West Texas

Lubbock City Council accepted a citizens' petition for an 18-month pause on data center development in the city and will be hearing from residents regarding the proposal on Sept. 8. If the council rejects the petition at the hearing, organizers can choose to put it on the ballot in a general election.

A debate over books in Texas' public school libraries picked up new attention last week, when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened legislative action unless Texas school districts pull books from the shelves that he and certain activists believe are "harmful" to students and families and violate Texas' Senate Bill 13. In a meeting of Lubbock ISD's board of trustees, the district stood by the parent-led library council and book review system established under state law.

The Texas Tech University Veterinary School of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class on August 18, 2021. Now, five years later, the school's first wave of veterinarians are already working to fill a shortage in Texas' rural animal care.

Energy regulators and industry experts warn that the state’s delays to major projects amid backlash from residents could create rolling blackouts and strangle growth of other industries that need power.

Public health officials said some parents are confused about what vaccines are required to attend Texas schools amid efforts to change recommendations.

Clinics with better internet connections are now offering telehealth services to patients who can’t do it from their homes.

Despite efforts to boost domestic energy production, Mexico will continue to depend on Texas for natural gas, experts said, undermining its stated goals of energy independence.

Several Democratic candidates for local, state, and national offices kicked off their West Texas campaign trail in Lubbock on Saturday with a roundtable, a rally, and a protest. The recurring topic of these events – data centers.

At least two people died after extreme flooding hit the Hill Country late Wednesday into Thursday morning.

Lake Meredith, near Amarillo, was recently designated as "fully infested" with invasive zebra mussels. The mussels have been spreading across Texas for more than 15 years and Lake Meredith is the north-most body of water in the state to be infected. TPWD says the mussels have the potential to damage treatment equipment in what is a municipal water source for the region, but water officials with the lake say they're prepared.