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, October 21, 2026
Today’s lead
Registration is open for Trump's Oct. 27 Lubbock rally, with doors at 11 a.m. and remarks at 2:30 p.m.
Registration is open for President Donald Trump's Tuesday, Oct. 27, rally in Lubbock, Lubbock Lights reported Tuesday, Oct. 20, with up to four tickets available per signup through the official event page. The schedule lists doors opening at 11 a.m., the program at 1 p.m. and Trump's remarks at 2:30 p.m. Central.
The venue was still listed as to be announced. Registration is not complete until a signup is verified by phone, and the form's disclosure says giving a number consents to calls and recurring political texts. Trump is expected in Lubbock with Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton. KFYO noted that Democrat James Talarico plans a separate rally at Texas Tech the same day.
Sources Lubbock Lights · KFYO · EverythingLubbock
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Sunday's Lubbock Marathon will close roads around downtown and several parks from 4 a.m. to about 3 p.m.
The eighth annual United Supermarkets Lubbock Marathon is expected to draw a record number of runners Sunday, Oct. 25, KCBD reported Tuesday, and Lubbock police are asking drivers to be patient. The race starts at 8 a.m. at Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza near 19th Street and Crickets Avenue.
The course runs through Mackenzie Park, Mae Simmons Park and around Dunbar Historical Lake. The city said road closures along the routes begin at 4 a.m. and should all reopen by 3 p.m. Police Chief Seth Herman said about 35 officers will work intersections, and police reminded drivers that moving or driving around a barricade is a crime.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
City code inspectors are working the Quincy Park neighborhood Wednesday, with a roll-off container for bulky items
The City of Lubbock's Code Administration Department is conducting a neighborhood deployment in the Quincy Park neighborhood on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the city announced Tuesday. The area is bounded by 82nd Street, Milwaukee Avenue, 98th Street and Upland Avenue.
A field office at 10002 Milwaukee will offer information on code rules and city services, and a roll-off container there will take bulky items from residents of the area. Inspectors will look for junked vehicles, nuisance weeds and rubbish, substandard housing and zoning violations, and may issue citations or abate violations as well as educate residents.
Sources KCBD
KCBD posted interviews with Rep. Carl Tepper and Democratic challenger Margaret Durham in the House District 84 race
KCBD on Tuesday, Oct. 20, published its Decision 2026 interviews with both candidates in Lubbock's Texas House District 84 race, where Republican Rep. Carl Tepper faces Democrat Margaret Durham. The full interviews run in the station's video player and on its free streaming app.
Early voting for the Nov. 3 election is underway, with polls open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Oct. 30, except Sunday, when they are open noon to 6 p.m. Lubbock County voters can cast early ballots at any United Supermarkets, Market Street or Amigos location.
Advanced GraphixTTUHSC opened Grand Expectations, a nurse-led health center for expectant mothers and children
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing celebrated the opening of Grand Expectations Health Center with a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to a TTUHSC release carried by KCBD. The nurse-led center is a Federally Qualified Health Center and began offering prenatal, postpartum and pediatric care in August.
It pairs nursing services with Texas Tech Physicians, giving patients access to nurse practitioners, attending physicians and residents for primary care, obstetrics and gynecology. School of Nursing Dean Holly Wei said combining prenatal, postpartum and pediatric services in one setting lets the school support mothers and children across important stages of their health.
Sources KCBD
The High Plains Water District marks 75 years managing the Ogallala as irrigated acreage keeps shrinking
The High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, the first and largest groundwater district in Texas, is marking 75 years of service, KCBD reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. Voters in 13 Southern High Plains counties created it two years after the 1949 Texas Groundwater Act allowed such districts.
General manager Jason Coleman said the district's job comes down to conservation, preservation, protection and recharge of underground water. He said far less water is available than years ago, so most irrigated farmers are cutting irrigated acreage to match supply. The district now serves 16 counties, tracks well levels each year on an online map and will check the well on a property before a buyer purchases it.
Sources KCBD
A grand jury indicted a 28-year-old Lubbock man on intoxication manslaughter in the crash that killed Slaton teacher Leo Schneider
A Lubbock County grand jury on Tuesday, Oct. 20, indicted a 28-year-old Lubbock man on a charge of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle in the March 28 crash that killed Slaton ISD teacher Leo Schneider, KCBD and EverythingLubbock reported.
