Potter County | featured news

After the last bell signals the end of the school day for students at Sanborn Elementary School each Tuesday, class begins for the teachers there. Pre-K through fifth-grade educators assemble in a campus computer lab for “Techno Tuesday.” And no, it’s not an underground dance party.
Led by Amarillo Independent Sschool District digital learning leader Mindy Montano, the hour-long weekly gathering is designed to help teachers become more tech savvy as the school district places a renewed focus on using digital resources.

The future of an Amarillo group tasked with overseeing economic development projects for the city might be as uncertain as the possibility of a downtown baseball stadium.
Amarillo Local Government Corporation, formed more than five years ago to explore the feasibility of a series of catalyst projects designed to spur economic growth in a decaying downtown.
The city-appointed group is nearing the home plate on its first two projects, which include the Embassy Suites Convention Hotel and a parking garage on Buchanan Street.

How Amarillo residents are billed for water usage may change.
Amarillo resident Jesse Pfrimmer said the way the city charges customers is dishonest.
With his water utility bill in hand, Pfrimmer questioned City Council members about why he was charged a monthly fee despite the fact he hadn’t used any water.
“You are falsely advertising every drop counts,” he said about the city’s water conservation slogan. “If you use zero gallons you’re charged the same as someone who uses 3,000 – there’s no reward for conservation.”

When travelers pass through Amarillo in a decade or so, hidden no doubt by the ever-present weeds along Interstate 40 will be the city’s tombstone.
Upon closer inspection will be this epitaph:
At least our tax rate was low.
Approving some or all of the seven propositions on the current election ballot that determine a path for the city’s future requires from Amarillo citizens a mixture of courage, faith, pragmatism, foresight and sacrifice, virtues previous generations of this city had in abundance.

Amarillo ISD’s Glenwood Elementary, South Lawn Elementary and Whittier Elementary were recognized Thursday by Texas Education Agency as high-performing or high-progress Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are campuses with a population of at least 40 percent low-income students.
Such elementary schools must attain distinctions on state-mandated exams in reading and math to be designated high performing. A high-progress school is identified as a Title 1 school in the top 25 percent in annual improvement or closing performance gaps.

With white-tail deer hunting season set to open Saturday morning, the biggest change that hunters in the western part of the Panhandle will face are required check-ins at two testing locations to ensure their prize isn’t carrying chronic wasting disease.
The stations, set up by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, are in Vega and Dalhart, and any whitetail deer, mule deer or elk must be taken to one of the stations within 24 hours of being killed.

Amarillo Crime Stoppers is seeking the help of the public to find its Fugitive of the Week, Adrian Casarez, who is wanted in Potter and Randall Counties on six different counts.
Casarez is wanted out of Randall County for bond surrender for two credit/debit card abuse charges, as well as another six counts including engaging in organized criminal activity and credit or debit card abuse.
He is also wanted in Potter County for credit or debit card abuse and has two warrants for fraudulent use or possession of identifying information.

Four months after a fire destroyed the kitchen of Spicy Mike’s Bar-B-Q Haven, the restaurant has found a new home.
Spicy Mike’s hopes to reopen at 6723 S. Western St. before the end of the year, according to owner Mike Havens. It had served brisket, ribs and more at 7028 S. Western Street before the June fire.
“I wanted to stay in the same area because I feel like the City View area is really growing,” Havens said. “Those people in that area made us who we were in that last 4.5 years ... so we thought it was important to stay in that area.”

Walmart and Sam’s Club recently wrapped up a seven-week campaign, collecting $127,356 for Children’s Miracle Network of Amarillo.
It was part of a national campaign for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals which resulted in $37.5 million raised for member hospitals across the U.S.
The local donations were made between Aug. 29 to Oct. 16 at 18 area locations where workers held various in-store fundraising activities and asked customers at the register to contribute.

“Art transcending conflict” is the theme of a unique art show on Amarillo’s Friday calendar.
Its organizers are Andrew Scott DeJesse, an Amarillo artist who is also a Cultural Affairs Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, and Jacob Breeden, one of the founders of the Process Art House at 700 S. Van Buren St.
At the root of the motivation for their exhibit are battling the illicit international trafficking of antiquities and promoting works created by up-and-coming artists from some of the world’s war-torn areas.