Running Out: Texas’ water crisis — and the path forward
A growing population, leaking pipes and changing climate threaten the state’s water supply. Texas lawmakers hope a $20 billion investment will help. Full Story
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Jayme Lozano Carver
Reporter/South Plains and Panhandle
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Jayme Lozano Carver is the Tribune’s first Lubbock-based reporter, covering the South Plains and Panhandle through a partnership with Report for America. Jayme previously worked for Texas Tech Public Media, Lubbock’s NPR station, where she spearheaded “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought,” a series for PBS’ “Frontline” on rural hospital closures in Texas. She also covered a broad range of topics for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, including climate change, agriculture, entertainment and health care. Born in Levelland, Jayme is a native of the South Plains area and studied at South Plains College and Texas Tech University. She loves to talk about her cats, horror movies and pro wrestling.
Latest Contributions
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![Jay Ornelas, El Paso County Water Improvement District Manager (left) and Ramon Tirres (right) in Clint, Texas on march 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
“This is going to be hard”: Texas public radio stations fighting to stay on the air after budget cuts
Thirty stations must figure out how to make up for the loss of at least $17.7 million in federal funding that came at the direction of the president without wearing out supporters. Full Story
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![Brad Burt reporter for Lubbock NPR or KTTZ sits at his desk in the studio Sept. 2, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Jacob Lujan for The Texas Tribune -
This West Texas town's proof is in the banana pudding
More than 10,000 people met over Labor Day weekend in Slaton to sample the banana pudding — a major boost to the rural town’s economy. Full Story
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![People line up to purchase or pick up passes at Texas Banana Pudding Festival in Slaton on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. An estimated 10,000 people attended the festival in the small town about 17 miles southeast of Lubbock.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate fast tracks THC ban, flood prep and bathroom restrictions for transgender people
Senators moved fast on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for the second special session. With House Democrats back in Texas, bills can now move through that chamber. Full Story
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![State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, speaks on the Senate floor at the Capitol on July 21, 2025.]()
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Texas’ oldest wildlife refuge was set to expand. Then the Trump administration changed course.
Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge was set to grow up to 700,000 acres to protect wildlife in West Texas and the Panhandle. Full Story
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![Sandhill crane, seen at Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge.]()
Credit: Wyman Meinzer/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -
Struggling Texas cotton industry emphasizing the hazards of fast fashion
A group representing High Plains region farmers has launched a campaign to make buyers aware of synthetic fibers’ impact on the environment and health. Full Story
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![Walt Hagood leans on his truck on his cotton farm in Wolfforth on May 12, 2025. .]()
Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune -
Texas officials say more than 160 people still missing from floods that killed over 100 others
Gov. Greg Abbott vowed Tuesday to continue rescue and recovery efforts in the flood-ravaged Hill Country “until every missing person is accounted for.” Full Story
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![Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
A $20 billion effort to avoid calamity: Here’s what Texas lawmakers did to save the state’s water supply
Among other changes is a new law that says homeowner associations can no longer fine Texans for not watering their grass during a drought. Full Story
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![The secondary clarifier at the Bustamante Waste Water Treatment Plant expansion in El Paso, Texas on March 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Amarillo breaks ground on psychiatric hospital, part of the state’s $1.5B investment in mental health
The facility will bring mental health resources closer to the largely rural region that’s home to nearly 436,000 people. Full Story
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![Artist rendering of the new Panhandle State Hospital in Amarillo, expected to be completed in 2027.]()
Credit: West Texas A&M University website -
As lawmakers tried to name an official steak, Texas students learned how to find the best beef
Far from the Capitol, students at Texas Tech spend time examining the quality of beef for meat judging competitions. Full Story
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![Zachary Buckley, production manager at Red Raider Meats, shows the different facilities at Texas Tech University's campus meat processing lab on May 1, 2025.]()
Credit: Jacob Lujan for The Texas Tribune