The Department of Public Safety said a Ford Mustang rear-ended an eastbound Dodge Ram pickup on FM 1585 just east of Avenue P, pushing the pickup into the westbound lane, where it hit Schneider's Nissan Armada head-on. Schneider died at University Medical Center. All six people in the pickup were treated for moderate injuries. KCBD reported the man is held in the Lubbock County Detention Center on $100,000 bond.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Amarillo Tribune: Patrick Farmer's survivors describe the risks of coming forward as two Potter County counts remain
The Amarillo Tribune on Tuesday, Oct. 20, published the second part of its reporting on survivors of former Amarillo teacher and coach Patrick Farmer, focusing on the risks and uncertainty they weighed before seeking justice. The Tribune said it has been in contact with survivors for nearly three years.
Farmer is serving a 40-year sentence from Randall County, which he has appealed, and still faces two more counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact in Potter County. Randall County Assistant District Attorney Sarah Scrivner said after the trial that other victims can still come forward through the Amarillo Police Department's special victims unit.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Texas Tech's RISE program is using impairment goggles to show students how alcohol affects driving
A Texas Tech safety program is using impairment simulation goggles to show students how alcohol affects coordination and judgment, KCBD reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. Serena Shade, senior director of the Risk Intervention and Safety Education program, known as RISE, said it focuses on prevention training and harm reduction for students with new independence.
Shade recommended going out with a friend who will hold you accountable, drinking water after every alcoholic drink and eating beforehand, and said even one drink means a person should not drive. Student Zach Cuevas said he felt confident before the exercise, but that confidence vanished once he put the goggles on.
Sources KCBD
Army veteran Patrick Ryan thanked the stranger who pulled him from I-27 traffic after a pickup hit him
Retired Army veteran Patrick Ryan, a Lubbock resident, publicly thanked the stranger who dragged him out of traffic after a pickup struck him on the night of Sept. 3, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. Ryan had stopped to help at a crash at Interstate 27 and 34th Street days after starting work as a security guard at the data center in Abernathy.
Ryan said several cars passed before a fourth driver stopped, took his hand and pulled him off the road. He suffered 11 broken ribs, a lacerated liver, a head injury and a badly damaged right leg, faces at least two more knee surgeries and has physical therapy three times a week.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLPFour Red Raiders, led by A.J. Holmes Jr., made midseason All-America teams for No. 8 Texas Tech
Four Texas Tech football players earned midseason All-America recognition over the past week after the Red Raiders' 6-0 start, Texas Tech Athletics announced Tuesday, Oct. 20. Defensive lineman A.J. Holmes Jr., the Big 12 preseason defensive player of the year, made the first team for both Sports Illustrated and On3 and the Associated Press second team.
Punter Will Karoll and linebackers Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine also drew All-America mentions. Separately, KCBD reported players said their confidence keeps growing after a 53-25 win over Arizona State. No. 8 Texas Tech plays at Cincinnati at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Sources Texas Tech Athletics · KCBD
A Lubbock pumpkin concierge business buys from Floydada growers and sends leftover pumpkins to livestock
Memori Jackson, owner of Porch Perfect, runs a pumpkin concierge business that decorates homes for fall and hand-picks pumpkins at Assiter Farms in Floydada, KCBD reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. She started the business in 2023, and similar startups are giving pumpkin farmers a new revenue stream.
Jackson said no pumpkin goes to waste: after the season her crew collects them and gives every healthy one to local livestock producers. Citing the USDA, KCBD reported pumpkin sales are up 4% nationally and Texas has stayed in the top three states for sales. Jackson also supports at least 10 nonprofits and silent auctions each season.
Sources KCBD
The United Family gave $10,000 to Mission 2540 for after-school snack bags
The United Family presented a $10,000 donation to Mission 2540 on Monday, Oct. 19, at a community event in Lubbock where employees joined participating families for pumpkin painting, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday. The company also provided reusable shopping bags and other items for families.
Mission 2540 does relationship-driven outreach to children and families, and the gift will support snack bags for children in its after-school programs. Chris James, market vice president of operations for The United Family, said organizations like Mission 2540 create positive change every day by investing in children and building strong relationships with families.
