News

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke went out of the way to bring his ‘People of Texas Campaign’ to Canadian on Saturday. Not only did his barnstorming stopover rouse a group of about 15 Second Amendment rights’ supporters—who stood outside the River Valley Pioneer Museum that afternoon armed with flags, signs, and an assortment of firearms (see story on page 8)—it also attracted a surprisingly large crowd of about 60 attendees, who listened attentively and asked questions about issues that concern them.

Former Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo is this year’s keynote speaker for the 2022 Hemphill County/Texas A&M AgriLife Beef Conference, scheduled for April 26-27 here at Jones Pavilion in Canadian.

Dewayne Ford (in photo above) stands outside the River Valley Pioneer Museum, along with a group of other gun carriers in protest against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke and in defense of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The rally was heavily promoted on air last week by KXDJ commentator Chris Samples, who encouraged those listening to stage a rally in Canadian Saturday, and to bring their rifles with them.

After a last-minute filing flurry, six candidates are in contention for three seats on the Canadian ISD board of trustees. That decision is the only local issue before voters in the May 7 election, after elections for seats on the hospital and water district boards, and on the city council, went uncontested. Those elections will be, or have already been, canceled.

With warnings of high winds, wet snows, and blizzard conditions in the forecast early this week, Xcel Energy beefed up its crews and prepared to respond to possible power outages. Wind speeds reached 40 mph overnight, with gusts up to 60, and by early Tuesday, 50,000 customers had been affected by either momentary or sustained outages caused by Monday night’s weather. By late Tuesday afternoon, about 9,000 Xcel customers in the Texas Panhandle were still without power—most of those in the Amarillo metro area.

Canadian firefighters responded Monday afternoon to a fire that started near the grain elevator at Vaca Corrales, about 10 miles south of Canadian on US 60/83. Propelled by sustained 25- to 30-mph winds out of the north, gusting up to 38 mph, the flames crossed SH 33 into tall, dry grasses, where the firefighters managed to halt their progress.

New Canadian residents and new business owners Marjorie Miller and Richard Loch visited here last week with Canadian/Hemphill County Economic Development Council board members. The couple is preparing to open The Canadian Business Hub—an enterprise that will provide a multitude of services to residents and businesses here, ranging from shipping, mailing, printing, and copying services to digital services, such as state fingerprinting, TSA pre-check signups, and expedited passport services.

It was all business at the courthouse Monday morning, as commissioners efficiently chipped away at a loaded agenda, adopting an updated burn ban, approving $5,000 in funding for repairs to the baseball/softball complex, accepting bids for the annual sealcoating project, and reviewing property insurance-coverage appraisals.

Spencer and Lacy Hanes An account has been set up at Canadian InterBank for the benefit of Spencer and Lacy Hanes, whose fourth baby was born in Amarillo last Monday and flown that night to a hospital in Dallas/Fort Worth, where he underwent surgery at Cook Children’s Medical Center. They will be there for at least a couple of weeks, if not longer.