Amarillo, Potter County | featured news

A major Texas Department of Transportation bridge replacement project on Interstate 40 is set to begin next week. The department is advising motorists of lane closures that will last through November.
The $36.2 million project involves completely rebuilding bridges at the Ross-Osage Drive and Arthur Avenue intersections.
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Local grant-funded education initiative No Limits No Excuses launched a campaign yesterday with the goal of engaging Amarillo Independent School District high schoolers to help them find success after graduation.
The effort, called “GO: What’s Your Plan,” features a mobile app, website and video kiosks located at each of the district’s high schools.

Breaking through the barrier of cerebral palsy, Trace George, a senior in the special needs program at Bushland High School, has accomplished many goals in his 17 years, such as lettering in the Special Olympics and becoming an active member in the Falcon Friends Club.
But on Friday night, George will burst through a cloud of fog, emerging from a giant inflatable football into Bushland’s main stage, the football field.
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The city’s top restaurants, service companies and shops turned out for an Alice in Wonderland-themed “Best of Amarillo” party Thursday night that left attendees grinning like Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat.
More than 80 colorful, extravagantly-decorated booths lined the Amarillo Civic Center Complex’s Heritage Room, nearly everyone with some sort of play on the general Wonderland theme.
Community members sampled food from 22 eateries and collected bags full of swag — everything from pizza cutters to golf tees.

All 126 Hastings Entertainment stores will be closed after Saturday, with some – including the store on Southwest 45th Avenue – shutting down yesterday. Hastings originally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 13, less than two years after having been bought for $21.4 million by Draw Another Circle, LLC.
After attempting to find a company that would pay to keep the stores running, Hastings was bought in July by Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC. with the intent to liquidate.

Texas Arbor Day is celebrated on the first Friday in November, even though the national Arbor Day is in April in the spring, because this is the best time of year to plant trees in the Texas Panhandle.
The Amarillo Zoo invites tree lovers of all ages to join them on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. for “Planting for the Planet.” Activities included planting a ceremonial tree, receiving a free tree seedling and wildflower seed packet (while supplies last), and educational crafts and activities.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers seized more than 50 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop Tuesday, leading to the arrest of two men.
Just after 2:30 p.m. a DPS trooper stopped a Buick Enclave traveling east on U.S. Highway-287 near Clarendon for a traffic violation.
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The Panhandle Association of Health Underwriters will present a free, informational session on Nov. 1 and 2 to help Texas Panhandle residents learn about health insurance plans and health care regulations.
The event at the Amarillo College Downtown Auditorium is on Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. or Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.
The presentation will offer information on health insurance plans, options that can meet a family’s needs, government mandates and qualifications for assistance and how to enroll.

A military mass to honor all veterans will be celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle Church on Saturday at 10 a.m. All veterans and their families of all denominations are welcome to attend.
For more information call 806-676-0660.

Potter County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested a man Tuesday morning after 23 pounds of marijuana was discovered in a vehicle.
At 9 a.m. deputies initiated a traffic stop on a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Interstate 40 near mile marker 55.
A search of the vehicle uncovered approximately 23 pounds of marijuana hidden inside, valued at roughly $80,000.
The driver, Qujuana Simone Reed, 26, of Stockbridge, Ga. was arrested for possession of marijuana over five pounds but under 50 pounds, a third degree felony according to the Potter County Sheriff’s Department.