https://www.amarillotribune.org/

The Amarillo Tribune, Amarillo, TX (2026)

01/15/2026

The Amarillo Police Department is seeking bike riders, volunteers and sponsors for their Top of Texas Heritage Ride.

According to Amarillo Police Department officer Christopher Claybrook, APD is planning to make the road bicycle benefit race an annual event. The proceeds of the event will benefit a different non-profit each year. Claybrook said this year the event will benefit One Chair at a Time.

According to Claybrook, each route is designed to showcase Amarillo landmarks. Some landmarks include the American Quarter Horse Association, Slug Bug Ranch, Hodgetown, Route 66, Amarillo Botanical Gardens, and more.

“We're needing sponsors for the event, and then we need people to sign up. We want this to be a yearly thing that we can put on at the police department. We have so many resources, we just want to use them for the community. So the bigger, the better. We'd love to fill up Amarillo with people on bikes,” Claybrook said.

Riders can sign up for a 10-mile, 20-mile, 37-mile, or 59-mile bike ride. Rides will be on April 25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign-up registration to ride is now open. To become a volunteer or make a donation, visit them online. Claybrook said businesses or organizations interested in sponsoring the event can reach him at [email protected].

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/newsletters/

01/15/2026

Storybridge will have a children's book drive on Jan. 16 and 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Dream and Donate Book Drive at 4468 Canyon Drive hopes to gather 18,000 donated books.

-Beginning Friday, the exit ramp to FM 2219 and McCormick Road will be closed to work on the I-27 expansion project. Traffic will be directed to a new exit ramp, located south of Rockwell Road. The new exit ramp will provide access to the northbound frontage road as well as FM 2219 and McCormick Road.

-The Amarillo NAACP branch will host a town hall meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at St. John's Baptist Church, located at 2301 NW 14th Ave.

- The Amarillo VA Healthcare System will host a veterans town hall meeting today from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Amarillo College West Campus Lecture Hall, located at 6222 W 9th Ave. A small resource fair will be held beforehand, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

-The Texas A&M AgriLife High Plains Research and Extension Center, a new facility that combines research and education outreach to the high plains region, will open Jan. 21 in Canyon, located at 3211 Russell Long Blvd. The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo closed its doors Jan. 15.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, announced that he is seeking reelection in Texas’s 13th congressional district on Jan. 14.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/newsletters/

01/15/2026

On Wednesday, the Amarillo College board of regents voted that, effective immediately, regent John Betancourt is suspended on a temporary basis from the college’s board committees and outside boards where Betancourt serves as an AC representative. This decision comes after Betancourt was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated on Jan. 2.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/14/regents-suspend-betancourt-from-committees-pending-resolution-of-suspected-dwi-arrest/

01/15/2026

According to the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) website, nine local schools will participate in the TEFA Program and will receive funds for the 2026/2027 school year. Six are in Amarillo.

TEFA is a state program that provides state-funding for school-age families

to use for education expenses, including private school tuition, homeschooling, tutoring, therapies, and tech. TEFA is the official name of the Texas Education Savings Account Program, created in 2025 from Texas’ 89th legislative session.

As the Amarillo Tribune previously reported, Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 2, the school choice legislation, into law on May 3, 2025. The legislature allocated $1 billion to create the program. In December, acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced the adoption of the final administrative rules to govern the TEFA program.

TEFA offers up to $11,000 in state funding for students enrolled in participating accredited private schools and at-risk pre-kindergarten programs. TEFA offers up to $30,000 for students with disabilities. All other qualifying students, including homeschool students, may be eligible to receive $2,000 annually.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/14/here-are-the-amarillo-schools-that-are-approved-for-voucher-funding/

01/14/2026

The Amarillo City Council unanimously confirmed Thomas Hover as chief of the Amarillo Police Department during its Tuesday meeting. Hover’s tentative start date is Jan. 22.

The Amarillo City Council voted unanimously to close Southwest Pool (located in John Stiff Park) and to at least temporarily close Southeast Pool until an engineering study can be conducted and presented to the Parks and Recreation board and the Council.

The proposed restoration of the historic Herring Hotel passed another hurdle, with the council voting to approve the developer agreement between the Center City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #1 and Herring Hotel Partners, LLC.

The Amarillo City Council received an update on Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare’s spay and neuter program. AAM&W director Victoria Medley said the pilot project that provides vouchers which cover the $200 cost of getting a pet either spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated has been a success.

The Amarillo City Council approved an amendment to the Location Agreement between the AEDC and Texas Tech University that will save the City nearly $2 million. The amendment accelerates the payment schedule in the agreement with Tech concerning the School of Veterinary Medicine.

