KELI From Inkwell, this is the Amarillo News Drop. I'm Keli, with Hast.
HAST Courts and sentencing first. A man accused in a March shooting in Amarillo has been sentenced, according to court documents filed this week. We don't have the name or the length of the sentence yet from the court, but this closes out one of the cases that came out of that incident. We'll be tracking the details as they come from the Potter County courthouse.
KELI That one's ongoing, yeah. Here's the underneath: when a case moves this fast from shooting to sentence in five months, there's usually a plea agreement in place. The court docket will tell us whether this was a negotiated resolution or a trial verdict. Either way, watch whether the other accused parties in that March incident move the same speed or face trial — that'll tell us how solid the original investigation was and whether prosecutors are confident in their evidence.
HAST Shifting scenes. Two people are dead after a house fire in Portales this morning. Fire officials found them inside the structure. No cause has been released yet, and Portales Fire Department hasn't said whether they're continuing the investigation or if it's been handed to state fire marshal.
KELI Back to school started this week across the Panhandle. Amarillo-area schools and Canyon ISD welcomed students back to campus. Superintendent Darryl Flusche of Canyon ISD said teachers are bringing what he called a warm and encouraging atmosphere into classrooms, with the expectation that kids will reach their highest levels of achievement. First week always runs on hope; we'll know more about how budgets are holding and staffing levels once the semester settles in.
HAST City crews are moving on street work. Downtown Amarillo — mill-and-overlay on N Pierce from 3rd to 11th Avenue. Cape sealing on S Buchanan from Fillmore to Pierce. Out in the Vineyards, microsurfacing lanes started today with closures in effect. Amarillo dot gov has the full project list if you're planning routes through those zones.
KELI Texas story now. Governor Abbott's office ordered a comprehensive audit of state data centers — that one's been in motion since early August and involves infrastructure security and operational efficiency across state IT. Same time, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced he's proposing penalties for schools that keep what he called vulgar books on library shelves. Schools that violate the recent obscenity law would face lower performance ratings under his proposal. That's a direct hit to school districts in the region that are already managing library challenges. Lubbock ISD has been fielding activist pressure on the same issue.
HAST On this day in 1960, Soviet officials sentenced American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers to ten years in prison for espionage after his plane was shot down over Moscow.
KELI That's the Amarillo News Drop. Full script and sources at inkwell.wiki/news/amarillo.
KELI Before we close, a word from Inkwell. The same workshop behind this drop just published the Magnificat — the song Mary sings in Luke, where the powerful are pulled down from their thrones and the hungry are filled.
HAST It reads less like a carol than a manifesto. Find it at inkwell dot wiki, slash giv.
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