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 12, 2026
Today’s lead
Texas Tech regents strip core credit from 21 courses, including classes on race and gender, starting fall 2027
Texas Tech University System regents approved a revised core curriculum Wednesday, Nov. 11, removing 21 courses from Texas Tech's core list and leaving 151 options, Regent Shelley Sweatt said, Lubbock Lights reported. Courses dropped include The Holocaust in Literature and Film and Intersectionalities: Race, Class, and Gender in a Global World.
Sweatt said many of the courses will still be offered as electives or within majors, and students will still need 42 core credit hours. Senate Bill 37, authored by Chancellor Brandon Creighton as a state senator, requires the review every five years. Faculty member Andrew Martin told EverythingLubbock the change raises questions about what criteria were used. The new list takes effect in fall 2027.
Sources Lubbock Lights · EverythingLubbock
More Local
Sen. Charles Perry and Rep. Carl Tepper expect a hard session as Democrats take the Texas House
Lubbock's state lawmakers outlined their priorities Wednesday, Nov. 11, for the 90th Texas Legislature, where Democrats will control the House and Republicans the Senate, KCBD reported. State Sen. Charles Perry, who has filed 18 bills, said he expects the lowest bill-passage rate of his tenure and that Republicans do not expect to get their bills passed.
Rep. Carl Tepper, who has filed 11 bills, said he has good relations with both parties and will keep working on regional water projects, plus bills on postmarks, which he said affect property tax bills and mail-in ballots, and on stray dogs with Democrats. Perry said he will focus on water, infrastructure, education and consistently funded career and technical training.
Sources KCBD
Tyson begins restoring the second shift at its Amarillo beef plant, aiming for full operation by summer 2027
Tyson Foods said Wednesday, Nov. 11, that it has begun restoring select second-shift operations at its Amarillo beef plant and expects the shift to be fully running by summer 2027, the Amarillo Tribune reported. The move comes as Tyson announced plans for a long-term partnership with Allied Beef Company, a consortium of American ranchers, to strengthen its cattle supply.
Tyson cut the plant to a single shift in January, laying off about 1,700 people, and said in August it would bring the second shift back without giving a timeline. Chief Operating Officer Wes Morris said the company will keep investing in facilities like Amarillo. Tyson did not say how many workers it will hire.
Sources Amarillo Tribune
Fire crews put out a blaze at an abandoned building near Lowrey Field
Lubbock Fire Rescue extinguished a fire at an abandoned building near Lowrey Field in south Lubbock on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 11, KCBD reported. Crews were called to 66th Street and Avenue P just before 3:45 p.m., and the fire was out by 5 p.m.
Firefighters stayed on scene to watch for hot spots. The cause had not been released Wednesday evening; EverythingLubbock said it had asked Lubbock Fire Rescue what started the fire.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
D. Williams & Co., Inc.Honor Flight telethon raises more than $53,000 to fly South Plains veterans to Washington
KCBD's Veterans Day telethon on Wednesday, Nov. 11, raised more than $53,000 for the Texas South Plains Honor Flight, beating its $45,000 goal, KCBD reported. The all-volunteer nonprofit, operating locally since 2012, takes veterans on three-day trips to memorials in Washington, D.C.
Each flight carries about 80 veterans and costs at least $250,000, or about $1,800 per veteran, with priority for World War II, Korean and Vietnam War veterans. The group made two trips in 2026, hopes to do the same in 2027 to shorten its waiting list, and holds its first Celebration Fundraiser Gala on Dec. 5.
Sources KCBD
Free document shredding Friday at Lubbock National Bank and Goodwill
Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas and Lubbock National Bank will hold a Free Shred Day from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, for National Recycling Day, KCBD and EverythingLubbock reported. Residents may bring up to four boxes of personal documents per person for secure shredding.
Drop-off sites are Lubbock National Bank, 4811 50th St., and the Goodwill Career Resource Center, 6520 University Ave., Suite 11. Staples and paper clips do not need to be removed. Goodwill President and CEO Robin Raney said the event supports jobs for people with barriers to employment.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
TTUHSC's free Alzheimer's symposium Nov. 19 offers memory screenings; registration due Nov. 17
The TTUHSC Garrison Institute on Aging will hold its seventh annual Alzheimer's Awareness Symposium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church's Parish Hall, 3111 Erskine St., EverythingLubbock reported Wednesday, Nov. 11. The event is free, but advance registration is required by Nov. 17.
Zachary G. Baker of Arizona State University will speak on dementia caregiving and grief, and Dr. Gayle Ayers of the institute's memory clinic on new Alzheimer's medications. The day includes free memory screenings and dementia simulations. RSVP at GIA@ttuhsc.edu or 806-743-7821.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Texas Tech opera 'Staggerwing,' about a 1936 women's air race win, opens Thursday at Buddy Holly Hall
Texas Tech's School of Music presents the opera "Staggerwing" Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 12-15, in the Crickets Theater at Buddy Holly Hall, EverythingLubbock reported. The opera tells of pilots Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes in the 1936 Bendix Trophy Air Race, the first in which women-piloted teams could compete.
It also highlights Beech Aircraft co-founders Olive Ann and Walter Beech, with a score drawn from Wichita territory jazz. Shows are at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $31, with discounts for seniors and veterans; Texas Tech students, faculty and staff attend free with ID.
Sources EverythingLubbock
'Jody's Folly' mansion in Lubbock's Rush neighborhood is back on the market after renovations
The mansion known as "Jody's Folly" at 4509 14th St. is back on the market after renovations, KCBD reported Wednesday, Nov. 11. It was built by Jody Nelson, who was sentenced in 2006 to 25 years in prison for embezzling nearly $78 million from his former employer, Patterson-UTI, and spent about $4 million on the house.
The roughly 15,000-square-foot home later sold at auction for $742,000 and changed hands again in 2022. Its features include a basement theater, a basketball court, an elevator and a sauna. Kylee Garcia of McDougal Realtors is handling the sale; Derek Cooper Construction redesigned the home.
Sources KCBD
Texas Tech engineering student credits a Marine Corps family scholarship with easing her load
Faith Hall, a Texas Tech sophomore studying petroleum engineering, said on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, that a Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation award has lifted a major financial burden, EverythingLubbock reported. Her father served in the Marines, and she said the scholarship lets her focus on coursework instead of working.
Hall now serves as a student ambassador for the foundation, which also offers career connections and counseling, and urged students with a Marine Corps connection to apply. Texas Tech has about 250 veteran faculty and staff members and 3,000 military-connected students.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Action PrintingLubbock Army recruiting office says it has met its annual goal three years running
The Army recruiting office in Lubbock has met its annual recruiting mission for the past three years, reaching last year's goal several months early, Staff Sgt. Anthony Jordan told EverythingLubbock on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11. Nationally, the Army has rebounded in 2025 and 2026 after a significant recruiting drop in 2022.
Jordan said interest has held steady locally, but about one in four people who come through the office are initially disqualified from enlisting. He said the office regularly works with high school seniors planning their next steps.
Sources EverythingLubbock
State
Senate Democrats file a bill to end state grants that paid for thousands of Flock cameras
State Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, filed legislation Monday, Nov. 9, to bar the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority from funding roadside automated license plate readers, one of four bills filed this week to ban or limit Flock cameras, the Texas Tribune reported Thursday, Nov. 12. Sens. Roland Gutierrez, José Menéndez and Taylor Rehmet are co-authors.
A Tribune investigation found the authority spent more than $30 million from a $1 auto insurance fee, created by Alvarado's 2023 catalytic converter bill, to help install at least 3,200 Flock cameras, including 940 for the Department of Public Safety. Alvarado said cameras were never discussed as that bill passed.
Sources The Texas Tribune
CDC ends $29.2 million in HIV prevention grants to 11 Texas community groups
The federal government has cut $29.2 million from 11 Texas community-based organizations that test thousands of people for HIV, the Texas Tribune reported Thursday, Nov. 12. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention let the five-year PS21-2102 grant, of which Texas was the nation's largest beneficiary, expire Sept. 30, leaving the groups seeking new money or cutting services.
The grants paid for HIV tests, linking people to care and preventive medication. Philip Keiser, a University of Texas Medical Branch professor, said community groups are critical to getting people tested. Philip Huang, Dallas County's health director, said HIV prevention has been under attack from the start of the Trump administration. The CDC did not comment.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Texas set to execute Brownsville man Thursday for the 2003 killings of three young children
John Rubio, 46, is scheduled to be executed Thursday evening, Nov. 12, in Huntsville for the 2003 killings of his two children and his common-law wife's 3-year-old daughter, the Texas Tribune and the Associated Press reported. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied his latest appeal Nov. 5.
Rubio's first conviction was overturned in 2007, and a second jury convicted him in 2010 after he pleaded not guilty by insanity. His wife, Angela Camacho, received three life sentences. He would be the eighth man executed in Texas this year; Reinaldo Dennes is set to be executed Nov. 19.
Sources The Texas Tribune · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Bills filed to legalize fentanyl test strips in Texas, one of three states that ban them
State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, filed House Bill 1058 on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to make it legal to buy and possess drug-testing strips, and State Sen. Judith Zaffirini filed Senate Bill 87 on Monday to exempt fentanyl test strips from the state's drug paraphernalia law, KXAN reported via EverythingLubbock.
Texas law treats the inexpensive strips, which detect fentanyl or xylazine, as paraphernalia; only North Dakota and Iowa have similar restrictions. Advocates say legalizing them could reduce overdose deaths. Texas has recorded more than 9,500 fentanyl poisoning deaths since 2021, about 32% to 45% of annual drug deaths.
Sources EverythingLubbock
Rapper Yella Beezy convicted of capital murder in the 2020 killing of rapper MO3 on a Dallas interstate
A Dallas County jury on Wednesday, Nov. 11, convicted rapper Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway, of capital murder for hiring the gunman who killed rapper MO3, Melvin Noble, on Interstate 35 in 2020, the Associated Press reported. Conway, 35, was sentenced to life without parole.
