Midland College meeting industry needs for oil and gas industry
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – In this week's Powering the Permian, ABC Big 2's Chris Talley paid a visit to Midland College's Advanced Technology Center earlier this week to find out more information about newer courses helping meet oil and gas industry needs.
In Fall 2024, MC launched Natural Gas Compression and Automation. These courses are offered free to Miland ISD Juniors and Seniors who are close to graduation and for individuals wishing to further their career who may need more on-the-job experience. Upon completion, students will receive a certification in these courses.
Midland College officials tell ABC Big 2; These courses offer over 60 percent of needed hands-on training. Both courses were created by Midland College and other industry leaders to help meet expectations as job seekers enter the workforce and have updated skills for a demanding need of technology skills.
The Natural Gas Compression course helps various industries by targeting essential machinery and systems vital for operations. From gas gathering units to transmission pipelines, natural gas compression technicians are at the forefront, ensuring these systems operate efficiently and reliably.
Whether it's maintaining compressor stations or troubleshooting compression equipment, these technicians are more important as technology advances in optimizing natural gas transmission networks. Their expertise is indispensable in the energy sector, making a career in natural gas compression an attractive option for individuals seeking stable and rewarding employment opportunities.
The Automation course will help future technicians to play a critical role in modern industries by ensuring the efficient operation of automated systems. From calibration and installation to maintenance and operation of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), transmitters, instruments, and other automation equipment, these professionals are indispensable for maintaining productivity and safety standards that are taught to students throughout both courses.
For more information visit Midland College's link for the Advanced Technology Center here.
To Watch the ABC Big 2 on-air version of this segment, .
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
No more pennies: Midland collector shares what the coin's end means for your wallet
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The penny, long the most neglected coin in our change jars and couch cushions, is about to clock out for good. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently confirmed it will end production of the penny in 2026, citing high costs and dwindling use. According to the U.S. Mint's own reports, it costs about 2.7 cents to produce a single penny, meaning taxpayers lose millions each year just keeping the coin alive. For most Americans, the change might go unnoticed. But for William Welsh, owner of Preacher Bill's Coins in Midland and a collector himself, the announcement is bittersweet. 'It really needed to be done. I thought it would be done much earlier. It's sad, I say. It's sad because pennies are just such an important part of our economy,' Welsh said. Welsh has been collecting coins since childhood and now operates a small shop in Midland where he buys, sells, and appraises everything from 19th-century nickels to rare Lincoln cents. To him, pennies aren't just metal, they're miniature time capsules. Since the news broke, Welsh said he's seen a steady rise in people coming in to buy pennies, so many, in fact, that he's starting to run out. 'Just the fact that they're going to be stopped production has caused a lot of people in the last few months to collect more pennies, and we've seen the values really start to soar,' he said. With the 2026 cutoff looming, some collectors are already treating modern pennies, especially from 2024 and 2025, as future collectors' items. '2024 pennies are a short supply, so those are good, especially if you can find them in uncirculated,' Welsh said. 'And then the 25s probably will be… the one that people want to collect right away.' The value isn't just speculative. According to Welsh, pennies minted before 1982, which were primarily made of copper, have already doubled in value based on metal content alone. 'I've told people for a lot of years to collect your copper pennies, that's 1982 and back, and to just put them up,' he said. 'They've been over two cents each in value. So you immediately double, but copper will continue to go up in value.' And while most pocket change won't fetch more than face value, certain rare pennies have already crossed into four-digit territory. Welsh points to the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent, the first of its kind with designer Victor D. Brenner's initials, as a classic example. 'They've started about $600, and you can get up into the hundreds of thousands if the grade is amazing,' he said. Another one to look out for? The 1955 doubled die penny, a misprint that collectors adore. 'Those start at about $500 and go up,' Welsh said. The first U.S. cent was minted in 1793, a massive copper coin by today's standards. Since then, the penny has undergone dozens of design and composition changes, from Flying Eagle cents in the 1850s to steel cents issued during World War II when copper was diverted to the war effort. The familiar Lincoln penny debuted in 1909 to honor the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. It was also the first U.S. coin to feature a real person, a controversial move at the time. 'The Lincoln penny, the Indian Head penny, they were trying to honor the Indians, our Indians. And then with the Lincoln penny, the importance of Abraham Lincoln,' Welsh said. But the economic reality has changed. Canada stopped producing its penny in 2012, joining countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil in retiring their lowest-denomination coins. 'It costs about two and a half cents to make a penny, so it doesn't make any sense, I know the play on words to make something you're losing money on,' Welsh added. The change comes amid a national shift away from cash. In 2023, only 16% of American payments were made in cash, according to the Federal Reserve, and nearly 40% of consumers report never using cash at all. In response, President Donald Trump ordered the Treasury to stop minting pennies, citing their unsustainable cost. Although the U.S. Mint will stop making new pennies, ones already in circulation will still be accepted as regular money. You won't have to turn them in or stop using them. However, some stores may start rounding prices up or down to the nearest five cents when people pay with cash, a practice already common in other countries. 'If it's 57 cents, they'll do it as 55. If it's 58 cents, they'll do it as 60. That makes sense. A lot of places already do that, even with the pennies.' Still, Welsh believes the penny's legacy will outlast its circulation. 'You know, I would keep every penny. I mean, for now… Someday, you know, I'll tell your grandkids and say, This is what we used to have pennies. We don't have them anymore.' As for how he'd write the penny's obituary? 'Mine would probably be pretty funny, something about sense of sense of sense,' he said with a laugh. 'But just sad to see you go.' William Welsh offers free appraisals at his Midland shop, no matter how small the pile. He encourages everyone to check their change jars, especially for copper coins dated 1982 and earlier or unusual errors like off-center strikes or doubled dates. Because even if the penny's time is running out, you might still have a few that, quite literally, make sense to hold onto. To see if your coins are valuable, visit Preacherbill's Coins in Midland, located at 1004 W Front St, Midland, TX 79701, open Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. You can also call (432) 222-0160 for more information. William Welsh, aka Bill Welsh or Preacherbill, operates Preacher Bill's Coins in Midland, a shop that's been serving collectors nationwide for over 40 years. From silver and gold bullion to rare coins and autographs, the store welcomes beginners and longtime collectors alike, whether you're hoping to expand a collection, verify the value of an old coin, or sell something from your stash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Governor Abbott promotes West Texas growth with new bills
