News

Poor Listeners

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‘Pardon me, sorry I didn’t hear you. What did you say?’ Through no fault of their own, many individuals are hearing impaired.

LP&L moving into competitive market

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The Lubbock City council and the Electric Utility Board approved for Lubbock Power and Light to move into a competitive market with a unanimous vote back in February. LP&L confirmed it filed the official 12 month notice to ERCOT, putting them one step closer to the retail market.

ERCOT hires new CEO

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ERCOT announced it has hired Pablo Vegas, a utility executive who lives in Ohio, will be the new leader of Texas’ main power grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Vegas becomes ERCOT’s first permanent chief executive in 16 months, since former CEO Bill Magness was fired in the aftermath of the February 2021 winter storm which left millions of Texans without power for days.

Drought persists in South Plains, Panhandle region

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Severe or exceptional drought consumed many counties in the South Plains and Texas Panhandle, persisting with 222 counties, including Castro County, across the state under burn bans, and crops and cattle suffering in the midst of high heat and lack of rain.

Schools receive accountability ratings

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For the first time since the COVID pandemic began, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released its accountability ratings for the state’s school districts and individual campuses. Nazareth ISD elementary/secondary came out on top among schools in Castro County, scoring an A or 98 out of 100.

CDC updates, relaxes Covid guidelines

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Covid-19 guidance on because, according to the agency, the virus presents a lower risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. While the CDC claims the pandemic is not over, “ it helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” said Greta Massetti, a CDC epidemiologist, in a statement.

Hegar distributes $1.2B in sales tax allocations

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Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts $1.2 billion in local sales tax allocations for August, 10.8 percent more than in August 2021.

Harvest Days Kicks Off Aug. 27

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The Castro County Harvest Days celebration is just around the corner and promises to be the best yet with a full schedule of events on Aug. 27.