Amarillo area Our Town briefs

City of Amarillo urges citizens to celebrate Fourth of July safely, legally

The City of Amarillo (COA) wants residents to celebrate the Fourth of July safely – and legally. Due to hot, dry and windy conditions in Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle, fireworks greatly increase the chances for fire, if not wildfires, that can cause destruction and danger in a matter of seconds, according to a city news release.

“Amarillo residents and residents of the Golden Spread are all too aware of how quickly and dangerously fires can spread,” said COA Fire Marshal Jacob Diaz. “Fireworks are a significant risk for wildfires – and wildfires can threaten an entire neighborhood or community.”

Just as important, Amarillo residents need to know that fireworks are not only dangerous, but illegal within the city limits. It is illegal to possess, sell or shoot fireworks within the city limits of Amarillo – even on private property. Violators face a fine of up to $2,000.

“The protection of the Amarillo community is just too important and the risk posed by fireworks is just too great,” said Amarillo Police Department Chief Martin Birkenfeld. “We want Amarillo residents to be aware that fireworks are illegal in the city limits to help protect the entire community.”

In the city limits of Amarillo, it is illegal to shoot fireworks in public right-of-ways and ditches. No public areas are permitted for fireworks use. Fireworks are also illegal in public areas of Potter and Randall counties.

Fireworks are legal on private property in Potter and Randall counties with permission of the property owner.

For more information, contact City of Amarillo Communications Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov

Fugitive with Amarillo ties added to Texas 10 Most Wanted Lists

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added two fugitives to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Lists. Raynaldo Farias Tijerina, of San Antonio, is on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Cecil Colby Smith, of Dallas, who also has ties to Longview, Amarillo and the state of Oklahoma, is on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List. Both are considered armed and dangerous.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Tijerina’s arrest and up to $3,000 for Smith’s. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.

Smith, 40, has been wanted since August 2021, when the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for child abuse by injury. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office also issued a warrant in December 2021, for failure to register as a sex offender. In 2002, Smith was convicted of violating a protective order/assault/stalking and was sentenced to four years of probation. In 2003, Smith was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of a child for incidents with a 13-year-old girl and was sentenced to five years in a TDCJ prison. In 2011, Smith was convicted of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to eight years. He was released from prison in 2017.

Smith is 6 feet tall and weighs about 185 pounds. He has tattoos on his left cheek, neck, chest, both arms, both wrists and left hand.

Tijerina, 44, is affiliated with the Tango Blast gang. He’s been wanted since October 2021, when the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for his arrest for invasive visual recording and possession of child pornography. The Texas Board of Probation and Paroles issued a warrant for Tijerina’s arrest the following month for a parole violation. In 1995, Tijerina was convicted of murder and was sentenced to 30 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison. While in prison, he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to an additional 15 years. Tijerina was released on parole in January 2017.

Tijerina is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 195 pounds. He has tattoos on his face, neck, abdomen, left arm and left leg. He has brown eyes but may wear colored contacts.

Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far in 2022, DPS and other agencies have arrested 32 people off the lists, including 14 gang members and 18 sex offenders. In addition, $54,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about and then clicking on the link under their picture.

Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

TTUHSC School of Nursing’s Ashcraft named fellow for the Gerontological Society of America

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the driving force behind advancing innovation in aging awarded fellow status to Alyce S. Ashcraft, Ph.D., RN, professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences (TTUHSC) School of Nursing. Ashcraft was recognized for her outstanding and continuing work in the field of gerontology, according to a news release.

GSA is the world’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research,

education and practice in the field of aging.

Much of Ashcraft’s research focuses on the importance of effective communication of long-term care, residents’ signs and symptoms by nursing personnel to physicians, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants in an effort to prevent transfer to the hospital.

Texas Panhandle War Memorial Center honors Korean War anniversary 

The Korean war began June 25, 1950, when North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea, backed by the United States. General Douglas MacArthur commanded the U. S. forces. The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, with an armistice that created the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea; however, a state of war still technically exists today. Approximately three million people died during the war. The United States suffered 54,246 military deaths and 103,248 wounded (Defense Casualty Analysis System). 1,789,000 U. S. Soldiers served in the Korean war (Defense Casualty Analysis System).

The Panhandle lost 87 service members in the war. There are still a few Korean War veterans in the Panhandle. If you know one, thank them for their service.

Our next lecture/seminar series will be Saturday, July 2, at 1:30 p.m. at the War Memorial. Noted local historian Dr. Paul Matney will speak about his father’s (Captain Carl P. Matney) experience landing at Salerno, Italy on Sept. 6, 1943. Captain Matney was commander of Company G, 142 Infantry Regiment, 36th Division. The lecture/seminar is free to the public and made possible by a grant from the Mary E. Bivins Foundation.

We invite you to visit our museum Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Our telephone number is 806-350-8387. Follow us on Facebook and visit our website www.TexasPanhandleWarMemorial.com

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town briefs