The Ledger is Lubbock Lights’ daily digest of the news that matters to Lubbock and the South Plains — our reporting first, then short summaries of stories reported by other newsrooms, each linked to its source. How we build it →
Daily Ledger
Daily digest straight from the source
Friday, November 6, 2026
Today’s lead
Tepper on Lubbock's place in a Democratic House: Burrows keeping the gavel is 'doubtful,' but 'never count Dustin out'
State Rep. Carl Tepper told Lubbock Lights in an interview published Thursday, Nov. 5, that Speaker Dustin Burrows keeping the gavel under the new 83-67 Democratic House majority is doubtful, then added, "Never count Dustin out." Tepper, Burrows and state Sen. Charles Perry all won reelection as Democrats took the House and Republicans kept the Senate.
Tepper expects his committee assignments to change whoever is speaker, since the speaker names committees and refers bills. He praised Houston Democrat Senfronia Thompson, who is seeking the gavel, but said he is endorsing no one. He pointed to roads and water as common ground with Democrats and said Rep.-elect Tom Sell's ties to both parties could help West Texas.
Sources Lubbock Lights
More Local
Planning and Zoning Commission votes against rezoning for an asphalt plant across from an East Lubbock neighborhood
Lubbock's Planning and Zoning Commission voted Thursday evening, Nov. 5, against recommending a zoning change from residential to light industrial that would let an asphalt plant locate across the street from the Parkway Cherry Point neighborhood in East Lubbock, KCBD reported. Residents told the commission the plant would threaten air quality and health and would continue a century-long pattern of placing industry beside homes in North and East Lubbock.
Representatives for the plant said it meets city standards, would maintain the nearby road and would be a good neighbor. The case goes to the Lubbock City Council next month with the commission's recommendation against the change, and residents said they hope the council reaches the same result.
Sources KCBD
Texas Tech Health Sciences Center pilot puts hospital physicians on video with rural EMS crews at the scene
A Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center pilot program, Next Generation 9-1-1, gives rural EMS crews a suitcase kit with secure video, EKG monitors, ultrasound and a priority hotspot so hospital physicians can guide care before patients reach a hospital, KCBD reported Thursday, Nov. 5. The program, run with the Commission on State Emergency Communications, has grown from five to eight rural EMS agencies.
In a recent wind-turbine injury drill, crews connected live with physicians at W.J. Mangold Memorial Hospital in Lockney. "Having that ability to reach out to a physician and have them on camera" can speed care, said Katrina Gooch, director of Floydada EMS.
Sources KCBD
Amarillo ISD advisory committee weighs paths to close or consolidate campuses as enrollment keeps falling
Amarillo ISD's Community Advisory Committee heard three possible paths Tuesday evening, Nov. 3, for dealing with declining enrollment, the Amarillo Tribune reported Thursday. District elementary schools use about 70% of their seats on average, a figure that could fall to 61% in five years. The committee must choose a path by Nov. 17 and present guidance to trustees in December.
Consultant Bob Templeton of STRIVE Public Policy Resources said 35 of the district's 50 campuses were built before 1960. His Path A, the cheapest and requiring no construction, could start in the 2027-28 school year: it would retire three elementary campuses and move sixth graders into their middle schools, affecting Carver, Allen, Travis, Landergin and Bowie campuses.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLPRanching Heritage Center plans a Red Steagall Institute and seeks donations to break ground next summer
The National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech is planning the Red Steagall Institute to honor the cowboy poet and country singer and is seeking donations to break ground next summer, executive director Jim Bret Campbell told KCBD in a report Thursday, Nov. 5. Steagall grew up in the Panhandle, worked the rodeo circuit in the 1970s and later hosted the radio show "Cowboy Corner" and a television show.
The institute would teach Western crafts hands-on, including painting, sculpture, bit and spur making, boot and leather work, and songwriting. Plans include a chuck wagon cooking area, a full boot and saddle shop and a recording studio.
Sources KCBD
UMC Health System earns the American Medical Association's Joy in Medicine recognition for reducing physician burnout
UMC Health System announced Thursday, Nov. 5, that the American Medical Association has recognized it as a Joy in Medicine organization, an honor for health systems that use proven methods to reduce physician burnout and improve doctors' professional satisfaction. The AMA has recognized more than 250 U.S. organizations since the program began in 2019.
"At UMC Health System, physician well-being is a strategic priority," said Dr. Mike Ragain, UMC's chief medical officer. AMA President Dr. Willie Underwood III said studies show that when physicians are supported, patients get safer, higher-quality care and a better overall experience.
