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This week on West Texas Roots we talked to Rylie Scott about growing up involved in FFA and 4-H, and showing her grandfather’s dairy goats at the state fair.

He’s the mayor of Abilene. A few years ago, it was a slow growing somewhat sleepy town. But with the biggest construction project in the US taking place within those city limits…it’s sleepy no more. We’ll sit down with Mayor Weldon Hurt.West Texas will serve as a testing ground for the upcoming census. We’ll hear about efforts to prepare for the 2030 count.A nonprofit organization is encouraging Texas Tech’s leaders to protect freedom of speech for its faculty. We’ll tell you more about their request aimed at ensuring academic freedom on Texas Tech’s campuses.West Texas Roots brings us the history of Abilene’s oldest restaurant.And we’ll tell you all about an experiment coming to Abilene that aims to connect folks from one of the nation’s most conservative cities–with people from one of the most liberal cities on the West Coast. The Party Line goes live soon in downtown Abilene!

This week we took a trip to Abilene’s oldest restaurant, The Dixie Pig Diner, which was established in 1931. Stay tuned to hear how this Abilene staple came to be, and how they’ve stayed true to the classic dining experience.

Today we’ll update you on the runoff for the Republican nominee for Congressional District 19… the vote count has been finalized – and the names on the ballot are set. Or are they?West Texas has seen some wild weather over the past week. We’ll dig into where it came from — and what’s ahead.Congress is ready to take up the legislation that provides a wide range of support for farmers and ranchers — we’ll take a look at how those in the industry see the proposed 2026 Farm Bill.Do you know about 325 Day? It’s coming up soon, and Merchants are not only offering special deals... some of them are turning around to give to local non-profits, including KACU.We’ll also have an installment of our “where are they now” series, updating you on what KACU’s alumni are doing today…

At February’s Texas Farm, Ranch and Wildlife Expo our team enjoyed making new friends and gathering stories from all around West Texas. Keith Paschal takes us back to his younger years when he needed to keep his truck radio turned off while he transported dynamite. He also shared memories of his family’s misnamed horse, Speedy…

Today on the show, Mayor Weldon Hurt shares the key takeaways from last week’s State of the City Address. The presentation ranged from economic growth and city projects to some perspectives on Abilene’s housing crisis.The Farm Bill is getting closer to having its day in Congress… Retiring Congressman Jodey Arrington is celebrating. How do West Texas Farmers feel?And speaking of farmers - we’ll tell you about a new challenge for rice farmers. A tiny invasive pest is on the attack.A couple of events are coming up soon: the Abilene Philharmonic performs Carmen next weekend, and later this month a best-selling author shares his miraculous story with locals.And we’ve got a special blast from the past for you this hour - you don’t want to miss it!

It’s time for West Texas Roots!We have a special two-fer this week…

Millions nationwide turned up at protests over the weekend. Abilene’s gathering was just a few hundred, but was bigger than the previous demonstrations.El Paso, Texas, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar is trying to sound the alarm about a large immigration detention center in her district. 9-1-1 calls from the tent camp are common, and there have been outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles.Locals in one Big Country community have been crowd sourcing pantry staples through a family-run market to help their hungry neighbors. We’ll bring you that story.AND if, like Texas History, you might be interested in an event coming up at the Merkel Area Historical Museum…we’ll preview their upcoming talk on cattle drives.

Are you combining trips or searching out the gas stations with the lowest price at the pump? We’ll check in on gas prices today.Landowners near the Texas-Mexico border are concerned about plans to extend the border wall–and locals are organizing a legal resistance to the plans.And… they are a staple of downtown Abilene. The Texas Star Trading Company was one of the first retailers to truly give downtown Abilene a go after its restoration. Now? The owners say it’s time to hang up their boots. We’ll talk to the Dromgoole’s about the move.West Texas Roots brings us the story of the last one-room school house in Texas.We’ll tell you about a way to express your own artistic style–and help preserve historic parts of Abilene.AND another update from KACU’s former student hosts, Zane Goggans.

Lola Baily’s story is one that takes us back to a time most may not be familiar with and only a few have experienced: when school truly took place in a one room “School House.” Teaching only about a dozen students ranging across 5 different grade levels, Lola tells us about how she was the very last teacher at the very last one-room school house in Texas…