Voters who want to cast their ballots early have today and tomorrow to complete that task. Early voting continues through the end of the business day, Friday at Hemphill County Courthouse 400 Main Street, Room 204. The polling station will be open until 7 pm this evening (Thursday) and will not close due to adverse weather conditions, according to District Clerk Lisa Johnson.

This 300’-tall radio tower succumbed to a heavy coat of ice and the wind from the top of the caprock, and collapsed yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) at a time when it might be needed most. Before it toppled, the tower facilitated emergency communications between the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office, Hemphill County EMS and the Canadian Fire Department. Fire Chief Scott Brewster, who provided this photo, said he wasn’t sure how emergency responders would communicate without it, but said it would likely take months to build a new tower, and didn’t even speculate about the cost involved.

Both Xcel Energy Inc. and North Plain Electric Cooperative are reporting power outages affecting area customers since late yesterday when winter storms brought a combination of snow, ice, and sleet to most of the Panhandle area.

A spike in rural infections last week pushed the nation to a new peak in COVID-19 cases. Rural counties had a record 17,818 new infections on Friday, Oct.