Texas Tech University

The Texas Legislature has formed new House and Senate committees focused on freedom of speech on Texas college campuses. The Texas Newsroom's Blaise Gainey says the move was prompted by last week's murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Here in Lubbock, a Texas Tech student was arrested at a Charlie Kirk memorial on campus Friday. Our Brad Burt reports she was charged with simple assault.

The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents has officially named Houston Republican Senator Brandon Creighton as the sole finalist for chancellor of the university system. Our Brad Burt has more on Creighton and the decision. Today, community health screenings will be offered at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. And at the Godeke Library, a social worker will be available 1-3 p.m. Looking to this Sunday, Buddy Holly’s 89th Birthday Bash will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Buddy Holly Center at 1801 Crickets Ave.

More Texas universities are turning to politicians to lead their systems, preferring political clout over academic credentials.

Texas Tech University’s Goin’ Band from Raiderland launched its centennial celebration with Alumni Band Day at the Red Raiders’ season opener. The weekend was filled with events for returning members, but a highly anticipated halftime performance — uniting the current band with more than a thousand alumni musicians — was ultimately washed out by rain.

The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents is expected to name Texas Senator Brandon Creighton as the next chancellor in its meeting tomorrow. More than 830 new Texas laws went into effect on Monday, and as Camila Gonzalez with the Denton Record-Chronicle explains, that includes one regarding THC vapes, Chinese-made e-cigarettes and similar products. Live fire training is set to begin today at the Preston Smith International Airport. The City of Lubbock wants residents to be aware that flames and smoke may be visible to those in the communities surrounding the airport. The trainings are scheduled Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday's opening game for the Red Raiders will feature a performance from multiple generations of Tech’s Goin’ Band. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on the band's centennial celebration. CitiBus has announced the return of the Park N Ride Gameday Express at Texas Tech football games this season, offering roundtrip service to and from Jones AT&T Stadium for $6 per person. Passes are purchasable through the GoPass App. The Gameday Express will begin three hours before kickoff and continue until one hour following the end of the game.

Arrington represents Lubbock in Congress. Creighton is a longtime state lawmaker.

Texas is home to approximately 1,200 species of bee and about 25% of them are specialized bees, meaning they only pollinate specific plants. The bristly nama may not be a familiar name for those on the South Plains, but the plant and its purple flowers are all over Lubbock and its bees are hard at work to keep the ecosystem alive.

Quail populations across Texas have been plummeting for decades. But now, a Texas Tech researcher and his team may have turned that trend around with the invention of a medicated wildlife feed that’s been approved by the FDA and is now commercially available.

Last week, Texas Tech University’s president Lawrence Schovanec was named Big 12 Conference representative on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on what the position entails. Texas school districts have until September 1 to comply with Senate Bill 13. KERA’s Bill Zeeble explains the new library law, which critics worry could become a book ban policy.