U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high.

State officials have initiated construction on the Lubbock Psychiatric Center, a $121 million, 50-bed maximum-security mental health hospital funded as part of Texas' $2.5 billion overhaul of its mental health care system.

Among other changes is a new law that says homeowner associations can no longer fine Texans for not watering their grass during a drought.

Far from the Capitol, students at Texas Tech spend time examining the quality of beef for meat judging competitions.

Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data.

Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis.

House Bill 6, which now heads to the governor, targets the increase in violence that has plagued schools since the pandemic.

Much of the debate focused on the tense relationship between cities and the Texas Legislature. The bill is head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

While state leaders say growers can still produce industrial hemp, farmers say they will quit growing the plant altogether under a total THC ban.

Many of the patients are being treated in Lubbock, a medical hub for the South Plains where the outbreak originated.

The legislation, which won unanimous approval in both chambers, was written following the state’s historic Panhandle wildfires last year.

The Texas House took its first step toward revising a priority Senate bill last week. The changes were lauded by the state’s water community.

Texas Republican lawmakers in regions known for support of public schools defended voting for vouchers, saying they gained leverage to seek concessions.

Desalination can create millions of gallons of fresh water a day. But it is expensive and there are many environmental concerns.

Public health officials say a day care facility in a Texas county that’s part of the measles outbreak has multiple cases, including children too young to be fully vaccinated.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F.

About 500 Texans, mostly young unvaccinated children, have contracted the disease. The U.S. health secretary was in West Texas to visit the family.

The update comes just days after Harris County confirmed its first measles case, but officials say it's not connected to any local cases in the Greater Houston area.

Katherine Wells was celebrated early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then public health became a political litmus test.

The legislation was written after the state’s largest wildfire scorched more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle last year.

State lawmakers are poised to devote billions to save the state’s water supply. These are some of the ways the state could spend the money.

Health officials said that the case is an adult female, age 50-60, associated with recent international travel. County health officials said that they are actively investigating the case.

A measles outbreak in Kansas more than doubled Wednesday to 23 cases, and an outbreak in Ohio grew to 10.

Measles cases in West Texas are still rising two months after the outbreak began.

The measles vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective against the disease, which is highly contagious and can be life threatening.

There were 127,350 reported cases of measles, including 38 deaths, in Europe and Central Asia last year, marking the highest total in nearly 30 years, according to figures from UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

The power has been restored after authorities at Texas Tech University said an explosion inside a maintenance hole set off fires and power outages on the campus, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week.

A day after the incident in which green flames could be seen coming out of manholes, 40% of the university in Lubbock remains without power.

Health officials say West Texas now has almost 200 measles cases and New Mexico's case number has tripled to 30.

An adult who was infected with measles has died in New Mexico, though the virus has not been confirmed as the cause.

A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas.

There is a measles outbreak in the South Plains region of Texas, with 58 confirmed cases, primarily in Gaines County, which accounts for 45 cases.

Across the country, dairy producers have dumped milk and infected chickens have been killed, including millions of egg-laying hens, causing egg prices to skyrocket.

Advocates worry that rapidly shifting federal and state immigration initiatives will prompt more city police to funnel migrants without criminal records to federal agents.

Meanwhile in the Panhandle, Republicans were less excited that Burrows won the speaker contest thanks largely to Democrats.

Texas’ population is booming and there is not enough water for everyone. State Sen. Charles Perry hopes to fix that.

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.

Texas desperately needs more and denser housing to keep up with the demand. But zoning restrictions get in the way, a Texas Tribune analysis found.

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.

Members of the Abilene Christian University football team were injured after a team bus crashed Saturday night in Lubbock, Texas.

To help raise money the Lubbock-area food bank recruited a Michelin-recognized chef.

The City Council did approve $5,000 for security, about one-fifth of the money it withheld over last month.

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.

The arts center that organizes the monthly art walk, which draws 20,000 to downtown Lubbock, said the drag show happened at an off-site location and had no association with it.

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

Advocates say public pools are necessary community infrastructure and save lives. Splash pads have become a more affordable option.

A hailstone found in the Texas Panhandle could potentially break the record for the largest hailstone ever found to have fallen in Texas.

Short 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.

A ballot proposition would have instructed police not to arrest people who have four ounces or less of marijuana.

There is no process in Texas for a voter-driven statewide referendum. So, supporters are going city by city to build statewide momentum.

