English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Midland, TX

Costco will soon open its largest store in Texas, along with two more overseas. A 180,000-square-foot store in Midland will welcome customers this summer.

Known for its wide selection of bulk items and unbeatable deals, Costco is a crowd favorite not just for shopping but also for its iconic food court offerings, including its famous pizza and $1.50 hot dog-and-soda combo that has stood the test of time. The addition of the retail giant is expected to draw excitement from Midland residents and beyond, bringing in customers from across the Permian Basin and West Texas.

Currently, the largest Costco in proximity is about 117 miles north in Lubbock. Outside of Lubbock, West Texans would have to travel to El Paso or Fort Worth for the second-closest store, both of which are at least four hours away.

Costco and Midland officials gathered to break ground on Dec. 10 of last year. Midland Mayor Lori Blong praised the company's efficiency in fast-tracking the permitting process and construction timeline. Although the incentives to bring Costco to Midland required the store to open no later than August 2026, the retail giant is now on track to welcome customers this July.

"Back in 2019-2020, we were in talks with Costco, but the pandemic and economic shifts put those plans on hold. We thought it was a lost opportunity," Blong said at the event. "But through perseverance and collaboration, we’ve made it happen."

Where is Costco opening stores?

Costco lists three locations with future opening dates on its "Coming Soon" page.

The company's website says warehouses will open in:

Where have Costco stores opened in 2025?

Costco opened a spate of stores in March, including:

The company followed that by opening the following locations in April:

CEO Ron Vachris said prior to the California openings that the company has "big plans for the rest of the fiscal year," which ends Aug. 31.

How many Costco stores are in Texas, US?

Costco operates more than 800 stores around the world, with 627 in the U.S. and 42 in Texas.

— USA TODAY's James Powel contributed to this report.

(TNS) — The city of Midland has launched Vision Midland, an interactive platform designed to highlight various projects and upgrades that the city is currently developing.

The platform is designed to showcase improvements to the city as they happen so that residents can know what to expect, where these things are happening, and the planned timeline.

Vision Midland serves as the public blueprint for the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the five-year plan implemented by Mayor Lori Blong to improve Midland's infrastructure, economy and quality-of-life.

"This was brought about as part of the city of Midland's Strategic Planning Session," said Blong. "It was born out of a need to optimize communication out to the city on what projects are being developed and how to communicate general traffic information."

When visiting the Vision Midland website, users will find a map with buttons pertaining to each of the projects and their locations, along with a blurb describing what each of these are.

Below this, they can find further details on each of the projects by a set of categories: parks, schools, health care, transportation (which includes road improvements), events and dining. They will also be able to find categories for recently-completed projects — specifically the Bush Convention Center, Centennial Park, Ally Village and Midland's Merry Lights — and an overview of the CIP.

"We try to organize the projects into three categories: 'Recently Completed,' 'In Process Now' and 'For the Future,'" said Blong. "Folks are really excited to be able to use it, and we have gotten a lot of positive feedback."

The city hopes that Vision Midland will track the progress that the CIP makes as it progresses over time. its IT department will also routinely updating the service.

© 2025 the Midland Reporter-Telegram (Midland, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - Diamondback Energy is partnering with Midland College to support the Texas A&M Engineering Academy.

The academy helps local students get a top-tier education without having to leave home.

It’s a partnership that brings the energy industry and education together to build the next generation of engineers right here in the Permian Basin.

“I’m a loud and proud member of the fighting Texas aggie class of 2028,” said Hannah Hoban, a Texas A&M Engineering Academy Student.

Midland College and the Texas A&M Engineering Academy launched this program in 2019.

The academy has grown 53% in the past six years.

It allows students to enroll in both colleges to complete their foundational courses locally before transitioning to Texas A&M to finish their engineering degree.

Hoban added, “This is my home, and you know I was born and raised here. I would love to just come back here and do what I’ve learned about, what I love which is just oil and gas.”

Midland College received a 1.5-million-dollar donation from Diamondback Energy to make the path for future engineers more affordable and accessible.

The 1.5 million dollars will go towards scholarships, program resources, and student services.

Public Relations for Diamondback Energy, Erin Bailey, said, “We’re really big at growing our own and investing into the kids and the talent that we already have in our communities in the Permian Basin and so it was a no brainer for us to step up and support this way.”

The Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Midland College graduated 11 students in May of 2023.

By 2032, Texas will need 110,000 engineers.