Sources EverythingLubbock
A Seagraves fifth-grader teaches her classmates about Down syndrome to help her cousin feel included
Zadee Minjarez, a fifth-grader at Seagraves Elementary, created a presentation to teach classmates about Down syndrome after her younger cousin, Noel Minjarez, started school there two years ago, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Zadee said she worried Noel would be nervous or excluded and wanted others to treat him like everyone else. She first gave the presentation in third grade and has given it every October for three years, during Down Syndrome Awareness Month, adding an interactive part this year. She said she wants students to look out for Noel as he moves on to middle and high school.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Comedian Gary Owen brings his tour to Buddy Holly Hall April 23, with presale tickets Thursday
Comedian Gary Owen will bring his No Hard Feelings tour to the Buddy Holly Hall on April 23, 2027, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Presale tickets go on sale Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. with the code COMEDY, and tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m. Separately, Ballet Lubbock announced Tuesday that its production of The Nutcracker returns to Buddy Holly Hall Dec. 10 through 13, with tickets on sale now.
Sources EverythingLubbock · KCBD
State
TCEQ told Abbott it has paused data center permits, after a watchdog said some kept moving
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has paused permits for construction or infrastructure directly supporting data centers, its interim executive director told Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter Monday, Oct. 19, the Texas Tribune reported. Abbott ordered the pause last month while state agencies and the grid operator review data centers' water and power use.
Public Citizen said Monday that more than a dozen data center-related plans kept advancing, including at least six stormwater construction permits approved after the directive. Kathryn Guerra, the group's TCEQ watchdog director, said affected communities were promised a freeze. TCEQ spokesman Ryan Vise said Tuesday those stormwater permits had been suspended.
Sources The Texas Tribune
D. Williams & Co., Inc.Texas asked a federal judge Tuesday to end 15 years of court oversight of its foster care system
Texas officials testified Tuesday, Oct. 20, before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane that more than $320 million spent on court-ordered foster care improvements since 2019 shows federal monitoring is no longer needed, the Texas Tribune reported. Family and Protective Services Commissioner Audrey O'Neill and HHSC Commissioner Stephanie Muth testified for hours.
About $66 million of that went to court monitors. Plaintiffs' lawyer Paul Yetter, representing about 6,800 children in long-term care, pressed O'Neill on the shift to private contractors, which now handle about 61% of foster children, and on her July firing of the largest contractor, EMPOWER. State attorney Allyson Ho argued the system should be returned to Texas.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Hundreds of thousands of Texas homeowners may be missing the homestead exemption as tax bills arrive
As property tax bills arrive this month, hundreds of thousands of Texas homeowners who may be eligible for the homestead exemption are not claiming it, policy experts and appraisal districts told the Texas Tribune in a report published Tuesday, Oct. 20. The exemption takes at least $140,000 off the value school districts tax and unlocks other protections against rising bills.
In Dallas County, about 57,000 households have left nearly $310 million unclaimed, according to the Child Poverty Action Lab. Travis and Bexar counties each estimate roughly 60,000 homeowners going without, and Harris County about 113,000. Advocates said lower-income owners often lack help applying.
Sources The Texas Tribune
A Lubbock woman urges residents to press Speaker Burrows and other officials on OB-GYN access
Lubbock resident Alicia Powell is urging residents to contact state and federal officials to improve access to OB-GYN care in Lubbock, EverythingLubbock reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. Her list includes Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Powell wants legal experts and health care leaders to review the Master Coordinating Agreement between Texas Tech University and University Medical Center, which governs how doctors are credentialed and given hospital privileges, and Chapter 1053 of the Texas Special District Local Laws Code, which sets up the Lubbock Medical District, to see whether changes could ease barriers to care.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Talarico skipped a Bernie Sanders rally in El Paso Monday, campaigning in North Texas instead
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico skipped a Monday night, Oct. 19, rally in El Paso headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, holding events in Denton and at North Crowley High School in Fort Worth instead, Fox News reported. Sanders appeared with Beto O'Rourke and U.S. Reps. Greg Casar and Veronica Escobar as early voting began.
O'Rourke told the El Paso crowd Republicans had spent $368 million against Talarico, who faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Nov. 3. Sanders did not mention Talarico by name. Fox said it asked the campaign why he held a separate event.
