Opinion

We write to you again, following up on our letter from May 21, 2026. We are six former superintendents and a former deputy superintendent of Big Bend National Park, with over 250 collective years of National Park Service (NPS) experience.

Gains seen in all subjects on STAAR tests Texas high school students showed improvement in every subject in this spring’s end-of-course STAAR exams, the Texas Education Agency reported. The results include assessments in Algebra I, English I, English II, biology and U.S.

By now, most of us have heard of the current return of the New World Screwworm to American soil through a confirmed case on Wednesday, June 3, in a calf in South Texas. As expected, the situation remains extremely fluid, with additional cases popping up in several locations across the western and central parts of the state. While obviously disconcerting, this is not the first time we have had to deal with this particular pest in our own backyard, and there are several things to keep in mind over the coming weeks as the situation develops.

We met Bobbi Jo at a restaurant across the street from our Appleton, Wisconsin hotel. Her smile was exactly the kind of welcoming presence one needs a thousand miles from home, exhausted after a long day at an airshow, and swatting the everpresent ginormous mosquitoes during the short walk to get there.

“It’s a small world and the older I get, the smaller it gets.” — Still my favorite saying “Hmmm,” I thought, feeling my Cajun curiosity kick in. “Lacie needs my number?” Lacie and her husband, Josh, are friends, and I responded quickly.

Alpine City Employee I grew up on the border, so I am not naïve about what moves through border communities. Smuggling, drug trafficking, money movement, and quiet corruption are not just movie plots.

The Alpine ISD “Bucks at Work” Program is officially underway for Summer 2026, providing local students with valuable real-world work experience while building stronger partnerships between schools, businesses, and the community.

Paxton hopes to unify Republicans after runoff Attorney General Ken Paxton and his allies began working to repair fissures among GOP voters after he routed incumbent U.S. Sen.

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.” — Mary Catherine Bateson (1939 – 2021) American writer and cultural anthropologist. “When I was 16,” a regular at our weekly ‘coffee committee’ confessed recently.

Thank you to Commander Andy Ramos for your interest and assistance. The Martinez-Portillo family is so grateful to you and the American Legion for all you did for Mr. Juarez. When I referred Mrs. Portillo to you, I knew I was referring her to the right person, and you didn’t let me down. Mil gracias. With gratitude, Elidia Polanco