A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near the Midland-Odessa Metropolitan area Monday evening, briefly rattling parts of North Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake happened in Martin County at 7:49 p.m., about 21 miles southwest of Ackerly, Texas. USGS map shows the location of the West Texas earthquake on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. The USGS initially reported the earthquake as a 4.8 magnitude with a depth of 4.8 kilometers. It later upgraded the magnitude to 5.1 with a depth of 8.4 kilometers. According to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, Monday’s earthquake was the seventh strongest quake in Texas history. Residents in Lamesa said their homes were shaking for five to 10 seconds when the earthquake hit. Residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex also reported feeling the tremor. The U.S. National Weather Service, Midland, Texas, shared on social media that its personnel felt the earthquake at their office. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office told NBC 5 they have not received any structural damage or injury reports. Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change. Courtesy of Texas News – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth …

On Friday afternoon, Secretary of State Jane Nelson released 2021-22 election audits for four Texas counties, finding several failures and improved procedures but no evidence of widespread voter fraud. In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1 to “detect and punish fraud” following unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The law requires the Secretary of State’s office to audit elections in four randomly selected Texas counties for the preceding two years after the most recent November uniform election occurring in an even-numbered year. A drawing is held to randomly choose two counties whose populations are over 300,000 and two that are under 300,000. “Texas’ audit process provides accountability and insight into how elections are conducted on a county level to ensure the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Nelson. “While each audit is specific to a county, they include lessons for election officials across the state and offer voters the reassurance that our state’s election processes are thoroughly reviewed.” On July 28, 2022, the Secretary of State’s Office held the drawing to audit the 2021-2022 election period. The counties of Cameron, Eastland, Guadalupe, and Harris were selected. Below are the highlights of the audit’s findings,…