The decision capped a rapid downfall for the three-term lawmaker and former Navy cryptologist. bit.ly/4scTze5

Here are some butterflies that Juan Moreno has seen along the Rio Grande in Roma, Texas. Now instead of observing butterflies, he's documenting contractors clearcutting the riparian ecosystem and stringing razor wire for border barriers. insideclimatenews.org/news/0403202...

"Residents are raising the alarm that border wall construction and border buoys will irrevocably change the landscape, harm wildlife and violate the rights of property owners." @psskow.bsky.social @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0403202...

Border walls, wire, and clearcutting are reshaping the Rio Grande near Roma, Tx—threatening native habitat and blocking community access.

Last week I was in Starr County, Texas, where contractors are clearing islands of vegetation and border wall construction is underway. I met a high school teacher who is documenting the loss of native habitat in the name of border security (1)

Recent Railroad Commission races have been quiet affairs where the Republican incumbents sail to re-election. This run-off will be anything but quiet. Bo French is trying to drag the state's oil and gas regulator into the culture wars.

Follow Jeff for updates out of East Montana.

Rick Bass travels to far West Texas in search of the elusive night-blooming cereus—for @texashighways.bsky.social. #longreads (Click the link for a lovely surprise.) texashighways.com/outdoors/the...

By me: Today marks 10 years since the assassination of Indigenous environmentalist Berta Cáceres, a rare leader whose death marked a before and after for many including me. Despite some justice, the extractive economic model and its criminal modus operandi continues apace. drilled.media/news/berta

Two weeks ago, when Texas sued a massive Dow petrochemical plant over water pollution, state environmental regulators were already considering a novel proposal that would effectively legalize discharges of plastic material from the 4,700–acre complex www.texastribune.org/2026/03/02/t...

"He was yelling 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe' as they hit him" DHS deported one of the witnesses to the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos at Camp East Montana. He was held in disciplinary segregation at the time when guards choked the 55-year-old Cuban immigrant to death.

mea culpa: sometimes being an environmental reporter in Texas means taking two flights each way to get to the story 🫠 (when the alternative is driving 24 hours round trip!)

Record high winter temperatures and ongoing snow drought are leaving New Mexico with a fraction of its typical snow pack and at higher risk of wildfire, even after accounting for February storms, according to a recent briefing from NOAA scientists. buff.ly/OjuSVwX

"Send me a sexy pic.” New text messages reveal U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales pursued an intimate relationship with Regina Santos-Aviles, using explicit language in late-night chats. bit.ly/4s5WNiU

Spoke with my editor Vernon about my reporting on the border wall in Big Bend and beyond 👇 insideclimatenews.org/news/2202202...

We can expect a short-term (or maybe more than short-term) spike in violence after today's killing of organized crime boss Nemesio Oseguera in Mexico. The country's most powerful cartel could fragment. Competitors may see an opportunity.

After damaging the atmosphere and climate from below with GHG emissions, a handful of companies and countries are now—in the absence of reasonable regulations—doing the same from above with space pollution that's rapidly becoming a big problem. insideclimatenews.org/news/1902202...

god i hate the windy season

Texas sued Dow, the largest North American chemical manufacturer, on Friday afternoon, describing hundreds of "habitual" water pollution and waste disposal violations at its Seadrift complex insideclimatenews.org/news/1702202...

“One of our most beloved national parks and our state’s largest park will be scarred beyond repair,” said David Keller, a noted archaeologist of the region Plans for border wall through the Big Bend region raise alarms among residents and officials insideclimatenews.org/news/1702202...

Good review but who is “We”? Certainly not the countless that have recognized El Paso as the Paris of the Southwest for centuries www.texasmonthly.com/arts-enterta...

If you care about the Big Bend, this is a good time to start paying attention to the border wall plans. CBP told me there will be "new infrastructure or upgrades" as part of the smart wall within both the national park and the state park. insideclimatenews.org/news/1702202...

