Amarillo, Potter County | featured news

Members of the Potter and Randall Counties Special Crimes Unit investigated the scene of a fatal shooting Monday afternoon in the 3100 block of Oak Drive in north Amarillo where Kharyi Terrell Nichols, 25, was mortally wounded after what witnesses described to police as an argument between Nichols and another male. Police said the wounded Nichols was taken to Baptist Saint Anthony hospital’s emergency room in a private vehicle, where soon after arrival he was pronounced dead.
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In a span of less than four hours late Sunday night into early Monday morning, the Amarillo Police Department was able to recover four stolen vehicles, three of which were returned to their original owners.
Three suspects were arrested in the recoveries, while one vehicle was found abandoned and another had its suspect get away.
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The Amarillo Police Department arrested a man last week following a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of 80 pounds of marijuana valued at $120,000.
On Oct. 25 just before 11 p.m. an APD officer saw a Toyota Camry speeding in the 6000 block of Interstate 40 traveling east.
During the stop APD found inconsistencies in the driver’s story, and that the driver was not authorized to be driving the car. A rental car company requested that the car be impounded.

Amarillo City Council members confirmed Monday they are reopening the search for a city manager and plan to move forward following the Nov. 8 election.
While residents are currently mulling whether or not to pass nearly $340 million worth of bond proposals, Councilman Elisha Demerson said waiting until voters make that decision makes the most sense, because it allows whomever is hired as city manager to have a better “lay of the land.”

Hovering a few feet off their ground for a moment, its 9,000 pound airframe suspended from a crane, Crew Chief Bobby McBride’s UH-1H Huey “Iroquios” 68-16179 seemed reluctant to touch down one last time on Sunday in its new home at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial.
But then the chopper settled into its cradle, with its nose oriented toward Vietnam, exactly 285 degrees to the East, said Randall County Judge Ernie Houdashell, who spearheaded the effort to obtain the vintage ship.
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They have been called one of the most critical pieces of equipment that a law enforcement officer has. And yet in Amarillo, it has been seven years since they’ve been replaced.
Computers in police vehicles and fire trucks help keep units connected and complete the everyday tasks that come with working in the field, but Amarillo has fallen behind on keeping these systems updated.
Police Chief Ed Drain said it’s a matter that’s most pressing for his department.

There’s a sign on the foreboding entrance to the yard at 5011 S. Fannin Street: Warning: Monster Parking Only. Violators Will Be Bitten.
But, through the gate, the only thing not made of chicken wire or plaster, or in need of electrical cords, seemed quite friendly.
Travis Bird extended a handshake and a chair. There’s some sweat around his face and scratches on his arms and legs on an unseasonably warm afternoon, a few days before Halloween.
He had the look of a man who’s been huffing and puffing.

The Matney Mass Media Program at Amarillo College recently received the 2016 Magazine Pacemaker Award for its fall 2015 issue of AC Current, the college’s student magazine.
The Pacemaker Awards are often described as the as the “Pulitzer Prize of college journalism” and are presented each year by the Associated Collegiate Press.
This year’s winners were announced Oct. 22 during the National College Media Convention.
AC students Jp Bernal, Denisha Kranthoven and Bethany Zalman produced the award-winning issue.

Parents looking for a place to get rid of too much Halloween candy brought home by their kids have at least one option: The offices of Amarillo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics will hold their 9th annual Candy Buy Back event on Tuesday, the day after Halloween.
In addition to being paid $2 per pound for the candy (up to three pounds total), the buy-back will benefit U.S. military troops serving overseas.
Each year the Amarillo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics collects between 200 and 300 pounds of candy, shipping it to soldiers who are actively serving.

Tom and Jerry’s sports bar opened for business last Monday, adding another restaurant to an increasingly revitalized Polk Street.
With an upstairs lounge, main dining area and basement game room, general manager Steven Sellers bills Tom and Jerry’s as the only tri-level sports bar in the Tri-State area.
Some dishes are standard sports bar fare, such as chicken strips and a BLT. The menu also offers oddities like a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich topped with corn flakes.