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
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Today’s lead
Final returns: Burrows, Perry and Sell win easily, Tepper holds House District 84 by 6 points, and a Democrat takes JP Precinct 3
Lubbock Lights' final unofficial returns, posted Wednesday, Nov. 4, show Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows won House District 83 with 73.5% over Democrat Malik Williams, state Sen. Charles Perry took 69.7% over Riley Rodriquez in Senate District 28 and Tom Sell 69.5% over Kyle Rable in the 19th Congressional District.
State Rep. Carl Tepper had the closest area race, 53.2% to Democrat Margaret Durham's 46.8% in House District 84. Democrat Marina Garcia won Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 over Republican Traci Baxa, 59.9% to 40.1%. Scott M. Dinger, Jacky Howard and Tom Keisling won the three at-large appraisal board seats, and Greg Thornton and Teresa Stephens won water control district seats. Results are unofficial until the canvass.
Sources Lubbock Lights · EverythingLubbock · EverythingLubbock · EverythingLubbock
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Lubbock strategist Mike Stevens says voters with no primary history decided the Democratic sweep
Lubbock political strategist Mike Stevens, founder of the consulting firm Data To Victory, said in an analysis Lubbock Lights published Wednesday, Nov. 4, that voters with no primary-election history, 28% to 47% of Tuesday's electorate, decided the Democratic sweep. He called it a "perfect storm" of backlash against President Trump, Republican resistance to Ken Paxton and frustration over school vouchers and school funding.
Stevens, who owns Action Printing, said the average age of Texas voters fell by eight years, bringing more parents of school-age children to the polls. He said Lubbock's Republican delegation survived because the shift here was smaller than in metro and suburban counties. Lubbock Lights noted it has not independently verified his voter-file figures.
Sources Lubbock Lights
City Council sets the first public hearing Nov. 10 on a 90-day moratorium on large-scale data center applications
The Lubbock City Council will hold the first of two required public hearings Tuesday, Nov. 10, on a proposed 90-day moratorium on accepting, processing and approving new rezoning, permitting and annexation applications tied to large-scale data centers, according to the city's posted agenda. The council directed the city manager to begin the process Sept. 22, and the second hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10.
The same agenda carries the final reading of the alley-paving petition ordinance, a new operating agreement and terminal lease with American Airlines at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, and a first reading to rescind the Highland Oaks Public Improvement District assessment as excessive. The council convenes at 1:30 p.m. in Citizens Tower.
Sources City of Lubbock (agenda) · City of Lubbock (agenda item)
Terms of Texas Tech regents Cody Campbell and Arcilia Acosta end weeks after Hinojosa takes office, putting board appointments in her hands
The terms of 11 voting regents at Texas public university systems expire in the weeks after Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa takes office in January, KCBD reported Wednesday, Nov. 4. At the Texas Tech University System, Board Chairman Cody Campbell and Regent Arcilia Acosta serve terms that run through Jan. 31, 2027, and a seat has been vacant since Pat Gordon resigned in February to join the Texas Transportation Commission.
The governor appoints regents, and the state Senate, still under Republican control, must confirm them. At President Trump's Lubbock rally Oct. 27, Campbell warned that an Abbott loss could put "three blue-haired weirdos" on the Tech board.
Sources KCBD
Advanced GraphixCity Council approves first reading of an ordinance letting residents petition to pave their alleys with two-thirds of the block on board
The Lubbock City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 3, approved on first reading an ordinance letting residents petition the city to pave an unpaved alley when two-thirds of the homeowners on the block agree and the full cost is raised upfront, KCBD reported. Petitioners pay $1,000 for a feasibility study, then have 90 days to raise the estimated cost; no homeowner can be forced to pay, and no liens are placed.
Councilman David Bruegel called the change "an example of good governance," and Mayor Mark McBrayer backed dropping the original unanimous-consent requirement. Resident Stephen Sanders warned that only neighborhoods that can afford it would get paved alleys. The final reading is on the Nov. 10 agenda.
Sources KCBD · City of Lubbock (agenda)
Lubbock County's late election results traced to a failed scanner at one early-voting site and the rescan of 5,681 ballots
Lubbock County Elections Administrator Troy Havard said Wednesday, Nov. 4, that election-night results were delayed because counts did not match at one early-voting site, where an optical scanner failed and was replaced Oct. 22 and the problem then recurred, KCBD and EverythingLubbock reported. Central count rescanned all 5,681 ballots from that site to make sure every vote was counted.
