Rural Texas is the state’s foundation. And it’s in jeopardy.
Downtowns are deserted, hospitals are closing, teachers are leaving. Every part of life in rural Texas is harder — but it’s worth saving. Full Story
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Jayme Lozano Carver
Reporter/South Plains and Panhandle
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Jayme Lozano Carver is the Tribune’s first Lubbock-based reporter, covering the South Plains and Panhandle through a partnership with Report for America. Jayme previously worked for Texas Tech Public Media, Lubbock’s NPR station, where she spearheaded “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought,” a series for PBS’ “Frontline” on rural hospital closures in Texas. She also covered a broad range of topics for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, including climate change, agriculture, entertainment and health care. Born in Levelland, Jayme is a native of the South Plains area and studied at South Plains College and Texas Tech University. She loves to talk about her cats, horror movies and pro wrestling.
Latest Contributions
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![Vehicles pass through Dublin in Central Texas on March 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
“I’m in no rush”: Voter apathy takes hold of early voting ahead of Texas midterm election
Republicans may be waiting to vote on Election Day after former President Donald Trump pushed voting in person on Nov. 8 at a rally in South Texas. Full Story
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![Students and faculty walk past the Peter T. Flawn Academic Center at The University of Texas while early voting takes place Oct. 25.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Both have deep Texas roots, but Sid Miller and Susan Hays offer stark contrast in fight for ag commissioner
The state’s agriculture commissioner oversees a vast portfolio including farming and ranching, rural health care and the scales you use at grocery store checkout. Full Story
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![Susan Hays campaign website/Juan Figueroa for The Texas Tribune]()
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“An inverse tsunami”: How inflation and drought are making it harder to feed West Texans in need
Food banks across Texas are now struggling to keep up with growing demand even more than they were during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Volunteer Gloria Benson uses cans to direct traffic into the food bank. West Texas Food Bank employees and volunteers load donated food into customer's cars during their weekly pick up outside of the food bank in Odessa, TX. Oct. 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Rodgers for The Texas Tribune -
Kickapoo Tribe is getting a $2.6 million grant from the federal government to connect to the internet
Large swaths of rural Texas have poor or no access to the internet. This grant aims to close that gap for more than 300 Native American households. Full Story
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![A splice can that contains 432 fiber cables in Louisville, Kentucky on April 19, 2021.]()
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To save water in Texas, these nonprofits are paying farmers to leave it in reservoirs
As Texas continues to battle drought, groups are trying a market-based solution to help farmers and protect what little water is left. Full Story
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![Water marks are seen on the dam gates and concrete at the Falcon Dam in Starr County on Aug. 18, 2022. This area of the reservoir is normally under water, but because of an extended drought, water levels have been below 20% full since earlier this year. The Falcon Dam was dedicated by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines in 1953.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
“God bless you for being here”: A new West Texas clinic revives health care options in a rural community
A nurse practitioner aims to provide health care as rural hospitals close and it becomes harder to access preventive care. Full Story
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![Family Nurse Practitioner John Hodges stands in front of his practice at Ralls Family Medicine in Ralls on Sept. 1, 2022. Ralls is a small town about 30 miles east of Lubbock.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke confronts a formidable GOP firewall as he woos rural Texans
Despite its dwindling population, rural Texas has consistently helped protect GOP dominance in statewide races, even as Democratic support grows in the state’s populous metro centers and suburbs. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke spekas to attendees at a town hall in Abilene on Aug. 16, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billion
Cotton is Texas’ largest crop, and industry experts say they expect just half the normal annual yield — which will drive up costs for consumers. Full Story
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![Cotton plants grow in a field while a dust storm blows ahead of a late summer thunderstorm on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Biden administration can’t force Texas hospitals to provide emergency abortions, judge rules
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had said hospitals in states with abortion bans must perform emergency abortions in some instances. Full Story
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![Demonstrators march against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which virtually bans abortion in the state of Texas, on June 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune