READ BIG BEND SENTINEL Vol. 94 No. 23: july 21, 2026
Marfa ISD cuts employee healthcare contribution, new role for outgoing superintendent and 2 board members resign
It was mostly business-as-usual at Monday night’s Marfa ISD School Board meeting on the heels of announcing its superintendent finalist, Stephen McCanless, but a tense discussion…
Border wall updates: County to discuss road permits for contractors, and landowner meeting reveals Border Patrol agreeable to changes in wall placement
Presidio County Presidio County commissioners will meet Wednesday with a discussion item “regarding the establishment of a special road use permitting procedure on county roads.” The…
15th annual Viva Big Bend kicks off Thursday
The 15th annual Viva Big Bend music festival kicks off Thursday, July 23, with more than 65 performances through Sunday in Alpine, Marfa, Marathon, Terlingua, Presidio…
County judge: Officials should be ‘proactive’ in looking at road agreements with wall contractors
Commissioners start discussion on special road use permits Presidio County County Commissioners today discussed the development of a special road use permit that would require contractors…
En español
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Instalan centro de operaciones para el muro fronterizo en Presidio
Presidio La maquinaria pesada está llegando al lugar. Apenas una semana después de recibir un contrato federal de 2.600 millones de dólares para la construcción del muro fronterizo, subcontratistas…
Inversores de centros de datos buscan grandes extensiones de terreno en Presidio
Presidio Las polvorientas afueras de Presidio podrían cubrirse pronto de naves industriales destinadas a centros de datos. Dos promotores de un complejo de centros de datos sondearon el interés…
Previous Print Editions
Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Office identifies dead body found on Highway 118
The Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Department has released the identity of a deceased individual found Monday morning on Highway 118, five miles South of…
Preview of Viva Big Bend 2026
We have started the 15th year of Viva Big Bend, an exceptional showcase of live music here in Far West Texas. The music festival…
County scores big ambulance grant
Presidio County Presidio County Commissioners heard Wednesday at their meeting that they had been awarded a $500,000 grant from the state for the Rural…
Obituary: Victoria “Vicki” Kempf Harris
Victoria “Vicki” Kempf Harris, 64, passed away on July 8, 2026. A lifelong resident of Terlingua Ghost Town, Texas, Vicki was a beloved member…
Our Water Matters: Glacial melt and Gulf Stream collapse
Scientists have been warning for some time now that changes in the water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean could lead to the collapse of…
July 24, 2026: Public Notices & Classifieds
NOTICE TO CREDITORSNO. 26-122-CCPR-00006 On the 1st day of July, 2026, Letters Testamentary upon the estate of Michael R. Murphy,Deceased, were issued to Deborah…
July 21, 2026: Public Notices & Classifieds
Presidio City Council and Tourism Board The City of Presidio is calling out for Letters of Interest from the public for one seat to…
Outlaw well discovered near Chispa Road
July 22 Update: According to a statment made in today’s Commissioners Court meeting by County Attorney Blair Park, it was determined that the drilling…
Myles to read early work
Marfa Marfa Poet Eileen Myles will read from a 1979 poem while also celebrating the publication of what she calls a “new (old)” book…
Letters from the editor: July 21, 2026
I love being in Texas. Keep illegals (I don’t care what country they come from.) out of this country unless they enter legally. Every…
Mental Health Series
In a mental health crisis, Big Bend residents have options for help
Direct Hotline 988 is in place, but few know of its existence TRI-COUNTY — Few Americans are aware of a relatively new…
The weight of the badge: Customs and Border Protection responds to rash of agent suicides
US-MEXICO BORDER — As journalists and politicians endlessly dissect the current situation on the southwest border, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is…
Alpine program provides mental health support for seniors
TRI-COUNTY — A program housed in the Big Bend Regional Hospital provides crucial mental healthcare services that brighten the lives of seniors,…
A ‘deficient’ safety net
TRI-COUNTY — Jeff Davis County Justice of the Peace Mary Ann Luedecke picks up her frantically chiming cell phone. “I don’t know…
Hospital district, Big Bend National Park explore addition of mental healthcare providers
BREWSTER COUNTY — The Big Bend region’s dire need for more mental health resources was central to discussion among local political and medical…
Big Bend’s isolation creates challenges to addressing mental health
TRI-COUNTY — Brian Enlow is much different than his brother Greg was. Greg embraced an artistic world, immersed himself in music and lived…
The Big Bend Sentinel partners with Presidio County Community Fund for mental health reporting series
MARFA –– The Big Bend Sentinel is publishing a series of articles on mental and behavioral health starting with next week’s issue,…
