Two vehicle crash in Alpine results in rollover in front of Antelope Lodge
ALPINE — A two-vehicle collision sent one of the cars rolling and coming to rest in front of the Alpine Lodge 2310 E. 90 in Alpine Tuesday.
Toni Huelsber of Alpine was traveling east in a 2006 GMC on Highway 90 and attempted to turn left onto FM 1703 and collided with a 2021 Jeep driven westbound by Trista Brown, which caused the Jeep to overturn, according to Alpine Police Lt. Felipe Fierro.
The two drivers received minor injuries and were treated at Big Bend Regional Hospital before being released, Fierro said.
Two dead after drowning in Balmorhea State Park pool
Two men drowned Sunday at the San Solomon Springs pool at Balmorhea State Park, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department statement.
Responding to the scene were the Texas State Park Police, Texas Game Wardens and Reeves County EMS. Ernest Manchin, 82, from Dripping Springs, went underwater while snorkeling in the deep end of the pool and did not surface. His son-in-law — Gary Wong, 56, from East Brunswick, New Jersey — attempted to rescue him but also went underwater and did not resurface.
CPR and other life-saving measures were performed on both men before they were taken to the hospital in Pecos where they were pronounced dead, according to the statement.
New exhibit sign highlights Newtown neighborhood in Fort Davis
FORT DAVIS — The historic neighborhood known as “Newtown” in Fort Davis is being commemorated with a unique wayside exhibit sign to be unveiled on Sunday, July 7, at 2 p.m. The sign was designed by the Jeff Davis County Historical Commission and will be dedicated outside the L.B. Caruthers house located on Garrison Street, one block east of the highway property that was the former Porter’s. The event will celebrate local history and honor Rosie and Tony Gutierrez with a certificate of excellence for the restoration of their historic adobe home after many years and phases of repair.
Newtown began in 1866 when the state of Texas patented land to Luis Fuentes and his heirs. In November 1882, Lt. Mason Marion Maxon and Chief Musician George A. Brenner of the 10th U.S. Cavalry purchased 320 acres of the Fuentes survey. Hoping to make a fortune by selling lots across from the fort, the enterprising officers laid out 20 residential blocks in the Maxon-Brenner addition. This subdivision became known as Newtown, so called because it was north of the large settlement of “Chihuahuaita” or Little Chihuahua near the Pioneer Cemetery south of town.
The Caruthers House was named for Sgt. L.B. Caruthers of the Texas Rangers Company E. He arrived in June 1880 to pursue the Jesse Evans gang and in 1883 built the home. The Gutierrez couple inherited the house and will be recognized by the Jeff Davis County Historical Commission for their restoration. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.
Former Sul Ross zoologist helps rediscover turtle thought to be extinct
ALPINE — Dr. Steven G. Platt, a former professor of biology at Sul Ross State University, published an extensive study of a rare turtle in Myanmar in May. The Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) was once widespread and abundant in Myanmar. By the late 1990s the species was considered extinct until it was “rediscovered” during the early 2000s.
The investigation relied heavily on the traditional ecological knowledge of villagers living along the rivers. The researchers visited 243 villages, towns and encampments, interviewed more than 1,400 people and discovered the species was now restricted to 21 km of one river. A captive breeding group was established in 2004 in Mandalay with five females and three males,
resulting in a population exceeding 1,000. As of late 2023, the Burmese roofed turtle is no longer considered at high risk of biological extinction.
Dr. Platt taught in the SRSU Department of Biology from 2006-2011, when he and his wife, Dr.
Kalyar Platt, were offered a joint appointment from the WCS to work in Myanmar and in other areas of Southeast Asia.
