Travis Bubenik
News DirectorTravis has waltzed across Texas throughout his career in journalism, covering everything from pipeline protests in the Big Bend and oilfield flaring in the Permian Basin to Gulf Coast hurricanes and courtroom battles all over the state.
A Houston native and University of Texas alum, he got his start in public radio as an intern at Marfa Public Radio, where he has at various times been a reporter and host of both Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Travis’ reporting has frequently appeared on NPR and public radio’s Marketplace. His dog Valentine is indeed named after the town.
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The White House said Tuesday it would expand a move to authorize military control of federally owned border land to include more than 90 miles of land in Texas. Administration officials have so far declined to say where that land is, but most federal border land within the state is located in Big Bend and a complex of South Texas wildlife refuges. -
U.S. Army and border officials shared details Friday of a recently launched troop deployment to the Big Bend region, including a surge in personnel. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader military push across the Southern border. -
Big Bend area officials say the U.S. military has in recent weeks discussed the possibility of housing 200-300 troops at small county-owned airports near Marfa and Presidio, though the county’s top elected official says the idea is “not etched in stone.” -
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that military personnel will be sent to Border Patrol stations in Alpine, Van Horn and Presidio to “assist agents with surveillance, intelligence gathering and logistical support.” -
The National Weather Service in Midland says a “windbag” is expected across West Texas on Friday, potentially rivaling last week’s dust storm that caused travel disruptions across the region. -
AEP Texas, the electric transmission company for much of the Big Bend region, reported more than 3,600 customer outages in and around Marfa, Presidio and surrounding midday Tuesday. The Marfa outage was apparently short-lived. -
Visitors to Big Bend National Park in West Texas will have an extra two months to access the popular Chisos Basin area this year before a lengthy project begins in July to tear down and rebuild the park’s Chisos Mountain Lodge. -
The small Big Bend area community could soon be home to a modular, telehealth-powered clinic that’s been touted as an innovative approach to improving rural health care access. -
The National Weather Service in Midland says parts of the Permian Basin and Big Bend regions could see 1 to 3 inches of snow in the coming days, with some areas seeing even higher amounts.
