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THE SHAWNEE NEWS-STAR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 COLUMN
Fred, the sports guy
UPDATE
West Nile continues
Virus likely to last into late October, but worst may be over By Carmen Bourlon carmen.bourlon-long@newsstar.com
CARMEN BOURLON carmen.bourlon-long@news-star.com
T
here won’t be anything about mothers-in-law, animal frantics, or school slumps today. There is only one topic important enough to merit my column this week. Fred, the sports guy, is retiring. Today is his last day. I wasn’t able to work with him long, since I haven’t been here long, but even I knew we were losing one of the greats when he announced his retirement. Fred has been here for 35 years. I’ve been on Earth for 21 years. That’s how dedicated Fred is, he’s worked here for that long. But my knowledge of Fred has little to do with sports. I don’t really keep up with sports, to be honest. My knowledge of Fred comes from my dealings with him in the newsroom. When I first met him, he told me I was on probation for not bringing him chocolate chip cookies. It was my second day. He’s kind of the ornery uncle of the place. He always teases the new reporters, and the not-so new reporters too. But, he’s always very nice too. The type of person who you know would help you out if you needed it. He always says hello and always walks me out to my car to make sure I don’t trip in the dark, and is just a really great person. He knows a little bit about football too. Some of my fondest memories of working here include Fred, the sports guy. Usually he’s harassing me about bringing him chocolate chip cookies, or bugging the other employees to bring him Sonic or Braum’s. Often he would also tease me about different sailors calling the office looking for me. (My husband doesn’t usually read this, but just in case, no one actually called looking for me.) Fred, the sports guy, you will be missed. We will all miss your quips about cookies and football. Enjoy your retirement, Freddie. ——— Carmen Bourlon is a reporter for The Shawnee News-Star.
While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said they believe the worst is over for the West Nile virus, Oklahoma Department of Health officials believe the virus will continue in Oklahoma. “For us, it’s probably too early to tell,” Pamela Williams, public information officer for the Oklahoma
Department of Health, said. The southern region, which includes Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, has been the hardest hit, Williams said. She added the West Nile virus season usually lasts through the end of October. “This is usually our peak season,” Williams said. Oklahoma has seen 133 cases this year, including eight deaths. One death
was in Seminole County. That was the only case in the county. Pottawatomie County has seen three cases of West Nile virus, including two hospitalizations. No one in Pottawatomie County has died from West Nile virus. Lincoln County has no reported cases of West Nile virus. Nationwide cases have climbed to more than 2,600, including 118
WEATHER
New brand unveiled at meeting By Carmen Bourlon carmen.bourlon-long@newsstar.com
During the Tourism Advisory Committee meeting Thursday, Tony Vann from Vann and Associates in Oklahoma City, presented the new Shawnee Convention and Visitors Bureau brand. The brand, which is intended to appeal both to a younger crowd and to middle-aged adults, will include several marketing techniques that Vann did not reveal in the meeting. The rebranding will also get away from the traditional Convention and Visitors Bureau name and will move toward a simpler Visit Shawnee title. Vann outlined several things about Shawnee that make it unique. Shawnee has a significant arts culture, a Western culture, and a history to it as well, Vann said. All this while maintaining hospitality, Vann added. “Shawnee is big enough to be cool, but small enough to have a small-town feel,” he said. The CVB is looking for a new brand because the current brand doesn’t appeal to visitors the way it used to. Vann estimated a similar occurrence with the new brand in three or four years. After the presentation, the board voted unanimously to allow up to $5,500 to
A truck roars through a pool of water on 10th Street. Shawnee received about .3 inches of rain Thursday, and more is forecast for the weekend. ED BLOCHOWIAK STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Weekend forecast: cool temperatures and rain By Carmen Bourlon carmen.bourlon-long@newsstar.com
Temperatures are expected to drop this weekend due to a cold front. Highs are expected to remain in the low to mid 80s. “Absolutely no triple digits, nothing like that,” John Pike of the National Weather Service said.
The expected high for Friday is 79 degrees with Saturday’s expected high to be 81 degrees. There is a predicted high of 90 for Sunday. The projected lows for the weekend are in the mid 60s. Thunderstorms are likely Friday, and chances for rain remain high into
Saturday, Pike said. “We have it tapering off late Saturday,” he said. Shawnee got at least 0.3 inches of rain as of press time Thursday, according to Mesonet. Pike added that the temperatures are not likely to go back up after the weekend due to a cold front, which is expected
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Angie Robbins Michelle Wilson Carol Shoemaker Andrew Neal Derrick Lloyd Reed Mildred Caldwell Authur Jackman Angela Alexander Ben (BJ) Riley Jordan Belt-Warta Shannon Griggs Darin Greene Jr. Kathy Whitecotten Carla Rodriquez Jozlen Bell Aysha Bui
——— To submit a local birthday, e-mail the month, day and name to reita.easley@ news-star.com or call 2143950, Monday through Friday.
Weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A Tri-County Calendar. . . . . 3A
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4A Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6A
Local News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A Lifestyles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8A
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allow any standing water around your house. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, so draining any standing rainwater can help keep mosquitoes away from your home, Williams said. The city of Shawnee sprays for mosquitoes twice a week. Anyone who notices mosquitoes in their area is encouraged to call 878-1529 so the city may spray in the area.
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MEETING, Page 5A
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to come through Tuesday, Sept 18. This cooling period comes after a summer with record temperatures at 113 degrees in August. The first four days in August this year were the warmest on record, all with temperatures over 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
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deaths. Williams emphasized that people should continue their precautions, especially using mosquito repellent with DEET. With everyone going to the fair, you might think mosquitoes aren’t out in the cooler temperatures, but they are, she said. “We need a hard freeze to kill all the mosquitoes,” Williams said. Another easy fix is to not
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