up next.
We’re taking a look over our shoulders at the last 12 months.
A lot of interesting things happened in that time, and we’ll review them over the next three weeks.
In January of 2022, Oklahoma’s wild hog population continued to expand, including in Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties, two state game wardens and the state director for USDA Wildlife and the Oklahoma Department of Food and Forestry said.
Scott Alls, the state director for USDA wildlife and ODAFF, said recently, “The wild hog situation is growing, but we’re also taking a lot more pigs.”
He noted, “I have 70 remote camera fired traps deployed around the state. We’ve nearly tripled the number of pigs taken. We have harvested 26,000 pigs this year in FY 2021.
“I have 35 guys working pigs and we now have four helicopters we are using,” he added.
Alls said one guy is working Pottawatomie and Lincoln County. “He has two of those traps in Pottawatomie and Lincoln Counties. We can always move the location of the traps anytime.”
He emphasized, “As an agency, we’ve gone from Beavers and coyotes to focusing on pigs. Now pigs occupy a little over 75 percent of our activities.”
Alls said that is based on the number of requests from landowners and the number is increasing all the time.
Game Warden Mike France, assigned to Pottawatomie County, said he’s seeing expansion of the wild hogs in several places. “I’m starting to get calls from people around Wes Watkins Lake,” he noted.
I’m seeing some north of Earlsboro and also some expansion along the Little River east of U.S. 177.”
He has indicated previously they have been all over the Little River area west of 177.
State Game Warden Jacob Harriet, assigned to Lincoln County, said last week “the pigs basically are all around water sources like the Deep Fork, the Quapaw, even the Cimarron River.
“The pigs are using that water source to travel up and down.”
He thinks there’s just as many if not more pigs than in early 2021.
A drainage improvement project along SH 18 south of Chandler was completed during the early part of January, an Oklahoma Department of Transportation official said.
Jerry Hacker is superintendent of the Lincoln County Maintenance Division based in Chandler. He explained, “We are attempting to reshape the Bell Cow Creek drainage ditch along SH 18.”
Hacker noted the project is located three miles south of Chandler. “We’re trying to reshape it so when Bell Cow Creek floods the rain will stay off the highway. The road was closed twice last Spring due to the flooding,” he added.
“Even though the creek may flood, we can still use the highway by keeping the water off of it,” he stressed.
Hacker said the two employees who are working on the project started work on Wednesday, Dec. 29. “We’re about 50 percent done,” he related earlier in the week.
His employees from the maintenance facility are doing the work. “We are understaffed,” he said, and have been since the 2 ½ years I’ve been here. We’re taking applications,” Hacker continued.
“We have 440 lane miles throughout Lincoln County,” he commented.
A Lincoln County District Judge scheduled a jury trial for a driver charged with manslaughter in the driving death of a Stroud woman.
Jessie O. Hardridge, 42, of Edmond, was charged June 22, 2020 in Lincoln County District Court with first degree manslaughter, a felony, in the death of Wendi Wright, 41.
During his arraignment, Hardridge pleaded not guilty to the charge. At that time, District Judge Cindy Ashwood scheduled a jury trial for Hardridge at 9 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2022. The case is set for the felony disposition docket at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 18.
District Judge Cindy Ashwood denied a motion to quash during a Nov. 2, 2021, hearing and set his arraignment for Dec. 21.
His $30,000 bond remains in effect.
Hardridge is accused of without premeditated design causing the death of Wright on April 29, 2020 while he was unlawfully engaged in a misdemeanor of reckless driving. The information states he was driving a 2019 Nissan Frontier on the Turner Turnpike that propelled into and against Wright who was at the time operating a 2014 Dodge Challenger.
State Trooper Michael Wallace in an affidavit states that just before 6 a.m. on April 29, Hardridge was driving his vehicle westbound on the Turner Turnpike approaching the Stroud exit. He was on his way home to Edmond after having worked an overnight shift and fell asleep behind the wheel.
Wallace further notes that Wright was on the ramp to enter the Turnpike westbound from Stroud in Lincoln County.
Hardridge reportedly awoke in the westbound off ramp and realized he was going too fast to make the curve right in the off ramp. The trooper states the event data recorder (EDR) in the Nissan driven by Hardridge reported he was at 95 miles per hour in the seconds prior to the collision.
The speed limit was 75 miles per hour. Hardridge reportedly explained he saw the Dodge in his peripheral view as he departed the off ramp as the ramp curved. The Dodge was going too fast and Hardridge lost control of his vehicle, the affidavit states.
Hardridge crossed the grassy physical gore area, became airborne as he continued into the on ramp, striking Wright’s Dodge in the driver side, driving over the top of the Dodge. The Nissan went end over end and came to rest the right side up, inside the grassy loop of the on ramp, the affidavit states.
Wallace states “Hardridge had marijuana metabolites in his blood at the time of the crash. He provided his written consent for his blood to be drawn and tested for intoxicants,” Wallace added in the affidavit.
The affidavit states, too, photos of marijuana were also found in Hardridge’s cell phone and that he provided consent for his cell phone and work cell phone to be downloaded and searched.
Two students in Lincoln County, one from Chandler, the other from Prague, werer named to the State School Superintendent’s 2022 Student Advisory Council.
Laryssa Nunn, a junior at Chandler High School and Leslie Clark, a senior at Prague High School, are among 74 students selected for this year’s Council.
This is the seventh year the group has been selected to assist State School Supt. Joy Hofmeister with Oklahoma Department of Education policy matters.
Nunn said the group will hold its first meeting virtually on Jan. 25.
When she was just checking emails one day during a study hall, she noticed she had received an e-mail informing her she had been selected to the Council, Nunn said, “I was incredibly excited. I immediately texted my mom to let her know.
“I had looked at last year’s selection and didn’t see anyone from around Chandler so I had questioned whether I’d be chosen or not.”
Laryssa is the 17-year-old daughter of Jennifer and Daniel Nunn.
Clark said when she learned of her selection to the Council, “I was extremely excited. I was overwhelmed with joy,” she added.
She’s the 18-year-old daughter of Tonya and Robert Clark.
She said she’s always attended Prague schools and carries a 4.0 GPA at Prague and a 3.9 GPA at Seminole State College in the concurrent courses she has taken there.
“I’ve taken 24 credit hours at SSC and will have right at 30 hours there when I graduate from Prague in May,” she noted.
Nunn said she carries a 4.0 GPA, noting, “I have all the way through high school so far and that’s the way I plan to keep it.”
In explaining the process she went through in order to be selected, Nunn said, “I had to have the application in by Nov. 1. It required including my GPA, the school I went to and a couple of issues I felt needed to be addressed by our state.
“I had to write on those issues. I chose the lack of resources for mental health in our schools and childhood hunger in our schools,” she stated.
She said she also needed a letter of nomination which School Supt. Melody Toma gladly provided.
Clark said her high school principal Jennifer Smith brought the State Supt.’s Student Advisory Council to her attention. She went through the same process as Nunn.
The Dale High School boys and girls basketball teams in early January captured the Kingston tournament and each team had the Most Valuable Player of the tourney as well.
