Local news

Lubbock High School students were evacuated from campus after a bomb threat Friday morning. Lubbock ISD Police reports that no explosives were found and a suspect has not been located.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders went from national headlines to hard questions in just a few days—stunning the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats before falling to the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils and losing preseason All-American JT Toppin to a season-ending torn ACL.

Texas has the largest number of rural hospitals in the country. In the past decade, 14 of the state’s rural hospitals have closed and another 82 are at risk of closure, according to a recent report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Despite funding challenges, some rural hospitals are continuing and even expanding services through community support.

Early voting for the Texas primary elections runs Feb. 17-27. Texas voters will determine which candidates will compete in November’s general election for various offices including Governor, Attorney General, and federal and statewide representatives.

LubbockPRIDE welcomed community members in an event last weekend, geared toward health and wellness, education, and resource sharing. With recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and policies, the organization says that it is vital to provide a venue for queer Texans and their allies.

The City of Lubbock continues to remind citizens not to touch wild birds, as officials report having collected more than 2,000 dead birds by the end of January. Here are avian flu facts to be aware of and ways to keep yourself and your pets healthy.

Texas Democrat labor leader Taylor Rehmet turned tables in a special election runoff for the Texas Senate seat in District 9, defeating GOP pick Leigh Wambsganss in a 40-year Republican stronghold. Now, fellow Democratic candidates in West Texas are hoping similar work-focused strategies can overcome tough odds in their own deep red districts.

Texas Tech’s men’s basketball team has dropped two straight games for the first time this season, falling in the AP Top 25 after a strong Big 12 start. Head coach Grant McCasland praised the team’s competitiveness and hopes this challenging stretch will help the Red Raiders improve ahead of March Madness.

An event organized by a student group intended to discuss abortion was cancelled by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center late last month, after backlash from conservative activists and Turning Point USA at Texas Tech. Now, another free speech group is calling on the TTUHSC to allow them to reschedule the event.

Lubbock community members and Texas Tech students rallied last Saturday to protest ICE as part of a national movement following fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis, calling for solidarity, accountability, and limits on immigration enforcement in the region.