West Texas

Elevated to critical fire weather is expected to persist across the South Plains and broader West Texas region as record-breaking March heat, strong winds and ongoing drought conditions continue to dry out vegetation. Officials warn that despite a brief cooldown from a passing cold front, wildfire risk will remain moderate into early next week, with recent fires in the Panhandle and South Plains underscoring the growing danger.

Oil and gas companies have said the region needs more power. Environmentalists and a conservative think tank worry the state is moving too fast — and ratepayers will see the costs in their bills.

Texas Democrat labor leader Taylor Rehmet turned tables in a special election runoff for the Texas Senate seat in District 9, defeating GOP pick Leigh Wambsganss in a 40-year Republican stronghold. Now, fellow Democratic candidates in West Texas are hoping similar work-focused strategies can overcome tough odds in their own deep red districts.

As President Trump marks one year back in office, his EPA has proposed rolling back key air and climate protections, which experts say has already begun to strain Texas's air quality and public health.

In 2007, horse slaughter was banned within the United States. However, this ban does not keep sellers from sending tens of thousands of horses to be processed within Canada and Mexico. Beth Nickels, a local trauma surgeon, runs a horse rescue, working to give these horses a chance at a new life.

Months after public health officials say they caused the nation’s largest measles surge in 30 years, some West Texas Mennonites have grown more skeptical of the mainstream medical system.

Joe Ely was a Texas music legend who drove humbly at the leading edge of an evolutionary wave in alternative country music, and many talented West Texas musicians came with him. Butch Hancock and Terry Allen spoke with KTTZ about the life and career of their close friend, the role that West Texas played in their music, and the role Joe Ely played in their lives.

No new taxes would be collected for the package that would give the state's water department $1 billion to spend on projects like cleaning salty water, flood control and reservoirs.

No new taxes would be collected for the package that would give the state's water department $1 billion to spend on projects like cleaning salty water, flood control and reservoirs.

Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world's shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.