The Oklahoma Publisher Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association
Vol. 88, No. 12 12 Pages • December 2017
www.OkPress.com www.Facebook.com/okpress
INSIDE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: Oklahoma newspapers are showing their Christmas spirit by helping those in need.
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PHOTO ID CARDS: If you’re looking for a gift that will be used all year, get your staff Photo ID Press Cards for only $7 each. PAGE 7
KEEP TRACK WITH A LIST. From groceries to computer maintenance, lists help you keep track. And yes, there’s an app for that.
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DONATE TO ONF to receive this Will Rogers print. Details at OkPress.com/will-rogers.
Newkirk Herald Journal breaks story When Cody Griesel read the legal notice from the Department of Homeland Security, he immediately decided to run it on page one of The Newkirk Herald Journal. The notice announced plans to conduct outdoor testing – including a low-level release of chemical and biological simulant materials — at the now closed Chilocco Indian School campus. The tests are scheduled for early 2018 and later that summer. Griesel, editor of the weekly newspaper in Kay County, said he talked to someone from Homeland Security about a week before the notice was emailed to the newspaper. When the caller referred to the notice as an “environmental
essay,” it brought out Griesel’s reporter instincts. “I thought it might be interesting,” Griesel said. Putting it on the front page was a “no brainer,” he said. “It was news.” Newkirk City Manager Jane Thomas told The Oklahoman that the city learned about plans for the testing after reading it in The Herald Journal. Griesel said he was surprised to learn that the city was not notified. “I figured they would notify local authorities, especially emergency management folks,” he said. The news quickly spread and the City of Newkirk posted a call to action on its Facebook page urging residents to send com-
ments not to allow the testing to Homeland Security. Several town meetings to discuss the tests have been held and a petition, “Stop chemical testing at Chilocco!” now has nearly 9,000 signatures. Griesel is a veteran journalist who worked at the daily Cowley Courier Traveler in various news positions since 1999 and only became editor of The Herald Journal a few months ago. This is the first time in his career that he’s put a public notice on the front page, he said. “There’s a lot of news out there, it’s just that a person has to have the time to go dig for it,” Griesel said. “They threw this one at me. It was kind of a ‘gimme.’ I lucked out.”
CODY GRIESEL, editor of The Newkirk Herald Journal, ran a legal notice on page one announcing plans to use an abandoned Indian school for bioterror testing.
Mer r y s a m t s i Chr Year ! & Happy
New
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The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017
Durant Democrat switches to publishing three days a week
On that O note… by Brian Blansett Publisher of the Tri-County Herald 2017-2018 OPA President
Tradition at The Daily Ardmoreite began and ended with small tree The rapidly approaching Yule season takes me way back. It was my first year as managing editor of The Daily Ardmoreite and Bert Tucker, the wire editor, came to ask if it would be OK to have the annual Christmas tree ceremony that afternoon after the paper was off the press. How cool, I thought, and so I said, yes, of course we can do that. Bert was an old-time, hard-bitten newspaper guy, not the sort you’d immediately think of as the keeper of warm fuzzies such as holiday traditions. He had worked at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans and developed a taste for coffee with chicory. I would say he liked strong coffee with chicory, but that would be redundant. And I’d be repeating myself. Because he was the wire editor, Bert was the first person in the newsroom every morning and, thus, had control over what went into the coffee pot. A two-pound can of coffee with chicory would last Bert about a week, maybe. We never checked its viscosity, but I’d peg his coffee at 40-weight. The coffee pot lived on a table in the middle of the newsroom, along with a stack of small styrofoam cups, because a small cup would last all day for most people. A truck driver with a load of pre-printed advertising inserts showed up too early one morning and had to wait for a forklift driver to show up, so he got a cup of Bert’s coffee, put two quarters on the table and drifted away. A few minutes later, he came back and picked up one of his quarters. Throughout the morning in question, I thought about the Christmas tree ceremony and wondered what it might involve. Singing a carol or two? Cookies? Spiced apple juice? Once the papers were off the press, Bert stubbed out his cigarette and went back into the morgue, where he rustled around in a box and came up with a small Christmas tree. By small, I mean it was about two feet tall, with a short string of maybe two or three lights that stayed on instead of blinking and a few strands of tinsel icicles. He stood it on the table next to the coffee pot, plugged in the wire for the lights and gave me a head nod that said: “There. We’re good for another year.”
OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS OPA LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 2018 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM – FREE but please register in advance All OPA members are encouraged to meet at the State Capitol on Feb. 8. We’ll have a short group meeting in the Blue Room on the 2nd floor, across from the Governor’s office and behind the Governor’s conference room. Lunch will be provided by OPA in the 1st floor rotunda. Speakers are being finalized and will be announced soon.
2018 OPA ANNUAL CONVENTION FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JUNE 15-16, 2018 It’s never too early to start planning. Mark your calendars to join us for OPA’s Annual Convention at the Grand Casino Hotel Resort in Shawnee, Okla.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the OPA website at www.OkPress.com or contact Membership & Meetings Director Christine Frank at (405) 499-0040, 1-888-815-2672 or email CFrank@okpress.com.
The Durant Democrat announced plans to switch from publishing five days a week to three days per week. The Democrat is now being published on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Also changing is delivery service. Instead of carrier-delivered, The Democrat is now being mailed to subscribers. The new owners said the newspapers will now focus more on local news and photos. Graystone Media Group LLC purchased the Durant Democrat along with
The Altus Times and Frederick PressLeader from Civitas Media in October. Larry Miller, chief executive officer of Graystone, is publisher of the Durant Democrat. Rick Carpenter, president of Graystone, is editor and publisher of The Altus Times and Frederick PressLeader. Last month, Graystone Media moved publication of The Altus Times to three days a week. The changes were necessary to make the publication more valuable to readers and advertisers, the owners said.
Miami City Council declares November 7 as ‘Jim Ellis Day’ The Miami City Council recently honored Jim Ellis, longtime sports editor at the Miami News-Record, for 40 years of sports coverage. The council made a surprise presentation to Ellis, who was lured to the meeting under the false impression that he was filling in to take a photo for another reporter. After Mayor Rudy Schultz told Ellis he was the surprise on the agenda, Ellis’ daughter, sister, niece, nephew, friends and co-workers entered the meeting room and gave Ellis a standing ovation. The proclamation, signed by Schultz, proclaimed Nov. 7, 2017, as “Jim Ellis Day” in Miami, honoring him as a distinguished citizen deserving of recognition by making significant contributions in the community. Ellis began covering sports for the
Miami News-Record in 1977. As sports editor, he runs the department with the assistance of Monty Franks, covering eight high schools plus Nor theastern Oklahoma A&M and also assists with features and news coverage. He is a member of the Oklahoma Press Association’s Quarter Century Club and was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2012. “Every business is not fortunate enough to have a person like Jim on their staff,” said Cheryl Franklin, Miami News-Record publisher. “In my opinion, he is the best sports guy in the fourstate area. He loves what he does, and everyone knows it. I’m honored to call him friend.” Ellis personally thanked each council member for the honor.
Former employee returns to Times’ staff The Sequoyah County Times has added a member to its staff. However, Lynn McCulley is not new to the newspaper. She worked for the Times from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2002. “I am so amazed and impressed with some of the changes here, especially in technology and the process it takes these days to get the news to the people,” McCulley said. During the time she was not working at the paper, McCulley worked for the Cherokee Nation managing its tribal news department, the United Keetoowah
Band in media relations and the Pryor Daily Times as a news reporter. She also returned to college to complete her communications degree. “It is great to have Lynn back as part of our team,” said Publisher Jeff Mayo. “I was in high school, college and then living away from Sallisaw when Lynn last worked here. “She did a great job in the past and I look forward to her covering our communities again.” McCulley will be covering county commissioners, school boards, and writing feature stories and special sections.
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017 3
Tulsa World features 101 cookie recipes in “Tulsa World Cookies”
Cookie lovers were able to get a great deal on the “Tulsa World Cookies” cookbook and sample cookies during a party on Dec. 6. The public was invited to meet the authors and contributors to the book at the Tulsa Press Club. Guests had the chance to sample many of the cookies featured in the cookbook and to take advantage of the buy-one-get-one-free sale. The hardback, glossy cookbook contains 101 cookies, including some of the city’s most cherished recipes from newspaper readers, writers, local bakers and area festivals, accompanied with a color photograph. There’s even a section on the cookie cutters invented by former Tulsa World writer and nationally known inventor Aunt Chick. Books can be purchased online at tulsaworld.com/cookiebook.
Elk City News names Bluhm as managing editor Roger Bluhm has been named managing editor of the Elk City News. His 31-year career in journalism has taken him from Florida through South Dakota, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. He also worked in Miami, Okla., in the late ’90s. Bluhm’s newspaper philosophy is local, local, local. He plans to supply lots of local news, local photos and other local content. “The key to a successful local paper is local news,” he said. Bluhm came to Elk City from Dodge City, Kansas, with his wife Rachel, two dogs and three cats. He said Elk City reminds him of the South Dakota of his youth. “It’s not too big or too small,” he said.
Newspapers show Christmas spirit by helping others in the community ‘Tis the season and Oklahoma newspapers are showing their spirit by helping those less fortunate during the holidays. A few examples of state newspapers displaying their Christmas spirit this month include: The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise is partnering with the Salvation Army to help senior citizens in the area. As part of the Silver Angel program, the Examiner-Enterprise will have a collection box for items on the wish list in its lobby. “The Examiner-Enterprise is happy to be able to have the ability to ask its readers to help the less fortunate of our community,” said Matt Tranquill, Examiner-Enterprise publisher. “Bartlesville is blessed to have so many good people that will help their neighbors.” The Salvation Army will deliver the items along with a Christmas meal to the seniors on the list. Staff members at the Midwest City Beacon are gearing up to deliver food to the Mid-Del Food Pantry. The Beacon asked its readers to get into the spirit with its third annual food drive.
Donations of non-perishable food items are being collected at the Beacon’s office in Midwest City. Last year, readers donated enough food to provide 95 meals for needy families. The goal this year is to provide 120 meals. The Tuttle Times’ annual food drive will help supplement the local food pantry at Snow Hill Baptist Church. With help from the Tuttle Chamber of Commerce, The Times has made efforts to make it easier for the community to donate to the food drive by setting up three drop off points. The McAlester News-Capital partnered with 831 Mission Church to make Christmas a little brighter for local children. Publisher Amy Johns challenged a few local bankers to join the effort and help out local teenagers, a group that is often overlooked during the holidays. “The group of children we’re looking at helping is age 11 to 16 because those children kind of get left out sometimes,” Johns said.
Oklahoma Publisher ISSN 1526-811X
Official Publication of the
Oklahoma Press Association
PUBLISHER Mark Thomas mthomas@okpress.com
EDITOR Jennifer Gilliland jgilliland@okpress.com
OPA OFFICERS Brian Blansett, President Tri-County Herald Ted Streuli, Vice President The Journal Record Rusty Ferguson, Treasurer The Cleveland American Mark Thomas, Executive Vice President
OPA DIRECTORS
New website for The Examiner
The Examiner in Hugo is now making subscriptions available through a new and fully integrated website at www.examinernewspaper.net. Over the next few months, The Examiner’s staff will archive all its
The
newspapers to the website, and allow readers to search pages. In addition, subscribers will be able to renew subscriptions and update mailing addresses on the website. “I am extremely proud of the way our new site is looking and I’m very excited for it to become fully integrated and ‘go live’ on Dec. 8,” said John M. Brewer, publisher of The Examiner. “Since technology continues to evolve, it’s my desire that our news outlet and our services evolve as well,” Brewer said.
Considering a sale? W.B. Grimes & Company has sold more than 1,500 newspapers over the years and appraised thousands of others. Gary Borders covers Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arizona. garyb@mediamergers.com • 903-237-8863
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Dayva Spitzer, Past President The Beckham County Record Ray Dyer, El Reno Tribune Mike Strain, Tulsa World John Denny Montgomery, The Purcell Register Mark Millsap, The Norman Transcript Zonelle Rainbolt, The Cordell Beacon Alan Herzberger, The Oklahoman 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499 (405) 499-0020 Toll-Free in Oklahoma: (888) 815-2672 www.OkPress.com news@OkPress.com www.Facebook.com/OKPress SUBSCRIBE TO THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER $12 PER YEAR THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER (USPS 406920) is published monthly for $12 per year by the Oklahoma Press Association, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499. Periodicals postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499.
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The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017
Internship program update provided during ONF Board of Trustees meeting The Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation Board of Trustees met via conference call on Nov. 9, 2017. Participating were President Tom Muchmore, Ponca City News; Vice President Vicki Clark Gourley, OKC Friday; OPA board representative Ted Streuli, The Journal Record; and trustees Terry Clark, University of Central Oklahoma; Carolyn Estes, Oologah Lake Leader; Sheila Gay, Woodward News; Maria Laubach, Oologah Lake Leader; John D. Montgomery, Purcell Register; Jeff Shultz, Garvin County News Star; Wayne Trotter, Countywide & Sun; and Barb Walter, The Hennessey Clipper. Staff on the conference call was Executive Vice President Mark Thomas, Member Services Director Lisa Sutliff and Membership and Meetings Director Christine Frank. Absent from the call were OPA President Brian Blansett, Tri-County Herald; Treasurer Rusty Ferguson, The Cleveland American, and Dayva Spitzer, Beckham County Record. Trustees reviewed financial statements as of Sept. 30, 2017; expense summaries for May to September 2017; the investment report as of April 30, 2017, and fundraising and donations as of Sept. 30, 2017.