Sophomore Dayton Forsythe of the Pirates was named the tournament’s MVP. Teammates Deken Jones and Levi Kelly were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Lady Pirates’ Makenzie Gill claimed MVP honors and she was joined on the All-Tourney team by teammates Faith Wright and Brook Rutland.
The Pirates, sporting a 12-1 record, cruised over Talihina 82-32 in their initial game of the tournament, then defeated Broken Bow 64-38 in the semi-finals.
In the finals, they defeated host Kingston 54-43 for the tournament title.
Coach Jeff Edmonson’s team was ranked No. 1 in Class 2A.
The Lady Pirates whipped Atoka 57-28 in their opening contest of the tourney before clipping Silo 57-49 in the semi finals. They were matched against Latta in the finals and claimed the championship with a 63-46 win.
Coach Eric Smith’s Lady Pirates stood10-3 on the season and were ranked No. 3 in Class 2A.
In mid-January with a surge in COVID-19 positive cases, some area schools made adjustments and one town’s city hall was forced to close more than a week.
Meeker Town Clerk and Treasurer Mary Conner confirmed the Town Hall was closed for nearly two weeks. “We closed on Jan. 5 as a precaution, and then we were closed all last week,” she said on Monday afternoon.
Conner, who said she had tested negative for the virus, stated there were at least two people who had tested positive. One of those was Town Administrator Jeff Wilbourn.
Conner noted that while she was going back to work on Tuesday of this week, “I’m not sure when the doors will open. That’s a decision that has to be made above me,” she added.
The monthly Town Board meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday evening this week (Jan. 18) was canceled. Conner indicated the meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 24, but she wasn’t completely sure of that yet.
“We had a deep cleaning of Town Hall. Jimmy, one of our employees, used chemicals are that are supposed to kill the COVID germs,” Conner explained.
White Rock School Supt. Alicia Ebers said about a quarter of her staff, including herself, were out due to the COVID and other illnesses.
“But we’ve managed to stay in-person with the assistance of our support personnel, paraprofessionals and volunteers.”
Ebers said that 13 students were absent on Wednesday and that swelled to 27 by Thursday. She indicated the school would be deep cleaned over the long weekend with school out on Friday as normal with their fourday week and off Monday due to the holiday.
Davenport High School Principal Misty Emmons said, “We have not had to shut down. We are still inperson.”
Emmons added that Davenport held its homecoming Friday night but that Coyle canceled its game with the Bulldogs on Saturday.
U.S. Sen. James Lankford spoke to Lincoln County Republicans on a Monday evening in Chandler reassuring them the whole world hasn’t gone crazy.
He addressed the gathering during their January meeting in which they also heard from Republican Attorney General Candidate Gentner Drummond.
During an interview earlier in the day, Lankford touched on several issues. Among them were the ongoing investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attempted takeover of the Capitol; the Supreme Court’s decision last week overturning the vaccine mandates and COVID; the status of the American economy; and Senate Democrats’ efforts to historically change the filibuster rules.
The Senator criticized the House’s ongoing investigation into the Jan. 6 attempted takeover of the Capitol, saying that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “from the beginning made it partisan. She refused to set it up evenly, appointing only two Republicans and five Democrats. That certainly is not non-partisan,” he added.
He stated her efforts are aimed at a version of the facts, noting “and not the whole truth. There are legitimate questions that should be and needed to be asked,” the senator said.”
In late January, Lincoln County commissioners spent some time in executive session during a Monday meeting discussing a lawsuit filed against them, the district attorney and his Task Force by the owner of a marijuana grow business.
The lawsuit was filed recently in Lincoln County District Court by Rodney Alexander Topkov, owner of Earth Research Labs, located at 106287 S. Quail Valley Driver, McLoud, in Lincoln County.
The lawsuit names as defendants District Attorney Allen Grubb, assistant district attorneys, the three Lincoln County commissioners and the District 23 Drug and Violent Grimes Task Force agents.
County Commission Chairman Lee Doolen said following the executive session there was no action taken.
Court records show that on Jan. 20 the case was removed to the Western District of Oklahoma.
Doolen explained prior to the meeting on Monday attorneys with the county’s insurance company are defending them and those named as defendants in the suit.
The suit is seeking damages in excess of the amount required for diversity jurisdiction, the information states.
In his lawsuit, Topkov alleges that on Aug. 12, 2021, without any prior notice to him and without obtaining a search warrant, the defendants raided his property.
The suit claims more than a dozen police vehicles and numerous officers dressed in military tactical gear participated in the raid. It further states the defendants proceeded to completely destroy the legally operating marijuana commercial grow business.
The unbeaten Davenport boys, undefeated Dale boys and the Prague boys captured titles during the final tournament week of the regular basketball season. Davenport pulled out two overtime wins to claim the Pott County Invitational championship, Dale won a battle of No. 1 and No. 2 Class 2A teams against Cashion to capture the Wildcats’ tournament and No. 6 Prague beat Okemah in overtime to win the Conference tournament.
Hearings were continued for two men charged in a shooting at an On Cue in Stroud Oct. 9, 2021.
The State Attorney General’s Office filed amended information on Oct. 28 in Lincoln County District Court on Jeffrey Lee Battey, 57, Ponder, Texas who faces two charges in connection with the shooting.
Ray Arnold Allen, 52, Krum, Texas, faces three charges.
Battey is charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Special Judge Emily Mueller initially ordered Battey be held without bond. During his initial appearance Oct. 28, she reduced Battey’s bond to $250,000. She ordered him to have no contact with the victim, to have no firearm, no drugs or alcohol as a condition of the bond.
He is subject to random drug and alcohol screenings. By agreement of all parties, that hearing was moved to March 17.
Chandler High School’s boys powerlifting team won the small school portion of the Chandler Powerlifting meet. It was the first time to win the Chandler meet since 2008 when current football and powerlifting coach Jack Gray competed.
In late January a truck driver was killed and four other persons were injured, two critically, in a traffic collision involving six vehicles on the Turner Turnpike in Lincoln County.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Matt Conway of the Traffic Homicide Traffic Unit reported it was snowing at the time of the fatal collision.
He identified the truck driver who was killed as Spencer Atiga, 21, of Chula Vista, Calif. Conway said he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Medical Examier due to head, arm, leg, internal and external trunk injuries.
A member of the Meeker Town Board of Trustees announced during a special meeting of his plans to resign in late February.
Trustee Billy Walker, as he was about to be appointed one of the four signatories for a REAP contract, informed the other members of his pending resignation.
Walker was elected in early 2021 without opposition to fill an unexpired term.
Asked following the meeting why he was resigning, Walker replied, “Due to personal interests.”
In early February, a special investigative audit was released found more than $95,000 was misappropriated in the Town of Tryon and that three former employees reportedly misappropriated almost $80,000 in payroll.
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, whose office conducted the special investigative audit, said, “The person in charge of law enforcement appears to have been breaking the law.”
The audit found the majority of the unauthorized payroll amount was received by former Police Chief Jered Prickett.
“The Board of Trustees improperly appointed the clerk-treasurer, Candace Prickett, to an elected position which she held for more than eight years.
