LCJ newsletter 1-4-2025
Saturday's newsletter
Today’s Bible verse
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
Unemployment rate drops in November
The unemployment rate for most of the counties in Oklahoma dropped from the previous year during November, according to the latest report by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Rates were lower in 65 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, higher in six counties and unchanged in six.
Haskell County had the state’s highest rate at 5.0 percent with Latimer second. Dewey County reported the lowest rate at 1.5 percent.
LeFlore County’s rate for the month was 3.6 percent, down from 4.1 percent the previous November. The rate did increase from the October rate of 3.5, but was down from the 4 percent in September.
For the month, LeFlore County had a work force of 20,264 with 19,536 employed and 728 out of work. That compares to October, when the work force was 20,286 with 19,567 employed and 719 out of work.
See the report for all of Oklahoma HERE.
Gross receipts to Oklahoma treasury
Receipts for the last 12 months through December total $16.87B, a decrease of $79.89M, or 0.5%, when comparing revenue from the previous year. However, month-over-month comparisons show an increase of 17%. While the state’s revenue trends may seem wobbly, this is typical for the current economic conditions caused by Fed adjustments.
Gross Production Tax or “GPT” totals equal $1B, down $286.1M or 22.2% over the previous year. Tax sources for the same time period show total income tax increased 4.4%, total sales and use tax decreased 1.7%, motor vehicle tax decreased 5.5% and other sources increased 0.9%.
OK Unemployment for November — 3.3% seasonally adjusted rate, remaining the same from October.
US Unemployment for November — 4.2% seasonally adjusted rate, increasing 0.1% from October.
Consumer Price Index — Up 0.3% in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.2% in October.
The index for shelter rose 0.3% in November, accounting for nearly forty percent of the monthly all items increase. The food index also increased over the month, rising 0.4% as the food at home index increased 0.5% and the food away from home index rose 0.3%. The energy index rose 0.2% over the month, after being unchanged in October.
The all items index rose 2.7% for the 12 months ending November, after rising 2.6% over the 12 months ending October. The all items less food and energy index rose 3.3% over the last 12 months. The energy index decreased 3.2% for the 12 months ending November. The food index increased 2.4% over the last year.
· The state’s Business Conditions Index for November decreased over last month while still remaining in a positive range.
· Jan. 48.7 Feb 46.9 March 53.3 April 54.7 May 48.4 June 47.5
July 49.3 Aug. 48.0 Sept. 45.7 Oct. 52.1 Nov. 50.2
· Components of the overall November index were: new orders at 47.1; production or sales at 50.5; delivery lead time at 59.0; inventories at 49.6; and employment at 44.8. According to the latest U.S. International Trade Administration data, Oklahoma’s manufacturing sector expanded 2024 year-to-date exports by $992.8 million from the same period in 2023 for a 22.2% gain.
12-Month Period End Comparison
Gross receipts total $16.87 billion, down $79.89 million or 0.5 percent.
· Combined individual income tax and corporate income tax $6.3 billion, up $266.4 million or 4.4 percent.
o Individual tax of $5.4 billion, up $300.1 million or 5.9 percent.
o Corporate tax of $914.5 million, down $33.7 million or 3.6 percent.
· Combined sales tax and use tax–including city and county remittances–of $7 billion, down $123.3 million or 1.7 percent.
o Sales tax of $5.8 billion, down $181.2 million or 3 percent.
o Use tax, received on out-of-state and Internet purchases, of $1.2 billion, up $57.9 million or 5 percent.
· Oil and gas gross production tax of $1 billion, down $286.1 million or 22.2 percent.
· Motor vehicle tax of $921.4 million, up $47.7 million or 5.5 percent.
· Other sources, including 70 different revenues, of $1.65 billion, up $15.4 million or 0.9 percent.
Monthly Comparison
Gross receipts total $1.41 billion, down $7 million or 0.5 percent for December 2024 vs. 2023.
· Income tax of $552.4 million, up $63.4 million or 17 percent.
o Individual tax of $436.3 million, up $63.4 million or 17 percent.
o Corporate tax of $116.1 million, up $1.3 million or 1.1 percent.
· Sales and use tax of $580.9 million, down $41.3 million or 6.6 percent.
o Sales tax of $468.7 million, down $38.3 million or 7.5 percent.
o Use tax of $112.2 million, down $3 million or 2.6 percent.
· Gross production taxes of $79.2 million, down $23.7 million or 23 percent.
· Motor vehicle taxes of $72.1 million, up $7.4 million or 11.4 percent.
· Other sources of $129.6 million, down $129.6 million or 0.1 percent.