The Secretary of State's legal division also directed a rescan of all 1,700 limited ballots cast during early voting, each adjudicated by two judges, and a poll-worker shortage kept some lines open until about 9 p.m. Havard said the audit process worked. The next election is May 1, and the county is recruiting poll workers now.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Rep.-elect Tom Sell will seek a House Budget Committee seat as Jodey Arrington warns Texas Republicans to listen to voters
Rep.-elect Tom Sell, who won the 19th Congressional District with 69.5% of the vote, told KCBD on Wednesday, Nov. 4, that he will seek several committee posts, including a seat on the House Budget Committee that outgoing Rep. Jodey Arrington chairs, and that the Democrats' new House majority will not deter him. He said he wants to "make Congress great again" by making Washington work better.
Arrington, who did not seek reelection after 10 years in the seat, said in a statement Wednesday reported by EverythingLubbock that Tuesday's results were a wake-up call for Texas Republicans. He warned that if the party does not listen to voters, Democrats will keep gaining ground in Texas.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
Amarillo-area turnout sets a midterm record as Republicans keep nearly every local office and Democrats gain at the top of the ticket
Nearly 90,000 people voted in Potter and Randall counties in the Nov. 3 election, almost 20,000 more than in the 2022 midterm, the Amarillo Tribune reported Wednesday from unofficial results. Republican votes still outnumbered Democratic votes by about 29,000, and nearly every local office went to Republicans, including House District 86, won by Holly Jeffreys.
The one county-level office to go to a Democrat was Potter County Commissioner Precinct 4, won by Timothy Gassaway. The Tribune found that several thousand local Republicans backed their party in local races but crossed over in state and federal contests, while Democrats high on the ballot drew tens of thousands more votes than in past midterms.
Sources Amarillo Tribune · Amarillo Tribune
Fire marshal closes the IHOP at University and 16th after a kitchen fire exposes code violations
Lubbock Fire Rescue put out a kitchen fire at the IHOP near University Avenue and 16th Street about 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, and fire marshal investigators found multiple fire code violations, including an overhead hood suppression system that failed to activate, EverythingLubbock reported.
Officials said the restaurant will stay closed until it complies with both fire and health codes. Firefighters quickly knocked down the blaze when they arrived, and the report did not say when the restaurant might reopen.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Driver ejected and seriously hurt in a crash near FM 2378 and Highway 114
A driver was ejected and seriously injured in a crash near FM 2378 and Highway 114 on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 4, EverythingLubbock reported. The Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the scene.
The other driver involved suffered minor injuries, officials said. The report did not give a cause of the crash or identify either driver, and DPS had not released further details.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLPSeminole traffic stop turns up stolen mail, packages and drugs, and postal inspectors weigh federal charges
A Gaines County Sheriff's Office deputy arrested a woman after a traffic stop Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the 400 block of Southeast Second Street in Seminole turned up stolen mail, stolen packages, controlled substances and drug paraphernalia, KCBD and EverythingLubbock reported Wednesday. She was taken to the Gaines County Jail.
Investigators contacted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service about possible federal charges and are working with the local post office to return the mail and packages to their owners. The sheriff's office issued four Class C citations, said more charges may follow and asked anyone with information to call 432-758-9871.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
West Texas Salute to Veterans resource fair set for Nov. 14 at the American Windmill Museum
The 10th annual West Texas Salute to Veterans, a resource fair hosted by the City of Lubbock's Veterans Advisory Committee, runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the American Windmill Museum, 1701 Canyon Lake Drive, EverythingLubbock reported Wednesday.
Veterans, military families and the wider West Texas community are invited. The event aims to connect veterans and their families with the federal, state and local benefits, services and support programs that many struggle to navigate on their own.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Lady Raiders open their season against Charlotte and No. 19 Texas Tech hosts Bethune-Cookman in a Thursday doubleheader
Texas Tech plays a basketball doubleheader at United Supermarkets Arena on Thursday, Nov. 5: the Lady Raiders open their 2026-27 season against Charlotte at 5 p.m., and the No. 19 Red Raiders host Bethune-Cookman at 8 p.m., Texas Tech Athletics reported.
