Coffee in hand, Odessa? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Livingston Forge Hammer-In and 7 more events.
Today's riddle: What happened to the pregnant cat that ate yarn? 🤔 (Answer below!)
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1. Registration now open for 2026 High Steaks Cookoff competition (star-telegram.com) — Residents of Odessa can now register teams for the 2026 High Steaks Cookoff, a barbecue competition benefiting Special Olympics Texas. The event runs Oct. 9–10 at Ector County Coliseum, with public tastings, vendors, live entertainment, and prizes up to $100,000 for winning teams.
2. 50th annual Permian Basin Fair opens in Odessa (yourbasin.com) — Odessa residents can head to the Ector County Coliseum now through Sunday for the 50th annual Permian Basin Fair & Expo, featuring rides, dog shows, clowns, and plenty of fried treats. Local leaders highlighted the fair as a celebration of West Texas values, and tickets are discounted on weekdays with special pricing for kids and seniors.
3. Winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026: Ticket sold in Odessa won $1 million (newswest9.com) — A Powerball ticket sold at the Road Ranger on West Interstate Highway 2 in Odessa matched five numbers and is worth $1 million, though it missed the jackpot. The Odessa ticket was the only one nationwide to hit that prize level, and the overall jackpot now rolls to an estimated $190 million for Monday's drawing.
4. Area high school football standings for Week 3 (mrt.com) — Odessa football fans can see how Odessa High and Permian stack up in the latest District 2-6A standings, where both are off to 2–0 starts. The roundup also lists last week's scores and this week's matchups for Odessa teams and other regional schools, helping you track key games.
5. Sit For The Red Light-How Texas Law Differs From Other States For Bikers (wearemidlandodessa.com) — If you ride in the Midland–Odessa area, you've probably felt stuck at long red lights that don't always detect motorcycles. This piece explains how Texas law requires certain signals to sense bikes, why that still leaves riders waiting, and suggests fairer timing so everyone, including truckers and bikers, can move safely.
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Ok Odessa! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: She had mittens! (Thank you April M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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