Amarillo area Our Town briefs for the week of January 22, 2023
Amarillo Police accepting applications for next Citizens Police Academy
The next Citizen Police Academy will be held at the Amarillo Police Department, Jerry Neal Classroom (4th Floor), 200 East 3rd, February through the beginning of May. Classes take place 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays , along with two Saturday mornings.
Planned subject areas include Departmental organization and functions of the various divisions and units; Patrol Division operations; Canine demonstration, Motorcycle and radar demonstration; Dive Team demonstration; Employment opportunities and requirements; Police Academy training; Crime prevention strategies; School Liaison program; Gangs; Criminal Justice System; Felony stop procedures; Crime scene investigation (hands-on demonstration); Property and Evidence tour; Amarillo Emergency Communications Center (AECC) tour; Narcotics Unit operations, and SWAT operations and demonstration.
"The mission of the Amarillo Police Department is to provide excellent public service and law enforcement to the community, with the goal of keeping Amarillo a safe place to live, work, and play. The department must have the support and help of Amarillo residents to accomplish this goal and foster a community we can all be proud of," a release says. "The goal of the Citizen and Student Police Academy is to help the citizens of Amarillo understand how the police department works and how officers perform their jobs in the community. It is hoped that all graduates of the Citizen Police Academy will get to know more about the men and women who are protecting their community and why they make the decisions they do while performing that duty. Community oriented policing plays an important and vital role in reducing crime in Amarillo, and the Citizen Police Academy is a part of our community policing strategy.
"The Amarillo Police Department started the Citizen Police Academy to improve communication and obtain citizen input and support throughout the city. It is our hope the graduates will become partners with us in identifying problems and solutions to the crime issues that are affecting our community. Graduates will take their knowledge back to their families and friends where they can use it to enhance the quality of life in our city. There is no tuition or fees required to attend."
Meet bear twins Truffles and Oyster
The Amarillo Zoo has officially welcomed on exhibit, Truffles and Oyster, the year and half old American black bears.
Oyster and Truffles came to the Amarillo Zoo from Project Wildlife Ramona, a program of the San Diego Humane Society, according to the city. The twins arrived at the Ramona Wildlife Center, after being captured by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The bears were observed seeking food from humans, without a mother. This ultimately leads to problems for both the bears and humans. "They have spent the last couple of months here at the Amarillo Zoo getting settled in and use to their new roommate, Mesa. They have not been introduced fully to Mesa, but enjoy conversations through their dens. They were able to explore their new habitat after hours and have now graduated to go out for the public to meet them. They are currently alternating days on exhibit with Mesa," the city says.
$3,000 in scholarships, prizes awarded to WT students in Holiday Instagram Contest
CANYON — A West Texas A&M University student traveled to the world’s tallest building in her successful effort to win the university’s recent holiday break Instagram scholarship contest.
Sheffin Hibba, a sophomore wildlife biology major from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, submitted a selfie of her flashing the Buff hand sign in front of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The photo — one of more than 50 submissions — was chosen the winner by the Office for Academic Affairs, and Hibba received a $1,000 scholarship.
The five-week contest solicited photos from students taken over the winter break in December and early January. In all, more than $3,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded in the contest. Four photos were chosen weekly based on engagement and shared to an Instagram story with a 24-hour poll. Prizes included WT-branded backpacks, shirts, tumblers and stickers.
On Jan. 13, all of the submitted photos were judged by a committee of Academic Affairs staff members, who chose the top four scholarship winners.
Second place went to Savannah Caudle, a freshman animal science/pre-vet major from Copperas Cove, for her photo of her standard poodle Hazel with the WT logo dyed in its fur. She won a $750 scholarship. Third-place winner was Lexi Busby, a junior criminal justice major from Coke, for her selfie taken on a ski vacation in Keystone, Colorado. She won a $500 scholarship. And fourth place went to Ryan Walden, a sophomore sports and exercise science major from Cotton Center, for his selfie on his 2015 Suzuki RMZ-250 on a motocross track in Lubbock. He won a $350 scholarship.
To enter the contest, students submitted photos of themselves wearing or holding WT gear that clearly showed the logo and tagged the WT Instagram account (@wtamu). To view all of the submitted photos, visit the WT Instagram account.
How to help Amarillo’s sister city in Ukraine
The city of Amarillo has received many calls asking how citizens can help the people of Dnipro in the wake of the recent missile strike on an apartment building that left dozens dead and injured.
The city has been informed that the Kind House Ukraine Bakery in Amarillo is accepting donations to assist the community and victims of the missile attacks. You can click this link to show your support online, at https://freedonationkiosk.com:9011/kindhouse/donation/new .
The city sends its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the community of Dnipro, Ukraine after devastating missile strikes hit Amarillo’s sister city. Amarillo City Council approved a sister city agreement with Dnipro in December.
For more information, contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 orby email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov
Give your HeART to CASA for Valentine's with annual fundraiser
Amarillo Area CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is hosting its annual HeART of CASA fundraising event to bring awareness to its CASA kids story as well as to celebrate local artists. The event will be held Feb. 3 at the WTAMU Amarillo Center's Harrington Academic Hall, located at 720 South Tyler St., from 7 to 9 p.m.
Some of this year's 30 art pieces include a range of current CASA kids' past, present and future inspired submissions, from aspirations of living in a pink house to becoming a doctor, from a person of inspiration to fond memories with their grandfather. Each piece is chosen and recreated by a local artist in a variety of mediums to be auctioned to benefit the HeART of CASA event.
To purchase tickets, visit the event site online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/heart-of-casa-2023-tickets-513290755467 . Cash payments will also be accepted at the Amarillo Area CASA office, located at 112 SW 8th Ave., # 101.
For more information or to stay updated, follow Amarillo Area CASA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/amarillocasa112 .
Amarillo Public Library chosen to host exhibition on human migration
Amarillo Public Library has been selected as one of only fifteen libraries in the entire United States to host the traveling exhibition, "World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Human Migration." The exhibit, developed by the American Anthropological Association and the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, willopen at the Downtown Amarillo Public Library on May 8 and close on June 16.
By presenting case studies from across human history and an array of cultures, "World on the Move" invites visitors to recognize that migration is a complex and diverse shared human experience. The exhibition aims to expand the public conversation on the topic of migration and displacement. As part of the exhibition, Amarillo Public Library received a stipend to present programming related to the topic of migration. A complete schedule of events and programs will be available when the exhibition opens. The exhibition will be free and open to the public during regular library hours,For more information, contact APL Coordinator of PR and Programming, Stacy Clopton. For more on the library, visit www.amarillolibrary.org .
Panhandle PBS captures Missa Solemnis “From the Heart”
In 2022, Panhandle PBS partnered with the Missa Solemnis Alliance to produce and broadcast “Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in the Texas Panhandle. The station also produced “From the Heart: The Making of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in the Texas Panhandle,” the documentary that explores the journey form 2018, though the interruption of the pandemic, to the 2022 performance. Now, DVD and Blu-ray copies of the performance and the documentary produced by Panhandle PBS are available through donations of $35 to the station.
Beethoven referred to the “Missa Solemnis” as “the greatest music I have ever written.” It was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1824. A total of 173 musicians are needed to perform the work, which is why it is typically only performed in large metroplexes today. The Missa Solemnis Alliance, made up of musicians from organizations from across the Texas Panhandle including Chamber Music Amarillo, the Amarillo Symphony, Amarillo Master Chorale, West Texas A&M University, Wayland Baptist University, Amarillo College and First Baptist Church, was formed to bring this complex work to Amarillo.
The Missa Solemnis Alliance attracted the largest number of performers assembled on the stage of the Globe News Center. “From the Heart: The Making of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in the Texas Panhandle” details conversations with influencers and musicians recalling the lead up to the performance. The program goes behind the scenes as an alliance of arts organizations join voices for this monumental undertaking – five years in the making.
For more information about “Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in the Texas Panhandle,” “From the Heart: The Making of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in the Texas Panhandle,” or to obtain your own copy, call (806)371-5479.