Alva Review-CourierAlva Review-CourierSunday, December 22, 2013 - $1.00 www.alvareviewcourier.com 620 Choctaw, Alva, OK 73717Vol. 121 No. 102

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Ladybugs take down undefeated Lady Jackets

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See City Page 2

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The Alva Chamber Member of the Month, La Dee Da, was recognized at the December community cof-fee held at the El Maya restaurant on Friday morning. From left, Hitesh Patel from El Maya, Chamber president Laura Girty, Dee and Jack Wiebener from La Dee Da, and Chamber board member Melissa Graybill. Photo by Lynn L. Martin

By Marione MartinSeveral years ago, the Charles

Morton Share Trust donated some property to the City of Alva. That property included the business building at 407 College Ave., which houses the Etc. Shoppe. Monday night, the Alva City Council voted to declare the property as surplus so that it might be sold.

The matter was first studied by the Parks and Building Committee and the Finance Committee of the council. Both committees recom-mended selling the property.

“It has long been debated whether the City of Alva needed to be in the retail landlord busi-ness,” said Business Manager Joe Don Dunham. He suggested once the property was declared surplus, the city should get an appraisal on the building and then advertise for sealed bids. Once the bids were received, the city could evaluate them and either accept the best bid or reject all bids.

Dunham said the city has been receiving rent of $250 per month. The annual insurance bill is $1,716, but that might increase. If there are no maintenance expenses, the city would make about $1,300 per year on the property after paying the in-surance. However, Dunham said, the building is “kind of a mainte-

nance headache.” He cited repairs for roof leaks, air conditioning and other items.

Dunham said he had contacted Mr. Holder regarding any concerns by Share Trust. Holder had no ob-jections but said they’d like to be told how the proceeds from the sale would be used. They would prefer they not just go into the gen-eral fund.

The current tenants of the building have been notified about the possible sale of the property.

Mayor Arden Chaffee pointed out that the building has a unique feature. It shares an attic with the neighboring building now occu-pied by Schuhmacher’s Copper Penny.

Support for HB 1875The city council approved Res-

olution No. 2013-071 expressing their support for Oklahoma House Bill 1875. The bill reduces the re-tention fee charged to cities, towns and counties by the Oklahoma Tax Commission for collecting their lo-cal sales and use tax. Currently that fee is 1 percent to 1.75 percent. If passed into law, HB 1875 would reduce that fee to 0.5 percent.

Dunham said this would mean an additional estimated $29,790 in sales and use tax revenue to the City of Alva. “That’s a vehicle,” he

said, “an employee salary for one year.”

He said the Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) and the Okla-homa Municipal League have veri-fied that cities and towns are subsi-dizing the state’s sales and use tax enforcement. It’s likely that coun-ties are overpaying, too.

Dunham said opposition will come from the “$8 million hit to the Oklahoma Tax Commission.” He said that cities and towns have been subsidizing state government when they could be using the mon-ey themselves.Equipment Purchase Agreement

Council members voted ap-proval of an indebtedness agree-ment with Community Bank of Alva in the amount of $885,000 with an interest rate of 3.5 per-cent for the purpose of purchasing equipment. Dunham said the city sent requests to all the local banks for interest rates and Community Bank offered the lowest rate on the seven-year agreement. Papers will not be signed on the loan until af-ter Jan. 1 because by law the city has a $10 million annual borrow-ing limit. Earlier this year, the city signed new loan agreements on the hospital and The Homestead.

Council votes to sell property

By Marione MartinAlva Business Manager Joe

Don Dunham presented the city financial report to the city council Monday, Dec. 16. In the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, through November 2013 the city has col-lected $661,000 more in revenue than has been expended. He said compared to last year, the city has collected two percent more money so far while expenses are down by 11 percent. The largest increases in revenue are from intergovernmental revenues (grants), licenses and per-mits, investment income and trans-fers in. All other revenue areas have shown a decline from last year.

Personnel expenses are four percent higher than last year while the combined categories of materi-als and supplies with other servic-es and charges show a 39 percent decrease. Alva has spent $49,000 more in capital improvements than last year.

AnnexationDunham met Dec. 3 with John

Wynne of Enid to discuss annexa-tion. Wynne told him there were basically two procedural methods.

One is the way Alva has been han-dling it. Alva has been obtaining written consent of the owners of a majority of the acres to be annexed.

The second method is to an-nex without the written consent of the owners. This method has more stringent requirements. The city would have to post a legal notice of the proposed annexation in the lo-cal paper and hold a public hearing. Before the publication of the no-tice, the city would have to prepare a plan to extend municipal services including water, sewer, fire pro-tection, law enforcement and the cost of such services for the area proposed to be annexed. The city would have ten years from the date of annexation to implement the ser-vice plan.

Dunham said he had not yet dis-cussed the annexation options with the city’s attorney, Rick Cunning-ham.

Committee ReportingMany city boards and commis-

sions include a member of the city council. Dunham said it has been

City income ahead of expenditures so far

By Marione MartinPlans for making downtown

Alva a cultural center moved for-ward Monday night. The Alva City Council agreed to be the govern-ment partner in a grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts.

Dr. Kay Decker reminded the council that about three years ago they designated the downtown square as an arts district. Not too long after that Freedom West Com-munity Development Corporation

City partners with Alva Cultural Enterprise DistrictIn grant application for signage

along with Graceful Arts Gallery partnered with the Oklahoma Arts Council to secure funding to de-velop the cultural enterprise dis-trict plan and program. “That actu-ally started about a year ago,” said Decker.

Over the summer a series of public input meetings was held at Graceful Arts, and a steering com-mittee was set up to lead the pro-gram. Decker provided the council with a list of the goals and objec-tives they want to pursue over the next three years.

“So far this program has not cost the City of Alva anything,” said Decker. She said they have looked at this as an opportunity to pursue funding through grants.

In the public input meetings, one of the concerns was a lack of connection between the downtown area and the area along Oklahoma Boulevard and around the univer-sity. One of the first year goals is gateway signage pointing to the downtown square arts district. That’s the purpose of the applica-tion to the National Endowment for the Arts.

Decker said the proposed signs

Dr. Kay Decker asks the Alva City Council’s agreement to partner in a grant application to the Nation-al Endowment for the Arts. The application is to secure funding for signage as part of the Cultural Enterprise District Project. Photo by Marione Martin See Partners Page 2

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 2

From Front Page City

Santa (a.k.a Joe Parsons) and Tara Owen have a great time spreading Christ-mas joy and helping the Salvation Army with the Red Kettle Campain during the holiday season.

By Traci OwenAlva FFA Reporter

With the busy Christmas season here, the Alva 4-H and FFA members took a break from their schedules and spent the weekend helping to raise money for the local Salvation Army. The Red Kettle Campaign is the Salvation Army’s most prominent fundraiser.

Money raised will be used locally to provide food, clothing and toys for local families. Over the weekend 35 members volunteered to be part of the Salvation Army’s bell ringing program. 4-H and FFA members enjoyed dedicating their time during this season to help those in need of assistance during the holidays.

Alva 4-H and FFA help the Salvation Army

suggested that these representatives provide a report on each meeting at council meetings to keep them in-formed.

As an example of the reports, Dunham listed topics discussed at some of the meetings since Dec. 1. He said the council’s parks and buildings committee has discussed declaring 407 College as surplus property and a request from some-one to purchase the old armory property. He said the committee decided the city should not sell the armory property. The 407 College property issue was on that night’s council agenda.

The council’s water and sewer committee has been discussing au-tomatic meter reading technology,

the water and sewer extension east of Alva, emergency generators at the well field, repairs at the well field, and the rate structure of water bills.

The finance committee of the council has discussed a sales tax rebate for locations east of Alva and the shortfall of water and sewer rates compared to the cost of these services.

Job OpeningsThe city is still advertising job

openings for park and building maintenance, sanitation, streets and water-sewer.

City Offices ClosedAlva city offices will be closed

Wednesday, Dec. 25, but will re-open for business on Dec. 26.

By Lynn L. MartinThe Alva Chamber of Com-

merce held its monthly breakfast/coffee meeting at El Maya in Alva. Laura Girty, Chamber president, opened the meeting by introducing Hitesh Patel, one of the proprietors of the Mexican restaurant.

After welcoming the guests, he said, “You sometimes have a lot of problems running a business. Does the Chamber have some type of list of those who can help us with those problems?” He first asked about help in handling government agency problems.

Girty, who heads the Small Business Development Center at the college, said her office might be able to help with that, along with possible help at the Chamber office.

Patel said, “Like, the last time we had a problem with the sewer system, everybody came from the state offices in Oklahoma City and the City of Alva and descended upon us and we didn’t know what to do. They wanted us to solve it right away and you can’t get help right away in Alva. You are put on a waiting list! Whether it is an elec-tric problem or a plumbing prob-lem you are put on a list.”

Patel said he felt this lack of service people may be slowing the growth of Alva. He said it is almost impossible to get fast service on any problem where a service call is

needed. This causes a lot of people not to want to move to Alva or live here. On everything you need, you have to wait, he said.

Dee Wiebener, La Dee Da own-er, piped up and told Patel that he wouldn’t have to wait if he came to her store to purchase Christmas gifts. She said she would take care of him right away. This drew a big laugh from the crowd.

Patel concluded his comments by saying, “It doesn’t matter whether is it a small problem or a big problem, you can’t get it fixed right away.”

Candy Cane CashGirty said she had heard the

Candy Cane Cash promotion was a great success. She asked Wiebener and Melissa Graybill. Both agreed it was a great success, but both be-lived some modifications need to be made to improve it for next year.

La Dee DaSince her business was Member

of the Month, Wiebener was asked to talk about it. She said her busi-ness volume has been remarkable considering the enormous Internet competition. She told Chamber members one way they can beat that competition is to provide ser-vice the Internet merchants can’t provide.

From that comment, the dis-cussion changed to the unfairness present when many Internet ven-dors do not charge sales tax and

local merchants have to. Both the state and the city are deprived of needed revenue. Girty said a state law requires Oklahomans to pay a “use” tax on items they purchase out of state on which sales tax is not being collected. She said the state is getting tougher on that, particu-larly on businesses when at income tax time they list expenses for out-of-state purchases and then can’t prove they paid the use or sales tax.

Wiebener ended her comments by saying, “I feel we are lucky to live in a community where we feel as safe as we do. I’m thankful for the outside the community visitors who shop with us as much as they do.”

NewsgramLynn Martin mentioned that the

Newsgram has moved to complete community delivery by the U.S. mail. “Every address in Woods County should be receiving the Newsgram in the mail. In the past, we have mailed the rural areas and (used) our own carriers for in-town delivery. Now, we are 100 per-cent mail saturation. Before, we couldn’t deliver some of the apart-ment buildings because the owners didn’t want us to. Now, we have in-creased our press run by about 300 to accommodate those apartments. With this change, we believe the Newsgram will be even more ef-fective for merchants who need to reach all the people.”

Chamber coffee held Friday morning

Dee Wiebener, right of center in black, tells about her business, La Dee Da, after being selected Cham-ber Member of the Month. At left Laura Girty, champer president, runs the meeting. Others are Arden Chaffee, Chris Campbell, Troy Smith, Hitest Patel, Jack Wiebener, Dee Wiebener, Melissa Graybill and Jody Bradford. Video frame by Lynn L. Martin

By Marione MartinA traffic stop for speeding

turned into a whole lot more for a Woodward man. According to court records, on Dec. 16 about 10:30 a.m. James Robert Brandes, Jr., 51, was stopped when Oklaho-ma Highway Patrol Trooper Jona-thon Cotner’s radar showed his pickup traveling at 70 mph in a 65 mph zone.

When Cotner asked Brandes for his driver’s license, he said he did not have one. Cotner asked Brandes to have a seat in his patrol vehicle, leaving his female passen-ger in the pickup. Cotner observed that Brandes had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage about his breath and person, watery blood-shot eyes, constricted pupils and thick slurred speech. Cotner fur-ther observed Brandes to be mak-ing constant furtive movements with his hands, arms and legs.

Trooper Cotner asked Brandes if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages prior to driving. Brandes

confirmed he had consumed a large amount of beer the previous night. A check for Brandes driver’s li-cense history showed he had a New Mexico driver’s license flagged as suspended. Cotner administered the standardized field sobriety test. Brandes had difficulty with the various tests. Brandes consented to a preliminary breath test, which Cotner administered.

Cotner asked Brandes if he was under the influence of any medica-tion or illicit substance. Brandes sid he smoked marijuana the pre-vious night. When asked if he had consumed any methamphetamine, Brandes stated, “No.”

Cotner placed Brandes un-der arrest for suspicion of driv-ing under the influence. He asked Brandes if he had anything illegal in his vehicle to which Brandes replied, “I think there’s a bong in the back seat.” Cotner asked the female passenger to exit the pickup and then performed a search. He discovered an open and partially

consumed can of Budweiser in the floorboard of the back seat of the truck. He found the bong (a device commonly used in the consump-tion of marijuana) that contained a burnt leafy substance with an odor consistent with marijuana. Cotner also found a small wooden grinder containing a dried green leafy sub-stance that he recognized as mari-juana.

Cotner released the female passenger and allowed her to take possession of Brandes’ truck at his request. Brandes was taken to the Woods County Jail where he was booked into the jail. Reviewing Brandes’ criminal history, Cotner found he has multiple convictions for DUI (driving under the influ-ence) and DUS (driving under sus-pension).

Brandes has been charged with felony DUI – intoxicating sub-stance, as well as two misdemean-ors of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a driver’s license.

More than speeding

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December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 3

From Front Page

Council

Woods County Forecast

See DNA Page 7Other Business

The mayor’s appointment of Lynda Martin to the Alva Cemetery Board was approved by the coun-cil. She will take the place of Fred Jungman, who has served 15 years on the board.

All council members were present for the meeting. They ap-proved minutes of the last meeting and voted to pay claims totaling $146,518.50.

Councilmember Wes Miller asked who among the council members were reading their pack-ets of information about the meet-ings. Fewer than half raised their hands. Miller suggested the amount of paper used might be wasteful. Mayor Chaffee proposed the packet of information might be posted on the Internet. Dunham said the pack-ets could be sent by email or posted on the Internet.

Alva Utility AuthorityThe same members met as the

Alva Utility Authority following council adjournment. They ap-proved minutes of the last meet-ing and payment of claims totaling $80,244.60.

Alva Economic Development Authority

The Alva Economic Develop-ment Authority convened for the last meeting of the evening. They approved minutes from the previ-ous meeting and paid claims of $29,065.51.

would be “artistic permanent sig-nage, not your banner type sig-nage.” She said they would seek help from Oklahoma-based art-ists and fabricators in designing the signs. The expected locations would be along College Boulevard (South US 281), near the Runny-mede at Fourth and Flynn, and at the corner of College Avenue and Flynn.