Sources EverythingLubbock · KCBD
No. 19 Texas Tech beats Bethune-Cookman 76-58 behind 25 points from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 25 points and Josiah Moseley added 12 points and nine rebounds as No. 19 Texas Tech beat Bethune-Cookman 76-58 on Thursday, Nov. 5, at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders, now 2-0, forced 18 turnovers and have won 48 straight non-conference home games, 25-0 under coach Grant McCasland.
"We didn't play well over the course of 40 minutes," McCasland said, though he praised the early defense. Gibbs-Lawhorn shot 7 of 14 with three 3-pointers after scoring five in the opener. Tech hosts No. 3 Illinois, a Final Four team last season, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Sources Texas Tech Athletics · KCBD
Lady Raiders open the season with a 64-37 rout of Charlotte as Destinee Hooks scores 16
Texas Tech's Lady Raiders opened the 2026-27 season Thursday evening, Nov. 5, with a 64-37 win over Charlotte at United Supermarkets Arena, keeping coach Krista Gerlich perfect in season openers. Destinee Hooks led with 16 points and seven rebounds, and Tech forced 20 turnovers while holding the 49ers to 25.5% shooting.
Center Stephanie Okechukwu had 10 rebounds and three blocks in her college debut, and Tech outrebounded Charlotte 44-36. The Lady Raiders led 22-9 after one quarter and held Charlotte scoreless over the final eight minutes of the first half to lead 32-11 at the break.
Sources Texas Tech Athletics · KCBD
Texas Tech sells out Saturday's game against West Virginia, its 13th straight home sellout
No. 13 Texas Tech has sold out its primary ticket inventory for Saturday's 8:30 p.m. game against West Virginia at Galaxy Stadium, the athletics department announced, KCBD reported Thursday, Nov. 5. It is the sixth advance sellout of 2026 and the 13th straight home sellout dating to the start of the 2025 season. The game airs on ESPN.
Fans are steered to SeatGeek, the official secondary ticket seller, and ticket holders who cannot attend are asked to use the Every Seat Counts program. Tickets remain for the Nov. 26 regular-season finale against TCU through TexasTech.com or the athletics ticket office at 806-742-TECH.
Sources KCBD
Levelland beats Estacado 59-48 in the last Thursday Night Throwdown, and Lubbock-Cooper's season ends at Palo Duro
The Levelland Lobos (7-3, 3-1) beat the Estacado Matadors (8-2, 2-2) 59-48 on Thursday, Nov. 5, at PlainsCapital Park in the 2026 finale of KCBD's Thursday Night Throwdown, a matchup of former Texas Tech receivers turned coaches, Estacado's Eric Ward and Levelland's Lyle Leong. If Graham beats Iowa Park, Estacado meets Graham in the first round, and Levelland would open against the Mineral Wells-Brock winner.
In Amarillo the same night, Palo Duro beat Lubbock-Cooper 49-13 at Dick Bivins Stadium. The Pirates scored on a Jayden Ramirez pass to Noah Clark in the second quarter and finished 1-9, 1-5 in district.
D. Williams & Co., Inc.Former Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is the Miami Dolphins' nominee for the NFL's Salute to Service Award
The Miami Dolphins have named former Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez their nominee for the NFL's Salute to Service Award, EverythingLubbock reported Thursday, Nov. 5. The team said Rodriguez "has demonstrated a personal commitment to supporting service members, veterans and their families, inspired by his family's military connections."
The award is part of the league's effort to honor and support U.S. service members, veterans and their families, which has raised more than $80 million since 2011. Fans can vote for Rodriguez through a link on the NFL's site.
Sources EverythingLubbock
State
Eddie Morales enters the race for Texas House speaker as Senfronia Thompson's camp claims up to 65 votes to replace Burrows
State Rep. Eddie Morales Jr., D-Eagle Pass, announced Thursday, Nov. 5, that he will run for speaker of the Texas House, challenging state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, for the gavel Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, is expected to lose under the new Democratic majority. The Texas Tribune reported someone from Thompson's camp touted as many as 65 supporters, including at least five Republicans; 76 votes win.
Thompson released statements from eight more House colleagues Thursday, bringing her public backers to 20, Nexstar reported, and El Paso Democrat Joe Moody endorsed her Thursday evening. Two GOP staffers told the Tribune some House Republicans discussed backing a Democrat to build a power-sharing coalition. The session opens Jan. 12.
Sources The Texas Tribune · EverythingLubbock
Gov.-elect Hinojosa names a transition team that includes a conservative Republican and pledges a bipartisan administration
Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa named her transition team Thursday, Nov. 5, at her first public appearance since defeating Gov. Greg Abbott, promising "a bipartisan transition" and "a bipartisan administration." Joe Madden, former chief of staff to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, is executive director; former Austin ISD trustee Tamala Barksdale is senior adviser.
