Community

From now through Feb. 14, the City of Lubbock is accepting applications for its Junior Ambassador Program, offering students a week of cultural experiences in its sister city in Japan this summer. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on the program, which you can sign up for at mylubbock.us/JrAmbassador. Tonight, the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to vote on whether or not to recommend a zoning change. Our Samantha Larned explains this would open up the possibility of a new student housing development at the site of the former Godbold building.

The Black Gospel Archive at Baylor University is the largest digital collection of gospel music in the world. Now the Lilly Endowment has awarded the archive a $2.48 million grant to expand the archive.

KERA’s Olla Mokhtar reports the ACLU and other advocacy organizations are urging Texas school districts to reject the state’s new K-5 curriculum, Bluebonnet Learning, because of its emphasis on Christianity. On Tuesday, the City of Lubbock Animal Services is giving away free spay and neuter vouchers beginning at 1 P.M. at the Lubbock Animal Services building at 3323 SE Loop 289.

Lubbock Public Health has confirmed a school-aged child recently treated at a Lubbock healthcare facility has tested positive for measles. Our Bishop Van Buren reports on a Lubbock Monterey High School basketball player who has been recruited for the country’s most prestigious high school all-star game.

The South Plains Association of Governments is seeking public input from residents of fifteen counties surrounding Lubbock as part of its Safety Action Plan to improve road conditions and reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries across the region.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945.

This week, citizens can apply for financial help with minor home repairs from the City of Lubbock Community Development. An interactive map is collecting input to make roads safer for drivers across 15 counties outside the City of Lubbock. You can find the map here. And federal law enforcement officers arrested dozens of people in Texas on Sunday as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

San Angelo pianist Terry Mikeska has already checked an item off of his bucket list to start the year, by performing on perhaps his grandest stage yet— a black-tie event in Washington, D.C. that was among the largest leading up to the 2025 presidential inauguration.

Yesterday, the City of Lubbock recognized January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and January 23rd as Texas Blue Sand Project Day. Our reporter Samantha Larned has more on local advocacy for victims of human trafficking. On Monday, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" Opal Lee wrote an open letter to President Trump, asking him to choose unity over division.

The City of Lubbock announced that residents have a new way to access their utilities account to pay bills. Residents can now visit the city’s website at mylubbock.us and click the tab that says “City of Lubbock Utilities Bill.” Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider has more on the state budget proposals from the Texas Senate and House. And according to the Community Foundation of West Texas, more than half a million dollars were raised to support Lubbock nonprofits this past Giving Tuesday.