Sources Fox News
Barbara Bush, George W. Bush's daughter, gave $2,500 to the main PAC backing Democrat James Talarico
Former first daughter Barbara Bush contributed $2,500 this quarter to Lone Star Rising PAC, the main outside group supporting Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico, Fox News reported Tuesday, Oct. 20, after confirming the gift through Federal Election Commission filings.
The PAC accounts for almost all outside spending for Talarico, according to Houston Public Media. Eagles musician Don Henley gave it $150,000. Texas campaign finance expert Andrew Cates said it is notable that Bush, an executive at the National Basketball Association, gave to a PAC that discloses donors rather than to an anonymous group. Talarico faces Republican Ken Paxton on Nov. 3.
Sources Fox News
A Guatemalan man got 30 years for his role in the 2022 San Antonio trailer smuggling that killed 53 migrants
A federal judge on Tuesday, Oct. 20, sentenced Rigoberto Ramon Miranda Orozco, 50, a Guatemalan man extradited to the U.S., to 30 years in prison for his role in the June 2022 smuggling attempt that killed 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, the Associated Press reported via KCBD. He admitted arranging travel for two people who died and one seriously injured.
The trailer's air conditioning failed on the three-hour ride from Laredo. Nearly 20 people in the U.S. and Guatemala have been convicted. U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said it was clear the victims suffered tremendously in their last hours.
Sources KCBD (AP)
Action PrintingMailers sent to Texas families in a transgender group's name came from a new Wyoming company, the Tribune found
Pamphlets presented as a resource guide from the Texas Transgender Student Union, mailed to families across Texas and drawing conservative criticism as early voting opened Monday and Tuesday, came from a limited liability company formed in Wyoming in early September, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The mailers, addressed to the student of the household, encourage youth to talk to a safe adult if parents do not support their identity and discuss emancipation. Their online links all point to the Transgender Education Network of Texas, which denied involvement and said the pamphlets do not represent its position. The Wyoming LLC was first reported by Texas Observer reporter Steven Monacelli.
Sources The Texas Tribune
The attorney general's office sided with residents seeking public access to an East Texas waterway
The Texas Attorney General's office has told the 12th Court of Appeals that Creslenn Lake and the connected Cutoff, a portion of the Trinity River in Henderson County, should be found a public waterway, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. It is the agency's first public position in the dispute, which began in 2022.
Businessman Phillip Surls fenced off the last boat ramp after buying the surrounding land, and a trial judge ruled the waterway not navigable. The AG's office said the court ignored the lake's historic use. Lawyers for both sides responded to the opinion Tuesday; a ruling could take days or years.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Railroad Commission nominee Bo French says he never agreed to debate Democrat Jon Rosenthal
Bo French, the Republican nominee for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, said he never agreed to debate his opponent, Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, disputing the Dallas Press Club's account that he had, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, Oct. 20.
French told the Tribune by text message that the club was lying and that his campaign never had contact with it until after Rosenthal claimed a debate had been agreed. The three-member commission regulates the state's oil and gas industry. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs through Oct. 30.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham faces Democrat Ben Flores, with a wide fundraising lead
Republican Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham faces Democratic challenger Ben Flores on the Nov. 3 ballot, The Texan reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. The General Land Office manages about 13 million acres of state land, oversees disaster recovery and coastal protection, funds public schools through oil, gas and lease royalties, and runs veterans programs.
Buckingham, a physician and former state senator elected in 2022 as the first woman in the job, raised nearly $890,000 last period and has more than $3 million on hand; she is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Flores raised nearly $35,000 and has about $30,000 on hand. Both opposed border construction in Big Bend earlier this year.
Sources The Texan
The new statewide 15th Court of Appeals holds its first election, with all three Abbott appointees challenged
The 15th Court of Appeals, created by the Legislature in 2023 to hear cases involving state government, holds its first election Nov. 3, The Texan reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. Its three justices, all Republicans appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, are elected statewide.
Chief Justice Scott Brister, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, faces Democrat Jerry Zimmerer, a former justice on the 14th Court of Appeals. Justice Scott Field faces Tom Baker, a former Third Court of Appeals justice, and Justice April Farris faces Marc Meyer, a retired firefighter, nurse and attorney. The court withstood an early constitutional challenge brought by Dallas County.
Sources The Texan
U.S. & World
Russia freed retired Michigan teacher Stephen Hubbard after Trump pressed Putin
Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher from Michigan imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday, Oct. 21, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, the Associated Press and Fox News reported.