The men are 1-0 after a 76-42 opening win over Jackson State on Monday, when Damarion Dennis scored a career-high 22, and they carry a 47-game nonconference home winning streak, the third-longest active run in the country. Bethune-Cookman, coached by former NBA All-Star Reggie Theus, lost 79-70 at Furman. Tech hosts No. 3 Illinois on Nov. 10.
Sources Texas Tech Athletics · Texas Tech Athletics
Lubbock Auto Auction gives $8,200 to A Place to Call Home for adults with disabilities
Lubbock Auto Auction presented an $8,200 check Wednesday, Nov. 4, to A Place to Call Home, a nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, KCBD reported. The money will fund the group's work-based program, including hands-on resident workshops and daily activities.
The auction, near Zenith Avenue and East Slaton Highway, is also the lead sponsor of the nonprofit's second annual Goat Run on Saturday, Nov. 21. A Place to Call Home gives residents a supportive place to live, socialize and gain work experience.
Sources KCBD
Family raises money for Tara Frits, 23, still in rehabilitation a month after a car hit her scooter
The family of Tara Frits, 23, is raising money for her recovery after she was hit by a car Oct. 6 while riding an electric scooter home from the store near 98th Street and Avenue U, EverythingLubbock reported Wednesday, Nov. 4. She had surgery for skull fractures, then suffered a stroke in the hospital, and is now in long-term rehabilitation.
Her father said she is breathing on her own and opens one eye but does not talk, and doctors expect recovery to take six months to a year. A GoFundMe will help cover medical bills and specialized equipment and support her 2-year-old daughter.
Sources EverythingLubbock
State
Democrats will hold 83 Texas House seats, ending Republican control as Senfronia Thompson seeks to replace Speaker Dustin Burrows
Democrats flipped 21 Texas House seats and will hold 83 of 150 when the Legislature meets in January, according to final unofficial results released Wednesday evening, Nov. 4, ending more than two decades of Republican control, The Texan reported. Republicans fall from 88 seats to 67. The GOP keeps its majority in the state Senate, the Associated Press reported.
State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, one of the chamber's longest-serving members, announced a bid for speaker with the backing of House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu. The current speaker, Lubbock Republican Dustin Burrows, won the gavel in 2025 with mostly Democratic support but campaigned hard for Republican candidates this year.
Sources The Texan · EverythingLubbock (AP) · EverythingLubbock
D. Williams & Co., Inc.With Democrats in control of the House and statewide offices, Gina Hinojosa will govern with far more power than she expected
Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa will take office Jan. 19 alongside a Democratic Texas House, Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson and Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin presiding over a Republican Senate, giving her far more room to pursue her agenda than she expected, the Texas Tribune reported Wednesday, Nov. 4. She planned to announce next steps at a news conference Thursday afternoon after initial conversations with Gov. Greg Abbott.
On the campaign trail, Hinojosa vowed to declare a high-cost emergency, suspend state gas and diesel taxes and freeze electricity rates. She also promised to fight the school voucher program, end state takeovers of school districts and fire Education Commissioner Mike Morath on her first day in office.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Hinojosa's promised moratorium could keep Texas data center approvals frozen until lawmakers act
Data center approvals could stay paused in Texas until the Legislature passes new laws next year if Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa keeps her promise to impose a moratorium on all approvals, the Texas Tribune reported Wednesday, Nov. 4. Her pledge goes beyond Gov. Greg Abbott's current freeze on environmental permits and grid connections during an audit.
Hinojosa also wants operators to hire union workers, protect local water supplies, stop using nondisclosure agreements and keep data centers from raising Texans' electric bills. The Hill, via EverythingLubbock, reported that voters nationwide punished industry-backed candidates, and 76% of voters in an NBC News exit poll said they would oppose a new data center in their community.
Sources The Texas Tribune · EverythingLubbock
Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson says he will stop suing out-of-state doctors who mail abortion pills to Texans
Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson told the Texas Tribune, in an interview published Wednesday, Nov. 4, that he will end Ken Paxton's practice of suing doctors in other states who mail abortion medication to Texas patients and will honor other states' shield laws. It is the first major move against the state's near-total abortion ban since Democrats swept statewide offices.
Johnson said he cannot change abortion law, only stop using it as "an instrument of persecution." Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa cannot repeal the ban on her own, and she has said repeal would not be a priority because it would need Republican votes in the state Senate.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Republicans lost ground in rural Texas, and Talarico won nearly 41% in Lubbock County, the best Democratic showing since Ann Richards
Texas Republicans lost significant ground in rural counties in Tuesday's election, a Texas Tribune analysis published Wednesday, Nov. 4, found: about 90% of counties where turnout fell were rural, and Sen.-elect James Talarico narrowed the GOP's rural margin by about 10 points from 2018. In Lubbock County, Talarico won nearly 41% of the vote, compared with Beto O'Rourke's 35% in 2018.
South Plains College political scientist Drew Landry said the last Democrat to win 40% in Lubbock County was Ann Richards in 1990. Texas Tech political scientist Timothy Nokken told EverythingLubbock that the economy and presidential popularity broke against Republicans, letting Democrats cut into GOP margins in red counties.
Sources The Texas Tribune · EverythingLubbock
Ted Cruz calls the Texas results a 'Watergate-level repudiation' as Republicans blame Trump, Abbott and Paxton
Sen. Ted Cruz called Tuesday's results a "Watergate-level repudiation" in a post on X on Wednesday, Nov. 4, writing that Republicans lost every statewide race in Texas and had lost touch with voters, Fox News reported. Democrats won the Senate seat and the governor's office in Texas for the first time in decades.
The Texas Tribune reported that the blame spread quickly. Comptroller Don Huffines, who lost after three months in office, blamed Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Sen. John Cornyn wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that nominating Ken Paxton forced voters to choose between policy and personal character.
Sources Fox News · The Texas Tribune
U.S. & World
Vance blames the Iran war for GOP losses, and Trump agrees it hurt but says he would do it again
Vice President JD Vance publicly blamed the Iran war on Wednesday, Nov. 4, for Republicans' midterm losses, and President Trump agreed it was "largely true" because the war drove up gas prices, while saying he would launch it again, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock. Trump now must decide whether to follow through on threats to resume full-scale bombing of Iran after the election.
Republican donors and operatives told Fox News Digital the defeat starts with Trump, citing the war, economic pain and his attacks on sitting Republicans. Democrats picked up seven Senate seats and 27 House seats, with Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled, Fox reported.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP) · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Action PrintingMississippi's Senate race is within 2,000 votes with no recount law, and Alaska's races may go to ranked-choice tabulation
Mississippi's Senate race between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom was still too close to call Wednesday, Nov. 4, with Colom ahead by less than a quarter of a point, fewer than 2,000 votes, in a state with no recount procedure, The Hill reported via EverythingLubbock. About 3,600 mail ballots could still arrive, and Colom's campaign counts about 15,000 provisional ballots.
In Alaska, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola are waiting on more returns, and both the Senate and governor's races could go to ranked-choice tabulation, set for Nov. 18 after overseas ballots arrive, the Associated Press reported. A measure to repeal Alaska's ranked-choice system was also too early to call.
Sources EverythingLubbock · EverythingLubbock (AP)
3M agrees to pay up to $7.35 billion to settle 'forever chemical' groundwater injury claims
3M will pay up to $7.35 billion over nine years to settle lawsuits by as many as 120,000 people who say they were sickened by groundwater contaminated with PFAS, the "forever chemicals" used in firefighting foam and other products, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, Nov. 4, via EverythingLubbock. The St. Paul, Minnesota, company admitted no liability.
The chemicals, which do not break down naturally, contaminated groundwater near military bases, airports and other sites where the foam was used, and they have been linked to liver and immune system damage and some cancers. 3M Chairman William Brown said the deal substantially reduces the company's uncertainty from the litigation.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Tanker hit by projectiles off Qatar as Iran reports ships striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz
A tanker was struck by two projectiles Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the Persian Gulf about 50 nautical miles north of Qatar's Madinat ash Shamal, the British military's maritime trade office said, and Iranian state television reported that two tankers and a towboat hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock.
The tanker's identity, the crew's condition and the extent of the damage were not known, and no one claimed responsibility. The maritime office has said it is struggling to count attacks because most ships no longer report them, as the Iran war keeps pressure on global oil supplies and gas prices.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Bank of England expected to raise rates Thursday for the first time since 2023 as the Iran war drives inflation
The Bank of England is expected Thursday, Nov. 5, to raise its key interest rate from 3.75% to 4%, its first increase since August 2023, to fight an inflation shock driven by the Iran war, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock. British inflation reached an 11-month high of 3.5% in September, well above the bank's 2% target.
