Ledger/LCJ newsletter 3-17-2023
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Bible verse of the day for Friday
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
--Romans 10:13
The blog 3-17-2023
By CRAIG HALL
Good morning and welcome to today’s blog, a new exclusive feature available only on our daily newsletter.
Thank you for checking it out. Funeral services for former Heavener football Coach Doyle Harvell are Saturday. If you think of the old-time classic football coach, that was what Doyle was. He was tough and didn’t go for any of this hand holding so many players expect today. He told his players what to do, and they did it.
His teams from that era were a reflection of Doyle. Nothing flashy, just tough, hard-nosed football. I ran across the picture up above of him addressing his players on the sideline of a game here in Heavener. The photo was taken by my father, Gene Hall, and was one of three I found of him. I’m sure there are many more, I just have not ran across them yet.
I was glad to see the Heavener City Council addressed the old police station, which needed to be disposed of years ago. I know it is a part of Heavener’s history, but that building was well past its prime.
I could not believe the appraisal on the property came back at $62,000. I thought the city was fortunate to get three bids and $1,000 out of it. Anybody who had been in the building would acknowledge it. Now, it will be torn down. I don’t know what the future plans are, but I think a little pocket park like there is in Poteau would be a welcome addition.
For those of you who were unaware, just when we thought spring was here for good, temperatures over the next couple of days are supposed to be below freezing. Hopefully this kills off some of my weeds, which I have not bothered to mow yet this year.
We found a couple of kittens in our fenced-in back yard last year. It took a lot of work, but they were finally socialized and actually like people. Dogs? Not so much. The one cat disappeared, but the other one has adopted us. We took care of him so he can’t add to growing number of cats in the neighborhood.
But he has been an excellent helper. I expected him to just keep the mice away, but the little goober has killed several little snakes and brought them on the back porch so I can see them. We always see a couple of snakes, but never anything like that. Notice, failure to mow and weed eat.
Trish the Wife has been having to put in extra time helping to take care of her mother, who is in the nursing home in Poteau. She gets help, but since she is retired, Trish is the only person available to stay with her mother during the day so she has been playing nursing home health aid for quite a while now.
She was also a pretty good helper when I was in the hospital a couple of years ago.
I have a sleep study scheduled for next week in Fort Smith, which will hopefully straighten out my sleeping problems. If I am not doing something, I almost always have to go to sleep around 8 p.m., or so, and then, I wake up for good in the middle of the night. I do not remember what a good night of sleep feels like. I’m not a doctor and don’t play one on television, but I likely have sleep apnea and hopefully the cpap machine will help out, if that is indeed, the problem.
If you guys enjoy our newsletter or e-edition, please help out with a subscription. A subscription is only $5 per month and you get the daily newsletter, which I have long felt was our best product, along with the weekly e-edition, which has down memory lane and the legals from the courthouse.
I need and would like to have 1,000 paying subscribers. We are nowhere near that now, but a person can hope and if you do subscribe, I would be grateful.
City sells old police station
By CRAIG HALL
The old police station in downtown Heavener will soon be another memory of a downtown from another era.
Present were Mayor Max Roberts along with Council members Melinda Ballantine, Joey Clubb, Marvin Meredith and Jim Roll.
After months of discussion and negotiations, Jennifer Yandell won the auction to purchase the property for $1,000.
The building has fallen into disrepair and houses a number of bats, which are an endangered species and cannot be exterminated.
Yandell owns the property to the west of the station and indicated she plans to tear down the building as she spent $14,000 previously to remove bats from her building and the smell of the bats is increasing.
The only drawback was the appraisal for the property somehow came back at $62,000, which is severely overpriced as the building leaks, has electrical issues and is a safety hazard.
The two other bids for the property were only $50 and $100 so despite getting a lesser price, the council decided to go ahead and sell the property, which had previously been declared as surplus property. There was talk about having an auction on the property, but it was decided that would not increase the sale price.
The police department has relocated to property located on Highway 59.
Council members also approved an invoice from BridgePoint Electric for LED light conversion at all city facilities. The project costs $38,460, minus a rebate of $5,220 to equal a net cost of $33,240. The project is estimated to save the city almost $4,000 a year in electricity.
The funds will be used from the Choctaw Community partnership fund proceeds in the general fund savings account.
Members of the Heavener Fire Department were given a raise of $1 an hour for the first hour, which raised the income for that period from $9 per hour to $10 per hour. Ensuing hours will remain the same cost of $7.50 per hour. The change will start at the beginning of the next quarter April 1.
Council members also approved invoices for Johnny Holmes, $11,000 for the chip and seal job on Pickle Lane, 46,380. for West 2nd, and 20,000 for part of Old Pike.
Code violations were approved for ZCB Investments LLC, for property located at 109 West 4th Street, for accumulation of rank weeds and grass and trash, and Keith Edwards, for property located at 402 West Avenue D, for accumulation of rank weeds and grass and trash.
Dick Roberts addressed the Council about road conditions at his house in the Park Place addition. He said the road used to be the nicest in town until the Choctaws put a housing addition at the end of the property. Roberts said three chug holes had been fixed, but the road is now in poor condition, tinhorns were destroyed during construction and there is no way for water to drain away from the homes. He met with city officials previously and they are going to come up with a plan to solve the problems.
Thursday’s meeting started with the Heavener Utilities Authority. None of the trust members were present, but since all the council members were present, there was a quorum.
In a brief meeting, it was approved to declare the three SCADA radio units and antennas as surplus and to see them.
LeFlore County scoreboard 3-16-2023
The LeFlore County sports scores from Thursday.
Baseball
Ketchum 10, LeFlore 3
Kansas 10, LeFlore 0
Wister 10, Lookeba-Sickles 0
Slow pitch softball
Whitesboro 8, Sentinel 0
Whitesboro 16, Sentinel 4
To add scores or information, or make corrections text (918) 649-4712.
Wister blanks Lookeba-Sickles
Wister’s Landon Thornburg threw a one hitter as Wister downed Lookeba-Sickles, 10-0, in high school baseball Thursday.
Thornburg walked one and had nine strikeouts.
He helped his cause with a tripling and going 2-2 with two RBI and a run, Dartyn Meeks tripled and was 1-3 with a RBI and a run and Tucker Wooten doubled while doing 1-2 with two runs and a RBI.
Wister 10, LS 0
LSHS 0 0 0 0—0 1 4
WHS 5 0 1 4—10 5 0
LeFlore County weather forecast
Clear skies and cool temperatures are forecast for Friday in LeFlore County.
The high is forecast to be 50 degrees with a low of 30.
Sunrise is 7:267 a.m. Sunset is 7:27 p.m.
Average temperatures for March 17 are a high of 65 and low of 37.
Record temperatures for the date were a high of 85 in 1982. The record low was 19 in 1970.
Thursday’s high was 61 with a low of 36. A total of .28 inches of rain was recorded, bringing the monthly total to 5.31 inches. Average rainfall for March is 5.31 inches.
Last year on this date, the high was 78 and the low was 55.
LeFlore County calendar
LeFlore County calendar 3-16-2023 lists the upcoming events in the area. This is a free service, so if you or your group have an event coming up and would like it added to the calendar, please email craig@heavenerledger.com.
Friday
High school baseball: Heavener, Wister at Union City Festival; Webbers Falls at Arkoma; Pocola at Roland
High school softball: Heavener at Okemah Festival
Saturday
Funeral service for Doyle Harvell
Funeral service for Carl Will Werschky
Funeral services for Mose Brown
Funeral service for Rev. Jerry Alfred Yarberro
High school baseball: Pocola at Cameron
High school softball: Heavener at Okemah Festival
Sunday
Memorial service for James Davis Sr. set
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
High school baseball: Checotah at Heavener; Whitesboro, Oktaha at Howe; Muldrow at Poteau; Spiro at Keys; Wilburton at Cameron
High school softball: Heavener, Pocola in Black Diamond Conference Festival
Tuesday
Poteau Evening Lions Club meet 6 p.m. CASC
High school baseball: Heavener at Checotah; LeFlore at Wister; Cameron, Haworth at Howe; Poteau at Muldrow; Keys at Spiro; Bokoshe at Pittsburg; Dewar at Pocola; Panama at McCurtain
High school softball: Heavener, Pocola in Black Diamond Conference Festival
High school golf: Heavener boys at McAlester Tournament (McAlester CC)
High school soccer Bristow at Heavener
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon at EOMC
Thursday
High school track: Heavener at Wilburton
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon
Heavener VFW bingo 6 p.m. Highway 59 North
High school baseball: Hartshorne at Heavener; Wister at Rattan Tournament; Howe, Panama at Alma Tournament; Muldrow at Spiro
High school softball: Heavener at Webbers Falls Tournament
Obituary for Mose Brown
Mose Brown (known affectionately as “Junior”), 67, was born July 24, 1955, in Poteau to Mose Ezekiel Sr. and Ina Aline (Barnes) Brown.