“That is a violation in state law,” Byrd added. Byrd’s office conducted the audit in response to a request by the Town’s Board of Trustees. The Trustees asked for the audit of questionable financial activity of former employees.
Byrd said the Trustees had discovered there were not sufficient funds to meet the Town’s financial obligations. On June 12, 2019, the Board of Trustees officially requested her office to conduct the investigative audit of the Town and the Town’s Utility Authority.
The board reportedly alleged that three former employees, Prickett, his wife Candace and Jessica Turpin received compensation in excess of board approved amounts.
According to audit findings, Trustees became aware of certain facts. They included: Prickett had reported W-2 earnings for 2018 of $106,000.
The Town’s bank account was overdrawn by around $8,000.
The Town was several months behind on paying bills. Purchase Orders were being pre-signed. Credit card statements were being paid out but not shown to the board.
Three issues were identified by the State Auditor and Inspector’s office as audit objectives.
One was to determine if employee compensation was accurate, board approved and paid in accordance with applicable laws.
Another was to find out if expenditures were made for a municipal purpose, board approved and properly supported.
And determine if donations received by the police department were properly recorded and deposited.
A major snow and ice storm in early February forced area schools to make adjustments and caused many to close.
Some area schools went to virtual learning, others closed and took snow days and several did both. Some of those were closed Wednesday through Friday, others just Thursday and Friday.
Dale School Acting Supt, Ky Wilkins, and Melody Toma, superintendent at Chandler, said they were closed Thursday and Friday. North Rock Creek Supt. Blake Moody stated, “We were closed Wednesday through Friday using snow days, no virtual.”
Dale High School basketball coach Jeff Edmonson said Dale’s home games with Adair on Saturday night were changed to play Roff at Vanoss instead.
Davenport High School Principal Misty Emmons said the school went to virtual learning Thursday. They are on a four-day schedule so they were off on Friday, but Emmons noted the school’s senior night basketball game was rescheduled to this past Monday night.
A source at Prague said the school went to virtual learning on Wednesday, used a snow day on Thursday and was already scheduled off on Friday.
Agra School Supt. Jeff Kelly explained the school was on virtual learning Wednesday, then utilized snow days on Thursday and Friday to be off.
McLoud schools were virtual on Thursday and are off on Friday anyway due to their four-day week.
White Rock Supt. Alicia Ebers noted the school used snow days to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday and they, too, are off on Friday because of their four-day schedule.
Stroud School Supt. Joe Van Tuyl said, “We were virtual Wednesday through Friday.”
Meeker School Supt. Jeff Pruitt said his school district went to virtual learning during the winter storm.
Carney School Supt. Brian Keith confirmed his district was on virtual learning Wednesday and Thursday and they, too, are out on Fridays due to a four-day weekly schedule.
“We were already out on Friday, but we had to cancel our basketball games with Mulhall-Orlando Friday night,” he added.
Wellston Supt. Mike Franz said his district was closed Wednesday through Friday and used snow days while schools were out.
A last minute change in the schedule due to the weather put two No. 1 teams in different classes squaring off against one another.
The Dale Pirates, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, defeated Roff, ranked No. 1 in Class B, 34-27 in a contest played at Vanoss.
Dale originally had been scheduled to host Adair on Saturday afternoon, but the winter storm caused them to play Roff at a neutral location.
Dale Coach Jeff Edmonson, whose Pirates are now 20-1 on the season, said, “We played good defense and we played hard. Roff has a good ball club, good size, and that’s why they are No. 1 in Class B,” the coach added.
A felony charge filed 3½ years ago has been dropped against a man identified as the brother of a youth who was nearly starved to death.
Tyler Joe Adkins, who was then 24 and is now 28, was charged July 23, 2018, with a single count of child neglect. He was accused of between Jan. 1, 2017 and July 12, 2018, of conjointly acting with Jimmy Lee Jones, Sr., Amy Adkins Jones, and Johnathan Luke Plank of maliciously engaging in the neglect of J.L.J.J., then 15 by failing to provide adequate nurturance, food, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, appropriate education, medical or dental care for the child.
Court records show that the state, during a felony disposition docket on Jan. 11 this year, moved to dismiss the case against Adkins. District Judge Cindy Ashwood ordered the case dismissed.
Adkins had been scheduled to stand trial on the charge on Feb. 7 before it was dismissed.
The charge against Plank had been dismissed
In mid February, a Harrah man who was facing more than 80 felony charges for operating an illegal cockfighting operation has pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and will serve no jail time.
Justin James McHone, 38 at the time, was arrested and transported to the Lincoln County Jail in Chandler in January of 2020 after law enforcement officers discovered an illegal cockfighting operation in Lincoln County.
District Judge Cindy Ashwood had set his case for the jury trial call docket at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 4. She had scheduled his jury trial for Feb. 7.
According to court records, due to weather conditions the call docket was continued to Feb. 7.
On Feb. 8, McHone appeared before Judge Ashwood with his attorney Billy Coyle and the state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Corey Stone.
The state moved to amend the information to 10 misdemeanors of Spectating a Cockfight and court record states the information was amended by interlienation.
As a result of a plea bargain agreement, McHone entered guilty pleas to the amended charges and the judge found him guilty as charged on all of the misdemeanors.
The other 78 charges against McHone were dismissed.
The Chandler boys powerlifting team won the Bethel meet and Kalee Peery set an unofficial stae record in squat.
Peery squatted 270 pounds, which is five pounds more than the state record of 265 pounds for her weight class. State records can only be officially set at the state powerlifting meet.
The Chandler boys won the small school portion of the meet with a total of 358 points. Chandler had 29 male lifters that contributed to the win.
Fire destroyed Dan’s Barbecue Restaurant in Davenport, a business that had operated around 50 years or more.
Davenport Fire Chief Darin Siler said, “We got the page at 10:01 a.m. One of my firemen saw smoke as he was driving by on his way to a store, but he thought they were smoking ribs. A few minutes later when he came out of that store, he could tell it was a fire.”
Siler said there had been a legislative breakfast at the restaurant that morning and there were still some people in there. “No one got hurt and everyone got out of there safely,” the chief said.
The chief noted, “I suspect it started around 9:45 a.m. We know in what area it started, but we don’t know how it started,” he added.
“You could see where it started in the southwest corner of the building. They called it the rib room. It’s where they smoked the ribs. We couldn’t tell how it started,” Siler reiterated.
His department responded to the blaze with an engine and 10 firemen. “Chandler sent an engine and eight firefighters and Stroud came with an engine and 12 firemen,” Siler said.
It took firefighters a while to bring it under control, the chief stated.
He said, “We had some people bring in skidsters and a backhoe and that helped spread it out where we could get more water on it. It took us a little while.”
Siler noted, “We left around 4:30 or 5 that evening.”
“We poured a lot of water on it. I don’t know how much, but it was a bunch,” Siler said.
Two Chandler High School wrestlers, Bella Allen and Chace Massie earned spots in the state wrestling tournament in late February.
The Wellston Tigers were one game away from the state basketball tournament after defeating No. 20 Regent Prep, No. 17 Okarche ad No. 7 Stuart. They were ready to take on No. 3 Vanoss.
