The KTTZ News Team

This week, Lubbock City Council heard from the police department on the use of Flock cameras, of which there are currently 10 in operation with six more awaiting approval from TxDOT. Our Brad Burt reports that Lubbock Police chief Seth Herman defended the department’s use of these cameras. You can find LPD's Transparency Portal provided by Flock Safety here.

Lubbock’s City Council passed a resolution yesterday that the council would not consider any large-scale data center developments until after the city has adopted standards to protect residents and resources. A presentation of proposed regulations is scheduled for tomorrow at a special meeting of Lubbock’s Planning & Zoning Commission, tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. at Citizens Tower, located at 1314 Avenue K. You can find a copy of the recommendations here.

American farmers will likely feel the squeeze of higher tariffs exchanged with Canada on both their supply costs and sales starting this week. The import taxes will affect everything from dairy products to ag equipment. Lubbock Independent School District is accepting applications for its annual Community Leadership Academy. Our Samantha Larned reports the meetings are intended as a way for parents and community members to learn more about what goes into operating a school district. You can find more information and apply through Sept. 18 on Lubbock ISD’s website here.

Local and state lawmakers cut the ribbon on the long-awaited West Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Lubbock on Friday, the first state veterans cemetery in 15 years. The same day, Gov. Greg Abbott was in town, holding a campaign roundtable on affordability in Texas. His primary focus was one that he has repeatedly pointed out will be a major topic in the upcoming legislative session: reducing property taxes.

The White House has approved a federal disaster declaration for 19 Texas counties following storms and flooding in July. Texas Public Radio's Brian Kirkpatrick reports the declaration allows FEMA to step in to begin assistance with public recovery efforts. The Texas State Board of Education is expected to ok controversial updates to high school social studies lessons today. KERA’s Bill Zeeble reports the new curriculum associates Islam with terrorism and slavery. Tomorrow is Texas Tech's first football game of the season.

Earlier this year, the national cattle herd hit a 75-year low. Now, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says a new initiative will help grow the number of cattle in the U.S. Meanwhile, more than a million Texas voters have been placed on “voter suspense” lists. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider reports those voters will have to update their addresses by October 5th or face additional paperwork on Election Day before they can cast their ballots.

Rising food costs are hitting some of the most vulnerable Texans — including seniors living on fixed incomes. The food assistance nonprofit Feeding Texas has seen an increase in seniors seeking support over the past year. Meanwhile, KERA's Abigail Ruhman reports federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could be causing a significant backlog of Medicaid and SNAP applications in the state.

Tonight, Lubbock’s city council is holding a special city council meeting to discuss the city's budget. This includes agreements with the police and fire departments and public hearings on the tax rate and operating budget. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Citizens Tower downtown at 1314 Ave K. State broadband leaders are still waiting for instructions on how they can use $21 billion in federal money to connect rural areas to the internet, including around $2 billion in Texas. Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope reports states are looking for guidance on non-infrastructure expenses.

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines has called on local governments to provide property tax relief and for school districts to cut "bloat." Texas Public Radio's Brian Kirkpatrick reports on Huffines' comments. Officials in Granbury are reversing course on five recall petitions targeting the mayor and four city council members over transparency concerns regarding a data center project in the city. KERA's Emmanuel Rivas explains the decision is a reversal of a rejection from earlier this summer.

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.