Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Dr. Alan Keister , an internal medicine specialist and partner at Amarillo Medical Specialists . An Amarillo native, he had the opportunity to take over a large practice in Tennessee after completing his residency, but chose to return to his hometown. In addition to his work as a physician, Keister is also the founder of Heal the City , a nonprofit Amarillo clinic that provides...

A conversation with Becky Murphy, a social worker with Amarillo ISD who assists families in transition and students who qualify as homeless. Before finishing her education and receiving a Master of Social Work degree, Murphy spent 16 years employed at Dillard's. In this episode, she tells host Jason Boyett about how she grew up in poverty, endured periods of homelessness as a child, and adopted an...

A conversation with John Harris ,  the Chief Meteorologist for KAMR Local 4 News and Fox 14 News. John is an Amarillo native who almost went into a business and marketing career, and then after being captured by meteorology, figured he'd land at the National Weather Service. But he soon found himself on TV—first at KFDA Newschannel 10 and now at KAMR Local 4 News. He tells host Jason Boyett how he...

A conversation with Matthew Rosas, the fashion designer behind the brand Momentum of Roses and the collaborative fashion show "Beauty from Afar " on December 2. A former basketball coach and teacher at Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Rosas has shifted to upcycling thrifted clothing and fabrics to create his unique streetwear style. He shares with host Jason Boyett about growing up within the Catholic...

A conversation with Stephanie Goins, the annual giving officer for the Amarillo Area Foundation and the city's recently named Black Woman of the Year. Goins, who grew up in Midland and spent time in the Metroplex before moving to Amarillo, shares with host Jason Boyett about how she discovered her niche in the nonprofit world, and why the generosity of local residents stands out from other communi...

A conversation with Jeff Renteria, the community organizer behind the annual Barrio Bash back-to-school event and the 2023 recent recipient of the "Heart of the Barrio" award at Amarillo's Hispanic Heritage luncheon. Renteria comes from a family that originally arrived in Amarillo as railroad workers, and tells host Jason Boyett about his upbringing in the historic Barrio neighborhood, his family'...

A conversation with Amy Hart, which is the on-air name of Amarillo radio personality Amy Presley. A local radio mainstay, Hart is Amarillo College's Audio Media Coordinator and the Music Director for FM90 KACV-FM , the long-running radio station at AC. She's also the co-producer of a new Texas Panhandle-focused true crime podcast series about the missing persons case of Dorien Thomas. Dorien grew...

A conversation with Karen Roberts, the owner/operator of Get Fit , Amarillo's only specialty running store. A former teacher and coach, Roberts found her way into entrepreneurship after moving back to Amarillo from the Metroplex area—and after discovering her passion for distance running as an adult. Roberts is not just a 5K enthusiast or marathoner. She runs ultramarathons. In this episode, she s...

A conversation with Dr. Eddy Sauer, a long-time Amarillo dentist at Shemen Dental and a member of the Amarillo City Council (Place 3) from 2017 to 2023. Sauer grew up in Amarillo and established his practice in the late 1980s, and says his time on the City Council completely changed how he views the city. He shares with host Jason Boyett about a devastating personal tragedy, details how his Counci...

A conversation with Dora Meroney, the owner of Texas Ivy Antiques on Historic Sixth Street in Amarillo. She's also a member of the nonprofit Historic Sixth on Route 66 Association . Born and raised in Amarillo, Dora left the area for several years as a young adult before returning in the late 1990s. She's been a fixture on Sixth ever since because of her shop. She shares with host Jason Boyett abo...

A conversation with Rev. Margie McNeir, an 83-year-old minister in the United Methodist Church, the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination. McNeir moved to Amarillo after retiring from a ministry career in the Metroplex. Over the past few years, she's had a front-row seat to theological disputes within the UMC denomination related to homosexuality and same-sex marriage. When every local U...

A conversation with Tac Buchanan , the Amarillo/Lubbock Regional Coordinator for the ministry Bridges to Life. (Trigger warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence.) Buchanan grew up in Amarillo and has lived a life scarred by personal tragedy, including a deadly car accident when he was in high school, a lengthy struggle with addiction, and eventually the murder of his wife. In...