Dale, McLoud and Prague all won their district tournaments with the Regional
A Tulsa woman charged with first degree manslaughter and multiple other felony offenses whose trial was declared a mistrial earlier this year, will be retried again.
Candice Rene Conley, 29, of Tulsa, was formally charged in Lincoln County District Court on Jan, 2, 2020 with the manslaughter count following a collision that occurred on Jan. 1, 2020 that left an Edmond woman dead.
The weeklong trial began on Monday, Feb. 14 and jurors spent nearly four hours in deliberations on Friday, Feb. 18, when they returned and indicated they were unable to reach a verdict.
District Judge Cindy Ashwood, who presided over the case, then declared a mistrial and the jury was excused from the courtroom. She ordered Conley would remain on the $100,000 bond and the judge ordered a status conference for 2 p.m. on May 13, 2022.
During that status conference, the state announced it planned on re-trying the case. The judge set it for the felony disposition docket on Sep. 27 and scheduled a jury trial on Oct. 17.
In September, she and the state waived a jury trial and she was set for a bench trial to begin Nov. 17. The state’s motion for a continuance was granted a status conference was scheduled for Dec. 13.
In the final days of February, State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd has confirmed she will conduct a special investigative audit looking into the finances of District Attorney Allan Grubb’s office.
Byrd said on Monday of this week, “District Attorney David Prater sent my office an official request to conduct a forensic audit of the District Attorney’s office in District 23. The audit will include all financial accounts of the district,” she added.
Byrd said the audit will begin next week.
Prater is Oklahoma County District Attorney and a permanent member of the District Attorney’s Council as is Cleveland County DA Greg Mashburn. The DAC is the administrator for the district attorneys offices across the state.
Grubb, who is district attorney for Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties, said this week he was told last week by an agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that he is not under investigation.
“The only OSBI investigation I know of is the one I requested back in October of the Child Advocacy Center and they haven’t turned over a report to me yet,” Grubb said.
However, sources have said Grubb is being investigated by the OSBI. One indicated the OSBI has set up an interview for as early as later this week.
Grubb apparently has come under fire for his use of deferred prosecution agreements, known as DPA’s, to help shore up finances in his office.
A deferred prosecution agreement is where a prosecutor offers a deal to a subject for a fee and no criminal charge is filed, there is no guilty plea, no going before a judge and no jail time.
The DA doesn’t believe the OSBI can investigate him over the DPA’s. “It’s not a crime, so how can they investigate,” Grubb asked.
Four students from Lincoln County high schools have been selected as Academic All Staters 2022 by the Oklahoma Foundation of Excellence.
They are among 100 students statewide chosen for the prestigious award.
The four from Lincoln County include Noah McMullan, North Rock Creek High School, Taylor McConnell, Wellston High School and sisters Leah and Jessica Brannon, both from Chandler High School.
Noah is the first ever All-State chosen from North Rock Creek.
Th 100 students were from 397 nominations. Those chosen are from 75 high schools in 67 school districts statewide.
Two marijuana growing operations in Lincoln County were among a dozen locations across Oklahoma where search warrants were served, facilities shut down and plants were seized and destroyed
last week.
One of those taken into custody last week on an arrest warrant and placed in the Cleveland County Jail has now been charged in Lincoln County with trafficking in illegal drugs and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.
A formal charge was filed Feb. 25 in Lincoln County District Court against Dean Zheng, 51, of Chandler of trafficking in illegal drugs and a $20,000 warrant was issued.
The charge accuses Zheng of on around Jan. 10, 2022 of knowingly possessing and distributing to two persons 60 pounds or more of processed marijuana at a location known as Green Princess Farm located in Lincoln County.
A member of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, in an affidavit, said he assisted the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics in the execution of search warrants at the listed addresses of 339250 E. 890 RD and 339243 E. 890 Roads in Lincoln County.
He said Zheng has been under investigation by the OBN for several months. Dean Zheng is the registrant license holder and owner of both locations. The first marijuana cultivation farm, known as Green Queen Farms is located at 339243 E. 890 Road.
That operation is located on the south side of 890 Road, it’s stated in the affidavit. The second is known as Green Princess Farms and is located on the north side of the road.
It’s pointed out in the affidavit that during the course of OBN’s investigation into illegal, “black market” marijuana trafficking, by licensed and registered medical marijuana grows in the state of Oklahoma, OBN uncovered evidence that Zheng and other co-conspirators were engaged in interstate drug trafficking and using marijuana from Zheng’s two grows to ship out of state.
During the March meeting of the Chandler School Board, School Supt. Melody Toma said she was retiring after 37 years in education.
“I’m going to retire. I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I’m going to retire,” the veteran educator said during an interview prior to Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.
Toma is completing her fourth year as superintendent of Chandler Schools. She’s been with the Chandler School District for 30 years of the 37 she’s been in education, she said.
“I was a principal at Park Road Elementary for 15 years and before that an elementary school counselor six years,” Toma noted.
She spent five years as high school counselor.
The Dale Board of Education during its March meeting voted unanimously to hire a new superintendent beginning July 1.
After spending nearly 45 minutes in executive session, the board returned to open meeting and voted 5-0 to hire Will Jones as Dale’s new superintendent. Robin Wiley-Greene made the motion and Tim Collins seconded it.
Joining them in favor were President Roger Batt, Vice President Ronnie Newton and Clerk Josh Clark.
Jones is currently serving as superintendent of the Garber School School District, board members said.
Batt confirmed the board received 27 or 28 applications for the position. He said that list was narrowed down to six and then further narrowed to two.
Acting School Supt. Ky Wilkins indicated Jones has been in education for about 20 years. It was pointed out that Jones had been at several schools before taking the superintendent’s position at Garber.
Batt was asked what attracted Jones to the position at Dale, and he replied, “Just the way Dale presents itself. He said he thought it was a perfect fit for him, his wife and daughter.”
Batt said the Garber School District is smaller than Dale, noting in athletics it’s Class A.
The board began a search for a new superintendent shortly after Wilkins announced at the January board meeting he was retiring as Acting Superintendent and Secondary Principal effective June 30.
He was named to that position effective July 1, 2020 following the retirement of longtime administrator and superintendent Charlie Dickinson.
In early March, following convincing wins in area action last weekend, both of Dale High School’s basketball teams were headed back to the state tournament.
The tournament is being played at the State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.
The Dale girls open the tournament at 9 a.m. today with a contest against Silo. Coach Eric Smith’s team, which has a 23-5 record on the season, is ranked third in Class 2A.
Chandler’s Heath Gray won his second national championship and led his University of Central Oklahoma wrestling team to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Division II national tournament in St. Louis last week.
Wrestling at 187 pounds, Gray beat West Liberty’s Connor Craig, 4-3, in the finals. It was second finals win over Craig.
Gray had a first-period takedown and a third-period reverse in the finals while giving up three escapes.
His teammate, Dalton Abney, won the national championship at 197 pounds.
Gray finished his UCO career with a record of 94-4 and was 16-1 this season.