Also named were Ryan Pollock of the Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council and former state Rep. Ernest Bailes, R-Shepard, who called himself a "conservative Republican." Abbott backed Bailes' 2024 primary defeat after he opposed private school vouchers. Hinojosa said more appointments are coming and urged leaders of both parties not to obstruct the transition.
Sources The Texan · The Texas Tribune · EverythingLubbock
Comptroller-elect Eckhardt says the state revenue estimate is behind schedule, and Huffines' office says she is 'misinformed'
Comptroller-elect Sarah Eckhardt said at a news conference Wednesday, Nov. 4, that the biennial revenue estimate lawmakers use to write the state budget is behind schedule, and that she will ask Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint her before January, Nexstar reported Thursday. She cited a federal data delay and deep staff cuts at the agency under Comptroller Don Huffines.
Jeff Norwood, an associate deputy comptroller, said Eckhardt is "unfortunately misinformed," that staff are ahead of schedule and that Huffines will publish the estimate in December to give legislators more time. Abbott's office did not respond on an early appointment, and it is unclear whether Huffines would step down.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Democrats sweep all three seats on the new 15th Court of Appeals, ousting Abbott's appointees
Democrats won all three seats in the first election for the 15th Court of Appeals, the statewide court created in 2023 that hears civil cases involving state government and appeals from the Business Court, The Texan reported Thursday, Nov. 5. Unofficial results show Jerry Zimmerer beat Chief Justice Scott Brister, Tom Baker beat Justice Scott K. Field and Marc M. Meyer beat Justice April Farris, each about 52% to 48%.
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed all three incumbents in 2024. Field conceded shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, saying he wished the new justices well. The court is set to hear oral arguments Dec. 8 in a hemp industry challenge to state THC rules.
Sources The Texan
Hemp-friendly Democrats won, but THC rules stay tangled in court as Perry vows another ban and a federal limit nears
Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin, who unseated Dan Patrick partly over his push to ban hemp-derived THC, says she will direct the Department of State Health Services to roll back its rules, but the industry faces no quick fix, the Texas Tribune and KCBD reported Thursday, Nov. 5. A challenge to the rules is before the 15th Court of Appeals, with arguments set Dec. 8.
Lubbock state Sen. Charles Perry, who led the Senate's ban effort, plans to try again next session, KCBD reported, saying "states that regulate gain nothing." Starting Dec. 11, a federal limit bans products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, and THCA flower fails the new federal test, the Tribune reported.
Sources The Texas Tribune · KCBD
Action PrintingU.S. & World
October jobs report due Friday is expected to show a modest hiring rebound and 4.2% unemployment
The Labor Department releases October job figures Friday, Nov. 6, and forecasters surveyed by FactSet expect 65,000 jobs added and unemployment steady at 4.2%, a rebound from a weak September, the Associated Press reported. Layoffs are low, but hiring has been modest and wage gains have not kept up with persistent inflation.
The report comes three days after voters, frustrated over the cost of living, handed Democrats control of Congress. The economy grew at a 3.4% annual pace from July through September despite tariffs and the Iran war, which has pushed U.S. gasoline above $4 a gallon.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
AI stock selloff spreads overseas Friday as Tokyo's Nikkei and South Korea's Kospi each fall 6%
Global stocks fell Friday, Nov. 6, after Thursday's selloff of artificial-intelligence shares on Wall Street, the Associated Press reported. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dropped 6% to 57,434.77, its first close below 60,000 in nearly six months, and South Korea's Kospi fell 6% as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plunged.
In early European trading, Germany's DAX lost 1.5%, Britain's FTSE 100 1.4% and France's CAC 40 1.1%. U.S. futures were mixed, with Dow futures down 0.8% and S&P 500 futures up nearly 0.3%. Critics say AI stock prices had climbed into a bubble.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Data centers took a beating in the midterms, and winning Democrats, including Texas' new agriculture commissioner, promise tougher rules
Democrats who won Tuesday, including new governors in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa, campaigned against data centers' strain on power bills and water, and tougher state rules are expected even if President Donald Trump blocks federal action, the Associated Press reported Thursday, Nov. 5. Campaigns spent more than $380 million on TV ads mentioning data centers.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner-elect Clayton Tucker, the first Democrat to win the office since 1986, said ranchers everywhere feared data centers would drain their water. "Whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting," he said. A tracking group found 32 of 34 winning governors support stronger regulation and 12 back bans or moratoriums.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Federal judge blocks construction of Trump's triumphal arch for 14 days, hours after a planning panel approved it
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day temporary restraining order late Thursday, Nov. 5, halting construction of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot arch near Memorial Bridge in Washington, hours after the National Capital Planning Commission approved it 8-4. Chutkan acted on suits by the District of Columbia and Virginia, consolidated with one from Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian.
