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
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
The lead · Sep 23
Storms and a flash-flood threat return to the South Plains through Friday
Scattered thunderstorms capable of flooding downpours, gusty winds and hail returned to the South Plains on Tuesday, September 22, and stay in the forecast through Friday, KCBD meteorologist Steve Divine said. Some storms could drop about three inches of rain, and the flooding risk runs higher to the west, where nearly all of New Mexico is under a Flash Flood Watch through at least Thursday morning.
Highs hold near average through Friday before warming over the weekend. The National Weather Service will issue local flash flood and flood warnings for specific areas as storms develop. Gov. Greg Abbott moved state rescue boats and helicopters into position for the South Plains and Panhandle on Monday.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
More Local
Council votes 5-2 to start a 90-day moratorium on large data centers
The Lubbock City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday, September 22, for a resolution beginning a 90-day moratorium on large-scale data centers, brought by Councilwoman Christy Martinez-Garcia and Councilman Gordon Harris. It also orders independent analysis and city guidelines on water use, power reliability, zoning, noise and lighting, and still needs two public hearings and another vote.
Councilmen Tim Collins and Tim Green voted no. “We don’t have the information today that I think we have in June,” Collins said, noting the tool can be used only once, for up to 180 days. A Save Lubbock petition for an 18-month moratorium never reached a vote; organizer Stephen Sanders said the group will drop its ballot push.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Texas Tech breaks into the top 100 public universities in the new U.S. News rankings
Texas Tech moved to No. 96 among public universities in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings released Tuesday, September 22 — up 13 spots and its highest placement since 2017. Overall it ranked No. 186, a gain of 12. Texas Tech also placed No. 120 for Best Value, up 12, No. 128 in Best for Veterans, up 17, and No. 63 in a new Best Value for In-State Students category.
Forbes separately put the university at No. 149 nationally and fourth in Texas for 2026-27. President Lawrence Schovanec called moving into the top 100 among publics “an encouraging reflection of the progress” the school continues to make.
Sources KCBD
A Lubbock woman pleaded guilty to 11 federal counts of animal crushing
A Lubbock woman pleaded guilty on Friday, September 18, to 11 federal counts of animal crushing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, in a case made public Tuesday, September 22. Federal law defines animal crushing as cruelty in which an animal “is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”
A federal grand jury returned the charges after an investigation by Lubbock Animal Services, the Lubbock Police Department and the FBI. Each count carries up to seven years in prison and a $250,000 fine — as much as 77 years and $2.75 million across all 11. No sentencing date has been set.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Action PrintingA grand jury indicted a man on murder in the July killing of a registered sex offender
A Lubbock County grand jury indicted a 25-year-old man on a murder charge, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday, September 22, in the shooting death of Richard Paul, 61. Officers found Paul with a single gunshot wound in the 5000 block of 38th Street about 11:08 p.m. on July 15 and pronounced him dead there.
Court documents say a witness told detectives the man said his purpose in Lubbock was to “kill a child molester that lived in the neighborhood,” and that he left on a scooter and later tried to repaint and sell it. Public records show Paul was convicted of sexual assault in 1995 and aggravated sexual assault in 1998. He remains jailed in Lubbock County.
Sources EverythingLubbock
A Floydada man was indicted on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child
A grand jury indicted Noel Jesus Aguilar, who was 20 when he was arrested in Floydada in May 2025, on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child, EverythingLubbock reported Wednesday, September 23.
Aguilar was originally arrested on charges of sexual assault of a child and online solicitation of a minor; earlier coverage described investigators finding he had solicited a 13-year-old girl and offered to take her across state lines. Continuous sexual abuse of a child is a first-degree felony in Texas, carrying 25 years to life in prison. No trial date has been announced.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Trial opens in the Baylor County crash that killed two Lubbock residents
Trial began Tuesday afternoon, September 22, in Baylor County for a 31-year-old Seymour man charged with two counts of manslaughter in a head-on crash, EverythingLubbock reported. The Texas Department of Public Safety said his pickup crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. Highway 82 about four to five miles west of Seymour in December 2023 and struck a Toyota Prius head-on.