The anticipated cost is $50,000. The application to the National En-dowment for the Arts is for $25,000. The group has already secured half the matching funds ($12,500) from private donors. They plan to ap-proach the City of Alva Tourism Tax Committee for the remaining $12,500.

Decker said the city would be asked for input on the site location for the signs and perhaps some help with installation of signage.

First Year PlansThe Cultural Enterprise District

lists seven items as goals for its first year. The Phase 1 list includes:

• Establish a standing commit-tee for arts and culture at the Cham-

ber of Commerce• Acquire funds to design and

install gateway signage to the Downtown Square Arts District

• Develop an incentive package to attract businesses to the down-town district

• Publicize a community arts and culture calendar annually

• Increase the inventory of pub-lic art in the downtown arts district

• Develop an improvement plan for the courthouse lawn green-space and stage area

• Pass or enforce ordinances to require property maintenance for retail structures and to improve downtown aesthetics

The steering committee notes that other goals may be determined over time. The program is designed to strengthen the community’s abil-ity to capture sales tax revenue, increase arts related programming, support children/youth arts devel-opment and strengthen the connec-tions between visitors to the com-munity, and the university’s student body, faculty and staff with the Downtown Arts District.

From Front Page Partners

By Jaime AdameOklahoma Watch

For Maggie Zingman, the scenario is clear, al-though still just a hope.

A man is arrested on criminal charges in Okla-

homa and booked into jail. Officers swab the inside of his cheek, and a DNA profile extracted from the swab is submitted to a DNA data-base.

Later, in Tulsa, authorities or-der a routine check to compare DNA evidence from a 2004 rape and murder to profiles in the DNA database. And this time they get a hit: The man booked into jail be-comes the prime suspect in the un-solved rape and murder of 18-year-old Brittany Phillips, Zingman’s daughter.

“I won’t stop,” said Zingman, referring to her efforts to catch her daughter’s killer and to advocate for expanding DNA collection. “The sooner we can change these laws, the sooner parents won’t have to go through what I’ve gone through.”

Zingman, 58, a psychologist, has been on a crusade for years to have Oklahoma require that DNA be collected from suspects at the time of arrest, not just conviction, for certain crimes. Now the pos-sibility that the state Legislature will pass such a law may be greater than ever, thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld collection of DNA from arrestees.

However, the proposal, which was introduced but not voted on in the last regular state legislative ses-sion, still faces two major hurdles.

One is opposition from civil-rights groups worried that ex-panded DNA collection will vio-late the privacy rights of people who haven’t been convicted of any crime. Legal challenges to DNA collection from arrestees continue, including a major case in Califor-nia.

The second issue is cost. Okla-homa already faces a backlog in processing DNA from crime scenes and convicted offenders, with authorities relying heavily on federal funding to process samples. It’s unclear how collection of addi-tional DNA samples from arrestees would be paid for.

DNA Collection ExpandsMore than two dozen states

have approved the gathering of “ar-restee DNA” under varying rules, including Louisiana, Texas, Kan-sas, Arkansas and New Mexico. Oklahoma collects a small number of DNA samples from arrestees who are in the country illegally.

The Oklahoma bill proposes to expand DNA collection to those arrested on suspicion of commit-ting felonies or 18 misdemeanor crimes. DNA would be collected at the initial court appearance.

“The legislation passed com-mittee, and when it was brought to the floor, I had several people who questioned whether or not it was

constitutional,” said the bill’s au-thor, Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond.

In June, the U.S Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold the legality of a Maryland law that allows DNA to be collected upon arrest, rejecting the argument that swabbing consti-tutes an illegal search. The decision opens the door to more widespread collection of arrestees’ DNA.

Jolley said he plans to push for his legislation again in the 2014 session.

Oklahoma ProposalOklahoma first established a

DNA database in the mid-1990s, entering the profiles of criminals convicted of the most violent of-fenses. In 2006, a law took effect that expanded collection to incar-cerated and newly convicted fel-ons. Since 2009, collection has been expanded to include those convicted of various misdemean-ors, including domestic abuse, resisting arrest, lower-level drug possession and DUIs that result in personal injury.

DNA database matches have aided 1,431 Oklahoma investiga-tions so far, according to FBI re-cords updated in September.

Last year, Oklahoma authorities gathered about 7,600 new DNA samples from convicted offenders, submitting them for analysis to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investi-gation. DNA profiles become part of the FBI’s national DNA system.

Jolley’s bill proposes expand-ing DNA collection to arrestees for the same types of crimes for which DNA is obtained from convicted offenders.

If the bill passes, the number of tests would likely increase, al-though exactly how many is un-known because many arrestees are ultimately convicted and have their DNA collected anyway.

Last year, about 24,400 arrests, including of repeat offenders, were made in Oklahoma for the FBI in-

dex crimes of murder, rape, rob-bery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and ar-son, according to FBI data. For all crimes, there were 142,976 arrests.

Civil-Rights IssueAdvocates of obtaining DNA

from arrestees say it will help solve serious crimes. They equate taking a simple cheek swab from a suspect to taking fingerprints. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the court’s ma-jority opinion that the practice “is a reasonable search that can be con-sidered part of a routine booking procedure.”

Civil-rights advocates view the effort as invasive, pointing out that suspects are innocent un-til proven guilty and a database of many Americans’ DNA could lead to abuses. African-Americans also could be disproportionately affect-ed because they are arrested more often, opponents warn.

“This will solve some extra crimes, to be sure. But so would taking your DNA whenever you fly on an airplane,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in dissent.

In most states that collect DNA upon arrest, the DNA is supposed to be expunged if charges are dis-missed or the suspect is acquitted. But in 18 states the accused must initiate the expungement, and few expungements occur in those states, according to study released in May by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C., group.

In Oklahoma, Jolley’s bill didn’t outline expungement re-quirements, stating that those rules would be set by the OSBI.

Brady Henderson, legal direc-tor for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, said the group sees a big distinction between gathering DNA from suspects in rape and murder cases, where DNA can play a vital role in proving the case, and collecting it from the ac-cused in a wide variety of crimes.

Henderson said he worries about government having an atti-tude to “collect all this stuff on the off chance that we need it.”

He added that he thinks the is-sue of collecting arrestees’ DNA will wind up again before the Su-preme Court.

In California, a legal brief filed in a challenge to the arrestee DNA law points out that the Maryland

law considered by the high court covers only “a small set of very se-rious felonies” while California’s applies to all felonies.

Questions of CostCost could be a large barrier to

expanding DNA collection.Jolley’s bill did not set aside

funding to pay for additional DNA tests, although “I think the state has to pay for the testing,” Jolley said. “I don’t think that’s something that the local law enforcement agencies should be expected to do.”

No state study has been con-ducted on the potentially higher costs.

“Clearly, when we talk about passing it, it will probably include language, ‘contingent on the avail-ability of funding,’” Jolley said.

Ryan Porter, a forensic biology supervisor with the OSBI, said it costs $15.10 for the state’s crime lab to process a convicted-offender sample, and that is based only on the cost of materials.

Oklahoma now relies heavily on federal funding to handle DNA cases whose numbers have grown in part because law-enforcement agencies have increased their col-lection of crime-scene DNA evi-dence.

As of September, Oklahoma’s FBI-linked database had 116,977 profiles of individuals and 3,583 forensic profiles taken from crime scenes.

The OSBI is working with law enforcement groups to reduce the number of unnecessary crime-scene samples submitted by agen-cies.

J.D. Lindstrom, a DNA expert with OSBI, said in a research report last year to the National Institute of Justice that because of expanded DNA collection and no additional funding, the OSBI relies signifi-cantly on federal grants to pay for DNA analysis.

In the last three years, the OSBI was awarded federal grants totaling about $1.9 million. The most recent grant of $611,521 pays for three technicians’ salaries as well as sup-plies.

Without the federal funding, “the OSBI would have to drasti-cally reduce the number of DNA cases and database samples being processed,” the bureau’s 2013 grant

Should Oklahoma collect DNA from arrestees?

Sunday Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.

Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 9. Wind chill values as low as -2. Calm wind becoming north northeast 5 to 8 mph after midnight.

Monday Sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as -2. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm.

Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 14. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tuesday Sunny, with a high

near 39.Tuesday Night Partly cloudy,

with a low around 23.Christmas Day Partly sunny,

with a high near 41.Wednesday Night Partly

cloudy, with a low around 22.Thursday Mostly sunny,

with a high near 36.Thursday Night Partly

cloudy, with a low around 21.Friday Mostly sunny, with a

high near 43.Friday Night Partly cloudy,

with a low around 29.Saturday Sunny, with a high

near 46.

In 2013, the average cost of attendance at a Regional University System of Oklahoma institution was half of the national average of $23,200 as reported by CNN Money. That means 38 percent of all Oklahoma graduates paid nearly half the national average for their education. At Northwestern Oklahoma State University, the current average cost of atten-dance is only $10,350 per year.

Part of how we help keep the cost affordable is our continual evaluation of cost savings and efficiencies. The six regional universities are saving more than $47 million through energy initiatives, reduced administrative expenses and information technology savings. Costs are also offset by seeking research funding to sup-plement state appropriations. Last year regional university institutions received more than $33 million in grants.

The Regional University System’s network of universities and sat-ellite locations located

By Jim ScribnerI want to wish a merry Christmas, sea-

son’s greetings, happy holidays, feliz navidad (Spanish), buon natale (Italian), joyeux noël (French), frohe weihnachten (German), or

whatever floats your boat and is politically correct in your neighborhood to you and all your family.

This is a happy column, so nothing will be said about peo-ple that have no common sense when it comes to political cor-rectness, except I want you to

be happy. To me Christmas is divided into two holidays, as it were. The main and most impor-tant reason for the season is the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. It is very important for adult family members to retell the story of the glory of the birth to young people every year so it will be what they remember Christmas pri-marily for.

The other side of the Christmas is the com-mercial side. It is the biggest money maker, See Gems Page 7

but every holiday has a commercial side to it. I think it is in very poor taste to start Christmas sales and light displays before Thanksgiving, because Thanksgiving has a very important part in American history. It shows that regardless of race, we can get along and help each other.

I guess for both sides Christmas could be a year-round celebration and sale. There should really be a celebration of daily life for the man who gave his all for the human race. If there were year-round sales aimed at Christmas, the stress level for about half the population would drop dramatically.

I was visiting with a friend about Christmas, when I mentioned that I did believe in Santa because I have been him for so many years, but he really had little to do with Jesus. My friend gave a perspective I had never thought of be-fore. Jesus gave us his promise of eternal life without asking anything in return. Santa Clause (as whoever is acting in his behalf) gives gifts to children everywhere without asking for any-thing in return. Works for me.

By Byron York“The only alternative that

Obamacare’s critics have is, well, ‘let’s just go back to the status quo,’” said President Obama re-cently, “be-cause they sure haven’t

presented an alternative.”It’s an argument Democrats

make all the time – often, these days, to divert attention from the ongoing problems of their troubled national health care scheme. But still, why haven’t Republicans presented an al-ternative to Obamacare?

GOP leaders would protest immediately: They have come up with dozens of health care bills, only to see them rejected

Junkman’s Gems

This is a happy column

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 4

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See York Page 5

by Democrats. But the fact is, Republicans have not united behind a single health care proposal, even as millions of Americans would like to see what they’ve got. Why?

For one thing, they don’t believe in the Obamacare ap-proach. At the time of the Af-fordable Care Act’s debate and passage, about 85 percent of Americans had health cov-erage. Given that, conserva-tives simply would not create a sprawling, comprehensive, intrusive, bureaucratic, loaded-with-unintended-consequenc-es plan to achieve an (incom-plete) semblance of universal coverage.

So they won’t ever have their own version of Obam-acare. Rather, they favor tar-geted attempts to solve specific problems. Like fixing the tax inequities between people who receive coverage through their jobs and those who buy it on the individual market. Setting up mechanisms through which people with pre-existing con-ditions can purchase coverage. Allowing the purchase of in-surance across state lines. Do-ing something about outsized medical malpractice awards.

Mention those proposals to Democrats, and they’ll scoff. They’re the same-old, same-old GOP hobbyhorses that will leave millions of Americans without health insurance.

But the fact is, the health care debate has changed. It has been changed by the mil-lions who have had their health coverage canceled and who face higher premiums, higher deductibles, narrower doctor networks, diminished choices of prescription drugs and other burdens. The situation is so serious that Obamacare might actually create more uninsured by January 2014.

That is precisely the oppo-site of the stated intent of the Affordable Care Act. And it changes the political argument. When Democrats mock Re-publican plans to fix specific health care problems as too limited, Republicans can now cite the millions of Americans facing new burdens under the Democratic scheme. Why not try something different, and less damaging?

Of course Obama will nev-er give up Obamacare. But the public might, if Republicans have something better.

Now, many House Republi-cans have gotten behind a plan. The American Health Care Re-form Act, H.R. 3121, includes

GOP rank-and-file quietly builds an Obamacare alternative

See Costs Page 15

By Richard OgdenRecently the U.S. Department of Education

announced the results of the National Post-secondary Student Aid Study that showed the average price of attending a four-year public college or university has jumped $1,700 in the last four years. The results highlight the finan-cial challenges of higher education. But as the concern for increasing college costs and subse-quent student debt continues, Oklahomans can be reassured that within our state they can still get an affordable, quality education.

As the largest four-year university system in the state, the Regional University System of Oklahoma governs six of the state’s univer-sities: East Central University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State Uni-versity, Southwestern Oklahoma State Univer-sity and the University of Central Oklahoma. Together these institutions enrolled more than 50,000 students this year.

Oklahoma’s regional universities below national average for college costs

Annie’s Mailbox®

Forgiveness can take a long time

From Page 4 York

Dear Annie: Four months ago, I foolishly accused my 22-year-old daughter of something of which she was innocent. She was deep-ly hurt. I tearfully told her many times over several days how sorry I am. I begged for forgiveness. She said she is not capable of forgiving once she is hurt so much.

My daughter is engaged and planning a simple wedding cer-emony in a church next summer. She has become distant and with-drawn, and there is no warmth like there was before. She tells me she is trying hard to get closer and hopes one day to forgive me and has asked for my patience.

My daughter is adopted. Be-fore our falling out, her biologi-cal father and I were supposed to walk her down the aisle together. It would be one of the greatest honors of my life. My fear now is that there will be no reconciliation before the wedding. I would not be able to walk her down the aisle, nor even attend her wedding under these circumstances.

