Sarah Self-Walbrick

Federal civil rights complaint alleging racism filed against Lubbock-Cooper ISD

A civil rights complaint against Lubbock Cooper ISD alleging racist discrimination has been filed with the U.S. Department of Education. Community advocates announced the move at the school district’s board of trustees meeting Monday night. Multiple…

How to help the Lubbock Area United Way address our biggest issues

The Lubbock Area United Way is nearing the finish line of its annual campaign that helps fund services across the South Plains. The organization works with dozens of community partners to address the area’s biggest needs. United Way’s priorities…

Republicans have historically embraced small-town Texas. Now, Democrats are catching up

About 3 million people live in rural parts of the state, and this year they’ve gotten more visits from Democratic candidates. A park in Snyder, Texas, was abuzz on a recent fall day. Kids were playing in a little league game, and a disc golf…

In Texas, how you vote on Election Day depends on where you live

Some counties require voters to go to a specific polling place to cast their ballots. Early voting for the midterms is going on right now. During this time period, Texans can cast a ballot at any polling location in their county. But on Election Day,…

In Texas, how you vote on Election Day depends on where you live

Early voting for the midterms is going on right now. During this time period, Texans can cast a ballot at any polling location in their county. But on Election Day, rules might be different depending on where you live. Some counties still use a…

What you should know about Lubbock's road bond election

Lubbockites will once again vote on a road bond package this November. The $200 million package would fund work that’s needed on 22 miles of roads in town. You might remember that voters rejected a road bond last year. The City of Lubbock tasked a…

Good Line Beer Co. now has 'good problems' after pandemic journey to open

Opening a business is never an easy process, but the years-long pandemic brought new challenges for entrepreneurs. The owners of Good Line Beer Co. learned that the hard way. Chris Troutman and Shawn Phillips have been planning their brewery for…

Lubbock-Cooper responds to racism allegations after parents hire law firm

A Dallas law firm sent the Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District and its Superintendent Keith Bryant a letter two weeks ago on behalf of a group of families who allege Black students at Laura Bush Middle School were targets of racist…

Lubbock ISD appoints new trustee

The Lubbock Independent School District’s Board of Trustees appointed a new representative for District 5 at a Thursday morning meeting. Kristopher Zepeda is an executive director of medical affairs for the biotech company Epizyme. The Seagraves…

Texas kids struggling with mental health, self-harm as school starts back

The COVID-19 pandemic made a national mental health crisis among children worse. Stressors like isolation and grief led to more diagnoses of anxiety and depression. Those are just some mental health challenges kids are dealing with as they return to…

Texas kids struggling with mental health, self-harm as school starts back

Payton Carter is 19 years old and about to start her second year at Texas Tech University. She’s enjoying her college experience, but school hasn’t always been a positive place for her. In middle school, she said she struggled with being bullied on…

Listen In, Lubbock: What you need to know about the city's budget, road bond plans

Over the first week of August, the Lubbock City Council held its budget workshop sessions. That’s when the council reviews the city’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. It’s a big task that takes months of preparation. The presentations…

Apathy, education contributing to low voter turnout in Lubbock elections

While voter turnout for Lubbock’s local elections is rarely considered good, this year was particularly low. In June, Juan Chadis ended his six years representing District 1 on the Lubbock City Council. In his last few minutes as a city councilman,…

Apathy, education contributing to low voter turnout in Lubbock elections

In June, Juan Chadis ended his six years representing District 1 on the Lubbock City Council. In his last few minutes as a city councilman, Chadis had this parting message. “It's time for a scolding because of the dismal turnout at the voting,”…

Lubbockites react to abortion rights reversal

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 opinion that the issue of abortion should be returned to the states. In Texas, that means all abortions will soon be banned. The news elicited passionate responses throughout Lubbock. Friday afternoon, abortion…

Lubbock gets new mayor, majority-women city council after municipal election

Tray Payne will be Lubbock’s next mayor and the city council will, for the first time, have more women than men on the dais following the municipal election. Over 23,600 Lubbock County citizens cast ballots during the municipal election that included…

What you need to know for Lubbock's May 2022 municipal election

Lubbock's municipal election is now underway, with early voting continuing through May 3 ahead of Election Day on May 7. Eligible voters are able to cast their ballot at over a dozen voting centers throughout town. Find your nearest polling place,…

Passion, and partisanship, fueling interest in school board races

“Nonpartisanship, aside from maybe something like a dog catcher, truly, I would venture to say probably does not exist.” When Ryan Curry first campaigned to represent District 4 on the Lubbock Independent School District’s Board of Trustees, he won…

Passion, and partisanship, fueling interest in school board races

When Ryan Curry first campaigned to represent District 4 on the Lubbock Independent School District’s Board of Trustees, he won unopposed. That’s not the case this year in what has become a contentious election. School board races are supposed to be…

Lubbock LGBTQ community mourns one of their own as politicians target transgender Texans

Family, friends and allies gathered for a candlelight vigil on a recent cold Saturday evening to honor the life of Cypress Ramos, a Lubbock trans woman murdered last month. Her girlfriends described Ramos as the life of the party. Always down for a…