Ledger/LCJ newsletter 1-18-2023
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Commissioners table proposal for election
By KEN MILAM
A proposal for a special election to allow alcohol sales by retail spirits licenses – or liquor stores – seven days a week in LeFlore County was tabled until next week by county commissions on Tuesday.
A motion by Vallard Campbell to approve the election died for lack of a second, but a second motion to table the issue passed.
Northside Liquor Store owner Pat Gilham had suggested the election, saying Wal Mart recently “put down a big sum of money” and hired a lobbyist to get a statewide election allowing Sunday liquor sales by retail stores like itself, which already is open on Sundays.
Gilham said she wanted small businesses like hers to have the opportunity to compete with the larger retailers. Liquor stores operate under different guidelines, which limit days and hours of operation. Grocery stores and convenience stores are allowed to sell on Sundays, but are not allowed to sell strong spirits, only beverages like beer and wines.
Gilham said there are seven liquor stores in LeFlore County, and all of them might not be interested in staying open from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays, as she proposed.
She said that after voters passed the proposal to allow wine sales in grocery stores, the number of liquor stores in Oklahoma declined from 817 to 508.
Campbell said he thought the people should have an opportunity to voice their opinions on the matter at the ballot box.
Two resignations from the LeFlore County fair board were approved – Brandon Wilden and Jennifer Yandel.
In other action, commissioners approved a maintenance agreement for the courthouse generator with Cummins Sales and Service for $2,490.
The board also declared several items in District 1 as surplus and agreed to accept sealed bids for sale of the items, including: a Flaherty chip spreader, spray tank trailer, Vermeer wood chipper, sweeper broom, Ford F7F bucket truck, Ford New Holland tractor, and a half-ton pickup.
Commission Chairman Codey Covey was appointed to the Circuit Engineering District 3 board.
The annual MESA Administration and Registration report submitted by the county election board was approved.
Sharon Satterfield was approved to replace Dusty McBeth as receiving officer for the District Attorney’s office.
Prior to the commission meeting, the County Budget Board met and approved sales tax appropriations of $804,664.
LeFlore County Tournament update
Tuesday’s scores
Girls
Winners bracket
Pocola 56, Talihina 38
LeFlore 58, Spiro 53
Whitesboro 43, Panama 36
Howe 89, Heavener 45
Losers bracket
Arkoma 61, Bokoshe 21
Boys
Winners bracket
Pocola 59, Howe 35
Spiro 45, Panama 35
Wister 49, Poteau 46
Heavener 53, Talihina 30
Losers bracket
Cameron 64, Bokoshe 40
Wednesday’s schedule
Girls
At Panama
Talihina vs. Spiro 4
Wister vs. Arkoma 7
At Poteau
Panama vs. Heavener 4
Cameron vs. Poteau 7
Boys
At Panama
Howe vs. Panama 4
Arkoma vs. Cameron 8:30
At Poteau
Poteau vs. Talihina 4
Whitesboro vs. LeFlore 8:30
2023 LCT semifinals set
Semifinals for the 2023 basketball LeFlore County Tournament is set after Tuesday’s play in the 93rd annual tournament.
Seven of the top eight seeds in the girls’ and boys’ brackets advanced with the LeFlore girls, a five seed, raiding the party, after defeating the fourth-seeded Spiro girls, 58-53.
Girls’ semifinals are Thursday with the boys playing their semifinals Friday. The semifinals and Saturday’s finals will be played at Spiro.
The Lady Savages will play top-seeded and defending tournament champion Pocola 7 p.m. Thursday, with a battle between second-seed Howe and third-seeded Whitesboro following at approximately 8:30 p.m.
In the boys’ semifinals, top-seeded Pocola faces fourth-seeded Spiro at 7 p.m. Friday. Heavener’s boys, which reached the semifinals for the first time since 2010, play Wister at 8:30.
Semifinal winners advance to Saturday’s championship games with the girls playing at 7 p.m. and the boys playing after the first game is over.
The Wolves took the lead early against Talihina and gradually expanded the advantage over the remainder of the contest. Landon Thurman scored 27 points for Heavener, despite sitting out the fourth quarter.
Doodads and geegaws
By LEON YOUNGBLOOD
If you’re a compulsive buyer at the dollar stores, you already know what doodads, geegaws, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and other such rubbish is. Likewise, if you’ve seen such programs as Pawn Stars, American Pickers, Antiques Road Show or the home shopping shows, then you already know what doodads, geegaws, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and other such rubbish is, except it cost more. And if you are typical, you have more doodads, geegaws, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and other such rubbish than you know what to do with.
