Amarillo, Potter County | featured news

Presidential political debates, much like beauty, are in the eye of the beholder. While local Democrats gathered at the Courtyard Amarillo Downtown bar and lounge for a Hillary Clinton debate watch party, GOP supporters were just a short walk away at the Happy State Bank Virgil Patterson Auditorium to watch Donald Trump on the bank’s big screen.
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Mayor Paul Harpole is once again faced with issues regarding the Texas Department of Transportation’s upkeep of Amarillo interstates and roads.
He said he recently went around the city and took more than 40 videos to document instances of overgrown weeds and grass, dead foliage, litter and damage along the city’s highways and roads that are supposedly maintained by TxDot.
“The best word I can come up with (about the look of our highways in the city) is ‘disgusting,’” Harpole said.

Going into Monday night’s presidential debate, local Democrats said they hoped Hillary Clinton would stick to the issues and not be brought down by what they think may be Donald Trump’s alleged bully tactics. Meanwhile, many local Republicans hoped to hear their candidate talk the important issues they see facing the Texas Panhandle.
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Today is National Voter Registration Day, and the Potter County Office of Elections Administration is upping its staffing as it encourages Amarilloans to beat long lines that tend to appear near the registration deadline.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the office will be stationing volunteer deputy registrars on the first floor of the Santa Fe building to help residents to register or update registration.
The last day to register to vote for the November election is Oct. 11.

An Amarillo man scheduled to ride horseback to Dallas to raise awareness about homelessness has put his trip on hold due to a family emergency.
Kit Rudd, 59, made headlines in August after spending five days living on the streets to get a better view of homelessness in Amarillo.
Rudd was scheduled to make the 300-plus mile ride this weekend, but delayed the trip after his mother was hospitalized.

Students, parents and passersby might notice a more visible police presence at Amarillo Independent School District campuses as it outfits its liaison officers with patrol cars.
Amarillo ISD’s Board of Trustees voted recently to enter into a 10-year agreement with the City of Amarillo that will see the district lease a decommissioned Amarillo Police Department vehicle for each of the 11 officers that provide school security and their supervisor.
In the past, officers used their personal vehicles and were paid a car allowance.

“My wife thought it would be a good idea,” Ken Miller said.
The Miller’s home was one of four homes on the Plemons-Eakle Historic Home Tour where hundreds of people were expected to pass through and look at pieces of Amarillo history on Sunday.
The Miller’s home was built in 1922 and has been well preserved.
“We were very happy to open our home,” Miller said. “We just love the original wood. There’s a lot of wood work that hasn’t been painted, it’s natural.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared his intent to withdraw from the federal refugee resettlement program if the state’s plan to limit the number of refugees it accepts and to allow only “fully vetted” refugees into the state is not approved.
If the government doesn’t respond by Sept. 30, the end of the 2016 fiscal year, Abbott said he will follow through.
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Grace Church held their third-annual Church In The Park on Sunday in the chilly and windy amphitheater in Sam Houston Park.
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