KELI From Inkwell, this is the Amarillo News Drop. I'm Keli, with Hast.
HAST A Randall County grand jury has indicted two men on solicitation of prostitution charges stemming from a June sting operation. David Ritchie, 42, and Jorge Lopez-Najera, 24, were among eight people arrested during that sweep. They're the first from that group to face indictment. A third defendant, Kenneth Dale Putnam, 43, also drew an indictment. The other five arrested remain in the charging pipeline — expect more indictments to roll through the system over the next month.
KELI Counter-read here: coverage will frame this as police success in a vice operation. What's underneath is simpler — a sting netted eight people, and the grand jury is now grinding through them one by one. Two indicted, three more named, five still pending. The real story is whether all eight clear the grand jury by September, and whether Randall County prosecutors move to trial or negotiate pleas. That'll tell you the actual strength of the evidence and the workload on the docket.
HAST On a different front, Amarillo Crime Stoppers is circulating a new fugitive notice: Kevin Jaime Reza-Peralta, wanted out of Potter County for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and deadly conduct discharge of a firearm. Crime Stoppers takes tips at 806-374-4400 or through the P3 Tips App.
KELI Back to employment. Tyson Foods announced Thursday it's bringing a second shift back to its Amarillo beef plant. The facility dropped to one shift in January — that layoff hit 1,700 workers. The company's restructuring its processing network, and Amarillo's getting rehired. Potter County commissioners approved Tyson's tax incentive application back in May, which will cushion the company's cost as it ramps up.
HAST City infrastructure moving: Georgia Street reconstruction between Farmers and Daytona is shifting traffic patterns again. Northbound now uses the old southbound lanes; southbound traffic runs the temporary pavement. Check amarillo.gov for full project details if you drive that corridor.
KELI One hiring story that landed this week: Original Composites & Fiberglass — formerly Owens Corning — celebrated a planned restart of its second glass furnace line Thursday. The line went dark in 2023 after a glass leak. When it fires back up, the company expects to add up to 165 full-time positions at an average salary of at least $70,000 a year.
HAST That's the Amarillo News Drop. Full script and sources at inkwell.wiki/news/amarillo.
KELI Before we close, something lighter from Inkwell. There's a piece asking what the Beatles songbook keeps reaching for — a world set right, meaning that holds — without pretending the band were secret prophets.
HAST An honest look, and an open door. At inkwell dot wiki, slash beatles.
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