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OBN educates Durant to help fight drugsJessica BregerStaff Writerjbreger@civitasmedia.com

The city of Durant received a visit from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) this week. The visit was not only to perform drug searches of the area but also to educate locals about drugs and what the bureau is about.

This Hummer seized from a drug dealer is used to dis-play what can be lost when involved with drugs.

OBN firearms experts allow participants in the OBN day at Eaker Field to shoot M16-A2 rifles.

OBN agents perform a simulation drug bust for residents.

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SAM HANANELAssociated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Food stamp recipients are ripping off the govern-ment for millions of dollars by illegally selling their benefit cards for cash — sometimes even in the open, on eBay or Craigslist — and then asking the gov-ernment for replacement cards.

The Agriculture Depart-ment wants to curb the practice by giving states more power to investigate people who repeatedly claim to lose their benefit cards.

It is proposing new rules Thursday that would allow states to demand formal explanations from people who seek replacement cards more than three times a year. Those who don’t comply can be denied further cards.

“Up to this point, the state’s hands have been tied unless they absolutely sus-pected fraudulent activity,”

said Kevin Concannon, the department’s undersecre-tary for food, nutrition and consumer services.

Overall, food stamp fraud costs taxpayers about $750 million a year, or 1 percent of the $75 billion program that makes up the bulk of the department’s total bud-get for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro-gram.

Most fraud occurs when unscrupulous retailers al-low customers to turn in their benefits cards for lesser amounts of cash. But USDA officials are also con-cerned about people selling or trading cards in the open market, including through websites.

Last year, the depart-ment sent letters urging eBay and Craigslist to noti-fy customers that it’s illegal to buy and sell food stamps. USDA officials followed up last month, saying they are still getting complaints that people are using the websites to illegally market food stamps.

Both eBay and Craig-slist have told the govern-ment they are actively review-ing their sites for illegal activ-ity and would take down ads offering food stamp benefits for cash. The USDA also has warned Face-book and Twit-ter about the practice.

South Dako-ta, Oklahoma, Wa s h i n g t o n , D.C., Minnesota and Washington state have the highest percent-age of recipients seeking four or more replace-ment cards over a year. But USDA officials said that doesn’t necessarily indi-cate a high rate of fraud. All states are required by law to reissue lost or stolen cards to those who are eli-

gible for benefits.Wyoming, Idaho, New

H a m p s h i r e , North Carolina and Alabama have the low-est percentage of households requesting four or more cards in a 12-month period.

In North Car-olina, the state already issues warning letters to people who request four re-placement cards in a year, let-ting them know that officials are monitoring them closely. Dean Simpson, chief of econom-ic family servic-es for the North

Carolina Division of Social Services, said the new rules would give her state even more of a boost in curbing food stamp fraud.

“I think it would help

with the trafficking and let individuals know they are being observed and watched,” said Simpson, who oversees the state’s dis-tribution of food stamps.

More than 46 million people receive food stamps, nearly half of them children. The average monthly bene-fit is $132 per person.

Benefit cards work like debit cards, allowing us-ers to swipe them for food purchases at some 231,000 stores around the country that are authorized to take part in the food stamp pro-gram. Once a card is report-ed lost or stolen, it can be disabled immediately. But the USDA does not require photo identification, since several members of a family, including children, may use the cards at different times.

Concannon stressed that the USDA wants to be sen-sitive to vulnerable people who may lose their cards for innocent reasons. While it may sound suspicious for someone to lose a card two or three times a year, food

stamp recipients include many people who are home-less or have dementia or mental illness, he said.

“Our concern is that in many instances, it may point to a trafficking issue,” he said.

Last year, about 850,000 people were investigated for possible food stamp fraud. About 2,000 stores were sanctioned for illegal conduct, and 1,200 stores were permanently removed from the food stamp pro-gram.

Large supermarkets are seldom involved in illegal activity, Concannon said. The vast majority of fraud is found in smaller shops and convenience stores.

The USDA is currently developing tougher sanc-tions and penalties for retailers engaging in food stamp fraud. It is also tak-ing steps to make sure that people disqualified from the program for illegal ac-tivity are not able to use it again in other states.

Gov’t taking new steps to combat food stamp fraud“Up to this point, the state’s hands have been tied unless they absolutely suspected fraudulent activity.”

