Transcript:
Monday, February 26th and I’m PJ Benevich.
As announced late Friday and reported here over the weekend, the Museum of the Big Bend has again been named a top museum in the country for small cities.
U.S.A. Today again named the museum on the campus of Sul Ross State University in Alpine as its first-place victory in the Ten Best Reader’s Choice Awards.
A Sul Ross news release called it “a remarkable achievement that reflects its commitment to preserving and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Big Bend region.”
The newspaper’s Ten Best awards are highly coveted accolades that recognize excellence in various categories across the United States.
Museum Director Mary Bones thanked the hard work and dedication of volunteers and supporters who have helped make the museum a vibrant hub of cultural enrichment.
Its extensive collection showcases the diverse history, art and heritage of the Big Bend region, spanning centuries of exploration, settlement and cultural exchange.
From Native American artifacts and pioneer memorabilia to contemporary works of art, the museum offers a comprehensive glimpse into the rich tapestry of life in Far West Texas.
For more information, including hours of operation, current exhibits and upcoming events, visit MuseumoftheBigBend.com or email maryb@sulross.edu.
The 2024 elections have arrived in our area with last Friday’s deadline to file for the May 4
election and early voting for the May 6 Primary Election starting tomorrow.
The May 4 date is for local governments and others not on the regular November General Election Ballot.
City Council candidates having filed include Mayor Catherine Eaves for her second term and Eva L. Olivas for the Ward Two seat now held by Chris Rodrigues.
The only contested race so far is in Ward 4 between former Councilor Lucy E. Escovedo and challenger Lori A. Griffin.
The race is still open for the Ward 1 seat now held by Judy Stokes. She asked to be replaced and the deadline to file for a special election for that seat is 5 p.m. March 4.
Two had expressed an interest in running and by air time, one had picked up a packet but no one had yet filed for that office.
Three seats are up for the Brewster County Regional Hospital District but only the incumbents have filed so the race will be canceled.
Automatically re-elected will be Dr. Laura Portillo in District One, Reagan Reed in District 3 and Angela Juett in District 5.
For now, all early voting in the county is at the Beard Center west of the Courthouse.
Elections Administrator Lara Nussbaum indicated some remote sites would be in Marathon and South County but we have not gotten the details.
We’ll pass along that information when we get it.
Sul Ross State University Writer-in-Residence Sid Balman Jr. has been nominated in the fiction category of the 34th Annual Reading the West Book Awards for his latest novel, “Algorithms.”
The final novel in the Seventh Flag Trilogy follows two Texas families after the fall of civilization 30 years in the future as they hunt for the key to their salvation.
It is the Algorithms of everything.
The Reading the West Book Awards were created by the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association.
The site readingthewest.com says they were to celebrate the diversity, courage, tenacity, expertise and spirit of its member bookstores.
A Pulitzer-nominated national security correspondent, Balman has covered wars in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
And he has traveled extensively with two American presidents and four secretaries of state on overseas diplomatic missions.
For more information, visit sidbalman.com or email sid.balman@sulross.edu.
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.