Local news

Join the KTTZ news team as we reflect on some of the year’s most consequential stories. With a legislative session led by a Lubbock state representative, a measles outbreak in the region, and Texas Tech taking a national stage for its athletics and in broader conversations about higher education: here is your 2025 West Texas year in review.

Here are some ways you can give back to the Lubbock community in December.

Joe Ely was a Texas music legend who drove humbly at the leading edge of an evolutionary wave in alternative country music, and many talented West Texas musicians came with him. Butch Hancock and Terry Allen spoke with KTTZ about the life and career of their close friend, the role that West Texas played in their music, and the role Joe Ely played in their lives.

Following the Dec. 1 memorandum from Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent letters to each of the five presidents within the Tech system, calling upon them not to restrict academic freedom or classroom instruction based on viewpoint.

Caley’s campaign announcement highlighted possible initiatives like developing a new library branch or recreation center in the district, as well as additional neighborhood planning efforts, policies to benefit locally owned businesses, and addressing loose animals.

Former Lubbock County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jason Corley filed a lawsuit Monday against his replacement, Mark Meurer of Slaton. Corley was removed from the seat after announcing his Congressional campaign. The basis of his lawsuit comes from a disagreement between Corley and Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish over when his bid for the national office became official.

Newly-dubbed Pickering Park in downtown Lubbock is intended to create a more walkable community and help drive new development in downtown. The project broke ground yesterday and construction is expected to be complete in nine to ten months.

A competitive race is set for Lubbock’s City Council District 3, as Lubbock County Republican chairman David Bruegel has announced his campaign for the seat.

Nearly 30 years after joining the conference, Texas Tech makes its first-ever appearance in the Big 12 Football Championship this weekend — and they’ll face a familiar foe.

Sunday is Texas Tech’s annual Carol of Lights at the Science Quadrangle, the university's way to kick off the holiday season. But almost 60 years ago, the occasion was a somber affair following the murder of Sarah Alice Morgan on Dec. 4, 1967.