Sutliff provided an update on the ONF Internship Program at the meeting. The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation (EEJF) funds 18 internship salaries through a grant to ONF. ONF provided the funding organization a new report that showcased the accomplishments of 10 interns from the program’s previous nine years that continue to work at daily and weekly Oklahoma newspapers. EEJF also received copies of a clips book featuring the 2017 summer interns’ best work. The Oklahoma Publisher featured columns by the interns in August, September and October. Comments from student evaluations of the program ranged from some saying that the internship strengthened plans to work at a paper after graduation to another realizing that a career as a reporter was not for him. In other business, four trustees – Gourley, Laubach, Montgomery and Walter – volunteered to serve on the Host Newspaper Internship Selection Committee and the Breeden Scholarship Selection Committee. Gourley and Walter volunteered to cochair the Silent/Live Auction Committee and procure items for an ONF fund raising auction at the 2018 OPA Convention.
Four newspaper journalists part of delegation in Pakistan for two weeks Cool DJs. Tough cowboys. Hot girls. Big Tobacco will try anything to get kids to start smoking. Why? Because more than half of current smokers will die from smoking, and Big Tobacco needs our kids as “replacement smokers” to keep profits high. Big Tobacco’s influence may be strong, but yours is stronger. Talk to your kids about tobacco, and join the fight at StopsWithMe.com.
Four journalists from Oklahoma Press Association member newspapers are among a delegation participating in a two-week cultural exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The program is a reciprocal delegation corresponding to seven delegations of Pakastini journalists who have visited Oklahoma during the past two years. The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma partners with the State Department Center in Pakistan as host to the Pakastini journalists. The four newspaper journalists on the trip are Kimberly Burk, Jerry Fink, Wayne Greene and Joy Hampton. Burk has worked for The Oklahoman since 2002 where she has supervised staff of six breaking news and metro reporters, and trained interns and news reporters. Fink has been managing editor at the Eufaula Indian Journal and the McIntosh County Democrat since 2012. Greene has worked for the Tulsa World since 1987. Currently, he is Editorial Pages Editor.
Hampton, who has been with The Norman Transcript since 2011, is an investigative and general assignment news reporter. Joe Foote, Emeritus Dean and Edward L. Gaylord Chair in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, is accompanying the group along with his wife, Jody Foote. Other participants are Patricia Bryson, who has worked in the radio industry for over 25 years; Casey Nolen, a reporter/anchor for KSDK-TV in St. Louis, Mo.; Russell Mills, a reporter for KRMG Radio in Tulsa; David Spradling from Tyler Media, and Richard Weiss, an award-winning writer, editor and writing coach. The delegation flew to Karachi on the coast of the Arabian Sea on Dec. 3, then traveled to Islamabad for the remainder of the two-week trip. The group visited media companies, engaged in roundtable discussions with journalists and explored cultural sites.
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017 5
DEATHS II from 1942 to 1946. After the war, Earls and his wife, Doris, made their homes in Hobart, Lawton, Marlow and Duncan. They were married for 73 years. Mrs. Earls died in 2015. Earls retired from The Lawton Con-
stitution after working as an advertising composer for 38 years. He is survived by his son, Joe E. Earls and wife Gail of Midland, Ga.; daughter Vicki Ballard and partner Bill Holden of Duncan; two grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
DON GAMMILL,
longtime Oklahoma journalist, died Nov. 28, 2017, at his home in Edmond. He was 65. Gammill was born Nov. 12, 1952, in Ponca City and graduated from Ponca City High School in 1971. He attended Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa before finishing his journalism degree at
Central State University in Edmond in 1975. He worked at the Enid Publishing Co. as sports writer from 1975 to 1979. Gammill began working at the Enid Daily Eagle in 1979 as managing editor, city editor and assistant editor, retiring in 1986. In 1987, Gammill went on to work
for the Oklahoma Publishing Co. as state editor, special projects editor, columnist and online communities editor. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Becky; son Bryan Gammill and wife Kristy; several grandchildren and one great-grandson.
LINDA KLEPPER, an Oklahoma journal-
Cleveland in 1958. She received her journalism degree in 1972 from Southwestern State University in Weatherford where she worked for the student publication, “The Southwestern.” After graduation, she began working
for The Lawton Constitution and The Cleveland American before working for the State of Oklahoma in Tulsa. She is survived by two sisters, Cecelia Ann Hunter of Sand Springs and Karen Sue Gentry of Fort Smith, Ark.
former publisher of the Cushing Daily Citizen, died Oct. 7, 2017. He was 77. Lehr was born Nov. 12, 1939, in Sapulpa and moved to Cushing in 1965. Along
with working as publisher of the Cushing Daily Citizen, he also worked for many years in radio and as the public information officer at Central Technology Center, where he retired in 2009.
Lehr is survived by his wife of 54 years, Barbara; daughter Michelle Lehr of Edmond; son Mark E. Lehr and wife Beth of Tulsa; and two grandchildren.
PEGGY MASSEY,
in Management of Human Resources from Southern Nazarene University. From 1967 to 1970, Massey was the co-owner and publisher of the Holdenville Daily News alongside her husband, Thomas.
She is survived by her husband, Thomas; sons Thomas II and Kevin of Oklahoma City; daughters LaDonna Tebbe of Katy, Texas, and Lawren Massey of Lawrenceville, Ga.; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
JOE R. ‘J.R.’ EARLS, longtime advertising composer at the Lawton Constitution, died Nov. 11, 2017. He was 97. Earls was born Dec. 24, 1919, in Decatur, Texas, and graduated from Altus High School in 1939. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War
ist, died Nov. 13, 2017, in Inola. She was 67. Klepper was born Jan. 24, 1950, in Altus and moved with her family to
LARRY LEHR,
former co-owner of the Holdenville Daily News, died Dec. 2, 2017. She was 80. Massey was born Feb. 19, 1937, in Holdenville and graduated from Holdenville High School. She earned her degree
Kathleen McComb Goudge Nov. 17, 2016
Barbara Bayless England Nov. 29, 2016
James R. ‘Jim’ Bellatti Dec. 13, 2016
Laura Yvonne Holmes Dec. 19, 2016
Coni Houghtling Nov. 22, 2016
John Yates Dec. 10, 2016
David Lee Avery Dec. 15, 2016
Ronald Michael ‘Ron’ Smith Dec. 30, 2016
SWOSU establishes journalism scholarship funded by the Shelton family to honor the contributions of Shelton and Crouch to the university. Crouch and Shelton became good friends and colleagues during the time they worked at SWOSU. Crouch’s tenure on the campus stretched from 1939 to 1967. He was the director of public relations at the college for 27 years when he retired. Shelton had been a newspaperman before his 1951 graduation at the Uni-
to the following individuals and organizations for their recent donations to the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation:
In memory of Steve Booher Garvin County News Star
In memory of Ray Lokey Reid & Patsy Hutchens
In Memory of Our Friends & Colleagues
Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford has announced the establishment of The Jack B. Shelton & Walter Crouch Memorial Scholarship for the Pursuit of Authentic Journalism. The scholarship fund will provide financial support to SWOSU juniorand senior-level students studying communication arts with a mass communications emphasis. The scholarship was created and
THANK YOU
versity of Central Arkansas. In 1960, he moved to McLean, Texas to publish his own newspaper. Within three years, he was publishing three weekly newspapers in the Texas panhandle. When Crouch announced his retirement, Shelton was hired to take over the position of public information director. Crouch and Shelton are now deceased – Crouch in 1985 and Shelton in 2015.
In memory of Steve Booher & Ray Lokey Jim & Becky Mayo A donation to the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation will support its efforts to improve the state’s newspaper industry and quality of journalism. ONF’s programs include training and education for professional journalists, scholarship and internship programs for journalism students, and Newspaper in Education efforts. ONF relies on donations and memorial contributions to fund these programs. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check to:
OKLAHOMA NEWSPAPER FOUNDATION 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73105
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017
THE OG&E PHOTO CONTEST
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OCTOBER 2017 DAILY WINNER:
AMANDA CORBIN
Poteau Daily News OCTOBER 2017 WEEKLY WINNER:
TODD BROOKS
The Marlow Review
Ritual, an Eurasian eagle-owl, spreads his wings for the crowd as his handler, Lady Hanna of Royal Gauntlet Birds of Prey, looks on at the Heavener Runestone Viking Fest. The organization cares for and rehabilitates injured wildlife. Photo by AMANDA CORBIN, Poteau Daily News, Oct. 17, 2017
The October 2017 contest was judged by a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. View all winning photos at www.OkPress.com/ OGE-Photo-Contest
ENTER AND WIN A $100 CHECK FROM OGE ENERGY CORP. For more information about the photo contest, visit www.okpress.com/ oge-photo-contest
CAUGHT: Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney leads a group of deputies and armed burglary suspect Andrew Dewayne Williams down railroad tracks following Williams’ capture. A two-hour manhunt took place for Williams near the Ballpark Apartments in Marlow after he fled on foot to avoid an arrest warrant. Photo by TODD BROOKS, The Marlow Review, Oct. 5, 2017
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PHOTO ID PRESS CARDS AVAILABLE FROM OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION The OPA is offering high quality photo ID Press Cards to business member newspapers for $ 7 EACH. These press cards are perfect for reporters, photographers and any other staff members at your newspaper. The hard, plastic badges – usable for a calendar year – feature your mugshot, along with your newspaper’s name and phone number. A clip at the top of the card makes it easy to attach to a lanyard, clothing or camera bag. The back of the card has the OPA contact information. Orders MUST come from the publisher, general manager or editor. Sustaining members and associate members are not eligible for the photo ID press cards. Standard cardstock non-photo press cards are still available for free to OPA members. (See information below.) To order photo ID press cards for your staff, download the order form at
www.okpress.com/opa-photo-id-press-cards. Press cards will be processed quickly upon receipt and payment. All orders must be pre-paid before being processed.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDERING ID PRESS CARDS 1. Fill out form completely and legibly. Names of newspaper and staff members will be printed exactly as you submit them. 2. Name mugshot files as follows: File Name: LastName,FirstNamePhoto.jpg (ex: DoeJohnPhoto.jpg). Cropping: Crop photo tight to show face and neck (see Brian Blansett Press Card above as example). File Size: Submit 300 DPI at least 2 inches X 2 inches. Format: JPEG, CMYK or RGB 3. Submit mugshot electronically by emailing to news@okpress.com. (If submitting multiple photos, send in increments of no more than 2MB at a time.) 4. QUESTIONS? Contact us at (405) 499-0020 or email jgilliland@okpress.com.
2011-2012 OPA MEMBER
S S E R P I AT I O N SS ASSOC E R P A M OKLAHO
2018 BER OPA MEM EXPIRES 31
DECEMBER
2018
ALSO AVAILABLE The Oklahoma Press Association still offers free press cards to members. The “Press” card is valid for the calendar year – January through December 2018. Free press cards may be ordered along with your Photo ID cards or by emailing SWilkerson@okpress.com the amount needed.
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The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017
Celebrating newspapers for the holidays by Terry M. Clark Journalist tmclark44@gmail.com @okieprof
Capital-Democrat November 2-8, 2017
FOOT PRINTS ❖
e-mail us at: capital_democrat@yahoo.com
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. I’m grateful to you for the amazing quality I get to see in newspaper journalism in these tumultuous times. And every once in a while, a headline, an article, a newspaper with guts just make me proud. I’ll let you figure it out from this month’s notes. As a present, this is much shorter, so here’s what I wrote about in 2017: Short paragraphs, the qualities of a good journalist, journalistic passion, writer’s fatigue, getting past face value, cutline writing, thanks on retirement, questions to be asking, focusing on building trust, grabbing attention, and guts – Enid News & Eagle in The New York Times.
