While COVID-19 case numbers in Dawson have been steadily rising in recent months, so has another number that carries serious consequences for many local residents. That’s the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), produced by Texas A&M University’s Special Sciences Laboratory in partnership with Texas A&M Forest Service. Dawson County’s KBDI number is well up the scale, Lamesa Fire Chief Larry Duyck noted this past Tuesday in his regular update to the Dawson County Commissioners Court. On a scale of 0 to 800, Dawson County’s KDBI number stood at 677 on the first day of December. “A little precipitation last week kept us from going over ...