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We want to hear from you during our 2017 Listener Survey.
Who are you? What programs are you into? What could you do without? What can we do better? We’ll use this information to shape future news reporting, programming, and development efforts. To entice you, ten lucky, randomly chosen survey participants will receive a Marfa Public Radio bumper sticker!
Yes! Fill out the Survey!
Survey closes July 1. And Thanks!
Alpine ‘Rally for Trains’ Protests Budget Cuts That Could End Local Amtrak
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Gwynne Jamieson (Bayla Metzger) -
Protestors in Alpine (Bayla Metzger) -
Martha Gluck (Bayla Metzger) -
Virginia Platt (Bayla Metzger)
Nearly two-dozen people gathered across the street from the Amtrak station in Alpine this weekend to protest the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to Amtrak. As it stands, the cuts would mean the end of train service to more than 220 cities and towns across the country—including Alpine.
Image courtesy of Study-Butte Water Supply Corporation
UPDATE: Terlingua Water Shortage Continues as Officials Fix Well Motor Damages
This week the town of Terlingua has had limited water supply. Officials believe a lightning strike damaged the motor of the town’s primary water well. Townsfolk have relied on bottled water, while officials are working to find a solution.
Amber Alert Issued for West Texas Teenager
The Brewster County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in locating Stormie Clemmer, a 15 year old, female, with short brown hair, green eyes, approximately 5′ 7″ tall.
Stormie was last seen in the Alpine area wearing a black shirt and blue shorts as well as wearing a necklace with a heart and dragon claw.
Clemmer is possibly in the company of Andrew Brian Akers, a 20 year old male, in a black, early 2000’s model, Ford Ranger – The individuals are possibly heading East on I-20.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (432) 837-3488.
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Stormie Clemmer ; Via Brewster County Sheriff’s Office -
Andrew Brian Akers ; Via Brewster County Sheriff’s Office -
Black Ford Ranger Possibly Heading east on I-20 ; Via Brewster County Sheriff’s Office
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn sits with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and wife Heidi Cruz at the Fort Hood Purple Heart ceremony on April 10, 2015. Photo by Bob Daemmrich
Cruz Declines To Support Senate GOP Health Care Bill, While Cornyn Defends It
Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate on Thursday unveiled their plan to overhaul President Obama’s 2010 health care law. Within hours, Texas’ two Republican senators took opposite positions on the measure. From the Texas Tribune.
A sexual assault evidence collection kit. Photo by Todd Wiseman
Why don’t local police departments pay for rape kit testing?
There’s no rule on who foots the bill for rape kit testing across the country — it depends on the state and city you live in. From Texas Tribune
via flickr.com/photos/diannbayes/ (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Train Advocates to Protest Proposed Budget Cuts To Rail Service
Beginning today, railroad advocates in nearly 30 cities across the U.S. are holding rallies to protest the potential loss of funding to Amtrak, as outlined in the budget proposed by the White House. The budget would affect travelers in more than 20 states.
Radioactive waste byproducts storage at Waste Control Specialists in Andrews County, TX (WCS)
Federal Judge Blocks Nuclear Waste Merger
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled to block the merger between Dallas’ Waste Control Specialists and EnergySolutions.
Justyna Furmanczyk
Hispanics behind half of Texas’ growth since 2010
Hispanics are behind a large portion of the state’s growth since 2010, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. From Texas Tribune.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - November 4, 2014: Texas State Representative Dawnna Dukes cries out as her win is announced. Travis County Democrats celebrate some wins and mourn some losses in the 2014 midterm elections at Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. Ilana Panich-Linsman/KUT
Best And Worst Lawmakers Crowned In End-Of-Session List
Making a list of the best and worst lawmakers after each Texas legislative session isn’t quite as old as the legislature itself, but it’s still a time-honored tradition. Texas Monthly has put out such a list since 1973, and each one is an occasion awaited with bated breath by political observers, legislative aides and of course, the lawmakers themselves.
Oil and Gas Study Raises Concerns, Calls for More Research
A report out this week from the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas finds that oil and gas drilling has led to environmental stresses. But the study is also calling for more research to better understand just what the environmental and community impacts could be.
The valves on these tank batteries are where thieves hook up to suck out oil.
In Booming Permian Basin, a Surge in Oil Thefts
Oil drilling and production in the Permian Basin of West Texas is booming again. But the boom has a byproduct that producers are considerably less excited about: oil theft. The Houston-based Energy Security Council estimates that this year alone, Texas companies will lose 10 to 30 million barrels of oil to theft, a revenue loss of $450 million to nearly $1.5 billion at today’s prices.
ERCOT Endorses New Transmission Lines in West Texas
The Board of Directors of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas recently endorsed a new transmission project which includes two new 345-kV (Kilovolt) lines to address future reliability concerns in West Texas.
Car Crash Near Marfa Leaves One Dead, Another Seriously Injured
A serious car crash near Marfa early Tuesday morning left two injured, one hospitalized, and one dead.
Trans-Pecos Pipeline Donates Nearly $3 Million Dollars to Region
The company behind the Trans Pecos Pipeline announced nearly $3 million in donations this week to counties and projects in West Texas where the pipeline either crosses or is near. Carlos Morales reports the donations benefit areas that were both hesitant and welcoming of the pipeline.
