November 2025

Fort Stockton High School Athletic Director and Head Football Coach DJ Howell used his Nov. 19 staff report to the Fort Stockton ISD Board of Trustees to deliver a clear and candid message regarding the future of the Panthers program.

Fort Stockton High School sophomore Meagan Hanson has continued her rise in FFA competition this fall, earning her way back to the Area level in Creed Speaking—one of the organization’s most tradition- rooted leadership events. Hanson sat down with TumbleweedTalk host Carla Vazquez for a student-produced interview, sharing insight into her preparation, her love for public speaking, and the role FFA has played in her growth as a communicator and leader.

FSMS Teams Surge The high school basketball season continued this past week as the Fort Stockton Panthers and Prowlers navigated a challenging set of non-district matchups, while the middle school programs put together several impressive showings against Pecos and at the Andrews Tournament. The Panther Varsity Boys extended their in-season road stretch with a difficult trip to Levelland on Friday, where momentum proved hard to come by in a 100–52 loss.

Being thankful should not be based on a special day or season of the year. Being thankful should be as much a part of us as breathing. When does “thankfulness” begin? Does it begin when our parents taught us to say please and thank you as common courtesies for things given or received? Does it begin as a mealtime blessing or a good night prayer? Could it be that genuine “thankfulness” begins as a spiritual seed sown in the soil of faith? As our faith grows our loving response is “thankfulness” to God who blesses us. Our thankful response should be for the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ.

I remember the time when we were sitting around talking with friends when one of their teenage boys asked me a question, “where do we go when we die?” I said, “that’s a good question,” and went and got my Bible. I told him the only way we can know for sure is what God’s Word (the Bible) says.

Thanksgiving is a myth? According to Smithsonian Magazine, our beloved holiday actually has two histories: one real and one largely made up. Naturally, we celebrate the made-up version.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday blocked a lower court ruling that threw out the state’s new congressional map, allowing the new districts to stay in place, at least for now. A federal panel, by a 2-1 vote, said a few days earlier that the new map was racially gerrymandered.

BY J.T. MARONEY While thinking about Thanksgiving next week and my nontraditional food columns, I reached out to a couple of friends.

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.

Editor’s Note: Trigger Warning, subject: Infant Loss. What began as a routine meeting for the Pecos County Memorial Hospital District Board of Directors on November 18, became a deeply moving occasion with the powerful donation presented by Adrian and Becky Martinez of Patrick’s Promise Foundation.