News

Dear Neil: We have had this unknown tree in our courtyard for 22 years. The landscaper who planted it is out of business. It died in the wintertime, but it is coming back strongly from its roots. I would like to prune it and retrain it, but I don’t know when or how to prune it. Please identify it, and advise me.

The City of Alpine held its regularly scheduled meeting on July 6, and illegal dumping and the dark skies ordinance were main topics of discussion. Interim City Manager Megan Antrim voiced her displeasure with residents discarding brush, mattresses, carpeting, and more next to the dumpsters around the city.

Terlingua residents Carl Garcia and Mandy Jorgenson earned first and second place, respectively, at the Fourth of July Chili Cook Off at Marathon Motel and RV Park in Marathon. The cook off, along with a silent auction, raised $6,500 for Marathon Volunteer Fire Department. Photo by Shawna Graves

Racing enthusiasts will get their fix once again in West Texas this fall. For the first time in 13 years, there will be a second open road race in a calendar year that takes place between Fort Stockton and Sanderson.

Johanna Wells, Alpine: We actually went on our summer vacation last week. We went to the beach at Cinnamon Shore on Mustang Island.

The Food Pantry of Alpine will distribute food to Northern Brewster County residents on Thursday, July 8, from 10 a.m.- noon at 108 South Neville Haynes in Alpine. To protect our volunteers and limit their contact, we have shortened our hours of distribution.

Zakirra Fuentes, 9, dresses up with a bit of face painting by Carol Fairlie at the Fourth of July celebration on the Brewster County courthouse lawn on July 2, hosted by Trans-Pecos Bank. Avalanche photo by Gail Diane Yovanovich

July 21 Medicare Education Class, 3 p.m. at Alpine Public Library, 805 W.

Alcoholics Anonymous, 502 E. Lockhart Ave.

Alpine Humane Society Pet of the Week is Busy Bee. It’s hard to believe that this gorgeous girl is 16 years old. Please don’t let her age put you off. Busy Bee’s owner took sick, and surrendered her hoping that her cat would find a comfortable home to live out the rest of her life. She has extraordinary markings, and would love to grace your home with her presence. Let’s get this girl out of the shelter!