BRIAR CIRCLE
Chilly weather generally sends me indoors. On one such recent occasion, it occurred to me, putting my doodads, geegaws, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and other rubbish in order would be warmer and more comfortable than putting outside rubbish in order, so I began this spontaneous project instead of taking a nap. A nap was preferable, but we had company, a neighbor and her son and daughter, ages 8 and 10. I asked if they wanted to help.
Of course they did. There were still fragments of the Christmas school holiday left over, and things had gotten a little dull. This venture sounded more interesting than the conversation their mother and my wife were having. They were profiteers, too, and knew, likely as not, they would acquire treasures.
They would not be disappointed. e went to Petunia and Sassy’s (the cats) room, which had drawers and closets hiding extraordinary “stuff” that I needed to do something with. We utilized two cardboard boxes and a trash can. One box was for things to keep, one for things to donate, and the trash can was for things to toss. Following my instructions, big sister Jesse retrieved a repurposed shoebox from the closet and dumped it out on the floor. Her brother Caleb’s eyes instantly lit up.
“What is it?” Jesse asked.
“Rocks!” Caleb declared.
Perhaps it should be clarified, there are rocks, and then there are rocks(!). In this pile, there were quartz crystals, petrified wood, fossil shells, glittering fools’ gold, broken arrowheads, ammonites, three railroad spikes, and the prize of the hoard: one of the 5 smooth stones the shepherd boy David chose but did not need when he faced Goliath that fateful day in the Biblical Holy Land. None of these items were museum quality—far from it—but they were not without merit.
“I haven’t seen this stuff in 10 years,” I confessed to the kids.
There was a slight pause. “What do you want to do with it?” Caleb asked.
“I don’t want to keep it, but these things are too bulky to donate to the thrift stores and too good to just toss out into the yard.”
“We’ll take it,” Jesse offered.
“Would you? Kids, that would be wonderful! Thank you.”
We grabbed another box. This one held dollar store craft kits. There were paints, brushes, colored pencils, little canvases, small glass jars, wooden things to assemble, all useful for perfect activities for children Jesse and Caleb’s age range. “My days as an artist are over,” I lamented. “Do you want these things?”
They did. We got the next shoebox. It had interesting pieces of driftwood in it, but the prize, attached to a weathered wooden plague, was a mummified rat preserved in a coating of varnish.
“You want this?” I asked.
They did, emphatically. That could have been King Tut’s mummy, and they could not have shown more enthusiasm.
I hesitated. “I don’t know,” I said. “My wife’s kind of partial to it.”
“I got a dollar,” Caleb said. “Will Missus Sandy take that, you think?”
“If it means that much to you, you and Jesse can have it. Keep your dollar. Just don’t tell Sandy.”
I have to shut down, now, but there were other things Caleb and Jesse got to begin their own collections of doodads, geegaws, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and other rubbish. 50 years from now, if they find they no longer want their lifetime accumulations, getting rid of it all will be simple enough: just find a couple of kids and give it to them. In fact, I think that’s how I got started.
Obituary for Connie Ann Sanders
Private funeral service for Connie Ann Sanders, 72, of Shady Point is at a later date. Cremation is under the direction of Grace Funeral Service of Poteau.
She was born Feb. 19, 1950 in Knoxville Tennessee to Vivian (Gosnell) Anderson and Robert Anderson and passed away Jan. 14, 2023 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Survivors include her husband, Fred Sanders Jr., daughter, Tanya Sanders; sons Bobby Sanders and wife Aldi, Ricky Sanders and wife Jane; grandchildren Haylee Sanders, Shane Sanders, Nicole Beket, Sarah Johns and Dennis Johns; great grandchildren Kenlie Evans, Kingston Beket, Sailor Beket, Gus Beket, and Roman Harmon; sisters Martha Sanders and Brenda Halstead; and brothers Ed Anderson and Darrel Anderson.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and a brother, Danny Anderson.
Obituary for Mary Murray
Private family services for Mary Ellen Murray, 78 of Spiro is at a later date. Cremation is under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home in Spiro.
She was born Jan. 24, 1944 in Spiro to Mary Alice (Duvall) Garner and Denver Garner and passed away Jan. 15 in Heavener.
Survivors include her mother, Mary Alice Garner; daughter, DaRhonda Roberts; two sons Gary Teague, and Clayton Edmonson and wife Cindy; a sister, Norma Neal; and numerous grand and great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her father, Denver Garner.