Travis Bubenik
All Things Considered Host & Big Bend ReporterTravis has waltzed across Texas throughout his career in journalism, covering everything from pipeline protests in the Big Bend and oilfield flaring in the Permian Basin to Gulf Coast hurricanes and courtroom battles all over the state.
A Houston native and University of Texas alum, he got his start in public radio as an intern at Marfa Public Radio, where he later served as the station’s first full-time Morning Edition host and reporter.
Travis’ reporting on the Texas energy industry and its environmental footprint has frequently appeared on NPR and public radio’s Marketplace. During his time at Courthouse News, a national outlet focused on the courts and litigation, he closely followed legal battles prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the pandemic’s toll on communities across West Texas.
His dog Valentine is indeed named after the town.
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A proposal from state Sen. César Blanco, D-El Paso, authorizes the Big Bend Regional Hospital District to oversee an emergency medical services operation for Brewster and Presidio counties. Talks about that idea are ongoing. -
A new 48-page report from Texas A&M University takes a deep-dive look at tourism trends at Big Bend National Park, which saw more than half a million visitors in 2022.
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Once home to a thriving farming community, the tiny town of Lobo has been owned by a group of artistically minded Germans since 2001. Now, the group is looking for a buyer who shares their creative vision for the property.
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Municipal elections were held across West Texas on Saturday, with voters deciding on local races across the Big Bend and Permian Basin regions.
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Village Farms is already a major player in the Canadian cannabis industry. Now the company wants to grow medical marijuana at one of its Big Bend area facilities.
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District officials say the proposal is not about raising taxes to fund groundwater protection efforts, but rather to bring the district in line with requirements in state law.
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After a recent court ruling eased abortion rights advocates’ legal concerns about helping people access the procedure out of state, the Big Bend Reproductive Coalition said it will start its own fund.
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The business group is urging local officials to consider new restrictions on short-term rentals, which the group argues have led to unaffordable housing costs and a dwindling number of long-term housing options.
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The National Weather Service says an unusually late-in-the-season blast of winter weather could lead to multiple inches of snow in the region through Sunday, though daytime temperatures should warm up enough to avert widespread travel impacts.
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Hotelier Liz Lambert says she has tentative plans to relocate the popular campground hotel to a larger site in the Marfa area, and to use the hotel’s existing property for affordable housing.