There are around 154,000 engineers employed across Texas and the need for engineers is set to grow by 1.8% every year.

“We’re offering our engineering degrees to a wide range of students that come from a wide variety of backgrounds and that’s going to really strengthen the workforce as well as those students’ engineering degrees amongst those 22 and go out into the workforce, they’re going to really be able to contribute in meaningful and highly impactful ways,” explained Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, Harry Hogan.

For information on how to enroll and other program benefits, visit https://www.midland.edu/academics/university-partnerships/tamu-engineering-academy.php.

Copyright 2025 KOSA. All rights reserved.

Free, educational seminar provides Permian Basin community with inside look at the future of cancer care

MIDLAND ― Experts from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center presented the Making Cancer History^® Seminar and Luncheon yesterday at the Petroleum Club in Midland, TX. Generously underwritten by Paula Henry and The Henry Foundation, the educational seminar and luncheon drew nearly 200 attendees from the Permian Basin community to hear Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson, and Timothy Yap, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., vice president and clinical head of Therapeutics Discovery, share the latest updates in cancer patient care, research, prevention and education.

“I am grateful to our friends in Midland for welcoming us back to West Texas,” Pisters said. “This is a big moment in the transformation of cancer care. Like no other time in​ MD Anderson's history, ​we are poised to maximize ​our impact on humanity to finally end cancer.”

MD Anderson provides life-saving care to patients in West Texas Since MD Anderson's doors opened in 1944, more than 10,000 Midland/Odessa area residents have sought care at the institution — with more than 1,000 of those patients seen in the last year alone. As cancer incidence estimates increase across the country, this region is predicted to see significant, 10-year growth across all cancer types. As such, MD Anderson's work to expand the institution's clinical reach, to elevate the patient experience and to expedite scientific breakthroughs is — and will continue to be — crucial to the health of residents in the Permian Basin.

Pisters noted that MD Anderson runs the largest clinical trials program in the nation, with 10,000+ patients enrolled in 1,500+ clinical trials. In Fiscal Year 2024, MD Anderson invested $1.3 billion in research, was awarded 188 patents and received Food and Drug Administration approval for 27 drugs tested at the institution.

Leading breakthroughs in genomic research Yap presented his groundbreaking research on genetic abnormalities, such as BRCA mutations and genome instability. Since joining MD Anderson in 2016, Yap hasleveraged the world's largest BRCA patient base and clinical trials program at MD Anderson to conduct first-in-human clinical trials of new targeted therapies for cancer patients with genetic abnormalities. Yap and his team have developed the first targeted therapy pill that is approved in different cancers for patients with inherited and non-inherited BRCA and other mutations. He and his team hope to build on this success and use this approach as a blueprint beyond BRCA mutations.

“Our vision is to bring together clinical, translational and basic science research expertise from across MD Anderson to advance prevention and treatment approaches for patients,” Yap said. “Then, we implement strategies that follow the individual at every stage of their journey — from mutation detection to cancer diagnosis to the need for treatment — personalizing their care and bringing those data back to the lab to continue informing our research.”

Local patient shares his cancer story Midland local, Danny Wesson, also shared his experience as a cancer survivor and MD Anderson patient. In 2009 at age 25, Wesson was diagnosed with conjunctival melanoma in his right eye. He was treated with surgery and received survivorship care at MD Anderson for more than a decade. Wesson has been cancer-free for more than 15 years.

“My most vivid MD Anderson memory is walking up to the front desk for the first time and being greeted with an attitude that said, ‘We've got this,’” Wesson said. “This attitude gave me so much hope and reverberated throughout every encounter and every appointment over the years.”

Wesson and his wife, Reagan, will serve as event chairs for the second annual Boo Bash in the Basin fundraising event this fall. The Wessons were instrumental in the success of the inaugural event last year, which raised more than half a million dollars for cell therapy at MD Anderson.

About the Making Cancer History^® Seminar MD Anderson’s Making Cancer History^® series of educational seminars began in Aspen, CO, in 1999. Since then, the institution has used the series to spread knowledge and awareness to various cities throughout the country, including Palm Beach, FL; Sarasota, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Indian Wells, CA; Midland, TX; Austin, TX; San Antonio, TX; and globally through virtual seminars during the pandemic.

MD Anderson extends a special thanks to Paula Henry and The Henry Foundation for underwriting this year's educational seminar and luncheon in Midland.