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Daily Ledger
Daily digest straight from the source
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
The lead · Oct 13
About 1,000 Lubbock County voter records hit by the state's DPS software failure were still unprocessed Monday, a week before early voting
More than 8,000 Lubbock County voters were affected by the statewide voter-registration software failure, and about 1,000 of those records were still unprocessed as of Monday, Oct. 12, County Elections Administrator Troy Havard told commissioners. Early voting begins Oct. 19.
Commissioners unanimously approved seeking about $8,000 in reimbursement from the Texas Secretary of State, not counting overtime. The Department of Public Safety traced the problem to an October 2025 update by vendor Deloitte that dropped three data fields from files sent to the state; it was fixed Sept. 13. Havard urged residents to check their registration at VoteTexas.gov and to call the county elections office if they cannot find it.
Sources Lubbock Lights
More Local
Severe storms are likely late Tuesday, followed by heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday and the season's first strong cold front
Thunderstorms, some severe, are likely late Tuesday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday night as a strong storm system moves into the South Plains, KCBD forecasts. The Storm Prediction Center has the area under a Slight Risk, with large hail, damaging wind gusts and heavy rain the main threats; an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.
The bigger concern may be rain. Unusually rich moisture for mid-October could bring 2 to 3 inches Wednesday and Thursday, with some spots topping 4 inches and localized flooding possible in poorly drained areas. A strong cold front arrives by Thursday morning, and weekend lows are expected in the 40s, with some northwestern areas dipping into the 30s.
Police are searching for a man wanted in Sunday's east Lubbock shooting that killed Delton Lewis
The Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit asked for the public's help Monday, Oct. 12, in locating a man wanted in connection with the early Sunday shooting near East 26th Street and Ivory Avenue. Police have named the suspect; this publication withholds the names of people who have not been convicted.
The shooting killed Delton Lewis, 28, who was found in his vehicle after officers heard gunshots while answering a shots-fired call at about 2:37 a.m. Yundi Inthisan-Johnson, 18, arrived at University Medical Center with moderate gunshot injuries believed to be connected. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Line at 806-741-1000.
Sources EverythingLubbock · KFYO
Justice of the Peace Susan Rowley says County Judge Curtis Parrish made unwanted sexual advances in 2024; Parrish calls the claims preposterous
Lubbock County Justice of the Peace Susan Rowley said Monday, Oct. 12, that County Judge Curtis Parrish made unwanted sexual advances toward her over about a month in August 2024, KCBD reported. Rowley first made the claims public on the Facebook page Lubbock Lampoon. Parrish called the allegations "preposterous" and said he had no further comment.
Rowley said she had considered Parrish a trusted friend since both took office in January 2019, and that she visited his office for comfort after her brother died. She said she did not report the incidents to human resources, has not gone to police and has not filed a court action.
Action PrintingTexas Tech's Davis College won a $28.9 million USDA grant for a new food safety and food science complex
Texas Tech's Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has received a grant of more than $28 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build a food science, safety and workforce development complex, KCBD reported Monday, Oct. 12. Dean Clint Krehbiel said the project has been in the works for a little more than a year.
The complex will include a food innovation lab, a pilot processing plant for dairy foods and winemaking, a test kitchen, and microbiology and food pathogen labs. It replaces the Davis College Annex and the former Fisheries and Wildlife Research buildings, which will be torn down at the end of October. Groundbreaking is expected in spring 2027.
Lubbock-Cooper, Dawson and Paducah ISDs and Western Texas College won state career-training grants
Four area schools are among 84 recipients of more than $20 million in Jobs and Education for Texans grants, Gov. Greg Abbott announced, KCBD reported Monday, Oct. 12. The Texas Workforce Commission grants buy equipment for career and technical programs in high-demand fields.
Lubbock-Cooper ISD received $200,545 to train 170 students as HVAC mechanics and installers with South Plains College. Paducah ISD received $320,234 to train 35 production supervisors, also with South Plains College. Dawson ISD received $200,207 to train 40 practical and vocational nurses with Navarro College, and Western Texas College received $192,500 to train 30 truck drivers. The commission will release its 2027 application later this fall.
Sources KCBD
Optimum and the Lubbock Chamber will award $5,000 grants to 25 local small businesses
Optimum Business and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Lifting Up Small Business Grants in Lubbock, a program that will award $5,000 grants to 25 local small businesses. Optimum is putting $125,000 into the program, and recipients are expected to be announced this winter.