He was a four-time All-American and holds the highest career winning percentage in UCO history.
Also in early March, Chandler’s boys powerlifting team won the small school championship at the Northeast Regional championship and advanced 18 lifters to the state meet. There were 31 boys teams represented at the meet. Chandler set a new school record by qualifying 18 lifters for the state meet.
Nine young women and men are this year’s recipients of the Gordon Richards, Sr. Achievement Award sponsored by the Clinic Pharmacy. Tim and Jamie Barrick are owners of the pharmacy.
This is the 77th year for the award that was originated in 1946 by the late Gordon Richards, Sr., and the late Otto Krause.
Gordon Richards, Jr., son of one of the founders of the award, briefly detailed how the award started.
This year, for the first time, the awards were handed out on the final evening of the Pottawatomie County Junior Livestock Show. The nine were honored before several hundred persons who also gathered for the presentation of the Livestock Show awards and the Premium Auction.
In mid-March, Arson was suspected in two Lincoln County fires last weekend that forced evacuations in the Chandler area and reportedly burned an old church building and a vacant structure in Sparks.
There were no reported injuries in the fires.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Capt. Chuck Brewer said, regarding both fires, “The fire is an active investigation and origin was suspicious in nature. A person of interest was developed.
“The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture is assisting with the investigation,” Brewer added.
Chandler Fire Chief Bobby Buchanan said the call came in about 4:30 p.m. Sunday on the Chandler fire that started at 15th Street and Sandy Lane. “It headed northeast and jumped 8th Street, continuing in that direction,” the chief noted.
Buchanan reported the fire continued northeast with firefighters battling it all the way to U.S. 66 where they put it out before it got to the Assembly of God Church.
“It burned about 400 acres. There were no structures burned or destroyed,” the chief stated.
“It was a bad day for someone to do something like that,” Buchanan stressed, alluding to the suspected arson.
He pointed out that several other fire departments assisted Chandler, among them Davenport, Stroud, Prague, Kendrick and Sparks. He said Pottawatomie County and Oklahoma County each sent task forces as well.
Buchanan said some trailer homes located near the fire had to be evacuated.
Brewer said, “Our Special Operations Team (SOT) was activated to assist with evacuations in Chandler off of U.S 66 near Wal Mart.”
When the final buzzer sounded against Cashion, the Dale High School boys basketball team made history.
Coach Jeff Edmonson’s Pirates captured the first Gold Ball in the history of Dale boys basketball. They defeated Cashion 65-58 at the Big House at the State Fairgrounds.
Edmonson, asked what he felt like as that final buzzer sounded, said, “Just excitement for all the players and coaches. We worked so hard and achieved our goal.”
He added, “Every coach dreams of it.” Chandler sophomore Kalee Peery set a new state record at the state powerlifting meet, squatting 275 pounds. Peery was third in the 121-pound class and teammate Grace Hulsey was third in the 108-pound class. It was the first time for Chandler to have two girls place in the top five.
In late March, the Meeker Town Board of Trustees officially decided to no longer pursue the annexation of property around the Meeker Lake.
Trustee Lanny Thompson made the motion to not approve the annexation. Trustee Mike Melton seconded the motion. Joining them in voting for the motion were Mayor Donna Weber and Vice Mayor Aaron Head.
Several of those property owners who who would have been impacted by annexation briefly attended Monday night’s meeting. Shortly after the Trustees had voted to nix the proposed annexation, they left the meeting.
There was no discussion by the Trustees prior to their vote nor did anyone from the audience speak on the issue during the Citizens participation portion of the meeting.
The annexation proposal was to annex eight square miles into theTown of Meeker in the area of Meeker Lake, including the lake which is not currently in the Town’s limits.
The Trustees’ vote Monday evening came almost a week after a public session on the annexation issue was held at the Meeker First Baptist Church on March 15.
Town Administrator Jeff Wilbourn estimated that between 90 and 100 people showed up for the public session.
About 40 minutes into that meeting, and hearingpropertyownersfromtheimpacted area ask questions and voice their opposition, Wilbourn asked, “Is anyone in the audience for annexation”?
Not one hand could be seen go up in favor of the issue.
He suggested then there was really no need to continue the meeting. However, those attending continued to come to the front, sign in and ask their questions until about 1½ hours after the meeting had started.
Wilbourn and the four board members, MayorWeber,ViceMayorHead,members Melton andThompson and attorney James Hodgens, answered those questions. Many of them were the same inquiries.
Each of those attending who wanted to speak were given two minutes to ask questions and Trustees had about five minutes to respond if they needed it.
One woman asked would should be required to have city utilities since she didn’t need them and the answer was “no.”
Several kept inquiring about city taxes. They were told there is no city property tax unless they owned a business.
A number of the property owners were concerned if building permits would be required. They were informed they could be required if it were a permanent structure.
In March, Stroud’s powerlifters brought home a championship and two seconds at the state high school and junior high state meets. Colton Harrison won state in the junior high meet and and Audrey Donaldson was second in her division.
As a team, the boys seventh grade team took third. Devan Burciaga finished fourth in his division and Jessen Leathers finished third in his division. Aiden Collins and Trystan Baker finished fourth in their respective division. Kaleb Aylor finished fifth.
In late March, construction on nearly a mile of sidewalk improvements on Park Road in the city of Chandler is about onethird complete, then City Manager James Melson estimated.
Melson has explained the project runs from Park Road Elementary School extending east. “It will be on the south side of both bridges to match the bridge walk ways,” he said.
The city manager noted, “It will start slowing down due to areas they are working in. We figure they’re about a third done at least, maybe 35-40 percent. It’s gone fairly quickly,” he thinks, “considering the weather down there.”
Melson said, “We think this week they are going from Park Road and Rozell Lane to Timmons Park where they cross from the north side of Park Road to the south side connecting to the existing trail at the baseball field.”
He emphasized, “From that point, there is quite an elevation distance to the handicap accessible area. Most of that is due to the two existing bridges, the elevation distance between the two bridges and before you get to the first bridge from Rozell Lane.”
Melson and his project manager, David Nickell, who is also the city’s PublicWorks director, said crews were pouring on Monday afternoon from Rozell and Park Road at the baseball parking lots about 150 feet connecting it to the existing soccer field.
“With weather permitting, they should be completed by July 7 which is the end of the 120 days. But they have to bring a lot of dirt in,” Melson stressed.
He stated, “The project comes along the south side of the outer fence in the right of way but there is nothing inside the baseball field. Except for a couple of places, they are pretty finished between the softball and baseball fields.”
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation awarded the bid during its Nov. 1, 2021 meeting for $477,932.90 to H&G Paving Contractors, Inc., of Muskogee. Length of the project is 0.723 mile.
“They bid it in October,” Melson earlier noted, adding “We had 16 bidders on it.”
The city manager also previously pointed out, “We had to pay $15,000 for the engineering. That came out of private money. That’s done.”
Melson said shortly after ODOT awarded the bids, “We got started on this nearly three years ago. I built that bridge a couple of years ago,” Melson said.
Melson noted that on building the new bridge, the Sac and Fox Nation paid the $140,000 it cost to build it and the city paid $36,000 for the engineering.
