News

It is important to note that an arrest should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The first week of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Senate ended with his former lead law enforcement officer testifying an Austin developer alleged to have bribed Paxton constructed a “conspiracy theory” that federal officials altered a search warrant for his property, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The 2nd annual Barrio Fest, sponsored by the Fort Stockton Community Theatre will be Sept. 14-17. Third grade students from Alamo Elementary, Buena Vista School in Imperial and Fort Stockton Christian Academy along with their teachers and administrators will be part of the Education Day at Barrio Fest 2023 on Friday morning, Sept. 15, from 8:30–11:30. Students will be learning about the traditions of the Hispanic culture. There will be several community members who have volunteered their time to instruct the students about the rich culture that the Hispanic Community has to offer here in Fort Stockton. Students will be going 11 eleven stations as they learn about these traditions.

The Fort Stockton Independent School District Board of Trustees recognized the August Students of the Month during its meeting on Aug. 30.

Belding Farms, a pecan grower in Fort Stockton, filed a petition with the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District (GCD) to strengthen rules intended to protect the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer that underlies Pecos County and feeds Comanche Springs. The petition asks the district to introduce a yearround threshold for the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer that would trigger cutbacks in groundwater pumping if aquifer water levels fall too low at any time and bolster the current winter recovery thresholds that are manipulable and overly complex.

The Fort Stockton Independent School District met in its first regular session of the 2023-24 school year on Aug. 30, approving its budget for the sear and setting its tax rate. Much of the total $56,959,690 budget (22,728,181 of the $38,269,399 general fund budget) is set aside for payroll costs. The tax rate was set at $1.0600 per $100 of assessed property value.

It is important to note that an arrest should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

More than 100 high school students will visit the Sul Ross State University campus in Alpine as representatives of the Future Farmers of American (FFA) on two occasions in September. On Monday, Sept. 11, 116 freshman students in the first year of agriculture classes will attend the “Greenhand Day” conference for beginners. They will visit from Alpine, Fort Stockton, Crane, Iraan, Pecos and Wink to participate in activities ranging from friendly competitions within and across FFA chapter groups to personal and organizational leadership to sessions on building knowledge of the opportunities available through school-based agricultural education and FFA from the local, state and national levels.

Part of the FSISD bond approved by voters last November included beefing up security at all the campuses across the district. The school board approved new security fencing districtwide and approved the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) from BTC – the district’s Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) at its Aug. 30 board meeting. BTC is a construction management company specializing in school construction with offices in El Paso and Fort Worth.

In a quick city council meeting on Monday evening, the Fort Stockton City Council approved the fiscal year 2023-24 budget and tax rate. The meeting was attended by city staff, media, and part of the time by one member of the public. Mayor Paul Casias was absent and Mayor pro tem James Warnock arrived late, so council member and former mayor Ruben Falcon opened the meeting.