October 2024

Editor’s note: It is important to note that an arrest should not be considered evidence of guilt, all defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The following list is provided by the Pecos County Sheriff’s Department.

GARDENER’S MAILBAG Dear Neil, I bought and planted Byzantine glads last fall. They came up and bloomed well this spring, but then their tops died almost immediately.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS The federal judge who has repeatedly found Texas in contempt for not fixing its foster care system has been removed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a threejudge panel faulting U.S.

Springing forward or falling back, daylight saving time was something my father always dreaded. Having to reset all the clocks in his house behind or ahead by an hour twice a year meant he had a lot of work to do — and he didn’t enjoy doing it.

Prairies are the lifeblood for pollinators, but many people don’t understand the critical role pollinators play in our lives. Native bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and other pollinators do the important work of pollinating most species of flowering plants and crops, helping to grow our food and bring our native habitats to life. Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites in our diets.

Thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, construction work on significant improvements to the Chisos Basin area of the park is expected to begin May 1 and continue for approximately two years. The Chisos Basin area will be closed to all visitor entry as work begins. This includes the Basin Road, lodging units, Basin Campground, restaurant, NPS visitor center, camper store, and trails within the Basin area. This work will ONLY affect the Chisos Basin area of Big Bend National Park. As significant components are completed, park managers will assess which areas can be safely reopened to regular public access.

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Becky was born on June 2, 1953, in Alpine, Texas, to Francis Patrick “Pat” Rooney II and Shirley Smith Rooney. She grew up in Marathon, Texas, and the surrounding areas of the Big Bend, alongside her sisters Francene and Betty. The girls spent most holidays and every summer on the ranch with their loving grandparents, Mimi and Tata (Mr. & Mrs. F.P. Rooney I). Their days were spent riding donkeys, so they could learn how to ride, eventually graduating up to a mule. Once Becky mastered the art of mule riding, Tata gave her the nickname Bec-a-Roo. Mimi was always at arms-length with camera in hand, snapping pics of the girls on every adventure. Each trip was sure to include a picnic, packed by Mimi early that morning, and afternoons spent hunting arrowheads in the wide West Texas terrain. Each of the girls would spend the rest of their lives attesting as to how they had the absolute best childhood growing up as a Rooney girl. Pat had three daughters, and he made sure to tell everyone that he was raising his three girls like boys… and he did. He was a very proud girl dad, for sure.