INSIDER
Unregulated oilfield power lines are suspected of sparking Texas wildfires
Read full article: Unregulated oilfield power lines are suspected of sparking Texas wildfiresNo state agency is taking responsibility for making sure the privately built lines that power many oil and gas sites are safe. Such lines have been blamed for sparking two recent Panhandle fires.
I started reporting on the dearth of reproductive health care. Then I had my own emergency.
Read full article: I started reporting on the dearth of reproductive health care. Then I had my own emergency.Texas Tribune journalist Jayme Lozano Carver has written about health care for years. Most recently, she reported on how little access there is for women and new moms in the Texas Panhandle.
HOLY HAIL! Potentially record-breaking hailstone falls in Texas Panhandle
Read full article: HOLY HAIL! Potentially record-breaking hailstone falls in Texas PanhandleA hailstone found in the Texas Panhandle could potentially break the record for the largest hailstone ever found to have fallen in Texas.
Three months after the Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents are preparing for the next one
Read full article: Three months after the Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents are preparing for the next oneShort of an immediate statewide response, Texans who lost homes and livestock are taking matters into their own hands to better prepare their property for a wildfire.
Clarendon City Council rejects ordinance banning travel to access abortion outside of Texas
Read full article: Clarendon City Council rejects ordinance banning travel to access abortion outside of TexasClarendon is one of the first cities in Texas to reject the ordinance, after several cities and counties passed similar measures
Ted Cruz and Ronny Jackson push legislation to help ranchers who lost livestock in Panhandle wildfires
Read full article: Ted Cruz and Ronny Jackson push legislation to help ranchers who lost livestock in Panhandle wildfiresThe Republican senator and congressman introduced a bill that would expand a federal aid program to pay ranchers when pregnant cattle are killed in disasters.
Decayed power pole sparked the largest wildfire in state history, Texas House committee confirms
Read full article: Decayed power pole sparked the largest wildfire in state history, Texas House committee confirmsA lack of air support and ineffective coordination hurt efforts to contain this year's Panhandle fires, the committee said.
Public blasts Texas agencies, regulators for poor communication and oversight at wildfire hearings
Read full article: Public blasts Texas agencies, regulators for poor communication and oversight at wildfire hearingsThursday’s hearing marked the end of the Legislature’s three-day marathon of public hearings.
Utility pole inspection company declines to testify at Texas Panhandle wildfire investigation hearing
Read full article: Utility pole inspection company declines to testify at Texas Panhandle wildfire investigation hearingThe Texas A&M Forest Service concluded that a fallen decayed utility pole caused the Smokehouse Creek fire.
Texas emergency director calls for firefighting air force after historic Panhandle fires
Read full article: Texas emergency director calls for firefighting air force after historic Panhandle firesA special legislative committee is investigating what caused the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in state history.
Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfires
Read full article: Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfiresFederal officials said the nation’s milk supply should be not at risk after a bird flu outbreak hits dairies in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.
Texas firefighters completely contain Panhandle inferno that burned more than 1 million acres
Read full article: Texas firefighters completely contain Panhandle inferno that burned more than 1 million acresA series of deadly wildfires have burned for nearly three weeks, destroying farms and ranches in several counties.
“It does not get easier”: Texas ranchers lose cattle and land in historic wildfires
Read full article: “It does not get easier”: Texas ranchers lose cattle and land in historic wildfiresAs ranchers recover from the Smokehouse Creek fire, they face the agonizing choice of what to do with an unknown number of injured cattle.
Texas requires utilities to plan for emergencies. That didn’t stop the Panhandle fires.
Read full article: Texas requires utilities to plan for emergencies. That didn’t stop the Panhandle fires.Experts say utilities need to be ready for extreme weather, which could be a challenge in a state where discussing climate change is often taboo.
Gov. Abbott provides update on efforts to contain Texas wildfires
Read full article: Gov. Abbott provides update on efforts to contain Texas wildfiresGov. Greg Abbott is holding a news conference on Tuesday to provide an update on the efforts to contain the Smokehouse Creek Fire and other wildfires in Texas.
Many homes burned in the Texas wildfires weren’t insured, creating a steep path to recovery
Read full article: Many homes burned in the Texas wildfires weren’t insured, creating a steep path to recoveryRural Texans are more than twice as likely to go without homeowners insurance than their urban peers.
Texas Panhandle wildfires: What you need to know about the blazes, damage and recovery
Read full article: Texas Panhandle wildfires: What you need to know about the blazes, damage and recoveryThe full scope of damage still isn’t known, but some Panhandle residents have returned home. Firefighters continue battling the infernos.