— Kevin ConcannonDepartment’s

undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services

Choctaw KOA will host chili contest for second straight year Zach MaxwellStaff Reporter

The 29th Annual Southwest Open Chili Championship and North of the Brazos Cookoff will be held this Saturday and Sun-day (May 26-27) at the Choctaw/KOA RV Park on the grounds of the Choctaw Casino Resort.

It is the second year in a row that the Wichita Falls-based event will call Durant its home. In 2011, the chili championship drew more than 150 cooks – up from the normal count of 85-100.

“It seems like we’ve grown since going to the casinos,” said Southwest Open Committee member Nancy Graves. Choctaw Casino and Resort will hand out chairs and other goodies as priz-es for the top cooks, but there is much more at stake.

Depending upon the turnout of cooks, a handful of the highest finishers in the judging will automatically qualify for the interna-tional chili championship this fall in Terlingua, Texas.

This weekend’s chili cookoff is actually divided into two events: The Southwest Open on Saturday and the North of the Brazos pod cookoff on Sunday. The public is invited to participate on both days, and local judges are urged to volunteer.

On Saturday, judges should sign up at 1:30 p.m. at the KOA meeting room ahead of the 2 p.m. chili turn-in time. Same goes for Sunday. After judging, tasting cups will be available for $3.

Both events benefit charities.“In addition to the chili, we have show teams as well,” said

Graves. “It gets crazy but it’s fun and light-hearted.”The Choctaw KOA recreational vehicle park is located on En-

terprise Boulevard just north of the casino parking garage.

Durant Democrat: Zach MaxwellDurant High School seniors celebrate their graduation on Thursday night at Paul Laird Field. Nearly 200 graduates repre-sented the first class for the new high school building during the 105th commencement exercises, witnessed by thousands of people in the packed stands.

Durant High School seniors celebrate their graduation

An early morning crash killed one person and left three others injured.

Cleo Deanna Daniel, 19, Durant, was dead at the scene of the 2 a.m. crash on a county road one mile east of Durant, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.

Daniel was a passenger in a Toyota pickup driven by Wil-liam E. Garner, 23, Durant. According to the patrol, Garner was driving northbound when he lost control on loose gravel, drove off the roadway and struck a tree.

Garner was taken to the Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant where he is listed in serious condition with arm and neck injuries.

Automobile accident claims woman’s life

Voters in Bryan County who want to have absen-tee ballots mailed to them for the June 26 Bryan Co. Primary and Special Elec-tions should apply now, County Election Board Secretary Linda Fahren-dorf said. Although the County Election Board can accept applications for absentee ballots un-til 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th, Fahrendorf urged voters who want to vote by absentee ballot to apply early.

Absentee ballot applica-tion forms are available at the County Election

Board office located at 217 North 16th Ave. The absentee ballot applica-tion forms also can be downloaded and printed from the Internet at www.elections.ok.gov.

“At least two mail trans-actions must be made,” Fahrendorf said. “The County Election Board must mail the ballots to the voter and the voter must return the voted bal-lots by mail.” Ballots must be in the hands of the County Election Board by 7 p.m. on election day in order to be counted.

Fahrendorf said that

any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot in any election in which he or she is eligible to vote. However, a voter must be registered and reside at an address within the geographical boundaries of a school district or a municipality to be eligible to vote in school district or municipal elections. It is not necessary to give a reason—-or excuse—-for voting absentee. “While anyone can vote absen-tee without giving a rea-son, the law still provides several excuses, and it is to the advantage of

some voters to use one of them,” Fahrendorf said. By stating one of the fol-lowing reasons on their applications, these voters can activate some spe-cial conditions that make it easier for them to use absentee ballots. The rea-sons are:

— Voters who are physically incapacitated and voters who care for physically incapacitated persons who cannot be left unattended may vote absentee. They may apply only by mail, by fax, or by telegraph.

— Voters who are con-

fined to nursing homes in the county may vote ab-sentee. An Absentee Vot-ing Board actually goes to the nursing home a few days before the elec-tion, sets up a small poll-ing place and allows these persons to vote under circumstances similar to those at a regular precinct polling place. They may apply only by mail or by fax.

