By Public Radio Staff
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are being sworn in as the president and vice president of the United States. Watch the ceremony, inaugural address and other celebratory events throughout the day. You can also listen live to coverage on the radio beginning at 10 a.m. Central.
By Mitch Borden
In the coming days, the state is expected to send thousands of doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to Midland Memorial Hospital and Medical Center Hospital in Odessa as the two facilities prepare to administer vaccines on a massive scale.
Here’s what you need to know about the vaccine rollout in the two Permian Basin cities.
During the last public coronavirus testing in Presidio, over 550 residents were tested and the testing site soon reached its capacity for the day. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Public Radio Staff
For the second time this month, a mobile testing unit will make a swing through the Big Bend Region, stopping in Presidio, Alpine, Marfa and Fort Davis this week.
Testing will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until supplies run out. During recent rounds of testing, some locations have seen long lines form, so local officials advise arriving early and giving yourself plenty of time.
(Mitch Borden / Marfa Public Radio)
By Mitch Borden
At the beginning of 2020, the oil industry in the Permian Basin was humming along without any idea that looming on the horizon was a historic oil bust. Months into last year, an eerie quiet—brought on in part by the coronavirus pandemic—settled over the West Texas oil fields as prices plummeted. One of the places where the industry’s muted activity became clear: the notorious U.S. 285, also known as ‘Death Highway.’
In this episode of Quiet & Loud, we take a look at how this active road that runs through some of the busiest parts of the Permian Basin has changed.
Preventative Care Health Services, which has clinics in Marfa, Presidio and Alpine, has started vaccinating residents in the 1B vaccination group, but has run out of doses and is waiting for more from the state. (Courtesy of PCHS)
By Carlos Morales
For a little over a month now, the state has been distributing COVID-19 vaccines produced by biomedical companies Pfizer and Moderna, but the rollout has been confusing and frustrating, especially for residents in rural communities.
Here are some answers to questions we’ve received.
Jenny Cudd recounted the Jan. 6 riot over Facebook Live later that night. (Screenshot)
By Mitch Borden
A week after she swarmed the U.S. Capitol along with an insurrectionist mob, the FBI has arrested one-time Midland mayoral candidate and business owner Jenny Cudd.
Cudd, who posted a 25-minute video recounting the Jan. 6 riot that left five dead, was taken into custody Wednesday morning in connection with the riot at the capitol. She’s been charged with two misdemeanors. If convicted, Cudd could serve up to a year in prison and be fined over $100,000.
The 2021 Texas legislative session begins Tuesday. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
By Alex Samuels, Cassandra Pollock, and Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune
Much about the session — including how it will be conducted during a pandemic — remains uncertain.
The 2021 session of the Texas Legislature will commence Tuesday under pervasive uncertainty.
After reopening for the summer months, a steady stream of visitors have set their eyes on Big Bend National Park for fall and winter getaways. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Carlos Morales
Over the course of the pandemic, the number of people visiting Big Bend National Park has fluctuated wildly — first dropping to all-time lows in the Spring, then smashing records in the final months of last year.
The end-of-year visitor spike is part of a national trend, as thousands have flocked to outdoor destinations across Texas and the country, even as many public health officials advise against travelling.
David Beebe and Remijio “Primo” Carrasco look back on recording and releasing their first album. (Carlos Morales / Marfa Public Radio)
By Ari Snider
Marfa musicians Primo Carrasco and David Beebe are familiar names in the Far West Texas music scene. The duo has played together for years now, but just released their first album earlier this month — just in time for the new year.
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.
By Mitch Borden
Healthcare and other frontline workers in the Big Bend region began receiving their first doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine last week.
Preventative Care Health Services, which operates three clinics across the region, was given 400 doses that they are now administering across the Tri-County area.
Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden caught up with PCHS’ CEO Linda Molinar to see how the distribution process is going.
There are few things as magical as flowing water in the desert. Such places refresh both the body and the spirit, and in a land like ours, their presence can feel like an unearned gift. We immediately sense such places … Continue reading
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.
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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.
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.
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