8/11/2019 Edmondson Eufaula 1 9-4-14

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2013 BETTER

NEWSPAPER CONTEST

AWARD WINNER Presented by the

OKLAHOMA PRESS

 ASSOCIATION

Horse ShowEufaula Round-Up Club horse

show at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.6., at the Fairgrounds.

Retired Teachers to meetMcIntosh County Retired

Teachers and Support Personnel will meet at 1 p.m. on Sept.11 atJim Lucas Library.

 All retired teachers and supportpeople are encouraged to attend.

This is starting our new year for2014-2015.

 We need you. New starting time1 p.m. more information call 918-473-2781.

Looking for ZombiesLake Eufaula Playhouse is

proud to announce our Zombies

had such a good time last year,that they are all coming back and

 bringing their friends. This year we have planned more surprises

and are currently preparing forour 2nd Annual Zombie Walk. TheLake Eufaula Playhouse players

 will be rounding up all the zom- bies we can find. All Zombies are welcome! Last year ages rangedfrom 5 years old to 80 and fromfar away as Stigler and McAlester.

 Watch for updates in this paper.

Auditions set forChristmas Play

 Auditions for the Lake Eufaula

Playhouse production of “The BestChristmas Pageant Ever” will beheld at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.6 and at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday,Sept. 7 at the Eufaula CommunityCenter on High Street.

The cast includes 17 children,ages 5-13, and 10 adults. The play

 will be held the first two weekendsin December – Dec. 5, 6 and 7 and

Dec. 12 and 13.

See  NEWSWORTHY , Page A2

 VOL 136, ISSUE 36  (USPS 261-620 – TWO SECTIONS, 18 PAGES – SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

NEWSWORTHY:

O K L A H O M A ’ S O L D E S T N E W S P A P E R , E S T . 1 8 7 6

Indian Journal      T

     h    e

     E    u     f    a    u     l    a

75¢

 A LOOK INSIDEOpinions ...................... A4

Sports .............. ......... B1-2

Church ........................ B4

Obits ........................... B5

LegalsClassifieds ................ B6-7

Overcast skies cooled the temperatures for at least the start of the 18th Annual Eufaula Indian Community Pow-Wow, held Saturday and Sunday,

Labor Day Weekend. This year’s event honored veterans. The color guard

that raised the flag Saturday morning included, left to right, Spc. Larue

Guocaddle of Carnegie, Sgt. Darlene Sandadota-Sanders of Anadarko,Richard Dabbs (flag bearer for the Creek Nation Veterans Honor Guard)

of Eufaula and Marine Lance Cpl Kimberly Toyekoyah of Anadarko. The

females were part of the Kiowa Women Warriors. (Staff photo by Jerry Fink)

Could face death penaltyBy Jerry Fink

 Managing Editor 

Following a lengthy preliminary hearing that took placethree days shy of the one-year anniversary of his arrest,Steven Lee Vanzant was bound over for trial last week inconnection with the murder of prominent Checotah resi-dent Debbie Kelsoe.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Vanzant will be arraigned in McIntosh County District

Court and a trial date set at 9 a.m. on Sept. 24.Pittsburg County Associate District Judge Jim D. Bland

presided over the preliminary hearing that took place mostof the day on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Kelsoe, 57, was found dead at her rural residence nearChecotah on Aug. 14, 2012. Authorities said she had

 been shot in the head with a .22-caliber pistol and herhouse had been set on fire in an apparent effort to hidethe murder.

Firefighters put out the early morning blaze before thehouse was destroyed.

See TRIAL, Page A5

Boating fatalityoccurred July 4, 2013By Jerry Fink

 Managing Editor 

 A preliminary hearing forRyan Shumway, charged

 with first-degree man-slaughter in connection

 with a boating fatality onJuly 4, 2013, has been setfor 9 a.m., Sept. 22.

Shumway, 31, is allegedto have been speeding in a

 boat across the lake withhis family when he collidedin the darkness with twoother boats, killing GaryMcIninch, 54, of OklahomaCity.

The collision took placeabout a mile from EufaulaCove.

 Authorities said Shum- way left the scene of theaccident and didn’t turnhimself in for four days.

If convicted of man-

slaughter he could be sen-tenced to four years in pris-on.

Shumway also wascharged with the misde-meanor of failure to giveinformation and render aidat a vessel accident.

Shumway is represented by McAlester attorney War-ren Gotcher.

 Authorities said he leftthe scene of the crash andreturned to his home inMcAlester without reportingthe accident.

 Assistant District Attor-ney Crieg Rittenhouse saidthe long delay in filingcharges may be attributedto the state’s boating stat-utes, which are somewhatlimited.

It took an extended timeto find additional evidenceto support filing a man-slaughter charge, Ritten-house said.

 According to informationfiled in support of the man-slaughter charge, the dis-

trict attorney’s office said

See CHARGES, Page A3

McCutchenhearing

postponedBy Jerry Fink

 Managing Editor 

 A hearing for a formerChecotah teacher doingtime after being convictedof having sex with students

 was postponed last weekuntil Wednesday, Sept. 3.

Michelle DianeMcCutchan, 42, who isincarcerated at the MabelBassett Correctional Centerin McLoud, requested thehearing asking the courtto re-evaluate her sentencein hopes of having several

 years taken off the 15 yearsshe must serve.

The hearing was to have been held on Monday, Aug.27, before Associate Dis-trict Judge James Pratt.

McCutchan was presentat the hearing, but a pack-

et of information from theDepartment of Corrections

 was not.

See  HEARING, Page A2

By Leilani Roberts Ott

Staff Writer 

It’s not just the harmony of the musicthat keeps people coming back each yearto the Dusk ‘til Dawn Blues Festival; it’sthe harmony that you feel when you’rethere.

“It’s all people enjoying the same thing,”

ShIronbutterfly Ray said as she sat in herlawn chair. “Because it is so soul filled. Nomatter what type of music you like, thereis something for everybody.”

For 13 years, Ray and her husband,Oscar Ray, have brought their crew from

Bare Bones Filmworks of Muskogee to video all the performances at the three-day festival in Rentiesville that features 34

 bands on three stages. Besides the musicalartists, there are puppeteers, vendors andfood like barbecue and foot-long corndogs.

The festival was started by the late D.C.Minner and his wife, Selby, 24 years ago.

She continues his contribution to bringingthe blues to all ages by having the festival.

 As she got on the outdoor stage to play herguitar and sing with Blues on the Move,she paid tribute to her husband.

See  BLUES, Page A2

Eufaula Dam

celebration

committee

reaches out

to the futureBy Jerry Fink

 Managing Editor  A limited number of per-sonal “time capsules” will

 be available to be placedin a small vault that will

 be buried near the EufaulaDam, to be opened in 50

 years.Middle School Principal

Chris Whelan is creatingthe personal capsules outof 12-inch sections of PVCpipes.

The capsules are beingsold for $50 a piece – andonly 25 will be available.

They are part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration ofthe dedication of EufaulaDam, which took place on

Sept. 25, 1964.

See  DAM , Page A3

Vanzant tostand trial onmurder charge

Preliminary hearing set

on manslaughter charge

Harmony in the air at24th annual Blues Festival

Big Clyde Sheeley of Wichita, Kan., plays guitar on the outdoor stage at the

Dusk ‘til Dawn Blues Festival. (Staff photo by Leilani Roberts Ott)

Friday: Eufaula vs Beggs 7:00 • Saturday: OU at Tulsa • OSU vs Missouri State