My wife and my daughter’s fiance have told her she needs to forgive me, but it hasn’t happened. While I hope she finds it in her heart to do so before the wedding, what should I do if that doesn’t happen? – Bereft in California

Dear Bereft: Forgiveness can take a long time, depending upon the offense and the personalities involved. Add to that the stress of planning a wedding, and your

daughter may be overwhelmed and unable to deal appropriately with the complications of your re-lationship. But weddings also can encourage people to reconcile, and we hope that will happen. There is still time.

Unless you are specifically told not to come to the wedding, please attend, even if you don’t have the opportunity to walk the bride down the aisle. Your presence is a show of support for her and also an act of contrition that you are willing to be there in spite of being “demoted” from father of the bride to guest.

Dear Annie: My partner and I moved into our house a year ago. So far, we have met only one of our neighbors. Would it be OK to give some of the others a Christ-mas card to try to open up a line of friendship? We are a gay couple and don’t wish to offend anyone. – Trying To Be a Friendly Neighbor

Dear Trying: It is never inap-propriate to send holiday greet-ings to your neighbors. Those who don’t wish to communicate will not respond. Those who do are likely to send a card in return or at the very least acknowledge you when they see you. But keep in mind that some people are sim-ply busy, go in and out of garages, and rarely have the opportunity to see or chat with their neighbors. Please don’t assume it’s personal. If you want to know them better, invite them for coffee or host a

neighborhood party.Dear Annie: “Loving Daugh-

ter” couldn’t understand why her aunts and uncles didn’t offer sup-port during her mother’s illness. Here’s another side to that story:

I have two brothers. The young-er one and I are close, but my older brother has always been distant. About 30 years ago, he moved 750 miles away and said he was never coming back. Both of my parents passed away before he returned to town. I have spoken to him once in the past 15 years, and he told me he was angry because he thought I was Mother’s favorite.

He was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, and his daugh-ter (whom I met once 40 years ago) thinks we should rush to his bedside. He is in a drug-induced coma, wouldn’t know we were there and wouldn’t want us there. We are not going, and the daughter probably wonders why. – Siblings Don’t Have To Love Each Other

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Land-ers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@com-cast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mail-box, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. To find out more about An-nie’s Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.cre-ators.com.

many of the GOP’s standard health care prescriptions. It starts by re-pealing Obamacare, then includes a tax fairness provision, state lines provision, high-risk-pool provi-sion, malpractice provision, and others.

It’s not the perfect bill. Con-servative writer Ramesh Ponnuru questions some of its tax provisions and its malpractice plan, but still concludes, “Even with these flaws, though, the Republican plan is su-perior to Obamacare.”

The bill is the work of the House Republican Study Committee, led by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. It has 116 co-sponsors, which is an im-portant number because it is more than half the Republican caucus in the GOP-controlled House.

“We’re at a majority of the majority who support the bill,” says one well-connected Hill aide. “We’ve had a number of members of the Republican Study Commit-tee who have expressed to House

leadership a desire to vote on an Obamacare alternative.”

But so far the House GOP lead-ership has been uninterested in go-ing forward with that alternative. Leadership sources say their focus is on Obamacare, and the hope of forcing some Democrats to aban-don the law. Others point to short-comings with H.R. 3121’s funding provisions. Still others say unit-ing behind a bill would just give Democrats a new target. And others argue no proposal is capable of at-tracting the 217 GOP votes needed for House passage.

The fact is, top House Republi-cans don’t seem to be pushing very hard to build support for a GOP alternative. But it is time to move. Obamacare has weakened Demo-crats, weakened the president, weakened the idea of a comprehen-sive national health care plan. And that is an opportunity for Republi-

cans.“What Obamacare has done for

the Republican Party is that Ameri-cans really want to hear what they have to say about health care,” says one GOP strategist.

The bill’s authors have asked Obama for a meeting to discuss health care. They can forget about that. But they are still going for-ward. A powerful committee chair-man, Rep. Fred Upton of the Ener-gy and Commerce Committee, has asked the Congressional Budget Office to score the bill, which will yield an estimate of its budgetary effects. And they will continue to gather sponsors.

It might turn out Republicans will finally produce their long-awaited alternative – whether lead-ership wants it or not.

(Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner.)

By Tom and Ray MagliozziDear Tom and Ray:I am an old-timer and have

driven manual transmissions since the late ‘60s. In those days, I was told that it is not good to leave the clutch depressed when at a stoplight, as it would prematurely

wear out the throw-out bearing. I am now driving a 2009 Mini Cooper with a six-speed manual transmission, and I’m wondering if this old rule still applies. Or has modern technology improved to the point where this is no longer an issue? Thank you! – Joe

TOM: No. Modern technology has not improved to the point where this is not an issue.

RAY: In other words, it’s still an issue.

TOM: In fact, back in the late ‘60s, it was far easier to change a release (aka throw-out) bearing when one went bad. Many simple, rear-wheel-drive cars from that era had transmissions that you could take out with half a dozen bolts.

RAY: Or, put a less-appealing way, the transmission could fall out of the car if only half a dozen bolts worked themselves loose!

TOM: On some cars, like Chryslers and AMCs, you could have the transmission out and on the floor, and a new release bearing in, in half an hour!

RAY: These days, it’s a nightmare. You have to pull the sub frame down, and sometimes you have to pull the engine and

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 5

Click and Clack Talk Cars

Old clutch idea still holds true

transmission together. So you want to do everything you can to prolong your release bearing’s existence.

TOM: To do that, you do exactly what you’ve been doing since the ‘60s, Joe: You don’t sit at a traffic light with your foot on the clutch; instead, put the transmission in neutral, and take your foot off the clutch pedal. Your release bearing is working only when the clutch pedal is depressed.

RAY: By the way, if a customer ever does need a release bearing these days, we will always put in a completely new clutch at the same time. With all that labor involved, you’d be really ticked off if you replaced the release bearing only to have the clutch fail six months later.

TOM: And the reverse is true, too. If a person needs a clutch, we always put in a new release bearing at the same time.

RAY: But at $1,800 for a clutch job these days, you want to put it off as long as possible. So rest that left leg, Joe.

* * *To buy or not to buy – options,

that is. Are options worth what you pay for them, or are you better off just going with the basics? Order Tom and Ray’s pamphlet “Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?” to find out. Send $4.75 (check or money order) to Next Car, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

***Get more Click and Clack in

their new book, “Ask Click and Clack: Answers from Car Talk.” Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or email them by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.

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December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 6

Senior citizen report

See Mrs. Benson Page 11

By Betty RigginsFriday, Dec. 13, was another

chilly day and the attendance was fairly good with a tasty fish dinner plus salad bar and soup. Ruth Woodson brought her son, Paul, as her guest for a few days. It is always great to have family for the holiday.

Monday was a nice day again with a good attendance and good meal. We have a new helper in the kitchen again and he is doing great. We just about get these young men trained then we lose them for no reason, so we are down to two again. Nita is on vacation for two weeks so Johnette, our new cook’s helper, is doing the cooking. She is doing a great job.

Tuesday was another beautiful

day and we had a good attendance again. We need to keep up our count at the center, so drop in to eat and visit. We had great entertainment, as Davis Shaw from Waynoka came and sang Christmas songs.

Wednesday turned out to be a beautiful day but I think it is getting ready for a change. We had another good turnout with breakfast for lunch. This is liked by many. Then Mrs. Tyree’s kindergarten class from Washington School was here to sing Christmas songs. This was very interesting and cute as the little children are wonderful.

Thursday was another nice day but had a low count at the center as the Red Hat ladies were out on their monthly outing. We had Ricky Obermeier as a guest of Norm

Lancaster. He will be here for the holidays. Several of our seniors have their children here for the holiday as this is what makes the holidays so great.

Next week we will have our Christmas dinner on Tuesday plus Fred Riggins will come to entertain for us. We will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, so come in on Friday, Dec. 26, to eat with us. We will have our covered dish dinner Friday night at 6:30 p.m. if it is not too cold and snowy.

We have noodles for sale at $4 per bag.

We received some nice donations last week and we are so thankful for these as we can get some things we need. For those that donated, thank you much.

By Betty RigginsThe Alva Red Hatters ventured

out to Share Convalescent Home to dine in a very attractive and pleasant atmosphere. We were served a very delicious dinner by the hostesses, Jane Gaskill, Jennifer Horn, Melis-sa Headlee, Rita Goodrich, Teresa Rogge and Diana Dupree. This was a New York style meal enjoyed by all the Red Hatters. Those attend-ing this outing were Frieda Graves, Lois Brown, Betty Riggins, Ar-lene Boham, Sherry Dee Harzman,

Joan Nelson, Jeanie Wunschell, Leigh Kelly, Irene Bush, Marcille Lancaster, Donna Clark and Twila Lancaster. Guests from the nursing home with red and purple hats were Norma Hall, Cleo Redgate, San-dra Halling, Leola Haltom, Jackie Sherrell, Reta Jackson, Esther Clemenna, Mildred Johnson, Jean Schwerdtfeger, Jeanette Detwiler and Letha Hall. If you would like to join us next month come to the Sandwich Shoppe. We would love to have you. Wear a red hat.

Red Hat Scarlet ladies

Dec. 23 to Dec. 27, 2013Woods County Senior Citizens

Monday – Hamburger, onion. lettuce, french fries, brownie

Tuesday – Roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables,

cranberries, roll, cakeWednesday – ClosedThursday – ClosedFriday – Krispy fish, oven fried

potatoes, broccoli, bread, chocolate pudding

Thirteen members of the Petunia Unit of the Alva Garden Club coun-cil attended the December meeting. Leigh Kelley, Donna Schwerdt-feger, Cindy Self, Eleanor Ring, Jo Ann Price, Susie Koontz, Carol Grover, Marilyn Davison, Shirley Cummings, Wanda Cox, Jo Ann Cole, Carol Anderson and Connie Allen met for coffee at the home of hostess Jo Ann Cole before car-pooling to the Honey Wheat Café in Waynoka. Members met in the back meeting room, which was decorated with red table covers for Christmas. Hostess Jo Ann Cole presented ev-eryone with an herbal sachet favor, designed to repel clothes moths, made from her own herbs.

The meeting was brought to or-der by President Wanda Cox. Susie Koontz read the gardener’s creed.

As Secretary Barbara Case was

not in attendance due to her im-pending knee surgery, minutes were read by Susie Koontz and approved as read.

The treasurer’s report was pre-sented by Jo Ann Cole, and will be filed for audit.

Connie Allen reported on the Blue Star program of honoring vet-erans. Memorials are placed at sites of some military significance such as the one at Fort Supply. She will continue to investigate.

Jo Ann Cole reported that she and Betty McMurphy selected an Angel from the Senior Citizen An-gel Tree and purchased the request-ed gifts.

Susie Koontz reported that the museum tree committee of Jo Ann Cole, Barbara Case, Janet Wanger, Susie Koontz and Wanda Cox met at the home of Jo Ann Cole. Mem-

bers made tea bag decorations and decorated paper cut outs of hats and antique shoes to decorate this year’s tree. On Nov. 21, committee members met at the museum and decorated the tree. Extra greenery, poinsettias and tea pots provided by Barbara and Janet complete the tea party theme. Members were en-couraged to visit the museum, and vote on their favorite tree.

The program was given by Car-ol Grover, who read a book entitled ”Why the Donkey was Chosen,” by Christopher Gregorowski.

Connie Allen had a contest of “Who Has the Birthday Closest to July 24 to Determine the Winner of the November Gardener’s Gift.” Jo Ann Cole had a drawing for the December Gardener’s Gift. Donna Schwerdtfeger was the lucky recipi-ent of both.

‘Why the donkey was chosen’

Dear Santa,Can you please get me a real

turtle shell for my collection and an action figure of Si?

Your friend,Harley Shiplet

Mrs. FieldsSecond gradeLongfellow School

Dear Santa,This year I would like every

child to get a good toy and I want a good toy to just like my brother. I hope the reindeer don’t get to cold.

Love, Ethan

Dear Santa,This year I would love to meet

One Direction or I would love to meet J.B. How are the reindeer? How is Mrs. Caluse? I would love if my friend Kinsy could come with me to meet One Direction.

Love, Breanna

Dear Santa,I would Love if you would bing

ne a zike and a zike and a crazy crat. can you see how the raindeer and Mrs. Claus is boing.

Love, Miles Tyree

Dear Santa, This year I would like a mon-

goos bike, and a eletrick scooter. Happy new year

Love, parker

Dear Santa,This year I would like a furdy

party rooker and a fur friend and a zoomies I wish you a Merry Christ-mas. good luck Mrs. Clause and Mr. Santa

Love, Lexi

Dear Santa,This year I would be delighted

to have a cute fluffy little puppy for Shristmas because I want a friend with me at my house. Happy Holi-days.

Love, Cynthia

Dear Santa.I would like and art Kit, and a

ps$. I would like a pare of black and red bets. The game for the ps4 is NBA 2 K-14. Place Call of Duty ghost for the ps4. place a iphon 5. place some cloths. I hope every one has a nice christmas.

Love, Jaxon

Dear Santa,Dec, 12-9-13. For Christmas I want a furby

boom! I want a zoomer, it can do tricks I really want both of those things if you have a chance to make them please do. Oh I almost forgot Merry Christmas! Ho Ho Ho! Best Wishes santa.

Love, Kinsey Harzman

Dear Santa,0December 4, 2013This year I would like to have a

new NFL game on XBOX, And it’s on TV on comershells. I also want a skylanders Swap-Force character. He is a wizard in the magic sorce. And he was the same wepon in both of his hands. He also has a hood.

Love, Weston

Dear Santa,This year I would like to have a

boy puppy that is brown so my dog would have a friend, and I would like to have a red bike with a bas-ket in front. I would like to have a wagon that is made of wood.

Love, Alaina Pierce

Dear Santa,This year I only want 3 differ-

ent charecters on Skylanders Swap Force.

Love, Travis hazelwood

Dear Santa, This year I want CoD ghosts,

PS4 x-box one. I know it’s a small list.

Love, Reichen Kraft

Dear Santa,I would like a xbox 360 four-

wheeler. I also want a NBA jersey, red beats, a new I pod with a NBA case. Have a Merry Christmas.

Love, Drew

Dear Santa,Dec. 12-9-13I want a little Beonsa it is a kind

of dog. I want a ferby boom. A kit and a babby Bunny or a hors. Have a Marry Crismus.

Love,Bailey

Mrs. Webster Third grade Longfellow School

Dear Santa, Hello! How have you been? I

have been very good this year! I hope your reindeer leave cookies and milk for you for the reindeer I’ll leave carrots so they won’t get hungry. this year for Christ-mas I would like: Xbox one, Lego Avengers, and football 14.