Texas’ turnover rate has held steady at 40% since 2014. That’s slightly above the new national average.

Federal 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.

A third infant nearby also contracted botulism last August. Local and state health officials said there is no public health emergency.

With menu items like birria brisket ramen, the Bar-B-Que Bandidas in Lubbock are challenging the norm of Texas barbecue and a male dominated industry.

Years in the making, the transition from a municipal electric company to an open market has left some residents unsure.

The Texas attorney general has sued five other cities that have passed similar policies decriminalizing marijuana.

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.

Police say officers investigating a domestic disturbance fatally shot a man who they say ran at them with knives in West Texas.

California basketball coach Mark Madsen says Fardaws Aimaq was called “a terrorist” by a heckling fan after a game against UTEP this week in the SoCal Challenge.

Voters 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.

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.

Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous.

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.

A Texas county near New Mexico has banned helping people traveling to get an abortion.

Lubbock is now the fourth, and largest, county to pass the ordinance which would punish people through civil lawsuits for aiding pregnant women seeking abortions outside of Texas.

Only one Texan, Rep. Pete Sessions, remains in the race for House Speaker. Republicans will hear from the candidates Monday night as they try to fill the job following U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan’s failure to win a majority.

Like many regions in Texas, the county jails and hospitals have been at capacity with people needing mental health help. Local leaders hope a new 200-bed facility will alleviate pressure.

Home 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.

Cochran County commissioners meet Thursday to discuss the ban. Abortion-rights supporters say the bans are unenforceable and meant to stoke fear.

Malik Dunlap returned the first of his two interceptions for a touchdown, Tahj Brooks set a career high with 158 yards rushing and Texas Tech got its first win of the season, 41-3 win over lower-division Tarleton State.

Syphilis rates in Texas continue to climb, alarming healthcare workers who see the highest increases among pregnant people and newborns. A shortage of treatment is complicating efforts to combat it.

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.

The 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.

West Texas residents are organizing over their love — or concern — for books. Meanwhile, from Lubbock to Midland and Odessa, librarians are trying to reaffirm libraries’ role as community hubs.

A 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.

A new federal complaint comes as the city updates its zoning laws for the first time since the 1970s.

One year after a devastating drought, Texas agriculture watchers are wary that the positive effects of a wet spring could be zapped up with extreme heat.

In the conservative High Plains city, LGBTQ leaders and activists say they feel unseen and unsupported by their elected officials.

The city of about 800 also suffered extensive property damage and power outages. Crews were still assessing the full scope of destruction Thursday, and Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration.

The Ogallala Aquifer serves farming communities in multiple states. When it runs dry, the agriculture industry in Texas and the nation is in jeopardy.

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.

Three men listed on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted are now back in custody.

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found that a corporate-owned Whataburger illegally fired a nursing mother after she left the restaurant to express breast milk.

The 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.

There are more than 60 open federal civil rights investigations into Texas schools.

Water 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.

Nearly 18,000 cattle were killed in a barn explosion at the South Fork Dairy in Dimmitt, Texas near Lubbock Monday, KFDA-TV reported.

Hello and welcome back to the wild weather blog!

Bigger cities like Lubbock can unintentionally suck health care resources and professionals from smaller towns, creating what one local expert calls the “doughnut effect.”

Texas Tech has named second-year assistant Corey Williams as its interim coach for Big 12 tournament as the school continues its investigation of suspended coach Mark Adams.

The head coach is also being investigated for allegedly spitting on a player during a game earlier in the season.

Texas Tech has suspended coach Mark Adams over “an inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment” he made to a player.

De’vion Harmon scored 25 points and Kevin Obanor added 19 as Texas Tech defeated its second ranked opponent in three days, upending No. 6 Texas 74-67.

They talked about their campaigns and journey to the Legislature, what has stood out to them so far about working in the House and what they hope to accomplish this session.

Students reported enduring racial slurs, the sounds of whips cracking and monkey noises as they walked down school hallways.

School 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.

Pop Isaacs scored 24 points, shooting 5 for 6 from 3-point range, and Kevin Obanor scored 20 and Texas Tech managed to overcome Nicholls late for a 78-71 win.

Those leaving are frustrated that the church has taken positions they feel are too liberal.

A dearth of nurses is leaving Texas seniors — especially in rural areas — without care.

Downtowns are deserted, hospitals are closing, teachers are leaving. Every part of life in rural Texas is harder — but it’s worth saving.