NEWS

Rustlers on the prowl A little bit of classic history played out under cover of the South Texas stars last month, with someone rustling 22 head of cattle from Peter Loonam's ranch. In the old days, those caught rustling cattle often found themselves running from an armed posse or dangling from the judicial branch of a large oak tree. Nowadays, they're running from a sophisticated computer database and DNA testing. But cattle ranchers around the state are finding that increasing numbers of rustlers are willing to take that chance. With cattle prices up as much as 50 percent and a larger number of "absentee ranchers" unavailable to guard their herds, thousands of stolen cattle are winding up at local livestock markets fetching prices as high as $1,300 each....
Rancher’s plan to slow down trucks hits a bump in road Building a speed bump across a county road without the county’s knowledge is not recommended. A local rancher — frustrated with trucks whizzing past his homestead and ranchlands at break neck speed to a nearby oil and gas drilling site — took matters into his own hands. He built a speed bump to slow them down. Fred Beard, whose ranch is located on County Road 772 (Means Road) south of the city, said he had complained to no avail to the Eddy County Sheriff’s Department on numerous occasions. “I don’t know who reported that I built the speed bump. I would tend to believe it was one of the oilfield trucking companies. I think they had a lot of nerve. They most probably were mad that they had to slow down,” Beard said. “I think the lion’s share of truckers do drive safely, but it’s the few that make it bad for everyone. “It’s not just one trucking company. It’s most of them that come through here that drive too fast,” he said. Beard said when the county asked him to remove the speed bump, he complied, with the help of the county’s road department....
Rancher kills black bear LaMoyne Wahl was sleeping early Tuesday when his wife awoke him to report that their two dogs had gone up a hill near their ranch 8 miles north of Loomis and were barking. Wahl grabbed his rifle and went after the dogs. He found them fighting with a bear. "So I shot the bear once and he turned around and charged me," Wahl said. "Then I shot him again. "I knew I wasn't going to get a third shot off, so I turned and ran," he said. After about 10 steps, the bear bit him in the calf. Wahl sicced a dog named Shaggy on the bear, and the dog distracted the animal by biting into its side. Wahl managed to reload his rifle, put the barrel to the bear's neck and pull the trigger. The bear collapsed....

===