I wanted to take a moment to thank the Marfa EMS team for their care and compassion during my father, Dave Howard’s, recent passing.

Specifically, Chase Bruttomesso – paramedic, Jessie Peña – paramedic, Coy Dominguez – advanced EMT, and Samuel Nicholas – EMT basic, were amazing throughout the last couple of months of my father’s life. This included rushing him to Big Bend Regional Medical Center one evening, spending approximately 3 hours at our home on the night of Wednesday, June 4, and into the early morning hours of June 5, and then back on the night of June 7 when he passed.

Their engagement was professional, thoughtful, and they exhibited extreme care for my father and his family throughout — keeping us informed and consoling us in the end. We cannot thank these young men enough — Marfa is lucky to have you!

As a side note, I want to call out what a pity it is that Marfa does not have access to hospice. As a reminder, hospice provides compassionate care and support to individuals facing life-limiting illnesses and their families. This is something I hope will be rectified at some point in the future.

Sincerely,

Scott Howard

The Woodlands, Texas

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Dear Editors,

Re: Sam Karas’ article, “Is Presidio County ready for the ‘big one’?”

I was born in Austin and our family spent sixteen summers on the Guadalupe River in a cabin close to Kerrville.

My sister and I coached hundreds of children who attended the summer camps in that area. We watched the news on July 4th with the usual level of horror associated with natural disasters. This one was closer to home.

After scanning the news for days and then weeks, perhaps we all became a bit numb. The flood began to fall off above-the-fold headlines.

To read Ms. Karas’ article was, how do I say this, with a weighted sense of gratitude. She stands out in The Sentinel for her deep dives –– historical documentation from multiple counties and libraries, archival photos, tireless diligence.

I cried through most of the article. It was educational, respectful and written in such thoughtful language.

Lest we forget — there is a psychic toll on a journalist who is willing to report on epic loss of life and land.

Feeling very grateful for The Sentinel’s top tier reporting on local issues, and for Ms. Karas’ contributions.

With my warm regards,

Bridget Weiss

Marfa