Texas wildfires continue growing as firefighters struggle to contain massive Panhandle blazes
The five fires have burned more than a million acres — more than double the landmass of Houston — as residents have fled or sheltered in place. 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.
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![Wildfires have erupted in the Texas Panhandle this week.]()
Credit: Screenshot from Texas A&M Forest Service video -
Rural housing programs serve Texas’ elderly and disabled. This federal bill could make the process easier.
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett introduced House Bill 7412 to fix administrative issues that have created hurdles for some in rural communities. Full Story
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![Homes under construction in a future neighborhood Wednesday, April. 26, 2023, near Wolfforth in Lubbock County.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
These three “bandidas” are changing the face of Texas barbecue
With menu items like birria brisket ramen, the Bar-B-Que Bandidas in Lubbock are challenging the norm of Texas barbecue and a male dominated industry. Full Story
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![Raquel Lopez, left, Simone See, center, and Jewel Hill, right, season ribs before putting them on the smoker at Hill Barbecue Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Lubbock, Texas. (Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock residents have long dreamed of cheaper electricity. Will Texas’ open market deliver?
Years in the making, the transition from a municipal electric company to an open market has left some residents unsure. Full Story
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![A Lubbock Power & Light electrical substation on July 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock group pushes forward with marijuana ballot question despite Paxton lawsuit
The Texas attorney general has sued five other cities that have passed similar policies decriminalizing marijuana. Full Story
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![Nathan Lewis gets signatures on a petition to to legalize marijuana from Andrew Alcala, center, and Yvette Castillo, right, at the South Plains Fair Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Online message boards give closer look inside Amarillo’s heated abortion debate
After months of consideration from the Amarillo City Council, an abortion travel ban is gaining support through a new citizen-led petition. Full Story
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![Anti-abortion supporters listen as members of the Amarillo City Council meet to consider a so-called abortion travel ban during a work session Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in Amarillo. The council has debated the issue since October.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
In the Texas Panhandle, a nonprofit is fighting rural child care deserts
The Amarillo Area Foundation is funding new day care facilities in Friona and Claude after the towns found that a shortage of child care is making it harder to fill job openings. Full Story
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![Mariza Licerio, Director of Happy Tribe Academy daycare, puts one of her daycare kids in a seat to eat lunch Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Friona.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.
According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers. Full Story
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![From left, Amaldo Serrato and his daughter, Yuleida Serrato look over a failed dry-land cotton field that they had to plow under because it was too dry. The Serrato family own and run their multigenerational family farm in and around Floydada. Amado Serrato, his wife and father came to the United States, where they and their American born kids have created a successful agricultural business.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Amarillo City Council says it needs more time to debate abortion travel ban
After weeks of debate, the council took no action at a politically-charged meeting Tuesday. It is the largest city in Texas to debate an ordinance that would outlaw travel on its roadways to get an abortion. Full Story
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![Members of the Amarillo City Council meet to consider banning travel to access abortion services during a work session Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in Amarillo.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Shuttered for decades, a downtown theater in a rural Texas town is getting new life and new mission
Rural Texas towns like Levelland on the South Plains are increasingly turning to the arts to help revitalize their downtowns and provide more attractions for families. Full Story
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![Workers remove a plywood covering on the front of the Wallace Theater in Levelland on Dec. 5th, 2023. The historic theater, which has been vacant since the 1980s, is now under restoration and is expected to reopen by Dec. 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune