Daily Ledger
Daily digest straight from the source
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Today’s lead
An 18-year-old San Antonio driver was killed in a Friday night rollover on US 84 in Scurry County
James DiAngelo Brown Bakari, 18, of San Antonio, died in a single-vehicle rollover about 10 p.m. Friday, September 25, at US Highway 84 and FM 1606 in Scurry County, roughly 85 miles southeast of Lubbock.
Crash investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety said Bakari was driving north on US 84 at a high rate of speed in the passing lane when he lost control and the car overturned. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. Troopers released their account Saturday evening.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
More Local
A Clovis lineman was killed restoring power after heavy rain toppled a utility pole
Ian Massey, a lineman for Farmer's Electric Cooperative, was electrocuted Friday, September 25, while working in a rural area near Curry Road 7 in Curry County, New Mexico. The Curry County Sheriff's Office gave its account Saturday.
Deputies responding to a report of an industrial accident found Massey in several feet of standing water. The pole he was repairing had been leaning after recent heavy rainfall in the area and fell unexpectedly into the water, putting him in contact with electricity. The Clovis Fire Department assisted. Massey was taken by ambulance to Plains Regional Medical Center, where he died.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
No. 11 Texas Tech pulls away from Sam Houston 49-14 as Austin Romaine returns two interceptions for scores
Texas Tech closed nonconference play at 4-0 with a 49-14 win over Sam Houston on Saturday, September 26. Linebacker Austin Romaine returned interceptions 15 and 31 yards for touchdowns on consecutive throws in the opening minute of the second quarter, the first time an FBS player has done that in 13 years.
Cameron Dickey ran for two scores, Will Hammond added a rushing touchdown and a 21-yard pass to Coy Eakin, and Thomas Castellanos found Malcolm Simmons for 27 yards. Head coach Joey McGuire said he was proud of how his team came out after halftime but faulted "way too many self-inflicted wounds." Tech plays at Colorado on October 3.
Sources Texas Tech Athletics · KCBD · EverythingLubbock
A warm, dry Sunday gives way to a mid-week soaking as Hurricane Polo's moisture reaches the South Plains
Sunday will be warm and sunny across the South Plains, with highs in the lower 90s and no rain, KCBD meteorologist Dylan Smith said Saturday, September 26. Monday looks much the same, with highs near 90.
The pattern turns overnight Monday into Tuesday, when moisture and lift from Hurricane Polo, now in the eastern Pacific, reach the region. Smith said that brings substantial chances of rain and potential flooding through most of Tuesday and into Wednesday. The National Weather Service had no watches, warnings or advisories in effect for Lubbock as of early Sunday morning.
Sources KCBD
Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLPOne person was seriously hurt in a Saturday afternoon motorcycle crash at 34th and Slide
One person suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle crash just after 1 p.m. Saturday, September 26, near 34th Street and Slide Road in central Lubbock.
Lubbock police said officers responded to a crash with injuries at the intersection. The cause had not been determined as of Saturday afternoon, and police had not released the name or the condition of the person who was hurt. Both KCBD and EverythingLubbock were still carrying the report as developing Saturday evening.
Sources KCBD · EverythingLubbock
The Dia de los Muertos Memorial Run marks its 10th year in Lubbock on November 7
The 10th annual Dia de los Muertos Memorial Run returns to Lubbock on Saturday, November 7, organizers said in an announcement carried Saturday, September 26. Walkers and runners are both invited, and a community altar will be set up for participants who bring photographs of family members who have died.
Three races are open for sign-up: the Marigold Move fun run at $30, the Spirit Strider 5K at $40 and Las Calaveras kids run at $20, all starting at 9 a.m. Runners are encouraged to dress festively, including calaveras and marigolds. Registration, event details and volunteer information are posted online.
Sources EverythingLubbock
State
Paxton and Talarico spar over suspending the gas tax as Texas pump prices run well above last year
Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico clashed Saturday, September 26, over suspending the federal gas and diesel tax. Regular gas in Texas is averaging $3.94 a gallon and diesel $5.90, up 69% and 53% from a year ago.
Talarico, Paxton's Democratic opponent in the U.S. Senate race, called at a Carrollton gas station for suspending the taxes until prices fall back to February levels, tying the increases to the war in Iran. Paxton answered hours later that he would repeal them permanently, putting money "straight back into drivers' pockets." The taxes run 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel, and mostly fund the federal Highway Trust Fund.
Sources The Texas Tribune
Rep. Jodey Arrington tells the Tribune Festival the country should bet on AI innovation over regulation
U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, argued Saturday, September 26, at the Texas Tribune Festival that the United States should prioritize speed over guardrails in artificial intelligence, saying "erring on the side of innovation and winning the race is the right initial posture."
Arrington criticized United Nations-style AI governance and said aiming for zero risk would mean losing to China. Chris Hyams, the former chief executive of Indeed, countered that China already regulates AI tightly while relying on American innovation. Sherri Greenberg, assistant dean at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs, pressed for protecting residents, and Jason Tyszko of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation said employers and schools are out of step on AI skills.