Firefighters keep up battle to stamp out largest wildfire in Texas history
Read full article: Firefighters keep up battle to stamp out largest wildfire in Texas historyPlanes have dropped fire retardant over the northern Texas Panhandle as firefighters are continuing efforts to stamp out the largest wildfire in state history.
Why aren’t planes, helicopters being used to fight Texas Panhandle wildfires?
Read full article: Why aren’t planes, helicopters being used to fight Texas Panhandle wildfires?As several wildfires continue to burn in the Texas Panhandle, many people have the same question: Why aren’t firefighters using planes and helicopters?
‘The worst feeling I’ve ever had on a fire:’ Texas Panhandle firefighter loses home while saving others
Read full article: ‘The worst feeling I’ve ever had on a fire:’ Texas Panhandle firefighter loses home while saving othersA firefighter in the Texas Panhandle came home to find his house engulfed in flames by the same fire he’s fighting.
Firefighters from Houston-area among crews racing to stop Texas Panhandle wildfires from growing
Read full article: Firefighters from Houston-area among crews racing to stop Texas Panhandle wildfires from growingAs firefighters work on their fifth straight day of trying to put out wildfires burning in the Texas Panhandle, the race is on to beat a weather forecast that favors wildfires burning uncontrollably.
Texas Panhandle ranchers face losses and grim task of removing dead cattle killed by wildfires
Read full article: Texas Panhandle ranchers face losses and grim task of removing dead cattle killed by wildfiresRanchers in the fire-scarred Texas Panhandle are facing a grim task of disposing possibly thousands of dead cattle killed by smoke and flames.
Wildfires ravage cattle country, threatening Texas’ agriculture economy
Read full article: Wildfires ravage cattle country, threatening Texas’ agriculture economyTexas wildfires have consumed acres of agricultural land, killing thousands of livestock, destroying crops and exacerbating challenges lingering from last year’s drought.
RodeoHouston offering helping hand to ranchers, livestock impacted by Texas Panhandle wildfires
Read full article: RodeoHouston offering helping hand to ranchers, livestock impacted by Texas Panhandle wildfiresRodeoHouston stands with the ranchers and livestock affected by the devastating Texas Panhandle wildfires. #SupportTexasPanhandle #RodeoHouston
Texans in the Panhandle recall towering smoke and darkened skies as wildfires crept near their towns
Read full article: Texans in the Panhandle recall towering smoke and darkened skies as wildfires crept near their townsThe fires have left at least two people dead and four injured firefighters. Cattle have been lost and homes and businesses decimated in their wake.
Massive wildfires in Texas panhandle pose threat to cattle industry
Read full article: Massive wildfires in Texas panhandle pose threat to cattle industryFlames continue to burn through the Texas Panhandle. The Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned over a million acres, the largest recorded fire in Texas history.
In the Texas Panhandle, a nonprofit is fighting rural child care deserts
Read full article: In the Texas Panhandle, a nonprofit is fighting rural child care desertsThe 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.
After pause, this Texas city is set to reconsider banning travel to access an abortion
Read full article: After pause, this Texas city is set to reconsider banning travel to access an abortionA handful of local governments have already put the legally dubious bans in place. The news that Amarillo will take the issue up again comes shortly after a Dallas woman left the state for an abortion after losing a legal battle to obtain one here.
In Texas’ Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing up
Read full article: In Texas’ Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing upThe region that includes Amarillo, a Panhandle city of more than 200,000 people, and surrounding towns has long been a mental health care desert. Officials hope a new $159 million hospital can help reduce a massive spike in suicide attempts.
1 dead and 3 injured after multiple people pulled guns during fight in Texas Panhandle city
Read full article: 1 dead and 3 injured after multiple people pulled guns during fight in Texas Panhandle cityPolice say one arrest has been made and others are expected after a man was killed and three others were injured when multiple people pulled guns and shots were fired during a fight in a small city in the Texas Panhandle.
Heat wave has US South sweltering, from tornado-ravaged West Texas town to Florida beaches
Read full article: Heat wave has US South sweltering, from tornado-ravaged West Texas town to Florida beachesCommunities from Houston to New Orleans are opening cooling centers to bring relief as steamy hot temperatures settle across a broad swath of the U.S. South.