LOOKIN’EM OVER: Let’s celebrate good writing and solid reporting – our heart and soul. • Paul Laubach, The Dewey County Record, front page editorial about the county excuses for cutting the extension service, along with a photo of a bull, headlined, “The smell of bull manure is unmistakable.” Lead: “Dewey County Commissioners continue to claim that their reason behind cutting county funding for ‘contractual services’ with the OSU Cooperative extension (OCES) is because of legal concerns./“They might as well also claim that Elvis frequently visits their offices and has little green aliens serve them hot tea and cookies every Friday afternoon.” • Mark Showell, Latimer County NewsTribune, headlined, “Rural schools hearing the ‘C’ word again.” Lead – “Rural schools are hearing the ‘C’ word again and though it isn’t cancer it might seem like a cancer that politicians want to force consolidation of small districts.” • Todd Brooks, The Marlow Review, covering a negative county fairgrounds audit, headlined, “Fairgrounds still hot topic.” Lead – “Accusations flew, but calmer heads prevailed at the Stephens County Commissioners meeting Monday morning.” • Louise Redcorn, The Bigheart Times, headlined, “No co-op without people.” Lead – “Plans to explore forming a grocery cooperative in Barnsdall went splat Thursday when only nine people showed up for a welladvertised public meeting….” • Jerry Fink, The Eufaula Indian Journal, on a four purple heart veteran, headlined “John Sloan was born to serve.” Lead – “John Sloan is proud
$1.00
Tishomingo, OK • 75¢
In Memoriam
John Raiford “Ray” Lokey
Family, friends and colleagues are mourning one of Johnston County’s greatest champions and most vocal cheerleaders, a man known as much for his giant smile and boundless optimism as for his many years of civic leadership. Memorial services for longtime Capital-Democrat publisher Ray Lokey, 63, will be held this Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. in Fletcher Auditorium on the campus of Murray State College in Tishomingo. Officiating will be David Whitlock, president of Oklahoma Baptist University, assisted by Luke Holmes and Aaron Lokey. The son of the late John Rex Lokey and Sarah Margaret (Hicks) Lokey, he was born Dec. 15, 1953, in Ada, and died Nov. 11, 2017, in Tishomingo. Services will be held under the direction of Clark Funeral Service of Tishomingo and Coleman. John Raiford “Ray” Lokey was a third generation newspaper publisher, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, E.R. Lokey, and his father, John Lokey. He began his newspaper career peddling his father’s paper, the Johnston County Capital-Democrat in Tishomingo, as a
– 30 – (Editor’s Note: There is an old journalism tradition which states that, when an editor or publisher passes away while still a working journalist, his usual column space will be blank save for “– 30 –” - the journalistic designation for “end of story” - at the bottom of the column. The use of “– 30 –” in this fashion reportedly originated during the Civil War when news was transmitted by telegraph. The first message sent to a press association in the U.S. contained 30 words, and so its sender, as was the practice, indicated this with the number 30 at the end. The 30 was retained for all telegraphed news, and eventually, for news stories in general. Given Ray’s dedication to the profession of journalism, and his interest in Civil War history, we could think of no better way to honor Ray’s memory than to follow that tradition this week.)
Index: Community News........Page 3 Bulletin Board..............Page 4 Milestones..................Page 5 Religion/News.......Pages 7-8 Education............Pages 9-10 Court Records...........Page 13 Classifieds.........Pages 14-16 VOL. 117, NO. 22 ONE SECTION, 16 PAGES
‘They’re attacking us’
Stillwater
newspaper boy in the 1960s. He started working at the C-D after school on his 11th birthday, and he continued to work there until graduating from Tishomingo High School in 1972, where he was editor of the student newspaper. As a youth Lokey was also active in the Boy Scouts, where he earned the Eagle Scout rank in Tishomingo Boy Scout Troop 100 and was a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, in addition to serving as Lodge Chief of Wisawanik Lodge No. 190. Lokey entered the University of Oklahoma that fall as a McMahon Scholar, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1977. During that time, he worked briefly on the student newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, both as a staff writer and in the composing room. Between his junior and senior year at OU, he sat out of college for a year to work for his dad full-time and learn the newspaper business first hand. After declining an offer from his father to purchase the C-D in 1977, Lokey
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Mya, Kimber and Jaxon are smiling because they watched their big brother play football. Nominate a smile: Send us photos of someone smiling and it could be
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thing pop,” Wright said. “I knew right away that it was bad.” Consultation with a specialist in Ardmore last week confirmed the worst. Baby Doll needs surgery on her injured tendon. And Wright is hopeful that this sweet little dog who has provided so much to the community will now receive some help and compassion in return. “I don’t like asking people for money, but this is something that I want to do for Baby Doll,” Wright said. “I don’t know yet what the extent of the cost is going to be, but if anyone is interested in helping, it would be so helpful. She would really like to get back to work and doing what she does best, which is bringing happiness to others.” It’s a mission that began at home. Baby Doll joined the Wright household to act as service dog to Wright’s
husband, Lyle, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The couple was residing in Denison, Texas, at the time, and moved to the Tishomingo area in July of 2016 after Jerri Jo’s mother passed away the previous April. “I had been taking care
BEAU SIMMONS/STILLWATER NEWS PRESS
Richard Cullison, 96, is a Pearl Harbor survivor and World War II veteran who lives at the Stillwater Christian Villa. Bonnie lived for many years, with other stops, including Stroud, along Richard the way. Cullison He was born in 1921 and grew up in Webb City. He joined the Navy right of high school in 1939. His lifelong dream was to be a horse trainer. The
Navy trained him to be a diesel mechanic. On Dec. 7, 1941, he was a firefighter. “We couldn’t get underway for a while because most of the boys on that little ship lived off the ship. They lived on the shore. We had to wait until they came back to have a crew,” he said. “It was about an hour before we got underway, and they sent us out to the (USS) Arizona. It had
More online More online: Cullison wrote about his experience on the Cushing Alumni Association website at http:// cushingokalumniassociation.com/ in-the-news/veteran-feature-stories/ already blown up and it
See Pearl Harbor, Page A5
– More on B8 Richard Evans
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Sunday, Dec. 10 7:00 PM First Baptist Church 701 S. Duncan
of both my mother and my husband,” Wright said. “Baby Doll was very attentive to Lyle during all that time; she stayed with him and me together in the hospital for as much as a week at a time. Lyle was doing really good for most
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Baby Doll
Experience the wonderful world of color - subscribe to our e-edition @ www.johnstoncountycapital-democrat.com
D Vol. 109 No. 270
Featured this month are the Johnston County Capital-Democrat, Okemah News Leader, Stillwater News Press, Latimer County News-Tribune, Mountain View News, The Madill Record, The Marlow Review, The Wewoka Times, The Newkirk Herald Journal, Mustang News, Tulsa World, The Valliant Leader and Choctaw Times. to serve two nations – the United States of America and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.” • Matt Payne, The Ardmoreite, (Shop with Cops), headlined “Repeat Spenders.” Lead – “Stephen McKee had never been inside a police officer’s car before Tuesday night./“Lights blaring and sirens squealing, Ardmore Police Officer Nicolas Denewellis escorted the young man inside his vehicle. But it wasn’t for breaking the law.” Issues you should latch on to locally: • Forced school consolidation, wellcovered by Kori Good, Wewoka Times, “Is School Consolidation on the Horizon?” • School funding disaster, thank you, Gene Perry, Mountain View News, “Another year passes by, and Oklahoma still leads the nation in cuts to education.” • Budget cuts hurting county roads, Molly Raley, The Madill Record. • Sexual harassment claims everywhere, Brian Brus, The Journal Record. • State deaths from flu, and shots, Shasta Herman, The Antlers American. • Uncertain future for Oklahoma drug courts, Eric Swanson, The Ada News, interviews a person saved by it.
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Richard Cullison wasn’t expecting to go to war. He was just expecting another day of work aboard the Garbage Lighter YG-21, a U.S. Navy service ship. It was tied up at dock at the time. “We had just got up. It was early in the morning,” Cullison said. “One of the guys had been outside and he come in and he said, ‘Boy, they’re practicing with real bombs. They’re dropping them on Ford Island.’ One of our chiefs went outside and he’d seen that red ball on that plane’s wings and he knew instantly what it was. He said, ‘That’s Japanese. They’re attacking us.’” He could hardly believe it. “We wasn’t worried about anything,” he said. “It was a complete surprise when they bombed us. It was the furthest thing from my mind.” Cullison, 96, recalls the attack on Pearl Harbor from his room at the Stillwater Christian Villa. He moved to Stillwater from Cushing, where he and his wife
Great story idea: Interview those Salvation Army bell ringers. Thanks Shakara Shepard, Okemah News-Leader. Let’s Forget Pearl Harbor? I only saw three papers devote attention to the 76th anniversary. • Tulsa World, Tim Stanley recapped the paper’s great WWII vets series. • Stillwater News Press, Beau Simons and Michelle Charles starred. Simmons interviewed a 96-year-old survivor, “They’re Attacking Us.” Charles covered a Seabee reunion, “Swarming together in Stillwater.” • Cathy Spaulding at Muskogee Phoenix interviewed a 94-year old WWII vet. Kudos. • Cody Griesel, Newkirk Herald Journal, covering the local protests to the Department of Homeland “Security” wanting to do chemical warfare testing in the county. • Midwest City Beacon conducting a holiday food drive. • Johnston County Capital-Democrat, John Small and staff with an appropriate tribute and goodbye to publisher and friend to all, Ray Lokey.
HEAD’EM UP AWARDS. First place, and my vote for first place in 2017 – The Dewey County Record, on Paul Laubach front page editorial: SMELL OF BULL MANURE IS UNMISTAKABLE
Darrell Harms
Forrest Barrett
John Tanner
Rick Ashbury
Pete Peters
Tom Yant
Swarming together in Stillwater Local US Navy Seabees veterans begin holding reunions By Michelle Charles mcharles@stwnewspress.com
Serving with the U.S. Navy construction battalions known as the Seabees was a life-changing experience for the men who gathered in Stillwater on Saturday. They say it taught them to get the job done, no matter
Cushing teen charged in death of Agra teen By Tim Ahrens
Hi: 40 Low: 16 Sunshine and colder on Thursday.
Woman seeks aid for late husband’s service dog quite good at it - a fact that may come as a bit of a surprise at first to some people. After all, when one thinks of service dogs the mental image one usually has is of Labradors, or German shepherds; the Shih Tzu isn’t typically the first breed that comes to mind. But some dogs - like Baby Doll - are just naturals. “Half of the stuff she does she’s really trained herself to do,” Wright said. In fact, Baby Doll is so good at what she does that one may not notice at first that she is currently in need of some help herself. Until Baby Doll rises on all fours and takes a tentative step, and one notices her limp: the result of a recent injury suffered while Wright was holding a garage sale several weekends ago. “She kind of jumped out of my hands, and when she landed I heard some-
Pearl Harbor survivor recalls ‘date which will live in infamy’ By Beau Simmons
Don Nichols (left), U.A. Air Force veteran and longtime commander of the Johnston County American Legion post in Tishomingo, receives his brick for the Johnston County Veterans Memorial from current Post Commander Hayden Woods during the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the memorial last Saturday, Nov. 11. Nichols also served as Grand Marshal for the inaugural Johnston County Veterans Day Parade prior to Saturday’s ceremony. Also honored during the presentation was the late L.B. Thompson, who served on board the USS Everett F. Larson as a member of the U.S. Navy during World War II and after the war continued to serve in the U.S. Naval Reserves; he was later reactivated to serve from July 24, 1951, to Oct. 24, 1952, See DUNCAN Page 2 on board the USS Noble during the Korean War.
If ever there was a dog who lived up to its name, it is Baby Doll. The little Shih Tzu is about as cute as they come, quiet and content as she lies curled up at the feet of Tishomingo resident Jerri Jo Wright, raising her head only occasionally in silent but happy acknowledgment of the inevitable “Awww” that erupts from the lips of those who spy her there. Wright says Baby Doll feels a sense of joy in being around people, and possesses an innate ability to sense when some of those people need an emotional boost. Not surprising, given that Baby Doll is a registered service dog whose mission in life is to simply give the kind of support some people may not even need until they spend some time with her. It’s easy to see, even after only a minute or two with Baby Doll, that she’s
stwnewspress.com
Thursday, December 7, 2017
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Duncan bound for jury trial after waiving prelim hearing A Tishomingo school teacher accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student this week waived her right to a preliminary hearing, setting the stage for a jury trial expected to be scheduled for some time after the first of the year. The preliminary hearing for Shelly Jo Duncan, 48, had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Johnston County Courthouse in Tishomingo. As reported in the Aug. 31 edition of the CapitalDemocrat, the hearing had been continued from its originally scheduled date of June 16. Upon entering the courtroom at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday, presiding Judge Greg Pollard of Ada asked that all parties in the courtroom leave, citing privacy issues related to what was to be discussed during the
News Press Stillwater
A life well lived: Ray Lokey, 1953-2017
J. Ray Lokey
Coordinators always eager for Christmas Parade of Lights A2
Battle of the Beards: Who is having the most surprising impact for Pokes? B1
Johnston County
‘
Clark’s Critique
what. “Nothing stands in your way,” John Tanner, a Seabee veteran from Perkins, said. The Seabee emblem, a bee holding a machine gun, a wrench and a hammer epitomizes their slogan “We build, We fight, Can do.” “And we did, sometimes with nothing,”
said Pete Peters, a Seabee veteran from Edmond. “For the rest of our lives we could do anything anyone wanted. You give Seabees some beer and we’ll build it for you.” Getting the job done sometimes required them to be resourceful at locating supplies. Tanner says they
never stole anything, because the materials were still on base, but they sometimes had to “borrow” materials from other areas to accomplish their objectives. “It still belonged to the military,” Peters joked.
