Accountability

Police chases can be deadly. Minnesota has more safeguards in place than Texas, including a statewide pursuit policy and enhanced training. Does that make a difference?

Shortly after the updated false alarm ordinance took effect on Oct. 1, concerns from the public began to circulate. Lubbock police say similar ordinances are used in other Texas cities, but whether the systems have reduced the problem of false alarms for those cities remains unclear. Now, the council is repealing the ordinance, with apologies for the procedure that many felt was not transparent.

A coalition of citizens and organizers from Lubbock's District 2 has suspended a petition to recall councilman Gordon Harris. Hoping for accountability and transparency, the group says it will “let anticipated decisions from the Texas Ethics Commission on numerous violations work its will.”

All three of Lubbock's biggest school districts showed improvements in the new academic accountability ratings for the 2024-25 school year. Our Samantha Larned reports Lubbock ISD, Frenship ISD, and Lubbock-Cooper ISD all received a B as an overall score. This time last year, Lubbock was reaching record high temperatures for several consecutive days. This August, things are looking a bit cooler.

In the last school year, all three of Lubbock’s biggest school districts showed improvement in their academic accountability scores from the Texas Education Agency, and all three with overall B-ratings. KTTZ has a breakdown of the relevant numbers and what those ratings mean.

A GOP state lawmaker who represents Kerr County says he likely would vote differently now on House Bill 13, which would have established a grant program for counties to build new emergency communication infrastructure.

Members of Lubbock’s queer community and their allies showed up to the city council chambers for the third June in a row, advocating for the city to recognize Pride Month. Organizers and participants said the council did not acknowledge their campaign or protest.

Lubbock elected a new mayor in June 2024. Since then, it’s been a busy year for the region. Now, one year later, the KTTZ news team sat down with Mayor Mark McBrayer to discuss his term so far, including issues like public safety, city growth, housing, and budget challenges.

The oversight agency missed key inspections and left prisoner complaints unresolved.

Republican state Rep. Brooks Landgraf proposed the ban after a fire at an Odessa area chemical storage facility that allegedly filled a nearby neighborhood with "black sludge." House Bill 3866 is now on Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.