Community news in brief

Texas Panhandle War Memorial holds Ukraine vigil, recognizes Military Appreciation Month 

May, which is Military Appreciation Month, is typically celebrated by parades, festivals, and shopping discounts for military personnel and veterans. The Texas Panhandle War Memorial has several events to honor and remember veterans.

On Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m., the War Memorial will host a Vigil for Ukraine in their Veterans Memorial Park, 4111 S. Georgia. Everyone is invited to attend.Eric Barry, local opera singer will perform. Karolina Exposito of Roosters Café, an Amarillo resident and native of Poland, will share about her recent trip to Poland to help the Ukrainian refugees who fled to Poland. Glenda Moore, Kind House Ukraine Bakery of Amarillo, will speak about her non-profit and will provide sweet treats, for a donation, as the funds go directly to help the orphans and those who live in the war zone of Ukraine. Local ministers will offer prayers for the people of Ukraine. Please bring cards of encouragement to send to the Ukrainian people, as well as a candle to light or a flashlight to use as the sun begins to set. Chairs will be limited, so feel free to bring your own folding chair.

Friday, May 6, is Military Spouse Day. This is a day to honor the spouses of our military members and thank them for the sacrifices they endure for their military spouse. Friday, May 21, is Armed Forces Day. The flag is flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset. Thank the service members and veterans you know for their service. Memorial Day is celebrated the last Monday of the month of May, and the Texas Panhandle War Memorial will hold its traditional Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m.

Saturday, June 4, the War Memorial will host a car show from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, come and see some outstanding show cars and support our veterans.

Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 806-350-8387, follow them on Facebook or visit their

website www.TexasPanhandleWarMemorial.com .

Luke McKay of Canyon Wins Outstanding Research Award from The University of Alabama

Luke McKay of Canyon is a 2022 recipient of the prestigious Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award from The University of Alabama. McKay, a Biology major, received the award for a research project titled "Epigenetically regulated modulators of neuro-resilience in Parkinson's disease." Award recipients are nominated and selected by University faculty and staff research directors, according to a news release.

The Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program was created in 1997 by the Randall Publishing Co. and the H. Pettus Randall III family in memory of Henry Pettus Randall Jr., a distinguished UA alumnus and creator of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

National Day of Prayer 'gathering' to be held Thursday

A 2022 National Day of Prayer "gathering" will be held Thursday, May 5, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Amarillo House of Prayer, located at Miracle Covenant Church Healing Center, located at 806 S. Bryan St. in Amarillo. The theme will be "Exalt the Lord who has established us". For more information, call 806-282-4380 or 806-206-6108.

The Amarillo House of Prayer exists to promote "Clergy unity" and to network with pastors and prayer intercessors to "mobilize" the Amarillo Body of Christ to become an "Army of God," as we seek God for our City, according to an event flyer. Pastors are Bill & Lana Meyerholtz, and Prayer Coordinator is Harold Olesen. For more, go to www.amarillohouseofprayer.com or www.AmericaPrays.org.

Mobile hotspots available from Amarillo Public Library 

Amarillo Public Library cardholders may now checkout mobile hotspots, available at all five APL locations.

Funding for the hotspots came from the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program passed by Congress as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, which enabled libraries to purchase connected devices and broadband internet connections for offsite use by library patrons who otherwise might not have internet access, a news release says.

Each of APL’s five locations will have 10 mobile hotspots available. Of these, nine per location may be placed on hold and checked out for the standard two-week borrowing period. They will be eligible for renewal as long as there are no holds waiting, but extended checkouts are not permitted. Each location will also have one Lucky Duck hotspot which will may not be placed on hold and will only be checked out for five days. 

Patrons checking out a hotspot will be required to sign an agreement acknowledging responsibility for returning the device in good condition and when returning their hotspot, patrons must hand it to a Library staff member to verify all components are accounted for. Anyone who returns a hotspot via the book return will have a $25 penalty charge added to their record.

Devices that are returned late will accrue an overdue fine of $1 per day and service to overdue devices will be immediately disabled.

For more information, please contact Amarillo Public Library Coordinator of PR & Programming, Stacy Clopton, or visit www.amarillolibrary.org.