See Reunion, Page A5
Looking at the Seabees through history Staff report In December 1941, with an eye on the developing storm clouds across both oceans, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Yards and Docks, recommended establishing Naval Construction Battalions. With the attack on Pearl Hartrades and were placed bor and the U.S. entrance under the leadership of COURTESY OF THE U.S. NAVY SEABEE MUSEUM into the war, he was given the Navy’s Civil Seabees helped Gen. George Patton cross the the go-ahead. Engineer Corps. BeRhine River at Boppard, Germany. The boat crews The earliest Seabees were Seabees dressed in Army uniforms at Patton’s were recruited from the See History, Page A5 request. civilian construction
A 16-year-old Cushing girl has been charged with second-degree murder – or, alternatively, first-degree manslaughter – for alleged reckless driving that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Ashlyn Roe of Agra. Laycee Hope Akins will make her initial court appearance Dec. 19 with defense attorney Cheryl Ramsey for her alleged role as the driver in the one-vehicle collision that occurred July 9 west of Cushing city limits, which Oklahoma Highway Patrol released a report on after its response. According to that narrative, six teenagers were in a 2013 Kia Optima that was traveling westbound on Ninth Street toward the intersection at Brethern Road. Akins, along with an unnamed front-seat passenger, were the only occupants wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision. The car was traveling “at a high rate of speed when the driver turned off the headlights and went through the intersection at Brethern.” The vehicle went airborne for a short amount of time and the driver lost control once it landed, causing it to leave the roadway to the right, hit a tree, and begin to roll “an unknown amount of times” before coming to a stop in a pasture. All four passengers not wearing seatbelts were ejected while the vehicle was rolling. According to a document filed in Payne County District Court, Akins drove the Kia at a speed of 124mph as the vehicle went through the intersection. If convicted on second-degree murder, she faces between 10 years to life in prison; first-degree manslaughter carries a charge between four years and life in prison upon conviction. Bond amount has not yet been set. Twitter: @ahrens_tim
Two-day search fails to locate missing woman Staff reports
The Stillwater Police Department has resorted to passing out fliers and continuing to implore the public for help as the search for missing person Dar- Darian ian Hudson Hudson has lasted more than a month. Lt. Jeff Watts, supervisor of SPD’s Criminal Investigations Division, wrote in a media release Wednesday that leads
See Search, Page A2
Second place, The Lawton Constitution, on Steve Metzer story about the state’s surplus property sale: 3 STOOGES LEAVING STATE GOVERNMENT – AND YOU CAN BUY THEM Third place, tie, Anadarko Daily News, on story, photos by Mary Jane Repp: CARNEGIE GIN SITS IN TALL COTTON Mustang News, Chris Eversole story about people raising alpacas: SHEAR DELIGHT Honorable mentions – Only in Oklahoma? The Valliant Leader, “11-Year-Old Girl Leads Four Police Agencies On A High-Speed Chase”; Choctaw Times, Ryan Horton, on playground project, “Done Playing Around”; The Eufaula Indian Journal, Jerry Fink story about replicas, “Pinta, Nina discover Muskogee”; The Seminole Producer, Kori Good story about a police chief resigning in spat with major, the council rejecting it, and a packed house, “Showdown in Maud”; Holdenville Tribune, local writer Naomi Tomlinson, “A body in the ditch”; The Ardmoreite, Robby Short interview with sheriff on first year after a resignation, “Thrown into the mix”; Skiatook Journal, Jesse Hanes story on Custom truck builder, “A Four-Wheeled Empire”; Woodward News, Janelle Stecklein special session story, “Waiting on the Governor.”
See more Front Pages on Page 9
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017 9
Front Pages of Clark’s Critique Continued from Page 8 The Marlow Review, Thursday, November 23, 2017, 2015, Marlow, Oklahoma Page 1 2,/ &+$1*( SOXV
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VOLUME 127 NUMBER 18 Marlow, Oklahoma
16 PAGES
A Proud Heritage... A Bright Future
Valliant Leader
-HPYNYV\UKZ Z[PSS OV[ [VWPJ By Todd Brooks The Marlow Review
Todd Brooks | The Marlow Review
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: Marlow Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Denise Graham, Jason McPherson and Valerie Moore string up lights at the Gazebo on W. Main last Friday.
$FFXVDWLRQV Ă€HZ EXW FDOPHU KHDGV SUHYDLOHG at the Stephens County Commissioners meeting Monday morning. The audit report on the Stephens County Fairgrounds, released last Tuesday in which several issues were found, was on the agenda and a standing-room-only crowd was in attendance. 7KH ÂżUVW LWHP GHDOLQJ ZLWK WKH IDLUJURXQGV ZDV D OHWWHU ZULWWHQ DQG UHDG\ E\ 'LVWULFW &RPPLVVLRQHU 'DYLG 0F&DUOH\ ZKR VWDWHG KH KDG QRWKing to do with fairgrounds director Mike Anderson being placed on administrative leave. “Action was taken outside an open meeting and I was not part of the decision,â€? McCarley said. The commissioner said the other two commisVLRQHUV GLG NQRZ EXW 'LVWULFW &RPPLVVLRQHU 'HH %RZHQ GLG QRW DJUHH “I did not know until after the fact,â€? Bowen said. 'LVWULFW &RPPLVVLRQHU 7RGG &KXUFKPDQ who is over the fairgrounds, said he placed Anderson on leave on the advice of the district attorney. Bowen pointed out he never wanted the audit and was the commissioner who personally recommended Anderson for the job when he was hired. Most in attendance seemed to be in support of Anderson.
Virgil Bryant to celebrate 100 years By Todd Brooks The Marlow Review
Virgil Bryant has a lot to be thankful for this time of year. The Marlow man turns 100 on Saturday and is looking forward to seeing family coming in from all over the U.S. to help him celebrate. “To the best of my knowledge, none of my family has ever made it to 100, yet here I set at 100,â€? Bryant said. “I don’t know why the Lord allows some to live longer lives than others.â€? Virgil Bryant was born in Nov. 1917 near Mustang and grew up mostly in the Maysville area. His family owned land near the Washita River. “We grew corn, alfalfa hay, wheat - whatever we could feed the cattle,â€? Bryant said. The house was on a high bluff with the cattle in the lowlands. “We used to love going huntLQJ DQG ÂżVKLQJ Âś %U\DQW VDLG “We would go swimming in
the Washita River. It was once a beautiful river. A lot more so than now.� When he left home in 1938, he joined the Army and was stationed at Ft. Sill, which was a year before WWII had even started in Europe. It was there where he met a young woman named Nellie Mae Jones. “I was sitting by myself in church and she came up to me and said, ‘You look lonesome, do you want some company?’ ‘Sure,’ I said.� Three weeks later, they were married. Their courtship may not have lasted long, but the marriage sure did. The couple was married 74 years before Nellie passed away in March 2014. “We had a bunch of ice that week and the day of the funeral, the sun came out and it warmed up and there wasn’t any ice to be found,� Bryant said. He has fond memories of
Photo Submitted
100 YEARS YOUNG: Virgil Bryant of Marlow will be celebrating his 100th birthday with family at Marlow Manor this Saturday.
his young family celebrating Thanksgiving. “Every Thanksgiving, the
-**3( WYLZLU[Z I\SSL[ WYVVM ]LZ[Z By Todd Brooks The Marlow Review
The Marlow FCCLA is doing LWV SDUW WR NHHS SROLFH RIÂżFHUV safe. The organization made two VHSDUDWH GRQDWLRQV 2QH ZDV to Stephens County Sheriff’s 'HSDUWPHQW 'HWHFWLYH 'XVWLQ Smith, while the other went to Lt. Aguilera of the Marlow PoOLFH 'HSDUWPHQW The vests were part of last year’s state project and cost $200 each. The vests, from Armored Advantage in Purcell, worked with the Marlow FCCLA to get the vests as economically as possible. The FCCLA raised the money for the purchase by selling “Back the Blueâ€? tumblers. 7KH YHVWV ZHLJK SRXQGV half the weight of some vests and offer premium protection to the RIÂżFHUV ZHDULQJ WKHP A lot of the need for these YHVWV FDPH DERXW DIWHU WKH 'DOODV RIÂżFHUV VKRRWLQJ ,W ZDV VDLG IRXU RXW RI WKH ÂżYH
“Wewoka’s Hometown Newspaper� (USPS 565-820) 10 Pages & Supplements
Every member of the Valliant High School Show Choir will be standing when they perform our National Anthem prior to the start of an Oklahoma City Thunder game Dec. 18 at Chesapeake Arena in OKC. The local high school choir earned the opportunity to perform the anthem during an audition last month. Members of the choir are (front row, l-r) Zachary McCarty, Rhianna Houser, Alayna Fielder, Brauna Young, Kendra Asbill; (middle row, l-r) Bridgett Krup, Makenzie Miller, Maci Dickey, Ge Moua, Kylie Benson, Whitney Rivers, Madison Pratt; (back row, l-r) Kylan Kane, Laura Slaton, Alex Jordan, Dylan Smith and Drew Smith.
Candidates for the City of Marlow Mayor and Councilmember Ward 3 along with Board of Education candidates in nine Stephens &RXQW\ VFKRRO GLVWULFWV ZLOO ÂżOH WKHLU 'HFODUDWLRQV RI &DQGLGDF\ EHJLQQLQJ DW D P RQ 0RQGD\ 'HF DQG ZLOO FRQWLQXH 7XHVGD\ and Wednesday, Stephens County Election Board Secretary Angela 'XQDJDQ VDLG 7KH RIÂżFLDO ÂżOLQJ SHULRG HQGV DW S P RQ :HGQHVGD\ 'HF $OO FDQGLGDWH ÂżOLQJV ZLOO RFFXU DW WKH 6WHSKHQV &RXQW\ (OHFWLRQ %RDUG RIÂżFH 6RXWK WK 6WUHHW 6XLWH LQ 'XQFDQ 'XQDgan said. The City of Marlow Mayor, Councilmember Ward 3 and all FRXQW\ %RDUG RI (GXFDWLRQ SRVLWLRQV DW VWDNH ZLOO EH ÂżOOHG DW WKH Annual School Election scheduled February 13, 2018. If no Board RI (GXFDWLRQ FDQGLGDWH UHFHLYHV PRUH WKDQ SHUFHQW RI WKH WRWDO votes cast in the election, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will meet in a runoff election on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. &DQGLGDWHV PD\ ÂżOH IRU WKH IROORZLQJ VFKRRO ERDUG RIÂżFHV 0DUORZ 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R %UD\ 'R\OH 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R &HQWUDO +LJK 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R 'XQFDQ 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R 9HOPD $OPD 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R (PSLUH 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R *UDQGYLHZ 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW & 2IÂżFH 1R &RPDQFKH 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW , 2IÂżFH 1R 2IÂżFH 1R XQH[SLUHG WHUP
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One Vehicle Reported Stolen, Another Found Burned Near Pine Creek Lake A Millerton resident reported the theft of a vehicle on Monday, and the crime is under investigation by the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Department. The 54-year-old complainant told investigators that the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, which she and her husband own, had been parked on the backside of her property on Millerton’s Miami Street. She said her husband came home from work Monday evening and was asked by a boy who lives in the neighborhood if he was aware that his vehicle was gone. The boy said he had been told at school earlier in the day that a certain individual had sold the vehicle. The complainant said he confronted the person identiÀHG E\ WKH QHLJKERU EXW WKH
The Marlow Samaritans will be taking apSOLFDWLRQV IRU WKHLU DQQXDO &KULVWPDV )RRG %R[ GLVWULEXWLRQ WR EH KHOG RQ 6DWXUGD\ 'HF LQ the First Baptist Church Life Center. 7KHUH DUH VL[ GD\V DYDLODEOH IRU DSSOLFDQWV WR VLJQ XS 7KRVH GD\V DUH 0RQGD\ 7XHVGD\ DQG :HGQHVGD\ 1RY DQG 'HF IURP D P WR S P HDFK GD\ Âł,Q RUGHU WR UHFHLYH D &KULVWPDV ER[ IRONV must sign up on one of the application dates,â€? VDLG 6DQG\ &KDWÂżHOG Âł7KH\ ZLOO QHHG WR EULQJ SKRWR , ' DQG SURRI RI UHVLGHQF\ WKH GD\ WKH\ come. It is also important to note that we will not be taking any applications after closing on 'HF ´ According to Carolyn Lowe, president of the group, “everyone who received food during the November distribution was given a notice with dates and times of the Christmas sign up. “Plus there have been articles in The Marlow Review,â€? she added. 7KH 'HFHPEHU ER[ LV RSHQ WR DQ\RQH ZKR has a Marlow address, lives in the Marlow 6FKRRO 'LVWULFW DQG PHHWV WKH ÂżQDQFLDO FULWHULD HVWDEOLVKHG E\ WKH 2NODKRPD 5HJLRQDO )RRG Bank. A United Way Agency, The Marlow Samaritans are asking folks who wish to sign up to enter at the front door of their building which is located at 214 W. Main in Marlow.
Times Wednesday, November 29, 2017
50¢ Seminole County, OK
Renovation of Historic Hotel Gets Underway
History Revisited —File Photos, additional photos by Jacklyn Patterson
Renovation of Wewoka’s Historic Aldridge Hotel (pictured below right) got underway last week with groundbreaking ceremonies (below left). Above, the world’s tallest man, Robert Wadlow, who stood 8’11, walks outside the hotel in the 1930’s. The project includes bringing the exterior back to its original state and adding 16 spacious apartments inside.