A conversation with Melanie Corpstein, an Amarillo native and the founder and president of the Adorable Originals clothing company and Adorable Girls dolls. Based in Arizona over the past three decades, Corpstein designed children's clothing and dolls, selling them wholesale to stores around the world. She retired right before the pandemic and returned to Amarillo, where a new career has begun tak...

A conversation with Jentry Williams, the owner and founder of Re-Form Physical Therapy Clinic and Wellness Center . Williams is a native of Spearman, and started her clinic in Amarillo after graduating from Texas Tech. Initially she only intended Re-Form to offer physical therapy and Pilates classes, with Williams as the sole employee. Today she has more than a dozen employees and offers massage t...

A conversation with Brady Ragland, Chief Executive Officer of the Amarillo Tri-State Exposition, Fair & Rodeo . A Lubbock native, Ragland grew up showing livestock in the 4-H program before getting into amateur stock and cattle judging at Texas Tech. The connections he made in those worlds led to ag-related work in San Antonio and Alabama before he landed at the Tri-State Expo. With the Fair openi...

A conversation with Nate Green, who owns and operates Starlight Canyon Bed & Breakfast  with his wife, Liz. This historic property, located south of Amarillo in the Village of Palisades, is a wedding venue and boutique hotel, and Nate and Liz both have hospitality backgrounds. Before coming to this area, he worked in restaurants at a ski resort in Colorado and served as a diesel mechanic and snow-...

A conversation with George Jackson , who has just begun his second year as music director of the Amarillo Symphony , guiding the organization during its 100th anniversary season. He's a resident of London, but travels all over Europe to work with symphony orchestras from Paris to Zurich, which has helped shape his perspective on the international reputation of both the Amarillo Symphony and its ve...

A conversation with Chad Conner, the executive director of Acts Community . For the past few years, Chad has managed this growing Christian organization, which includes a resource center in San Jacinto and a new downtown community center. Prior to that, this Amarillo native lived in Las Vegas, where he played poker professionally. And during the pandemic, he and his wife, Joy—known together as the...

A conversation with Dr. Carolina Perez, a surgical podiatrist with the Amarillo Veterans Healthcare System. Dr. Perez is a veteran of the United States Air Force, and served for several years as a combat medic—including during wartime operations in Iraq—before attending medical school and completing her residency. A native of Colombia, she immigrated to the United States as a child and lived in Fl...

A conversation with Patrick Swindell, one of those guests whose identity isn't easily contained within a single career description. He's a longtime  local bankruptcy attorney . He's a prominent jazz musician and the leader of the Esquire Jazz Band. He launched and owned the Esquire Jazz Club on Polk Street before closing it pre-pandemic. He was one of the founders of  Ascension Academy  and is sti...

Dr. Shane Harper is the surgical ICU director for Northwest Texas Healthcare System and a professor in the Surgery Department at Texas Tech Physicians . He's also the founding editor-in-chief of the West Texas Journal of Medicine , a new publication that distributes original medical and health sciences research. In this episode, Harper shares with host Jason Boyett about the lifestyle impact of be...

A conversation with Alyssa Heck Lewis, owner of Hudson House , a senior living community in Canyon and the recent recipient of the Woman-Owned Business of the Year for the West Texas region of the national U.S. Small Business Administration Awards. Lewis bought Hudson House in 2020, during the pandemic, after stints in banking and healthcare administration. She tells host Jason Boyett about the ro...

A conversation with Norbert Chirase, PhD, a former scientist and nutritionist with WTAMU and the founder of GTX Organics and GTX Technologies . Based in Amarillo, Chirase is an expert on humic and fulvic acids and holds multiple patents on applications for human health, agriculture and animal nutrition. GTX manufactures multiple products here in Amarillo—including alkaline "black water"—and export...

A conversation with Lindsey Lane , one of Amarillo's most in-demand country singers and all-around performers. Originally from Lubbock, Lindsey arrived in this area to pursue an education degree from WTAMU, then taught 3rd-grade math for several years before pursuing music full-time. She shares with host Jason Boyett how she grew up learning the craft from her father, how she decided the time was...

A conversation with Sherman Bass, the new film commissioner with the Amarillo Film Office and the former general manager of the Amarillo Civic Center. An Amarillo native with a background in acting, Bass worked for the Civic Center across two different stints before a brief retirement last year. In that previous job, he oversaw every detail of the Civic Center—which makes him an expert on the need...