Sincerely, Tatum Creswell

Dear Santa, How are you and Mrs. Claus?

I wish to all boys and girls to be good. How are the reindeer? I have been very good. I want a hundred dollars and a crazy caut.

Sincerely, Aiden Faison

Dear Santa, How are you and Mrs. Claus?

Do you like milk and cook-

ies? How long does it take to get around the world? Minster Santa, can I have a horse barn, horse britells, and horse sadals. Then I want a play set of horses. Now I want love.

Love, Hallie Hamilton

Dear Santa, Do I get a extra present? What

I like for Christmas is a new bike and a nentendo 3ds.

Your Friend,Andrew Barton

Dear Santa, Have I been good? How many

cookies do you want? For Christ-mas I want a summer riding camp lego set, all the play mobil lego sets, and all to Bill Wallace books. You might see me under the tree. I want a real monkey please! My dad has a Santa radar so I can see you! I want all of the perk stuff.

Love, Erica Coday

Dear Santa, How are you Santa? How is the

reindeer and the elfs? What I want is a art kit and a bunny and candy. My teacher is the best third grade teacher ever. My family is special. Merry Christmas.

Sincerely, Jennifer Guerra

Dear Santa, How are you and Mrs. Claus?

How are the reindeer and the elfs? I have been a little bad and good. I want a dollhouse and a dirt bike

and a wig and a real cook stand, and two diamond rings and a purse and some pink boots and a coat and a hello kitty backpack and a real maggick wand.

I hope you and Mrs. Claus have a grat Chrismus and here is a song, fireside is blizzing bright and we carry throughout the night and this Chrismas will be a very speshell Chrismus to me. Hay I hope you like it.

Love, Clarissa Mathers

Dear Santa, What kind of cookies do you

like? How have the elfs been do-ing? How is Mrs. Claus doing? For my Christmas list I would want a airsoft gun and a new rifle and some serprizes for Christmas. I wish that I could see Santa Claus in person. I don’t believe in the videos that they take because you don’t go untell everyone is asleep right Santa. I hope you come to my house Santa I have been good. I wish for a Meary Christmas to all. But I want to see you or hear you Santa.

Love, Dylan Wickham

Dear Santa, How is Mrs. Claus? Do you

like chocolatechip cookies? I have been very good this year. What are your Reindeer’s names? I don’t hnow what I want this year. Maybe I just want some suprises. Bullet is doing good at hideing. But today I

Mrs. Benson Third grade Longfellow

application states.The bureau’s biology and DNA

database operations have recently suffered a net $200,000 budget cut, said Porter, of the OSBI.

The federal grants aim to reduce backlogged cases. At the end of last year, the OSBI had a backlog of 22 convicted-offender samples more than 30 days old. Its backlog of forensic biology and crime-scene DNA totaled 450 cases, a 70 per-cent increase over the previous year.

Convicted offenders pay for some of the costs. People submit-ting samples under state law are required to pay $15 to cover col-lection costs, unless the sample is

taken at the Department of Correc-tions’ intake facility.

In the end, a key question is whether expanding DNA collection to arrestees will improve public safety to an extent worth the cost in dollars and risks to privacy.

In a 2009 study on gathering ar-restees’ DNA, the Denver District Attorney’s Office reported it identi-fied five men who had been arrest-ed without having DNA collected, then later committed violent crimes that weren’t initially solved. With crime-scene evidence from those crimes, the cases “could have been solved immediately through a DNA match” to a DNA profile collected at the earlier arrest, the report said.

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 7

From Page 4 Costs

From Page 4 GemsJack was in front of me com-

ing out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. The preacher grabbed Jack by the hand and pulled him aside. The pastor said to him, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!” Jack replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” Pastor questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” Jack whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”

After being away on business for a week before Christmas, Tom thought it would be nice to bring his wife a little gift. “How about some perfume?” he asked the cosmet-

ics clerk. She showed him a bottle costing $50. “That’s a bit much,” said Tom, so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30. “That’s still quite a bit,” Tom groused. Growing disgusted, the clerk brought out a tiny $15 bottle. Tom grew agitated, “What I mean,” he said, “is I’d like to see something real cheap.” So the clerk handed him a mirror.

I hope you and yours have a great holiday season and a happy new year.

around the state also helps college accessibility. Students who cannot attend college farther away due to job, family or financial circum-stances still have the opportunity to earn an accredited four-year degree through classroom and online in-struction.

Together these positively im-pact the affordability of a college degree, as evident in our low stu-dent college debt ratio. While stu-dents in the Regional University System of Oklahoma pay half of the cost of their education compared to the national average, a significant number of our graduates incur no college debt. Oklahoma students have the eighth lowest debt average

in the nation. At Northwestern, 57 percent of graduates leave without any debt.

There is no doubt that getting a college degree increases earn-ing potential. Studies show that on average a person with a bachelor’s degree earns $1.1 million more in a lifetime than a high school gradu-ate. But as college tuition continues to rise, more students are forced to make hard decisions about whether they can afford to invest in a col-lege degree.

We also are concerned about the impact of the nation’s rising cost of college tuition, which is why we are below the national average. The Regional University System

of Oklahoma believes every per-son deserves the opportunity to in-crease their knowledge and earning potential, and as responsible stew-ards we will continue to make de-cisions that keep college affordable and accessible.

Richard Ogden is the chairman of the Board of Regents, Regional University System of Oklahoma.

The Urban Institute report, however, found that to date no sys-tematic study has been conducted confirming the public-safety ben-efits of collecting arrestees’ DNA.

“The question is, what’s the tradeoff? Where’s the money not going?” said Julie Samuels, a se-nior fellow at the Urban Institute who helped author the study. “Are there better places in law enforce-ment to spend it?”

Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism on important public-policy issues facing the state. For more Okla-homa Watch content, go to www.oklahomawatch.org.

From Page 3 DNA

Girl Scouts helping package food for Kids Against Hunger are (back row, left to right) Kendra Neilson and Christian McKinley, (second row) Leah Maier, Justine Meyer, Brooke Perez, Chesney Fouts, (third row) Brianna Sidders, Jaymee Meyer, Rylee Litton, Daylin Smart, Calissa Fouts, (fourth row) Sarena McLel-land, Hailey Weber, Jonella Dunham, Mia Jones, Jenna Maier, Hayli Watkins, Kylie Schneider, Isabella Stout, Jazmine Vest, Autumn Stout, Brianna Wilhite, KyLee Corr, (fifth row) Lyndsie Vickers, Kaitlyn Rhodes, Morgan Hall, Isabella Rock, Bridget Wilhite, Hannah Reiman, Keondrah Ferrying, (sixth row) Samantha Hawley, Kaitlyn Meyer, Laura Anton, Kylie Malicoat, Hope Hall, Alyceia Stephens, Jocelyn Asebedo, Haley Wade, Laura Maharry, Bethany Towns, (seventh row) Preslie Jones, Halli Jeansonne, Kayla Wallis, Samantha Bowden, Myka Lowery, Alexis Malicoat, Endiya Murry-Jones, (eighth row) Vic-torya Shafer, Ember Sandoval, Julie Church, Addisann Weber, Aubrey Towns, Kendi Richardson, Grace Jeansonne, Jacqueline Church, (front row) Christina Jenlink and Emry Williams.

Girl Scouts from Alva, Chero-kee and Waynoka met at the Kids Against Hunger facility in Chero-kee to package food for those who don’t get enough to eat and need some extra help. The Girl Scouts do this community service project as part of their Christmas party.

This year the scouts had 70 people, from Daisies to adults, help with the packaging process.

While packaging the food, Mon-te Stewart, the director, stopped the scouts to announce that the facility had reached another milestone this year. They had packaged 1.5 mil-

lion meals. He also said that a million meals will be sent to Haiti from their facility alone this year. On Dec. 7 the Girl Scouts packaged enough food to feed 9,504 people making this the most food the scouts have packaged since helping with the Kids Against Hunger project.

Scouts, from Daisies to adults, package food

By Marione MartinAn Alva man has been charged

with obstruction following a traffic stop in Alva. According to court pa-pers, the incident occurred on Tues-day, Dec. 17, about 5:15 p.m. in the parking lot of Alva’s Market. Alva Police Officer Keith Dale conduct-ed a traffic stop in the parking lot.

As he spoke to the driver in his patrol vehicle, a man approached Dale’s driver’s side door. The man, later identified as Chase Colten Moore, 24, told Dale he had the driver’s license of the driver of the vehicle and handed it to him. Moore then demanded to know “what the problem is.” Dale told Moore the traffic stop did not concern him and he needed to walk away. Moore said he owned the vehicle. Dale said the license plate on the vehicle was one year out of date. He again told Moore to leave the area. Moore said the “receipt” was in the vehicle and began walking toward it. Dale instructed Moore not to approach the vehicle. Moore said he did not have to leave and could ask ques-tions if he wanted.

As Dale began to exit his vehi-cle, Moore began to walk away and

stated he was contacting his lawyer. Officer Jade Cardenas had ar-

rived to assist Dale with the two female occupants of the vehicle. Dale asked her to keep Moore away from the vehicle. Cardenas later told Dale that she instructed Moore to walk away from the traffic stop but he failed to do so. She said he took an aggressive step toward her and stated, “This is my car.” Carde-nas attempted to place Moore into handcuffs for officer safety when he began resisting by stiffening his arm.

Dale observed Cardenas’ at-tempt to handcuff Moore and place him in her patrol car. Dale left his patrol car and went to help. Moore again stiffened his arm, making it difficult for Dale to place him in handcuffs. Dale told him to loosen his arm, which he did. Moore said if Dale hurt him he would sue him. Moore was placed into two sets of handcuffs linked together and put in Cardenas’ patrol car. He was lat-er transported to the Woods County Jail.

On Dec. 18 Moore was charged with a misdemeanor of obstructing an officer.

Man arrested for interfering with traffic stop

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 8

Jaden Hobbs (#23) drives past a group of Lady Jackets for an easy two. The Ladybugs defeated a 5-0 Fairview 43-38 on Friday, Dec. 20. Hobbs scored a game-high of 24 points. Photo by Lynn L. Martin

Jeremiah Bozeman (#22) goes up for a jumper on a fast break past Jensen Smith (#15). The Goldbugs were just short for the win against the Fairview Yellow Jackets on Friday 52-51. Bozeman had the game-high score of 15 points. Photo by Lynn L. Martin

By Leslie NationThe Ladybugs basketball team

went head-to-head with another longtime rival for the first time this season. The Fairview Lady Yel-low Jackets were 5-0 going into the game on Friday and averag-ing nearly 60 points a game. It’s no surprise that not only was their undefeated record at stake, but fac-ing the No. 2 Ladybugs of Class 3A with a 7-0 record could make this a low-scoring game.

Since the weather was supposed to get worse for this weekend, the teams opted to start the game at 5:30 p.m. instead of the previously scheduled 6:30 p.m. Unfortunately I made it to just the final minute of the third quarter, so I’ll give you a play-by-play of the fourth.

Not only was it a low-scoring game, but the Ladybugs were cer-tainly challenging the Lady Jackets with a five-point lead over Fairview going into the fourth at 34-29.

It was almost a full three min-utes before Fairview’s Sadie Mason cut the lead to three with a layup. Over a minute later, Jaden Hobbs drew a foul and drained both foul shots, and Whitney Randall hit a jumper to increase their lead to seven.

With 2:01 left in the game, Syd-ney Hutchison of the Lady Jackets

hit a jumper from the top of the key and Abby Smith followed with a three to make it a two-point game at 38-36. But in order for Fairview to come out on top they had to force Alva to the charity line to get the possession back quickly with less than a minute left in the game. Hobbs was forced to shoot free throws three more times and made four of five. With Bailey Forell fouled on a layup with five seconds left, she missed the first and made the second to take a five-point win over the Lady Jackets, and give Fairview their first loss with the score 43-38.

Hobbs led the Ladybugs with a game-high of 24 points, and Alva is now 8-0 for the season going into their short reprieve. Forell was sec-ond team-high with nine points fol-lowed by Randall with eight.

For Fairview, Sadie Mason was the team-high scorer with 15 points. Smith included her nine points to Fairview’s score closely followed by Baylor Reese with eight.

The Ladybugs will come back to face Blackwell on the road at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 7. They stay on the road from Jan. 9-11 as they hit the Wheat Capital tournament in Chisholm. On Jan. 14 Alva will fi-nally come home to host Newkirk at 6:30 p.m.

Ladybugs take down the undefeated Lady Jackets

By Leslie NationThe Alva High School Gold-

bugs basketball team kept the lead throughout most of the game against Fairview Friday, but the Yellow Jackets stayed in stride to come out with an upset.

With just two lead changes in the first quarter, Alva led at the end of the first by four points. The game continued to be low scoring, but Fairview closed the gap to a two-point game at the end of the first half at 22-20 in Alva’s favor.

Sophomore Jeremiah Bozeman started out the second half with a needed three-pointer to increase Alva’s lead to five, but Fairview’s Jaden Dillard answered quickly with his own three. Bozeman hit another shot from beyond the arc, and Lane Madsen followed up with a foul shot to put them up by six.

With 3:39 left in the third, Boz-eman lit up from three-point range again to give Alva their last play of the quarter. Fairview answered back to trail the Goldbugs by just two with 1:42 left in the third and the score at 34-32.

The fourth quarter was a race to the wire between these two rivals, both fighting for a win. At 4:52 left in the game, Fairview took their second lead when Joel Kliewer drained a three. Trevor Johnson hit a three just 20 seconds later to tie it up at 42 and followed up with two foul shots to make it a two-point game. But a jumper and a foul shot from Ryan Baldwin put Fairview up by one with 2:19 left in the game.

Within the final minute and a half of the game, Fairview led 47-46 and Alva rallied to take back the lead. Flying down the court on a fast break after a turnover by the Yellow Jackets, Johnson found Ty Hooper open for an easy layup with just over 30 seconds left. An an-swering trey from Kliewer turned that one-point game in Alva’s favor to a two-point advantage for Fair-view. With the ball back in Alva’s

Goldbugs come up short against Fairview in nail-biter

possession and plenty of time on the play clock to get the lead back, Kliewer forced a turnover and drew the foul. Unfortunately for Alva they were in the bonus on fouls and Kliewer hit both his free throws to make it a two-possession game

with two seconds left. Though Fair-view was in the clear for the win, Bozeman sped down to the arc to hit his fourth three of the game as the Yellow Jackets took the win 52-51.

