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Local News
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Banners donated to Chamber, Historical Society |
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 |
By Tracy Steffenson
Staff Writer
On Friday, March 5th, The Historical Society/Museum and the Pushmataha County Chamber of Commerce were happy to pose with one of their two new banners. The banners were donated to their orginizations by P.S.O and were printed by their Printshop in Tulsa. Harolynn Wofford, P.S.O.'s Manager of Community Affairs for S.E. Oklahoma, was persent to present the banners to the smiling members.
One of the banners will soon be haning outside of the Antlers Depot Museum/Chamber of Commerce Office. The sceonds banner may be used different events and commuity functions that the groups are involved with. So keep your eyes peeled for the next few weeks and watch for the new banner to be hung!
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 March 2010 )
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REAP grants announced |
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 |
By Tracy Steffenson
Staff Writer
Senator Jerry Ellis and Representative R.C. Pruett announced the 2010 funding award for Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grants was awarded to Pushmataha County for the 14th time.
The REAP Grant was designed by the legislators in 1996 to assist small communities, towns, and counties that have little or no funding capabilities and have populations less than 7000. REAP funds may be applied for, and used on, various projects including street repairs, infrastructure improvements, economic development, rural fire departments, and other projects that improve the quality of life in Rural Oklahoma.
“This 14th round of funding is especially gratifying for the legislature to be able to continue assisting our rural communities during this period of economic crisis. Economic development, quality of life and safety projects can continue to be addressed as in previous funding cycles,” said Senator Ellis.
Representative Pruett amplified Senator Ellis's remarks by stating, “Our small towns and communities have an opportunity to improve themselves in ways that were not previously available prior to REAP. County Commissioner's, Mayors, and community leaders are now capable of extending their resources and services to their community by combining REAP with local dollars.”
The REAP program is funded by the Oklahoma State Legislature with the Kiamichi Economic Development District of Oklahoma (KEDDO) Board of Trustees have oversight of the Program. The projects funded for this year are:
Clayton, $15,000.00 for ambulance renovations; County/District 3, $12,550.00 for a wash bay addition/equipment; County/Cloudy VFD, $18,334.00 for truck/equipment; County/Honobia, $13,000.00 for Community Center Renovations; County/District 1, $80,000.00 for maintenance shop; County/Miller-Jumbo, $32,027.37 for the Miller-Jumbo road; County/N4295, $32,027.37 for the road; and County/Post Oak Road, $32,027.37 for the road.
Formal notices of the awarded funds, with instructions on dates and sites for training on procurement and expenditure of funds, will be received by the Grant recipients.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 March 2010 )
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Underage drinking awareness urged |
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 |
Underage sales of tobacco and alcohol are taking place in our community! This practice is a sad fact. Recently a concerned businessman from the Antlers area brought a receipt to our knowledge where tobacco was sold to his underage son. Underage youth were arrested this past weekend in Pushmataha County on alcohol related issues. This is not unusual for our area, but it is illegal. Underage drinkers consumed 21.2% of all alcohol sold in Oklahoma last year.
In Oklahoma it is illegal to sale tobacco to anyone under 18 years old and alcohol to anyone under 21 years old. Stores are also requested to train their employees and to have posted visible ads displaying that “It's the Law” to id all patrons purchasing either tobacco or alcohol. Local store owner Karla Luginbill recently stated that her store employees are trained on responsible beverage and tobacco sales and strive for 100% compliance when iding patrons. The Luginbill's store has been rewarded for responsible sales many times.
The local tobacco control program in partnership with the area prevention center and local law enforcement conduct compliance checks on a quarterly basis. These checks are designed as a reward/reminder visit where underage youth enter the store and try and purchase alcohol and tobacco. It should be noted that before the youth enters the store he or she has been verified by 3 outside contacts that they look underage. We do not try and trick the store owners. If the clerk rings the sale without checking the id, then a ticket can be written or if the id is checked and the sale refused, our program rewards the clerk. Again it should be noted that we only use youth from outside our community for these checks. The last checks were done in October 2009 with only sales made.
