Local News

Early voting begins this week for municipal and school board elections, a number of city and school board positions in Lubbock County are on the ballot this year, including Lubbock’s mayor, proposed bond elections in Slaton ISD, and city council positions in several cities. Early voting runs April 20-28, find races and polling locations here.

Texas Tech Public Media and the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal hosted a forum discussion with all four of Lubbock's mayoral candidates for the 2026 local election on April 15. You can find a full recording and transcript of the discussion here. Early voting runs April 20-28 and Election Day is May 2.

Abbott toured the Automotive Technology and Welding Facility on the South Plains College campus in Levelland, a specialized center where students can earn technical certifications that the governor hopes will address a shortage of skilled labor in the state.

Jackalope Creative’s “Tinier Desk” series is creating a space for Lubbock artists to showcase their raw talent with the community.

The Texas Comptroller's Office announced the first round of Texas Education Freedom Accounts awards this week, totalling more than 42,000 students in the first wave. The comptroller's office reports that about two-thirds of awarded students have a documented disability. Texas producers are facing sharp increases in fertilizer costs as a result of escalating conflicts in the Middle East. Texas Public Radio's Norma Martinez explains why the costs are on the rise despite strong domestic production.

A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public-school classroom in the state. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports the ruling has significant implications for long-established ideas of the separation of church and state. Meanwhile a federal grand jury in Lubbock has indicted 14 people from Texas and Eastern New Mexico under allegations of conspiracy to sell stolen crude oil across state lines.

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is joining leadership across the aisle, proposing that the federal gas and diesel tax be suspended due to rising prices across the nation. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey reports this follows similar requests at the state level. A highly anticipated return to the South Plains by Country Music King George Strait is arriving this weekend. It has booked out hotels across the city and parking through Texas Tech University.