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It’s Monday, December 18th and I’m PJ Benevich.
Christmas is a week away and the popular Live Nativity Scene by Michael’s Mountain Ministry of Alpine will be at Kokernot Lodge Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.
The Alpine Avalanche reported this week that many local performers in the event are returning this year and a couple of animals are back as well.
Human performers included Scott and Heidi Wasserman of Wasserman Wranch and Burt Compton of Marfa.
And Carl the camel and Pumpkin the donkey also will make encore performances.
Producer Karen McGwire said the Live Nativity show has been their gift to the tri-county area for many years.
Performers who want to be in the production should show up between 6 and 6:30 each evening and volunteers to set up and tear down for each performance always are welcome.
For more information, call McGuire at 386-3074.
She reminds all to dress warmly and bring chairs and blankets to the performance.
The new Preventative Health Care Health Services clinic in Presidio will get a new delivery service by drone, providing a high-tech solution to the problems of rural health care.
Long distances to health facilities in larger cities puts patients in rural areas at a disadvantage involving long drives and limited delivery services.
Telehealth can help, putting providers in contact with their patients virtually so they can discuss symptoms and cures but delivering supplies still can be an issue.
The Big Bend Sentinel Reports that Swoop Aero, an Australian company, is providing an unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver supplies, primarily from Alpine, to the new clinic.
Some in Alpine opposed using their airspace in a federal test of drone activity about ten years ago because of safety concerns.
Our area is out of range for most air traffic control radars, putting aviation at risk if air crews cannot see the tiny drones in their airspace.
Plans are for the drones to first fly out Marfa instead or to use the existing railroad line, the former Orient Express line, which is being restored.
Swoop Aero told the paper it has successfully delivered medical supplies to several countries in Africa.
Recently we reported that Our Congressman Tony Gonzales was instrumental in passing the
National Defense Authorization Act and he touted items in it that he supported.
The bill would strengthen our national security efforts, deliver for our service members and their families and enhance military installments in his district.
It includes increased overtime pay for Border Patrol agents and an increase in the Family Separation Allowance Act from 250 dollars per month to 400.
This Act is for military families who cannot serve together. When they are stationed where they can’t bring their families, it can help with the expense of separate residences.
Gonzales said as a 20-year Navy veteran, taking care of the men and women in our military and those protecting our homeland is a top priority.
Border Patrol agents have been working around the clock and they deserve to be fairly compensated, he said.
It also will provide 20 million dollars to complete the construction of a Child Development Center and 48 million for a new Cyber Operations Center.
And it will provide 74 million dollars for the Fort Bliss rail yard, 158 million for Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and 90 million for a new Chapel in San Antonio.
Gonzales is serving his first term in the House and he faces three challengers in the March Republican Primary Election.
They are former ICE Special Agent Victor Avila, Medina County Republican Chair Julie Clark and Brandon Herrera.
This has been your local and area news report for KVLF 98.7 FM, 1240 AM and KALP 92.7 FM
Local news can be found on our website at bigbendradio.com.