In Parmer County: $40 per year
Out of Parmer County: $50 per year
eStar (emailed): $30 per year
Call 806-250-5200 for more information
Bingo Reminder — The next Bingo night is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to join in on the fun and fellowship.
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Track Update — Congratulations to 2025 FHS grad Kitzy Welch for her performance at the Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championships held last weekend at the West Texas A&M University Track and Field & Soccer Complex in Canyon. Kitzy is a freshman at Angelo State University and competed for the Rambelles in the discus, hammer throw, and shot put events. She finished in 4th place in the Discus Throw with a toss of 45.94 meters (150-08 feet), which was a personal best. Last year she broke her own school record with a throw of 142-06 feet as a senior at Friona High School. Kitzy also had a personal best in the hammer throw at the Lone Star Championship with a distance of 46.22 meters (151-64 feet).
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Enrollment Down — A report from Austin-based think tank Texas 2036 shows the state’s public school enrollment dropped by more than 76,000 students from the 2024-25 school year to the current one. The 1.4% decline is the first observed since the COVID-19 pandemic and only the second since the state started tracking enrollment nearly 40 years ago. The report attributed the reduction to declining birth rates, shifting migration patterns, and increased competition from private schools and homeschooling. The organization projected that 100,000 fewer students could be enrolled in Texas public schools five years from now, even as the state continues to grow. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade accounted for 60% of the decline, while Hispanics accounted for 81%. Meanwhile, enrollment in urban districts has fallen by 17.3% over the last 10 years, while it has grown by 13.4% in rural districts. The Texas Flyover
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Rest Area Ahead — Buc-ee’s is expanding into six new states by the end of next year, according to a compilation published by Fox Business. The Lake Jackson-based convenience store chain currently operates 55 locations in a dozen states, including 36 in Texas. In June, Arizona will get its first Buc-ee’s with the opening of a store in Goodyear. A Benton store will become the first in Arkansas later this year. In 2027, Buc-ee’s plans to open stores in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; Ruston, Louisiana; Kansas City, Kansas; and Mebane, North Carolina. In Texas, Buc-ee’s plans to open a new store in San Marcos in July. Next year, the company expects to open additional locations in Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The Texas Flyover
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