Prosecutors said Conway paid gunman Kewon White $40,000 amid an escalating feud. White was convicted of capital murder in September and also sentenced to life without parole. Lead prosecutor Tommy Adams said the jury got it right in one of the most challenging cases of the past six years.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Duffy Law Firm, PCU.S. & World
Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi's Senate seat, ousting Cindy Hyde-Smith
Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Wednesday, Nov. 11, after days of counting absentee and affidavit ballots, becoming Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, the Associated Press reported. Hyde-Smith called Colom to concede Wednesday afternoon.
Colom, a 43-year-old local prosecutor, is the first new Democratic senator Mississippi has chosen since 1947. The result adds to Republicans' midterm losses and will bolster Democrats who argue the party's future runs through the South. Colom told supporters at Tougaloo College he had the courage to believe in Mississippi.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP) · KCBD · PBS NewsHour
Proposed SNAP rule could cut 6.3 million people from food aid by 2029
The Trump administration published a proposed rule Tuesday, Nov. 10, that would end automatic SNAP eligibility for some people who receive benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates about 6.3 million people could lose SNAP eligibility by fiscal 2029.
That would come on top of 5.5 million people who have lost SNAP benefits over the past year. The administration calls the change closing a loophole. The government is taking public comment until next month, and the rule would not take full effect for about two years.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
House passes a veterans package by voice vote on Veterans Day; Democrats object to the trade-off
The House passed a package of veterans bills Wednesday, Nov. 11, by voice vote, after no member requested a roll call, the Associated Press reported. Its centerpiece would let about 58,000 medically retired, combat-injured veterans keep both military retirement pay and VA disability pay, an average boost of about $1,450 a month.
Republicans would pay for it by changing how the VA rates tinnitus and sleep apnea, lowering compensation for some future veterans. Rep. Mark Takano, the committee's top Democrat, said the bill was snuck through and will go nowhere in the Senate. Majority Leader Steve Scalise said he was glad it passed.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin at the Kremlin after Russia-Ukraine talks end
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived at the Kremlin on Thursday, Nov. 12, for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after two days of U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine negotiations ended in Abu Dhabi, the Associated Press reported. Those talks produced an agreement on a large prisoner exchange but no breakthrough.
Kushner said one goal is to win Putin's approval for European representatives to join the talks on the continent's broader security. The U.S. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy want Europe to name a single negotiator to deal with Moscow.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Brooklyn building collapse beside a construction site kills at least two
A three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 11, at the edge of a construction site, killing at least two people and trapping others, the Associated Press reported. At least 17 people were hospitalized, four in critical condition, as firefighters searched the rubble into the night.
Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said workers were excavating the empty lot next door for a new building when the mixed-use structure fell; the cause is under investigation. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it a challenging, fast-moving rescue with dangerous voids beneath the surface.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP)
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier guard reprimands Hegseth's group on Veterans Day
A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier verbally reprimanded advisers and staff of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Arlington National Cemetery, the Associated Press reported. Video shows a loud laugh as the group finished taking photos on the tomb's steps.
The guard called out that all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum, and that the department has always honored the military's sacrifices.
Sources Fox News · EverythingLubbock (AP) · EverythingLubbock
Advanced GraphixU.S. pulls its team from the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar over Gulf security
U.S. Soccer withdrew its boys' team from the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, which begins next Wednesday, citing security, FIFA confirmed Thursday, Nov. 12, the Associated Press reported. The Gulf has been on high alert since U.S. military attacks on Iran began in February.
FIFA said it understood the decision was made in light of the U.S. Level 3 travel advisory. The U.S. was to open Nov. 21 against Montenegro. FIFA rules call for a fine of at least 20,000 Swiss francs, about $24,000, for withdrawing within 30 days of the tournament.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
South Carolina father charged with attempted murder after his infant son is found buried alive
An 11-month-old South Carolina boy who authorities say was buried alive in a dog crate by his father was found by rescuers after about 24 hours, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, Nov. 11. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said the boy was released from a hospital Tuesday night and is expected to fully recover.
The 25-year-old father, in custody since the boy disappeared Monday, has been charged with attempted murder; authorities have not discussed a motive. The boy's grandfather described finding him crying and covered in dirt. The Ledger does not name people charged with crimes who have not been convicted or pleaded guilty.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP) · KCBD
SS United States, once the world's fastest liner, sinks to become the largest artificial reef
The SS United States, the ocean liner that once held the speed record on the seas, was deliberately sunk in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to become the world's largest artificial reef, the Associated Press reported. After hours afloat, it finally went under around 9 p.m.
The $13.5 million controlled sinking aims to draw divers and anglers. Longer than the Titanic, the ship crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. Coleen O'Malley, whose company sank it, said the ship would not lay down without a fight.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
Irma P. Hall, 'Soul Food' matriarch who found fame at 60, dies at 91 in Dallas
Irma P. Hall, the former teacher who became a film actor in her 60s and played Big Mama in the 1997 film Soul Food, died Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Dallas at 91, her family announced Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. No cause was given.
The role earned her an NAACP Image Award, and she won a Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize opposite Tom Hanks in the Coen brothers' The Ladykillers. She also appeared in A Family Thing with James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall, Patch Adams, Collateral and Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns.
Sources EverythingLubbock (AP)
