The KTTZ News Team

This Saturday, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is hosting a free Women’s Health Day clinic for those without medical insurance. Our Samantha Larned reports it will offer free pap smears, breast and pelvic exams, mammogram and colposcopy referrals, STI testing, pregnancy testing, and blood work. The event is Saturday May 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lubbock Impact. Uninsured women aged 18 to 64 can schedule an appointment by calling 806-370-7472. You can also find this information on The Free Clinic Facebook page.

Lubbock’s city council approved a design yesterday for the expansion and renovation of the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center downtown. The budget for the plan is expected to be presented to the council in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Texas farmers say they're facing a mounting number of challenges that go beyond the severe drought in the region. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports many of the advantages associated with farming in Texas are no longer available.

Texas Tech University’s quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, is taking an indefinite leave of absence to get treatment for gambling addiction, a growing concern within the NCAA. Our Charley Maranville reports the Texas Water Development Board is accepting public comments on the draft of the 2027 State Water Plan. You can find more information and read the draft here and submit comments until May 29 here.

Today is the deadline for candidates to apply to run for Lubbock’s City Council District 4. Our Samantha Larned has more on candidates in the upcoming race, including one whose application was previously denied. After calls for investigations from Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, the online game creation platform Roblox removed a role-playing game that allowed users to relive the 2022 Robb Elementary school shooting.

A local real estate developer and police veteran, Pat Kelly said he's been involved in Lubbock's politics for years, but after trying to retire, he was asked to run again to represent District 1 on the city council. Kelly sat down with KTTZ to discuss his campaign and the issues he's hoping to address in the district.

Incumbent District 1 city council candidate Christy Martinez-Garcia won her first race 2022 and was nominated to be the city's mayor pro tem in 2024, and now she's running for re-election to continue representing Northeast and Central Lubbock. She sat down with KTTZ to discuss her campaign and the issues she's focused on for District 1.

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.

In December 2025, Adam Hernandez, a local entrepreneur and community advocate, announced his intent to run for the city council seat in District 3. Hernandez previously ran for Lubbock's mayoral seat in 2022 and 2024. He sat down with KTTZ to discuss his campaign and the issues he's focused on for District 3.