The year 2020 is one that will be memorable for a myriad of reasons. There have been a wide range of stories that have surfaced over the course of the last 12 months for the Amarillo area, and here are some that were among the most notable.
First cases of COVID-19 in the Texas Panhandle
Officials with the city of Amarillo confirmed the first two COVID-19 cases in the Texas Panhandle during a news conference in mid-March. This came after two adult patients tested positive for COVID-19 the evening of March 18 after traveling outside the Amarillo area.
During the news conference, city officials issued the first disaster declaration related to COVID-19 and increased the COVID-19 status level chart to Level Orange from Level Yellow. The next day, the city of Canyon followed the city of Amarillo s lead, also issuing a disaster declaration related to COVID-19.
Earlier this month, the Texas Education Agency announced it would be pausing its A-F accountability ratings for school districts and their campuses for the 2020-21 school year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This is an extension of the decision TEA made last year, pausing both its accountability and the issuance of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, tests for the 2019-20 school year.
All schools were given a rating of “Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster,” according to previous reporting by the Amarillo Globe-News, and all schools maintained the rating they received from TEA during the 2018-19 school year.
The Amarillo Independent School District’s Board of Trustees recently voted to further make progress on the district’s AmTech Career Academy. At its recent board meeting, the trustees voted to approve a contract with Navajo Office Products to purchase furniture for the facility.
According to previous reports by the Amarillo Globe-News, the district’s board approved the name of its career academy during a special meeting in late October, with it being an expansion of the Amarillo Area Center for Advanced Learning (AACAL) and will be located at 3601 Plains.
The board selected Tri-State General Contracting Group as the contractor for this project during the regular October meeting, with the contract for the project being approved to be $8,652,751. Overall, the project is expected to cost $9,748,590.
11 a.m.
The video meeting is hosted through Zoom. The conference bridge number for zoom is: 1-669-900-9128 when prompted for meeting ID enter: 87856390330
Discuss, consider, and take appropriate action on restrictive covenants, codes and restrictions for South Georgia Business Park; staff financial and operational updates; and quarterly investment report.
Planning and Zoning Commission:
3 p.m.
1-346-248-7799
When prompted for the Webinar ID enter: 96026261422#
To view the meeting via video, the following link is provided: https://amarillo.zoom.us/j/96026261422?pwd=VG1acUlPLzBQNXpjUUxXalZqZmxYQT09 Meeting ID: 96026261422 Password: 908761
Plat/s: The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider the following plat/s: