News

A runoff election will be held on Tuesday, May 26, to settle several primary races in which no candidate won a simple majority of the votes cast.

The big story in this week’s Super Tuesday primary voting had been all but written. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders’ ascendency to the party nomination was nearly a foregone conclusion, right up until that pivotal moment when House Majority Whip James Clyburn endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, and on Feb. 29, South Carolina voters handed Biden a decisive victory.

This week, the spread of the coronavirus has accelerated worldwide. The epidemic continues to expand rapidly outside China, topping 90,000 cases and 3,200 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. As of Wednesday, The New York Times has reported more than 150 cases across 16 states and nine deaths linked to the virus.

In his quarterly report to the city council last month, Community Development Director Shane Spencer said he had reached the conclusion that the oil and gas industry that has so long driven the local economy might not rebound. Based on the declines in the oil and gas industry, he said, “I think it’s time to shift gears, to focus more on diversifying our economy.”

Wheeler County earned the dubious distinction last week of being deemed “the fastest-shrinking local economy in Texas.”

Improvement projects at two area airports received funding from the Texas Transportation Commission during its February meeting.

PAMPA—Pavement repairs were recently made to State Highway (SH) 70, or Hobart Street, in Pampa, in preparation for a major base repair and overlay project set to begin in mid-summer.

Texas increases security features, unveils new driver license, ID, and license to carry cards

AUSTIN—Starting this week, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) began issuing the newly designed Texas driver licenses (DL), identification (ID) cards, and license to carry (LTC) cards to all Texans. 

Assistant Canadian Fire Chief Gary Prater didn’t have to wait for a dispatch or sirens Thursday afternoon to know the volunteer firefighters were about to be called out.

This week, the number of new coronavirus infections outside of China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time, according to the World Health Organization. Chinese officials on Tuesday announced the confirmation of 411 new infections, The New York Times reported yesterday. In the rest of the world, 427 new cases were reported.