The Prius driver, Anthony Rodriguez, 34, and his passenger, Kimberly Perez, 31, both of Lubbock, were pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup driver was treated for non-incapacitating injuries, arrested in Wichita County on July 23, 2025, and indicted by a Baylor County grand jury the same day.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Amarillo's council accepted the city manager's resignation on a 4-1 vote
The Amarillo City Council voted 4-1 on Tuesday evening, September 22, to accept City Manager Grayson Path’s resignation, the Amarillo Tribune reported. Place Four Councilmember Les Simpson cast the only vote against.
Andrew Freeman will serve as acting city manager while the city searches for an interim. Mayor Cole Stanley had said on September 17 that he could say little publicly about the expected departure, and the city has not stated what prompted it.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
A Matador couple is opening a grocery store 82 miles from the nearest one
Chris and Vanessa Paul plan to open Paul’s Neighborhood Market in Matador on Thursday, October 1, ending a stretch in which Motley County residents drove 82 miles to Lubbock for groceries after the town’s Lowe’s closed, KCBD reported Tuesday, September 22.
The store will stock fresh produce, dairy, eggs and bread and run a deli with sandwiches and salads. Neighbors pitched in on the renovation, handling electrical work, signage and window displays. “It’s a necessity. We need it. Without a grocery store, you know, who stays?” Vanessa Paul said.
Sources KCBD
A Lubbock patient is among the first in Texas treated for liver cancer without surgery
University Medical Center has begun using histotripsy on liver tumors, and a Lubbock patient is among the first in Texas to receive it, KCBD reported Tuesday, September 22. The Edison System focuses high-frequency ultrasound to destroy cancer cells with no incision, needle or radiation; the FDA approved the device in 2023.
“Patients can go home the same day. Usually, there’s very little in the way of side effects, and patients typically do very well with it,” said surgical oncologist Dr. Tyler Mouw, who performs the procedure along with Dr. Edwin Onkendi. The patient said recovery took about a day.
Sources KCBD
Duffy Law Firm, PCMore than 80 teams are competing in the Lubbock Chamber's Hub City BBQ
More than 80 teams fired up smokers for the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce’s Hub City BBQ, the member cook-off that opened Tuesday, September 22, with the Ribs and Raiders dinner at Cook’s Garage, KCBD reported.
Eleven pitmasters cooked that night alongside live music and a charity auction. Teams compete in five barbecue categories. Proceeds go to High Point Village, which the Chamber describes as “a local community dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with special needs.”
Sources KCBD
A Lubbock folclórico company teaches Mexican regional dance, one state at a time
Gema Folclórico is performing and teaching traditional Mexican regional dance in Lubbock, KCBD reported Tuesday, September 22, during Hispanic Heritage Month. “It’s just traditional dances from Mexico. Everything that you see on stage, that’s how they used to dance at one point or another in Mexico,” co-director Alex Barron said.
“The Mexican culture is very loud, very lively. It’s a beautiful art form. I like how diverse it is. And there’s a different style of dance for each state.” Dancer Arika Cordova said the dress identifies the region: “This one is Sinaloa, so it’s beautiful, dramatic turns, but every region is different.”
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
State
A federal judge ordered Texas to air-condition every state prison by the end of 2029
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Tuesday, September 22, to install air conditioning in all of its prisons by December 31, 2029. As of September 1, just over a third of the agency’s 104 units were fully air conditioned, with 53,676 cool beds; TDCJ expects roughly 90,000 by early 2028.
The agency has put the full cost near $1.5 billion and asked lawmakers for $289 million for installation. “In the face of clear evidence of risk — including ongoing injuries, deaths, and suffering every summer — Director Lumpkin’s failure to enact a meaningful, committed plan is deliberate indifference,” Pitman wrote.
Sources KCBD
A Senate GOP super PAC is pushing its spending for Ken Paxton to $100 million as polls tighten
The Senate Leadership Fund, aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has committed $100 million in support of Republican Ken Paxton — nearly $70 million already spent, another $30 million pledged — while overall Republican outside spending tops $140 million, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, September 22.
Despite the spending advantage, a RealClearPolitics average of polls taken August 24 through September 14 shows Democrat James Talarico leading 47.9% to 45.0%, CBS Texas reported Wednesday. Talarico has drawn far less outside money: $3 million from Lone Star Rising PAC in September, with nothing committed from national Senate Democratic committees. Voter registration closes October 5; early voting begins October 19.
