Transcript:
Tomorrow (TUESDAY), the Alpine City Council will hold a special meeting where they will meet in executive session to consider the “appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal” of city secretary, Geoffrey “Geo” Calderon.
Calderon has been placed on administrative leave after his arrest this past weekend. Calderon is facing multiple charges, including possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.
Council members could also appoint an interim city secretary.
They’ll hold the special meeting Tuesday, June 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the council chambers.
You can find a copy of the agenda at cityofalpine.com.
—
Late Friday, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed a second case of New World screwworm in South Texas.
According to the agency, the case was found in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County – nearly 6 miles away from the first confirmed detection of the New World screwworm.
Before the second case was confirmed, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference where he signed an “updated” disaster declaration.
ABBOTT1: “I authorize the use of all available resources of state government to respond to this disaster, and reassign all resources from across the state as needed to address the New World screwworm.” (0:15)
That includes making all state personnel available to speed up the construction of a sterile fly facility in South Texas.
The engineered sterile male screwworms, once released, will mate with females that will lay unfertilized eggs that won’t hatch.
—
Later this week, the Small Business Development Center at Sul Ross State University will offer a course on growing your business using AI.
The one-hour webinar will take you through the basics of Artificial Intelligence and how AI-powered tools can help your small business be more efficient, enhance customer experiences and drive the growth you’re wanting.
That training is Thursday, June 11 from 11:00 a.m. to noon.
To register for this training and to see what other workshops are coming up, head to sbdc.sulross.edu/alpine/seminar-training-calendar.
—
This weekend, the Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University will celebrate Alpine Photo weekend.
The two-day event kicks off Friday, June 12 with the opening reception for “Quaerite et Invenietis” (KWAR-eh-teh et in-vehn-EE-tis), a show by acclaimed photographer Bobby Greeson. His striking images will take you into the worlds of the White Mountains in California and the Antelope Canyon in Arizona. The reception for Greeson’s show will be 5 to 7 p.m.
Then on Saturday, June 13, the museum will host a full day of free presentations, workshops and photography activities from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The events are designed for photographers of all skill levels.
For more information, schedules and ticket details, visit the Museum of the Big Bend’s website.
—
On Saturday, head to Fort Davis for the start of SnakeDays in Fort Davis.
SnakeDays is an event that celebrates the wonderful reptile and amphibian diversity of West Texas while raising money for wildlife diversity conservation.
For a schedule of events, as well as dinner tickets and t-shirts, head to snakedays.com.
—
This summer, Far West Comic Con returns to Alpine.
This year’s event includes a cosplay contest, a Magic the Gathering tournament, and special appearances by well-known voice actors–including Josh Martin, who’s known for his role on the animated series Dragonball Z.
This year’s event will be June 27 at the Alpine Civic Center. Doors open at 11:00 a.m.
You can find more information at themagicalwarehouse.com/farwestcomiccon.
—
Also this summer (JULY), Sul Ross State University will bring together educators, school leaders and community members for the Science of STEM Literacy Conference.
The event will go over teaching strategies, learning practices and how STEM literacy is changing in the age of artificial intelligence.
The conference will be Monday, July 13 at the Espino Conference Center at Sul Ross. The event’s free and open to educators and the public although registration is required.
For more information and to register, visit https://sites.google.com/view/stemliteracy2027.
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.