The commission voted after a 9 1/2-hour hearing in which scores of witnesses opposed the project, modeled on Paris' Arc de Triomphe. Its Trump-appointed chairman, Mark Paoletta, said great cities around the world have arches.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Court papers show the Trump administration kept talking with Iran about deporting Iranians after the war began
Court documents unsealed Thursday, Nov. 5, show President Donald Trump's administration held talks with Iran about deporting Iranians even as the war continued and said as recently as mid-October it planned to deport them through an unnamed third country, the Associated Press reported. The judge ordered 24 hours' notice of any finalized plan and five days' written notice before any deportation.
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which brought the suit, said at least a dozen Iranians held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement were told this past week they were being deported to Iran, some as soon as Sunday.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Harmeet Dhillon resigns as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general who remade the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under President Donald Trump, announced Thursday, Nov. 5, that she has resigned, the Associated Press reported. "We ushered in the downfall of illegal DEI, we fought to protect women and girls' sports, and so much more," she said in a social media post.
Dhillon told Fox News Digital she decided to leave weeks ago but was asked by the White House to stay until after the elections, and that she plans to return to the private sector. Her tenure saw mass departures of career lawyers and sweeping investigations of elite universities.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Duffy Law Firm, PCJustice Department sues Penn State over in-state tuition for students in the country illegally
The Justice Department sued Pennsylvania State University on Thursday, Nov. 5, to stop it from offering in-state tuition to students in the country illegally, arguing the policy discriminates against U.S. citizens from other states who do not get the same rate. "This university has ignored that mandate," said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Civil Division.
Two dozen states once offered such tuition breaks, but the policies ended in states including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Florida after the administration began suing last year, the Associated Press reported. A Penn State spokesperson said the university, with 86,000 students, is reviewing the complaint.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
An infant's death is Wisconsin's first from measles since 1990 as the state passes 431 cases
An infant in southwestern Wisconsin has died of measles, the state's first death from the disease in 36 years, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Thursday, Nov. 5. The coroner listed measles as the cause, and officials withheld other details to protect the family. "My heart is broken for the family," said Kirsten Johnson, the state health secretary.
Wisconsin has reported 431 cases in 13 counties this year, all but three in unvaccinated people, with nine hospitalizations. The CDC has confirmed four measles deaths nationally this year, though state health departments report more, including five in Pennsylvania, the Associated Press reported.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Lakewood, Colorado, officer killed and three wounded when a man opens fire as police approach him at a bus stop
A Lakewood, Colorado, police officer was killed and three others were wounded Thursday evening, Nov. 5, when a man opened fire as officers approached him near Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard outside Denver, police said. "Within seconds of agents approaching the suspect, the suspect opened fire," said Lakewood police spokesman John Romero.
Officers had responded around 6:30 p.m. to a report of a suspicious person who was trying to board a Regional Transportation District bus; KDVR reported he was a hit-and-run suspect. Police shot and killed him. A civilian was also hurt, and the officers' conditions were not released.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock
Brooklyn row house fire kills six and injures nine, including firefighters and police officers
A fire tore through a two-story multifamily row house in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood early Thursday, Nov. 5, killing six people and injuring nine, including firefighters and police officers, the New York Fire Department said, the Associated Press reported. Kevin Woods, the department's chief of fire operations, said crews found "fire on every floor."
More than 200 first responders fought the blaze for about three hours, rescuing four people through a rear entrance where residents were trapped behind window bars. A staircase partially collapsed, and the fire spread to one adjoining house. Fire marshals are investigating the cause.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Democratic socialist Nithya Raman ousts Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Mayor Karen Bass in Tuesday's election, the Associated Press reported Thursday, Nov. 5, an upset in the nation's second-largest city. Raman takes office next month.
She joins a wave of democratic socialist mayors, including New York's Zohran Mamdani, Seattle's Katie Wilson and Janeese Lewis George, elected Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Asked about them, President Donald Trump said "we'll see what happens" but warned the changes they make might be irreversible.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Florida and Alabama complete a rare triple-execution day, and Florida ties its record of 19 in a year
Florida executed Jesse Guardado, 64, and Alabama executed Michael Taylor, 54, on Thursday evening, Nov. 5, after Indiana put Jeffrey Weisheit to death early that morning, the second U.S. day with three executions since August, the Associated Press and Fox News reported. Florida's 19th execution of 2026 ties its own record, with two more planned this year.
Guardado pleaded guilty to stabbing 75-year-old Jackie Malone in Walton County in 2004 and apologized before he died. Taylor was 19 when he beat Ivan and Lucille Moore to death with a metal bar in Gadsden in 1991. "California may let their criminals escape justice, but not Alabama," Gov. Kay Ivey said.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP) · PBS NewsHour
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