How OSU’s Washington stacks up. Sports, B1
Made in Oklahoma gifts for foodies. SCENE // D1
FORECAST: MOSTLY SUNNY, HIGH: 40, LOW 21. D6
Bixby Schools’ report released
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LOCAL Recognizing students
Tulsa World
date administrative functions found little support in the Legislature. “Oklahomans support additional dollars going into the classrooms, and we have to make sure those dollars make it there,� Fallin said. In addition, she signed an executive order prohibiting agencies from purchasing promotional
items, also called swag. The ban starts June 30. Between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, promotional items can’t exceed $10 million, according to the order. Promotional items include pens, cups, trophies, bumper stickers and book bags. In a press release, (See Consolidation on Page 10)
Health Care Authority Federal Fumbles Calls Special Meeting Lankford Releases Government Waste Report
A NEW BUSINESS IS IN KINGSTON
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has called a special board meeting for Dec. 1 to recommend that the agency delay and reduce provider rate reductions which were approved on Nov. 9 and scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1. The agency received $22.8 million when Governor Mary Fallin approved sections of the appropriations bill on November 17. These funds will allow the agency to postpone and reduce the provider rate reductions until Jan.1. In anticipation of the agency’s $70 million reduction to its appropriation due to the loss of the smoking cessation fee and in order to submit a balanced budget, the OHCA has already taken several budget balancing actions. First, the agency developed several program changes to be implemented in SFY18
MADILL CHEER TRAVELS TO DISNEY
BUSINESS, PAGE 1B
SPORTS, PAGE 9A
that produced savings of approximately $3.2 million for SFY18. In addition, $4.65 million in 2017 general revenue was returned to the agency in 2018. The agency had $12 million in carryover from SFY17 to use. These combined savings equate to approximately $19.85 million. On Nov. 9, the OHCA board approved acrossthe-board provider rate reductions of 9 percent and 4 percent for nursing facilities as well as eliminating Medicare crossover coinsurance and deductible payments for nursing facilities to be effective Dec. 1. These actions were taken to help cover the remainder of the $70 million base reduction. However, with the receipt of the $22.8 million, the agency has scheduled a State Plan Amendment Rate Com(See Meeting on Page 10)
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) has released his annual government waste and solutions report. This is the third volume of Lankford’s book entitled, Federal Fumbles: 100 ways the government dropped the ball. The report lists $473.6 billion in wasteful and inefficient federal spending and solutions to each of the examples of government waste. The current federal debt is $20.49 trillion. The oneyear deficit for Fiscal Year 2017 was $666 billion. “During 2017, we’ve worked to roll back wasteful spending and a number of harmful and burdensome regulations from the two previous Federal Fumbles reports,� said Lankford. “The outrageous federal deficit remains too high. Unfortunately, Washington, DC seems to be distracted and the deficit has started increasing
again. “Our $20 trillion national debt will continue to increase until we implement spending cuts, government reforms, and create a healthy economy. This Federal Fumbles report provides commonsense examples of ways to limit our spending and fix government inefficiency. Every American should have access to how their tax dollars are spent. Congress should pass my Taxpayers Right to Know Act to give each American the opportunity to see how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent.â€? Below is a summary of the report: • Debt Facts• Current Debt: $20.49 trillion • FY 2017 Deficit: $666 billion • This report lists $473.6 billion in wasteful and inefficient spending Eight Examples of Waste:
1. Social Security for Chimpanzees (page 1) – Despite announcing in 2015 that NIH would cease funding all biomedical research conducted on chimpanzees, NIH provided $2.6 million in 2015-2016 to operate NCCC. 2. This is Weird, Right? (page 1) – A $30,000 NEA grant supports the production of Doggie Hamlet. The adaptation does not include any actual lines from Hamlet, is conducted outdoors in a 30-by-50-foot field in New Hampshire, and is mostly humans yelling or running toward confused sheep and dogs. 3. You’re Fired‌Just Kidding!! (page 2) – A 2014 Treasury IG investigation discovered from 2010 to 2013, the IRS hired 824 people who were previously terminated due to “prior conduct or performances issues. July 2017, the (See Lankford on Page 2)
School Board Filing Period Opens Dec. 4 Ken Childers Managing Editor An election to fill school board seats across the state as well as Seminole County has been scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. Those interested in running for one of the seats may file as a candidate at the Seminole County Election Board Monday, Dec. 4 – Wednesday, Dec. 6 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. School Board positions include: Bowlegs School District-Office No. 3 Butner School DistrictOffice No. 3 Justice School District-Office No. 3 Konawa School District-Office No. 3 Maud School DistrictOffice No. 3 New Lima School District-Office No. 3 Sasakwa School District-Office No. 3 Seminole School District-Office No. 3 Strother School District-Office No. 3 Varnum School District-Office No. 3 Wewoka School District-Office No. 3 Gordon Cooper Tech Center-Office No. 5 (Gordon Cooper serves all school districts within Seminole County). If no candidate receives (See Filing on Page 10)
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Christmas Parade
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By Molly Raley
Resolution Series
New Year’s Resolutions – Only 8 Percent Succeed By Tina Firquain 7KH 0DGLOO 5HFRUG
Raise your hand if you made a resolution Jan. 1, 2017, and raise your hand if you plan to make a resolution Jan. 1, 2018. Now keep your hand up if you have actually ever kept a New Year’s resolution. Don’t feel too bad if you couldn’t honestly keep your hand up. According to U.S. News, about 80 percent of resolutions fail by the second week in February. Forbes.com said “research shows only 8 percent of people actually achieve them“ (their resolutions). So, before committing to a resolution, take a look at some of the most common resolutions made and the most common mistakes made so perhaps if you make a 2018 New Year’s resolution, you will be part of the 8 percent who are successful. Throughout December, look at the “Resolution� series. R l ti 1 L
WKHQ WKDW 03' RIĂ€FHUV DUULYHG DW WKH SDWLHQW¡V KRPH +H ZDV LGHQWLĂ€HG DV Tommy David Austin Morgan, 34. Morgan allegedly told police that he didn’t make the statement of goLQJ WR VKRRW XS WKH GRFWRUV RIĂ€FH EXW told police that what he said was “he should just go and ‘shoot the (explicative) doctor.’â€? 0RUJDQ WKHQ JDYH SROLFH WZR Ă€UHarms (a .45 cal Colt revolver and a .44 cal black powder pistol). The guns were seized and placed into evidence. Morgan was then placed under arrest for making terroristic threats and transported to the Marshall County Jail. According to police, once at the jail, Morgan agreed to make a statement, saying “he contacted Medicare and did make a statement he should not have.â€? In the statement Morgan also said, “the statement was made in (See THREAT, page 4A)
Briefs
Testing meeting
By Molly Raley 7KH 0DGLOO 5HFRUG
Beshirs asked the passenger if he had warrants, and the passenger responded with “yeah probably.â€? The passenger was then positively LGHQWLĂ€HG DV -R\ 'RQDOG &DUSHQWHU Jr., 31, and was asked to exit the vehicle because he was being taken into custody. According to police, when Hanks tried to place handcuffs onto Carpenter, he “turned toward the back RI WKH YHKLFOH VKRYLQJ 2IĂ€FHU +DQNV to the point that he lost his balance DQG &DUSHQWHU EHJDQ WR Ă HH Âľ 2IĂ€FHUV WKHQ FKDVHG &DUSHQWHU through the Madill Laser Tag parking lot, across U.S. Highway 70, to the parking lot of Twin Peaks where KH IHOO WR WKH JURXQG 2IĂ€FHU +DQNV then caught up to Carpenter and fell on top of him to deter him from Ă HHLQJ DJDLQ $IWHU D VWUXJJOH RIĂ€FHUV ZHUH (See PURSUIT, page 4A)
A Q&A with Jeremy Proctor about Madill’s Animal Shelter, Animal Control
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Q If an animal gets picked up by animal control, how do the owner’s get the animal back?
By Cody Griesel NHJ Editor
Newkirk Stepp Up and Masonic Lodge #88 will host a bake sale 8 a.m. (Wednesday, Nov. 22) in the courthouse basement.
A Madill man recently ran from police due to active arrest warrants, but once taken into custody by the Madill Police Department, he is now in jail for numerous other charges. 2Q 6XQGD\ 'HF 03' RIĂ€FHUV Shannon Beshirs and Dakota Hanks were in contact with a vehicle in the parking lot of El Tequila Mexican Restaurant that matched the description of a vehicle leaving a possible break-in. According to police, Beshirs and Hanks spoke with the driver of the vehicle who claimed to have permission to be at the residence. The passenger, who was allegedly “slouched down in the vehicle,â€? told RIĂ€FHUV WKDW KLV QDPH ZDV -HUHP\ However, Beshirs knew that his name was in fact not Jeremy.
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Bomb threat clears courthouse
Bake sale
Looking for a Christmas Pet? Look No Further The City of Madill offers its citizens an animal shelter that houses many dogs and other animals. Whether you are looking for a good Christmas pet for your children or are dealing with stray animals in your neighborhood, the Madill Animal Shelter provides many different services. The Madill Animal Shelter also provides opportunities for citizens to adopt pets. The Madill Record spoke with the City of 0DGLOO¡V &RGH (QIRUFHPHQW 2IĂ€FHU DQG IRUPHU DQLPDO FRQWURO RIĂ€FHU -HUHP\ 3URFWRU DERXW KRZ citizens can adopt, and other important animal control issues. The Q&A follows: Q What are the hours of the Animal Shelter? A “10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.â€? Q Can you adopt an animal from the shelter? If so, how can you do it? A ´<HV MXVW Ă€OO RXW WKH DGRSWLRQ SDSHUZRUN and pay the $25 adoption fee.â€? Q What kind of animals does the shelter have? A “We get a wide mixture of cats and dogs.â€? Q What all comes with the adoption of an animal? A “Just the animal that you adopt.â€? Q Where do the animals at the shelter come
See USA, Page 6A
A “All dogs in the state of Oklahoma four months of age and older must have a rabies YDFFLQDWLRQ ZLWK D WDJ Ă€[HG WR WKHLU FROODU $OVR every animal in Madill must be registered with the City of Madill and have a city animal license DIĂ€[HG WR WKHLU FROODU 7R REWDLQ D &LW\ $QLPDO License you must bring a copy of the animal’s YDFFLQDWLRQ UHFRUG WR &LW\ +DOO Ă€OO RXW WKH LQformation needed, and pay $5 for each license or tag. The animal license or tag is to be renewed each year on Jan. 1.â€? Q Can citizens volunteer at the shelter? A “We stay away from using volunteers due to liability reasons.â€? Q What does someone do if they have a stray animal in their neighborhood? A “They can call animal control at 580-872-4660 RU FDOO WKH 0DUVKDOO &RXQW\ 6KHULII¡V 2IĂ€FH DW 795-2221 so they can dispatch animal control.â€? Q What should the citizens of Madill know about the animal shelter or animal control? A “The City of Madill’s Animal Shelter is probably the second nicest animal control facility LQ 6RXWKHUQ 2NODKRPD ,W LV D QHZ Ă€YH \HDUV old) facility that provides a climate controlled
A second public meeting to discuss the proposed chemical testing at Chilocco is tentatively planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Newkirk Senior Citizens Center
Register for Christmas parade
Meetings, court delayed ABOVE: Law enforcement vehicles surround the Kay County courthouse Monday morning following a bomb threat. The county commission meeting was interupted, along with court proceeds due to the scare.
The Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the 2017 Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. Dec. 6. Entry forms are available at the chamber office, by calling (580) 362-2155 or by email at newkirkchamber@att.net.
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Sniffing things out LEFT: A bomb-detection dogssearches the courthouse grounds along with staff from an Oklahoma City bomb squad. (Photos provided by Sharon Rowen, Ponca City News)
The Kay County courthouse was evacuated Monday morning after someone phoned in a bomb threat at the building. Dean Allen Utslerer, 34, of Ponca City, was identified as the suspect shortly after noon and was taken into custody, according to the Kay County Sheriff ’s Office. Officials said they were able to determine Ulster was a suspect from information gathered from the call. Utslerer gave authorities a full confession after he was taken into custody and was booked into the Kay County jail, according to a sheriff Steve Kelley. He is being held at the county jail on complaints of terroristic threats. The court house, along with the Mark Branch Field House and a few other businesses near the court house, were evacuated or asked to be evacuated by sheriff ’s deputies around 9 a.m.
(See Threat, Page 2)
Petition against Chilocco testing grows swiftly
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Press Release A group of Newkirk citizens gathered on Nov. 15 to discuss the possibility of applying for an Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) grant that would provide funding through the Oklahoma Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS). This unique safety program was created in an effort to substantially improve the ability of primary and middle school students to walk and bicycle to school safely. Â The program makes funding available for a wide variety of programs and projects, from building safer street crossings to establishing programs that encourage children and their parents
Meeting planned again at Newkirk Senior Center By Cody Griesel NHJ Editor A petition protesting against planned chemical testing at the former Chilocco Indian School campus neared the 9,000 signature mark Monday afternoon. The petition, Stop Chemical testing at Chilocco, was created in response to the recent announcement made by the Department of Homeland Security that the organization planned to test components
was suicidal and had assaulted her mother. Carrell went there to assess the woman’s emotional/mental state to try to determine if she was a threat to herself and others and whether she should be taken into protective custody. Carrell said the woman (Continued on Page 2)
MR. BULLDOG – Tiffany Tinsel (aka Tucker Jones) won the crown and sceptor that accompany the title of Mr. Bulldog 2017-18. Tiffany/Tucker was also named Mr. Congeniality at the conclusion of the Mr. Bulldog Pageant Saturday night at Valliant High School.
