The KTTZ News Team

Texas Governor Greg Abbott was in Levelland yesterday, where he toured the Automotive Technology and Welding Facility on the South Plains College campus. Our Brad Burt reports on the Texas Jobs Council, an advisory committee launched by Abbott last month, intended to strengthen the state’s workforce.

Texas Tech Public Media’s executive director Julie Grimes stepped into her new position in February. It is her first Radio Fund Drive with the station and she sat down with the KTTZ news team to share her background, perspective, and vision for the organization moving forward.

Local Lubbock studio Jackalope Creative has launched a new live music series called “Tinier Desk.” Inspired by NPR’s popular “Tiny Desk” concerts, the series invites local artists to perform stripped-down sets behind an office desk. KTTZ's Mia Shephard spoke with co-owner Kaleb Wiley about the new series.

The KTTZ news team received three Texas Broadcast News Awards this weekend for its feature stories and local government reporting.

The Texas Tech University System announced that it will be closing all academic programs “centered on” Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Our reporter Samantha Larned explains the new course content guidance and "phase-out" process for current programs. The Lubbock City Government is looking for the input of citizens on potential renovations to the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The presentations will be held at the Civic Center at 1501 Mac Davis Lane tonight at 5:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

West Texans will soon be seeing another data center after “Project Caprock” broke ground in Hale County yesterday. The boom in A.I. data centers in Texas could raise energy costs and strain the state power grid. KUT's Mose Buchele reports that to understand the risks, grid managers at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas need to understand how many centers are really coming. The City of Levelland in Hockley County is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary this weekend. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 11, but with the chance of severe weather, the decision was made to push the event to Sunday, April 12.

At the end of 2024, the announcement that three Lubbock ISD schools were to be closed or consolidated led to many questions from Lubbock parents on policy and transparency, with the district saying more closures would be considered. Our reporter Brad Burt has more on how the school district is responding, including a dashboard with summarized data on performance metrics, staff experience and enrollment.

A former city council representative filed to run for District 4's council seat in March, shortly after sitting councilor Brayden Rose announced his resignation, but the application has since been denied on the grounds that he did not meet the residency requirements under state law. And as the Texas State Board of Education discusses plans for a new Social Studies curriculum, KUT’s Greta Díaz González Vázquez reports some educators have taken issue with the proposal.

Election Day for city offices and school districts is coming up on May 2. Our Samantha Larned reports on two proposed voter bonds from Slaton Independent School District. Texas outpaced the nation in job growth in January, according to numbers from the Texas Workforce Commission. But Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider says unemployment ticked up from December.

The City of Lubbock has announced spring and summer irrigation restrictions in effect now through Sept. 30. Our Mia Shephard explains the guidelines and you can find more at mylubbock.us/irrigation. A trial over a lack of air conditioning and excessive heat in Texas prisons will continue this week in a federal court in Austin. KUT’s Andrew Weber reports the trial will determine if state prisons are subject to the same regulations as county lockups and federal prisons.