Want to voice your opinion, please join us at a town hall meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 23rd @ 6:00 p.m. at Antlers Public Library. This meeting will be our fourth town hall meeting with a goal of adopting a Social Host Law, Clean Indoor Air and Youth Access Ordinances. The main idea is to reduce underage access to both alcohol and tobacco products, thus reducing youth drinking and tobacco use with an overall reduction in social and health problems. It's time for change in how we view these issues; join us at our next Pushmataha County Turning Point Coalition on the first Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m. at the 1st Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Antlers.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 March 2010 )
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Livestock Show disqualification protested |
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 |
By Brad House
Publisher
An Albion woman is seeking reconsideration of a decision by the Pushmataha County livestock committee which led to her daughter’s disqualification during this weekend’s county livestock show.
According to Brenda Kennedy, her daughter Kareesa was disqualified from the show and stripped of titles won during the show because a volunteer student from Eastern Oklahoma State College had assisted her in working with her heifer, a violation of rules set forth by the committee.
Kennedy was one of three students disqualified for violation of rules which stipulate who is able to assist with the animals.
According to Tom Smith, an advisor to the livestock committee, the other two students had been assisted by an uncle, in violation of a rule that stipulates only members of immediate famly may assist with such tasks as grooming, setting hair, and clipping.
The students, a brother and sister, did not appeal the committee’s decision.
Kennedy expressed concern that the rules seem unfair to small school districts who are unable afford instructors who can assist students with 4-H related activities and is also alleging that the rules which stripped her daughter of a grand champion heifer and beef showmanship award has not been strictly enforced.
Kennedy also said that, as a result of the disqualifications, children of committee members benefitted. She ishoping the committee will meet and “reconsider their actions.”
“If not, I’m fully prepared to go to whatever means it takes to get it resolved,” Kennedy said. “It is my hope that they will resolve it prior to that.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 March 2010 )
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Illegal search alleged in lawsuit |
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 |
By Tracy Steffenson
Staff Writer
A lawsuit was filed against local law enforcement officers on March 5th, 2010 by Paul Edward Simmonds, Rebecca Jo Simmonds, and Benjamin Paul Simmonds, being represented by Attorney Maria Tasi Blankely of Hugo. The individuals being sued include members of the District 17 Drug Task Force, Jim Duncan, Sheriff of Pushmataha County and four unnamed individuals of the Pushmataha Sheriff Department, as well as three unnamed members of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Plaintiff’s are residents of Tushkahoma, Pushmataha County. They are claiming that on March 7th, 2008, the Defendants, acting under color of law and conspiring with each other, illegally and unlawfully searched their residents without the possession of a search warrant and without consent from any of the residents of the property.
As a result of said search, Plaintiff’s Paul and Rebecca Simmonds were charged with drug related crimes by the State of Oklahoma, Pushmataha County cases #’s CM-2008-101 and CM-2008-102. Both charges were dismissed by the courts on July of 2008. Also as a result of said search, Plaintiff Benjamin Simmonds was questioned and harassed at his place of employment, Oklahoma Western Telephone Company, by a law enforcement officer who was in uniform, about the activities of his parents, Paul and Rebecca Simmonds.
The Defendant's alleged actions are said to have deprived the Plaintiffs of constitutional rights according to the Oklahoma Constitution, the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution, and 14 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1984. All Law Enforcement Agents involved are being charged with these violations.
The amount of damages which the Plaintiff’s have suffered, individually and collectively, is said to be over the amount of $10,000.00. Because they believe that the Defendants acted in reckless disregard of the Plaintiff’s rights, and they think that the actions were intentional and malicious, they believe they are entitled to punitive damages.
The Plaintiff's are pleading that they be granted a jury trial against the Defendants; judgment for actual damages, said amount being in excess of $10,000 and for any and all other damages allowed by law; judgment for punitive damages; judgment for statutory pre- and post-judgement interest; judgment for all costs of this action and attorney fees; and for any such further relief to which Plaintiff’s are entitled white is deemed just and equitable.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 March 2010 )
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