Here's a quick look at three stories making news.
Amarillo VA Honors 100-Year-Old Former POW Dan McKinney
The Amarillo VA Healthcare System and the Texas Panhandle War Memorial recently honored former prisoner of war and U.S. Army veteran Dan McKinney, who celebrated his 100th birthday on July 22. Amarillo VA Director Dr. Rodney Gonzalez presented McKinney with the VA Centenarian Award, and he also received a congratulatory letter from President Donald Trump. Born in Belen, New Mexico, McKinney was drafted into the Army at 18, served during World War II, and was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. He was captured the day he had planned to be married and spent 28 months in a Chinese POW camp before his release in 1953, three weeks after the Korean War armistice. After returning home, McKinney married, raised two children, owned an auto parts store, and retired in 1987.
Bell Scores $300 Million Navy Contract
Bell Textron has landed an estimated $300 million U.S. Navy contract that will bring more work to its Amarillo Assembly Center. The contract covers SPINE upgrades for up to 49 Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, with work beginning in mid-2027 and the first aircraft expected in 2028. The upgrades are designed to increase electrical power and make it easier to add future technology to the aircraft. "Beginning SPINE Phase 3.0 emphasizes the importance of this essential modernization effort," said Bell program manager Danielle Markham. Bell completed the first two SPINE upgrades in 2025 before sending the aircraft to Naval Air Station Patuxent River for testing.
Amarillo Man Identified After Lake Meredith Drowning
The Moore County Sheriff's Office has identified the man found dead Saturday at Lake Meredith as John Gabriel Navarro of Amarillo. Deputies were called to Harbor Bay after friends reported Navarro had gone swimming around 1 a.m. and never returned to camp. A search involving multiple agencies found his body near Blue Nest just before 1 p.m. Investigators said there were no signs of foul play. Navarro's body has been sent for an autopsy, and the investigation is continuing.
Another Earthquake Shakes the Panhandle
A small earthquake rattled the Panhandle on Sunday, this time about eight miles south of Claude. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 2.8, and two people reported feeling it. No injuries or damage were reported. The quake came just three days after the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Miami, the strongest recorded in the Texas Panhandle in more than a century. The USGS has not linked the Claude quake to the earlier earthquake.