— Military personnel and residents of the coun-ty living overseas and the spouses and dependents of each group are eligible to vote absentee without

being registered. These voters may apply by mail, by e-mail, or by fax. Mili-tary personnel should contact the Voting Ser-vice Officers in their units for application forms and additional information. Residents of Oklahoma living overseas can ob-tain the same materials from any United States military installation and from United States Em-bassies and Consulates. Military personnel and overseas citizens also can download the appropriate application form from the Internet at www.fvap.gov.

Absentee ballots to be available

By Zach MaxwellStaff Writer

More than 100 people, including police officers from a dozen agencies serving Bryan County, gathered at Market Square on Thursday for an event marking National Peace Offi-cer Memorial Day.

Durant police officers placed a me-morial wreath in front of the stage, and officers from various agencies placed a rose for each of the 11 law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty in Bryan County since 1894.

Fifteen municipal, state, tribal and federal agencies enforce the law in Bryan County. Eleven individuals representing seven agencies have given their lives, most recently a Bryan County deputy in 1998.

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Lance Cpl. Andrew Jones, landing support specialist, Combat Logistics Battalion 4, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), from Chanhassen, Minn., tightens a chain on a load of supplies headed to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Gunnery Sgt. Tory Kidder (left), logistics chief, Regimental Combat Team 6; and landing support specialists, Lance Cpl. Heather Armstrong, from Durant, Okla.; Lance Cpl. Troy Page, from Blythe, Calif.; and Lance Cpl. Luis Bustillos, from San Diego, assist. Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), airlifted the load of water, food, and ammunition to 1st Bn., 8th Marines, April 24, 2012. Their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter came within 10 feet of the ground as the logistics Marines latched the pallet of supplies onto the heli-copter’s hook. The supplies flew underneath the helicopter to their destination.

(LEFT) Lance Cpl. Luis Bustillos, from San Diego, and Lance Cpl. Heather Armstrong, from Durant, Okla., landing support spe-cialist Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 4, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), prepare to latch 9,000-pounds of supplies to the hook of a CH-53E Super Stallion from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), April 24, 2012. The resupply of ammunition, food, and water is for Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, who are fighting in the mountains of Helmand province. For Marines in remote locations, resupplies by air are faster, safer and easier than by ground.

From Associated Press and Staff reports

OKLAHOMA CITY — The U.S. Department of Justice says a former Oklahoma sheriff’s lieuten-ant has pleaded guilty to using a stun gun to assault a man who was under arrest.

The department said in a news release that former Bryan County Lt. Kevin Bennett Holt of Achille pleaded guilty to violat-ing the civil rights of the inmate. The department said Tuesday that Holt admitted during a plea hearing that he intention-

ally used the stun gun to shock the man who was strapped in a restraint chair.

In November, a feder-al grand jury announced a six-count indictment against Holt on federal civil rights violations and obstruction of justice for allegedly using a Taser on a woman who had been arrested and two jail inmates in 2010.

Sheriff Bill Sturch said last year that his office initiated the investigation into allegations against Holt and then turned the case over to the FBI due to the alleged civil rights

violations.Holt resigned from the

sheriff’s office in January 2011. He was also once a police officer in Achille.

A former sheriff’s dep-uty who once spoke with the Democrat about the case, said that among the allegations was that Holt had used a Taser against inmates who were in a restraint chair.Under fed-eral law, using excessive force against an inmate is a civil rights violation.

Holt faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced. A sentencing date was not announced.

The west parking lot at the Bryan Courthouse will be closed to make way for expansion of the jail.

District No. 1 County Commissioner Monty Montgomery said the parking lot will be closed this morning until construction is complete which he anticipates will be at the first of the year.

The parking lot was cordoned off with tape and signs were posted warn-

ing that those who attempt to park there will have their vehicles towed.

There is a new parking lot on the cor-ner of Fifth and Beech that the county recently finished, plus there are new parking places at the former Robert L. Williams Library that is being con-verted into the courthouse annex.

Parking on the south side of the courthouse on Evergreen Street is being reserved for the sheriff’s office.

Youth Services of Bryan County, Inc. has a program called Bryan County Systems of Care that helps children with behavioral or emotional difficulties as well as their families. The goal is to keep the child in their home, in their commu-nity and in their school.