He passed away March 15, 2023, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, surrounded by his family.
Funeral services are 4 p.m. Saturday at Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home Chapel in Heavener led by Reverend Jeff Beshears. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery in Poteau, under the direction of Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home of Heavener.
Mose lived in the LeFlore County area all of his life. His career centered around trucking and operating heavy equipment. He worked for JOB Construction in Poteau, the coal mines of Heavener and Sallisaw, the timber industry, and finally hauling heavy equipment for Curtis Kelly.
If you knew Mose, you knew he enjoyed being outdoors, camping, fishing, and driving the scenic roads of Arkansas. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He greeted everyone with a large smile, but you knew he really liked you if you were the source of his constant teasing. Mose was always easy to talk to and glad to listen.
Mose is survived by his wife Anita Henry of Heavener; his children Shane (Katie) Henry of Conway, Arkansas; Marcus (Tiffany) Henry of Judsonia, Arkansas; Amber (Jeff) Goodin of Arkoma; and Melissa (Blake) Allen of Durant; his sister, Phyliss McGee of Heavener; and 10 grandchildren (Kadyn Goodin, Kaira Henry, Ashlyn Goodin, Cooper Henry, Peyton Goodin, Anna Kate Henry, James Allen, Hudson Allen, Alexis and Desiree Yancey-Henry).
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Donald; sister, Sue Stalkings; and brother, Ronnie.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Heart of Hospice (479-494-0100) located at 1401 S. Waldron Rd. Suite 201 Fort Smith, AR 72903.
Viewing is from noon until 8:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until service time Saturday at the funeral home.
The family will visit with friends Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Pallbearers are Blake Allen, Jeff Goodin, Curtis Henry, Dustin Henry, Marcus Henry and Shane Henry. Honorary Pallbearers are Kadyn Goodin, Buddy Kelly and Jimmy Tolleson.
To sign Mr. Brown’s online guestbook please visit www.dowdenrobertsfuneralhome.com.
Obituary for Rev. Jerry Yarberro
Rev. Jerry Alfred Yarberro, 76, passed away March 15, 2023 at his residence in Pocola and was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas Jan. 15, 1947 to Leroy A. and Lorene F. (Wilson) Yarberro.
A service of remembrance is 2 p.m. Saturday at Evans & Miller Funeral Home in Poteau.
He married his "Sugar Pie" Shirley W. Matlock on December 5, 1968 in Muldrow, OK. They celebrated 54 years of marriage this past December. Jerry attended Southside High School and then obtained his Associates of Biblical Studies from the Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jerry and Shirley entered the ministry as pastor and wife where they served in several churches throughout Oklahoma, Arkansas and Indiana.
He also owned his own upholstery business alongside his wife, where he became quite a perfectionist with his skill set.
Jerry and Shirley were part of a gospel singing group locally called the "Eastern Lights with Joy." They sang together in their ministry throughout their lives while serving their Lord in song and the written Word.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Violet; three brothers Alton, Wyland and Vernon; his son, Keith; and a nephew, Daniel.
Surviving in addition to his wife, Shirley Yarberro of Pocola is his daughter, Sharleen Harvell and spouse John Harvell of Pocola; two grandsons Johnathan Harvell of Aurora, Colorado and Timothy Harvell of Owasso; one great grandson, Emiliano Harvell of Aurora; four brothers Ronnie of Fort Smith, Micheal of Bryant, Arkansas, Ricky of Hackett, Arkansas and Aaron of Fort Smith; two sisters Barbara Ramer and Angie Yarbrough, both of Fort Smith; and many nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers are Johnathan Harvell, Timothy Harvell, Micheal Yarberro, Ricky Yarberro, Aaron Yarberro and Tim Brawdy. Honorary pallbearers are Brandon Yarbrough, Nick Yarbrough, G.W. Ramer, Anthony Yarberro, Justin Yarberro and Daniel Smith.
Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.