Prairie Acres News - Katherine Smith is the Prairie Acres Resident of the Month for May. Employee of the Month is Eve Lopez. She is a charge nurse and joined the staff in March of 2022.
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Legacy Pointe News - Save the Date for another fun night of BINGO at Legacy Pointe. The action begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 27th.
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Say cheese - Get in the cheeseburger spirit by purchasing a Cheeseburger Chase Passport for $15 at the Chamber office. Next, go to the 5 Official Cheeseburger Stops and buy & try their specialty cheeseburger. They will stamp your passport. Take your completed passport to the Chamber office and receive a free wristband for the Festival on July 20th and a T-shirt.
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Gas Buddy - According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.43 while the most expensive was $3.99 per gallon. The national average price of gasoline fell 5.8 cents last week, averaging $3.50 per gallon. The national average price of diesel fell 1.8 cents in the last week and stands at $3.82 per gallon. It's very likely we'll continue to see gas prices fall as we approach July 4th, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
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Volunteers needed - volunteers are needed for Kidz Building Camp in July. Call Erika at 806-773-8598 for more information.
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Texas Facts - Texas has more tornadoes than any other state, with 132 per year on average. Source: funworldfacts.com
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Big Cross Event - An exciting event has been scheduled at the Big Cross in Groom, Texas. It will be a gathering to pray, worship, and intercede for the panhandle of Texas. Hosted by Awaken the Dawn-Texas Panhandle, this event will start Thursday, June 20th at 4 p.m. and end Saturday, June 22nd at 10 pm.
All denominations, colleges, young people, and every generation are invited to come pray to Jesus at the cross. Each county will have a designated time at the cross to lead worship and prayer, but county residents are encouraged to come whenever they are able.
It is believed that because of this event, the glory of God will cover the panhandle, spark revival and change the atmosphere across Texas and beyond. The first Awaken the Dawn event was held at the National Mall in 2017, resulting in countless testimonies, the gospel being preached, and lives being impacted for the kingdom of God. More details upcoming.
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National Days
June 6 - D-Day
June 7 - Doughnut Day
June 8 - Best Friends Day
June 9 - Frosted Cookie Day
June 10 - Iced Tea Day
June 11 - Corn on the Cob Day
June 12 - Red Rose Day
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When it comes to weather in the Texas Panhandle, what's happening at one location may be completely different than conditions only a few miles away. For the more than 4,500+ Pantex employees, weather onsite can be vastly different than what is occurring at their homes.
As the nation's primary assembly, disassembly, and life-extension center for nuclear weapons, weather events at Pantex can impact both workers and production, so having access to real-time meteorological data across the entire region is paramount to everyone's safety.
To address regional weather events, Pantex Meteorologist Steve Kersh is working with school districts and private landowners to refurbish and upgrade area-wide weather stations formerly maintained by a local TV station. These sites include new weather and lightning-detection software providing real-time data on wind speed, temperature, rainfall, and lightning from each location, which is now available to the public on the StrikeNet website at https://strikenet-tx .com.
Pantex also initiated development of the StrikeNet weather app, which is free and available to the public on Google Play and the App Store.
On both the StrikeNet website and app, all available weather data are listed in its drop-down menu. For example, when lightning maps are enabled, the strikes are represented by the lightning symbol, with the most current strikes in the red circle and the estimated distance from Pantex indicated on the symbol itself.
"Severe weather can have a direct impact on Pantex operations, both from a safety standpoint for our employees and for our mission. Enhancing capabilities that track weather events to specific locations using our newly developed sensors is a huge step forward for the site and our surrounding area," said Pantex Site Manager Colby Yeary.
Initially, ten sites signed up to the StrikeNet network including schools, homes, ranches, and businesses, with an additional 11 sites quickly added. School officials indicate that the lightning detection data would be used to help with determining whether to seek shelter if and when thunderstorms approach during regular school hours and extracurricular events, while ranchers and farmers can access real-time weather conditions aiding in crop and livestock production.
Pantex views StrikeNet as an opportunity to offer accurate and localized weather information to Texas Panhandle residents, internet users, and weather station owners at no cost.
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Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Bechtel National, Inc. is the lead member of CNS; minority members include Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, LLC; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects, and delivery as promised.
For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X, and Linkedin.
Members of the Friona High School Band and Friona High School Choir traveled to Austin at the end of last month to compete in the Texas State Solo-Ensemble Contest on May 25th and 26th at multiple sites in the Austin area. The Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion events were held at Hendrickson High School. The Voice, Strings, Piano, and Twirling events were held at Kelly Lane Middle School. Both schools are part of the Pflugerville Independent School District.
Students earning a Division One Rating at the region competition are eligible to advance to the UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest. It is an opportunity for student musicians to perform in front of a professional judge and receive feedback. The student/ensemble receives a rating based on the quality of their performance, but they do not compete against other students. Instrumental Solos and Ensembles may be read from a score. Vocal Solos and Ensembles must be memorized.
Recent FHS graduates Amy Montana and Andres Piñon each received a 1 rating for their vocal solo performances. Andres was also recognized as an Outstanding Performer. This award represents the attainment by an individual of superior musicianship as demonstrated in the exacting competition of the Texas State Solo-Ensemble Contest.
Congratulations to all participants for their hard work which earned them the right to compete at the state level. Also, special thanks to band director Chris Rackley and choir director Caisey Fowler for their efforts and guidance in training their musicians during the past school year.
The following is a list of the participants and the rating they received in parenthesis
Band Results
Valeria Corralez-Bb Clarinet Solo (3); Michael Alvarez, Amy Montana, Ramon Ortiz, Aubree Salas, Kayson Stanberry, Jarrett White-Brass Sextet (3); Reagan Daniels-Keyboard Percussion Solo (2); Yvonne Legarreta-Keyboard Percussion Solo (4); Reagan Daniels- Multiple Percussion Solo (2).
Choir Results
Karen Morales-Vocal Solo (2); Merary Salinas-Vocal Solo (2); Gabriel Rocha-Vocal Solo (2); David McGaughy-Vocal Solo (2); Gabriel Martinez-Vocal Solo (2); Andres Gutierez-Vocal Solo (3); Abigail Marquez-Vocal Solo (2); Reagan Daniels-Vocal Solo (2); Amy Montana-Vocal Solo (1); Ellie Galaviz-Vocal Solo (2); Caydee Humphrey-Vocal Solo (2); Emily Anderson-Vocal Solo (3); Vana Stanbery-Vocal Solo (3); Andres Piñon-Vocal Solo (1) Oustanding Performer; Evan Snyder-Vocal Solo (DNA); Janathan Vasquez-Vocal Solo (2); Reagan Daniels, Ellie Galaviz, Caydee Humphrey, Amy Montana, Merary Salinas, Naara Saucedo- Treble Small Ensemble (3).