Organizers say the program in itself is an amazing thing for local families and throughout the state. However, the program in Bryan County does not stop there. It has also worked with local

schools to help educate teens on good mental health, listen to voices of stu-dents, and help with a Peer Mediation program. Within this school year, Bryan County Systems of Care has helped put on a tea party to educate female students on important topics and has created a mural at a local park in conjunction with a local schools art club. Those are just a couple of highlights. Bryan County

A tractor-trailer rig leaked potassium hydroxide at West Side Choctaw Travel Plaza on Tuesday, according to the Durant Fire Department.

Firefighters were dispatched to the business at 11:32 a.m. and when they arrived, approximately 25 gallons of the chemical had leaked onto the parking lot, according to a fire department report. The leak was coming from a control valve under the trailer which had been repaired.

Firefighters were not able to stop the leak, so they put trash cans underneath it. The report stated that the chemical was

spilling out at approximately 30 gallons per minute, and firefighters caught about 225 gallons with the trash cans.

A chemical clean-up company was called to clean up the scene and firefight-ers assisted the crew until leaving at 8:40 p.m.

In other fire calls, firefighters respond-ed to a Dumpster fire at 7:41 p.m. Sunday behind the car wash at North Second Avenue and West Mulberry Street.

Firefighters hosed down the fire in approximately two minutes. The cause was undetermined.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin has signed a measure to prevent pending pay increases for Oklahoma judges, district attorneys and other statewide elected officials.

Fallin on Tuesday signed a joint resolution that had

bipartisan support in the Legislature. Lawmakers had argued that it was poor timing to approve pay rais-es while Oklahoma was still emerging from a recession.

The Board of Judicial Compensation last year recommended a 6 percent raise for judges — and the

salaries of statewide elect-ed officials are tied to judi-cial salaries. The salaries of judges in Oklahoma range from about $105,000 for special judges to $147,000 for the state’s chief justice.

The bill would have cost the state about $2.7 million a year.

Ex-Bryan County sheriff lt. pleads guilty to stun gun use

Courthouse parking lot closed for jail expansion

5k run to benefit Silo Relaxation Garden

Logistics Marines assist infantry with resupply by air

Firefighters respond to chemical spill

Fallin inks bill to stop raises for Okla. judges

Bertie Keeth turned 104 years old on Tuesday. She was born may 1, 1908, in Oklahoma. She made her living as a housekeeper and is of the Pentecostal faith. She makes King’s Daughters and Sons Nursing Center her home where she par-ticipates in church services every Wednesday and Sunday. Her daughter, Charlene South, visits often. Her favorite flowers are red roses. Pictured with Bertie is her nephew, Bill Works and his wife Leona.

Durant Main Street announced Zach Ray will be this week’s featured band for Music on Market Square. The public is invit-ed to the outdoor stage at First and Evergreen in Downtown Durant to hear good country music in a relaxed atmosphere. It will begin Thursday night, May 3rd, at 7 p.m. Zach Ray is from Blanchard, OK and a freshmen at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He plays football at Southeastern,

sings in the choir, and is in the President’s Leadership Class. Zach started sing-ing at church and now sings regularly at the Rodeo Opry in Oklahoma City.

The Thursday night con-certs through September are called Music on Market Square.

For more information, contact Durant Main Street at 924-1550. The concerts are free, and attendees are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs. Zach Ray

See 5K RUN | 2

Zach Ray to Appear at MOMS

See MARINES | 2

Woman celebrates 104th Birthday

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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PERmIT NO. 78

Three veteran teachers set to retireNorthwest Heights El-

ementary School will bid farewell to three long-term teachers this year due to retirement. They are Nancy Johnson, first grade; Cindy Proctor Ballard, physical education; and Janet Cor-ley, Pre-K.

These three teachers have been with the Durant Public Schools for a com-bined total of over 60 years. A reception to honor their years of service will be held on Wednesday, May 16 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Northwest Heights library.

