Featured Stories
Feds waive environmental protections to fast-track Big Bend wall
Planned projects could also include Big Bend National Park by SAM KARAS Late last week, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem gave physical border wall construction in…
El “muro fronterizo” de Big Bend se acerca a la realidad
El gobierno federal busca “áreas de preparación” para la construcción Después de meses de hablar sobre barreras fronterizas “inteligentes” a lo largo del Río Grande, la construcción de muros…
Brewster County sheriff signs ICE contract
Agreement won’t impact day-to-day policework, Sheriff Dodson says At the end of January, the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) signed on to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) warrant…
Sales deal in the works for Hotel Paisano
Marfa The historic Hotel Paisano—once the temporary home for the cast of the movie Giant—is selling to new owners, Lauren Werner King and husband Harrison King. Werner King founded…
While the Department of Homeland Security gave many signals that “smart walls,” combinations of physical and technological barriers, would be coming to the Big Bend, recent conversations on the border indicate the time has come. While much of the plans remain shrouded in secrecy—for now—indications are that federal officials are actively talking to landowners to secure sites to get construction rolling. Big Bend Sentinel will be covering the progress from every different angle, since the impacts to the region will be profound.
A walk on the wild side: We must defend the Ranch
The Ranch is weighing heavy on my mind. I’m not talking about a private ranch, though it once was one of the largest private…
Alpine private schools have questions on vouchers
With parent applications for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program open, Alpine’s two private schools are on the list of vendors but are…
Scammer tries to sell man’s property twice
Fake listings target a lot for a planned return to sunshine About 18 months ago, when Lee Cohen got an automatic notification from a…
7 vie for 3 open council seats
Marfa While last year’s Marfa City Council elections were canceled after no challengers filed against incumbents Mayor Manny Baeza, Mayor Pro Tem Raul Lara…
Paxton, Crockett leading in primary polls
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett are leading their respective primary campaigns for U.S. Senate, according to a poll…
El sheriff del condado de Brewster firma contrato con ICE
El acuerdo no afectará la labor policial diaria, afirma el sheriff Dodson A finales de enero, la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Brewster…
Marfa Live Arts awards winning student playwrights
In January, Marfa High School students participated in the 15th annual Marfa Live Arts (MLA) Playwriting Program. The program was taught by Cal Poly…
Hard work, faith and the land moved Ragland
Jean Ann Wagoner Ragland, 87, of Alpine, Texas, passed away on February 6, 2026, at Odessa Regional Medical Center. Jean was born on June…
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
Marfa Live Arts presents ‘Por La Ventana’ in San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende Marfa Live Arts Director Jennie Lyn Hamilton will present Por La Ventana at the Teatro Santa Ana in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico,…
RULE presents seven-artist exhibit
What Repeats, Holds brings together work by Sasha Alexandra, Amy Hoagland, Jim Johnson, Richard Kallweit, Matt Larson, Frances Lightbound and Clark Richert—artists who approach pattern not as surface…
Presidio kids win big at consulate drawing contest
Presidio Seven schoolchildren in Presidio were named winners of the global drawing contest hosted by the Mexican Consulate. Their drawings will be exhibited throughout Presidio through the end…
Cody Barber’s latest ‘Moiré Work’ pays homage to early chair restoration
Artist experimented with ‘psycho color’ chairs When artist Cody Barber graduated from Texas Tech with a mass communications degree in 2009, he applied for jobs in television and…
MAINTENANT inviting submissions for group exhibition
Marfa Founded in 2020, MAINTENANT is an art and fighting laboratory in the Chihuahuan High Desert, with two gallery spaces—one also a boxing gym—and outdoor sculptural works embedded…
Guitar in the Big Bend features Bokyung Byun
“Here is a simple fact: with artistry such as Ms. Byun’s, the state-of-the-art of guitar performance has reached a new level.” —Soundboard Magazine Guitar in the Big Bend…
Melendez exhibits assemblages
Marfa Country Clinic announces Aquarius Rising, an exhibition of new works by Natalie Melendez, featuring recent collages, reliefs, and a video installation. The works will be on display…
Junior high students writing with Marfa Live Arts this week
Marfa This week Marfa Live Arts is back in Marfa Junior High for the 10th Annual Marfa Live Arts Playwriting Preparatory workshop. “It’s been 10 years of working…
Cal Poly professor to work with Marfa High School
By JD Garcia Marfa Marfa Live Arts’ collaboration with Marfa ISD has entered its 15th year with playwright and California Polytechnic State University assistant professor of theater Ramón…
Art in Review: Part II
Shoshannah White and Andrea Caretto join forces on Ghost Keepers Ghost Keepers, a two-person show at RULE Gallery opened on December 13 and is scheduled to continue until…
Art in the Rearview Mirror Part II
By R. Parks Shoshannah White and Andrea Caretto join forces on Ghost Keepers Ghost Keepers, a two-person show at RULE Gallery opened on December 13 and is scheduled…
Joe Ely — A Tribute
1947-2025 Very few musical collaborations have been as successful and long-lasting as the beloved Texas troubadour band The Flatlanders—Joe Ely, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock. Many Texans…
Art in the rear view mirror
Origin myths worth retelling: Art’s intrinsic value 2025 may be remembered as a tumultuous year in the world of the global art market, especially for Los Angeles. (In…
The Trio performs poetry and music at Do Right Hall
“The Trio” will perform at Do Right Hall Thursday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m. The group includes guitarist Steve Gunn, who has played many times in Marfa, and…
‘Ghost Keepers’ brings ancient ice and pillars to RULE
Marfa RULE Gallery is pleased to present Ghost Keepers, a duo exhibition featuring works by Andrea Caretto and Shoshannah White. Together, their practices consider the material world as…
Chinati staff present ‘UN TITLED’ art show
The staff at the Chinati Foundation invite you to UN TITLED: Chinati Staff Art Show, opening at the Locker Plant this Friday, December 12, from 6 to 9…
Marfa Book Co. features Terry’s ‘watercolors’
Join Marfa Book Co. on Friday, December 12, from 5 to 7 p.m., for an opening of watercolors, an exhibition of new work by Nick Terry. The event…
Ornament sale raises $8K for food pantry
The spirit of Marfa rose up and shone brightly Saturday night at Do Right Hall as throngs of folks seeking some 400 ornaments made by those near and…
Mosaic adds sparkle to historic Murphy Street
Alpine Dozens of area residents recently took part in a project to install hundreds of mosaic eyes in a wall along historic Murphy Street in Alpine. For months,…
The real horror of the Epstein story isn’t the crime—it’s the indifference.
As someone who was subjected to childhood sexual abuse for years, I have a complicated relationship to the Epstein story (as I expect most people in my position…
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