February 2026

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A researcher was successfully rescued from the remote and treacherous Sorcerer’s Cave in Terrell County Tuesday night after a rockfall left her injured hundreds of feet underground. The emergency response, which highlighted the critical assistance of the Fort Stockton Fire Department, involved a massive multi-agency coordination to extract the victim from the deepest cave in Texas.

Tom Scott of Midland, Texas died on February 1. Tom was born in Houston, Texas on January 31, 1934 to Mary Alice Ransom and Earle Hester Scott and was raised in Richmond, Texas. After his mother married Stephen S. Perry Jr. in 1946, the family lived on their ranch on Allen Dome on the banks of the San Bernard River in Brazoria County. Tom graduated from Freeport High School at the top of his class in 1951, going on to attend The Rice Institute in Houston Texas, graduating in 1955 with a degree in Chemistry. He attended The University of Texas Law School, graduating in 1958. Tom was honored as a member of The Order of the Coif, The Chancellors, Phi Theta Phi, and the Texas Law Review.

The Fort Stockton City Council moved to expand local housing and secure future infrastructure funding during a regular meeting February 9. Leaders authorized a neighborhood zoning exception and ordered a May special election to reauthorize a dedicated street maintenance tax.

On Saturday, February 21 at 2 p.m. the Fort Stockton Film Society will present Clint Eastwood in Grand Torino. Clint Eastwood plays a retired Ford Motor company worker in Korean war veteran who has watched his neighborhood change as immigrants come in.

History breathed through the Espino Conference Center on Saturday, February 7, as descendants and devotees of the Big Bend gathered for the 33rd Pioneer Reunion. Under the theme “Heritage and Horizons of the Big Bend,” the event served as a living archive, where the rugged terrain’s “human mosaic” was pieced together through oral histories, laughter, and a touch of mourning for a fading generation.

This Friday, February 13, at noon, the Pecos County Senior Citizen’s Center will host a Valentine’s celebration at the Large Community Hall. The meal will be an Italian feast.

The Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District (MPGCD) has scheduled a regular board meeting for February 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at the district’s office located at 405 North Spring Drive in Fort Stockton, with provisions for public attendance both in person and via Zoom.

The Fort Stockton City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, February 17, to deliberate on a key property agreement. The meeting is set to begin at 12:00 p.m. at the council's meeting location at 121 West Second Street.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS Early voting in the March 3 primary begins Monday, Feb. 17 and concludes on Friday, Feb.