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Governor Greg Abbott made a stop in Midland Thursday, joined by former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, Senator Kevin Sparks, Representative Tom Craddick, Representative Brooks Landgraf, Midland Mayor Lori Blong, and other state and local officials and energy leaders, to sign a series of bills passed during the 89th regular legislative session. Abbott said these bills will safeguard Texas' robust oil and gas industry and spur economic growth across West Texas. 'Today is a defining moment for the Permian Basin, for the future of this region, as well as for the future of Texas,' Governor Abbott said. 'The Permian Basin, what we like to call the land out of the high sky and where the sky is the limit. It's a land of purpose, a land of promise. It's a place where of unlimited opportunity for all who dream big, work hard, and never give up,' Evans. In West Texas, oil and gas are king. 'I like to call the people of West Texas people with a compassionate heart and a rocket engine. I like to call it the largest secure supply of energy in the world, which it is,' governor Abbott said. The Permian Basin produces more that six million barrels of oil every day. 'The Permian Basin is the lifeblood of Texas. It's the lifeblood that quite literally powers our engines, but equally literally that powers our economy,' Governor Abbott said. But being the highest-producing oil field in the US comes at a cost. 'Many of you all have complained about oil field theft and for a good reason. It's on the rise and it's very costly,' the Governor said. Oil field theft has hit the Basin hard. Law enforcement officials said more than $2,000,000 worth of stolen equipment has been seized this year alone. 'Your Senator and Representatives got three laws to my desk to fix that,' Governor Abbott said. First, House Bill 48 will establish an oil field theft prevention unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety. 'The second is Senate Bill 498 by Senator Sparks, sponsored in the House by Representative Landgraf. It establishes the Theft of Petroleum Products Task Force,' Governor Abbott said of another bill signed today. The third, Senate Bill 1806, will allow police to confiscate petroleum products that have been stolen. 'It creates a program to inspect oil and gas tankers for possible theft, and it increases criminal penalties for theft of petroleum products in Texas,' the Governor said. 'The crackdown on oil theft in Texas is now law.' Another bill signed today addressed the demand for economic growth in the Basin. 'Having been the governor of the state, it's ranked number one in the United States for economic development. Not once, not twice, but actually 13 years in a row, Texas has been the national champion for economic development,' Governor Abbott said. To foster that growth, he signed Senate Bill 529. 'It's a program that will help Midland to boost hotel and convention projects and to attract more tourists and businesses to your great city.' Leadership within the Tall City said the bill will help keep local dollars here. 'Over the last few years, we've seen so much of the revenue coming from oil and gas and from other things going out of the Permian Basin and really resourcing the rest of the state budget,' said Mayor Blong. 'I often think of the Permian Basin as the goose that lays the golden egg for the state of Texas and if they want us to continue to be able to lay those golden eggs, then they're going to have to invest in our infrastructure, they're going to have to invest in our local economy, they're going to have to invest in the health care and public safety and education of our students.' Now that these critical bills have been signed into law, Governor Abbott said locals will start to see some changes. 'It's going to transform the entire Permian Basin region for decades if not a century,' he said. One thing that Governor Abbott wanted to make clear to all- our local lawmakers were essential in making these changes happen. 'You all are fortunate to have representatives who deliver on solutions to the problems you face, so give it up for Speaker Craddock, Senator Sparks, and Representative Landgraf and Representative Darby for everything they have done to get things across the finish line,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Yahoo
Landgraf's food truck freedom bill heads to Governor's desk
NOTE: The video above first aired on March 6, 2025. AUSTIN (KMID/KPEJ)- Legislation by State Representative Brooks Landgraf to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles for food truck owners across Texas has cleared both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is now headed to Governor Greg Abbott's desk to be signed into law. House Bill 2844 creates a single, statewide health permit for food trucks issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). This new system replaces the confusing patchwork of local health permits and duplicative inspections that currently burden mobile food vendors operating in multiple jurisdictions. 'Food truck owners shouldn't have to jump through a different set of hoops every time they cross a city limit,' Landgraf said. 'This bill provides a consistent, statewide framework for health permitting—cutting red tape while keeping food safety standards strong.' HB 2844 ensures that mobile food vendors are held to uniform, high health standards without being subjected to redundant local regulations. At the same time, the bill preserves local control by allowing cities to continue enforcing rules on where, when, and how food trucks operate—such as zoning restrictions, hours of operation, and proximity to events or schools. 'This is a big win for Texas small business owners, especially the hard-working entrepreneurs running food trucks in our communities,' Landgraf said. 'Instead of spending thousands of dollars on repetitive permits and unnecessary fees, food truck owners will be able to reinvest that money into growing their business—upgrading equipment, hiring more staff, and expanding their operations.' Landgraf filed the Food Truck Freedom bill at the request of several food truck operators in Odessa and Monahans. State Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) sponsored the bill in the Senate. The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers and is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, following the creation of the statewide permit by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.