Sam Karas

PRESIDIO — On Tuesday morning, officials from both sides of the border attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the newly completed Presidio International Bridge. State Representative Eddy Morales made a guest ...

PECOS — On Monday, the Western District of Texas released a superseding indictment in the case of suspected cartel boss Sergio Menchaca Pizarro, also known as “El Menchaca.” The redacted indictment adds 11 as-yet-unnamed defendants to a case charging Menchaca and his associates with six counts of charges including drug trafficking, human smuggling and “continuing criminal enterprise.”

U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 23 — Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales was pushed into a runoff against social media influencer and Second Amendment advocate Brandon Herrera on election day, earning 45.1% of the vote to Herrera's 24.7%. Voters will head back to the polls in May to decide who will face Democratic nominee Santos Limon in the general election.

TERLINGUA — On Monday evening, Big Bend National Park employees and Terlingua residents gathered at the Red Pattillo Community Center for a presentation about major changes coming to the Chisos Basin in May 2025. Acting Superintendent Chad Tinney led the discussion, hoping to help both community members and contractors prepare for closures while the Chisos […]

PRESIDIO COUNTY — At the past two meetings of the Presidio County Commissioners Court, representatives from the sheriff’s office have pushed for a number of grants that would help beef up the county’s cybersecurity and communications systems. Officials hope that the improvements will benefit the county across the board, rather than favoring any one department. […]

PRESIDIO — Last Saturday morning, a crowd of around 75 people assembled for performances, speeches and prayers in honor of the official opening of el Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes, a Lipan Apache cemetery nestled in the heart of Presidio. Folks came from around the tri-county to celebrate, as well as representatives from the Lipan Apache tribe in McAllen and descendants from as far away as Oregon.

PRESIDIO COUNTY — Early Saturday morning, a Presidio man was killed in a single-vehicle accident about 28 miles south of Marfa on U.S.-67. The driver, 31-year-old Kendall Willson, was transported back to Marfa, where he was pronounced dead at 4:38 a.m.

New study by advocacy group alleges federal underreporting of migrant deaths FAR WEST TEXAS — On March 18, the nonprofit advocacy and rescue group No Más Muertes (No More Deaths) released a groundbreaking report detailing migrant deaths in Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) El Paso Sector, which spans all of New Mexico, El Paso and […]

PRESIDIO — A fire broke out about 11 miles west of Presidio on Friday afternoon, prompting a multi-agency response including the Presidio and Marfa Fire Departments, the Texas Forest Service, and Los Bomberos de Ojinaga. As of Wednesday morning, Presidio County Emergency Management Coordinator Gary Mitschke declared the fire “100% contained” on the American side of the river, with a few hot spots remaining on the Mexican side.

PRESIDIO — At last week’s City Council meeting, Presidio local Javier Hernandez stood up during open comment to ask a question: who owns the housing compound for local Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees, and do they pay property taxes? Hernandez was concerned that the agency had struck a sweetheart deal with the city to […]