Amanda Seabaugh, Optimum's vice president and general manager, called small businesses the backbone of a thriving community. Nick Atwood, president and CEO of the Lubbock Chamber, said the grants will let entrepreneurs invest in their businesses and pursue new opportunities. Optimum plans recognition events with local officials and community partners after the winners are named. Application rules and submission details are posted with the announcement.
Patriot Pumps opened a 50,000-square-foot facility in Wolfforth and moved its corporate headquarters there
Patriot Pumps has opened a new 50,000-square-foot facility at 11513 Highway 62/82 in Wolfforth, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday, Oct. 13. The site includes several newly built buildings with overhead cranes and assembly lines designed for fast delivery, plus field support, an onsite parts inventory and service for rental fleets, municipal water utilities, oil and gas operators, agriculture and mining.
Vice President Josh Standridge said the company relocated its corporate headquarters to Wolfforth to put its main hub where its core customers work every day. The company is keeping its Salem, Oregon, facility to serve existing customers in that region.
Sources EverythingLubbock
The Seventh Court of Appeals heard two Lubbock cases at Texas Tech's law school, including the state's appeal in a 2022 killing
The Seventh Court of Appeals, normally based in Amarillo, heard arguments Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, at the Texas Tech University School of Law. Chief Justice Judy Parker and Justices Lawrence Doss and Laura Pratt, all Texas Tech law graduates, heard three cases, two from Lubbock.
In one, the state is challenging a pretrial ruling that threw out evidence in the case of a man accused of killing 21-year-old Cypress Ramos in February 2022 and burning her body in a storage unit on North Frankford Avenue; at issue is whether police improperly gathered DNA. The panel also heard the appeal of Nathan Grassie, sentenced to life for abusing three children, whose lawyers say prosecutors withheld information.
The city moved the Pumpkin Trail opening to Friday because of the storm forecast
The City of Lubbock Parks and Recreation Department will not open its 2026 Pumpkin Trail on Thursday, Oct. 15, because of the forecast, the city announced Monday. Weather permitting, the trail will open Friday, Oct. 16, at 5 p.m. and continue through the weekend as planned.
Carved, painted or decorated pumpkins will still be accepted Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the east side of the Hodges Community Center parking lot, where staff will be on hand to take donations. Questions about the schedule or donations go to Parks and Recreation at 806-775-2687.
Duffy Law Firm, PCFormer Lubbock City Councilman Randy Christian died Sunday at 74
Former Lubbock City Councilman Randy Christian died Sunday, Oct. 11, in hospice care after a lifelong battle with cancers linked to Lynch syndrome, his family said. He was 74. The City of Lubbock confirmed his death in a statement Monday.
Christian represented District 5 from 2018 to 2022, after running unopposed, and lost the seat in 2022 to Dr. Jennifer Wilson. On the council he focused on public health and downtown revitalization, and in 2019 he pushed to create Source to Solution, a regional addiction and recovery symposium that the Lubbock Public Health Department still hosts each year. His family said visitation and celebration-of-life details will be shared soon.
Sources KCBD · KFYO · FOX 34 · EverythingLubbock
Workforce Solutions holds its South Plains Career Youth Expo for high school juniors and seniors Tuesday morning
Workforce Solutions South Plains will host its annual South Plains Career Youth Expo on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, KCBD reported. The come-and-go event lets high school juniors and seniors talk directly with employers and representatives from a range of industries about career paths after graduation.
"Events like the Career Youth Expo give students an opportunity to learn about careers and industries they may not have encountered before," said Dr. Ben Alexander, the organization's CEO. Workforce Solutions South Plains serves employers and job seekers across a 15-county region with career, business and child care programs.
Sources KCBD
South Plains Electric and CoBank gave $10,000 to the Rainbow Room, which supplies children in CPS care
South Plains Electric Cooperative and CoBank donated $10,000 Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, to Community Partners of Lubbock's Rainbow Room. The money lets Child Protective Services caseworkers buy emergency items such as clothes, diapers and school supplies for children in crisis.
The gift came from Operation Round Up, in which cooperative members round their electric bills up to the next dollar. The Rainbow Room is entirely community-funded and has served local foster children since 1998. Jason Potter of Community Partners said the support shows a community working together for the kids who need it most.