Month-Over-Month Comparison
Gross receipts total $1.41 billion, down $205.9 million or 17 percent from last month.
· Increase in income tax of $179.5 million or 48.1 percent.
· Increase in sales and use tax of $5.2 million or 0.9 percent.
· Increase in gross production taxes of $12.5 million or 18.8 percent.
· Increase in motor vehicle taxes of $12.3 million or 20.5 percent.
· Decrease in other sources of $3.5 million or 2.6 percent
View full PDF report below.
Man sentenced for failure to register as sex offender
MUSKOGEE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lenard Ray Bond, 31, of Hartshorne was sentenced to 21 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender.
The charges arose from an investigation by the United States Marshals Service Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force and the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office.
On May 8, 2024, Bond pleaded guilty to an Indictment of one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
On Aug. 8, 2014, Bond was convicted in the State of Oklahoma for Second Degree Rape and required to register as a sex offender. Bond was advised of the requirement to register as a sex offender and to inform law enforcement of any change in residency. According to investigators, between April 14, 2019, and March 15, 2024, Bond repeatedly failed to register as a sex offender despite moving into and living at various residences in and around Indian country within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Bond will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Wittlinger and Jessica Bove represented the United States.
Trump’s sentencing set for Jan. 10
By JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK
NEW YORK (AP) — Faced with the never-before-seen dilemma of how, when or even whether to sentence a former and future U.S. president, the judge in President-elect Donald Trump ‘s hush money case made a dramatic decision that could nevertheless bring the case to a muted end.
See the whole story HERE.
Johnson reelected House speaker
By LISA MASCARO, FARNOUSH AMIRI and KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson narrowly won reelection Friday as House speaker on a first ballot, overcoming hard-right GOP holdouts in a tense standoff and buoyed by a nod of support from President-elect Donald Trump.
See the whole story HERE.
World’s oldest person dies
TOKYO (AP) — Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. She was 116.
See the whole story HERE.
Double dose of nasty weather coming
A strong snow and ice storm followed by brutally cold conditions will soon smack the eastern two-thirds of the United States as frigid air escapes the Arctic, plunging as far south as Florida, meteorologists forecast.
See the whole story HERE.
LeFlore County scoreboard
LeFlore County sports scores from 1-3-2024
Basketball
Boys
Pocola 70, Poteau 49
Talihina 53, Porum 26
Girls
Pocola 58, Poteau 26
Talihina 59, Porum 37
To make an addition or correction, email craighall@myyahoo.com.
Mostly cloudy skies, rain possible
Mostly cloudy skies with rain possible Saturday night after midnight for LeFlore County and the area.
The high is forecast to be 50 degrees with a low of 45.
Sunrise was 7:26 a.m. Sunset is 5:20 p.m.
Friday’s high was 59 with a low of 37. No rain was recorded Friday. Average rainfall for January is 3.10 inches.
Average temperatures for Jan. 4 are a high of 51 and low of 23. Records for the date were a high of 64 in 1984. The record low was 7 in 1976.
Last year on Jan. 4, the high was 56 with a low of 33.
LeFlore County calendar
LeFlore County calendar of events for the next week. The calendar is a free service for our readers. If you are a church or non-profit event, please email me at craig@heavenerledger.com.
Saturday
High school basketball: Heavener at Panama; Howe at Pocola
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
Poteau, Howe city meetings
High school basketball: Wilburton at Pocola; Wister at Talihina
Tuesday
High school basketball: Heavener at Wilburton; Bokoshe at Cave Springs; Keota at Cameron; Howe at Red Oak; Panama at Arkoma; Eufaula at Poteau; Ozark, Arkansas at Spiro
Poteau Evening Lions Club meet 6 p.m. CASC
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
Thursday
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon
Heavener VFW bingo 6:30 p.m. Highway 59 North
High school basketball: Heavener at Poteau; Panama, Wister at Rock Island Conference Tournament; Pocola, Spiro at Warner Tournament; Whitesboro at Webbers Falls Tournament; Talihina at Tushka Tournament
Friday
Fundraiser for Rick and Melissa Hamner
High school basketball: Hartshorne at Heavener; Pocola, Spiro at Warner Tournament; Talihina at Tushka Tournament; Panama, Wister at Rock Island Conference Tournament
Assessment, care planning is key to quality care
Every person in a nursing home has the right to good care, under the law. The law states that the nursing home must help residents “attain or maintain” their highest level of physical, mental and emotional well-being. In order to provide good care, the staff must assess each resident and plan care to support each resident’s life-long patterns, and their current interests, strengths and needs. When residents and family members are involved in the care planning process, they can provide the staff with information needed to make sure residents get the good care they deserve.