Schools play a vital role in student mental health but face several challenges meeting needs
TRI-COUNTY — The need for mental and behavioral health resources in schools has never been more dire, with rates of depression, anxiety and…
Few options available for substance abuse treatment in the Big Bend
FAR WEST TEXAS — Big Bend residents are no strangers to tackling problems posed by the physical isolation of their home turf.…
New community-based therapy offers benefits for rural areas
TRI-COUNTY — A series of articles on mental health published by The Big Bend Sentinel the past two months has highlighted both…
Visuals
The ARTS
Hand Upon the Land on exhibit at RULE
RULE Marfa currently is showcasing a group exhibit, Hand Upon the Land, through August 1. Artists Nathan Abels, Evan Anderman, Joseph Coniff, Jason DeMarte, Amy Hoagland, Martha Hughes,…
Schoolhouse Rock Live! on stage at the outdoor theatre in Alpine
Alpine Schoolhouse Rock Live!, a stage musical adaptation of the classic 1970s cartoon series, opened Thursday, July 2, at the Kokernot Outdoor Theatre in Alpine. “I have been…
Visualizing the ‘emotional imprint’ from a book
Dimick exhibit at Eugene Binder features 457 pages of paintings The premiere of artist Lucas Dimick’s 2666 Project will take place June 12-20 in Marfa at Eugene Binder…
‘Martha Invitational’ reunites Marfa artists past and present
A friendly crowd donning free VIP stickers lingered in the rooms at RULE Gallery Friday night to survey the works curated in the “second non-annual” Martha Invitational pop-up…
Artist’s tintype portraits takes photos into the realm of fine art
Macartney’s work centerpieces a weekend devoted to local artists See the full MarfaMUST Artist Weekend schedule at marfamust.org and @marfamust. To hear Carolyn Macartney talk about how she…
A life imagined
Hetzler Marfa presents Rinus Van de Velde’s ‘The Dinner’ Over the past 15 years, Rinus Van de Velde has been composing what he calls a “fictional autobiography,” a…
Students make music for Summer Shake-Up
MARFA Marfa Live Arts is teaming up with Marfa ISD, The Chinati Foundation and other area nonprofits once again for the 2026 installment of Summer Shake-Up, with Marfa…
‘Mimi’ biography offers an intimate look at one of Big Bend’s most famous women
While many in the Big Bend know some of the more famous exploits of Terlingua’s Mimi Webb Miller—a former lover of Mexican drug lord Pablo Acosta—a new book…
GHOST TOWN BRONZE
New sculptures in Shafter capture early ranch life When John Poindexter, Cibolo Creek Ranch owner, and Tom Davis, the ranch manager, set out to restore a series of…
Foundation reaches milestones with Ranch Office, land acknowledgement
Dear Friends, Last Saturday Judd Foundation celebrated two milestones with the opening of the Ranch Office. The first, is that we are here because of one artist, Donald…
Chinati Community Day to feature art, music, workshops and dinner
The Chinati Foundation is once again opening their doors to celebrate our local communities with an open house, workshops, music and a free dinner on Sunday. The morning…
Ranch Office pays homage to Judd’s Ayala de Chinati
Marfa When artist Donald Judd purchased a former grocery on Highland Avenue in downtown Marfa in 1991, it was one of the last buildings he acquired in town…
Cardboard Zoo Collective adds critters to wall protests
Photos by Jennifer Pittinger A massive joint protest took place in Austin at the state Capitol on April 4, along with a floating protest on the Rio Grande…
Community Day set for Chinati
The Chinati Foundation will hold another Community Day on Sunday, April 26, for a day celebrating the tri-county community. This year’s Community Day activities include open viewing of…
Free play, ‘La Casa de Bernarda Alba,’ opens at Bullroom Friday
Marfa Ballroom Marfa presents La Casa de Bernarda Alba, directed by Richard Maxwell of New York City Players, at the Bullroom on April 10–11 at 7:30 p.m. at…
Greeson captures raw beauty of the natural world
Bobby Greeson is a multidisciplinary artist equally comfortable with photography, filmmaking or design. His parents enrolled him in painting classes at age 6 and bought him his first…
Colossal glazed stoneware coming to Ballroom Marfa
Raven Halfmoon’s Flags of Our Mothers, the first major traveling exhibition for the artist, featuring new and recent works made over the last five years, will open at…
Group exhibition asks artists to ‘take a position’
MAINTENANT, Marfa’s boxing and gallery space, is presenting What Are You Fighting For, a group exhibition that asks artists to take a position—responding visually, materially, conceptually or textually…
Works signal outward and encounter a return
Marfa RULE Gallery presents Signal and Return, two concurrent solo exhibitions featuring paintings by Joe Clower (1937–2024) and Polaroid works by the artist collaborative El Disco. Installed in…
Marfa Live Arts showcases playwrights
Marfa Monologues by Marfa Junior High students will come to life at Marfa Lives Arts’ Spring Showcase Theater with local actors at Planet Marfa on Tuesday, April 7,…
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