Alpine Avalanche

https://www.alpineavalanche.com/news/council-talks-issues-stephens-questions-finances

Council talks issues, Stephens questions finances The Alpine City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. All council members were present.

Trump administration moves forward with barriers in BBNP
By Kara Gerbert
Managing Editor

On Tuesday, the Trump Administration and the Department of Homeland Security continued to bypass a multitude of environmental laws to expedite the construction of border barriers and roads through Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. This move marks a historic move by the federal government in discarding wide-ranging environmental laws that include the National Park Service Organic Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act inside a national park.
According to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, Laiken Jordahl, a national public lands advocate, commented, saying, “The absolute disdain this administration has for our national parks is disgraceful, and now they’re targeting Texas’ most beloved national park.”
While Customs and Border Protection’s online map shows steel barriers to deter vehicles from crossing the river and patrol roads planned for this portion of the border, Tuesday’s waiver gives authorization for construction of the full collection of border barrier infrastructure, including fencing, barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors.
“The only people benefiting from this destruction are the billionaire contractors set to pad their pockets while paving over our natural heritage and permanently locking a great American river behind hideous steel barriers. We won’t stop fighting for this crown-jewel national park and the Rio Grande,” Jordahl added.
Back in May, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $1.7 billion contract for border work through the national park, which specifically stated it was for a border wall through Big Bend. Last week, DHS awarded another $2.6 billion contract, the most expensive to date, for the Lower Canyons stretch of the Wild and Scenic Rio Grande.
For years, the National Park Service, its law enforcement officers, Customs and Border Protection, and local law enforcement have conducted illegal immigration enforcement while preserving the park’s historic and natural wonders that draw in half a million visitors a year.
Tourist dollars that the Big Bend region depends on as its primary source of income would immediately suffer with the militarization of the border, ruining the visitor experience that the park is famous for. This unwanted “infrastructure” would cut off campgrounds, hiking trails, river access points, and destroy scenic overlooks.
Despite a letter from seven former superintendents from Big Bend National Park sent to the Department of Homeland Security not to waive any laws within the national park, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Transparency from Customs and Border Protection has been nonexistent, with the CBP refusing to provide information regarding the construction plans in the Big Bend sector and local contacts saying they are in a media blackout.
“These horrific plans are an affront to the millions of Americans who treasure Big Bend,” said Jordahl. “Politicians who’ve never set foot here are signing a death warrant for this wild and beautiful place.”
Since March, more than 130 organizations, outfitters, Texas businesses, and concerned individuals urged Congress to block federal funding for border wall construction in the Big Bend, but Tuesday’s waiver follows along with one from May affecting around 60 miles of the congressionally designated Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, and one in February for sections upriver that includes Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Despite this administration’s push to wall off the Big Bend region, this area remains the lowest in terms of migrant apprehensions nationwide, with only 1.3% of the national total.
On top of this, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidoso Church, and an area river guide sued the Department of Homeland Security for exercising powers that Congress never authorized, stating that the waivers violate the major questions doctrine that requires explicit congressional approval for actions with vast economic and political consequences, yet by the latest move by the administration, this lawsuit didn’t seem to be a factor in its determination to move forward in walling off Big Bend.

🚨 WE NEED YOUR HELP 🚨

The Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the murder of Sophia Sullivan, which occurred on March 16, 2018, in Fort Davis, Texas.

Someone knows something. Even the smallest detail could be the missing piece that helps bring justice to Sophia and her loved ones.

📞 You can remain completely anonymous.
If you have any information, no matter how small it may seem:

☎️ Call Lieutenant Robert Orr at 432-207-2280
📩 Or send us a private message on Facebook.

Every tip will be taken seriously and followed up on. Please help us share this post so it reaches someone who may have the information investigators need.

Justice for Sophia starts with one call, one message, or one person willing to come forward.

Julie Mae Martin Stumberg
Julie Mae Martin Stumberg, 84, of Alpine died at Big Bend Regional Medical Center, surrounded by family, on June 10, 2026.
Graceful, petite, demure, reserved…these words have never been used to describe her. Instead, everyone knew her as full of life, vibrant, loud, bold, and always the life of the party. She never met a stranger, even when the stranger didn’t want to be met. She lived big, loved big, and her death will leave a huge hole in the lives of many.
Born on July 16, 1941, to Robert and Mary Martin, she was the seventh of eight children. As one of the youngest children, her older siblings would often try - and fail – to make her just a part of the crowd. Even as a young adult, she was the heart of her entire family. She unfailingly reached out to each family member on every birthday and Christmas, and was the hub of the family network, keeping everyone apprised of all the gossip.
She moved to Alpine in 1970 and married Steve in 1976. She enjoyed her life as a mother and rancher’s wife. She kept busy feeding the ranch hands during round-ups and accompanying Steve on his daily trips to the ranch. The 50 years they spent together were a kaleidoscope of experiences and adventures that added up to a loving, devoted relationship that will survive her.
As the star of her high school and church choirs, her voice could always be heard soaring above all others when a hymn moved her. When she opened her business, Knit One, Crafts Too in 1986, it was to offer tailoring and knitting supplies to the area. In reality, it served as a place for her to keep a never-empty coffee pot and to get to know everyone who came through her door. Everyone who knew her well has received an afghan, baby blanket, or one of her other handmade symbols of love.
As one of her nieces said of her, “I thank God for Uncle Julie. She’s always positive and full of grace and love.”
She is survived by her children Deronda Baughman, Randy Stumberg, Rhonda Kelliher, Sondra Davis, and Rachael Hurst, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
A private memorial service will be at a later date.
Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the American Lung Association or the COPD Foundation. Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at Mobile Mortician of Texas at www.mmoftexas.com.

