A cumulonimbus cloud towers over Marfa. (Ross Cashiola / West Texas Cloud Appreciation Society)
By Sally Beauvais As we approach the end of monsoon season in West Texas, now’s a good time to step outside and take a moment to appreciate the dramatic summer storm clouds that bring the majority of our region’s annual … Continue reading
Hundreds mourn for the victims and their family outside the El Paso Walmart where a mass murderer killed 22 people. (Nick Oza/USA Today Network via REUTERS)
Barbara Canales’ family history is in some ways shaped by a deeply rooted understanding of bigotry and racism.
Her mother attended high school in Corpus Christi where the Mexican American students were segregated from their white peers; they were assigned separate gym lockers and even required to attend separate senior proms.
Presidio City Council members learned last week that border authorities may soon be changing their processing policies at the local port of entry. (Sally Beauvais / Marfa Public Radio)
By Sally Beauvais
Officials in the small border city of Presidio are preparing for the possibility of having to care for asylum-seekers in the near future.
That’s because authorities are considering releasing some detained migrants locally, instead of sending them 250 miles west to El Paso — which remains the official procedure at this time.
Presidio officials are still gathering information from the local Customs and Border Protection office about how many asylum-seekers could be released into the city under such a plan. At a recent city council meeting, City Administrator Joe Portillo theorized that the numbers could “quickly become overwhelming.”
Both Midland and Odessa saw a boom to their population numbers in 2018, according to new data released from the U.S. Census. ( flickr.com/photos/pkmonaghan / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
By Mitch Borden
What issues and which candidates will appear on ballots this November in Midland is officially set. Two city council seats are up for grabs and three candidates will duke it out to see who will be Midland’s mayor in the coming years.
By Carlos Morales
Big Bend National Park officials have put forward a proposal that would significantly change the park’s camping reservation system and increase camping fees.
When it comes to reservations, the changes would make a larger number of campings sites available and would extend how far out in advance visitors are able to make those reservations.
(Sally Beauvais / Marfa Public Radio)
By Carlos Morales
Jeff Davis County Commissioners have sidelined a decision on becoming a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” — a designation two other West Texas counties have taken up this year.
The resolution was brought before county officials during a special meeting Monday, but it was soon tabled to give commissioners more time to learn about what the resolution would mean for local governance. It’s unclear right now if the resolution will appear on the agenda for the next commissioners court, which is scheduled for Sept. 9.
Ruth Ruggero Hughs Image via the Texas Workforce Commission
After losing his last chief election officer over a botched review of the state’s voter rolls, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed a new secretary of state: Ruth Ruggero Hughs.
Ruggero Hughs is moving from the Texas Workforce Commission, which she has chaired since August 2018. She joins the secretary of state’s office nearly three months after Democratic senators blocked the confirmation of her predecessor, David Whitley, who questioned the voter registration of thousands of naturalized citizens.
Marfa Public Radio is currently experiencing intermittent on-air interruptions in Midland and Odessa on our KXWT 91.3 signal.
We have staff on site at our tower in Gardendale diagnosing and addressing the issue.
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By Elissa Nadworny and Mallory Falk
On Monday, nearly 60,000 public school students in El Paso, Texas, will start the school year amid an air of mourning, fear and resilience.
The first day of school in El Paso’s largest district comes more than a week after a mass shooting at a local Walmart left 22 people dead. According to a police affidavit, the suspect charged in the attack later said he had intentionally targeted “Mexicans.”
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By Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune
Leading Latina organizer Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez is launching a campaign for U.S. Senate, entering a Democratic primary to oust Republican John Cornyn that has steadily grown throughout the summer.
The daughter of an immigrant mother, co-founder of the Workers Defense Project and founder of the progressive Latino youth group Jolt Texas, Tzintzún Ramirez argues she has the best story, experience
You’re invited to help Marfa Public Radio celebrate the one year anniversary of our listener curiosity-driven series, West Texas Wonders!
On the evening of Thursday, August 22nd, we will trek down to the Shurley Ranch, about 20 miles south of Marfa on Highway 67. There, Mike Shurley will be our guide as we scan the horizon for the mysterious Marfa lights — just as reporter Diana Nguyen did in the first ever West Texas Wonders story, The Marfa Lights — Underground Lightning, Wandering Ghosts, Or Something Else?
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By Mitch Borden
Standing before a crowd of supporters at Midland’s Security Bank Baseball Stadium, city councilman J.Ross Lacy announced he’s running for congress.
The 37-year-old Republican is making a bid for Texas’ 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The announcement comes a week after longtime congressman Mike Conaway, who currently holds the district seat, announced he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2020.
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