Mrs. Johnson is a na-tive of Marshall County and Buncombe Creek Re-sort. She is a graduate of Kingston High School, and received her Bachelor’s De-gree from University of Mis-souri-Columbia with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She holds a Master’s De-

gree in Elementary Educa-tion from SOSU in Durant. Mrs. Johnson began her teaching career in Fairborn, Ohio with kindergarten stu-dents. She has served with the Durant Public Schools for a total of 36 years, 22 of those years have been at NWH teaching first grade. Her foremost interest has always been in the success and welfare of her students. However, she has been a staunch supporter of her fellow educators for many years. She has served in sev-eral capacities within the Durant Education Associa-tion, working as DEA Presi-dent, Vice-president, and a member of the negotiation team, NWH first grade lead teacher, and BLT rep-resentative for first grade. Mrs. Johnson was the DISD Teacher of the Year in 1990. She is a member of NEA

and OEA, and attended OEA delegate assembly for ten years. Mrs. Johnson is married to Bruce Johnson, a professor and department chairman at Southeastern. Her mother is Mrs. Jackie Bertrand of Durant.

Ms. Cindy Proctor Bal-lard has been with the Du-rant Public Schools since 1990. All of those years have been at Northwest Heights teaching physical education. She graduated from Silo High School in 1972, and SOSU in 1976 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health/Physical Educa-tion/Recreation. She also obtained a Master’s De-gree from Southeastern in Health/Physical Education/Recreation in 1978. Cindy taught for one year in Wy-lie, Texas coaching 7th and 8th grade basketball and track. She then accepted

the position as head girls’ basketball coach at Yuba High School, where she served for 12 years. Her special honors have been Bryan County Coach of the Year 1983-84, and 1987-88; All Conference Coach of the Year 1982 and 1984; Bryan County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010; Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition – Hon-

orable Recognition for the Mileage Fitness Club that she implemented at NWH in 2003. When she began teaching at Northwest Heights, her former coach and mentor, Alvie Nelson, was the principal. Ms. Bal-lard is also a member of NEA, OEA, DEA, and the OSSAA. Her plans for the future include working

with the family business, and establishing a home décor business, which will be called “Twilight” located in Bremar’s Variety Depot. She is looking forward to spending quality time with family, friends, and co-retir-ee, Linda Condor.

Mrs. Corley is a native

Janet Corley Cindy Proctor Ballard Nancy Johnson

See RETIRE | 2

Durant Democrat: Zach MaxwellElizabeth Eggenberg Huff performas a song as Durant police officers Jesse Petty, Brandon Mitchell and Shane Harkey stand guard at a memorial wreath on Thursday.

Durant Democrat: Zach MaxwellDurant City Manager James Dunegan speaks Thursday at National Peace Officer Memorial Day event as Durant police officers Jesse Petty and Brandon Mitchell stand guard at a memorial wreath.

Ceremony honors Peace Office Memorial Day

See CEREMONY | 2

Three charged with cocaine trafficking

Three Des Moines, Iowa, residents have been charged with trafficking cocaine after troopers said one-half pound of cocaine was found in their vehicle.

Charged Monday were Shamekia M. Harston, 31, Antho-ny J. Phillips, 29, and Destiny R. McGregor, 24.

They were arrested May 11 after Trooper Vern Roland stopped a car for traveling 75 miles per hour in a 70 zone on Highway 69-75, according to an affidavit.

Harston, identified as the driver, was issued a warning for speeding, and Roland noticed an odor of burnt mari-juana inside the vehicle, the affidavit states.

According to the patrol, the driver and passengers gave different stories when asked about their travel plans, and Phillips had been on probation for a 25-year suspended sen-tence for cocaine.

Trooper Alan Murray arrived to assist, and his drug dog alerted to the vehicle, the affidavit states, and the occupants gave consent to search.

Roland, according to the affidavit, found a plastic con-tainer of approximately one-half pound of cocaine that was behind the driver’s seat.

According to the patrol, a Des Moines detective said all three suspects are involved in drug sales.

The suspects told troopers that they bought the cocaine in Dallas, Texas, the affidavit states. All three were booked into the Bryan County Jail.

Tribe attorney accuses AG of conflict of interestJustin JuozapaviciusAssociated Press

TULSA — A small Amer-ican Indian tribe doesn’t have the jurisdiction to build a casino in a Tulsa suburb because the 20-acre site lies within the boundar-ies of another larger tribe, attorneys told a federal judge Wednesday.

Construction on the proj-ect continues amid protest from thousands of area resi-dents, lawmakers and pas-tors. The lawyers presented their arguments during a court hearing in the casino construction fight. They said the 350-member Ki-alegee Tribal Town has no right to stake a claim to the land in the city of Broken Arrow because it’s owned by two Muscogee Creek Na-tion tribal members.

