https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/carlos-nogueras-ramos/The latest news by Carlos Nogueras Ramos.enFri, 05 Jan 2024 18:28:39 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/05/midland-water-drilling/The city initially protested Pilot’s applications to drill the wells close to its water supply.Carlos Nogueras RamosFri, 05 Jan 2024 18:28:39 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/05/midland-water-drilling/The city of Midland reached a settlement this week to allow a company to drill wastewater disposal wells near an underground reservoir from which the city gets a third of its drinking water.A water tower at the Midland International Air & Space Port on Jan. 28, 2022.Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/04/kermit-texas/Like local leaders in many other towns in West Texas, the Kermit City Council spent years saving its tax revenue fearing the energy economy would crash. Now it is struggling to keep up with essential services like trash and road repair.Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 04 Jan 2024 11:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/04/kermit-texas/Texas Department of Public Safety contractors pave the road at the intersection of Austin and Pine streets in Kermit on Nov. 8. The traffic on this busy intersection consists mostly of 18-wheelers hauling sand for oilfields, which have decimated the roads and parts of the infrastructure. The small West Texas town has struggled to keep up with repairs.Texas Department of Public Safety contractors pave the intersection of Austin Street and Pine Street Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 in Kermit. The intersection, according to the mayor of Kermit, David Holbrook, is one of the busiest in town with a large majority of the traffic consisting of 18-wheelers hauling sand for the oilfields.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/west-odessa-dustin-fawcett-emergency-services-vote/In unincorporated West Odessa, residents relish their freedom. And they also go without basic services. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, a young Republican with Ronald Reagan good looks and politics, wants to change that.Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 30 Nov 2023 11:02:43 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/west-odessa-dustin-fawcett-emergency-services-vote/Pigeons flock to Jesús Rodríguez as he tosses bird feed at his West Odessa home. “I come here for therapy,” Rodríguez said about tending to his animals during stressful moments. West Odessa is an unincorporated community in Ector County. He raises a variety of animals that would otherwise not be allowed within city limits.Pigeons flock to Jesús Rodriguez as he feeds his chickens “scratch,” bird feed, while organizing the junkyard behind his home Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in West Odessa. “I come here for therapy,” Rodriguez said about tending to his animals during stressful moments. He raises a variety of animals not otherwise allowed within city limits including his fowl, goats and a donkey.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/21/oil-gas-public-education-west-texas-new-mexico/The expansion, which will start with a smaller pilot in four high schools between Texas and New Mexico, is being paid for by the Permian Strategic Partnership, a group funded by major energy producers.Carlos Nogueras RamosTue, 21 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/21/oil-gas-public-education-west-texas-new-mexico/Legacy High School juniors Giovanni Parra, Luke Frysak, and Isaiah Estrada take part in a lesson on electrical circuits during their Oil and Gas Production II class on Nov. 6 in Midland.From left, Legacy High School juniors Giovanni Parra, 17, Luke Frysak, 17, and Isaiah Estrada, 16, take part in a lesson on electrical circuits during their Oil and Gas Production II class Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 in Midland.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/09/texas-school-bonds-approved/The voter approval rate for school maintenance and construction costs dipped in 2021 after lawmakers required school boards to call them “tax increases.”Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Pooja SalhotraThu, 09 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/09/texas-school-bonds-approved/School bond supporters celebrate after one of Ector County Independent School District’s three bond propositions were passed during an election night watch party on Tuesday in Odessa.School bond supporters celebrate after one of Ector County Independent School District’s three bond propositions were passed during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-oil-gas-economy/Fabian Maldonado has supported his Odessa family for years on his welding salary. Wanting more, he’s gambling that a mobile coffee trailer can withstand the booms and busts of the industry.Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 02 Nov 2023 11:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-oil-gas-economy/Homebrew Coffee Co. owner Fabian Maldonado in front of his business on Sept. 14 in Odessa.Homebrew Coffee Co. owner Fabian Maldonado poses for a portrait Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 in Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/midland-ector-school-bond-election-2023/The West Texas ethos of low taxes and small government has been hard for school leaders to overcome. Voters have rejected bond issues in Midland and Odessa during the last decade.Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/midland-ector-school-bond-election-2023/Children in West Odessa line up to board their school bus before dawn on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.Children in West Odessa line up to board their school bus before dawn on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/10/permian-basin-mental-health-hospital/Like many regions in Texas, the county jails and hospitals have been at capacity with people needing mental health help. Local leaders hope a new 200-bed facility will alleviate pressure.Carlos Nogueras RamosTue, 10 Oct 2023 10:29:08 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/10/permian-basin-mental-health-hospital/A rendering of the proposed Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center expected to open in 2025.A rendering of the proposed Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center.Courtesy of Permian Basin Behavioral Health Centerhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/25/texas-oil-gas-deaths/An industry leader in the Permian Basin said the new report proves safety regulations are helping. Other observers say more data is needed to understand risks of extraction.Carlos Nogueras RamosMon, 25 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/25/texas-oil-gas-deaths/The sun begins to set behind a pump site in Gardendale on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.The sun begins to set behind a pumpjack site in Gardendale on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/23/texas-democrats-allred-gutierrez-cruz-senate/U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who will meet in the 2024 Democratic primary, talked about gun laws, abortion and bipartisanship in separate Texas Tribune Festival panels.Carlos Nogueras RamosSat, 23 Sep 2023 19:31:53 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/23/texas-democrats-allred-gutierrez-cruz-senate/From left: State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, and U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas. The two are running to be the Democratic nominee to face Ted Cruz in the 2024 senatorial race.From left: State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, and U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas. The two are running to be the Democratic nominee to face Ted Cruz in the 2024 senatorial race.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune | Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via REUTERShttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/07/odessa-sports-complex/Leaders in the Permian Basin have been averse to major investment projects because of the boom and bust cycle of the oil business. They hope this project helps shift that thinking.Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 07 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/07/odessa-sports-complex/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/28/rural-texas-sheriff-grants/With little in local tax revenue to help pay staff, rural Texas sheriffs are often forced to do more with less. Lawmakers hope a new grant program will help rebuild the ranks of rural law enforcement.Carlos Nogueras RamosMon, 28 Aug 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/28/rural-texas-sheriff-grants/A K-9 unit sits outside the Hudspeth County Sheriff's office in Fort Hancock on May 19, 2010. Rural Texas sheriff departments are often financially strapped due to a low tax base.A K-9 unit sits outside the Hudspeth County Sheriff's office in Fort Hancock on May 19, 2010.Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/18/west-texas-book-banning-debate-public-libaries/West Texas residents are organizing over their love — or concern — for books. Meanwhile, from Lubbock to Midland and Odessa, librarians are trying to reaffirm libraries’ role as community hubs.Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Jayme Lozano CarverFri, 18 Aug 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/18/west-texas-book-banning-debate-public-libaries/Library clerk Cencee Gordon returns a book to its proper location on a shelf in the children’s section of the Ector County Library in Odessa on Aug. 14, 2023.Library clerk Cencee Gordon returns a children's book to its proper location on a shelf in the children section of the Ector County Library in Odessa on Aug. 14, 2023.Jacob Ford for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/02/university-texas-hometown-internship/This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin — known for high school football and oil fields — have participated in the University of Texas at Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.Carlos Nogueras RamosWed, 02 Aug 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/02/university-texas-hometown-internship/University of Texas - Austin sophomore Katelan Crowder, 19, poses for a photo at the Ellen Noël Art Museum's temporary exhibit hall in the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library in Odessa. Crowder, an Odessa native, is studying design at UT-Austin and interning with the museum through UT-Austin's Home to Texas program.University of Texas at Austin sophomore Katelan Crowder, 19, poses for a photo in an exhibition by artist Tim Gonchoroff titled Garment/View on Thursday July 27, 2023, at Ellen Noël Art Museum's temporary exhibit hall in the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library in Odessa. Crowder is an Odessa native, studying design at UT-Austin and interning with the Ellen Noël Art Museum through UT-Austin's Home to Texas program.Jacob Ford for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/19/callon-permian-basin-epa-fine/The EPA last year announced aerial surveillance of “super-emitters.” At least one other company in New Mexico faced a similar fine.Carlos Nogueras RamosWed, 19 Jul 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/19/callon-permian-basin-epa-fine/A natural gas flare operates less than 200 yards away from a family home on March 14, 2022 in Midland.A natural gas flare operates less than 200 yards away from a family home on March 14, 2022 in Midland.Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune