Medical Center Hospital in Odessa has set up a hotline for locals to call to ask questions and be assessed for COVID-19 symptoms. (Mitch Borden / Marfa Public Radio)
By Mitch Borden
In recent weeks West Texas has seen a drop in the number of people being hospitalized with COVID-19. At the same time, hospitals in the Midland-Odessa area have received doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and have already begun vaccinating employees.
Classical Midday with Roseland Klein has been a mainstay of Marfa Public Radio since the station's earliest days. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Carlos Morales
For more than a decade, Roseland Klein has taken West Texans on illuminating tours of classical music every week on Marfa Public Radio. But now, the longtime radio host is retiring at the end of next week—bringing her time on air to an end.
During the last round of public coronavirus testing in Presidio, officials say over 550 Big Bend residents were tested. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Public Radio Staff
For the second time this month, the state of Texas will hold mobile coronavirus testing in three communities in the Big Bend area.
The upcoming public testing will be in Alpine, Presidio and Fort Davis. All testing is free and open to residents throughout the Big Bend region.
In the Big Bend region, officials in Presidio are encouraging residents to shelter in place and limit traveling. The notice comes after local cases surged to record highs last month, making Presidio County one of the nation’s top coronavirus hot spots at the time.
Local health authorities say most cases, then and now, are from the city of Presidio, where the predominantly Hispanic community faces barriers to accessing quality healthcare and frequent testing.
Ruidosa church, November 2020 (Carlos Morales/Marfa Public Radio)
By Ari Snider
These days, there’s not a whole lot going on in Ruidosa. By most estimates, the town is home to about 15 people. But it used to be one of the more substantial settlements in the Big Bend region, and now a local group is working to restore one of the last monuments to that past era before it crumbles back into the earth.
A dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by BioNTech and Pfizer. (BioNTech via REUTERS)
Texas hospitals are getting 225,000 doses of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine this week. But with such a limited supply, health care workers in some parts of the state are nervous they might be left behind.
Four years after a Target logo appeared on the side of an abandoned railroad building off a lonely stretch of desert Highway, the Big Bend’s smallest big-box retailer is no more. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Carlos Morales
Four years after a Target logo appeared on the side of an abandoned railroad building off a lonely stretch of desert Highway, the Big Bend’s smallest big-box retailer is no more.
It turns out the tiny Target Marathon—which, despite its nickname, was located in the unincorporated stretches of Altuda, Texas—was in bad shape. The landowner, according to Brewster County officials, was worried the structure would collapse; and fearing any of the hundreds of visitors who stop for photo ops every year could be severely injured, decided to demolish it.
By Marfa Public Radio Staff
The holidays are usually a time for gathering together. This year, things will be a lot different due to the pandemic. Marfa Public Radio wants to help keep you connected to your friends and family this holiday season.
Continue reading
The risk of wildfires will be higher than normal through the winter in much of Texas. It’s yet another effect of the drought that continues to worsen in much of the state, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Continue reading
By Public Radio Staff
Public testing for the coronavirus is returning to the Big Bend region this week, following uncertainty over whether the state would continue to dispatch testing crews to the area.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, residents in Far West Texas have had limited access to testing, and have largely relied on state-run services.
Continue reading
By Yasmeen Khalifa and Megan Menchaca, The Texas Tribune
Food banks and nonprofits are providing free meals, internet access and housing assistance. As they face an increase in demand during another coronavirus surge, the organizations are also asking for help.
As Texans face another surge in coronavirus infections, many people are finding themselves stuck at home in the midst of the holiday season with no income or access to necessary resources like food or medical services.
Continue reading
By Public Radio Staff
From Alpine and the Davis Mountains to the Marfa Plateau and the surrounding foothills, residents in Far West Texas woke up Saturday morning to a blanket of snow enveloping the region.
The National Weather Service estimates the higher elevations in the Big Bend area saw anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow. Elsewhere, snowfall was minimal, with areas closer to I-10 seeing an inch of snow or less.
Continue reading