Local leaders and rural revitalization experts say Texas’ smallest towns can survive — despite a shift to urban and suburban counties — but it will take investments.

Tuesday’s vote was a rare chance for Texans to vote directly on abortion restrictions. The state already has a near-total abortion ban.

Democrats in Lubbock and Amarillo hope Kamala Harris’ candidacy and a backlash to abortion laws will help make their long-held vision of a blue wave a reality.

Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley calls himself “pro-life.” But the proposal to police the streets for women traveling out of state to get an abortion is overreach, he said.

Texas Tribune journalist Jayme Lozano Carver has written about health care for years. Most recently, she reported on how little access there is for women and new moms in the Texas Panhandle.

Federal clinics in Texas are already required to get parental permission to prescribe birth control after a 2022 court ruling.

Local leaders of the Nurse-Family Partnership hope they can secure money to expand the program to the region’s rural areas.

After repeated attempts to convince the City Council to make zoning changes, residents asked the federal government to intervene.

After the Amarillo City Council balked at such an ordinance last year, residents collected signatures for a ballot measure.

Two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the debate over abortion access is playing out in elections and the courts.

Amid a fight over an “abortion travel ban,” women health care experts say more attention is needed to the plight of pregnant Texans in the Panhandle where there are few hospitals and OBGYNs.

A group of anti-abortion advocates must now decide whether they want the city voters to have the final say on their proposed policy.

Supporters of the petition may ultimately seek a vote of Amarillo residents later this fall.

The council has been reluctant to approve the ban since it first debated the issue last fall.

Supporters began the petition drive after the City Council punted on the proposed policy. Voters may have the final say.

University President Walter Wendler canceled a drag performance last year, claiming such shows “denigrate and demean women.”

Federal Title X clinics do not require parental consent for birth control — except in Texas, where a lawsuit upended the longstanding program.

In the staunchly conservative Panhandle, LGBTQ+ Texans say political and legal battles overlook their humanity.

Senate Republicans are taking aim at a new federal courts policy trying to curb “judge shopping,” a practice that gained national attention in a major abortion medication case.

Hemphill County Judge Lisa Johnson said the region has been overwhelmed with the response of support, but work remains.

Texas has a wildfire season in winter, but climate change is extending it, scientists say.

As firefighters work to put out the largest wildfire in Texas history, here’s a guide to fire weather watches, safety tips and how to find organizations collecting donations to directly help local residents, including farmers and ranchers.

Healthy winds and low humidity are forecasted for the Panhandle this weekend, which could add more fuel to the Smokehouse Creek Fire.

A nuclear weapons facility was forced to evacuate most of its staff due to a wildfire blazing rapidly across the Texas Panhandle.

After months of consideration from the Amarillo City Council, an abortion travel ban is gaining support through a new citizen-led petition.

More details are coming out about a man accused of punching a flight attendant on an American Airlines plane this week.

After weeks of debate, the council took no action at a politically-charged meeting Tuesday. It is the largest city in Texas to debate an ordinance that would outlaw travel on its roadways to get an abortion.

Rural Texas towns like Levelland on the South Plains are increasingly turning to the arts to help revitalize their downtowns and provide more attractions for families.

A handful of local governments have already put the legally dubious bans in place. The news that Amarillo will take the issue up again comes shortly after a Dallas woman left the state for an abortion after losing a legal battle to obtain one here.

The region that includes Amarillo, a Panhandle city of more than 200,000 people, and surrounding towns has long been a mental health care desert. Officials hope a new $159 million hospital can help reduce a massive spike in suicide attempts.

Amarillo's city council said it will continue to study the issue. The city is one of just a few in Texas to reject the policy pushed by anti-abortion activists.

Buc-ee’s recently announced that it is breaking ground on the Amarillo location, which will include a 74,000-square-foot store and 108 fueling stations.

After criticizing Republican leaders on abortion, guns and race, Bishop will run as a Democrat against Rep. Angie Chen Button in a competitive district in Dallas County.

The footage shows Jackson being tackled to the ground and placed in handcuffs, with the Amarillo Republican directing a profanity-laced tirade toward a trooper. His office has said Jackson, a physician, was trying to help with a medical emergency.

An Amarillo boy is sharing a message of kindness after a viral video showed him going door-to-door and asking for friends.

The value of a household’s vehicles disqualified nearly 55,000 people seeking federal food assistance in 2022. House Bill 1287 increases the threshold of car values that lead to SNAP applicants being denied aid.

The legal challenge to mifepristone now returns to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled the fire and explosion that killed thousands of cows in the Texas Panhandle an accident, according to media reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court originally planned to weigh in on the abortion pill case by Wednesday night, but extended the hold on the Amarillo ruling until Friday at midnight.