The Goldbugs were 46.3 per-cent in field goals over Fairview’s 39.1 percent. Bozeman led the Goldbugs with 15 points followed by Madsen with 11.

For Fairview, Kliewer led the way with 13, and 10 of those came in the fourth quarter. One other Yellow Jacket hit double-digits, as Braxton McCue added another 12 points to the score.

Alva High School resumes their season on Jan. 7 for a road game in Blackwell following the girls’ game. They hit the road again for the Wheat Capital tournament in Chisholm Jan. 9-11. The Goldbugs’ first home game will be Jan 14 as they host Newkirk after the girls.

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December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 9

Northwestern freshman JonReid Ross accepts a scholarship award from Upward Bound Director Jaunita Noble on behalf of the Okla-homa Division of Student Assistance. This scholarship will help Ross with the costs of his schooling during his first semester at Northwest-ern.

After filling out the application, writing two essays and answering numerous questions, Northwestern Oklahoma State University fresh-man JonReid Ross of Burlington finally heard the news he had been waiting for: the Oklahoma Division of Student Assistance (ODSA) pro-gram had awarded him a scholar-ship to help defray costs at North-western for the fall 2013.

“The ODSA Scholarship Com-mittee found your achievements exemplary, and we are very happy to name you as a TRiO scholar,” stated Norman H. Markland, chair of the ODSA Scholarship Commit-tee, in a letter received by Ross.

ODSA is the state organiza-tion for the Upward Bound/TRiO programs offered at Northwestern. Ross participated in the North-western Upward Bound math and science program for four years, which qualified him to apply for the ODSA award.

“It was a lengthy application process where JonReid provided his academic records, listed his community involvement, wrote es-says on career goals and the impact that TRiO had on his life,” said Jaunita Noble, director of North-western’s Upward Bound program. “We’re so proud of his accomplish-ments.”

Ross said he knew he always wanted to go to college but didn’t know how to make it possible.

“The Upward Bound, TRiO program at Northwestern helped me a lot, and I couldn’t have gotten where I am today without it, so I’m thankful,” Ross said.

He added that most of the credit for his success is because of the summer session classes and ACT preparation sessions.

Noble said that the program also helps its students with the Free Ap-plication for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), college applications and other helpful information in prepa-ration for college.

Northwestern’s Upward Bound programs service high schools in Woods, Alfalfa and Major coun-ties. The program is designed to prepare approximately 100 eligible students, beginning in the ninth grade, for college entry and suc-cess. Academic advisers help these students through one-on-one men-toring sessions where students are motivated and encouraged to suc-ceed. Advisers meet with students at their schools twice a month, and students are provided transporta-tion to the Northwestern campus one Saturday a month. Students also spend six weeks on campus during the summer taking classes in mathematics, reading, writing, sciences, foreign language and aca-demic/study skills. Students also are exposed to various speakers and cultural field trips and learn about time management.

Noble said that each year the

Ross earns scholarship, thanks Upward Bound program

program must show that 75 per-cent of its participants will have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better at the end of the school year, and 75 percent of the seniors in the pro-gram will have achieved at the pro-ficient level on state assessments in reading and language arts. Also, 70 percent of students in the program will move on to attend college and graduate with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree within six years of graduating high school. Because the program is in its seventh year at Northwestern, Noble said they are now seeing some of their first students closing in on their college degrees.

To learn more about eligibility requirements of students to be in the program or about the program itself, contact Noble at jrnoble@nwosu.edu or 580-327-8113. More information also is available at www.nwosu.edu/upward-bound.

By K.S. McNuttCharles Cox admits he didn’t

have a passion for the program when he was hired as the Woods County 4-H agent in 1979.

That came later.“I was graduating from college

and I needed a job,” Cox said.Fast-forward 34 years, and Cox

still is with 4-H. On Dec. 31, he will retire from Oklahoma State University’s Cooperative Exten-sion Service.

The job has taken him to almost every state and allowed him to do things he might never have had the chance to do otherwise.

The opportunities to go places and do things start early in 4-H and teach youths important life skills, even if they don’t realize it imme-diately, Cox said.

He was that way growing up in Dickson, where Carter County 4-H agent Monroe Sumpter pushed him to do more. Sumpter would sign him up for a 4-H trip and then call and tell him when to be ready to go.

“I would just say ‘OK’ and pack my bags,” Cox said.

Years later as a leader he would discover the annual trip to 4-H Con-gress in Atlanta was someone’s first time on a plane. On one 4-H trip, a girl told him, “I’ve never been out of my county before.”

4-H helps teenagers learn “there is a world beyond that small, rural

community they live in, and they can do and achieve whatever they dream to do,” Cox said.

“Long-term relationships with caring and significant adults is what really makes a difference in young people’s lives,” he said. “We must have professionals and volunteers who are willing to be there for them like Monroe Sumpter was for me.”

Whether it’s through 4-H, church or sports, teenagers need someone other than their parents to encourage them and “to drag those of us along that need it,” he said.

“Absolutely,” said Devory Hughes, who grew up in Woods County, the youngest of four sib-lings who participated in 4-H.

Cox was one of those important role models for him.

“He would come to visit our family and we’d go fishing,” said Hughes, who today is a manufac-turing engineer for Ditch Witch.

Cox helped the Hughes chil-dren in practical ways with their 4-H projects but also demonstrat-ed “true strength and character,” Hughes said.

Never was that more evident than when Charles and Natalie Cox had to cope with the birth of their conjoined twin daughters, Faith and Hope, and the surgery to sepa-rate them.

“I admired how they handled that,” Hughes said. “That strength

made a big impression.”Through the YearsBy that time, Cox was the Lo-

gan County 4-H agent. He joined the state 4-H staff in 1988.

He has had many responsibili-ties and roles with 4-H through the years. Today he is assistant director of Oklahoma Cooperative Exten-sion Service and 4-H youth devel-opment. He has kept in touch with many who came through the pro-gram.

“A lot have kids now that are involved in the program,” Cox said.

Among them are Devory and Marie Hughes’ four children from Morrison.

“That’s pretty cool when it comes full circle,” Hughes said.

The oldest, 16-year-old Raye, came up to Cox at a recent 4-H event and gave him a big hug.

Being able to serve people and help people is the most satisfying part of the job, Cox said.

“That’s one of the rewarding things in extension work. You are making a long-term investment in the lives of people.”

4-H leader stepping down after 34 years

By Marione MartinA Medicine Lodge, Kan., man

is facing several charges in Woods County following a wreck. Richard Lynn Foos, 32, has been charged with two misdemeanors of leaving the scene of an accident with prop-erty damage and careless driving. He has also been issued two traffic citations of operating a motor ve-hicle at a speed not reasonable and proper as well as leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

According to documents on file, on Dec. 3 about 8:30 a.m. Okla-homa Highway Patrol Trooper Jonathon Cotner was sent to Alva Body and Fender. There he met Roger Rhodes, who said around Nov. 25 a vehicle had crashed into his fence at a location on County Road 300, 3/10 of a mile north of Johnston Road. Rhodes said the driver of the vehicle made no at-tempt to contact him to report the damage and had removed the ve-hicle. Bobby Buckingham, who was also present, said on Nov. 25 he saw a newer model yellow roll-back style wrecker belonging to Band of Brothers Recycling in the west ditch of County Road 300. Buckingham said he saw that the truck had run over Rhode’s fence and damaged approximately 50 feet of it.

Trooper Cotner went to Band of Brothers and spoke with the onsite supervisor who said they did have

a truck that had wrecked in the ditch of County Road 300 around Nov. 25. She said the driver of the truck was Richard Lynn Foos. She said she didn’t know any property had been damaged in the collision. With her permission, Cotner ex-amined the truck, a yellow 2007 International Model 4300 Roll-back style wrecker. He saw deep scratches on the front consistent with damage received from metal fence wire. He also observed parts of the undercarriage hanging down from underneath the truck. Cotner was given insurance information for the truck and contact informa-tion for the driver.

Trooper Cotner made several attempts to call Foos. He also drove to the two residences in Alva where Foos was known to reside but was unable to locate him. He drove to Moser’s Wrecker in Alva and spoke to the wrecker driver who had removed a Band of Broth-ers wrecker from the west ditch of County Road 300 on Nov. 25.

He then drove to the site of wreck where he observed damage to Rhodes’ fence and a large num-ber of marks on the roadway and roadside indicating the approxi-mate areas of collision and where the truck came to rest. Through his investigation, Cotner determined the vehicle had been traveling at a speed not reasonable and proper for road conditions.

Man charged with leaving scene of collision with fence

By Justin JuozapaviciusCLAREMORE, Okla. (AP)

— Salesha Wilken was just look-ing for a better understanding of Rogers County’s finances when she sifted through 1,000 pages of records used in a state audit of the county. She found much more.

For the past 18 months, the reporter at the Claremore Daily Progress has detailed the auditors’ findings and chronicled a nasty, yearslong feud among local law en-forcement agencies and the district attorney. The newspaper is now targeted in a defamation lawsuit filed by the prosecutor and two as-sistants.

“You can’t make this stuff up if you tried,” Wilken said. “This thing

Wrongdoing allegations roil Oklahoma county

has tentacles like crazy.”The back-and-forth among

county leaders and the newspaper has roiled this Tulsa suburb best known as the birthplace of humor-ist Will Rogers, who once said, “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.” Residents now routinely pack coun-ty commission meetings, peppering officials with questions about how their county is run.

Oklahoma auditors last year raised questions about spend-ing within county government, but offered few specifics. Based on Wilken’s reporting, the news-paper raised allegations that two

See Allegations Page 10

By Tim TalleyOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A

federal judge granted an injunction Friday that prohibits the govern-ment from enforcing the federal health care law’s requirement that insurance coverage include access to the morning-after pill and simi-lar contraceptives on almost 200 religious organizations that have filed a class-action lawsuit to block the mandate.

The preliminary injunction is-sued by U.S. District Judge Tim-othy DeGiusti will prevent the government from enforcing the mandate as the religious groups’ lawsuit makes its way through the legal system. The lawsuit was filed in October on behalf of 187 min-istries that provide their employ-ees with health benefits through GuideStone Financial Resources, the health benefits arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In the lawsuit, the ministries object to providing four out of 20 Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptives, includ-ing the morning-after pill and the week-after pill, which they allege may cause early abortions. The religious groups include Reaching Souls International, which trains pastors and cares for orphans in Africa, India and Cuba, and Tru-ett-McConnell College, a Georgia Baptist college.

In his 16-page decision, De-Giusti said the ministries have the right to challenge the health care law’s contraceptive mandate and that an injunction is needed to pre-vent the federal government from enforcing it on them.

The lawsuit is similar to one filed in Oklahoma City last year by Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., which calls itself a “biblically founded business.” That lawsuit also chal-lenges the mandate that employers provide coverage for the morning-after pill and similar drugs. In July, a federal judge granted a temporary exemption to the Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain, a ruling the government has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit claims the government mandate is forc-ing the Christian family that owns the chain “to violate their deeply held religious beliefs under threat of heavy fines, penalties and law-suits.” Failure to provide the drugs in the company’s health insurance plan could lead to fines of up to $1.3 million a day, the company said.

Hobby Lobby’s owners have said they believe life begins at conception, and they oppose birth control methods that can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus, such as an intrauterine device or forms of emergency con-traception.

DeGiusti repeatedly referred to the Hobby Lobby case in his ruling and said the ministries who refuse to provide the contraceptives also “face substantial financial penal-ties, and their refusal will cause a substantial financial loss to Guide-Stone if it excludes nonexempt, noncompliant organizations from the GuideStone plan.”

“Here, as in Hobby Lobby, the court finds that plaintiffs have made a threshold showing of a sub-stantial burden, and, thus, a likeli-hood of success,” the ruling states. The ministries faced a Jan. 1 dead-line to choose to provide the drugs or pay thousands of dollars a day in fines.

The decision was praised by an attorney for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in Washington, which represents Hobby Lobby and GuideStone in their separate lawsuits.

“This is an overwhelming vic-tory for GuideStone and the nearly 200 plaintiffs in this class-action lawsuit,” attorney Adele Keim said in a statement. “Today’s ruling will allow hundreds of Baptist min-istries to continue preaching the gospel and serving the poor this Christmas, without laboring under the threat of massive fines.”

An attorney for the govern-ment, Benjamin J. Berwick, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Injunction granted in Okla. birth control lawsuit

ELK CITY, Okla. (AP) — Talk about a marriage proposal to re-member.

An Oklahoma man proposed to his girlfriend last week while an of-ficer tried to arrest him on two out-standing warrants.

An officer spotted Justin Har-rel of Elk City in a local park last Friday and discovered that he had outstanding warrants out of two counties for obtaining cash or mer-chandise by bogus check, accord-ing to court documents.

Police said Harrel resisted arrest at first.

“I advised Justin that he was un-der arrest and directed him to turn around and place his hands behind

his back,” the officer wrote in his police report. “Justin said, ‘Steve, let’s talk about this. Give me five minutes.’”

When the officer took him into custody, Harrel explained that he was about to propose to his girl-friend. He asked if he could go ahead with the proposal.

The officer allowed Harrel to complete the marriage proposal, and Harrel’s girlfriend eventually said yes. Harrel then asked the offi-cer to get the engagement ring from his coat pocket and give it to her.

The officer handed the ring to the girlfriend.

Harrel was not cited for resist-ing an officer.

Okla. man proposes to girlfriend during arrest

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 10

From Page 9 Allegationscounty commissioners engaged in bid splitting involving equipment and materials from vendors, then accepted gifts and dinners from those companies months later. In one case, an Arkansas road-striping company rewarded with $100,000 in work in 2009 subsequently pro-vided door prizes for the county’s Christmas party.

The newspaper also reported allegations that Rogers County District Attorney Janice Steidley conspired with an assistant to manufacture bogus allegations of perjury against a Claremore police officer who had publicly criticized the office for poor performance and corruption.

No criminal charges have been filed. But the articles led Oklahoma

Attorney General Scott Pruitt in October to call for a grand jury in-vestigation into potential wrongdo-ing by public officials, saying the integrity of the legal system must be protected. That grand jury is still investigating the case.

Pruitt stepped in after towns-people themselves — including the sheriff and police officers — had petitioned the local court to em-panel a grand jury. A legal techni-cality led a judge to throw out the signatures of 7,000 people who had signed a petition. The petition’s backers needed 4,480 signatures — 16 percent of the number of voters from the last governor’s election.

The petition’s three targets — the district attorney and Commis-sioners Mike Helm and Kirt Thack-er — have denied the allegations and said attacks against them are politically motivated.

“People can say whatever they want,” Helm said. “Just by saying it, it doesn’t make it true.”