Sources The Texas Tribune · CBS Texas
A federal judge blocked deportation of the Venezuelan man shot by an Austin ICE officer
A federal judge blocked deportation of the Venezuelan man shot by an ICE officer in Austin on Sunday, scheduling a hearing for September 30, CBS Texas reported Wednesday, September 23. After hospitalization, he was transferred to ICE custody; his attorney says he has lack of sensation on one side of his body, is receiving only pain relievers while isolated, and has a bullet still lodged inside him.
A habeas petition was filed challenging his detention. Austin police released body cam footage from responding officers, though it does not show the shooting. The ICE officer was not wearing a body camera; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had said agents would have coverage by the end of September.
Sources CBS Texas
Texas' maternal death report missed its September date and is now due December 1
The 2026 joint report from the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and the Department of State Health Services did not appear on its usual September 1 date, the Amarillo Tribune reported Tuesday, September 22. A DSHS spokesperson said House Bill 4666 from the 89th session moved the deadline to December 1, and that the acting commissioner asked the committee to strengthen its treatment of preventability and its links between data, findings and recommendations.
The committee meets in executive session Friday, September 25. It chose to review 2021 and 2024 cases rather than the years right after the 2022 abortion ban. Texas’ 2024 maternal mortality ratio was 20.5 per 100,000 live births; nationally it was 17.9.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Advanced GraphixAngela Paxton tells Republican women to back the seat, not the candidate
State Sen. Angela Paxton told more than 100 Texas Federation of Republican Women board members on Friday, September 18, in Round Rock to vote the party line, never naming her estranged husband, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, September 22. “It’s not the people — it’s the seat,” she said at the ticketed event, titled “The Elephant in the Room.”
“I guarantee you, when a Republican breaks ranks, there are repercussions to that.” She filed for divorce on adultery grounds in 2025, three months after he launched his primary challenge. He won that primary by 28 points and now faces Democrat James Talarico in a close general election.
Sources The Texas Tribune
U.S. & World
Trump gives Iran a choice at the U.N. as American envoys meet Iranian officials
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, September 22, President Donald Trump said of Iran: “I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before... Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly.” He described the government there as weak and desperate rather than strong.
Hours earlier, envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had met Iranian officials for about three hours on the assembly’s sidelines. Trump called that a very good meeting while noting the Iranians sent were not their highest-level officials. Witkoff said mediators shuttled between the teams and that he hoped the effort would prove constructive.
Sources KCBD
Trump demands Senate Republicans end the filibuster; Thune refuses
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, September 22, that “if Senate Republicans don’t TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, the Dumocrats will, and I will be...the last Republican President,” arguing Democrats would then make Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico states and gain four Senate seats and eight House members.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., turned him down: “At some point, Democrats may try and steal the car, but we’re not going to hand them the keys.”
Sources Fox News
Data centers have become a midterm issue, and 70% of Americans don't want one nearby
A Gallup poll taken in May 2026 found 70% of Americans oppose new AI data centers in their communities, and the projects are now shaping Senate races, Fox News Digital reported Tuesday, September 22. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, said the companies “haven’t done a very good job of explaining why they should be allowed to develop in communities” but that siting should be decided locally rather than federally.
Michigan candidate and former Rep. Mike Rogers backs a moratorium until voters’ questions are answered. Electricity costs and water use drive the opposition. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the government closest to residents makes the soundest decisions. Republicans are campaigning against federal regulation of the projects.
Sources Fox News
Frozen fettuccine sold at Walmart nationwide is recalled over listeria
Gias Foods, Inc. recalled 22-ounce packages of Bettergoods Authentic Italian Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine sold at Walmart nationwide over possible listeria contamination, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday, September 23.
The affected packages carry UPC 194346442706 and lot codes L6079C and L6080C, with best-by dates of September 19, 2027, and September 20, 2027. Routine sampling by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services turned up the problem. No illnesses had been reported as of the announcement.
Sources KCBD
Hayden Panettiere’s death is ruled an accidental overdose
The Greenville County, South Carolina, coroner’s office ruled that actress Hayden Panettiere died of an accidental overdose, according to a report the Associated Press obtained and published Tuesday, September 22. Panettiere, who died August 16, had fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, alprazolam, a muscle relaxer and an antidepressant in her system.
Investigators found blue pressed pills and a straw that tested positive for fentanyl in the Greenville apartment where she was found unresponsive, and a white powder in a suitcase. Two doses of Narcan were given before emergency crews arrived and worked for more than 40 minutes. Coroner Mike Ellis’s office released the findings.
Sources KCBD
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLP