INSIDER
“More than our wombs”: Women in conservative Texas cities mobilizing to end GOP dominance
Read full article: “More than our wombs”: Women in conservative Texas cities mobilizing to end GOP dominanceDemocrats 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.
Three months after the Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents are preparing for the next one
Read full article: Three months after the Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents are preparing for the next oneShort of an immediate statewide response, Texans who lost homes and livestock are taking matters into their own hands to better prepare their property for a wildfire.
Amarillo council may reconsider abortion travel ban after residents gather 10,000 signatures
Read full article: Amarillo council may reconsider abortion travel ban after residents gather 10,000 signaturesSupporters began the petition drive after the City Council punted on the proposed policy. Voters may have the final say.
Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfires
Read full article: Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfiresFederal officials said the nation’s milk supply should be not at risk after a bird flu outbreak hits dairies in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.
Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.
Read full article: Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers.
Shuttered for decades, a downtown theater in a rural Texas town is getting new life and new mission
Read full article: Shuttered for decades, a downtown theater in a rural Texas town is getting new life and new missionRural 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.
After pause, this Texas city is set to reconsider banning travel to access an abortion
Read full article: After pause, this Texas city is set to reconsider banning travel to access an abortionA 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.
In Texas’ Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing up
Read full article: In Texas’ Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing upThe 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.
Voters in one of West Texas’ largest cities will decide whether to decriminalize marijuana in 2024
Read full article: Voters in one of West Texas’ largest cities will decide whether to decriminalize marijuana in 2024Voters in several Texas cities have sought to decriminalize marijuana. However, their efforts have been met by reluctant city councils that say they can’t go against state law.
Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?
Read full article: Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?The legislation behind the historic investment directs state agencies to send money to the state’s smaller, cash-strapped towns that have difficulty paying for upgrades. Federal money is also expected to flow to regions that need broadband.
A generation of Texas farmers are retiring. It’s not clear who will replace them.
Read full article: A generation of Texas farmers are retiring. It’s not clear who will replace them.After 70 years on the farm, Jimmy Drake retired from the cotton business. With no family stepping up to take over the farm, he turned to a young neighbor.
Residents in one of Texas’ most populous cities are working to decriminalize marijuana
Read full article: Residents in one of Texas’ most populous cities are working to decriminalize marijuanaHome to more than 260,000 people, the West Texas town of Lubbock is no stranger to passing local laws by petition. In 2021, residents overwhelmingly approved a local ban on abortion.
A Texas county that borders New Mexico is the latest to consider an abortion travel ban
Read full article: A Texas county that borders New Mexico is the latest to consider an abortion travel banCochran County commissioners meet Thursday to discuss the ban. Abortion-rights supporters say the bans are unenforceable and meant to stoke fear.
Their water is undrinkable. So these West Texas residents have taken matters into their own hands.
Read full article: Their water is undrinkable. So these West Texas residents have taken matters into their own hands.The water in these four unincorporated communities near Lubbock has been undrinkable for years, residents say. They hope to win $3 million in state grants to improve their systems.
This new law will help health care workers save lives in ambulances that cover wide-open West Texas
Read full article: This new law will help health care workers save lives in ambulances that cover wide-open West TexasThe emerging technology, paid for by a grant established during the 2023 legislative session, will help emergency health care workers talk with doctors in emergency rooms to better care for critical patients.
High Plains farmers are experimenting with novel techniques to protect Texas’ future soil
Read full article: High Plains farmers are experimenting with novel techniques to protect Texas’ future soilA minority of farmers in the Texas High Plains region are looking to organic and regenerative techniques to keep their soil healthy year round, despite a dry climate.
Rural Texas may lose out on billions in broadband infrastructure funding due to federal regulations
Read full article: Rural Texas may lose out on billions in broadband infrastructure funding due to federal regulationsGrant applicants are required to have a line of credit from a major bank and put up 25% of the project cost ahead of time. That will likely disqualify many small internet service providers in rural areas.
Black and Hispanic Lubbock residents want federal intervention in zoning, environmental policies
Read full article: Black and Hispanic Lubbock residents want federal intervention in zoning, environmental policiesA new federal complaint comes as the city updates its zoning laws for the first time since the 1970s.
