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Midland native serves aboard Navy warship built to honor Sept. 11 victims

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Osborne, Navy Office of Community Outreach NORFOLK, VA. In the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the nation vowed to never forget. Now, 25 years later, memorials to the victims of those at...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Sep 3, 2026

Abbott announces $1.7 million in grants to West Texas veteran service organizations

AUSTIN Governor Greg Abbott today announced $1,700,000 in Funds for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) grants have been awarded to six organizations in the West Texas region as part of the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) Grants Across Texas Tour. Administered by TVC, the funding will p...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Sep 3, 2026

ECISD board picks former teacher for board seat

Former teacher Rosalita Veronica Garcia was selected from interviews by the ECISD Board of Trustees to fill the vacant seat during a special board meeting on Tuesday. Trustees moved to closed session to interview four applicants for Single Board Member District Position 1 which i...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Sep 2, 2026

Here’s what you need to know about Texas’ voter suspense list

By Natalia Contreras, Votebeat Multiple headlines recently have fueled confusion among Texas voters who have been placed on the state’s suspense list. Voters on the suspense list can still vote. Despite its name, being placed on the suspense list does not mean a voter’s registrat...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Sep 1, 2026

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Why I vote Democrat

The first time I ever voted, I chose all Republican candidates. Growing up, I was deeply influenced by my conservative (and loving) grandfather. However, the Republican Party in those years was very different from the party it is today. The leaders of the Republican Party have ev...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 31, 2026

RRC announces new oil & gas director

AUSTIN The RRC is pleased to announce that David Lindley has been named the new director of the commission’s Oil and Gas Division. The division oversees Texas’ oil and natural gas exploration and production activities and enforces compliance with commission rules designed to prot...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 31, 2026

CHAREN: They will try to steal the 2026 elections

The Supreme Court gave us a start last week, with what looked, at first glance, like a win for Trump’s efforts to suppress mail-in ballots. But, as Andrew Egger explained, that isn’t quite what happened. In broad outline, the Court stayed a lower court injunction while the legali...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 31, 2026

TAHC releases first eligible New World screwworm infested zones

AUSTIN The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) executive director officially released movement restrictions for areas of Texas previously deemed as New World screwworm (NWS) Infested Zones. Following months of coordinated surveillance and eradication activities, designated area...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 31, 2026

Texas should establish three-year bachelor’s degree options, Gov. Greg Abbott says

The Academic Building on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Nov. 12, 2025. Credit: Cassie Stricker for The Texas Tribune By Megan Menchaca, The Texas Tribune Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Wednesday to work on pathway...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 27, 2026

Odessans will get water credit following issue

Odessa residents will receive a one-time 2,000 gallon credit on their September water bill thanks to a unanimous vote by the Odessa City Council Tuesday night. The credit amounts to $14.20 for the 30% of customers who are residential, residential senior and multi-family group cus...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 26, 2026

County tax rate lowered to no new revenue rate

Tuesday’s meeting of the Ector County Commissioner’s Court was a dramatic affair with one man ending up in jail, a bit of a scuffle over the tax rate and purchasing a $6 million building for the health department. Throw in public hearings on the tax rate and the budget and it was...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 25, 2026

Rep. Al Green files articles of impeachment against Trump again

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump on Monday, reviving his push to remove the president from office as Democrats debate how aggressively to confront Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Green’s resolution is aimed at impeachin...

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 25, 2026

Texas Railroad Commission eliminates public comment period from its public meetings

From left to right: Texas Railroad commissioners Christi Craddick, Wayne Christian and Jim Wright during an agency hearing in Austin on Nov. 30, 2021. Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune By Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News, The Texas Tribune The three elected off...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 25, 2026

Prince Harry to leave board of African Parks conservation nonprofit

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry is stepping down as a trustee of African Parks, a nonprofit organization that manages protected areas in partnership with authorities in 13 countries from Chad to Zimbabwe. Harry, who last week announced he and his family were returning to live in the U...

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 24, 2026

County set to spend $6M on new health department building

The Ector County Commissioner’s Court will face a packed agenda during Tuesday’s 10 a.m. meeting at the County Annex, 1010 E. Eighth St., including spending $6 million for a new location for the County Health Department and setting the county tax rate for the coming year as well ...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 24, 2026

The Latest: Supreme Court clears the way for Trump to restrict mail-in voting

The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to move ahead with his executive order restricting mail-in voting, though it remains unclear how much his administration can implement before the fast-approaching midterm elections. The decision appears to lea...

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 24, 2026

Zelenskyy details rift with Ukraine's dismissed Defense Minister Fedorov

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he believes actions taken by dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, including his involvement in mass protests and calls for an election, were misguided, as he publicly detailed their dispute for the fir...