“Jurisdiction is something one can’t acquire by plant-ing a flag” on a parcel of land, state’s attorney Lynn Slade argued.

Furthermore, the tribe has no court system, no full-time police force and no personnel to properly moni-tor a casino with hundreds of slot machines, Slade said. He added that the project is in an area near schools, churches and neighbor-hoods and asked the judge to spare the community.

Oklahoma Attorney Gen-eral Scott Pruitt sued the Kialegee Tribal Town in federal court in February, accusing the tribe of mov-ing ahead with construction without obtaining federal approval to lease the prop-erty. Pruitt is asking U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell to grant an injunc-tion to stop construction at the site.

The hearing on the in-junction began Wednesday in federal court in Tulsa and is expected to wrap up by Friday.

An attorney for the Kiale-gee, Dennis Whittlesey, ar-gued that the tribe has had the project under review by the National Indian Gam-ing Commission for months and no one at that agency has complained about the project’s legality.

“At no point has anyone suggested to us they have a problem with gaming on this land,” Whittlesey told the judge in opening state-ments.

The state’s first witness, University of Oklahoma his-tory professor Gary Ander-son, spent the bulk of the morning and afternoon trac-ing the intricate relation-ship between the Kialegee and Muscogee Creek Na-tion, dating back to treaties signed in the late 1800s and going forward.

Anderson, an expert in American Indian history, said the difference between the groups is that the Mus-cogee have a historical claim on the geographic area where the proposed ca-sino sits.

Slade, the state’s attor-ney, asked Anderson if there was any example in his re-search of the Kialegee being granted authority outside the tribe’s Wetumpka head-quarters in southeastern Oklahoma.

“I found nothing pro-viding them any (author-ity), period,” Anderson an-swered.

During cross-examina-tion, Whittlesey accused Anderson of inventing a “two-tier” system for label-

May 16th car

crashPhoto provided

A two-vehicle crash hap-pened at approximately 11 p.m. May 16, 2012, on Bray Road east of Hotel Road and north of Albany. Four occupants declined trans-port to a hospital.

See TRIBE | 2

Tuesday, May 29, 2012Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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DURANT, OKECRWSS

PERMIT NO. 78

Bulldogs attack Chihuahua and its ownerRichard ChaseSpecial to the Durant Democrat

A Durant woman is griev-ing the loss of her pet Chi-huahua and nursing injuries to her leg after two bulldogs running loose attacked them in their yard last week on East Main Street.

Rhonda Bates said she was in her yard with her dog when the two bulldogs came through a hole in the fence and attacked her little dog. While trying to rescue her pet, she was bitten by one of the dogs.

She said they called sev-eral times before police responded with an ambu-lance, fire truck and the ani-mal control officer.

Bates said she had re-ported the dogs running loose in the past but noth-ing was ever done. The animal control officer told her that according to the city ordinance on animals, if he wrote the owners of the bulldogs a ticket for allowing the dogs to run free, he would have to write her a ticket because her pet was not secure al-

though it was in her yard.It was first reported the

attack was by pit bulls, but Animal Control Officer Mark Lasiter, said the dogs were actually just bulldogs. They have been taken to the animal shelter where they will be monitored for rabies, and since they are classified as vicious, will probably be put down.

According to Lasiter, the ordinance requiring not only dogs, but any animal be secure on property is pretty vague.

“Animals, who are deter-

mined to be vicious, mean-ing they have bitten a per-son or another animal, can come under stricter guide-lines,” he said. “However, many times we are present-ed with a vicious animal case, the owner disappears before action can be taken.”

Charges are still possible in the fatal April attack on James Hurst when he was mauled to death in his yard by two pit bulls in Mead. According to witnesses in that case, the dogs had a history of escaping from their yard.

District Attorney Emily Redman she has assigned an investigator the task of conducting a further inves-tigation and he has conduct-ed multiple interviews and is continuing to conduct others.

“The statutes require that the prosecution prove that the dog owner had prior knowledge of an offending dog’s propensity toward vi-ciousness and further that the owner did not take rea-sonable precautions to pre-vent the dog from running at large, Redman said.”

She also said the owner of the dogs have since moved from the jurisdiction of this area.

