February 27th, 2026

Yesterday, Lubbock County officially opened its new Medical Examiner’s Office, bringing death investigations back to Lubbock after years of outsourcing autopsies. Officials gathered in the panhandle this week for the anniversary of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history. The 2025 legislative session passed several improvements to the state’s wildfire preparedness, but our Brad Burt reports that lawmakers say the work is not yet done.