In early April, two teachers at White Rock School were finalists for state awards and they will find out if they are winners during a banquet Friday night.
Natalie Fesler, the Special Education director and a teacher, and Jerri Loveland, who teaches fourth grade, will attend the Professional Oklahoma Educators Foundation Excellence in Education banquet at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City.
Fesler is a finalist for the Jonathan Tinney Special Education MeritAwardAward and Loveland is a finalist for the Elementary Merit Award.
Fesler said, “This is my 19th year to teach Special Education. The last couple of years I also have taught General Education math classes at the Middle School.”
Fesler said, “I believed our counselor nominated me for the award, though I’m not sure.
She noted that when she found out she was a finalist, “I was shocked. They’re so many good teachers in the state. It’s flattering, so humbling,” she added.
Loveland is a finalist for the Elementary Merit Award.
Loveland, upon learning she was a finalist, commented, “I was surprised and very appreciative that someone would think that highly of me to nominate me for this award. I think I know who nominated me, I know it was another teacher, but I’m not 100 percent sure who it is.”
She noted, “This is my third year to teach, all at White Rock. Prior to that, I taught adults nutrition and how to take care of their children when left the hospital.”
She home schooled her own two children for a while. “One is a fifth grader, the other is in sixth and they both attend White Rock,” Loveland explained.
Fesler stated, “I have a caseload of about 20 students to watch over.”
She commented that since learning she was a finalist, “I’m trying to put it in the back of my mind. It’s very intimidating to go, but it will be a great evening out with some great people.”
She and her husband Kent have two grown daughters and six grandchildren.
Loveland said as a fourth grade teacher, “I teach all subjects except music and Physical Education. My first two years here I taught third and fourth grades combined.
State Sen. Zack Taylor, whose district includes all of Lincoln County, announced Tuesday he will not seek a new term.
He issued a statement saying, “The only constant in life is change. After prayerful consideration and discussion, my family and I have decided that it is best not to seek re-election at this time.”
Taylor was first elected in 2017 to the House of Representatives. When former State Sen. Jason Smalley decided to resign, Taylor ran and was elected to the District 28 State Senate seat in 2020.
Taylor and his wife, Stephanie, have been married for 16 years. They currently have one 7-year-old daughter and were looking forward to welcoming a new baby in September.
“I believe my first duty is to be the best husband and father that I can be,” Taylor said. “We are very excited to be welcoming a new baby in September, and I no longer feel I can effectively serve the district, balance being a husband and father, and being a hands-on partner in our business. While it has been a great honor to represent the people of House District 28 and the people of Senate District 28, I am looking forward to returning home full-time.
“I’ve enjoyed serving in these capacities, and it has been a true honor to have been selected by leadership for these positions,” Taylor concluded.
Patrons in three area school districts, Dale, McLoud and Perkins-Tryon elected board members during Tuesday’s General School Elections.
At Dale, Incumbent Roger Batt and challenger Jennifer Herring squared off with Batt winning the Office No. 2 seat. Batt had 154 votes to Herring’s 113, garnering 57.68 percent of the vote and Herring had 42.32 percent.
Batt currently serves as President of the Dale School Board. He said he’s been on the board for 20 years and with this new five-year term will end up serving 25.
In the Perkins-Tryon School District, Becky Reed easily won the Office No. 2 seat over Dustin Bledsoe. Reed had 460 votes to 205 for Bledsoe.
She garnered 69.17 percent of the vote to Bledsoe’s 30.85 percent.
In the Office No. 2 race in the McLoud School District, Shelton Mapira defeated Laureen Maxwell 120 to 90. Mapira had 57.14 percent of the vote.
Also in early April, a young golfer from Davenport, who plays as an individual since the school doesn’t have a golf team, has medaled in each tournament he’s played in this year.
Fisher Reed, 18 and a junior at Davenport High School, said he competes in Class 2A. Fisher is scheduled to participate in a tournament today at Perkins.
He would have played in one at Guthrie on Tuesday of this week, but he missed it due to taking the ACT that day, he said.
Fisher is the son of Nicole and John Greenfield who is his stepdad and his golf coach.
The high school junior said he shot a 76 at Sapulpa this year and lost on a scorecard playoff after tying for first. “I shot an 80 at Wewoka and was second there. I had an 85 at Stroud and got fourth after tying for third and losing on the scorecard,” he noted. “And I shot an 81 at Henryetta and was seventh.”
Fisher said, “I got started playing golf in the sixth grade. John has taught me since that time.”
Asked about his chances of making it to the state tournament this year he stated, “I think I can. I placed second in Regionals as an individual and was 14th in the state last year.”
He also believes, “It’s pretty good, nice to be coached by my stepdad and different than being coached by someone else.”
Fisher added, “I do plan to go to college and play golf, but major in Criminal Justice. I’d like to do the OSBI or FBI,” he said.
Some other Lincoln County schools are offering golf to their students as well.
At Stroud, Mason Baade coaches a boys team and has three girls playing as individuals.
“Our boys definitely have done pretty good,” Baade thinks. “We’ve played in three tournaments so far. We had an early match at Purcell, had Luther at the Firelake Golf Course in Shawnee March 22 and we hosted one at the Stroud course.
“We won ours at Stroud, but we didn’t place at Purcell or Luther, though we did have some individuals place.As a team we shot 383 at Stroud, shot 399 at Purcell and 386 against Luther,” Baade noted.
He said Brice Wolff shot a 78 at Purcell and placed fourth. Wolfe carded an 81 and was fifth against Luther and at the Stroud tournament had a score of 83.
Baade pointed out, “We’ve been under 400 in each tournament we’ve played and that’s been our goal. As we move closer to the Regionals and the state, we’d like to be 360-370 as a team,” he added.
Baade stressed, “Our girls are pretty young. We only played in one tournament so far and that was at Seminole.”
North Rock Creek High School’s two golf teams recently captured the conference tournament championship, playing on a windy day at the Elks Club course in Shawnee.
Each team also had the medalist for the tournament.
Boys Coach Evan Smith said his team claimed the North Canadian River Conference title shooting a total score of 384.
“Bo Gentry shot a 78 and was No. 1 at the tournament,” Smith said.
In April, District Judge Cindy-Ferrell Ashwood announced she wouldn’t seek a new four-year term. She was the first woman elected as district judge for the 23rd Judicial District and after three terms serving on the bench decided to retire.
Judge Ashwood said she will retire at the end of her term in December of this year.
“My husband retired in 2018, and I’m ready to join him. I had made that decision a couple of years ago,” Ashwood added.
She noted, “I decided now to catch up with my husband. It’s certainly been an honor to serve.”
Ashwood said that the late Judge Glenn Dale Carter told her that he expected lawyers who appeared in his courtroom to be, “Prompt, professional and prepared. I have made it my goal to live up to that as a judge.”
She is a native of Chandler. Her parents are Don and Sally Ferrell.
The judge says she and her husband Albert have two children, Rachel and their son Donald and his wife Heather and a grandson Aiden.