At the beginning of the meeting, each Amarillo City Council member took some time to make what the agenda called “brief individual remarks regarding their personal vision for serving the community this year.”

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/14/need-to-know-amarillo-city-council-jan-13-2026/

01/14/2026

As we previously reported, the Amarillo Area Transgender Advocacy Group (AATAG) filed a civil suit against the City of Canyon in 2024 after city officials denied the group’s application for a permit to host a Transgender Day of Visibility celebration in Paul Lindsey Park. In November 2025, the parties informed the court that they had finalized a settlement agreement, contingent upon the City’s approval of the group’s application to host a 2026 event.

In December, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, ordered the parties to submit a joint brief certifying that the settlement would comply with Texas law, including SB 12, passed in the 88th legislative session and restricting some public drag performances.

In September 2023, the Southern District of Texas Court declared SB 12 unconstitutional and blocked the State from enforcing it, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision last November. Among other provisions, SB 12 makes it illegal for a city to authorize a “sexually oriented performance” on public property in the presence of those under 18 years old.

The parties in the suit filed a brief detailing AATAG’s plans to host a family-friendly event and ensure compliance with SB 12 and, on Jan. 9, asked to dismiss the case. Kacsmaryk ordered the dismissal on Monday.

Kacsmaryk had previously noted that the Fifth Circuit’s SB 12 decision might help “streamline the case” in Spectrum WT v. Wendler, which he called a similar case. Spectrum WT v. Wendler’s bench trial is today.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/14/dont-miss-aatag-settles-suit-with-city-of-canyon/

01/14/2026

As campaign season ramps up, the Texas Department of Transportation issued a reminder that placing campaign and other signs on public land is illegal. You can contact the TxDOT Amarillo District office for help in determining legal sign placement.

West Texas A&M University Opera’s annual gala on Jan. 31, this year themed “New York, New York,” will honor an Amarillo lawyer and musician who has long supported the region’s arts, Patrick Swindell. Tickets are available for $100 through Jan. 27.

The Amarillo Sandies have been selected as one of 10 finalists for the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Community Connector School of the Year award presented by Optimum. The school with the most votes (open through Jan. 23) will receive a $2,500 donation.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas's Blue Impact grant application is open for Texas nonprofits focused on improving social determinants of health. Applications are due Jan. 30.

Amarillo College has named Stephen Crandall the Dean of Liberal Arts; he will begin work later this month. Crandall was formerly the department chair of art, theatre and dance at WT.

At yesterday’s Amarillo City Council meeting, the council heard an update on Animal Management and Welfare’s spay and neuter voucher program, confirmed Amarillo’s new Chief of Police, and decided to permanently close Southwest Pool and at least temporarily close Southeast Pool. Look for our in-depth coverage later today!

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/newsletters/

01/13/2026

As we previously reported, on Dec. 15, 2025, Judge Walt Weaver in the Potter County Court at Law #1 ruled that Sharpened Iron Studios would need to immediately vacate its location on Amarillo College’s property, located at 1314 S Polk St, and pay AC’s attorney’s fees and court costs of approximately $13,500. On Dec. 30, SIS filed for a Motion for a New Trial.

According to court documents, the posted eviction notice said SIS was required to vacate the building by Jan. 5. On Jan. 2, SIS filed an emergency motion to stay, which said, “SIS simply cannot remove their tenants and personal property by Jan. 5.” The motion was granted by the court the same day.

In AC’s response to the motion, the college said that the emergency motion to stay was “a transparent delay tactic” and that the college has retained a professional moving company to assist in consolidating tenant property. AC also said that although SIS requested a 60-day extension to vacate, the moving company estimated that the move would require a four-man crew and could be completed in a single day to pack and move the items from the premises.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/13/sharpened-iron-studios-asks-for-a-new-trial-to-decide-amarillo-colleges-case-against-the-studio/

01/13/2026

Over 200 people filed into a small brown building on 10th Avenue, filled with the buzz of political networking on Jan. 10. They showed up to celebrate the grand opening of The Texas Panhandle Regional Democratic Headquarters.

“This party does not serve its mission when we lock ourselves in rooms in Austin,” Kendall Scudder, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said. “We have to be around this state if we want to be able to compete around this state. If we don’t show up, we allow Republicans to define who we are, and we’re ceding no territory.”

Scudder was elected to the position on March 29, 2025, by the Texas Democratic Executive Committee to fill the remainder of the 13-year-long incumbent Gilberto Hinojosa’s term. Hinojosa resigned on Nov. 8, 2024, acknowledging the defeats that Democrats faced across the ballot during the 2024 general election.

“In the days and weeks to come, it is imperative that our Democratic leaders across the country reevaluate what is best for our party and embrace the next generation of leaders to take us through the next four years of Trump and win back seats up and down the ballot,” Hinojosa said in a news release about his resignation.

Last September, Scudder and the Texas Democrats announced their plans to expand their presence in the state by opening offices in Dallas, Houston, Amarillo and Eagle Pass.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/13/texas-democrats-open-regional-headquarters-in-amarillo/

01/13/2026

The Amarillo Public Library announced the return of its Blind Date with a Book program. Books will be available for checkout beginning Jan. 15.

In the program, APL staff wrap and decorate books that they recommend or have been featured by the library. Participants can check out the wrapped books and audiobooks for a mystery date.

Readers who participate are asked to leave the library before they unwrap their “blind date.”

According to Cynthia Hunt, Amarillo Public Library program specialist, the program began in 2013 and has expanded each year since. Hunt said the books will include a brief description to help guide participants’ choices of topics of interest.

“The whole reason behind Blind Date with the Book is to encourage people to broaden their reading experience. You may discover a new format, a new genre, a new author. It just depends, and you may not like what you get, in which case you’re welcome to come back the next day and check out another book,” Hunt said.

Blind Date with a Book will be available at all APL branch locations. Participants must be 18 years or older. One Blind Date book may be checked out per participant per day.

All books must be returned by the library closing on Feb. 12. Readers who choose a blind date will be eligible to enter their name in a drawing for prizes, which will take place on Feb. 12. Prizes include a $50 meal gift certificate, book sale voucher, AMA-CON merchandise and Friends of the APL store coupons.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/13/dont-miss-apl-offers-blind-dates-with-a-book/

01/13/2026

Expect various lane closures on State Loop (SL) 335 from 3rd Avenue to Spur 591 for crack seal operations. The work is expected to be completed by Friday.

-Parks and Recreation offers Homeschool Fit and Play every Tuesday beginning today through Mar. 17 at the Warford Activity Center from 1 to 3:15 p.m. Admission is $65 per child. Sign-up is available online.

-Amarillo Parks and Recreation will host a Mini Sports Camp Jan. 14 through 16 at the Warford Activity Center from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Admission is $35. Tickets can be bought online.

-The Amarillo Symphony announced Cara Hunt as its newly appointed Development Director. Hunt's role with the symphony begins Monday.

-Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to U.S. Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner volunteering the State of Texas to participate in the HUD pilot program that seeks to eliminate fraud in federal affordable housing programs.

- Coffee Memorial Blood Center declared an emergency blood shortage and is in need of all blood types, especially type O-positive and O-negative. The Center encourages blood donations; to donate, sign up online.

-The Amarillo Fire Department is celebrating 14 graduates from its Emergency Medical Services Program. AFD will begin training its next paramedic cohort of 12 students later this month.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/newsletters/

01/12/2026

Amarillo Tribune journalists sit in hours of public meetings nearly every week. We know our readers are busy and often don’t have the opportunity to attend or watch these meetings themselves; that’s what we’re here for! In “Need to Know,” we deliver the highlights of public meetings so you can stay in the know while on the go!

At Monday’s meeting of the Potter County Commissioners Court, the commissioners considered a tax abatement agreement with Yellow Rose Solar Project LLC, which is leasing property in Potter County’s Reinvestment Zone Number Two, for a solar energy project five miles northwest of Amarillo. The Yellow Rose Solar Project will span over 18,000 acres in Potter and Carson Counties, with solar panels in clusters across 3,000 of those acres.

According to Alicia Wheeler, project developer with Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC, which is developing Yellow Rose, the project will have the capacity to generate up to 1,500 megawatts (one MW can power around 250 homes). The power can be purchased by utilities such as Xcel Energy, large data centers, or municipal and corporate buyers.

The first of three planned phases of the project would be complete and operational within two years of construction, which could begin as early as this year. According to the tax abatement agreement, which the Amarillo Tribune obtained from a public information request, Yellow Rose will make an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for 10 years per project phase. The PILOT amount is $1,850 per MW of generating solar capacity and $1,350 per MW of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity, which the agreement estimates to be between 500 and 750 megawatts.

Wheeler said Yellow Rose will pay the local landowners they are leasing from a combined $9 million annually, anticipates creating between 300 to 400 construction jobs for two years per phase, and will need five to eight full-time employees once the project is complete.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/01/12/need-to-know-potter-county-commissioners-court-monday-jan-12/

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