Thacker said the Progress has written unflattering things about him because he won’t “submit to their bullying.”

“They need stories to sell news-papers, I know where they’re com-ing from,” Thacker said.

Steidley did not return a phone message seeking comment but has called the allegations against her “baseless and pathetic.”

The newspaper has spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal bills.

“We were never looking to un-cover massive amounts of stuff; all we were looking to do was un-derstand an audit that had already been done,” said Bailey Dabney, publisher of the Progress. “We take the watchdog role pretty darned se-riously.”

The stories have also galva-nized some residents here. They have shown up en masse at routine county meetings, firing questions at public officials about the unfolding allegations.

“I think it looks real bad,” said Alger Flood, a retired teacher and principal who has lived in Rog-ers County for more than 30 years and has become a regular at county commission meetings. “(The public officials) seem to have a real dis-dain for the Claremore Progress.”

Kristen Rohr, who works at a local child advocacy center, doubts many outsiders would believe all the allegations of wrongdoing here.

“You could fill a book on all of what’s gone on here,” she said.

By Julie PaceWASHINGTON (AP) — Has

the fifth year of his presidency been its worst? President Barack Obama laughs off such questions even as he acknowledges many months of frustrating ups and down.

“That’s not how I think about it,” Obama told reporters during his annual end-of-the year news con-ference.

Instead of brooding about tum-bling approval ratings, the disas-trous rollout of his signature health care law or the pile of unfinished domestic priorities, Obama looked ahead to the promise of 2014 and predicted “a breakthrough year for America.”

Before he joined his family on Air Force One for a Christmas vacation in his home state of Ha-waii, Obama suggested that, given widespread criticism, he may alter the power of the National Security Agency to collect information on Americans.

And when it came to the start of his health care law, Obama con-ceded that “we screwed it up,” and said, “I’m going to be making ap-propriate adjustments once we get through this year.” It was unclear if he meant to signal high-level per-sonnel changes.

Obama does have some reason to be optimistic. He spoke hours af-ter the government announced the economy grew at a solid 4.1 per-cent annual rate from July through September, the fastest pace since late 2011 and significantly higher than previously believed. And he heralded a modest bipartisan bud-get deal that cleared Congress this week, saying that while it’s too soon to declare a new era of bipar-tisanship, Washington is “not con-demned to endless gridlock.”

A presidential task force has suggested dozens of ways to limit the NSA programs. The recom-mendations were released just days after a federal judge declared the NSA’s bulk collection of Ameri-cans’ phone records unconstitution-al, ratcheting up pressure on him to

make changes.The president insisted that the

NSA has not inappropriately used the massive amounts of data in its possession, though he added, “We may have to refine this further to give people more confidence.”

After lying dormant for years, the government surveillance issues shot into the spotlight after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked a trove of secret documents. Snowden is a fugitive from the U.S. and living in Russia, where he re-ceived temporary asylum. Some of his supporters have pressed Obama to grant him amnesty, though the president declined to comment on those calls.

“I will leave it up to the courts and the attorney general to weigh in in public on Mr. Snowden’s case,” he said.

The president opened his hour-long news conference with upbeat news on his health care law, an-nouncing that 1 million people have enrolled in federal and state insurance exchanges since Oct. 1. That’s more than two-and-a-half times the number on Nov. 30, when major fixes to the deeply flawed sign-up website were completed.

“The demand is there,” he said. “The product is good.”

Still, it was too soon to say whether the widely panned health care rollout had turned a corner for good. The HealthCare.gov website was down for part of the day Friday as technicians attempted to fix an error that occurred Thursday night when the site was undergoing rou-tine maintenance. And the admin-istration has had to enact a series of delays and exemptions for busi-nesses and individuals, including one just Thursday for some people whose health insurance policies were canceled because of the law’s new standards.

No one in the administration is known to have been fired over the health care failures. Obama said he would make “appropriate ad-justments once we get through this year.” There have been repeated

calls for the ouster of Health and Human Services Secretary Kath-leen Sebelius, but Obama gave no indication that was what he had in mind.

Other disputes lie ahead. Obama renewed his long-standing statement that he will not negotiate concessions with Republicans in exchange for legislation that will be needed in late winter or early spring to raise the nation’s debt limit. “It is not something that is a negotiat-ing tool. It’s not leverage. It’s a re-sponsibility of Congress,” he said, although he added he was willing to discuss other issues separately.

On a key foreign policy con-cern, Obama said it would be wrong to impose new sanctions on Iran at a time when the United States and other nations are testing an interim accord designed to curtail Tehran’s nuclear program. If necessary, “we can pass new sanctions in a day,” he said, referring to lawmakers.

The president also addressed his decision to include openly gay athletes in the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Russia, which has a national law banning “gay propaganda.” Obama said the delegation, which includes athletes Brian Boitano, Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow, shows the U.S. doesn’t make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Sochi Games are the first since 2000 to which the U.S. is not sending a president, former presi-dent, first lady or vice president. That decision has been seen as an indication of Obama’s increasingly tense relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following the news conference, Obama and his family were to de-part for Hawaii. It’s the first year that last-minute legislative wran-gling has not prevented the presi-dent from departing on schedule.

Obama did leave behind a New Year’s resolution before boarding Air Force One.

“My New Year’s resolution is to be nicer to the White House press corps,” he said.

Obama focuses on a tough year’s ups, not its downs

Woods County Court Filings

Woods County Real Estate Transactions

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 11

Woods County Sheriff’s Report

From Page 6 Mrs. Benson

Beginning book 1167 page 842Real Estate Transfers

Joyce E. Scranton, Trustee of the Joyce E. Scranton Trust, a revo-cable inter vivos trust existing un-der a certain Trust Agreement here-tofore executed on Dec. 8, 2010 to Joyce E. Scranton: North Half of the Northeast Quarter and the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter and the Southeast Quar-ter of Section 15; the South Half and the Northeast Quarter of Sec-tion 22, all in Township 29 North, Range 17, WIM: Quit Claim Deed.

John W. White & Alfreda L. White to an undivided ½ interest to the John W. White Amended and Restated Revocable Trust dated April 5, 2013 and the remaining ½ interest to the Alfreda L. White Amended and Restated Revocable Trust dated April 5, 2013: Lot 6 in Block 2 of the Myers Heights 1st Addition to the City of Alva: Quit Claim Deed.

Bar D Ranch Inc. to State of Oklahoma, acting by and through the Department of Transportation of the State of Oklahoma: a strip, piece or parcel of land lying in the

Southwest Quarter of Section 15, Township 27 North, Range 18, WIM: Warranty Deed.

Stanley R. Almgren aka Stanley Almgren & Karen Almgren to Stan-ley R. Almgren & Karen Almgren: Lots 14 & 15 in Block 8 of the East View Addition to the City of Alva: Joint Tenancy Warranty Deed.

Steven W. Glass & Helena Glass to E. F. Wise Revocable Trust dated Dec. 27, 2010: the Northeast Quar-ter of the Northeast Quarter of Sec-tion 10, Township 28 North, Range 18, WIM: Warranty Deed.

Joachims Living Trust dated Nov. 3, 1999 to Gary L. Joachims, Janice C. Sheffield and Brian V. Joachims: the West Half of Lot 4 and all of Lot 5 in Block 35 of the Original Town, now City of Alva: Special Warranty Deed.

Joachims Living Trust dated Nov. 3, 1999 to Gary L. Joachims, Janice C. Sheffield and Brian V. Joachims: the South 100 feet of Lots 17 & 18 in Block 51 of the Original Town, now City of Alva: Special Warranty Deed.

Blake Scott Edwards to Jor-dan Taylor: a part of Tract 5 in the

Northeast Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 2, Township 24 North, Range 16, WIM: Warranty Deed.

MortgagesStanley R. Almgren & Karen

Almgren to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc : Lots 14 & 15 in Block 8 of the East View Addition to the City of Alva: $138,000 Fixed rate home equity conversion mortgage.

Stanley R. Almgren & Karen Almgren to Security of Housing and Urban Development: Lots 14 & 15 in Block 8 of the East View Ad-dition to the City of Alva: $138,000 Fixed rate home equity conversion 2nd mortgage.

Jordan Taylor & Sara Taylor to Primelending, a Plainscapital Company: a part of Tract 5 in the Northeast Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 2, Township 24 North, Range 16, WIM: $76,530.

Ronald Dean Kilgore & Gwen-dolyn Evonne Kilgore to BancCen-tral NA: Lot 13 in Block 2 of Mabel McGrath’s Subdivision to the City of Alva: maximum obligation limit $36,500.

According to the affidavits and petitions on file, the follow-ing individuals have been charged. An individual is innocent of any charges listed below until proven guilty in a court of law. All infor-mation is a matter of public record and may be obtained by anyone during regular hours at the Woods County Courthouse. The Alva Re-view-Courier will not intentionally alter or delete any of this informa-tion. If it appears in the courthouse public records, it will appear in this newspaper.

Felony FilingsJames Robert Brandes Jr., 51,

Woodward: DUI – Intoxicating substance ($748.50).

Misdemeanor FilingsJesse Chet Dauphin, 22, Way-

noka: Driving a motor vehicle while license is under suspension ($275.20).

Richard Lynn Foos, 32, Medi-cine Lodge, Kan.: (1) Leaving the scene of an accident – Prop-erty damage; (2) Careless driving ($533) Outstanding warrant.

Shelby Tyler Adair, 27, Alva: Driving a motor vehicle while license is under suspension ($497.50).

James Robert Brandes Jr., 51, Woodward: (1) Unlawful posses-sion of drug paraphernalia; (2) Driving without a driver’s license ($573.50).

Tory James Cooley, 23, Enid: Public intoxication ($229).

Edgar Luis Colmenares, no age or address listed: DUI ($832.20).

Shelby Allen Lee, 23, Alva: Driving a motor vehicle while li-cense under revocation ($229).

Savannah Joann Boyd, 19, no address listed: Malicious injury to property ($229).

Chase Colten Moore, 24, Alva: Obstructing an officer ($229).

Diana Lynn Danner, 52, Way-noka: DUI ($924.60).

Civil FilingsRent-a-Crane of Okla Inc vs. D

& D Equipment & Supply Et Al: Breach of contract for an amount $10,000 or more ($243.70).

Small Claims FilingsFarmers Co-op of Alva vs. Ter-

ry Anderson: Money judgment for amount $1,500 to $6,000 ($158).

Traffic FilingsJesus Manuel Pando-Vigil, 51,

Oklahoma City: Transporting open container of beer ($316).

Dustin Cain Buffalo, 29, Enid: Operating motor vehicle without valid driver’s license ($256.50).

Karin Sue Murrow, 53, Dacoma: Inattentive driving ($211.50).

Richard Lynn Foos, 32, Medi-cine Lodge, Kan.: Operating a mo-tor vehicle at a speed not reasonable and proper ($256.50) Outstanding warrant.

Richard Lynn Foos, 32, Medi-cine Lodge, Kan.: Leaving scene of property damage accident ($211.50).

Juan Fernando Perez-Velazquez, 32, Gainesville, Texas: Failure to provide security verification ($211.50).

Ted R. Reck, 62, Sayre: Inatten-tive driving resulting in collision ($211.50).

Rachel Michelle McKenzie, 26, Dacoma: Left of center in marked zone ($211.50).

Rachel Michelle McKenzie, 26, Dacoma: Improper overtake on the right ($211.50).

Rachel Michelle McKenzie, 26, Dacoma: Failure to signal intention to change direction ($211.50).

Rachel Michelle McKenzie, 26, Dacoma: Failure to pay taxes due state ($211.50).

Shane Ray Norton, 45, Guthrie: Failure to yield to vehicle on right ($211.50).

William Jake Bowers, 22, Hel-ena: Operating vehicle with star break of 3” or more in critical area ($211.50).

Shawn Edward Brack, 44, Mullinville, Kan.: Failure to keep registration certificate in CMV ($211.50).

Shawn Edward Brack, 44, Mull-inville, Kan.: Improper tag display (tag in wrong position or covered) ($5).

Steven Pagan, 39, Lavergne, Tenn.: Operating a motor vehicle at a speed not reasonable and proper ($256.50).

Thomas Joseph Aulmann, 21, Kennard, Texas: Operate vehicle with cracks of 12” or more in criti-cal area ($211.50).

Jose Luis Cabrera, 58, Choctaw:

Failure to display Oklahoma license plate on vehicle owned by person ($211.50).

Jose Luis Cabrera, 58, Choc-taw: Failure to stop at stop sign ($211.50).

The following individuals were cited for speeding:

Ulises Palacio Mendoza, 19, Woodward: 75 in 65 ($188.50); Ja-son Wray Scott, 30, Eules, Texas: 75 in 65 ($188.50); Terance Ethan Travis, 23, Hammon: 72 in 65 ($188.50); Bryan Lee Region, no age listed, Elk City: 78 in 65 ($226.50); William Colby Baskin, 25, Fort Worth, Texas: 86 in 65 ($281.50); Joseph George Parker, 51, Broken Arrow: 71 in 35 ($411.50); Tyson Roy Hanner, 25, Fairview: 87 in 65 ($281.50); Brendon Zimmerman, 33, Pratt, Kan.: 80 in 65 ($226.50); Tina Marie Baumgartner, 35, Hig-gins, Texas: 86 in 65 ($281.50); Christopher J. Rawlings, 35, Okla-homa City: 76 in 65 ($226.50); Camille Ann Holt, 38, Shattuck: 84 in 65 ($241.50); James Willie Oglesby, 51, Vernon, Texas: 85 in 65 ($241.50); Neil Chase Graham, 30, Alva: 75 in 65 ($188.50); Ra-chel Michelle McKenzie, 26, Daco-ma: 105 in 45 ($411.50); Michael David Gable, 43, Moore: 80 in 55 ($281.50); Ted Charles Durfey, 57, Granite: 65 in 55 ($188.50); Lorne Brice Boyd, 33, Onalaska, Texas: 75 in 65 ($188.50); Daniel Obed Gramillo Vargas, 24, Hennessey: 75 in 65 ($188.50); Jesse James Wood, 41, Blackwell: 74 in 65 ($188.50); Thomas Joseph Aulmann, 21, Ken-nard, Texas: 73 in 55 ($241.50); Al-exander Lloyd Barrett, 22, Alva: 87 in 65 ($281.50 Out-standing war-rant); Bret A. Horn, 22, Waynoka: 75 in 65 ($188.50).

The following individuals were cited for failure to wear seatbelt ($20):

Michael Gene Burke, 36, Drum-right; Rachel Michelle McKenzie, 26, Dacoma; Shane Ray Norton, 45, Guthrie.

