KELI From Inkwell, this is the Amarillo News Drop. I'm Keli, joined by Hast.
HAST The Panhandle Northern Railroad just landed nearly twenty-five million in federal money. Rep. Ronny Jackson announced the grant this week — it's going straight to track rehabilitation and infrastructure across short-line railroads in Texas. The railroad serves the region's agricultural and energy sectors, so this is long-haul capital that moves freight faster and cheaper through the High Plains.
KELI That's the straightforward read. The structural piece underneath: federal rail funding has been thin for rural short-lines for a decade. This grant is real money, but it's also a political signal — Jackson's office timed the announcement, and it lands in a competitive district in an election year. Watch whether the railroad announces a timeline for work in the next two weeks. If the grant stalls in permitting or planning after November, you'll know the announcement was built for October coverage, not October progress.
HAST Randall County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of a jail-bond scam. Callers are impersonating law enforcement, telling family members of inmates they need to wire money for bond and that the inmate will be released with an ankle monitor. The Sheriff's Office says it does not accept bonds through money transfer services. If you get that call, hang up and dial the Sheriff's Office directly to verify.
KELI Amarillo College pulled in a federal grant worth one point three million dollars for child care assistance to student parents. The four-year grant runs through 2030 and will help eligible students access affordable child care. Students can reach out to the CampusRoots team at ccampis@actx.edu for applications and details.
HAST Early voting for the November third general election started yesterday. Potter County saw twenty-one hundred seventy-eight in-person votes on the first day. Randall County pushed closer to forty-four hundred. Those are opening numbers — we'll track the pace as it moves through early voting.
KELI Potter County Commissioners' Court meets October twenty-sixth at nine in the morning. The agenda is published now if you want to check what's on the docket.
HAST One date note. In 2011, President Obama announced that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would be complete by the end of that year.
KELI That's the Amarillo News Drop. Full script and sources at inkwell.wiki/news/amarillo.
KELI Before we close, a word from Inkwell. There's an essay at Gil's Intelligent Version on what actually happened in 1914 — and how a real historical instinct curdled into false certainty the moment someone tried to measure it to the inch.
HAST It's called The Witness and the Ruler. At inkwell dot wiki, slash giv.
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