Marin Reyes
Marin Reyes, 85, of Midland, passed away peacefully on June 6, 2026. He was born on September 7, 1940, in Marathon to Jose and Leonor Reyes.
Marin lived a life rooted in hard work, family, and faith. He spent many years working in road and bridge construction throughout Texas and later with Big Bend Coca-Cola. He enjoyed baseball, wrestling, music, dancing, and proudly cheering on the Dallas Cowboys. Above all, Marin treasured time with his family and friends, creating memories that will be cherished for generations.
He is survived by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, siblings, and numerous extended family members and friends. He was preceded in death by several loved ones, including his children Yvonne Garcia Reyes and Eric Reyes.
Visitation will be held Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Martinez West Chapel.

Michael “Mike” Murphy
Mike and his wife Debbie arrived in the Davis Mountains in 1997, rolled up their sleeves, and helped craft one of the largest, most important conservation projects in Texas. They were inseparable, and they loved the land and each other. The next year they moved to the mountains and never left.
Mike Murphy’s friends in Far West Texas would describe him as energetic, friendly, driven, focused, smart, and good-natured. He mastered many skills over his 71 years.
Mike could create and understand complex financial documents and real estate deals. He possessed carpentry and woodworking skills, would willingly dig a trench in the West Texas hardpan to establish a garden, and could explain the ancient Hebrew alphabet if anyone asked. Mike had a well-defined sense of right and wrong, and he called out equivocation.
Mike Murphy, of Fort Davis, passed away on May 25, Memorial Day, 2026, ending a bedside vigil by family members at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Mike lived the urban, corporate life as a management and technology consultant (IBM, Ernst & Young, among others) until the late 1990s, when he and his wife Debbie bought acreage at the foot of Arabella Mountain near Limpia Crossing in Fort Davis. By 1998, they’d built a log home with inspiring views of McDonald Observatory.
Mike jumped right into community work, helping develop and teach leadership curriculum for Leadership Big Bend. He was interested in the dynamics of groups and conducted workshops in team-building and strategic planning for local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Over the years, he held almost every officer post in the Fort Davis Lions Club. As a member of Fort Davis United Methodist Church, Mike was involved in a variety of roles and committees and was a familiar participant in local Bible studies.
He brought his energy to the board of Texas Mountain Trail, a tourism promotion arm of the Texas Historical Commission, and served two terms on the Jeff Davis County Appraisal Review Board.
Mike’s passion for bicycle riding began when he raced bicycles on velodromes as a member of the St. Louis Cyclones. Mike annually helped plan and round up volunteers for the spring Hammerfest bicycle races in the Davis Mountains and Fort Davis Cyclefest, the annual fall ride on the scenic mountain loop around the town.
For years after the Davis Mountains Preserve was established, he was an active volunteer who spent hundreds of hours clearing roads, building trails, and sharing whenever possible how critical it was to preserve this unique sky island. Mike led hikes on the trails and often cooked and cleaned for scheduled public outings at the Preserve.
Putting his business skills to work, Murphy’s Pizzeria and Café opened in Fort Davis using a pizza dough recipe Mike said he’d been carrying in his wallet for years. With Mike as dough puncher and pizza cook, the restaurant was popular and successful until the restaurant was sold.
Mike joined the Small Business Development Center at SRSU as a business advisor assisting clients with startup planning, financial analysis, and marketing strategies. Later, he earned his real estate license and acquired Texas Mountains Realty, growing the business until it was eventually sold.
All the while, Mike set aside time for bike rides with Debbie, and he frequently joined friends from Marfa and Alpine on rides and hikes. On a trip north, Mike and Debbie explored Denali National Park on a tandem bike. For many Octobers, he explored the canyons of southeast Utah with friends from Fort Davis and Alpine. If someone spotted an interesting-looking cave, Mike would scamper up the rocks to be first to stick his head inside. Mike also rode horses in cattle drives and trail rides in Montana, Oklahoma, Utah, and Big Bend National Park.
Mike was born on November 11, 1954, in Evergreen Park, IL, grew up in the Chicago area, and attended Southern Illinois University and National Lewis University, earning a BA in Behavior Science. He is survived by his wife Debbie, siblings Philip Murphy III (Julia), the late Jeannie Murphy-Mittal (Jim), the late Susan “Suzie” Murphy, Eileen Murphy Amlee (Duane), Sharon Richardson (Tim), Mary Castle (Kent), and David Murphy (Stacy Alexander), sister-in-law Barbara Brescian (John), and brother-in-law Herb Johnson (Laura). Mike is uncle, great-uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend to many others.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at Davis Mountains Preserve McIvor Conservation Center.
Donations in Mike’s memory may be made to Jeff Davis County Food Pantry, P O Box 244, Fort Davis, TX 79734, foodpantry-jdc.org, or to the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department, P O Box 811, Fort Davis, TX 79734.