Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How a late-night call uncovered more auto burglaries in Central Odessa

Coming up: Winter solstice candle make & take on the Odessa Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Thursday December 18th Patch AM
Thursday December 18th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Good day Odessa! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a late-night call uncovered more auto burglaries in Central Odessa
  • Could UTPB’s new pathways solve Odessa’s teacher shortage?
  • How a tiny 1928 church became an Odessa faith cornerstone

Also on today's calendar: Winter solstice candle make & take.

Find out what's happening in Odessa-Midlandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Odessa-Midlandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Mostly sunny and breezy, with a high of 67 and low of 40 degrees.
  • Friday: Breezy in the morning; sunny, temps: high: 73, low: 48.
  • Saturday: Sunny, windy and very warm, with a high of 82 and low of 42 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Two 18-year-olds arrested in connection with auto burglaries in Central Odessa (newswest9.com) — Police say two 18-year-olds were arrested early Tuesday after an auto burglary call in Central Odessa led officers to a bag allegedly containing multiple IDs, Social Security cards, and credit cards. Investigators later linked the pair to additional auto burglaries on East 17th and East 15th streets, and both were taken to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center.
   

2. UTPB addresses Teacher shortage by offering certification pathways (yourbasin.com) — UTPB in Odessa is expanding flexible, affordable teacher certification pathways to help ease the severe West Texas teacher shortage, including online and evening options. With hands-on classroom training, alternative certification for working professionals, and new scholarship support, the university aims to become the region’s first choice for aspiring teachers.
   

3. Built on faith: Greater St. John Baptist Church celebrates 97 Years in Odessa (newswest9.com) — Greater St. John Baptist Church is celebrating 97 years of ministry in Odessa, reflecting nearly a century of worship, family ties, and community service on South Muskingum Avenue. Longtime members and leaders share how the church grew from a one-room house to a thriving congregation, and how they’re preparing for a faith-focused future as the centennial approaches.
   

4. Odessa is working to form a task force after rises in juvenile crimes (yourbasin.com) — Local leaders in Odessa are responding to a recent spike in juvenile crime, including 15 teen arrests last week, by working to form a new task force focused on mentoring at-risk youth. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett and community advocate Shawn Carrasco hope to recruit volunteers starting in early January to give struggling kids one-on-one support and alternatives to crime.
   

5. ‘There is life after': Odessa teen TX flood survivor hopes to inspire others to keep going (firstalert7.com) — An Odessa 17-year-old who survived July’s deadly Kerrville floods is leaning on community support and memories of her lost family as she finishes her senior year. She’s sharing her story to encourage others facing tragedy, and is planning to study nursing at Texas Tech after graduation, determined to honor her loved ones through the way she lives.
   

📸 Around Odessa

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Odessa

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

📣 Odessa Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Paul never celebrated Christmas or his birthday or any holidays until he met you all on this app his dear friends and neighbors that showed him so much love and kindness he would get excited to see you all stop by just to say hello and I want
    to thank you all for continuing to stop by like he is here and dropping of little gifts or candys for him like he still here with us he truly is … (Nextdoor W 42nd St)
  • Keep your valuables inside and eyes peeled on your vehicles and home.
    We had our car get everything pulled from the trunk at around 2am. By the looks of it, it was a male in a big truck. Cops were already called. Just… (Nextdoor North of Permian)
  • Campus Clean-Up Rivalry Winner: Reagan Elementary School Yesterday, we shared the winners of the Keep Odessa Beautiful Campus Clean-Up Rivalry. Read... (X: CityofOdessa)
  • City of Odessa residents: Check out the Holiday Trash Schedule for Christmas Week (Dec. 22–27). Extra dumpsters will be available citywide starting... (X: CityofOdessa)
  • Whataburger posted a job opening for Restaurant Porter - Unit 30 in Odessa. Apply here.
  • Asset Living posted a job opening for Porter in Odessa. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Odessa here.

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: I don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Odessa-Midland