Midland Times

News from October 2023


Authorities identify man shot after UTPB venue trespassing attempt

Authorities have identified the individual who was shot at the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) as he allegedly attempted to drive a large front-end loader tractor towards a group of police officers. The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Jeramiah David Hall, and he now faces a charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer.


City of Midland Planning and Zoning Commission met Oct. 17

City of Midland Planning and Zoning Commission met Tuesday, Oct. 17


Midland and Midland Legacy swimmers set meet and school records at Midland Invitational

On Oct. 14 the Midland High School swim and diving team hosted the Midland Invitational with 14 teams from El Paso and West Texas competing for team titles. Midland Hugh’s Hannah Krueger and the Midland Legacy boys’ relay team won their respective races (100 yard freestyle and 200 yard medley), setting meet and school records. The girls’ diving meet had Midland’s Kylee Cruce, Sydney Leonard and Aubree Cruce taking the top three spots.


Keep Midland Beautiful Board Members participating in the Fall Sweep Annual Cleanup

Keep Midland Beautiful Board Members will be joining in on the Annual Fall Sweep Cleanup on October 26th, demonstrating the organization's mission of enhancing the local environment.


Midland Reporter Telegram hosted a forum discussing the 2023 MISD Bond

The Midland Reporter-Telegram (MRT) hosted a forum that took place Oct. 18, in which a representative from anti-bond and pro-bond discussed the pros and cons of the $1.4 billion Midland Independent School District (MISD) Bond. With the future of Midland schools in question, the forum discussions touched on funding, infrastructure upgrades/builds, as well as the impact on taxpayers in Midland, Texas.


MLB on Game 7 of the 2023 ALCS: '[Monday] is going to be fun'

It all comes down to this, Game 7 of the Lone Star themed 2023 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. The best-of-seven in which the home team has yet to win now reaches its final 27 outs, with the question of who will represent the AL and the state of Texas in the World Series to be finally answered.


City of Midland Planning and Zoning Commission met Oct. 16

City of Midland Planning and Zoning Commission met Monday, Oct. 16


Which former Midland area high school standouts will be in action in the week starting Monday, Oct. 23?

These former Midland area high school standouts' college teams will be in action in the week starting Monday, Oct. 23.


Abbott, TEA encourage schools to use additional resources to foster awareness of Israel-Hamas conflict

In the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) have encouraged schools statewide to use additional lessons and resources to foster awareness and understanding of the conflict and its root causes.


Bush Tennis Center receives $2 million donation from Diamondback Energy

Midland’s Bush Tennis Center (BTC) received a $2 million donation from Diamondback Energy, according to BTC's executive director, Tim Stallard. Stallard described the moment as bittersweet, as it occurred on the same day they honored BTC founder Jim Henry, who had passed away.


Blong graces Midland High football game, expresses gratitude for attending

Midland Mayor Lori Blong expressed joy in being able to attend the most recent Midland Bulldogs football game. Blog said it was her honor to participate as an honorary team captain for the pregame coin toss.


Abbott encourages students to participate in cybersecurity programs

Gov. Greg Abbott is urging high school and college students in Texas to participate in cybersecurity programs that offer scholarships to high-performing students. CyberStart America (CSA) and Cyber FastTrack (CFT), sponsored by the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation, provide immersive online cybersecurity programs that help students develop crucial skills for high-demand jobs in the industry.


Midland Christian beats Fort Worth Christian 52-21

Midland Christian (3-5, 1-2) took a 52-21 win over Fort Worth Christian (4-4, 0-2) on Friday night, highlighted by a 97-yard touchdown run by running back Brylee Perez.


Authorities investigate officer involved shooting at UTPB

The police department of the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) is investigating an incident at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center in which an unidentified individual attempted to enter the venue without a ticket but was turned away. The city of Odessa said in an Oct. 21 Facebook post that after the individual was refused entry, officers approached him an hour later at near the engineering building only for him to run away.


Midland Legacy's Johnson scores 5 TDs in 66-24 win over San Angelo Central

It was a monster day for senior running back Damien Johnson, who went off for five rushing touchdowns to lead the Midland Legacy Rebels (6-2, 2-1) to a 66-24 win over the San Angelo Central Bobcats (1-7, 0-3).


Lara reaches 1,000 yard milestone but Permian loses 46-44 to Frenship on late Tiger field goal

Permian (4-4, 1-2) running back Juzstyce Lara hit the 1,000 yard milestone on Friday night with a 242 yard performance, but Frenship (6-2, 1-2) spoiled the occasion with a late fourth quarter field goal by Drew Cox to knock off the Panthers 46-44.


Midland stays undefeated with 59-28 win over Odessa

Running back Elijah McCoy ran for 195 yards and a touchdown for Midland (8-0, 3-0) to lead the Bulldogs to a 59-28 win over District 6A rival Odessa (5-3, 2-1) to remain undefeated.


Midland College to host West Texas Symphony Chamber Chorale for Latin American themed concert

Midland College (MC) has announced that the West Texas Symphony Chamber Chorale will be performing a special, Latin American themed concert at the Wagner and Brown Auditorium in the campus's Allison Fine Arts Building. The concert, called "Serenata Latina," will take place on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.


Cornyn praises U.S. Senate passage of resolution supporting Israel

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) hailed the U.S. Senate’s unanimous passage of a bipartisan resolution he cosponsored expressing support for Israel as the West Asian nation of approximately 9 million fights a war against Palestinian militant group Hamas.


Midland Fire Department responds to chemical spill on I-20

The Midland Fire Department’s (MFD) HAZMAT team responded to a chemical spill on Interstate 20 (I-20) between Lamesa Road and North Fairgrounds Road. "Three chemical totes ruptured, resulting in the spill," the department said. The incident occurred when two westbound trucks traveling on East I-20 were involved in an incident. "Citing authorities, the post said that the truck in the left lane attempted a lane change and caused the truck traveling in the right lane to veer off the roadway," the department explained. As a result, three chemical totes ruptured, leading to the...