March 2021

Happy spring Pecos County. Spring has sprung, and our weather is beginning to warm up more and more each day. I can’t count the number of questions I’ve had over the last few weeks about melting chocolate and making Easter egg candies. In every conversation I am asked about the difference between the chocolates and which one is best to purchase, and, more importantly, easier to work with for the newbie candy maker.

Over the next month, I would like to spend some time exploring the Five Solas. These solas came out of the Protestant Reformation during the 16th century. To further explain exactly what the Protestant Reformation was, let us break up the two words and define each of them.

Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group recently appointed Peter Valenzuela, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer. As CMO, Valenzuela will oversee all aspects of clinical care delivery for the Medical Group, and provide strategic leadership to provide high-quality, patient-centric care in the Sacramento, Calif., region. This includes the performance, recruitment, engagement, and wellness of the 480 primary and specialty care clinicians with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group. He will be responsible for patient safety, satisfaction and overall quality of clinical care.

It’s not every day you see an artist standing in the grass painting a giant roadrunner, but that’s exactly what happened here in Fort Stockton on March 22. Soaking up the sun, painter Shea Daniel-Youngblood spent a few hours painting Paisano Pete outside the Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center.

All was well and good for Heather Kopeck leading up to her 24-week checkup for her first pregnancy. Then in a matter of 48 hours after that doctor visit, her life and her baby’s life were in the balance.

I need someone to tell me what’s happening. Not a tinted version of events but what’s really happening. I make the request because mainstream (if there is such a thing) news outlets seem to fundamentally disagree about what’s important.

As the border conditions worsen, concerned Americans wonder where and when the crisis will end. If left unchecked, President Biden’s existing come-one, come-all policy will allow about 1.2 million illegal immigrants to settle in the U.S.

A total of four Fort Stockton basketball players were named to the Class 4A Region I District 2 basketball team last week. Junior forward Dominic Aguilar was selected to the district’s first team after leading his team in scoring a majority of the season.