News

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.

Fort Stockton Pioneer.

Dear Neil, I bought an orange tree from a local nursery in early 2022. It was supposed to be really sweet and hardier to cold than normal. I do not remember the variety. We had a hard freeze in December that year, and the top froze back to the ground. In spring 2025, I was ready to cut the tree down when I noticed it had regrown from below the graft. To my surprise, that growth produced seven oranges. I harvested some of those oranges recently, but they had hardly any juice and were white and stringy on the inside. Should I remove the tree, or is there something else I should be doing to get quality oranges?

In one of the most arid regions of Texas, where water sustains communities, working lands, wildlife and local economies, Sul Ross State University has launched the Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water, supported by a $2.75 million commitment from The Meadows Foundation that includes both longterm endowment funding and multi-year operational support.

The Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District (MPGCD) has scheduled a public hearing to address a proposed increase in fees for exporting groundwater outside of Pecos County, a topic that has drawn significant attention in the region.

This year’s Wildlife Weekend held in Alpine on January 30- February 1 focuses on owls of the Davis Mountains, featuring experts from Borderlands Research Institute, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and other conservation organizations. All events are free and open to the public.

For the Pecos County Dinner Tonight Cooking Club, it was “the week after Christmas” as they hosted their Winter Wonderland themed meeting. Originally set for December, the event had to be moved to January when the Extension Office lost water. No matter, the party went on!

The Pecos County Commissioners Court closed out 2025 by filling a key veteran services role and securing a significant reduction in county insurance premiums during two year-end meetings. During a regular session on Monday, December 22, the court voted to hire Michael Pulis as the new Pecos County Veteran Service Officer.

.

The Fort Stockton City Council will hold its first regular meeting of the year on Monday, January 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the City Hall located at 121 West Second Street.