December 13, 201312:30 a.m. Dispatch calling to see if we’ve had any contact with an

individual.9:00 p.m. Call asking bond on inmate.9:15 p.m. Call asking charges on inmate.9:20 p.m. Calling asking information on inmate.

December 15, 20138:41 p.m. Call checking for active warrant on individual.

December 16, 20136:00 p.m. Major County calling for a check for record/wanted with

county on individual.6:06 p.m. Bondsman calling for individual’s bond amount.6:22 p.m. Dispatch calling for contact info.8:09 p.m. Dispatch calling for check for record/wanted with county.

December 17, 20136:34 p.m. Individual calling about her son’s charges.

forgot to look for him. Love, Jordan Lohmann

Dear Santa, How are the elfs doing? I am

being good so far. I want a electric train and a new coat, some books, and a moat control gas powd car with some gas, and a pelt gun, a new sled, some hot wheels, a lego car, and a lego trash truck, and some video games like Just Dance 4.

Love, Clyce Graves

Dear Santa, How are you and Mrs. Santa?

Santa are your elfs good because I want one that’s good and it’s a girl elf. Okay now lets talk about toys ... 1 want a Easy Bake oven and a game for my wii called Just dance and other toys.

Love, Santa thank you for all the toys,

Jocelyn Asebedo

Dear Santa, How was your trip to my house?

Do like to have this job you have? What I want for Christmas. I have been good but not perfect. I want a Zoomer dog and a nerf reble and some surprises.

P.S. Injoy your mild and cook-ies. Have a safe trip, good luck.

Sincerely, Kylie Malicoat

Dear Santa, How are you and Mrs. Claus?

Did you have a good year? My Crismes present is a puching bag and a gtar. I mite give you some crotts and jous. I hope you have a a good year and have a merry crismes.

Love, Tydus Lynch

Dear Santa, I have a big problem I can’t go

to sleep on Christmas eve and I am having trouble with my behavior this year what should I do? I want fencing swords and those toy driv-ing cars and bruce lee movies and nintendo 3ds with its games and a star wars build your own lightsaber kit.

Sincerely, Brooks Hofen

Dear Santa, How are you doing? Do you

want cookies and milk? I have been good. How are the reindeer doing? For Christmas I want some farm toys. Do the elfs make the big and small toys? My elf on the shelf comes to the north pole to tell if I have been good or not. Santa are you going to bring me something good?

Love, Teegun Allison

Dear Santa, Do your reindeer like carrots?

Are the reindeer getting along with the elves? Make sure to be extra quiet this year, Toby said he would “stay up”.

Santa, how do you get in the house?

For Christmas I just want sur-prises this year.

What kind of cookies do you like?

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love, Laura Anton

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December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 12

Woods County Communication Call CenterDecember 11, 2013

1:54 p.m. Found dog at 600 block of E. Church.

1:56 p.m. 911 call, high blood sugar at high school south parking lot of auditorium.

3:37 p.m. Dead animal at 200 block of Fourth.

5:43 p.m. 911 call, number for locksmith.

7:45 p.m. Car along side of road north of Hopeton.

8:52 p.m. 911 call, needs to speak with officer.

10:42 p.m. OHP for warrant check.

December 12, 201312:02 a.m. House fire at 500

block of W. Broadway in Pond Creek.

1:46 a.m. 911 call, need officer at Cowboys.

9:59 a.m. 911 call, controlled burn on CR 1080.

12:06 p.m. Big brown dog on Santa Fe, not aggressive, west-bound.

12:11 p.m. Father wants daugh-ter out of house at 1000 block of Third, daughter wants to leave, fa-ther won’t take daughter to airport so she can leave.

12:30 p.m. Kitten in a tree at 2300 block of Waynoka in Way-noka, contacted Waynoka Fire De-partment.

4:59 p.m. Requesting officer to assist with civil separation.

5:17 p.m. News channel 4.5:48 p.m. Individuals cussing

on property line on 900 block of Santa Fe, is afraid of neighbors.

7:02 p.m. Pit bull dog at gym at Wellness Center.

7:57 p.m. 911 call, smoke de-

tector going off at 1700 block of Elm.

8:44 p.m. Fireworks at Tenth and Oklahoma.

11:33 p.m. Hit and run east of Share.

11:54 p.m. Officer advised if we get a call about vehicle hit around Share Convalescent or S. Sunset let officer know, find out where they might be at for him to get all con-tact info.

December 13, 201312:31 a.m. OHP looking for in-

dividual in brown Chevy Silverado from Lahoma.

1:49 p.m. Two black men with counterfeit $20 bills in black Ca-maro, officer notified.

3:45 p.m. 911 call, puppy in road at Wellness Center, never-mind, I see animal control.

5:26 p.m. Big black dog and wiry yellow terrier at 1200 block of Choctaw.

5:30 p.m. Controlled burn on Kay Road.

10:20 p.m. Notified officer of counterfeit bills at Walmart.

December 14, 20133:51 p.m. 911 call, lady choking

inside at ARC.4:02 p.m. Local warrant check.5:06 p.m. Missing men’s wed-

ding ring at church.5:36 p.m. 911 call, one black

cow 2-3 miles north and west of Waynoka, notified Major County.

6:26 p.m. Two black cows 1 mile east of 281.

6:54 p.m. Broken down vehicle on Highway 11/CR 840.

7:15 p.m. 911 call, Hopeton railroad tracks.

10:10 p.m. Needs APD to assist

with civil dispute at 800 block of Fourth Street.

10:23 p.m. Water leak between Barnes/Flynn in alley of 1300 block, fix next week.

December 15, 20133:17 a.m. Black cow ½ mile

east of Wakita, transferred to Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

9:05 a.m. Tan pit bull at 100 block of Aspen.

10:39 a.m. 10 horses 1 mile west of fairgrounds.

12:50 p.m. 911 call, grass fire out of hand on Haskell Road.

2:51 p.m. Red semi going way too fast on Oklahoma Boulevard.

3:56 p.m. Controlled burn on 490 between Commanche and Coal.

5:33 p.m. Looking for child protective services.

5:58 p.m. Fire in yard across al-ley from Church of Christ.

7:04 p.m. Tan mini van in the road at 281 and College.

7:35 p.m. Ambulance to Buena Vista Apts for unresponsive 18 year-old, overdose, melatona and monster drinks.

December 16, 201312:50 a.m. Low blood sugar at

500 block of 13th.2:34 a.m. Ambulance to 100

block of E. Poplar in Pond Creek

for difficulty breathing.11:55 a.m. 911 call, requesting

officer to arrest a man but will not give name, number, location or rea-son.

5:49 p.m. Pit bull tearing up property at 2200 block of Waynoka.

7:23 p.m. Gas smell in 700 block of Santa Fe.

9:20 p.m. Wanting locksmith.December 17, 2013

12:02 a.m. Oil truck heading east swerved at me.

12:15 a.m. 911 call, doesn’t like where he is, wants officer to take him home, transfer to Grant, he told dispatcher there was an officer right there and hung up.

7:11 a.m. Needing to know when business hours are for police department.

9:24 a.m. Looking for friend that was arrested, transferred to Woods County Sheriff’s Office.

10:21 a.m. Pickup blocking traffic on 100 block of E. Maple behind Beadles.

11:06 a.m. Needs officer for civil assist at 300 block of Aspen in Pond Creek.

11:55 a.m. 911 call, ambulance for chest pains on left side, 100 block of E. Barnes.

12:42 p.m. Controlled burn on Haskell Road.

12:57 p.m. Crack in wall at doctor clinic on southwest corner of hospital building west end of clinic, damage to front end.

1:06 p.m. Bucket in roadway east of 410 junction on 64.

5:22 p.m. Hispanic driver in a maroon Ford Explorer north of 281 on Jefferson, ran her off, trans-ferred to Woods County Sheriff’s Office.

6:17 p.m. 911 call, car speeding into Waynoka, dark color two-door, head into Waynoka.

6:34 p.m. Green semi with flashers on north on 281.

11:03 p.m. Cattle all over road 1 mile south of 64 on Dacoma black-top.

December 18, 20139:30 a.m. Big black lab loose on

700 block of Fourth, message left with animal control.

10:47 a.m. Pit bull at 100 block of Aspen in neighbor’s yard.

1:16 p.m. White/brown little dog at 200 block of Locust, animal control notified.

The call center also handled the following calls: abandoned calls – 32, accidental calls – 17, pocket dial – 20, wrong number – 4, hang ups – 11, animal control – 12, sher-iff – 50, police – 41, general info – 61, fire dept. – 8, ambulance – 11.

By Robert BarronENID, Okla. (AP) — Hamil-

ton’s Pond is a real place in Enid. And now, the pond at 302 N. Coolidge is the center of a book that explains to children how to deal with death.

The stories are told through happenings around Hamilton’s Pond, which also is the title of the book by Kay Hamilton, who spent part of her childhood living at 302 N. Coolidge.

The book takes place in the 1970s and 1980s. Hamilton wrote the book based on a promise to her husband, J.C. Hamilton, a pediat-ric nurse, before he died in 1997. Hamilton herself is a registered nurse who worked with sick and dying children every day, she said.

“He knew I had the experi-ence to write a book that could help children cope with death. It was four years after he died be-fore I even began to think about it again,” Hamilton said, according to the Enid News and Eagle .

In “Hamilton’s Pond,” she tells the stories through animals who gather at the pond. Most of

the stories in the book are true, with names changed. The stories are designed to help explain the dying process. Hamilton uses the changing of the seasons and the lives of the animals to present the topic.

“All children have lost a pet,” she said. “All things change and there is hope.”

One of the characters she uses in the book is a golden retriever named Cooper. Cooper actually belonged to neighbors of Hamil-ton’s in Pennsylvania, where she now lives.

“He does wonderful things — the real Cooper and the one in the story— to help children, as only a dog can do,” she said.

Cooper is good with children and sensitive to emotions for people of all ages. The dog goes to people, leans on them and stays with them, acting like he cares. In the book he does it for children.

“Children can express things to Cooper they can’t tell anyone else,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton lived in Enid from 1963 until 2001. She and her hus-

band both trained to be registered nurses at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center and worked there. They lived at 302 N. Coolidge and raised their six children. They built the pond so the kids in the neighborhood could have a place to gather and fish and spend time.

“My husband lived for watch-ing those kids catch their first fish. It was the best time of my life. His memory will live on through this book,” Hamilton said.

The book follows the lives of Farmer, Mrs. Hamilton, Cooper and a group of barnyard animals. Through the changing of the sea-sons and the passing years, the book shows how animals are born and eventually pass on. Hamilton said death is a difficult subject for everyone and people tend to avoid it. Her book gives parents a way to explain it, with a message of hope.

She recalls reading the book to her 9-year-old grandson before sending it to the publisher. The boy said he was sad, then happy, and Hamilton said she was satis-fied with that reaction.

“That’s the way it should be,” she said.

“It should give young readers a sense of hope and triumph in spite of death,” Hamilton said.

She said writing the book was a healing experience that gave her a focus when things were difficult.

Author writes children’s book with Enid setting

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 13

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

Community Calendar

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Horse TrainingTroyer Cutting Horses Accepting Horses For Training And Starting Colts. 30 Years Experience. Taloga, OK -Lenoard Troyer 785-632-7229

Professional Upholsterywill all types of furniture. Over 55 years experience. Goltry, OK. 580-496-2351

CC ConstructionInterior-Exterior improvements. Room additions. Plaster Repair & Painting. Handicap. Structural & Non Structural Concrete. Will also accommodate Farm & Ranch. 580-307-4598 or 620-825-4285

Double B CarpentryFor all your carpentry needs from remodeling, painting, drywall, texturing, siding, windows, farm & ranch, etc. 580-748-1489

Help WantedBeadles Nursing Home has an opening for CNA for 11pm-7am. We will certify and train. Please pick-up an application at 916 Noble Street, Alva. EOE

Help WantedDrivers-Competitive Pay! Local-Home often. Vacations/Benefits. CDL-A, 2 yrs & 200K + mi exp. Walk-Ins Welcome, Hodges Trucking. 855-CHK-HAUL

Now HiringCherokee Manor is hiring Certified Nurse Aids for all shifts. We have a new wage scale along with insurance benefits. Staff may set their own schedules. If you are interested please contact Administrator/Jack at 580-596-2141 or call me on my cell phone at 580-541-0119

For SaleFootprints Across Woods County books. 580-829-1359

Sunday2-5 p.m. The Cherokee Strip

Museum in Alva is open every day except Monday. For information or arranged tours, call 580-327-2030.

Monday9 a.m. The Woods County

Senior Citizens Center, 625 Barnes, Alva, is open for games and other activities. Exercise is scheduled each day at 11 a.m. Transportation provided upon request.

7 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous meets at the First United Methodist Church. Call 917-855-9086 for information.

7 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 1027 8th (Wesley House) in Alva every Monday and Thursday.

Tuesday9 a.m. The Woods County

Senior Citizens Center, 625 Barnes, Alva, is open for games and other

activities. Exercise is scheduled each day at 11 a.m. Transportation provided upon request.

2-5 p.m. The Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva is open every day except Monday. For information or arranged tours, call 580-327-2030.

Wednesday9 a.m. The Woods County

Senior Citizens Center, 625 Barnes, Alva, is closed Dec. 25 and Dec. 26.

LEGAL NOTICE(Published by the Alva Review-

Courier on Sunday, December 15, December 22 and December 29, 2013.)

Anyone having interest in a 1963 Chev VIN# 31839S30805; 1959 Chev 4 dr VIN # B59K147606, contact Donna Williams 405-481-5752. Sale date Monday, December 30, 2013.

