KELI From Inkwell, this is the Amarillo News Drop. I'm Keli, joined by Hast.
HAST Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent notices to 156 data center developments across the state, including operations in Potter and Randall counties, ordering them to provide accurate water usage data. The letters went out this week. Data centers consume massive amounts of water for cooling, and the Panhandle's aquifer depletion has become a hard limit on growth here. Paxton's office is signaling it wants documented proof of how much water these operations are actually pulling before more permits move forward.
KELI Counter-read on this one: most state coverage will frame this as routine oversight. What's underneath is pressure. The Panhandle sits atop the Ogallala, and water tables are dropping. Data centers are betting on continued access. Paxton's move is a signal that the state won't rubber-stamp that bet anymore. Watch the next 30 days for either water district pushback or accelerated permitting applications in Potter and Randall before the screws tighten.
HAST Potter County also has a weapon and assault indictment filed this week. A man was indicted on charges of aggravated assault and a weapons offense, according to court documents released October 16th. The sheriff's office is still processing details.
KELI On the school board side, Canyon ISD is meeting Monday evening. Behind closed doors, the board will consider selling the old Umbarger School property to Randall County. In open session, they'll get an update on teacher incentive allotments and a report on the ESL program. That's Monday night if you want to watch the decisions move.
HAST Texas' 15th Congressional District race is still running. Tejano musician Bobby Pulido is running against Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz, and he's casting the race as a return to the Democrats his family voted for decades ago. De La Cruz is framing him as tied to an old patronage system. Early voting starts next week in that district.
KELI One date marker. In 1973, Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ received the Nobel Peace Prize. That's the Amarillo News Drop. Full script and sources at inkwell.wiki/news/amarillo.
KELI Before we close, a word from Inkwell. Gil's Intelligent Version has a new companion piece on how the Latter-day Saints read the Trinity — three distinct beings, one in purpose, rather than three persons of one substance.
HAST It's an evenhanded look at the same question, decided the other way. At inkwell dot wiki, slash godhead.
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