May 27th, 2026

May 27th, 2026

Texas’s Primary Elections are finally over-after yesterday’s runoff decided the contests that didn’t produce an outright winner in March. Those candidates are now shifting the focus of their campaigns to defeating their opponents on the other side of the aisle.We’ll have the final installment of our month-long series Minds on Trial – wrapping up by looking at how society views and approaches mental health.Some West Texans are fighting the federal government’s expansion of border barriers. Officials and landowners have collaborated on a letter expressing their opposition.We’ll also bring you the view from local educators who serve students with special needs–they share how the families they serve fared in the first round of school-choice-funding.AND spring brings lots of shoppers to the area’s farmers markets–we visited Abilene’s Saturday morning market to check in on how the crops and other goods are looking this season.

May 20th, 2026

Early voting is underway in the runoffs for candidates trying to secure their spot on November’s ballot. We’ll check in on the race for the Republican nomination for Texas’s 19th Congressional District.We’ll also hear about the runoff in the U-S Senate race–and for the G-O-P contest for Railroad Commissioner.Today we’ve got our next installment of Minds on Trial. Today-we hear from an individual–and his loved ones–about what a difference Assisted Outpatient Treatment makes.We’ll tell you about the impact of gas prices on rural West Texas.It’s been more than a decade in the making. The doors are now open for Abilene’s new main branch library–and science center at Heritage Square. We’ll tell you all about the grand opening.And on West Texas Roots our story-teller recalls simpler times– spending childhood days in nature without digital distractions.AND another 40th birthday flashback…

May 13th, 2026

We continue to dig into the way Texas has worked to improve the way the criminal justice system deals with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis..today we go all the way back to the model that the Texas system followed.After years of planning, fundraising and building–Heritage Square will open its doors this week. We’ll hear from some of the key architects of this incredible project.The rising price of oil has given rise to theft in West Texas…and it’s a much more sophisticated crime than it once was.We’ll tell you about how Texas Tech students are protesting what they say is the death of academic freedom.And we’ll hear about the unique features -including a Pecan Farm- of a world-class recording studio near El Paso.

May 6th, 2026

Today we bring you the second installment of our series “Minds on Trial” with a look at how Texas has worked to solve the problem of not having enough resources for people experiencing mental health crises—and keeping those crisis from escalating into a dangerous situation.A four-way race is a hard one to win out right. We’ll wrap up the joint city and school general elections for you–and look ahead…to the runoffs.This week's West Texas Roots tells us how an airman and his wife fell in love with Abilene after being stationed at Dyess Air Force Base…and how names for certain farming equipment can cause confusion..And about a dozen West Texas high schools –including a few from the Big Country– will take their theater shows are competing for the U-I-L title in One Act Play…The lights come up on the Austin stage next week!

April 29th, 2026

Today on the show we kick off a series looking at how Texas is trying to change the way people in crisis interact with the justice system. We start by looking at the problem that the state has been trying to solve…and is leading the way on for other states.Housing remains a hot topic in the Abilene area–even for the universities! Only some of their students live on campus–and some students without that housing may not be sticking around.Abilene was on the front end of the big A-I Data Center surge–but communities across West Texas are considering whether or not to develop these projects…we’ll hear how it’s looking in Lubbock.Paul Fabrizio–regular commentator for this show–and local news for decades–is retiring from McMurry. We’ll ask him how politics and teaching about it has changed over his tenure.This week’s West Texas roots takes us back to when the Abilene Zoo was at Rose Park and why you shouldn’t keep giving polar bears salt blocks.And we’ve got another 40th Birthday flashback cued up.