Local news

Chancellor Brandon Creighton and Cody Campbell, who chairs Tech's Board of Regents, are identified by their official university titles on the invitation to the Sept. 29 fundraiser. Lubbock County Democrats are questioning whether their public positions — or university resources — were used to promote the event.

The Lubbock County Elections Office received a backlog of more than 7,500 voter registrations due to a technical error with the Department of Public Safety's online registration portal. Lubbock County’s new Elections Administrator, Troy Havard, assures voters the backlog will not delay or affect anyone’s ability to vote in the November general election when early voting begins on Oct. 19.

Lubbock’s city council passed a resolution on Tuesday initiating the procedure to adopt a 90-day pause on the development of any large-scale data centers. The council will need to hold two public hearings before the moratorium can officially begin.

Lubbock County Commissioners considered a resolution Monday supporting an independent investigation into 'payroll irregularities' for the Precinct 2 seat. While the resolution passed, it was not without contention, as members of the court and the district attorney pointed out that the investigation is happening with or without the commissioners' support.

This week, Lubbock's City Council said it would not consider any large-scale data center projects until regulations have been adopted to protect city residents and resources. Two days later, the Planning and Zoning Commission saw a presentation of potential requirements for developers, but members of the board said the proposal needs more work.

Lubbock City Council accepted a citizens’ petition for an 18-month pause on data center development in the city and will be hearing from residents regarding the proposal on Sept. 8. If the council rejects the petition at the hearing, organizers can choose to put it on the ballot in a general election.

A debate over books in Texas' public school libraries picked up new attention last week, when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened legislative action unless Texas school districts pull books from the shelves that he and certain activists believe are "harmful" to students and families and violate Texas' Senate Bill 13. In a meeting of Lubbock ISD's board of trustees, the district stood by the parent-led library council and book review system established under state law.

The Texas Tech University Veterinary School of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class on August 18, 2021. Now, five years later, the school’s first wave of veterinarians are already working to fill a shortage in Texas’ rural animal care.

Lubbock Animal Services is hosting its annual Clear the Shelter Day on Saturday, August 22. Along with free adoptions and vaccinations, the event will have family-friendly activities and food vendors. And with limited space and new intakes every day, LAS is hoping the adoption push will help create space for more animals.

The Texas Education Agency has released the accountability rating for the 2025-2026 school year. Lubbock-Cooper ISD and Frenship ISD had lower scores in their overall rating compared to the year before, while Lubbock ISD continued a steady increase over the past two school years.