Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world’s shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.

The facility will bring mental health resources closer to the largely rural region that’s home to nearly 436,000 people.

A package of bills aims to better prepare the state to prevent and fight wildfires.

Supply chain disruptions and policy decisions can significantly change these costs for oil companies — and consumers.

In the year following the largest wildfire to every burn in Texas history, Texans across the state have learned many lessons.

As a storm system takes shape, dangerously high winds have caused a dust storm and reduced visibilities in the Texas Panhandle.

Among the proposals is a bill that would force more inspections of power lines, which a committee concluded ignited a blaze that burned more than 1 million acres last year.

The Panhandle town of Canadian is determined to move beyond the deadly fire. And yet, they are reminded almost daily another catastrophe is possible.

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

Thursday evening, Houston Fire Department wildland firefighters who are deployed in Southern California held a brief online call to discuss their experiences fighting the fires in the area. HFD Senior Capt. A.J. Castillo was joined by engineer operators Jonathan Williams, Chris Mixon and Travis Hobbs.

Several prominent Amarillo business people donated to support the so-called travel ban. Meanwhile, statewide progressive groups helped the opposition.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Clarendon is one of the first cities in Texas to reject the ordinance, after several cities and counties passed similar measures

The Republican senator and congressman introduced a bill that would expand a federal aid program to pay ranchers when pregnant cattle are killed in disasters.

A lack of air support and ineffective coordination hurt efforts to contain this year's Panhandle fires, the committee said.

Local officials said the public was not put in any danger and the attempts were reported to federal authorities.

In testimony to state lawmakers, Dale Jenkins and his Panhandle peers shared the “hidden cost” of the wildfires.

Thursday’s hearing marked the end of the Legislature’s three-day marathon of public hearings.

The Texas A&M Forest Service concluded that a fallen decayed utility pole caused the Smokehouse Creek fire.

A special legislative committee is investigating what caused the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in state history.

SE Texas is on the edge of a severe weather threat today

Texas A&M Forest Service is on alert as weather conditions could produce large wildfires as critical weather conditions threaten the Panhandle and Southwest Texas.

A series of deadly wildfires have burned for nearly three weeks, destroying farms and ranches in several counties.

The panel of three lawmakers and two residents will also look at disaster preparedness.

As crews fight to keep deadly blazes under control, weather conditions could increase risk of more fires.

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

Ranchers have likely lost thousands of cattle in the wildfires, according to some preliminary estimates.

Authorities say a Texas fire chief whose small town was among the hardest hit last week by historic blazes sweeping across the Panhandle died Tuesday while fighting a structure fire.

Rural Texans are more than twice as likely to go without homeowners insurance than their urban peers.

The full scope of damage still isn’t known, but some Panhandle residents have returned home. Firefighters continue battling the infernos.

Texas wildfires have consumed acres of agricultural land, killing thousands of livestock, destroying crops and exacerbating challenges lingering from last year’s drought.

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

The fires have left at least two people dead and four injured firefighters. Cattle have been lost and homes and businesses decimated in their wake.

Flames continue to burn through the Texas Panhandle. The Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned over a million acres, the largest recorded fire in Texas history.

The panhandle is still burning Wednesday as the state deals with the second largest wildfire in Texas history.

"Please spare a prayer for their safety and safe return home to Houston"

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.

More than 100 people were injured in the tornado that hit the Panhandle town. Gov. Greg Abbott sent emergency crews to assist with recovery efforts.

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.

Investigators say the fire was an accident and started with an engine fire in a manure vacuum truck.

Flood threat is low, don't let your guard down

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

Ongoing La Niña conditions have brought warm, dry weather and deepened drought conditions across the state.

HOUSTON – Texas is once again, being called a coronavirus hot spot. “It’s constantly surprising us this is a virus that’s defined expectations,” Dr. Bell King, an epidemiologist at The University of Houston College of Medicine said. Houston is growing when you look at new cases, hospitalizations are growing, but they’re growing slowly,” said Dr. James McDeavitt with the Baylor College of Medicine. NBC News and the Associated Press say Texas is the first state to have more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the death toll is close to 20,0000. It’s upsetting,” said Dr. Bell King, an Epidemiologist at the University of Houston College of Medicine.

EL PASO, Texas – El Paso County officials ordered a two-week shutdown of non-essential activities Thursday after the area's medical resources were overwhelmed by the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Grocery and drug stores, funeral homes, health care services and government activities were among the activities deemed essential. Yet each day for the past week, more than 1,000 new cases were confirmed in the westernmost Texas county. America’s largest state prison system reported more 332 active COVID-19 cases and 8 units in precautionary lockdown across Texas, including one in El Paso as of Wednesday. The 119 newly reported COVID-19 fatalities raised the Texas death toll to 17,819 since the pandemic first struck at the start of March.

Hurricane Sally is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast sometime through the night and morning. – Hurricane Sally, a plodding but powerful storm with winds of 100 mph, crept toward the northern Gulf Coast early Tuesday, with forecasters warning of potentially deadly storm surges, flash floods spurred by up to 2 feet (.61 meters) of rain and the possibility of tornadoes. Claunch marveled at how the Gulf waters had already crept over swaths of sandy shore and infiltrated bike paths and parking lots. Sally achieved hurricane strength Monday and quickly intensified to a Category 2 storm with 100 mph (161 kph) winds. Forecasters expect winds to increase to up to 110 mph (177 kph) over the warm Gulf waters before the storm blows ashore.