3DUDGH $QG %LQJR :LOO .LFN 2Ďƒ Christmas Season In Valliant The 2017 Valliant Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade and Christmas Bingo will be held Saturday, Dec. 9. The parade will begin at 6 p.m. and the bingo will follow at the conclusion of the parade. Theme for this year’s parade is “A Candyland Christmas.â€? Entry will be free and prize money will be awarded in the following categories: comPHUFLDO Ă RDW QRQFRPPHUFLDO Ă RDW PDUFKLQJ EDQG ZDONLQJ group; best dressed horse and rider (proof of negative Coggins test required); decorated vehicle (cars and trucks); decorated horse with buggy/carriage/wagon; decorated ATV/ dirt bike/motorcycle; bicycle;
tractor; kid with leashed pet (children 6 years and older); baby stroller/wagon pull (5 years and under with adult); and miscellaneous (no prize money awarded to winner of this event). Entry forms can be found online at www.valliantchamber.org. Deadline to enter is 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. Parade entries can be completed and turned in at Tuck Oil & Lube. The parade will begin at the Valliant High School parking lot, then travel south on Section Line Road, west on Harris Street, north on Dalton Avenue, and east on Lucas Street for its return to the school.
The Christmas Bingo will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. at the Terry-Hunt Community Building. &KDPEHU RIĂ€FLDOV VDLG WKH theme for the event is “It’s a Ho-Ho-Holy Night,â€? and they promise “fun for all ages and lots of good prizes.â€? Taco salad, drink and dessert will be sold prior to the parade and during the bingo games at a concession stand provided by the Valliant High School softball team. To pre-order, call (870) 703-7840. Any business, church, organization or individual who would like to donate to the bingo can call (580) 933-6051.
Valliant, Wright City Each Have One School Board Candidate As Of Tuesday Only one race was assured late Tuesday as the second day RI WKH WKUHH GD\ ÀOLQJ SHULRG for school board seats was nearing an end. Today (Wednesday) is the ÀQDO GD\ IRU FDQGLGDWHV WR ÀOH their declarations of candidacy for school board seats in 14 McCurtain County school districts. As of 4:55 p.m. Tuesday, the district where a race is
assured is Haworth, where WZR FDQGLGDWHV KDYH ÀOHG IRU a three-year unexpired term on WKH 2IÀFH SRVLWLRQ The candidates are Klyne Hughes and Brad Farley, both RI ZKRP ÀOHG GHFODUDWLRQV RI candidacy on Monday. Here at Valliant, the only FDQGLGDWH WR ÀOH DV RI 7XHVGD\ afternoon was Kayla Citty. Mrs. Citty, a local businessZRPDQ ZLOO UXQ IRU D ÀYH \HDU
WHUP RQ WKH 2IÀFH VHDW That seat is currently held by Jason Miller, who had not \HW ÀOHG IRU UH HOHFWLRQ DV RI Tuesday afternoon. At Wright City, Jason Todd Gross is the only candidate to KDYH ÀOHG VR IDU IRU WKH 2IÀFH 3 seat on the school board. The candidate elected to that seat ZLOO DOVR VHUYH D ÀYH \HDU WHUP Lone candidates have also (Continued on Page 2)
Choctaw High School AFJROTC cadets assist Nicoma Park Middle School with a Nov. 10 Veterans Day Ceremony. Six, 6-person teams participated in 12 ceremonies Friday. PHOTO BY RYAN HORTON
Managing Editor
T
hursday marks the 76th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 — the event that drew the U.S. into World War II and left a lasting mark on a generation of the nation’s young people. Following are a few memories of that momentous day from some of the men and women featured in the Tulsa World’s “World War II Veterans Rememberâ€? project. HARRIET FRANK At the time of the attack, which targeted the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Harriet Frank was a 16-year-old student at Sapulpa High School. Her parents were away that Sunday, but her uncle, who was living with them, was home. He broke the news to Frank (then Harriet Greenberg) when she returned from a morning out with friends. “When I came in, he was pale, sitting right up in front of the radio,â€? she recalled. “He was almost frantic.â€? It was distressing news for more than one reason: One of Frank’s other uncles, a Navy pilot, was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Thankfully, he was ďŹ ne, as they found out later. He had been in the air when the attack began but was able to land safely. Although the U.S. didn’t enter the war until Pearl Harbor, it was already personal for the Greenbergs. A young Jew whose grandparents had immigrated to the U.S., Frank and her family had been following the news
Many Nicoma Park students recognized recently..
See Page 10A The capsized battleship USS Oklahoma is lifted out of the water at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on May 24, 1943.  AP ďŹ le
SPORTS Choctaw Cahllenge 2017
‘Serving Our Country’ book
Harriet Frank  MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
about Germany’s oppression of Jews for years. She wasn’t able to serve in the military yet after Pearl Harbor, but along with her classmates, Frank helped out in her own way. “We sold war bonds, collected all kinds of things. I planted a victory garden. We did all we could individually to help out.� Later, Frank would go on to do her
The Tulsa World book “Serving Our Country: Oklahoma World War II Veterans Rememberâ€? was released in 2016 and includes the ďŹ rst 65 stories from a series that appeared originally in the newspaper and online. Order copies by going to tulsaworld.com/store. For a limited time, the books are “buy one, get one free.â€? For more information or to order by phone, call 918-699-8807.
Signing Season
Crews begin work on a new playground at Bouse Park. The playground is to be complete by Thanksgiving.
Choctaw park improvements underway By Ryan Horton Managing Editor
By Kevin CanďŹ eld Tulsa World
See Page 1B
alley, a game room, a full-service bar and lounge area, event space and a restaurant. Âť See Theater, page A5
Create, Sell, Profit‌Instantly! No training. No time wasted. No more tough sells.
800.223.1600
service@metro-email.com metrocreativeconnection.com
Public Safety to continued growth, while maintaining the strong traditions and standards of the agency. I intend to bring together and align the department around the common purpose of public safety and service to the public.� Rhoades began his career with the patrol in 1989 as a patrolman with See SAFETY, Page 5A
Chamber celebrates 40 years Managing Editor
;<M<CFGD<EK › The site will benefit from a city sales tax incentive
including Village Movies 8, at 6808 S. Memorial Drive. The project, which is expected to be completed next fall, will also include a 14-lane bowling
Billy D. “Rusty� Rhoades III
ate conďŹ rmation during next year’s legislative session. Rhoades succeeds Michael C. Thompson, whom Fallin appointed last month to serve as Oklahoma’s adjutant general and on her Cabinet as secretary of the military. “I appreciate the conďŹ dence Governor Fallin has shown in me,â€? said Rhoades. “I will work to guide the Department of
By Ryan Horton
Âť See Harbor, page A3
An artist’s rendering shows the Cinergy Entertainment Group’s proposed dine-in movie theater on South Memorial Drive. The project will receive a sales tax rebate to encourage the redevelopment of empty or blighted properties.  COURTESY
veteran of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and is currently serving as zone commander for ďŹ eld operations in Troop M, based in Altus; Troop H, based in Clinton; Troop I, based in Guymon; and Troop J, based in Enid. Fallin also appointed Rhoades to serve as secretary of safety and security on her executive Cabinet. His appointment to that position will require Sen-
DONE PLAYING AROUND
Dine-in theater planned on S. Memorial
Jeffrey Benson has opened three dine-in movie theaters and entertainment centers in Texas and has a fourth one on the way. Now, thanks in part to a city of Tulsa incentive program, he is bringing his Cinergy Entertainment business to Oklahoma. Benson, company CEO and founder, told city councilors Wednesday that Tulsa’s 60,000-square-foot entertainment center will be built inside existing commercial properties,
Governor Mary Fallin has named Oklahoma Highway Patrol Maj. Billy D. “Rusty� Rhoades III, of Choctaw, to serve as Oklahoma’s commissioner of public safety. The announcement came Friday, Nov. 11, and his appointment takes effect Tuesday, Nov. 14. Rhoades is a 28-year
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Long-awaited park improvements are ďŹ nally underway throughout the City of Choctaw. Construction began last week on a new playground at Bouse Park, and oďŹƒcials say the equipment should be ready before Thanksgiving. Additionally, plans are in the works for the installation of a new playground in Choctaw Creek Park in early 2018. “We are in the process
of getting quotes for new playground equipment for Choctaw Creek Park,â€? said Choctaw City Manager Ed Brown. “If all works out with funding and installation, we look forward to enjoying the equipment by spring next year.â€? Exercise equipment will also be installed along the running trail in Choctaw Creek park in coming months. The Rotary Club of Eastern Oklahoma County will provide the ďŹ tness equipment, to be installed
Volume 125, No. 17 • 50¢ • 10 Pages • USPS 384-180 • www.newkirkherald.com • Hometown of Thomas Keen Serving The Newkirk Community Since 1893 • Wednesday, November 22, 2017
NHJ
Arrest Warrants Lead to Foot Pursuit Madill Man Arrested after Making Terroristic Threats to Doctor’s OfďŹ ce Of Madill Man, More Charges Added By Molly Raley
Amid sexual misconduct claims, Time honors “Silence Breakers� as Person of the Year. A4
Valliant Police Chief David Carrell arrested a 47-year-old Valliant woman on Friday (Nov. 29) after the woman assaulted Chief Carrell at a local residence. Carrell went to the residence around 10:30 a.m. following a report that the woman was hearing voices,
Veterans Day 2017
The Newkirk Herald Journal
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The biggest topic during the regular meeting of the Marshall County Commissioners on Monday, Dec. 4, was the State’s budget shortfall and the possible impact it could soon have on the citizens of Marshall County. According to Commissioner Chairman Chris Duroy, during the State’s Special Session of the Legislature, Gov. Mary Fallin “diverted an additional $80 million from the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges funds, also called CIRB funds. This brings the total money diverted from the program to $130 million this year.â€? During the meeting, Duroy said due to the cut, several road and bridge projects across the state will be delayed or totally removed from the plan. In Marshall &RXQW\ Ă€YH VSHFLĂ€F SURMHFWV DUH QRZ LQ GDQger of being delayed – Powell Road (District 1), Bridgeview Road (District 2), Pettijohn Springs Road (District 2), Shay Road (District 3), and Texoma Park Road (District 3). According to District 2 Commissioner, Josh Cantrell, these projects were put on the improvement plan for a reason, and updating these roads are crucial for the citizens of Marshall County. “These are roads that have thousands of cars driving on them daily – they are basically almost highways, but aren’t considered highways,â€? Cantrell said. “We can’t afford to do those jobs with our operating money.â€? According to Duroy, the Marshall County projects in danger are multimillion dollar projects that only use the CIRB funds due to the amount of money it takes to update the roads. ´7KHVH SURMHFWV DUH DOO PXOWLPLOOLRQ GROODU SURMHFWV DQG LW WDNHV Ă€YH WR HLJKW \HDUV to save up enough money in our CIRB fund to prepare for these types of things, but if they see it sitting there they will just take it,â€? Duroy said. (See CUTS, S, page 4A)
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State Could Cut County Budget
On Tuesday, Nov. 28, TexomaCare Madill was placed under lockdown after a man threatened to shoot the business. According to police, the Madill Police Department was called to TexomaCare Madill in reference to a man threatening to “shoot up the RIĂ€FHÂľ DIWHU EHLQJ GHFOLQHG VHUYLFH Police made contact with the doctor who stated “a patient had become angry with her because she declined to treat his diabetes.â€? The doctor then stated that she received a phone call IURP WKH 0HGLFDUH RIĂ€FH ´VWDWLQJ the patient had called threatening WR FRPH WR KHU RIĂ€FH DQG VKRRW WKH RIĂ€FH XS Âľ $FFRUGLQJ WR SROLFH RIĂ€FHUV UHceived the patient’s name and place of residence from the doctor. It was
By Andrew Taylor
WASHINGTON — His oncepromising political career in shambles, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken appeared on the verge of resigning after fellow Democrats led by female senators abandoned him Wednesday over the mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that are roiling Capitol Hill. But his departure was not certain. A tweet from his Twitter account late Wednesday said no ďŹ nal decision had been made and he was still talking with his Âť See Franken, page A3
Chamber Several Local Projects Delayed Christmas Parade Saturday The Marshall County Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, around the square in Madill. The event will have a theme of “Whoville in Marshall County,â€? and everyone is welcome to participate. “You can show your Christmas spirit and community SULGH E\ HQWHULQJ D Ă RDW WKDW you design and make – a decorated car or truck, or any other vehicle with Christmas spirit,â€? Chamber Executive Director Kelsey Brown said. $OO Ă RDWV PXVW KDYH DQ HQWU\ IRUP Ă€OOHG RXW DQG UHWXUQHG WR WKH &KDPEHU RIĂ€FH located at on U.S. Highway 70 between Madill and Kingston, by Thursday, Dec. 7. Each entry fee is $20, and all proceeds will be donated to Santa’s Elves which will help those in need in Marshall County. Check in for the parade will begin at 5 p.m. in the First United Bank parking lot, and the parade lineup will start on Lillie Boulevard in front of the bank. “We look forward to your participation in what we hope will be a joyous time for the children and the community,â€? Brown said. For more information, contact Brown at 580-795-2431.
Franken’s support among Dems fades
hoctaw-Nicoma Park students were busy last week honoring local veterans. As is tradition, Veterans Day ceremonies were recently conducted at each of Choctaw-Nicoma Park’s nine school sites and Choctaw High School’s AFJROTC cadets provided their honor guard and ag-folding services for a variety of other ceremonies. On Nov. 9 Choctaw High School Choir Director Mr. Dan Lucas coordinated two Veterans Day Assemblies in their Performing Arts Center in honor of Veterans Day.