Gary Nored/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
We Wanna Know: Where does West Texas Begin?
Texas is a huge state – we can all agree on that. But in a place this big, how do you decide where a part of Texas begins? The answer we came up with might surprise you.
Isaac Kohane via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
In Texas, Fear and Excitement with New EPA
Local pollution watchers worry about a loss of resources. The oil and gas industry looks forward to what it expects will be a consistent regulatory regime.
Colorado-based Oskar Blues, which has a tap room in Austin, is opposed to a bill that would require it to pay what critics call an "extortion fee" to beer distributors. Erika Rich for The Texas Tribune
Small beer makers say bill creates “extortion fee” as they seek Abbott’s veto
Craft brewers want Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill that would put limits on some regulatory relief that benefits them. But supporters, including some major distributors, say the bill is needed to stop big beer companies that gobble up independent craft brewers from taking advantage of relaxed regulations.
CREDIT BOB DAEMMRICH FOR THE TEXAS TRIBUNE
Abbott Calls For Special Legislative Session
Gov. Greg Abbott has called for a special session of the Texas Legislature to begin July 18.
Jill Miller, Rim Rock Photography
Texas Families Find Financial Stability in Nature-related Tourism
West Texas ranchers are broadening their income streams to keep their cattle operations afloat.
Presidio-Ojinaga Port of Entry To Receive $13m Upgrade
The Presidio-Ojinaga port of entry is officially getting a makeover. The effort has been in the works since last year, and will now see the development of new bridges and pedestrian path to help ease traffic.
KUT/Mose Buchele
Research: Fracking Boom Gives Way to Baby Boost
A new study released this month looks at whether an increase in earnings for non-college educated men leads to a boost in marriage rates, among other things. And to find the answer researchers looked at a notorious example of good money made quickly: the fracking boom.
City Council Votes To End Contract with County Sheriff’s Office, Re-establish City PD
The Marfa City Council voted to re-establish a city police department Tuesday evening. The decision comes after nearly 8 years since the City last had its own department, and marks the end of Marfa’s agreement with the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office for dedicated deputies in the area.
This month the Hobby-Eberly telescope finished receiving $40 million upgrades that astronomers hope will help solve mysteries of the universe.
Upgraded Hobby-Eberly Telescope Turns Its Lens to Universe’s Biggest Mysteries
When McDonald Observatory first opened its doors in 1933 it was done with a nearly million dollar donation from a Paris, Texas banker. In his will, W.J.McDonald gave money to the University of Texas at Austin to establish the observatory. A move that confused McDonald’s family and others, since at the time UT didn’t have an astronomy department.
Since then, it’s evolved into one of the nation’s foremost research observatories. Now one of its telescopes finished a $40-million upgrade. The new and improved telescope is now turning its lens towards one of biggest unsolved mysteries in the universe: What is dark energy?
Take our 2017 Listener Survey!
We want to hear from you during our 2017 Listener Survey.
Who are you? What programs are you into? What could you do without? What can we do better? We’ll use this information to shape future news reporting, programming, and development efforts. To entice you, ten lucky, randomly chosen survey participants will receive a Marfa Public Radio bumper sticker!
Yes! Fill out the Survey!
Survey closes July 1. And Thanks!
City Of El Paso Joins Plaintiffs In Suit Against Texas Immigration Law
The border city of El Paso on Tuesday voted to add its name to the list of local governments that have joined a lawsuit to stop Texas’ immigration bill, Senate Bill 4, from going into effect, via Texas Tribune.
Public Education
On this episode of the Rambling Boy, Lonn reacts to a letter written by Graydon Hicks, the Fort Davis Superintendent of Schools, and gives his hot take on public school funding. He also shares a story about one person to come out of Texas’s rural public schools: Luther Evans, who graduated in a class of nine from Bastrop High School, and went on to become the Librarian of Congress and the Director-General of UNESCO.
On the Pecos River, an Archeologist Cracks the Code of an Ancient Mural
The confluence of the Pecos and the Rio Grande is the Chihuahuan Desert’s lowest, hottest point. The landscape bears the evidence. Across sun-blasted limestone, stunted plants seem to writhe and twist, waiting out the harsh sentence of soil and sky. … Continue reading
Thu. Jun 22 Interview: Summer Shakeup – DJ Camp with DJ Bigface and Chulita Vinyl Club
On this edition of West Texas Talk, a conversation with Javier Arredondo (DJ Bigface) and members of the Austin chapter of the Chulita Vinyl Club.
They’re the instructors of the DJ Camp, put on in collaboration with Ballroom Marfa for Marfa ISD’s Summer Shakeup program. During the camp, the kids are learning the basics of DJing, from building a playlist to spinning and scratching.
Summer Shakeup DJ Camp 2017 ; via Sarah Melendez
The collaboration is being capped off with a DJ set including all the young DJs involved on on Friday, June 23, starting at 6 pm at Bar Nadar, located at the Saint George in Marfa.
Thu. Jun 22 Interview: Siamese
On tonight’s episode of West Texas Talk,Jackson Wisdorf is joined in the Marfa Public Radio studios by Siamese , who recently played at El Cosmico in Marfa.
The first show back in their home state of Texas after a West Coast Tour.