Hubbard was sentenced after a closed trial in 2024 to nearly seven years. Prosecutors said he signed with the Ukrainian military after Russia's 2022 invasion and was captured two months later; the Biden administration designated him wrongfully detained. Trump said earlier in the week he had asked Putin at length to release him. Putin said Hubbard was at the St. Petersburg airport.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Duffy Law Firm, PCNigeria confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, and is tracing 44 contacts
Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive, the Health Ministry said, according to the Associated Press. She began showing symptoms Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital Oct. 11.
Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities are tracing 44 people identified as her contacts. Uganda's Health Ministry said she had only transited through Uganda and is a Nigerian woman who had been on a business trip to eastern Congo, where confirmed Ebola cases have passed 9,000.
Sources PBS NewsHour (AP) · NPR
DHS launched a nationwide ICE operation against immigrants in the country illegally accused of SNAP fraud
The Department of Homeland Security has launched a nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation targeting immigrants in the country illegally who are accused of fraudulently receiving SNAP food benefits, Fox News reported Tuesday, Oct. 20. ICE confirmed several arrests, including four Haitian nationals and a Cuban national, DHS said.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said those already arrested and deported are just a drop in the bucket and that the administration will keep pursuing fraud. DHS called the arrests the opening of a sustained, large-scale operation. Federal law generally bars immigrants in the country illegally from receiving SNAP.
Sources Fox News
The FAA approved Boeing's long-delayed 737 Max 10 for passenger service
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday, Oct. 20, approved Boeing's 737 Max 10 for passenger service after years of delays, the Associated Press reported. With production approved, the aircraft can now be sold to domestic and foreign airlines.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the approval followed extensive safety reviews, including thousands of hours of test flights, and called it a major win for American manufacturing. The certification is another milestone in Boeing's effort to restore its reputation and finances after years of safety, quality and production problems.
Sources PBS NewsHour (AP) · NPR
British police rearrested two men suspected of helping Iran in a plot at a U.S.-run air base
British police said Tuesday, Oct. 20, they rearrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service in a suspected plot last month at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run air base in western England used to bomb Iran during this year's war, the Associated Press reported.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the men, a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, were arrested under the National Security Act. One was first arrested Sept. 27, the day of the suspected plot, and the other Oct. 1; both had been on bail. Scores of residents were evacuated near the base at the time.
Sources PBS NewsHour (AP)
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted Toforest Johnson's death sentence, citing a lack of direct evidence
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday, Oct. 20, commuted the death sentence of Toforest Johnson to life in prison without parole, Fox News reported. Johnson, who has long maintained his innocence, was convicted in the 1995 killing of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy.
Ivey said she had concerns there was not enough direct evidence to carry out a death sentence, and that her decision is not a finding of innocence. The current Jefferson County district attorney and several former judges and prosecutors had raised concerns, while Attorney General Steve Marshall opposed clemency. Ivey has commuted three death sentences and overseen 27 executions since 2017.
Sources Fox News
Florida executed William Reaves, 77, its 18th execution this year, for a 1986 deputy killing
Florida executed William Reaves, 77, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Florida State Prison near Starke, the state's 18th execution of the year under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Fox News and the Associated Press reported. He was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. after a three-drug injection.
Reaves, an Army veteran, was convicted of first-degree murder in the September 1986 shooting death of Indian River County sheriff's deputy Richard Raczkoski. He declined to give last words. Raczkoski's brother, Marc, said his brother finally received justice, while Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said he viewed the execution as closure rather than justice.
Sources Fox News · PBS NewsHour (AP)
Advanced GraphixJudge Ana Reyes dropped her demand that DOJ lawyers sign a filing in the D.C. golf course fight
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Monday, Oct. 19, withdrew her demand that Justice Department lawyers put their names on a Sunday filing signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr., ending a nearly seven-hour hearing in the dispute over the Trump administration's renovation of East Potomac Golf Links, Fox News reported.
President Donald Trump had called Reyes a crazed lunatic on Truth Social hours before the hearing. The lawsuit, filed in February, escalated this month after the National Park Service removed roughly 430 trees at the federally owned Washington course, which Trump wants rebuilt as a U.S. Open-caliber course.
Sources Fox News