I went to Big Bend this weekend to enjoy some nature but then the ole wall reared its head and I reported a story. Please read if you care about our remaining wild places! @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1702202...

the rio grande, she's a beauty. 10/10 big bend weekend. (but stay tuned for the story, because there is always a story)

It's still surreal that our tiny little airport was the biggest national news story yesterday.

say whaaaa elpasomatters.org/2026/02/11/u...

HCN is partnering with Report for America to launch the Western Environmental Reporting Collaboration (WERC). Reporters will work with both a host newsroom and High Country News on environmental stories across the West. 🚨 Apply by 2/16/26. ℹ️ Questions: [email protected] buff.ly/uMNzkC4

Journalism Jobs: @themarshallproject.org is hiring a reporter to cover the immigration system and its intersection with the criminal justice system in the U.S.

they’re calling it My Most Personal Essay Of All Time and i’m literally never doing it again gabydelvalle.substack.com/p/accidents-...

NEW: ProPublica went inside the detention center for immigrant families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of what comes next.

cactus and rock club... the hottest club in el paso.

NEW: lawmakers in new york rolled out a proposed data center moratorium bill today, making NY at least the sixth state to introduce legislation pausing data center development in the past few *weeks*:

I have been informed by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar and confirmed by the City of El Paso, Texas that there are two known active cases of tuberculosis registered at Camp East Montana. There are also at least 18 cases of COVID-19. I had been hearing rumors of this from my contacts for weeks.

MethaneSAT has released its first analysis of methane emissions from oil and gas basins globally, in the year before the satellite lost contact. @mckennapr.bsky.social and I dug into the findings for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0602202...

"Things are not getting better. They are getting worse" U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, made another oversight visit at Camp East Montana last week. During her visit she met with women detained in Minnesota, detailing how many were still in their snow boots. My story for the El Paso Times

A 45-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assault after getting into a fistfight with a group of Texas teenagers who were protesting Immigration Customs and Enforcement. thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/05/m...

For years, wildlife refugees and cultural sites in the Rio Grande Valley were safeguarded by Congress. Now, those protections are gone—and advocates are calling to restore them as construction for the border wall accelerates.

We’re ready to strike for a fair contract after fighting for job security, a fair disciplinary process, wages that reflect the value of our work and clear guardrails around AI for more than two years. www.propublicaguild.org/updates/the-...

Sites including La Lomita Chapel & Santa Ana Nat. Wildlife Refuge lay in the path of the border wall, now turbo-charged with $46.5 billion in funding. Advocates are calling on Congress to restore carve-outs protecting these sites. @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0402202...

I'm told the catastrophic Washington Post layoffs today include at least 14 climate journalists. Totally gutting. Details: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...

Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙

El Paso City Council is packed with people speaking out against the East Montana detention center and opposing the construction of another detention center here. elpasotexas.granicus.com/player/event...

I think the only thing untouched by inflation is the $3 day fee for the public pool. Thank you El Paso parks and rec.

BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

NEW: Our photojournalists @cengizyar.com and @peterdicampo.bsky.social were on the ground in Minneapolis, covering what they saw in the days before and after the shooting of Alex Pretti. Read their accounts below:

In a lawsuit filed in Crane County, Texas, Billy Meister Jr. alleges “catastrophic impacts” from injection wells and compromised abandoned wells. In January 2022, a geyser of produced water erupted through an old well on Meister’s ranch. It took months to control and plug.

took my dog on a little walk and had lovely chats with three different neighbors in the span of 30 minutes... i love you el paso.

radio gig in ABQ! www.kunm.org/job-openings...

It’s a good time for you to read up on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border—especially all of the different types of technologies spying on residents and travelers there. @eff.org spent so much time assembling these printable zines in English and Spanish documenting the tech we’ve seen.

On Saturday I ran my first ultramarathon. Just so happened to be the rainiest day in months. Grateful to the land stewards who made this possible! Franklin Mountains State Park is my happy place.