KCBD11

RAIDERZONE: The Red Raiders are headed to the Super Regionals after run-ruling the Ole Miss Rebels 14-2 in five innings on Sunday. Tech looks ahead to Gainesville for a Super Regional matchup with No.6 Florida next weekend! #kcbd11 📸: Texas Tech Softball

RAIDERZONE: The Texas Tech Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams swept the Big 12 outdoor titles, completing the season sweep of both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Under head coach Wes Kittley, Tech has 20 overall Big 12 team titles. #kcbd11 📸: Texas Tech Track & Field and Cross Country

The Lubbock Matadors open the 2026 season with a 1-0 road win over the Fort Worth Vaqueros. You can win a family 4-pack to the Matadors' home opener on Friday, May 22. Click the link in our bio to enter. #kcbd11

RAIDERZONE: The Texas Tech Red Raiders beat Ole Miss 10-9 in the second round of the Lubbock Regional on Saturday. The Red Raiders are the first team out of 640+ teams since 2000 to win after trailing by 8+ runs. Tech will play the winner of Marist vs. Boston University and Ole Miss vs. (winner of Marist vs. Boston University) Sunday in the Lubbock Regional final at 3 p.m. Click the link in our bio for game highlights. #kcbd11 📸: Texas Tech Softball

RAIDERZONE: Texas Tech softball beat Marist 10-3 in the first round of the Lubbock Regional on Friday. The Red Raiders will face Ole Miss at 2 p.m. CT Saturday in the winner’s bracket of the Lubbock Regional. Click the link in our bio for a breakdown of the game. #kcbd11 📸: Texas Tech Softball

Several West Texas cities have received warnings from Attorney General Ken Paxton this month, notifying them they are prohibited from raising property taxes above the no-new-revenue tax rate. Paxon sent letters to more than 130 Texas cities, including Dalhart, Hale Center, Lamesa, New Home, Paducah, Snyder, Spur and Turkey. The action follows an investigation of over 1,000 Texas cities to determine compliance with state law. Senate Bill 1851, passed during the 2025 legislative session, bars cities from raising property taxes above the no-new-revenue rate if they do not meet the state’s financial statement audit and transparency requirements. Last month, Paxton’s office requested documents from over 1,000 municipalities as part of the investigation. The office identified more than 130 cities that failed to comply with the statutory requirements for the new fiscal year. The letters notify the cities they are subject to enforcement provisions and penalties under SB 1851 and may not adopt property tax increases above the no-new-revenue rate. “I will not allow cities to unlawfully raise taxes on hardworking Texans,” Paxton said. “That is why I took aggressive action against over 130 Texas cities to hold them accountable and ensure they comply with state law.” Paxton said cities cannot fail to abide by state audit requirements without consequences. The investigation remains ongoing. The attorney general’s office said it will continue to take action as more cities are found to be out of compliance with audit requirements. Click the link in our bio for more on this story. #kcbd11

WATCH: After fleeing her home in Dnipro, Ukraine, Mariia Syzonenko is now set to cross the graduation stage in Plainview. “I can’t believe it’s been four years,” Syzonenko said. Syzonenko says she didn’t know what to expect of Plainview when she first made the journey in 2022. “All of my expectations were from the movies and social media, so I didn’t have any real expectations,” Syzonenko said. She says it was always her dream to study in the U.S. She tried to come in 2020, getting her documents together after she graduated high school. But the COVID pandemic hit, putting a halt to her plans. Then, in February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. “We had a lot of bombing, and the Russian army was really close to our city,” Syzonenko said. “In our family we had a conversation that all girls in our family have to leave.” Her father, a pastor, stayed to help refugees escape Ukraine, and her brother enlisted to fight for his country. Now, after four years, Syzonenko is ready to cross the graduation stage. She will receive her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management/Marketing on Saturday. Syzonenko credits God’s grace and the graciousness of others for the success she found in Plainview. She is now waiting to hear back on whether the federal government will grant approval of her Optional Practical Training work authorization. That would help her stay in West Texas and pursue a career in marketing. #kcbd11

FIRST ALERT: Scattered storms are possible this afternoon. The greatest threat will be from strong downburst winds over 60 mph, along with lightning. Go to kcbd.com/weather for the latest developments or download the free KCBD First Alert weather app to stay ahead of the storm. #kcbd11

A Lubbock man, who was originally charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, was sentenced to five years of differed adjudication by Judge Douglas Freitag in the 140th District Court on Thursday. Jordan Merchant was arrested in 2022 after a crash that killed Joni Smith and her nine-year-old son Conrad Thomlison near 114th St. and Indiana Ave. Smith was taken to UMC with serious injuries where she later died. Investigators said Smith was driving north on Indiana Ave. when she attempted to make a left turn. Merchant then hit Smith in the intersection resulting in the two deaths. Two other children in Smith’s car were seriously injured in the crash. #kcbd11 📸: Lubbock County Detention Center

WATCH: Rose Torres and her youngest son, Sunny, will graduate from Texas Tech University this weekend after years of hard work. The journey began when Rose’s two oldest children, Alexsis and Michael, were doing homework at the kitchen table. “I made the comment of ‘it can’t be that hard’, and they were like ‘if you think it’s so easy, why don’t you try it and get your own degree,’” Rose said. Alexsis and Michael later earned their master’s degrees at Texas Tech in healthcare admission and finance. Rose took them up on the challenge and earned her associate’s degree at South Plains College. Rose committed to Texas Tech but was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2020. “It was hard. There were a lot of days where I was in pain from the surgery and stuff. I never really said it, there was a lot of times I felt like okay this is just too much, I don’t really know if I should continue,” Rose said. One of her biggest supporters was Sunny, who was later convinced by his family to enroll at Texas Tech. Rose will earn her master’s degree in personal financial planning and Sunny will earn his bachelor’s degree in criminology the same week. All five members of the family, including father Jose, will have received degrees from Texas Tech. “Being able to experience this weekend together, to see the celebrations and stuff that we get to experience together, I feel like it’s really special to me because it’s seeing someone that is your mentor, that is your role model and also your mom. Seeing them complete something that means so much to them, it fills your heart with a lot of joy,” Sunny said. #kcbd11

One person is dead after a vehicle crashed into an apartment complex early Thursday morning, according to the Lubbock Police Department. LPD says its officers responded to a report of a collision with injuries at 3:27 a.m. near 45th street & University Avenue. The driver was taken UMC, where they were pronounced dead. This is a developing story. Click the link in our bio for the latest updates. #kcbd11

WATCH: Monterey High School seniors are remembering a classmate who won’t walk the stage with them at graduation. Kobe Alonzo, 18, was killed in a fireworks accident in January. He had been accepted into South Plains College welding school and was set to graduate with honors. “He was my everything. I miss him so much," Raquel Alonzo, Kobe’s mother, said. Classmates Olivia Garcia and Emily Morales said senior year hasn’t been the same. “He was one of my closest guy friends. Since high school started, we’ve always had a class together,” Garcia said. “When he left us, it was really hard to just sit in class and not do anything without him.” “God gave us the best classmate ever to exist, and he put him on here to bless all of us in so many different ways,” Morales said. The Alonzo family will host a 5K on Sunday, May 17, in Kobe’s honor. Money raised will go to a scholarship to continue his legacy. Click the link in our bio for more information. #kcbd11