December 2024

Some years, families are blessed to initiate festive new Christmas traditions. Other years, the new tradition is a solemn acquiescence to “the new normal.” The Tyrees fall into the latter category this year.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS The Public Utility Commission is providing residential consumers of electricity a way to save on their electricity bills by installing smart thermostats that allow retail electric providers to reduce energy use when demand is high, though only in areas with retail competition. “Ensuring grid reliability as Texas continues to grow requires both expanding our state’s power supply and finding ways to reduce demand and use electricity more efficiently,” PUCT Commissioner Kathleen Jackson said.

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.

Offender: JEREMY ROSAS ORTIZ Offense: RESIST ARREST SEARCH OR TRANSPORT Offense date: 09/22/2022 Arresting agency: ft. Stockton police department County cause no.: Cr-25233 Sentencing date: 11/25/2024 Sentencing: DEFENDANT PLED GUILTYTIME SERVED THREE HUNDRED SIXTY (360) DAYS in the county jail; $0.00 general fine; $0.00 mandatory fines; $0.00 restitution; $0.00 court costs; $0.00 reimbursement fees.

Sul Ross State University is celebrating the success of its Lobos LEAD program, which launched in Fall 2023. Data shows that SRSU retained freshmen participating in the LEAD program from 2023 to 2024 at a rate 23.5 percent higher than their peers.

The late afternoon shadows were lengthening across the valley floor as two heavily loaded supply wagons, an army ambulance, a passenger coach carrying seven civilians, followed by a mounted guard consisting of one sergeant and two enlisted men, made their way down the rocky hillside into the safety of Fort Lancaster.

It has been 24 years since the last day Texas highways saw no traffic fatalities, and state officials are renewing their call for safer driving habits. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) are joining forces to combat a grim, ongoing reality: for nearly a quarter-century—every single day—at least one life has been lost on Texas roadways.

Jolly Ole’ Paisano Pete

Merriest and Brightest

As a Baby Boomer, I looked on with bemusement; but December 10, 1974 was a cultural milestone for the oldest members of Generation X. That’s when ABC premiered the Rankin/Bass Productions animated Christmas special “The Year Without A Santa Claus” (a.k.a.