Newscast

The city of Lubbock published its 2023 Water Quality Report. Our reporter, Bishop Van Buren, explains that the report could be especially relevant for residents with immune system deficiencies. And Texas Public Radio’s Pablo De La Rosa has more as the U.S. Congress moves closer to withholding funds from Mexico in a dispute over water on the Rio Grande.

The week of Lubbock's biggest summer outdoor holiday, the City Health Department announced that mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been confirmed in Lubbock County. And KERA’s Pablo Arauz Peña reports travel numbers are projected to exceed last summer's record as officials at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport expect more travelers than ever for the Independence Day holiday.

Our Bishop Van Buren reports on advice from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech Physicians on how to have a safe 4th of July. And early this week, the U.S. Supreme Court sent Texas and Florida’s social media censorship laws back to lower courts for further review. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider has more.

KERA's Megan Cardona has more after a Texas teachers' association was hit with a data breach impacting more than 400,000 employees and members. And Texas Public Radio’s Jerry Clayton reports the National Air Racing Championships, a fixture in Reno, Nevada since 1964, will soon be much closer to Lubbock.

Less than two weeks after Louisiana's governor signed a bill requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom in the state, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent ordered public schools in his state to teach the Bible as part of their curriculum. And Texas Public Radio's Kayla Padilla reports that two former Uvalde officers are charged with child endangerment for their botched response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022.

The ad-hoc committee formed to address the debate over who is responsible for the costs and maintenance of private sewer lateral lines in public streets and alleys is close to reaching a recommendation aimed at splitting costs between the city and the residents. This middle ground is intended to lower homeowners' costs and alleviate manpower strain on an underfunded public works department by placing the work on a list of registered private plumbers.

KERA's Marina Trahan Martinez reports on a study from the University of North Texas at Dallas decided about what motivates urban-area police recruits to pursue a career in law enforcement. And the world's youngest professional mariachi singer, who hails from San Antonio, was honored this past week by Bexar County Commissioners. Texas Public Radio's Brian Kirkpatrick has more.

Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports a new Center for American Progress analysis shows the distance Texans have to travel to access abortion care is proving to be a barrier for many women. And Ruidoso residents are returning after being forced to evacuate from fast-moving fires approaching the New Mexico mountain town.

Lubbock’s annual Pride Festival featured an exhibit called Redesigning Resistance: Works on LGBTQ Rights in Lubbock. Our reporter Samantha Larned was there and has more. And KERA's Caroline Love reports the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a North Texas man's challenge to a domestic violence gun law.

As historically low levels of water in the Rio Grande continue to threaten communities in the U.S. and Mexico, incoming rain is expected to provide short-term relief to water reservoirs. Texas Public Radio’s Pablo De La Rosa has more on infrastructure needs at the border. And KERA's Christopher Connelly reports on how Texas renters and homeowners are impacted by housing costs.