West Texas

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.

Other smaller oil and gas producing regions in the state are better poised to help power the growing data center market, a new report found.

Emails show how overwhelmed West Texas officials were as they asked CDC for guidance on how to respond to the explosive outbreak.

The outbreak has killed two children in the state.

The Midland school district rebranded Robert E. Lee High as Legacy High in 2020, part of a nationwide trend to distance public places from the Confederacy.

Nonprofits across the country have been grappling with changes in federal spending and the cuts to departments and grants. As coordinator with other local organizations, Lubbock Area United Way has been updating partners on developments at the state and national level, and advocating for policies suited to West Texas.

A new county has joined the outbreak list this week. The Department of State Health Services confirmed four outbreak-linked cases in Fannin County. Fannin is next door to Lamar County, where the state confirmed five new measles cases this week.

Severe weather has gripped Texas this year — from tornadoes tearing through the South Plains to wildfires in the Panhandle and, most recently, deadly floods in the Hill Country. In Lubbock, where the city's outdoor siren system was activated for the first time earlier this summer, emergency officials emphasize that layered alerts and personal preparedness remain essential to staying safe.