What Is A Resident Assessment? The Resident Assessment gathers information about how well residents can take care of themselves and when they need help in “functional abilities”. In order to help residents live more comfortably and feel more at home the staff should also ask about the resident’s habits, activities and relationships. The assessment will also help staff to look for what may be causing a problem. Knowing the cause of a problem helps staff to give correct treatment. Assessments must be completed within 14 days of admission and at least once each year, with reviews every three months and when a resident’s condition changes.
What Is A Plan of Care? The Plan of Care is a strategy for how the staff will help the resident. It states what each staff person will do and when it will happen. Care plans must be reviewed regularly to make sure they are still working and must be revised as needed. For the care plan to work, the resident must feel like the plan meets their needs and they must be comfortable with the plan. A good plan should be specific, individualized and written in a language everyone understands. A good plan will reflect the resident’s concerns and support the resident’s well-being, functioning and rights, and not label resident’s choices or needs as “problem behaviors”. A good plan will use a multi-disciplinary team approach and use outside referrals as needed.
What Is A Care Plan Meeting? The Care Plan Meeting is a meeting where the staff, the resident and the resident’s family talk about life in the facility. Care plan meetings must be held every three months, and whenever there is a big change in a resident’s physical or mental health that may require a change in care. The plan must be completed within 7 days after an assessment.
All staff who work with the resident should be involved in the care planning process.
Residents have the right to make choices about their care, services, daily schedule and life in the facility. They have the right to be involved in the care planning process. Participating is the only way to be heard. This is the time to talk about meals, activities, staff, personal care, therapies, personal schedules, medication, nursing care, and emotional needs. The resident should talk about what they need, how they feel. Residents can bring up any problems they may be having. They can ask questions and/or provide information to help staff provide care. The staff must talk to the resident about treatment decisions and can only do what the resident agrees to. The resident should be persistent about their concerns and choices. If you need assistance with problems, contact your local ombudsman.
OMBUDSMAN VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!!!
Volunteers are needed in the following counties: Choctaw, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, Pittsburg, and Pushmataha.
If you would like to be a voice for quality of life and care for residents in long-term care facilities, call Renee Johnson or Shawnna Nixon at 1-800-722-8180 or 918-465-2367.
Today in history
1965
L.B.J. envisions a Great Society in his State of the Union address
On January 4, 1965, in his State of the Union address, President Lyndon Baines Johnson lays out for Congress a laundry list of legislation needed to achieve his plan for a Great Society. On the heels of John F. Kennedy’s tragic death, Americans had elected Johnson, his vice president, to the... read more
19th Century
1896
1990s
1990
Asian American & Pacific Islander History
1965
Patsy T. Mink sworn in as first Asian American woman and woman of color in Congress
Crime
1870
John Wesley Hardin kills over a card game
1964
Boston Strangler commits his final known murder
Inventions & Science
1809
1847
Samuel Colt sells his first revolvers to the U.S. government
1996
U.S. Government and Politics
1995
Republican Party takes control of Congress for first time in 40 years
Women’s History
2007
Nancy Pelosi becomes first female Speaker of the House
World War I
1913
German military strategist Alfred von Schlieffen dies
Rodent health
by RIX QUINN
Say, do you have rats at home? I’m talking about critters with fuzzy ears and whiskers who slither around the house after dark, pick up crumbs, and eat from the dog’s bowl.
The Quinn Minute
If they live with you, this information can provide them a higher quality life.
See, rat researchers discovered that if you put older ones on a low-calorie diet for four weeks, it may keep them from aging.
Therefore, if you want mice to live longer, reduce their intake.
Please follow these steps to insure elderly mouse health:
1. First, summon the rats. Simply yell out, “Dang, I just spilled my corn flakes...and I can’t see a thing since we blew that fuse.”
2. Next, determine if your mice are pubescent, middle-aged, or old. Show them a standard trap.
The old and middle-aged will flee. Younger ones will laugh at the dated technology.
3. OK, so now you’ve found the grown-ups. Which ones are older? Darn it, you just can’t tell! Here’s why...
4. Mice -- and their larger cousins, rats -- live on the lowest rungs of the food chain.
Hawks, crows, and owls serve them at cookouts. Foxes, dogs, and cats dip them in hot sauce. So...
5. Hardly any of them reach old age. Therefore, any mice you find -- and switch to a low-fat diet -- should be able to infest your groceries for months to come.
6. As you know, rat research led to discoveries that helped humankind. You save a mouse today, and it may save you tomorrow! But on the other hand...
7. Do you really want mice living with you? I don’t…but my dog might enjoy them.
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