Communities in Okla-homa are prohibited from passing breed specific ordi-nances, according to Lasit-er. However some states do allow breed specific laws and 650 U.S. cities and all military housing areas pro-hibit or require insurance for pit bull owners. Statis-tics show that 67 percent of deaths from dog maul-ing were from pit bulls.

Les Shumake hits the ground running at HillsdaleRandy BruceSports Editor

Playing the grand ‘ole game of baseball captures the minds and hearts of many Americans and Bryan County hometown boy Les Shumake is no different.

Shumake began his rise in baseball playing high school ball for Rock Creek. While there, he broke into the line and began to contribute al-most immediately at center field. Now, he lends his bat to the Hillsdale Saints in Moore, Ok.

There are always going to be times of adaptation for a freshman entering a new ball club, especially when it’s a jump from high school to college baseball. The players are faster and stronger.

But the transition for Shu-make was bit more fluid and he is now in consideration for Freshman All-American.

“It’s different from high-school. From the standpoint that you have someone chal-lenging you for your spot and you face tough pitching everyday.” said Shumake, “When I came to Hillsdale I knew if I put up good numbers I would have a good chance to get Fresh-man All-American. I’m very happy to have great coaches and blessed with baseball ability.”

It takes hard work and dedication to play at high level and Shumake isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to become a better ballplay-er.

“I’m always working on my swing and footwork in the outfield. We practice four days a week along with scrimmages and put in hard work on my days off.” said Shumake, “My goals in baseball are to never settle and become all that I can be and who knows, we’ll see if it takes me to the next level.”

So just what kind of suc-cess has Shumake been hav-ing? It’s when he steps into the batter’s box when the magic happens. He has a .520 batting average in fall scrimmages, coupled with a .550 on base percentage

Les Shumake

Ken Womack, Jay T Welch, Fred King, Ronny Arndald, Olen Bullard and David Whitlock were recognized Saturday dur-ing Hendrix Church’s Centennial celebration for their time preaching at the church.

Bryan County church turns 100Jessica BregerStaff Writer

Hendrix Baptist Church cel-ebrated its 100th birthday on Sat-urday. The church was built in the town of Hendrix on Oct. 20 1912.

The day was celebrated by invit-ing all who attend, have attended or preached at the church over its 100-year existence to congregate from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The day began with music fol-

lowed by a welcome from Brother Ken Womack.

After a poem entitled “Friends and Celebration” by church mem-ber Verna Williams written for the occasion, all pastors that were in attendance were recognized.

All six pastors that were in at-tendance received a plaque and words of thanks for serving the church.

“This was my first pastoral,” said David Whitlock who is now

president of Oklahoma Baptist University.

The day continued with a brief history and recognizing the wives and decedents of pastors present and past.

Lunch was shared at 12:30. Guests could also enjoy scrap-books that were made about the church. Books on the history of the church as well as recipe book were available to purchase at the end of the festivities.

Brother Bud Metcalf presents David Whitlock with a plaque recognizing him for his time preaching.

SORTS, a United Way member agencyJessica BregerStaff Writer

This week’s Bryan Coun-ty United Way agency is the Southern Oklahoma Rural Transportation (SORTS).

SORTS was started in 1985 by Big Five Commu-nity Services, Inc. SORTS provides transportation to citizens of Bryan, Carter, Coal and Love Counties.

More than 75% of riders who use SORTS are tran-sit dependent and have no other way to travel to obtain basic necessities.

According to Big Five Community Services web-site, www.bigfive.org, The SORTS program is funded in part by a Section 5311 Grant from the Federal Transit Administration passed through the State of Oklahoma’s Department of Transportation.

Other funds are provided by city and county entities, United Way, a Special State Revolving fund made pos-sible through our legislators and contracts with other so-cial organizations.

SORTS has several pro-

grams to provide transpor-tation to various citizens in the counties it serves.

The Sooner Ride routes provide rides to Medicaid eligible clients to get to and from approved medical treatments.

These rides may some-times lead as far as to Okla-homa City and Dallas. If these rides are approved by Logisticare (a Sooner Ride Contractor) the ride is at no cost to the client.

SORTS also provides transportation to and from work for citizens in the counties served. They en-courage businesses that have employees in need of work transportation to con-tact SORTS.

SORTS has routes to Headstart facilities and se-nior citizen centers in the areas as well. SORTS De-mand Response provides transportation to various locations.