“Albert retired in 2018 after serving many years as director of Oklahoma Emergency Management. We’re looking forward to spending more time on the farm with our grandson,” she said.
She said after graduating from Chandler High School, she attended the University of Oklahoma where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.
“One of my classes was editing and I learned to write more succinctly,” she said about taking the course.
Following graduation from OU in 1982, she entered law school and earned her Juris Doctor from the OU School of Law in 1985. “I was admitted to the bar that year,” she said, noting, “My husband Albert and I were married in 1984 and moved to Chandler after my graduation from law school.”
Several races have developed for political positions in Lincoln County, among them contests for two county commissioners, the district attorney and district judge.
There will be contests, too, for the House District 32 seat now held by Rep., Kevin Wallace and the District 28 Senate office where Sen. Zack Taylor has decided not to seek re-election.
A total of seven candidates, six Republicans and one Democrat, have filed to be District 1 county commissioner.
They include: Republican candidates J.R. Duvall, Prague, Mike Snyder, Stroud; Bobby Lee Norton, Davenport, Will Fine, Stroud; Mett Howell, Stroud, BobWilson, Stroud.
They will be on the June 28 primary ballot. If one doesn’t receive at least 50 percent of the vote for the Republican nomination, the top two will square off in the Aug. 23 primary runoff, Lincoln County Election Board Secretary Melissa Stambaugh said.
The winner will face the lone Democrat candidate Earl Glenn, Stroud, in the Nov. 8 General Election.
Incumbent District 3 Commissioner Lee Doolen, a Republican, of Meeker, will be challenged by another Republican, David Armitage, also of Meeker, in the June 28 primary. They are the only two who filed.
Two present Lincoln County officeholders, Treasurer Brenda Jackson, Prague, and Assessor Jackie Holcomb, Chandler, both Republicans, have won new terms when no one opposed them.
Three have filed for the District 23 District Attorney’s position including incumbent Alan Grubb, Tanya Roland and David Hammer, all of Shawnee and all are Republicans.
They will be on the June 23 primary election ballot. Roland is a former assistant district attorney who worked for Grubb.
The District 23 DA covers both Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties.
Three also have filed for the District 23 Office No. 1 non-partisan District Judge seat including Joe Dobry, Chandler; Traci L. Soderstrom, Chandler, Chad Moody, Wellston.
Current Disrict Judge Cindy Ferrell-Ashwood is retiring after 12 years serving on the bench.
Associate District Judge Sheila Kirk in Lincoln County, has won a new term without opposition.
Current House District 32 State Rep. Kevin Wallace, Wellston, a Republican, is challenged by Ryan Dixon, Meeker, also a Republican in the June 28 primary.
State Senator District 28 Republican candidates who will be on the June 28 primary election ballot are Jeff McCommas, Agra, Jamey Mullin Arcadia, Grant Green, Chandler, Robert W. Trimble, Seminole, Bob Donohoo, Guthrie.
Democrat candidates included Tony Wilson, Chandler, Karen Rackley, Chandler.
Also in late April, a Lincoln County man was critically injured recently when a group of dogs attacked him while he was out for a run and was taken to an Oklahoma City hospital.
Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Christoper Hyde identified the injured man as Robert Rood. Hyde was the first deputy to arrive on the scene.
The family, speaking through Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty’s office stated on Tuesday, “He is still in the hospital, doing much better. He has had several surgeries and still has several ahead of him.”
They added, “He is in considerably good spirits given the circumstances.”
Hyde said that he was dispatched to the area of 890 Road east of the 3390 Road intersection for a report of a possible found body. When he made contact with Jim Swafford who reported it who was parked about a quarter of a mile east of that intersection, Swafford pointed to the south side of the roadway and noticed Rood lying on the ground in the grass south of the road.
The deputy reported the man didn’t have any clothes on and notice his right arm move. Hyde said he immediately called for emergency medical services to respond to the scene and noticed that Rood had numerous lacerations on him, including both arms and legs, chest head and face.
Hyde said he was alert and conscious and asked Rood what had happened.
Rood informed Hyde he was out for a run when he was attacked by a group of dogs.
As Hyde was talking to Rood, he noticed four dogs running toward him aggressively. One of the dogs was a brown and white Pitbull and another was a light colored Labrador. As they were running toward the deputy, he pulled his pistol and discharged two rounds into the ground, he said, and all four turned and ran west into a gated property on the south side of the road.
Wellston Police ChiefAlf Hancock arrived on the scene and saw the four dogs as well, Hyde said.
Hyde reported Hancock assisted him with assessing Rood and learning Rood’s name.The deputy and the chief controlled the bleeding and Hyde requested dispatch to contact Survival Flight.
Chandler EMS arrived and Hyde and Hancock assisted with loading Rood into the ambulance. Deputy Sheriff Phil Bennett arrived, Hyde advised him to stay at the scene, while he and Hancock escorted the ambulance to the landing zone that was set up at the Iowa Casino for Survival Flight.
Hyde stated while there, he spoke with Rood’s wife Temple and his daughter Shanti Rood. He advised them Rood was being transported to the OU Trauma Center in Oklahoma City for further medical treatment.
Hyde said he and Hancock returned to the scene where Deputy Bennett had photographed and collected Rood’s clothing and property.
Hyde spoke with UndersheriffTim Donaldson on scene and then went back to the property where Hyde had seen the dogs returned to.
For 15 years, Office Manager Ronnie Monaco’s calm voice and steady demeanor was a dependable constant at The Lincoln County News.
Now, she’s announced her well-earned retirement on May 31, 2022, and Kendra Johnson has returned to begin training for the office manager role.
“Ronnie has been a wonderful person to work with,” Lincoln County News Editor Brian Blansett said. “She’s calm, resourceful, efficient and dedicated—everything you want in an office manager. And she’s just a really good person.”
Monaco started working part-time as a typesetter at The Lincoln County News in Feb. 2007, shortly after moving back to Oklahoma from Montana, where she had been working for Citizen State Bank.
Her husband, Cary Monaco, is the pastor at Liberty Baptist Church, in Chandler, Okla., a church that they planted in Nov. 2007, shortly after she started at the paper.
At that time, The Lincoln County News, StroudAmerican, and Tri-County Herald were separate publications under different ownership.
She eventually shifted to the role of production assistant. Then in 2019, Brett Wesner boughtThe Lincoln County News, and a short while later, he also purchased the Stroud American and Tri-County Herald from Brian Blansett, retaining Blansett as the editor.
The same year, Monaco was promoted to working fulltime as the paper’s office manager, handling everything from cash sheets to legal notices; obituaries to public records, and helping the three publications combine into one in March 2020.
“She was the glue that kept everything together and working smoothly during the change of ownership a couple of years ago,” Blansett said. “I can’t imagine how we could have merged operations of three newspapers without her.”
Archery teams from three area school districts are heading to different locations to compete in national tournaments.
Archers from Chandler and McLoud are headed to Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend to compete in the Nationals there.
A couple of weeks later, North Rock Creek and Chandler will send students to Louisville, Ky., for the nationals in that city.
Chandler’sArchery Coach Ty Rhoades is taking Kyzer Guthrie, senior, and Lexi Martzall to compete in the Western NASP National Tournament in Salt Lake City this Saturday, April 30.
