Samantha Larned
ReporterSamantha Larned is a reporter and producer with NPR Lubbock. Originally from Arizona, Samantha began her journalism career at Arizona Public Media in Tucson. She moved to Lubbock and started with KTTZ in 2023 and quickly became intrigued by all the city had to offer. Samantha has a focus on social issues and culture journalism.
You can often find Samantha at her desk at KTTZ, on the road looking for a story, or in the stacks at the public library.
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The committee chair Thomas Parker defined amortization as "a legal tool available to a municipality in order to terminate the use of a nonconforming land-use.” Parker said it is the role of the committee to determine if the city needs that tool. -
Compared to other metropolitan areas, food in Lubbock is more affordable. However, that does not change the fact that some people are geographically removed from places that sell nutritious food. -
With temperatures dropping, bats will be leaving the state in search of warmer climates. Bats are crucial to the ecosystem, contributing the equivalent of $1.4 billion in insect control to Texas agriculture, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. -
Library staff look forward to the tour every year, not only as a fun Halloween event but as an exploration of the building’s past and the oral folklore surrounding it. -
Within Lubbock school districts, not many books have been banned, according to librarians, and having books challenged is rare, but on the rise. They said the book-banning debate has a chilling effect on library professionals, with some not buying LGBTQ+ books for fear of pushback. -
Lubbock is home to a number of reading and writing groups that strive to support writers and illustrators, and offer ways to connect and engage. Others teach the craft of writing, marketing, and self-publishing to aspiring authors. -
The organization’s program and volunteer coordinator described the literacy rate in Texas as part of the “profound educational crisis plaguing our state and city.” -
Lubbock Lemur Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the challenges facing lemurs and recognizing the efforts of a local nonprofit organization to rescue exotic pets. -
Lubbock Community Theatre’s executive director Heather May said with so many unknowns regarding the enforcement of the bill, organizations like hers are discussing how to protect themselves and their communities.
