspire this next generation of caretakers. Dana Falconberry has designed The River is Home. This bandana features the Rio Grande, its canyons, multiple names— in Lipan Apache, Spanish, and English—and the flora and fauna found at the river’s edge. For each bandana purchased, a River Ranger will be gifted one, too. Donations have a more significant impact right now—our friends at Permian Basin Area Foundation are generously matching donations, helping support youth stewardship and this Big Bend Conservation Alliance program. The campaign began on December 2 and will continue through the end of the year.

The City of Alpine has announced the 2024 #AlpineTXPhoto Contest winners. The contest, which was free and open to the public, closed to entries on September 30th.