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To qualify for a Humanities Texas grant, a humanities advisor must be involved in the planning and implementation of the activities. The humanities advisor for Barrio Fest will be Dr. Nicolas C. Garcia, a Fort Stockton High School graduate class of 2004 who went on to earn his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Garcia will moderate two discussions during the Barrio Fest weekend. The first discussion will be on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Butz Education Center. The topic will focus on the educational experience of the Hispanic community prior to integration. The second discussion will be held on Saturday from 5-6 p.m. at Joe’s Place. Descendants of some workers who came to Fort Stockton through the Bracero Program in the 1950s will tell their first-hand experiences of this work program that added greatly to Fort Stockton’s economic development.

While gas prices nationwide dropped below $4 per gallon average last week, the state boasts the lowest prices in the country at an average of $3.49 — 50 cents below the national average, according to AAA Texas.

The Museum of the Big Bend is ranked No. 9 among True West’s 2022 Top Western Museums, according to a press release from the True West magazine. It will be featured in the September issue, hitting newsstands on Sept. 10. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum of Oklahoma City took top honors. True West nodded to the museum’s major expansion project, including a gallery dedicated to the art of Tom Lea, one of the premiere horse and cattle artists of the Southwest, as one of the factors in their decision. “The Museum of the Big Bend is already a first class art and history museum,” said Bob Boze Bell, True West Executive Editor. “But it is moving forward into an exciting future, preserving old west history and culture, and presenting it to the world. There’s no question. The Museum of the Big Bend is a Top Western Museum.” This is the 17th year True West has presented this annual award. Led by Candy Moulton, editors base their selection on criteria evaluating exhibits, facilities, multi-media and online accessibility, events and promotion of historic/ cultural resources. For more information about the Museum of the Big Bend, visit www.museumofthebigbend. com.

It is important to note than an arrest should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Twenty five years ago, the movie “Dancer, Texas,” a movie about an idyllic small mountain town in west Texas, was filmed in Fort Davis and has since become a fan favorite amongst locals, some of whom were featured in the film itself.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will be increasing the number of Texas Highway Patrol (THP) Troopers on the roads from Friday, Aug. 19, through Monday, Sept. 5, as part of the Intoxicated Driving Mobilization (IDM) Specific Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). DPS troopers will be on the roads looking for drivers who are speeding, driving while intoxicated or not wearing their seat belts. The goal of the IDM STEP program is to reduce the number of DWIrelated crashes, injuries and fatalities. DPS offers the following safety tips for people driving during the Labor

•Nathaniel Constantino Adame, DOB 10/08/2001, offense date 01/28/2021 (CR-24842, assault causes bodily injury family violence) defendant pled guilty –360 days in the county jail, suspended for 24 months on community supervision; $3,000.00 General Fine to the State; $100.00 Mandatory Fines to the State; $270.00 Court Costs; $102.00 Reimbursement Fees to the State; Fifty (50) hours of community service; $60.00 monthly Community Supervision fee; Participate in and successfully complete an Anger Management Class and pay for same; Special Conditions: The Defendant shall not communicate, make contact, or associate by any means with the victim of the offense. Defendant shall not inquire about, contact by telephone (or any other electronic means), either directly or indirectly, with said individual(s). Furthermore, Defendant shall not accept any contact by any means (written, electronic, telephone, word of mouth, directly or indirectly) from or with regard to said individual(s).

For the first since 2019, the Texas Education Agency released official accountability ratings for school districts and campuses statewide on Aug. 14.

PIONEER CONTRIBUTING WRITER The City of Fort Stockton assisted the West Texas Food Bank last week with volunteers from the Police Department, Sanitation Department, Water Department, Parks Department and Code Enforcement. “I was really happy to see how many people showed up from the City of Fort Stockton,” EMS Director Lucia Mackintosh- Gilbert said.