Articles tagged: West Texas
In West Texas, Astronomers Worry About Growing Oilfield Light Pollution
A major Texas observatory is trying to convince oil and gas companies to minimize light pollution from things like drilling rigs and gas plants.
This Marfa Public Radio story first appeared on American Public Media’s Marketplace. In a rural corner of West Texas, hours away from the bright lights of big...Read More
Moments From the Reopening of Balmorhea Pool
The popular West Texas swimming spot has been closed since 2019 for repairs.
Moments From the Reopening of Balmorhea Pool The popular West Texas swimming spot has been closed since 2019 for repairs. . Story and Photography by Sarah M. Va...Read More
La Niña Brings Wildfires
Texas fires are growing in volume, severity, and sheer number.
From the May/June 2021 issue. Brad Smith is looking at Texas’ wildfire forecast, and what he sees is not encouraging. Smith, the head of a Texas A&M Fores...Read More
Eye on Texas: On the Road
Photographer Tomas Muscionico captures a moment of Americana on a trip through West Texas.
Growing up in the Swiss Alps, America was a distant concept on the television screen. I remember watching the movie Bonnie and Clyde and enjoyed their highway c...Read More
Texas Solar Hits a Turning Point
As the coronavirus pandemic devastates the state’s already flailing oil and gas industry, solar energy production is on a trajectory for record growth.
On Garland Richards’ ranch in West Central Texas, silicon solar panels spread for two square miles in a shimmering blue expanse that resembles a lake. The Hol...Read More
COVID-19 is Surging in Rural Texas, Threatening to Overwhelm Local Hospitals
ICU beds are limited, medical providers are falling sick, and urban hospitals where small facilities transfer critical patients are running out of space.
Just a few weeks ago, officials in Starr County thought their community might make it through the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the few lucky ones. The rural coun...Read More
The Traveling Midwife
In far West Texas, some women have to travel hours to give birth, endangering themselves and their babies. Could midwives help fill in the gap?
The Traveling Midwife In far West Texas, some women have to travel hours to give birth, endangering themselves and their babies. Could midwives help fill in the...Read More
In a New West Texas Novel, Women Kick Ass and Take Names
Set in the 1970s Odessa oil boom, Elizabeth Wetmore’s debut novel, Valentine, is a revelation not for what it explores but for how.
Even though Friday Night Lights has been off the air for years, I’m still needled by one particular scene in an otherwise enjoyable show. In it, ice cream spr...Read More
‘Trans Pecos’ Is a Beautiful Plea to Protect West Texas
This visually striking film captures the innate beauty of far West Texas and the threats posed to it by oil and gas infrastructure.
“To be part of this land,” rancher Pilar Pedersen says early on in Trans Pecos, “it’s just ephemeral. Nobody owns this land.” Living in West Texas’ ...Read More