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District court
inside
Lemley sentenced in embezzlement case
Sports, Page 10
By Marsha Miller marsha.miller@ardmoreite.com
After attempting to enter what was a convoluted guilty plea in January, returning to Carter County District Court two weeks later claiming he was innocent, then changing his plea to guilty again in March, the former executive director for the HFV Wilson Community Center made a fourth court appearance Wednesday. This time Kurt Lemley was sentenced. First Assistant District Attorney Heather
CYAN
MAGENTA
Cooper said Lemley appeared before Associate District Judge Lee Card, who sentenced him to four years incarceration, with all but 60 days suspended. Cooper said Lemley’s defense attorney, Robert Highsmith, “took a run at the Kurt Lemley judge, saying ‘He can’t pay restitution if he is in jail — he’ll lose his job.’ But the judge said Lemley knew he would serve jail time when he made the deal (plea
agreement with the district attorney’s office).” Card ordered Lemley into the custody of the sheriff to begin serving his 60-day stint in the Carter County Detention Center. In addition, he was ordered to continue paying more than $10,000 in restitution. Cooper said Teresa Ervin, city of Ardmore parks and recreation director, testified during the sentencing hearing, telling Card about the negative impact Lemley’s actions have had on the city and the community center. See lemley, Page 3
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THE ARDMOREITE FOOTBALL PREVIEW EDITION
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2014 football section inside today’s issue previews the upcoming season Students in Jody Saxon’s third-grade class present the books they selected as part of a book distribution at Springer Elementary School. The books are part of the Reading Is Fundamental program, which provides books at no charge to students three times during the school year. Financial support for Springer Elementary School to participate was given by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Photo Submitted
Coming in print n Community: The Oklahoma Highway Patrol will be out in full force throughout the Labor Day weekend, and will be conducting a special “Point of Last Drink” emphasis.
Dollar General Literacy Foundation donates books to Springer students By Laura Eastes laura.eastes@ardmoreite.com
This and more you’ll find in upcoming editions of The Ardmoreite.
T
only Online n Your opinion: This week’s poll question asks who will win the Class 3-4A district football title. What do you think? n Blogger: Kristi Cox invites you to experience Ardmore through her eyes in her latest installment of "Adventures in my Hometown: Turning the Ordinary into Extraordinary."
Markets Obituaries Sports Weather
See books, Page 3
part 5
Communication gaps affect GT reporting at ACS EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth in a series looking at Ardmore City Schools’ community relationships, performance and chain of command.
index 12 7 4 5
Last Friday, students were invited to look at a variety of books sprawled across tables in the school’s library. Each student selected two books that appealed to them. Books presented ranged from fiction to non-fiction, as well as chapter books to beginning reader stories. The books are provided at no cost to the students. Price says the book giveaways strive to get students excited about reading, and inspire reading outside of school. With the program bringing books to students three times a year, it works to
See burglary, Page 3
n Games and puzzles: Now available on our website.
Classified Comics Digest Lifestyles
hanks to grant funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, each Springer Elementary School student gained two new books to take home and add to their own reading library at the start of the 2014-15 school year. Principal Brandi Price says the students will have the chance to add more books, as the school will host two more book distributions during the school year as a participant in the Reading Is Fundamental
program. The school, which is home to students in prekindergarten through the sixth grade, was selected for the nation’s largest literacy organization that aims to get books in the hands of young readers thanks to a $1,262 donation by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “Books have the power to show children new perspectives on their lives and inspire them to imagine bigger futures,” Price says. “RIF and Dollar General are not just giving kids the tools to succeed in school, but are motivating them towards a lifetime of reading and achieving.”
An Ardmore police captain responding to a predawn burglary-in-progress report Wednesday nabbed an 18-year-old and his underage accomplice attempting getaways on bicycles. Capt. Keith Ingle was answering the 3:11 a.m. call in the 100 block of F Street NW when he spotted two teens, matching the descriptions of the burglars, pedaling away from the scene of the crime. When it became apparent the bicycles were not going to outrun the police car, Ty’kwan McGee and his 14-year-old accomplice abandoned their rides in favor of their feet. And that’s when things went from bad to worse. “I captured a 14-yearold hiding in a yard in the 400 block of C Street NW,” Ingle’s report states. “I then found the second subject hiding in a storage building in the same yard. McGee was in possession of a loaded firearm.” McGee was booked into the Carter County Detention Center. The 14-yearold was released to his guardian pending a promise to appear in court. Later Wednesday, the district attorney’s office filed felony charges against McGee, including attempted first-degree burglary
6 2 9 2
By Michael Pineda michael.pineda@ardmoreite.com
Problems with the Ardmore City Schools gifted and talented program began to surface prior to the 2013-14 school year in which an audit was performed by the State Department of Education. But according to former Ardmore High
School Principal Kim Holland, the problems were present several years ago without any concerted effort to fix the problem. The issues revolved around authenticating GT students. “In the spring of 2011 and 2012 school year, when we Kim Holland were completing our accreditation report, the counselors and I discovered the system used for tracking GT students was flawed, like many other programs used by ACS,” Holland said. “Things needed to be put
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in place. I called and asked for assistance from the district GT director and, essentially, was offered a form and the rules with no solution to our immediate problem. Next, I met with Mr. (Sonny) Bates (ACS superintendent) and Ms. (Jill) Day (former ACS assistant superintendent), and explained at this late date we would list the people who we knew qualified for gifted and talented, and who met the criteria for suitable services. The most obvious group would be those who qualified through test scores. [Bates] said okay and seemed See school, Page 3
Digest, Page 4
markets, Page 6
court overturns rulings in amish hair attacks
stocks drift higher: S&P 500 holds on to 2,000