Sources The Texas Tribune
A Tribune Festival panel says Texas campaigns are courting Latino voters earlier and harder this year
About a quarter of Texas voters in this election are expected to be Latino, and campaigns are reaching them sooner than in past cycles, panelists said Saturday, September 26, at the Texas Tribune Festival. Jason Villalba of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation said one U.S. Senate campaign spent $800,000 on Spanish-language ads on Telemundo during World Cup group play.
Stephanie Valencia, president of the research firm Equis, said immigration and deportation ranked second among voters' concerns in September polling and warned that voters can tell when Spanish-language outreach is only a gesture. Sergio Garcia-Rios, a political scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, said Latino voters want campaigns to take up their issues.
Sources The Texas Tribune
U.S. & World
A powerful nor'easter floods the Northeast coast and knocks out power to more than 70,000
A nor'easter drove near-record coastal flooding into New Jersey, Delaware and New York on Saturday, September 26, leaving streets underwater, ground floors inundated and more than 70,000 customers without power. A peak gust of 74 mph was recorded at Surf City, New Jersey.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and Westchester County and warned residents that much more rain was coming. Sea Bright, New Jersey, Mayor Brian Kelly said he expected flooding closer to the scale of Hurricane Irene in 2011. National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Belk said the impacts would fall hardest nearest the coast. Flights, ferries and weekend events were cancelled.
Sources Fox Weather · PBS NewsHour
D. Williams & Co., Inc.Hurricane Nolo stalls south of Hawaii's Big Island with up to 20 inches of rain in the forecast
Hurricane Nolo sat about 160 miles south of Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday, September 26, with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph and a forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane as it crawled west. Rain began on the islands Saturday, with as much as 20 inches possible on parts of the Big Island.
National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan urged people not to venture out into what he called a "dangerous flooding environment." A presidential emergency declaration cleared the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance, hundreds of Hawaii National Guard members were activated and shelters opened. The Big Island is still recovering from Hurricane Lala, which displaced about 100 homes in August.
Sources Fox Weather · PBS NewsHour
Trump rejects Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days
President Donald Trump rejected Iran's proposal on Saturday, September 26, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks within a week. Iran had asked the United States to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waive sanctions on oil sales and observe a ceasefire that included Lebanon.
Trump said the deal would not be acceptable while leaving the door open to negotiations on other terms, arguing Tehran wanted an agreement because it was losing badly. The strait has been closed since military strikes in late February, sharply cutting vessel traffic through the waterway and feeding the fuel-price increases now driving the Texas Senate race.
Sources The Hill · PBS NewsHour
The U.S. and China agree to cut tariffs on $30 billion in goods, farm exports among them
The United States and China agreed Saturday, September 26, to lower tariffs on about $30 billion in goods the two sides classify as non-sensitive, closing a three-day summit in Washington. American agricultural products, fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics and medical devices get better treatment going out.
Coming in, the cuts cover small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children's car seats. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said "a lot more details" would follow Monday, and the arrangement runs through a new U.S.-China Board of Trade created at the summit. Tariffs between the two countries peaked at 145% and 125% in April 2025 before a series of truces brought them down.
Sources Fox News · PBS NewsHour
Trump approves new fuel economy standards that end the Biden-era electric vehicle mandate
President Donald Trump said Saturday, September 26, that he had approved new federal fuel economy standards terminating the Biden administration's electric vehicle mandate, reversing the stricter emissions rules issued in 2024. He tied the move to $100 billion in announced auto-manufacturing investment.
Trump said plants and jobs were returning to "Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, and all over our Country." General Motors, Ford and Stellantis were credited as backing the change, and Ford's chief executive called it a victory for affordability that would let the company launch more vehicles built in America. Electric vehicle tax credits ended last year, and California's state vehicle mandates were undone by congressional resolutions signed in June.
Sources Fox Business · The Hill
Former Kennedy Center employees say leadership shelved a funded roof repair before the building closed
Former Kennedy Center employees allege that leadership halted a funded roof-repair plan in April, months before the performing arts center closed indefinitely, according to a letter made public Saturday, September 26, by their attorney, David Seide.
The center shut after an inspection found its roof terrace canopy deteriorating and part of a ceiling collapsed; U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has since required 30 days' notice before major changes. Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Matt Floca said the extent of the interior damage was not known until this summer and called the April decision a folding of the work into a broader plan. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has asked for records on $257 million in repair money.
Sources The Hill · PBS NewsHour
Pope Leo draws 800,000 to an open-air Mass in central Paris
About 800,000 people filled the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysees on Saturday, September 26, for an open-air Mass celebrated by Pope Leo, roughly 200,000 more than had registered in advance. He travelled about 1.2 miles through central Paris before the service.
"From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France," the pope told the crowd. The Mass came during a September 25-28 trip that also takes him to Lourdes and Metz, with a meeting with French leadership and prayers at Notre-Dame Cathedral. It is the first papal visit to France since 2008.
Sources Fox News · PBS NewsHour
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