Independent News Drop

KELI From Inkwell, this is the Amarillo News Drop. I'm Keli, with Hast.

HAST Governor Abbott ordered a statewide audit of data centers Monday, freezing approvals for projects connecting to ERCOT's grid. The Panhandle, though, sits mostly outside that footprint — the region's tied to the Southwest Power Pool and the Eastern interconnection, so data centers here planning to connect locally won't face the pause. The order came without explanation of what triggered it, no timeline for the audit, and no word on whether the hold extends beyond ERCOT territory.

KELI Counter-read here: you'll hear this framed as Abbott acting on power-grid strain. The structural fact is different. Data centers consume enormous electricity and have been fast-tracked through interconnection queues while traditional utilities and manufacturers wait months. Abbott's audit is really about queue priority and whether the state let private data firms jump the line. Expect him to say grid protection; watch for the real answer in whether the audit resets the queue order or just reviews the paperwork. Coming days will tell you which one it is.

HAST Sticking with education — Texas threatened Monday to revoke the certification of a national education group over unspecified compliance concerns. The state hasn't named which group or what the violation is, so the public and the schools that depend on that certification don't yet know the exposure. The Education Agency typically signals these moves weeks ahead. A surprise threat suggests either a fast-moving investigation or a deliberate pressure play.

KELI School Choice program numbers came in Monday as well — waitlist hit the nation's largest. Texas Minute didn't specify the total, but the trend is clear: demand for the voucher program outpaces slots. That's going to be a pressure point for the next legislative session and for how fast Abbott moves to expand it.

HAST A police officer in Texas is under investigation for alleged misuse of Flock camera data — the automated license-plate readers that departments use for traffic enforcement. If the allegation holds, it's a serious breach of access controls and raises questions about oversight of who can query those systems and why. No department named yet, no officer name released, but this is the kind of story that often moves to a specific agency once reporting tightens.

KELI North Texas suburbs are still pushing back on the new housing law that loosens zoning for apartments. Some cities are trying to make development harder even though state law says they can't. Abbott already rebuked them once. Watch for enforcement actions or legal challenges in the coming weeks.

HAST Before we close — a history note. Fifty years ago today, the Japanese Red Army took hostages at an embassy building in Kuala Lumpur, holding diplomats until five imprisoned comrades were released and flown to Libya. It's a moment when hostage diplomacy and terror tactics shaped state response at scale.

KELI That's the Amarillo News Drop. Full script and sources at inkwell.wiki/news/amarillo.

KELI Before we close, something lighter from Inkwell. There's a piece asking what the Beatles songbook keeps reaching for — a world set right, meaning that holds — without pretending the band were secret prophets.

HAST An honest look, and an open door. At inkwell dot wiki, slash beatles.