By Ryan Horton
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‘In the Arms of Lake Texoma’
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is facing pressure to resign from his own party over allegations of sexual harassment.  ALEX BRANDON/AP
The USS Missouri (left), concluding its ďŹ nal voyage to Hawaii, is docked next to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on June 22, 1998. The Missouri, the ship on which Japan surrendered, ending World War II, arrived to join the USS Arizona, sunk in the 1941 Japanese attack that, for Americans, was where the war began.  RONEN ZILBERMAN/AP ďŹ le
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The Madill Record
Âť See Bixby, page A3
An 11-year-old girl was taken into custody Sunday afternoon after she led law HQIRUFHPHQW RIÀFHUV RQ D WHQVH FKDVH WKDW ÀQDOO\ HQGHG QRUWK of Wright City. Reports are sketchy, but the pursuit started in Pushmataha County and continued on S.H. 3 into McCurtain County around 4 p.m. The juvenile was reportedly driving her grandmother’s Mazda sedan. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, McCurtain County Sheriff’s Department and Valliant and Wright City Police were involved in the pursuit when it entered McCurtain County. Local officers involved were Valliant PoOLFH 2IÀFHU -DPLH 'UDNH DQG :ULJKW &LW\ 5HVHUYH 2IÀFHU Ronnie Hudson. 2QH RIÀFHU VDLG WKH SXUVXLW reached speeds of at least 80 miles per hour. After repeated DWWHPSWV E\ RIÀFHUV WR JHW WKH girl to stop, spike strips were employed, which caused all four of the Mazda’s tires to blow out. The pursuit finally came to an end on S.H. 3, near its intersection with S.H. 98 north of Wright City. There were no passengers in the car with the 11-year-old driver. Neither she nor any of the officers involved in the chase were injured. Wright City and Valliant Police reported limited activity during the past week.
Choctaw man named commissioner of public safety
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districts around the state, potentially including some of Seminole County’s schools with smaller enrollment. The State Superintendent will then make recommendations for administrative consolidation of the districts to be implemented in the 2020-21 school year. Prior efforts to consoli-
Amid mounting public pressure, Bixby Public Schools has released a document it says is the initial report school officials gave to police on Nov. 2 of “a potential sexual assault� on a student at an event for high school football players. It reveals that school officials learned through interviews with the victim and his mother that “on two separate occasions, a hazing incident resulted in a pool cue stick being inserted partially into the victim’s anus through his clothing.� Athletic Director Jay Bittle wrote in the incident report, dated Nov. 2, that on Oct. 26 he began investigating “an alleged hazing incident� and that his investigation took him from
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Gov. Mary Fallin announced that she had signed executive orders that could lead to administrative consolidation or annexation in higher and common education in a press conference last Tuesday. One of the execu-
tive orders requires the Oklahoma State Board of Education must compile a list of school districts that spend 60 percent or less of their budget on instruction. The deadline for which the findings must be turned in has been set for Sept. 1, 2018. The cuts could affect around 500 public school
Š2017 VALLIANT LEADER
Honoring those who’ve served By Ryan Horton
Leo Club Toy Drive
$1.00
By Andrea Eger
Kori Good City Editor
TEN PAGES
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Inside the Times
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017
who reported it immediately to the sheriff’s department. An officer who was dispatched to the scene said the truck was a total loss. The RIĂ€FHU GLG PDQDJH KRZHYHU WR Ă€QG WKH YHKLFOH LGHQWLĂ€FDtion number. The truck turned out to be a 2001 GMC which was registered to a 64-year-old Garvin man. Authorities said the owner had not reported the truck stolen. A Valliant area resident reported Friday (Dec. 1) that her home had been burglarized. The 28-year-old victim told authorities that she came home Friday around 6:30 p.m. and discovered that the padlock had been broken off the front door of her residence on Dorries Road. A cursory search of the residence revealed that more than $1,600 worth of personal property had been taken from the residence. The stolen items included clothing, a laptop computer/DVD player, jewelry, tools, DVD movies and more. 2IĂ€FHUV GXVWHG WKH GRRUZD\ and the area on and around the broken padlock for fingerprints, but no prints were found. A Wright City woman has accused a Wright City man of sexually harassing her and sending her obscene/threatening text messages. The 63-year-old complainant showed authorities several text messages the suspect sent her recently. The messages, according to the LQYHVWLJDWLQJ RIĂ€FHU FRQWDLQHG multiple sexually suggestive comments/proposals. One text read, in part: “Woman, if you accept funds from me, then you will owe me a night of sex pleasure for each $50 I give‌â€? &RQWDFWHG E\ WKH RIĂ€FHU DW his residence, the Wright City man admitted sending the texts (Continued on Page 2)
Volume 9, No. 2
Jerusalem decision brings varied reactions here, abroad. A5
District officials say it is their initial report to police about alleged sex assaults
Is School Consolidation on The Horizon?
man denied stealing the car. He told the owner that he would WU\ WR ÀQG WKH YHKLFOH DQG JHW it back to him. The complainants told authorities, however, that they believe this person did, indeed, sell their vehicle. They said the suspect is a drug user who has recently served time in prison. The investigating officer spoke to the suspect, who denied having any knowledge about the missing vehicle. The investigation is continuing. The sheriff’s department reported that a burned-out pickup truck was discovered near Bald Eagle Road on the back side of Pine Creek Lake. The totally destroyed pickup was discovered Sunday by a Pine Creek Volunteer Fire 'HSDUWPHQW YROXQWHHU ÀUHPDQ
BOUND FOR THE JUNIOR NFR – Valliant sixth grader &ROWRQ 0DWORFN KDV TXDOLÀHG WR FRPSHWH DW WKH -XQLRU 1DWLRQDO Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas Dec. 7-11. The Junior NFR will be held in conjunction with the Wrangler NFR. Colton, who will compete in bareback riding, has traveled across several states DQG PDGH KLV TXDOLÀHG ULGH LQ .DQVDV EDFN LQ 2FWREHU +H LV the son of Gerrad and Jeri Matlock.
Ken Childers Managing Editor Renovation of the historic Aldridge Hotel in downtown Wewoka as well as the construction of a nearby housing addition began last week with groundbreaking ceremonies. The project is taking place under the review of the state and federal national park service. The hotel renovation includes bringing the exterior back to its original state and the addition of sixteen spacious, well-appointed apartments. Tenants of these apartments will also have access to a computer/library room, exercise facilities and a storm shelter in the basement. Space will be reserved for some retail on the street level with access for the public. Also, as part of this same project, sixteen new homes will be constructed on individual lots just east of the Aldridge Hotel. The housing project will consist of 14 three-bedroom homes and two four-bedroom homes. The homes will have two car garages, modern amenities and high end finishes like granite and stainless steel. Owners of the project are longtime developers and builders from nearby Shawnee. Funding comes (See Hotel on Page 10)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017
11-Year-Old Girl Leads Four Police Agencies On A High-Speed Chase
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The annual Community Thanksgiving meal will be held at the Marlow First Baptist Church Life Center on Nov. 23. Everyone is invited to come join the Thanksgiving celebration. Call in orders to the church DW DUH ZHOFRPH ZLWK IUHH KRPH delivery. It is a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey and all the sides and trimmings. Pam Spurlock, who along with her husband Jim, help organize the event, are looking for more volunteers to help out this year. If anyone wants to volunteer, they should arrive at the church at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving PRUQLQJ IRU GULYHUV ÂżOOLQJ WDNH RXW RUGHUV DQG Todd Brooks | The Marlow Review serving. BACKING THE BLUE: 4HYSV^ -**3( VɉJLYZ 3PS` :TP[O SLM[ HUK “For those that can’t show up that early, we )SHPY )YHU[SL` WYLZLU[ H I\SSL[ WYVVM ]LZ[ [V :[LWOLUZ *V\U[` :OLYPɈ love to have fresh volunteers show up throughout 6ɉJL +L[ +\Z[PU :TP[O MH[OLY VM 3PS` SHZ[ ^LLR 4HYSV^ 7VSPJL +Lthe day to wash dishes and serve,â€? Spurlock said. partment Lt. Tony Aguilera also received one. “We will start and begin to take down and clean RIÂżFHUV ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ VDYHG rounds. XS DW S P ´ The detective was very appreif they would have been wearing More desserts are always welcome and can be ciative of the donation. the vests. dropped off at the life center on Wednesday or “It is something very impor- Thursday morning. The vests are rated to take on ULĂ€H URXQGV ZKLOH PRVW DUH RQO\ tant to me,â€? Smith said. 7KH PHDO ZLOO EH VHUYHG IURP D P WR rated to protect against handgun “It’s awesome,â€? Aguilera said. S P
Wewoka
VOLUME XXXVI NUMBER 31
/RLV'DZQ -RQHV ZLWK WKH 'XQFDQ 9LVLWRUV Bureau said she had received several phone calls from vendors worried about what was going to happen now that Anderson is currently out of the picture and if their events were going to be able to continue. “Every single person I talked to supported Mike,â€? Jones said. It was also noted that the audit could not have hit at a worse time with the National Swine Registry Show Fall Classic - the biggest event of the year - in town. The annual event brings two million dollars into the community every year. “I tried to see if the auditors could hold off for a couple of weeks, but they said they had already been behind,â€? Bowen said. 7KH DXGLW FRVW WKH FRXQW\ DSSUR[LPDWHO\ %RZHQ VDLG Jim McLain said the audit was a good thing because if problems were found, they could be Âż[HG He did have one problem with the process, however. “There are two people mentioned in the audit DQG RQO\ RQH $QGHUVRQ KDV EHHQ UHOLHYHG RI duties,â€? McLain said. “If you’re going to clean house, then clean house.â€? The other person mentioned in the report was RIÂżFH PDQDJHU 'RQQD .HOO\ &RQWLQXHG RQ SDJH
Community Thanksgiving returns to First Baptist
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Volume 115 Number 22
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and maintained by the city, just like the group recently did for Harrah Heritage Park. Other improvements planned for Choctaw Creek Park include fencing, pavilion and restroom updates. Site clean-ups are currently underway at Optimist Park and the Choctaw Caboose site. Bouse Park, home “Clean-ups at Optimist of the Alexis Clarke and the Caboose site are Water Park and Bouse ongoing. In Optimist we took down two unsafe Sports Complex, will soon have a new public See PARKS, Page 5A playground.
The Choctaw Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated 40 years of service to business community of eastern Oklahoma County with a banquet at the Grand Resort and Casino Thursday, Nov. 9. Je Hogan, of Physical Therapy Central-Choctaw, passed the role of chairperson to Sara Botchlet with Choctaw Women’s Clinic. Additionally, a new board of directors for 2018 was sworn in and chairs from the ďŹ rst 40 years were invited back to join current chamber members in celebrating the organization’s long history and bright future. See page 12A.
Last call for food donations By Ryan Horton Managing Editor
The Choctaw Times Food Drive will continue until Nov. 16. Readers are encouraged to drop canned and boxed food o at 2424 Main St. by Thursday to help feed local families in need.
10
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017
Making lists can improve your ability to solve problems Computer Notes from the road by Wilma (Melot) Newby wnewby@okpress.com
I’ve reviewed several studies that all say getting those loose ends cleaned up at the end of the year can improve your ability to see big picture problems and solve them. Good lists are very useful in this overview process. Some can be as simple as the word processer on the computer. But most publishers and staff are on the go too much for this approach. Our phones always seem to be with us so apps that let you organize end-ofthe-year cleanup projects may be useful. Apps that sync to an application on your desktop as well as sync on the fly to your phone are very useful – if for no other reason than getting through your Christmas list. Some suggestions are Evernote, Remember the Milk or Wunderlist – or even word processing notes stored on a Microsoft OneDrive or a Google Drive account. On a Windows computer, use OneNote. For Macs, Apple Notes will sync your phone, computer and iPad so any device you pick up will have your lists. However, it only works on newer OSX software. For a really simple list, use your email. Just email yourself lists, then place them in a folder where you can review them regularly as the year comes to a close. A computer “To Do” list might look something like this: • Run utilities on computer to make it run faster. (On a Mac: From the desktop > Use Go menu > Utilities > Disk Utility > repair permissions or run Disk First Aid. On a Windows computer search for Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter. Read the Disk Cleanup carefully to be sure not to get rid of files you need. • Research Prices of External Hard Drives, then go to store and buy one. Back up some files to the external drive so the computer has less files to search through each time it uses the directory. Many servers could use this type of clean up as well. • Check into buying a second monitor and adapter to create more screen real estate so work is faster.
• Compare costs of your Internet service. See if there is a faster provider that offers more bandwidth for around the same price. Call your current Internet provider and see how much a bandwidth upgrade would cost. I’ve yet to see a publisher unsatisfied with improving her internet speed. • Check on proper keyboard/chair arraignments at the desks of people who work long hours without breaks. • Backup files stored only in the cloud to a local drive. This is a good security measure in case cyber warfare breaks out and you can’t get online. Backup any critical files that are only on one drive to another drive or to the cloud. Keep everything you really need in two or three places. • Make/review the disaster recovery list for the paper and identify any new problems or changes that need to be addressed in your plan.