Thousands of cows were killed in an explosion and fire that happened at a dairy farm in the Panhandle earlier this week, according to media reports.

Competing rulings by two federal judges over the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone are sowing alarm and confusion — and opening a new front in the battle over abortion in the United States.

A federal judge has heard arguments in a lawsuit that poses a threat to the nationwide availability of a popular abortion medication.

U.S. District Matthew Kacsmaryk was once deputy counsel for the the First Liberty Institute, the Plano-based conservative Christian law firm.

Renowned actor and comedian Will Ferrell unexpectedly paid a visit to a North Texas steakhouse and brewery this weekend.

High Plains residents are used to wind and dust, but an ongoing drought and recent tropical-storm-level winds have brought some epic dust storms.

Texas has had trouble getting a state of 30 million residents online for years — even before the pandemic put a spotlight on poor broadband development.

Experts say local governments should prioritize extreme weather preparedness. Cost can be a deterring factor.

The beloved pit-stop between our state’s far-flung destinations is setting up shop in northern Texas.

Authorities say a gunman shot three people, including two first responders, at the Tri-State Fair & Rodeo in Texas before he was shot and wounded by sheriff’s deputies.

The legendary Chupacabra has been spotted in the Texas panhandle... well, maybe.

She will cover the Panhandle and South Plains through Report for America. She previously reported for Texas Tech Public Media.

A hiker at Palo Duro Canyon State Park had to be rescued over the weekend after she ventured off a trail and became trapped on a cliff edge, park authorities said.

Police say a man was fatally shot by Amarillo, Texas, police after opening fire on officers who approached him while looking for a different man on felony drug charges.

Federal authorities arrested a Wisconsin man and four members of his family in Texas on charges stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Local health officials are trying to boost vaccinations in this Panhandle city and its surrounding counties, which rank near the bottom of the state’s population centers in the percentage of residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

An Amber Alert has been issued for a 2-year-old boy who disappeared in Amarillo.

The New Mexico Republican Party is moving their three-day convention this weekend to Amarillo, Texas, after speakers had concerns over New Mexico's COVID-19 restrictions.

AMARILLO, Texas – Several suspected tornadoes touched down Saturday afternoon in the Texas Panhandle between Lubbock and Amarillo, according to the National Weather Service, but no injuries or fatalities were reported. “There are no reports of injuries,” and only minor damage, Merchant said. “We can't answer that until afterwards when we examine the damage,” Merchant said. Storm survey teams could be sent to the areas as early as Sunday morning, according to Merchant. ___This story has been corrected to show the name of the Amarillo area emergency management director is Chip Orton, not Chad Orton.

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, continues to deny the findings of an investigation by a Pentagon watchdog that he violated an alcohol policy and made a sexual comment about a female colleague under his supervision. (Credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, has ratcheted up his rejection of allegations of misconduct during his time as the top White House physician. The report, which presents the findings of an investigation by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Defense, was officially released on Wednesday. The report examines claims that Jackson disparaged employees, engaged in “alcohol-related misconduct” and made sexual comments about a female employee under his supervision. “You could smell the alcohol on his breath, and he leaned into my room and he said, “I need you.” I felt really uncomfortable,” the woman told the inspector general.

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Sunday in Orlando. A Pentagon report found that he made sexual comments and violated an alcohol policy while he was the White House physician. (Credit: REUTERS/Joe Skipper)During his time working as the top White House physician, U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, berated employees, made sexual comments about a female subordinate, and violated the policy for drinking alcohol on a presidential trip, according to a report from the Department of Defense inspector general obtained by CNN. "Three years ago I was the subject of a political hit job because I stood with President Trump,” Jackson said in a written statement. Jackson represents the congressional district that includes most of the Panhandle and parts of northern Texas such as Wichita Falls, where Gov.

SAN ANTONIO – Trent Rosser and his wife, Sharon, said they are grateful for the coincidence of being in San Antonio on Texas Independence Day. “Grateful, I’m grateful,” Trent Rosser said about getting to see the new collection. “It just brings back emotion,” Trent Rosser said. AdThe singer is a massive Alamo enthusiast who has been collecting Alamo artifacts for years. It’s cool.”The exhibit is free to view Tuesday in honor of Texas Independence Day and will run through April 25.

Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas TribuneSign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday voided rulings from lower courts that upheld a ban on most abortions in Texas early in the coronavirus pandemic. The high court vacated two rulings from the lower U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that sided with Texas GOP officials arguing that Gov. The executive order ended over the summer, allowing abortions in the state to resume, but Planned Parenthood has said leaving the lower court rulings on the books would set harmful legal precedent for abortion rights advocates. Disclosure: Planned Parenthood has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

Texas is experiencing a second surge of coronavirus hospitalizations, up more than 75% since the beginning of October. On Oct. 28, there were more than 5,600 people with COVID-19 in Texas hospitals, a patient volume not seen since August, when the state experienced a crush of patients that pushed some South Texas hospitals to their limit. But the consequences of Texas’ burgeoning “fall wave” of the coronavirus pandemic extend hundreds of miles beyond those far-flung cities. Fewer than half of the state’s rural hospitals perform surgeries or deliver babies, said John Henderson, chief executive of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals. The 18-bed hospital is grappling with its own influx of COVID-19 patients.

SAN ANTONIO – The city of San Antonio is being recognized for more than its signature River Walk, foodie hotspots and the Alamo. According to the annual Good Neighbor Report from OfferUp, the Alamo City is the fourth friendliest city in the nation. The top five friendliest cities in the U.S. this year are San Diego, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Palm Springs, Calif., according to OfferUp. San Antonio isn’t the only Texas city being recognized by OfferUp. Amarillo, Texas, was also named one of the most generous cities in the nation.

Over the four months of Texas course of the coronavirus, early hot spots Amarillo among them have been eclipsed by new regions in crisis now, South Texas. That behavior, particularly among young people, may be responsible for dozens of new hot spots that will be more difficult to eradicate. Those 123 "red zone" counties are home to some 23 million Texans the vast majority of the state's population. Typically, rural and community hospitals transfer patients to urban hospitals for acute care. Two weeks ago, there were just seven positive COVID-19 patients in the Amarillo hospital; by this week, that had more than tripled to 24.

For the second day in a row, data released on Tuesday by the Texas Department of State Health Services shows a record number of hospitalizations due to the new coronavirus. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneFor the second day in a row, Texas has reported a record number of patients hospitalized with the new coronavirus, a metric Gov. Data released Tuesday by the Texas Department of State Health Services shows 2,056 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 1,935 the day before. The hospitalization figures and the total number of new infections have trended upward since about late May. Experts have said theres a lag between when changes in people's behaviors, like more social interaction, are reflected in coronavirus case data.

What you need to know Monday:No consensus on whether El Paso is ready to reopenGov. Greg Abbott had given El Paso County and the Amarillo area two of the state's biggest recent COVID-19 hot spots a temporary reprieve from implementing Texas' next phase of reopening. While Abbott said the Amarillo area had "turned a corner," the picture in the El Paso area wasn't as clear. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, on the other hand, said the situation in El Paso is more manageable now. Texas reported 1,949 more cases of the new coronavirus Sunday the highest increase since the state began reporting coronavirus case counts.

Amarillo – Texas Governor Greg Abbott was in Amarillo Wednesday to address the high rate of COVID-19 cases in the region. He attributed the high rate of COVID-19 cases in Amarillo to the increase of people testing positive in nursing homes, meat packing plants and jails and prisons. Since then, Abbott said numbers have since trickled down to “zero people who tested positive (on Tuesday)." “You see an early spike, for the number of people testing positive and then you see a slow decline in those testing positive," said Abbott. Abbott also said that while Texans are suffering from the coronavirus, there are many more who are suffering economically.

A morning show anchor and reporter in Amarillo, who used to be on TV in San Antonio, was arrested on prostitution charges, according to ABC 7/KVII. Anthony Pittman, a morning anchor at ABC 7, was arrested Friday in Randall County and charged with solicitation of prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor, the station reported. Man arrested for stealing bottles from liquor store 3 times, officials sayDetails of his arrest were not immediately available. According to Pittman’s LinkedIn profile, he worked as a sports anchor and reporter at KABB in San Antonio from 2000 to 2010. 9 men arrested in prostitution stingPittman has been released from jail on bond.

AMARILLO, TEXAS – An Amarillo Independent School District employee was arrested after police say he was in possession of child pornography. The Amarillo PD Special Victims Unit Detectives received a report Wednesday, Jan. 15 that a man in the Amarillo area was in possession of child pornography. Detectives identified the man on Thursday as Kevin Fehr, 59, who was employed by the school district. On Wednesday, January 15, 2020, Amarillo PD Special Victims Unit Detectives received information of a subject in the... Posted by Amarillo Police Department on Friday, January 17, 2020Fehr was arrested and taken to the Randall County Jail. We are waiting to learn more on his employment status with the school district.

SAN ANTONIO – In boys hoops, Wagner tops Atascocita to win the South San Tournament, while the Veterans Memorial girls battle a tough Amarillo squad in the NEISD Tournament Championship Game.