The proposed location of the completion interval for the Mississippi common source of supply will be no closer than 165 feet from the north line and no closer than 560 feet from the west line and no closer than 165 feet from the south line and no closer than 560 feet from the west line of the unit comprising said Section 36, Township 28 North, Range 17 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma, and the location of the completion interval for the Tonkawa Sand, Lansing-Kansas City, Oswego and Cherokee Sand separate common sources of supply will be no closer than 330 feet from the north line and no closer than 560 feet from the west line and no closer than 330 feet from the south line and no closer than 560 feet from the west line of the unit comprising said Section 36, Township 28 North, Range 17 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma,

and to be completed in and produce hydrocarbons from the above-named separate common sources of supply; (ii) providing for the re-opening of the cause at such time as the bottom hole location of the well proposed hereunder has been determined; and (iii) establishing a proper allowable with no downward adjustment made thereto.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the application in this cause requests that the order be entered in this matter be made effective as of the date of the execution thereof or as of a date prior thereto and that the authorization and permission requested herein run in favor of one or both of the Applicants, including Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C. acting by and through its agent Chesapeake Operating, Inc., or some other party recommended by Applicants.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the legal descriptions for the land sections

adjacent to said Section 36 are Sections 25, 26 and 35, Township 28 North, Range 17 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma, Sections 30 and 31, Township 28 North, Range 16 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma, Section 6, Township 27 North, Range 16 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma and Sections 1 and 2, Township 27 North, Range 17 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that this cause will be referred to an Administrative Law Judge for hearing, taking of evidence and reporting to the Corporation Commission.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that this cause will be heard before an Administrative Law Judge on the Merits Docket at the Corporation Commission, First Floor, Jim Thorpe Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at 8:30 a.m., on the 13th day of January 2014, and that this notice will be published as required by law and the rules of the Commission.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Applicants and interested parties may present testimony by telephone. The cost of telephonic communication shall be paid by the person or persons requesting its use. An interested party who wishes to participate by telephone shall contact the Applicants or Applicants’ attorney, prior to the hearing date, and provide his or her name and phone number.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that all interested persons may appear and be heard. For information concerning this action contact Eric Denneny, landman, (405) 935-3726, or Emily P. Smith, attorney, OBA No. 20805, (405) 935-8203, Chesapeake Operating, Inc., P.O. Box 18496, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73154-0496. Please refer to Cause CD Number.

DONE AND PERFORMED THIS 19th day of December 2013.

CORPORATION COMMISSION OF OKLAHOMA

PATRICE DOUGLAS, ChairmanBOB ANTHONY, Vice Chairman

DANA L. MURPHY, CommissionerBY ORDER OF THE COMMISSION: PEGGY MITCHELL, Commission Secretary

in such capacity as attorney-in-fact, then the unknown successor or successors to such attorney-in-fact; and if any of the named entities are corporations which do not continue to have legal existence, the unknown trustees or assigns of such parties.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Applicants, Chesapeake Operating, Inc. and Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., have filed an application in this cause requesting the Corporation Commission to enter an order, as follows: (i) authorizing and permitting an exception to the permitted well location tolerances in the 640-acre drilling and spacing unit comprised of Section 36, Township 28 North, Range 17 West of the IM, Woods County, Oklahoma, for the Tonkawa Sand, Lansing-Kansas City, Oswego, Cherokee Sand and Mississippi separate common sources of supply, so as to allow a well to be drilled as follows:

Location of Wellbore at Completion Interval:

LEGAL NOTICE(Published by the Alva Review-

Courier on Sunday, December 22, 2013.)BEFORE THE CORPORATION

COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

APPLICANTS: CHESAPEAKE OPERATING, INC. AND

CHESAPEAKE EXPLORATION, L.L.C.

RELIEF SOUGHT: WELL LOCATION EXCEPTION

LEGAL DESCRIPTION: SECTION 36, TOWNSHIP 28 NORTH, RANGE

17 WEST OF THE IM, WOODS COUNTY, OKLAHOMACause CD No. 201308568NOTICE OF HEARING

STATE OF OKLAHOMA TO: All persons, owners, producers, operators, purchasers and takers of oil and gas, and all other interested persons, particularly in Woods County, Oklahoma, more particularly the parties set out on the Exhibit “A” attached to the application on file in this cause, and, if any of the named individuals be deceased, then the unknown heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees and assigns, both immediate and remote, of such deceased individual; if any of the named entities is a dissolved partnership, corporation or other association, then the unknown successors, trustees and assigns, both immediate and remote, of such dissolved entity; if any of the named parties designated as a trustee is not presently acting in such capacity as trustee, then the unknown successor or successors to such trustee; if any of the named parties designated as an attorney-in-fact is not presently acting

OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma judge closed a portion of a hearing regarding the record-ed confessions of a man charged in the deaths of two Weleetka girls and the death of his fiancee.

Kevin Sweat, 27, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 deaths of 13-year-old Tay-lor Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and the 2011 death of 23-year-old Ashley Taylor.

Sweat has pleaded not guilty.The Tulsa World reports that

Okfuskee County District Court Judge Lawrence Parish agreed to a defense request to close part of a hearing Thursday regarded re-cordings in which authorities say Sweat confessed.

Wayne Woodyard, one of Sweat’s defense attorneys, ini-tially asked Parish to close all of Thursday’s hearing. Parish de-

clined, saying he’s “loath to close the courtroom” for anything.

But Woodyard later requested that Parish close the courtroom during his cross-examination of former Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Real, discussing Sweat’s confession in the death of Taylor.

Woodyard argued that the testi-mony could taint the jury pool, and Parish agreed to close that portion of the hearing, saying it was to ensure that Sweat received a fair trial.

Taylor’s family and media members were told to leave the courtroom. Creek County District Attorney Max Cook did not object to closing the courtroom.

Parish is expected to rule by January whether Sweat’s confes-sions will be allowed as evidence at his trial.

The judge later told the Tulsa World he does not like to close the courtroom but did so “to protect the jury pool” from being tainted.

During five hours of question-ing, Sweat’s story changed several times, Real said during open court.

Woodyard argued that Sweat’s behavior during long interroga-tions was a sign of his “psycholog-ical issues” and that he shouldn’t have been questioned regarding the girls’ killings without legal counsel he’d obtained once he became a suspect in his fiancée’s death.

Earlier this year, Parish grant-ed a change of venue request by Sweat’s defense to ensure a larger potential jury pool with less expo-sure to the case.

Sweat’s trial is scheduled to take place in August in the Creek County courthouse in Bristow.

Part of hearing for man accused in 2 deaths closed

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 14

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 15

By James BeatyMcALESTER, Okla. (AP)

— Bosco, the Wonder Dog, the scourge of criminals and the friend of children, is with us no more.

Bosco’s owner and handler, McAlester Police Patrolmen Jere-my Busby, said Bosco had to be put to sleep last week because of a rare, debilitating illness that left him un-able to walk.

Although he retired from the police department in 2007, Bosco continued to serve the community. Following the German Shepherd’s retirement, Bosco and Busby pre-sented programs at a number of churches and schools over the past six years, not only in the McAlester area, but also as far away as Broken Arrow.

The two had spent nearly a de-cade together and officer Busby is obviously saddened at the loss of his canine companion, who lived to be nearly 12 years old.

They first started working to-gether in 2004. Busby became Bosco’s primary handler in 2005, earning his state certification for the K-9 Detection Team that Sep-tember.

Busby said during the three years Bosco worked for the McAl-ester Police Department, he sniffed out a lot of drugs.

“In the three years we ran him, he found approximately 500 pounds of marijuana, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, several ounces of cocaine and $45,000 in cash,” Busby said, according to the McAl-ester News-Capital.

The canine detected the cash because it had the scent of drugs on it, Busby said.

Busby said Bosco occasionally made mistakes, but so do people.

“All in all, he was a great K-9. He was very successful,” Busby said.

While some German Shepherds are docile, Bosco tended to be more on the hyper side and it took a strong hand to control him, the of-ficer said.

Bosco became the center of a dispute between Busby and the city of McAlester in 2007. Jim Lyles, police chief at the time, suspended the city’s police dog program af-ter Busby’s attorney filed a suit in federal court alleging that the city failed to adequately compensate Busby for the many off-duty hours the officer had spent caring for the dog.

Lyles said at the time the added expense of paying for the dog’s care hadn’t been budgeted and he didn’t think the program was worth the added expense.

Busby’s lawyer, Oklahoma City attorney James Moore, had said he didn’t think the expense was a valid issue.

“First, the seizures made with the dog allow the city and county

to also seize property, such as cars and houses that are used to traffic drugs,” Moore had said. “The city gets part of the proceeds from these seizures and forfeitures, so the ca-nine is actually a money-maker for the city.”

In a case reported by the News-Capital on Feb. 18, 2006, Bosco sniffed out 205 pounds of marijua-na after police pulled over a driver on the George Nigh Expressway. Police said then that the marijuana had a street value of $205,000.

Members of the McAlester City Council in office in November 2007 decided to settle the lawsuit for $29,000 and also gave Bosco to Busby as part of the settlement. They also gave Busby the small building that had served as Bosco’s dog house.

Bosco had been housed at the Renegar Animal Hospital since that September after Lyles had suspend-ed the city’s drug dog program.

Busby said the lawsuit was not about money, but about giving him a legal right to have input as to what would happen to Bosco if the police program ended. Busby said he had heard about plans to have Bosco sent back to South Carolina.

“I’m glad Bosco gets to come home, and I’m glad they’ve got this settled,” Busby said in 2007.

Busby and his wife, Tiffany Busby, along with their children, Kylee and Kord, considered Bosco a part of their family.

Although Bosco retired from the police department in 2007, he began working with Busby during presentations at church programs to demonstrate faith in God.

Busby said God had taken the dog from him for a time, a reference to when the dog had to be housed at Renegar’s during the dispute with the city.

“He took the dog away and He gave the dog back to me,” Busby said.

The officer said he then received an inspiration on how the two could continue working together.

“I wanted to show how our lives should work for Christ,” Busby said. He used three key words in his presentations: Love, obedience and reward.

“Bosco had to have love for me to develop this relationship,” Busby would tell the church gath-erings, often consisting of children and youth groups.

Because of that love, Bosco would obey him, Busby said during the presentation. For obeying Bus-by, Bosco would be rewarded with praise and his favorite toy.

“I wanted to show them that Christ loved us so much, he died on the cross for us,” Busby said. “That makes us want to obey Christ.

“We receive our reward through eternal life with Christ in heaven,” Busby said.

At the end of the program, Bus-by said he would let all the chil-dren pet Bosco, who always acted friendly toward his young admirers.

“The only kids I had to watch were the babies,” Busby said, refer-ring to the smallest toddlers. “He liked them so much he wanted to lick them.”

After arriving in the United States as a pup, Bosco had been trained at the Cross Creek Training Academy in Edgefield, S.C., where he underwent training on patrol and tracking. He also learned to detect the odors of 12 different narcotics, including some prescription drugs.

When the McAlester Police De-partment acquired the dog, officer Kevin Bishop had been his prima-ry handler, a job Busby took over about a year later.

Watching Bosco and Busby work together, it became obvious they had a special affinity. They even shared the same birthday, with Busby born on Jan. 25, 1972, and Bosco born on the same day in 2003.

Busby said he discovered he and Bosco shared the same birth-day when he found the canine’s original shipping papers.

“I thought, ‘This was meant to be,’” Busby said. “This was my sign it was going to work.”

During his time with the MPD, Bosco made a lot of friends on the force.

“We appreciate his service for the department and we have sympa-thy for officer Busby and his family for their loss,” McAlester Police Chief Gary Wansick said Friday.

“Whenever you have a loss like that, it’s difficult for the entire fam-ily, because police dogs become family members.”

After his years of work and play, Bosco had developed a rare condi-tion, finally diagnosed at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Ewell Center, of the Kiamichi Veterinary Clinic, said the condition is known as fibrotic ossifying myopathy. Center said the condition is seen in German Shepherd working dogs, and there have only been 20 to 25 cases diag-nosed in the United States.

“The tendons and muscles be-come damaged and are replaced with almost bone-like tissue that doesn’t allow for normal range of movement,” Center said.

Like a number of others, Center had gotten to know Bosco over the years.

“He was always an excellent patient,” Center said. “You could tell there was a real connection be-tween him and his handler.

“He was a special animal.”It’s a sentiment echoed by Bus-

by, who was with Bosco when he breathed his last breath, peacefully going to sleep.

“He had a full life,” Busby said.

Popular dog served police, churches in Okla.

By M. Scott CarterDAVIS, Okla. (AP) — In the

shadows of the Arbuckle Moun-tains, the Chickasaws make choco-late - world-famous chocolate.

Though most of Oklahoma’s 38 federally recognized tribal nations have spent the past century re-building their culture and leverag-ing gaming opportunities to build tribal economies, the Chickasaw Nation has gone a step further.

Stepping deep into chocolate.The Bedré Fine Chocolate fac-

tory was once located in Pauls Val-ley, but tribal leaders moved it to a new, 34,000-square-foot facility in Davis in 2000. It is the only choco-late factory owned and operated by a Native American tribe, The Jour-nal Record reported .

The Chickasaws’ secretary of commerce said expanding into sweets was a way to increase tour-ism in Indian Country and expand the economic base of the Chicka-saw Nation.

“There was a synergy with the chocolate factory and the Chicka-saw retail operations,” said Sec-retary Bill Lance. “Specifically in Murray County. There are 3 million visitors there each year, 29,000 cars. Our governor thought this area could be an incredible gateway.”

In 2009, Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby told National Public Radio that he’d been taught to di-versify his economic holdings at an early age.

“My mom used to say, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ And that’s the essence of what we do when it comes to businesses,” Anoatubby said.

Time has proved Lance and Anoatubby right.

According to the Bedré web-site, the Chickasaws’ chocolate is sold all over the country and in re-tail chains such as Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. Business has been so good that 2012 was a re-cord year.

“Last year we had the high-est sales in the history of Bedré,” Lance said. “We recorded $1.8 mil-

lion in retail sales, the highest in the history of the company.”

Lance believes chocolate and the Chickasaws are a natural fit. Because chocolate uses natural products from the earth, it was easy for tribal culture to embrace the delicacy. Lance said it also forms part of the Chickasaws’ efforts to promote tourism along the Inter-state 35 corridor from Norman to the Texas border.

“We continue to try and focus on our core businesses. And enter-tainment in general and tourism are a big part of that strategy, specifi-cally in Murray County. We have a huge marketing campaign. We want people to know about Bedré, Treasure Valley, the Chickasaw Cultural Center and retreat, the Artesian Hotel and Chickasaw Na-tional Recreation Area. There’s a lot to do in Murray County, there are lots of opportunities to enjoy.”

Based on recipes from the Cantrell family, Bedré (a Norwe-gian word for ‘better’) has a long history in the area and, for that matter, across the country. Lance said the tribe has worked hard to maintain the integrity of original recipes.

“We would like to think that we’ve improved upon some things over time,” he said. “But clearly, we wanted to make sure we stayed true to the base-line recipes.”

And though the Cantrells are no longer active in the company, Lance said they are pleased with the tribe’s efforts.

“I would say they are still big fans of the chocolate. They like what we’ve done with the prod-uct,” he said.

Still, both Lance and Anoa-tubby are quick to praise others for Bedré’s success.

“We have many partners,” Lance said. “And the rural com-munities have been proactive in working with the tribes to help make these developments possible. Those partnerships are a big part of our success.”

Success that has a very sweet taste for the Chickasaw Nation.

Chocolate helps bring sweet success for Chickasaws

December 22, 2013 Alva Review-Courier Page 16