Rural Texas — already starved for health care — faces a dearth of volunteer first responders
Read full article: Rural Texas — already starved for health care — faces a dearth of volunteer first respondersThe number of volunteer firefighters has dropped sharply nationwide, a trend that appears to be gripping rural Texas communities.
Texas farmers are worried one of the state’s most precious water resources is running dry. You should be, too.
Read full article: Texas farmers are worried one of the state’s most precious water resources is running dry. You should be, too.The Ogallala Aquifer serves farming communities in multiple states. When it runs dry, the agriculture industry in Texas and the nation is in jeopardy.
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
Read full article: Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information.
More Texans would qualify for food stamps under a bill heading to Gov. Greg Abbott
Read full article: More Texans would qualify for food stamps under a bill heading to Gov. Greg AbbottThe 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.
Texas cotton farmers leading the charge for more government insurance to cover climate, inflation challenges
Read full article: Texas cotton farmers leading the charge for more government insurance to cover climate, inflation challengesThe federal Farm Bill is must-pass legislation that Congress debates every five years. It includes billions of dollars in farm subsidies and pays for food assistance programs.
Texas towns need money, technical help and compromise to save their water systems
Read full article: Texas towns need money, technical help and compromise to save their water systemsWater agencies have long resisted working together out of fear of losing their local powers. But an example from Florida could help save the Lone Star State’s water and infrastructure.
Everything you need to know about Texas’ beleaguered water systems
Read full article: Everything you need to know about Texas’ beleaguered water systemsTexas has more than 7,000 water systems. A fraction of them self-reported that they lost 30 billion gallons of water due to broken pipes and leaks in 2021.
Why health care is still hard to access in rural towns near Texas’ bigger cities
Read full article: Why health care is still hard to access in rural towns near Texas’ bigger citiesBigger cities like Lubbock can unintentionally suck health care resources and professionals from smaller towns, creating what one local expert calls the “doughnut effect.”
A storied Texas Panhandle newspaper halts publication after 130 years
Read full article: A storied Texas Panhandle newspaper halts publication after 130 yearsThe end of The Canadian Record’s print edition — even if temporary — is another indication of how perilous the news business is for local publishers and the communities they’re a part of.
This Texas town has the highest rate of youth attempted suicides in the state. A grieving father hopes to reverse it.
Read full article: This Texas town has the highest rate of youth attempted suicides in the state. A grieving father hopes to reverse it.According to a new analysis by a national health care company, Lubbock has the highest rate of attempted suicides by children between the ages of 6 and 17. A local leader suggests a dearth of resources isn’t helping.
Farmers face a higher risk of suicide. The Texas Agriculture Department wants $500,000 a year to change that.
Read full article: Farmers face a higher risk of suicide. The Texas Agriculture Department wants $500,000 a year to change that.The department’s helpline is less than a year old. But advocates hope state lawmakers fully fund it as farmers and ranchers continue to face hard economic times and isolation.
West Texas parents are suing their schools over racism as others demand action over antisemitic bullying
Read full article: West Texas parents are suing their schools over racism as others demand action over antisemitic bullyingSchool leaders have said they don’t tolerate racism and that they regularly train teachers how to deal with bullying. But parents say inaction by officials tells a different story.
A boil-water notice in Houston made national news. In rural Texas, it’s a way of life.
Read full article: A boil-water notice in Houston made national news. In rural Texas, it’s a way of life.Rural communities face compounding reasons they can’t improve their water infrastructure, including inflation and a lack of human resources.
“An inverse tsunami”: How inflation and drought are making it harder to feed West Texans in need
Read full article: “An inverse tsunami”: How inflation and drought are making it harder to feed West Texans in needFood banks across Texas are now struggling to keep up with growing demand even more than they were during the pandemic.
Why the Texas grid causes the High Plains to turn off its wind turbines
Read full article: Why the Texas grid causes the High Plains to turn off its wind turbinesWhile wind farms in the region could help power and lower energy costs for at least 9 million homes, significant infrastructure upgrades would be needed to supply electricity from the region to other parts of the state.