Sources KCBD · FOX 34 · EverythingLubbock
Mister Carwash gave Lubbock ISD $6,000 before the district's Tuesday town hall
Mister Carwash presented Lubbock ISD with a $6,000 donation Tuesday evening, Oct. 13, at the Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center near 34th Street and Avenue Q. The money was raised through a fundraiser held during the company's grand opening earlier this month.
The check came ahead of the district's town hall, where Lubbock ISD representatives met Tuesday night with students, parents and community members to discuss current school performance and the district's future plans.
No. 10 Texas Tech opens Homecoming week preparing for Arizona State, the team that beat the Red Raiders last season
Coming off its bye week, No. 10 Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) hosts Arizona State (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday, Oct. 17, in its Homecoming game. The Sun Devils handed Tech its only regular-season loss last year, 26-22, scoring the winning touchdown with 34 seconds left.
"I do feel like that our coaching staff definitely will have a chip on our shoulder," coach Joey McGuire said Monday. He said Tech will lean more on its running backs and less on quarterback Will Hammond than it did a year ago. Arizona State, now led by quarterback Cutter Boley, beat Hawai'i 30-12 on Saturday after losses to Texas A&M and Baylor.
Sources KCBD · Texas Tech Athletics · Staking The Plains
Amarillo named Christopher Post to run the Civic Center, and Potter County's jail is at 89% of capacity
Christopher Post, an Amarillo native and 19-year city employee, has been named general manager of the Amarillo Civic Center Complex, succeeding the retired Bo Fowlkes, the Amarillo Tribune reported Tuesday, Oct. 13. Post plans to improve the facility and guest experience and expand its ability to serve the community.
Separately, the Potter County Sheriff's Office reports 608 inmates in custody, 533 held locally and 75 in other facilities, putting the detention center at 89% of capacity. Long-term trends show growing pressure on jail space and resources. Amarillo College will also hold Fire Academy physical testing Oct. 24 and 31, ahead of spring classes that begin Jan. 18.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Advanced GraphixState
Records show Abbott's advisers steered state agencies' investigations of a Plano mosque's EPIC City development, Texas Monthly reports
Gov. Greg Abbott's advisers steered several state investigations into the East Plano Islamic Center's EPIC City housing development, Texas Monthly reported Monday, Oct. 12, citing thousands of pages of records. Former Texas State Securities Board Commissioner Travis Iles said his staff concluded the project's offerings were not securities, yet Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the developer for securities violations anyway.
The report describes an unsigned nine-page memo the governor's office used in March 2025 to brief agencies on possible actions against the mosque. Iles was later asked to resign. Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris called the advisers' role a routine exercise of executive authority; Paxton's office did not respond. A jury trial is set for June 2027.
Sources Texas Monthly
Five Texas community colleges were approved for the new Workforce Pell grants that pay for short-term job training
Students at five Texas community colleges can now use the new federal Workforce Pell grants for short-term job training, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, Oct. 13, the first time low-income Texas students can use Pell money that way. The U.S. Department of Education approved programs at Kilgore, Weatherford, Central Texas, Texas Southmost and San Jacinto colleges.
Approved programs include lineman, phlebotomy, pharmacy technician, HVAC, machining and welding training. Programs as short as eight weeks qualify if they are in high-demand fields and at least 70% of students finish and find jobs. Weatherford College President Tod Allen Farmer called it "a true game changer." Federal officials will approve more schools on a rolling basis.
Sources The Texas Tribune
For the first time, every Republican on the Texas Supreme Court ballot is an Abbott appointee
All four Republican nominees for the Texas Supreme Court this year are incumbents appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, the first time that has happened in five court elections since he took office in 2015, The Texan reported Monday, Oct. 12. Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock and Justices James P. Sullivan, Kyle Hawkins and Brett Busby are on the ballot.
Their Democratic challengers are Justice Maggie Ellis, Justice Chari Kelly, Judge Kristen Hawkins and Justice Gisela Triana; three of the four serve on the Third Court of Appeals in Austin. All nine justices are Republicans and serve staggered six-year terms. Early voting begins Oct. 19 for the Nov. 3 election.
Sources The Texan
The archbishop for the U.S. military urged Catholic soldiers to refuse any part in the planned Fort Hood firing-squad execution
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic ministry to the U.S. military, said Monday, Oct. 12, that Catholics in the Army should ask to be excused from the planned firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. The Pentagon has proposed livestreaming it.
