KELI From Inkwell, this is the Amarillo News Drop. I'm Keli, with Hast.
HAST Canyon ISD is five years deep in deficit budgeting. On August 27th, the board adopted a 2026 fiscal plan that projects a $5.35 million shortfall — money the district will spend that it doesn't have coming in. Superintendent Darryl Flusche told the Tribune that a deficit budget doesn't freeze all spending, but every department and every school has tightened. So here's what that means underneath: Canyon has been running red since at least 2021. That's not a one-year crisis — that's structural. Either revenue is insufficient, costs outpaced revenue years ago, or some combination. When a district operates on borrowed time that long, you're not managing the problem; you're managing the decline. The board will have to pick between cutting deeper into instruction or finding new revenue — tax rate hikes or bond measures. Watch the next board meeting and the budget revision cycle. One of those two doors opens.
KELI Texas agriculture commissioner race is personal now. The Tribune reports Democrat Fred Sheets and Republican Justin Tucker are trading challenges over land ties and farm credentials. That seat's been held by the same person for more than a decade, and whoever wins next month shapes state crop policy, water access, and data center placement on agricultural land — all high-stakes for the Panhandle. We'll track how that race tightens as we move toward November.
HAST Storybridge is hosting its annual Set the Table fundraiser this evening at the Amarillo Club — 5 to 7:30 p.m., 65 dollars in advance, 75 at the door. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks on-site.
KELI And Amarillo Habitat for Humanity is running Party at the Park this Saturday — free to enter, fundraiser for one of the organization's homes under construction.
HAST Before we close, a history note. On this day in 2006, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Kiholo Bay in Hawaii, closing Honolulu International Airport and triggering power outages across the islands.
KELI That's the Amarillo News Drop. Full script and sources at inkwell.wiki/news/amarillo.
KELI Before we close, a word from Inkwell. If you've ever wondered what Gil's Intelligent Version actually is — a chronological retranslation of the Bible with its full scholarly workings left visible — there's now a plain overview.
HAST No author, only method. Start at inkwell dot wiki, slash giv, slash about.
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