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 23, 2026

CORNYN: From Texas to the Ballot Box: The fight for women’s suffrage

By U.S. Sen. John Cornyn Our right to vote is a cornerstone of American freedom — a freedom that generations of Americans fought for over centuries. On Aug. 26, 1920, the nationwide right for women to vote was enshrined into the U.S. Constitution through the 19th Amendment, but t...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 22, 2026

Odessa will have one contested council race

There will only be one city council seat up for grabs come November. Monday was the deadline for potential candidates to file for the open seats in District 3, District 4 and District 5. City councilman Chris Hanie will retain his seat in District 5 as no one else put their hat i...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 21, 2026

Texas leads the nation in job growth, adding over 165K jobs in 12 months

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Governor Greg Abbott announced Friday that Texas led the nation in job creation over the past year, adding 165,600 nonfarm jobs between July 2025 and July 2026. According to data from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ...

CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com)Aug 21, 2026

California lawmaker Aisha Wahab wins special election to succeed Eric Swalwell in Congress

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California state Sen. Aisha Wahab will serve out the rest of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's term after securing victory Thursday in a special election. Swalwell, a Democrat who was running for California governor, ended his campaign and resigned from Congre...

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 21, 2026

Trump keeps embracing data centers even as they become toxic in midterm races

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump, speaking alongside cryptocurrency leaders at the White House this week, made a statement that Republican and Democratic candidates alike wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. “If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a c...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 20, 2026

FTC proposal would require retailers to be transparent about personalized pricing

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Companies that secretly vary prices based on how much they think individual customers will pay could face federal charges under a proposed policy released Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission. “When consumers see a listed price, they expe...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 19, 2026

World War II veteran celebrates his 100th birthday with over 2,000 cards

AUSTIN Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., on Wednesday shared that the Amarillo community, Texans across the state, and people around the country sent over 2,000 cards to U.S. Army and World War II Veteran Mr. Wiley Tow at the ...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 19, 2026

Board talks bond projects

ECISD trustees voted Tuesday night to interview the four Odessans who have applied for an open seat on the board. The board also retroactively approved new principals for Burnet Elementary and Bonham Middle School during the August board meeting on the 18th. The board also heard ...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 19, 2026

Commissioner Christi Craddick elected chairman of the RRC

AUSTIN RRC commissioners on Tuesday unanimously elected Commissioner Christi Craddick to serve as Chairman of the three-member commission, reaffirming her leadership of the state’s oldest regulatory agency and one of the nation’s most influential energy regulators. “I am deeply h...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 18, 2026

HHSC to host Rural Texas Strong public forum

AUSTIN The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is hosting a public forum from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Big Spring City Council Chambers, 307 E. Fourth St., Big Spring, to provide information and gather feedback on the state’s Rural Texas Strong plan. Texas estimates...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 17, 2026

Feds pausing Big Bend border construction while CBP commissioner visits the park

A mock border wall stands in front of Venga Coffee in Terlingua Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. Credit: Sarah M. Vasquez for The Texas Tribune By Gabby Birenbaum, The Texas Tribune WASHINGTON U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott announced that his agency is paus...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 17, 2026

Texas cities eye property tax hikes, spending cuts amid yawning budget gaps

By Joshua Fechter, The Texas Tribune DALLAS Texas cities have floated unusual proposals to slash their spending as they face yawning budget gaps, from laying off employees and charging non-residents higher zoo ticket prices, to asking voters to reconsider public funding to a new ...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 17, 2026

One Tech Tip: Hidden iPhone keyboard shortcuts to raise your texting and typing game

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer Texting friends, replying to a business email, tapping out some text for a social media post. We do a lot of writing on our smartphones, which are increasingly essential for our work and personal lives. But did you know about the many keyboard ti...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 15, 2026

Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The yearslong case against six Nevada Republicans who were accused of submitting a bogus certificate that falsely declared Donald Trump the winner of the state’s 2020 presidential election has been dismissed, a judge ruled Thursday. The dismissal marks the latest...

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 13, 2026

Midland native defends America from under the sea

By Ashley Craig, Navy Office of Community Outreach SILVERDALE, WASH. Petty Officer 1st Class Avery Cruz, a native of Midland, is one of the sailors serving aboard USS Kentucky, continuing the U.S. Navy’s 126-year tradition of service under the sea to help ensure Americans’ safety...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 13, 2026

Texas’ mail ballot ID requirements restored by federal appeals court

A mail-in ballot drop off location in Travis County on Oct. 2, 2020. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday restored several pieces of a 2021 Texas election law that overhauled mail-in and assiste...

Odessa American (oaoa.com)Aug 13, 2026

Midland Mayor Lori Blong named to EPA advisory committee

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that Midland Mayor Lori Blong will be the only city or state official from Texas named to participate on the Local Government Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of state and local official...

CBS7 / KOSA-TV News (firstalert7.com)Aug 13, 2026

Mayor Blong named sole Texas rep on EPA advisory panel

Midland Mayor Lori Blong was appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency's Local Government Advisory Committee, making her the only Texas official on the 22-member panel....

Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)Aug 12, 2026