Higher fuel costs and bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz, which have squeezed global oil and gas supplies, are the main cause, and economists expect more increases in 2027. The bank will also release its quarterly economic projections alongside the decision.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Trump's lawyers ask a New York appeals court Thursday to overturn his hush money conviction
President Trump's lawyers will ask a New York appeals court on Thursday, Nov. 5, to throw out his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock. Trump, who denies wrongdoing, is not expected to attend.
His filings argue the case was the product of "immense political pressure" on a Democratic prosecutor and attack the prosecution's legal theory, the evidence and the jury instructions. The appeal also challenges whether jurors should have heard testimony about his time in the White House.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
One Spokane County deputy dies and another is on life support after a firefight with a suspect
One of two Spokane County sheriff's deputies shot while trying to arrest a man at a home in Spangle, Washington, died Tuesday night, and the other was on life support Wednesday, Nov. 4, so his organs could be donated, the sheriff's office said, Fox News and the Associated Press reported. Fox reported four dead in all, including the suspect.
Deputies went to the home Tuesday after a woman told a neighbor her brother had shot her. The man had a felony warrant, and gunfire erupted as SWAT members tried to breach the door. Sheriff John Nowels described both deputies as younger SWAT members; the deputy who died had a wife and two children.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Duffy Law Firm, PCGunman kills a woman on Citibank's Tampa campus before a security guard shoots him
A gunman drove a car into a courtyard on Citibank's business campus near Tampa on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and opened fire with a rifle, killing a woman before a security guard shot and killed him in a cafeteria, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock.
About 3,200 people were at work on the campus. Four others were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, and Chief Deputy Frank Losat credited the guard with preventing further violence. No motive was given, and neither the gunman nor the victim had been named.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Indiana carries out the first of three U.S. executions set for Thursday
Indiana executed Jeffrey Weisheit, 50, early Thursday, Nov. 5, for killing his girlfriend's two children, ages 8 and 5, by setting fire to their Evansville-area home in 2010, the first of three U.S. executions scheduled for the same day, Fox News and the Associated Press reported. He was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Florida plans to execute Jesse Guardado, 64, who pleaded guilty to the 2004 stabbing death of Jackie Malone; it would be the state's 19th execution this year, matching its 2025 record. Alabama is set to carry out its third execution of the year.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Billionaire Leon Black sues Rep. Robert Garcia for defamation over Epstein comments
Billionaire Leon Black filed a federal defamation lawsuit Wednesday, Nov. 4, against Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., over television comments tying him to Jeffrey Epstein, seeking a jury trial and $7.25 million in damages, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock.
Garcia had said survivors credibly named Black as involved in the abuse of women, statements Black's lawyers call false and malicious. The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, comes less than two months after the House voted to hold Black in contempt of Congress for defying Oversight Committee subpoenas in its Epstein investigation.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Hong Kong court sentences activist Joshua Wong to 10 more years under the national security law
A Hong Kong court on Thursday, Nov. 5, sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, 30, to 10 more years in prison for conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock. He had expected to be freed in January 2027 from an earlier term of four years and eight months.
Judge William Tam found that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law colluded with foreign officials to seek measures against China and Hong Kong, citing U.S. sanctions and the revocation of the city's special status. Critics say the case shows the depth of the crackdown on the city's democracy movement.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Trump presses the Senate to make daylight saving time permanent after a 5:06 p.m. sunset
President Trump on Wednesday, Nov. 4, urged the Senate to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-yearly clock change, complaining on Truth Social about a 5:06 p.m. sunset days after clocks fell back, The Hill reported via EverythingLubbock. The House passed the bill earlier this year.
Trump said he held off pushing the bill before the election so as not to cost senators their races, and he pointed to data showing less crime is committed when it is still light in the early evening.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, who led the San Francisco Symphony for a decade, dies at 99
Herbert Blomstedt, who led the San Francisco Symphony from 1985 to 1995 and conducted orchestras in Scandinavia and Germany across more than seven decades, died Wednesday, Nov. 4, at his home in Gothenburg, Sweden, his management agency said, the Associated Press reported via EverythingLubbock. He was 99.
His last performance was May 15 in San Francisco, when he struggled through Mahler's Ninth Symphony from a wheelchair. He had concerts booked into 2027, including with the Vienna Philharmonic, just short of his 100th birthday. A Seventh-day Adventist, he refused to lead rehearsals on the Sabbath.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
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