An eighth grader and reigning world champion Caden Eyesone is heading with her parents Jeremy and Valerie Eyestone to the Eastern NASP National Tournament in Louisville, Ky., to compete May 14.
Caden will compete in both Bullseye and IBO 3-D, Rhoades explained.
Rhoades, who is the secondary Special Education teacher, has been at Chandler since 2004 and this is his final year as archery coach, he said.
North Rock Creek Archery Coach J.R. Rogers said 36 students are going to the Eastern NASP National Tournament in Louisville, Ky., next month.
“The high school team will compete May 12 and the middle school team and the one elementary student compete May 13,” he said.
The McLoud City Council, meeting as the Public Works Authority, has adopted a resolution to increase utility rates for residential customers.
By adopting the resolution, the Authority members put in place the increase they passed during their March meting.
Then City Manager Buck Day explained the rate increase, “Is 50 cents per 1,000 gallons on water and on sewer. And then it will be 10 cents per 1,000 gallons on each of those after this year for five years,” he added.
Day noted, “This is so we’re assured we can make our loan payments and obtain our grants. We’re doing the 10 cents so we can do a little bit at a time.”
TheAuthority also voted during its most recent meeting to increase rates for commercial accounts.
The city manager said the rate increases become effective July 1.
In May, the Chandler Board of Education hired a new superintendent for the 2022-2023 school year, completing their search to replace Melody Toma who is retiring in June.
Scott Baade has been selected as the new superintendent. The board approved his one-year contract during Monday night’s meeting this week.
Baade, commenting this week on his being hired superintendent, said, “I am looking forward to being a part of the Chandler School System. I have been asked about my vision for Chandler Schools.
“The vision I have for Chandler Schools is not a personal vision, but a vision of collaboration with all of the stakeholders. The community, faculty, staff, administration and school board will be a part of the shared vision to promote Chandler Schools not only countywide but statewide.”
Baade has been married to his wife Koye for 32 years. They have three children and three great grandchildren. He said their three children include Brittance, Mason and his wife Keaghan, and Dalton.
Their three grandchildren are Aria, Calloway, Becket “and baby Baade due at the end of June,” he said.
The new superintendent has spent the past 10 years as high school principal at Stroud. While in the position, he noted he also was Youth Minister at First Baptist Church in Stroud.
He has taught and coached at several school districts throughout the state, among them Lindsay, Lexington, Piedmont, Glencoe, Cordell and Erick.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and he earned a Master’s in EducationAdministration from there as well.
Throughout his career, he has coached several sports, among them fast pitch and slow pitch softball, basketball, baseball, football, track and cross country.
Baade has been selected for several coaching awards as well.
In early May, heavy rainfall in Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties caused several bridge outages, closing some roads and partially washed out others.
There were reports of up to seven inches or more of rain in Lincoln County and five or more inches in Pottawatomie County.
District 3 Commissioner Lee Doolen in Lincoln County said the Brush Springs Road near S. 3380 and E. 1060 Road is closed due to a bridge out.
Doolen noted, “We’ll seek state funding. It’s an older bridge, but the way it broke we can fix it in house I think. And I think fairly quickly we can get that road back open, unless we find something once it dries up and we start to repair it.”
Doolen added, “Overall, I got really lucky.” He said he thought District 2 Commissioner Marlin Miller didn’t get hit any harder than he did.
District 1 Pottawatomie County Commissioner Melissa Dennis said she had two roads closed. “Garrett’s Lake east of SH 99 and 349 and East Independence. I might be able to get state help on those,” she thinks.
Athletes from Lincoln County turned in best-in-the-state efforts in regional track meets Saturday and two softball teams from Pott County breezed through regionals and take No. 1 and No. 2 rankings into this week’s state tournaments.
It was a dominating week, overall. Stroud junior Kileigh Mixon turned in two state-best performances at the Stroud regional Saturday. The defending high jump state champion, she went 5-6, two inches better than the 5-4 that Velma-Alma junior Jakobi Bartling jumped at the Okemah regional.
Mixon ran the 100-meter hurdles in 16.40, another best-in-the-state.
Drew Clovis, from Stroud, a silver medalist as a freshman last year in the pole vault, vaulted 13 feet, a foot and a half higher than anyone else in the state.
Long-jumper Liyah Dauman from Prague leaped 16-11.5 at the Madill regional. It was the best qualifying effort in the state, edging out a 16-11.25 by Brooke Perez of Alva.
In addition to competing in the Class 3Astate track meet Friday in Catoosa, she will be in the dugout Wednesday when the Prague Lady Devils play in the state slow pitch tournament.
The Chandler girls’ 4x400 relay team of Jessie Brannon, Annie Brannon, Cali Hilgenfeld and Leah Brannon ran a 4:13.25 at the Madill regional for the fastest qualifying time.
Sophomore J. Duncan from Chandler ran the 110 hurdles in 15.34, a state-best qualifier.
Davenport hurdler Griffi n Melson just missed a statebest time, running the 110 hurdles in 16 seconds, just off the 15.70 that Ringling’s Kaden Barron turned in at Okemah.
Perennial power Dale and newcomer North Rock Creek finished the slow-pitch season ranked No. 1 and 2 and run-ruled their ways to regional tournaments last week.
North Rock Creek, No. 1 in Class 5A and coached by Chance Griffin, will play Plainview at 11:30 at Hall of Fame Stadium Wednesday.
In an interesting twist, the No. 2 in Class 5A is Perkins-Tryon, coached by David Griffin, setting up a potential father vs. son coaching matchup in the finals.
Five-time defending state champion Dale will take on Prague at 1 p.m. in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament. The Lady Pirates won state in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Also in mid-May, it was an exciting few days for area high school sports.
On Friday, Stroud high jumper Kileigh Mixon won her second straight Class 2A state championship and tied the state record by jumping 5 feet, 8inches.
Brynlee Wages and Savanna Collins, finished second and sixth, respectively.
Drew Clovis from Stroud won the Class 2A high jump championship. A sophomore, Clovis went 12 feet, 6 inches.
Mattox Motley from North Rock Creek won the 110 hurdles on Saturday at the 4A state meet, held simultaneously with the 2A meet.
His state championship was the first in the short history of North Rock Creek’s high school.
Two days later, NRC’s slow-pitch softball team won the school’s second championship, beating Perkins-Tryon 15-0 in a game featuring NRC coach Chance Griffin facing his dad, David Griffin, who coaches Perkins.
Just before NRC’s win at Hall of Fame Stadium, Dale made its 10th straight appearance in the slow pitch state finals.
The Lady Pirates had won the last five titlesbut came up short against long-time rival Washington, falling 17-7.
Earlier in the day, the DLPs played Prague, and downed the Lady Devils, 10-4, behind two home runs from Karsen Griggs.
Chandler came within a second and a half of a state championship at the Class 3A state track meet at Western Heights on Saturday as seniors Jessie, Annie and Leah Brannon and fresh-man Cali Hilgenfeld took silver, finishing just behind the foursome from Beggs.