Hasan, 56, is set to be executed at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, which would be the U.S. military's first firing-squad execution since 1945. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has argued a public execution would serve as a deterrent. Broglio recalled presiding at the funeral of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed in the shooting.
Sources Fox News
An Ohio mental health center said James Talarico was never its patient, rebutting online claims about his campaign absence
The Lindner Center of Hope in Mason, Ohio, said Sunday evening, Oct. 11, that U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico "has never received treatment" there, rebutting claims spread by Republican influencers that he had checked in during his late-September absence from the campaign, The Texan reported Monday. Talarico's campaign has said he had the flu.
The claims began with fundraiser Caroline Wren's post of flight records and grew after influencer Nick Sortor posted audio of a call to the center by Rhein Amacher, who said he fabricated a patient code. Talarico said he has "never even been to Ohio." Paxton's campaign had spent days questioning his whereabouts.
Sources The Texan · The Daily Wire
U.S. & World
Oil rose to a near two-week high Monday as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and strikes on tankers near Hormuz rattled markets
Oil prices climbed Monday, Oct. 12, to their highest level since Sept. 29 after weekend Houthi attacks on Riyadh's airport and new strikes on tankers in the Gulf, Reuters reported. Brent crude rose 76 cents to $105.48 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 59 cents to $92.44.
Britain's maritime agency reported a drone struck a tanker near Sohar, Oman, and another ship was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. The gains came despite President Trump's announcement that Russia will supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to world markets. Goldman Sachs raised its December Brent forecast to $90 and estimated geopolitical risk is adding just over $20 a barrel.
Sources Morocco World News (Reuters) · The Hill
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLPInvestigators subpoenaed Rep. Ilhan Omar's relatives and a prosecutor disclosed a separate inquiry Tuesday, a day after agents searched her Washington home
Federal investigators have subpoenaed Rep. Ilhan Omar's sister and at least one other relative as they examine possible fraud and false statements in immigration paperwork, The New York Times reported Tuesday, Oct. 13, and Fox News reported that subpoenas went to multiple family members. Separately, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday her office is investigating Omar's financial disclosures.
The developments followed Monday's search of the Minnesota Democrat's Washington home, which the Justice Department called part of a federal criminal investigation. No charges have been announced, and grand jury subpoenas do not by themselves mean recipients are suspected of wrongdoing. Omar, on the Nov. 3 ballot, has denied immigration wrongdoing and calls the search political intimidation.
Sources Fox News · KCBD (Gray DC) · The Hill
NATO's top commander warned Russia the alliance would destroy 'anything and everything' supporting an attack on a member
U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, warned Monday, Oct. 12, that the alliance would "break the warfighting system" of any force attacking allied territory, including everything that supports and controls it. He spoke at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, in remarks widely read as aimed at Moscow.
Grynkewich outlined a strategy of blocking, blunting and breaking enemy forces, and said that while NATO is a defensive alliance of 32 members, it is prepared to respond decisively to an assault on any of them.
Sources Fox News
Six Flags closed nine roller coasters after a rider died in a fall from Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia
A man died late Monday afternoon, Oct. 12, after witnesses said he fell from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County, and several other people were hurt, Gray News reported. Riders were left stuck on the coaster afterward, and the park closed. Neither police nor the company has said what happened or identified anyone involved.
Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar coasters at six parks "out of an abundance of caution," including Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and rides at Kings Island, Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland.
Sources KCBD (Gray News) · FOX 34
The Brewers beat the Dodgers 7-4 to take a 2-0 NLCS lead, and Cleveland won ALCS Game 1 at Tampa Bay
William Contreras hit a tying homer in the fifth and drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth as Milwaukee beat Los Angeles 7-4 Monday, Oct. 12, to lead the National League Championship Series 2-0. Four Brewers relievers retired the last 15 Dodgers in order, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted 2 2/3 innings, his shortest postseason start. Game 3 is Wednesday in Los Angeles.
In the American League Championship Series, Cleveland scored five runs in the final two innings to beat the Rays 7-3 in Game 1 Monday night in St. Petersburg. Chase DeLauter homered for the Guardians after Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen struck out seven.
Sources Fox News · Fox News · NBC26 (AP)