KEEP OLD PRINTERS WORKING Don’t trash that printer just yet. If you have a USB printer that suddenly stopped working this month, the cause could be your Microsoft updates. Check to see if the update and the printer going down happened around the same time. I got calls from all corners of the state just before Thanksgiving with people saying their USB printers were no longer able to print labels and reports. The majority were Epson and Canon printers. It appears to be caused by an update that went out to Windows 7, 8 and 10 computers. If you have a Windows 7 or 8 computer, it may not have updated yet and you can avoid this whole mess by waiting. However, Windows 10 computers allow little user control and probably already updated. If your printer stopped working, look for these updates on your systems: KB4048954 update on Windows 10, KB4048958 on Windows 8.1 and KB2952664 or KB4048957 on Windows 7. I tried removing those updates to solve the problem but on Windows 10 it may reinstall with your next set of updates. The software patches were bundled with Microsoft’s November security fixes that addressed multiple exploitable flaws in Windows. Updates are needed to keep our computers secure, but this one was a real problem at many newspapers. I
LEGAL ADVICE is just one of the benefits of being a member of the Oklahoma Press Association’s Legal Services Plan. Remove the worry of needing professional advice by enrolling today. For more information contact:
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION’S
LEGAL SERVICES PLAN 1-888-815-2672 or 405-499-0020
deleted the Windows 10 update at two locations and it worked, but not at some others. At those locations we rolled back the computer to a date before the update. Even that didn’t work at all locations. That fix seems to work best on Windows 7 computers. Both solutions gave us less than a good answer because we need the security patches. At a couple of places reinstalling the USB drivers worked, but not at other places. Microsoft released a patch for the problem for Windows 10 users. If you let all the updates run then you should be able to use your printer again. So don’t throw out that printer yet. But do set your updates to install after you print labels each week so there’s time to recover if there’s a problem. I fully recommend having an extra set of labels printed in case things really go south. It buys you a week to recover.
MORE ABOUT UPDATES After that fiasco, let’s take a minue to talk about updates in general. If you can control updates on your computer and phones, always delay for a few days to give them time to patch anything that’s broken. Microsoft has long released Tuesday updates. Tips I recommend to keep you a little safer include: • Have your computer notify you when updates are released. • If possible, turn off all the auto update features on the computer and check for them yourself on a set night or day of the month. • Sign up for email alerts about updates from Microsoft and Apple. It’s important to update frequently. Computers need the security but maybe not on the first day. To gain control on an Apple system, look under System Preferences > App Store. On a Windows 10 computer the only real way to delay auto updates is to turn off the computer for a few days after the new release comes out. You can delay the update by going to Settings > Updates and Security. Go through all the controls presented and set the thing to update on Friday instead of Tuesday morning under Restart options. The latest Mac OS is High Sierra, OSX 10.3. However, most of the software newspapers run won’t work on it. Make sure this update doesn’t happen. Several people have tried it and had to go back to OSX 10.12. Even if you have Creative Cloud 2018, there are still problems with other software.
and Linux computers and is stated to be faster than Chrome. It also offers a private browser on Android phones. Quantum is safer and uses less RAM memory than other browsers. I think they will win back many users that went to Chrome. The browser will import your auto fill forms, passwords, bookmarks and history. This is a great feature for backing up all that stuff in case your browser gets hijacked. If you’ve been holding back on updating your browser, go ahead.
TURN PHONE INTO A COMPUTER I’ve been waiting for this gadget for a while since I firmly believe smartphones are good and capable computers. The new Samsung DeX Station enables us to take a Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ and turn it into a true desktop PC experience. After docking one of those into the DeX Station, your phone will launch a special DeX mode on the connected external HDMI monitor that allows you to open applications in multiple separate windows. Connect a mouse, keyboard and Ethernet cable for added productivity. It’s about time that a costly purchase such as the Galaxy 8 line of phones can be used for a desktop computer. The dock retails for around $150 and any HDMI monitor can be your new live streaming station. This device is set to come out with a new model for the Galaxy 9 this spring. The DeX Station has a USB-A 2.0, LAN Ethernet, HDMI output and a USB-C charging port. I hope this is something we’re going to see more of. With the new Apple phone retailing for around $1,000, a similar station might just make it worth that much money.
CREATIVE CLOUD 2018 The new Adobe Creative Cloud 2018 is slowing down many users in the state by constantly wanting to update. Take some time and let it update to speed up the computer. Create a restore point on Windows machines before getting started if you’re worried about this update, but it seems to be running smoothly. On a Mac, do a Time Machine backup before the update.
UPDATE YOUR BROWSER The new Firefox Quantum browser released last month is faster and offers lots of updated features. It runs on iPhones, Android phones, Windows computers, Mac computers
OPA Computer Consultant Wilma Newby’s column is brought to you by the Oklahoma Advertising Network (OAN). For more information on the OAN program, contact Oklahoma Press Service at (405) 499-0020.
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017 11
Design mistakes rookies make
STAFF DIRECTORY ADMINISTRATION
BY ED HENNINGER HENNINGER CONSULTING LET’S FACE IT: If you have a “new kid” doing design on your staff…well, you’ll have some design mistakes in your paper from time to time. It takes a while – perhaps months – for the design rookie to learn what works and what doesn’t. And during that time, he’ll do some things that may make you cringe. It’s OK – as long as you work with him to make sure he doesn’t repeat them. Here are a “top ten” mistakes you can watch for – and correct: 1. A DROP CAP in an indented paragraph. This is a mistake common to many new designers, but one that’s obvious. Your readers may not know how it happens, but most of them know it’s just not right. 2. CENTERING indented type. Like the indented drop cap, it’s an easy enough mistake to make – and correct. 3. JUSTIFYING TEXT vertically to have the type fill a deeper space than needed. Those who have been doing design for some time may continue to make this mistake, because it’s a quick and easy way to fill a hole. But it’s lazy and it contributes to design sloppiness. 4. USING THE SPACE BAR instead of the tab key to align columns in tabular material. It may be a quick solution, but it’s uninformed and it contributes to a “whatever works” approach to design. 5. USING A TINT BLOCK behind a story. This is a design approach whose time has gone. Rookies may try to resurrect it, but it’s just something we don’t do anymore. 6. POOR USE OF COLOR. The rookie may choose to use color type in a headline. That’s OK (sometimes even preferable) on features pages, but not in news. The rookie may be tempted to run a sports headline about a big win in your high school team’s school colors. Let’s help him get past that. 7. ALLOWING HYPHENATION in a headline. Think this just can’t happen at your paper? Well, it does happen, so just watch out for it. 8. ALLOWING HYPHENATION in a pullout. Just like a headline, a pullout is a display element. And if hyphenated type is the default in your design software, then it’s easy enough for the new kid to make this mistake. 9. NARROWING TYPE next to an ad. When he has to deal with a story that runs above ads, the rookie may think that part of the solution is to narrow the text next to the ad (see illustration). Nope. This makes the text difficult to
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION
MARK THOMAS Executive Vice President mthomas@okpress.com • (405) 499-0033
JEANNIE FREEMAN Accounting Manager jfreeman@okpress.com • (405) 499-0027
SCOTT WILKERSON Front Office/Building Mgr. swilkerson@okpress.com • (405) 499-0020
MEMBER SERVICES Narrowing text type to wrap it around an ad… yep, that’s a rookie mistake. read and it can create word-spacing and letter-spacing problems. 10. USING FUNKY FONTS. When dealing with a story about a snowstorm, the rookie may be tempted to run the headline in a typeface where the letters are snow-covered. Or he may look for a headline face with animals in it for a feature on pet adoption. Let’s make it clear to him that we just don’t do that. Rookies will make mistakes. A young basketball player may sink a shot in his
own goal. A new driver may signal left… and then turn right. It’s OK. Mistakes happen. We need to help our rookie designers learn from those mistakes… and not repeat them. ED HENNINGER, an independent newspaper consultant and director of Henninger Consulting, offers comprehensive newspaper design services including redesigns, workshops, design training and design evaluations. Contact Henninger at www.henningerconsulting.com, email edh@henningerconsulting. com or phone (803) 327-3322.
LISA SUTLIFF Member Services Director lsutliff@okpress.com • (405) 499-0026
CHRISTINE FRANK Membership & Meetings Director cfrank@okpress.com • (405) 499-0040
ADVERTISING LANDON COBB Sales Director lcobb@okpress.com • (405) 499-0022
CINDY SHEA Advertising Director cshea@okpress.com • (405) 499-0023
You’ve Got Questions! • Can I photograph minors without consent? • Can police deny access to records by issuing a press release? • Should I alter my archives when a person demands it? • Can I report inaccurate tesimony given in open court? • What are the laws about liquor advertising? These are questions answered by the attorneys for the OPA Legal Services Plan members in recent months. Newspapers always need timely legal advice on issues related to newspaper publishing.
You should join OPA’S
LEGAL SERVICES PLAN! See www.OkPress.com/LSP or contact Lisa Sutliff at (405) 499-0026 or toll-free in Oklahoma 1-888-815-2672
BRENDA POER Advertising Assistant bpoer@okpress.com • (405) 499-0035
CREATIVE SERVICES JENNIFER GILLILAND Creative Services Director jgilliland@okpress.com • (405) 499-0028
ASHLEY NOVACHICH Editorial/Creative Assistant anovachich@okpress.com • (405) 499-0029
COMPUTER ADVICE WILMA NEWBY Computer Consultant wnewby@okpress.com • (405) 499-0031
DIGITAL CLIPPING KEITH BURGIN Clipping Director kburgin@okpress.com • (405) 499-0024
JENNIFER BEATLEY-CATES Digital Clipping Dept. jbeatley-cates@okpress.com • (405) 499-0045
GENERAL INQUIRIES (405) 499-0020 Fax: (405) 499-0048 Toll-free in OK: 1-888-815-2672
12
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2017
OKLAHOMA NATURAL GAS CONTEST WINNERS CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OCTOBER 2017 WINNERS October Column: DOROTHY BALLARD, Miami News-Record October Editorial: WAYNE TROTTER, Countywide & Sun OCTOBER 2017 EDITORIAL WINNER
WAYNE TROTTER, Countywide & Sun
Impasse Must End If you sat down and wrote a political novel describing the current gridlock in the Oklahoma Legislature, you’d probably have a hard time selling it. Yes, it would have political conflict. Yes, it would hold the potential of shutting down the government. Yes, there would be lots of people including a bunch of innocent state employees and schoolteachers dealing with financial worries and perhaps fearing for their jobs and futures. Sob stories are not hard to find in Oklahoma these days. So what’s missing? Simple. Remember the old Spy vs. Spy cartoons in Mad Magazine? That spirit just isn’t there. Today’s best-selling thrillers not only have to be bigger than life, they also must be bigger than North America. Every page is filled with undercover agents with Middle Eastern backgrounds and viable plans to blow up the moon or sink Manhattan Island (all of it, mind you) or something else equally sinister. Turn the page! Who knows what’s next? It’s hard to picture any of that stuff going on in Downtown OKC, so what you’d probably get for your trouble and months of plotting and typing are a bunch of rejection letters … if that much. So what is happening at the State Capitol grounds this week? Not much. Just your ordinary post-adjournment dance, Oklahoma style. The Legislature is back in a special session. The Republicans are still firmly in charge and that being the case, the Democrats are still distinctly in the minority. But there is a difference. This year, for the first time since the two parties played fruit basket turnover a decade or so ago, the Democrats hold enough seats in the House of Representatives to block the imposition of new taxes. State Question 640, adopted by the voters in 1992, says tax increases must be approved by a 75 percent vote. While the Democrats are over 25 percent by a whisker in the House, their party still doesn’t hold 25 percent in the Senate. No matter. Their slim House “subjority” grants them the power to block … and in politics, that means practically everything. So what do the Democrats want? They are demanding that this Legislature raise the gross production tax on oil from 2 percent plus to 7 percent. The Republicans so far have met that with a big “No!” The GOP has offered to grant the Democrats a vote in the Legislature where the Republicans hold a 74-26 majority in the House and a 39-9 advantage in the Senate. You can figure those odds yourself. All that being said, this impasse nevertheless must come to an end and that end must be reached quickly. Oklahoma simply cannot afford another artificial fiscal crisis. The system can’t afford that, the schools don’t need anything like that again and the average citizen certainly could do without it. If the two parties can’t agree on the gross production tax, perhaps it should be sent to the voters. Just a suggestion. It’s time for the Oklahoma Legislature to stop quibbling and start governing. Wouldn’t that be refreshing?
Enter and Win a $100 Check from Oklahoma Natural Gas! The October 2017 Oklahoma Natural Gas Column and Editorial Contest was judged by a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. 1. Each month, send a tear sheet or photocopy of your best column and/ or editorial to Oklahoma Natural Gas Contest, c/o OPA, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499. Entries also may be emailed (full-page tearsheet) to jgilliland@okpress.com. 2. Include the author’s name, name of publication, date of publication and category entered (column or editorial). 3. Only ONE editorial and/or ONE column per writer per month will be accepted. 4. All entries for the previous month must be at the OPA office by the 15th of the current month. 5. Winning entries will be reproduced on the OPA website at www.OkPress.com. Entries must have been previously published in print. Contest open to all OPA member newspapers. Although Oklahoma Natural Gas Company selects representative contest winners’ work for use in this monthly ad, the views expressed in winning columns and editorials are those of the writers and don’t necessarily reflect the Company’s opinions.
Thank you for continued support of “Share The Warmth” Read the Winning Columns & Editorials on the OPA website: www.OkPress.com (Under Contests)