Category: News
Hold onto your coffee mugs, Bolivar—it’s that time of year again. This weekend, specifically at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 8, 2026, we are collectively “springing forward” and losing an hour of sleep. Technically, it’s called Daylight Saving Time (no “s” on the end, though your dad will still call it “Savings” until the end […]
For Texans, the word Alamo isn’t just a name; it’s a shorthand for defiance, sacrifice, and the birth of an identity. While the battle took place hundreds of miles inland from our Bolivar shores in San Antonio, its impact is the reason we call ourselves Texans today. Between February 23 and March 6, 1836, a […]
Brace yourselves—nature’s tiniest divas are on their way. Yes, hummingbirds, the sugar-fueled aerial acrobats of the bird world, are migrating north again. After wintering in sunny Central America (where they no doubt sipped nectar out of coconuts and flexed their wings on the beach), these feathered dynamos are flapping their way back to our neck […]
We have all seen pieces of plastic and other garbage floating in the water near our boats or washed up on our beaches. There are many regulations that apply to dumping of garbage, sewage, and oil waste. This column addresses a few of those and discusses the Coast Guard’s participation in pollution prevention. The same […]
While the rest of the world relies on fiber optics and satellite links, the police in the coastal state of Odisha, India, still look to the skies for a more ancient form of “wireless” communication. Known as the Odisha Police Pigeon Service, it is believed to be the only functioning carrier pigeon corps left in […]
As I told you, last Tuesday, as you were reading Crystal Beach Local News, we were on our way to Tishomingo, Oklahoma, to pick up our little Merry Girl. We had reservations at a quaint little boutique hotel in Tishomingo, a little three-room place on Main Street! As we arrived and parked out front, we […]
This week in American history saw the official adoption of its National Anthem and the first sessions of the U.S. Congress, alongside the somber events of the Civil Rights Movement, such as the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma. These seven days reflect a country constantly defining its identity through law, protest, and artistic expression. March […]
For many, the end of the road on the Bolivar Peninsula isn’t just a geographical point; it is a destination. At the heart of that destination sits Stingaree Restaurant and Marina, a staple of Southeast Texas hospitality approaching its 40th anniversary. We sat down with owner Brad Vratis to discuss the transition from corporate shoes […]
Filmmakers Tim and Russell Laman have captured the hidden world of our most common neighborhood visitors in their new video series, “Backyard Birds Revealed.” This 5-part series, produced in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, uses cutting-edge technology to transform a split-second visit to a bird feeder into a cinematic event. While the Laman […]
If you think the most impressive thing a horse can do is jump a fence or pull a carriage, you haven’t visited the windswept shores of Oostduinkerke, Belgium. Here, a group of rugged fishermen and their massive, four-legged companions are keeping a 500-year-old tradition alive: shrimping on horseback. It is exactly as majestic—and slightly absurd—as […]