“This is pretty devastating”: Three dead, more than 100 injured after tornado strikes Perryton
Read full article: “This is pretty devastating”: Three dead, more than 100 injured after tornado strikes PerrytonMore than 100 people were injured in the tornado that hit the Panhandle town. Gov. Greg Abbott sent emergency crews to assist with recovery efforts.
Tornado devastates Texas Panhandle town, killing 3 and injuring dozens
Read full article: Tornado devastates Texas Panhandle town, killing 3 and injuring dozensThree people have been killed after a tornado tore through the Texas Panhandle town of Perryton, leaving dozens more injured widespread damage.
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
Read full article: Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information.
Massive Texas dairy farm blaze that killed nearly 18,000 cows caused by engine fire in manure hauler
Read full article: Massive Texas dairy farm blaze that killed nearly 18,000 cows caused by engine fire in manure haulerState investigators determined that a fire and explosion at a dairy farm in the Texas Panhandle that injured one person and killed an estimated 18,000 head of cattle was an accident that started with an engine fire in a manure vacuum truck.
Galveston man suing 3 women for helping his ex-wife obtain abortion pills now accused of abuse in new court docs
Read full article: Galveston man suing 3 women for helping his ex-wife obtain abortion pills now accused of abuse in new court docsA man who filed a lawsuit in Texas against three women he said helped his now-ex-wife obtain medication for an abortion is accused in a new court filing of using the lawsuit as an extension of the manipulative, controlling and emotionally abusive behavior he displayed toward her during their marriage.
Women accused of facilitating abortion in Galveston wrongful-death lawsuit file countersuit
Read full article: Women accused of facilitating abortion in Galveston wrongful-death lawsuit file countersuitThe women are accused of helping their friend terminate her pregnancy, but they now claim her ex-husband, who brought the lawsuit, knew she had obtained the medication and did nothing to stop her.
A storied Texas Panhandle newspaper halts publication after 130 years
Read full article: A storied Texas Panhandle newspaper halts publication after 130 yearsThe end of The Canadian Record’s print edition — even if temporary — is another indication of how perilous the news business is for local publishers and the communities they’re a part of.
Texas drought strengthens its grip, triggering wildfires, water restrictions and crop disasters
Read full article: Texas drought strengthens its grip, triggering wildfires, water restrictions and crop disastersHundreds of wildfires have broken out this spring. More than a dozen areas are under voluntary or mandatory water use restrictions, and more than 200 Texas counties have been designated as crop disaster areas.
Did you know the second-largest canyon in the country is right here in Texas?
Read full article: Did you know the second-largest canyon in the country is right here in Texas?The nation’s second-largest canyon, Palo Duro remains almost completely hidden until you reach its rim, where the high plains of the Texas Panhandle drop away, revealing dramatic, caprock formations.
The new coronavirus has killed more than 2,000 people in Texas
Read full article: The new coronavirus has killed more than 2,000 people in TexasSarah M. Vasquez for The Texas TribuneEnough people to pack the bleachers at Faith Christians football stadium in Grapevine. By the state's official count, the coronavirus pandemic has now killed 2,029 people in Texas, a toll experts agree is an undercount. Connecticut, a state with one-eighth of Texas population, is mourning twice as many known fatalities. Most Texans died where most Texans live, state data show. The state health department has collected only limited data about them, reporting demographic information for just 664 lost Texans.
A Texas Panhandle museum explores the wire that tamed the American West
Read full article: A Texas Panhandle museum explores the wire that tamed the American WestThe Devils Rope Museum and its plain-spoken founder, Delbert Trew, tell those stories and a whole lot more. Joseph Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois, introduced barbed wire to the world in 1874 with a design that could be mass-produced in a factory. When barbed wire was introduced, it was very vicious and it caused lots of injuries to cattle, horses, and people. City people, he says, have little appreciation for how barbed wire civilized the Great Plains and the western United States. Somebody said, Hey, if barbed wire can do this for cattle, think of what else it could do.Ingenuity, technology, industry, and geography are all part of the barbed wire story, it turns out.
Texas travel: Plan a road trip to Palo Duro Canyon
Read full article: Texas travel: Plan a road trip to Palo Duro CanyonYour first time in Canyon, you’ll be forgiven for wondering where this Panhandle community of about 15,000 gets its name. He moved into Palo Duro Canyon Estates, a small residential development overlooking the canyon south of State Highway 217. Keep an eye on the clock, though, because you’ll want to return to Doves Rest and the canyon rim by sunset. Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. At the state park, an $8 entrance fee gives access to gorgeous picnic areas and about 50 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.