Ride prices vary from $1.50 to $3 depending on age and location. Demand Response transportation is available from 7 a.m. to 4

See SORTS | Page 2

See SHUMAKE | Page 2

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Local and County leaders showed up to officially open the Robert L. Williams Courthouse Annex Thursday after-noon.

Bryan County cuts the ribbon on new courthouse annexJessica BregerStaff Writer

Thursday, Bryan County held an open house for the Robert L. Williams Courthouse Annex with a ribbon cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the refurbished Robert Lee Williams sign.

The new courthouse annex holds the county clerk’s office, treasurer’s office, tax assessor’s of-fice, and the county commissioner’s secretary.

The courthouse annex was previously the Robert L. Williams library. The building had been donated to the city of Durant by Williams.

The old library was converted into the court-house annex through collaboration of local and county officials.

County commissioner Monty Montgomery said during the ceremony that he wanted to emphasize how important this project was because of this col-laboration.

“It’s a celebration of unity between local and county leaders,” said Montgomery. Senator Josh Brecheen also commented on the unity of the two government entities.

“Unity seems to be the theme of this meeting,” said Brecheen. Brecheen commented on the high

levels of honor and respect he has seen in the com-munity.

Before cutting the ribbon on the facility the re-furbished Robert Lee Williams sign was unveiled. The sign which stood, outside of the library, was refurbished by local artist Janie Umsted.

Local artist Janie Umsted read the sign she refur-bished out-loud during the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Robert L.Williams Courthouse Annex Thursday afternoon.

Durant Lions and Marine Corps Reserve toy drive kicks off

This year marks the 14th anniversary of the successful partnership between the Durant Lion’s Club, the Durant Area Chamber of Com-merce and the US Ma-rine Corps Reserve to provide needy children of Bryan County with Christmas gifts through the Lions Toy Box and the Toys for Tots pro-grams. Plans have been underway since mid-October for this year’s event for Bryan County children.

Each year children throughout Bryan Coun-ty are the recipients of toys and gifts given away to families who cannot afford to purchase gifts for their children at Christmas. This year’s drive for toys and contri-butions kick-off began on November 5. The Durant Lions Club coordinates with local businesses and individuals to help with the Lion’s Toy Box by collecting toys and/or making contributions.

The Durant Area

Chamber of Commerce serves as a drop off point and accepts applications from those families who need additional help through the Christmas season with presents for their children. Brian Bond, chairman for the Durant Lions Toy Box, said, “The Durant Lions anticipate this year to be more of a challenge because of the current economic situation, but with community sup-port the Lions Toy Box will once again be a suc-cess.” Last year the Toy Box Project was able to distribute gifts to more than 800 Bryan County families, providing more than 2,000 Bryan County Children with Christmas gifts.

Remember to look for the Marine’s Toys for Tots Boxes at many of the businesses through-out Bryan County begin-ning November 5. All Toys donated in Bryan County stay in Bryan County.

Members of the Durant Lion’s Club begin preperation for Toys for Tots. From left, Brian Bond, Chairman Lion’s Toys for Tots, Daylin Hash Landmark Bank, Diane Nelson Shamrock Bank and Justin Behrens Farm Credit.

Main St. Shopping Spree kicks offMonday was the start of the an-

nual Durant Main Street Shopping Spree with 31 Main Street mem-bers participating. Total prize money to be given away this year is $2,000. The date for the draw-ing will be Tuesday, December 18 at 6 p.m. on the Market Square Stage. Prize money won shall be spent with any participating Du-rant Main Street merchants.

The Durant Main Street office has been busy getting the ticket bags ready to be dropped off at Durant Main Street merchants who are participating in the Holi-day Shopping Spree. For every $10 a patron spends with a merchant,

they will receive one ticket to be filled out completely and dropped into the bag. Of course, the more money that is spent with a partici-pating merchant, the better your chances will be for your ticket to be drawn for a prize. On Thurs-days from 4-7 p.m., will be double ticket hours. A special drawing for a prize, which has been donated by downtown merchants, will be held after special Thursday nights.

The following merchants are participating in this year’s Holi-day Shopping Spree are: A&M Engraving; Bliss Boutique; Center for Psychological Development; Central Electric; Collier, Fox &

Associates, CPA; Count Your Blessings; Cricket Box; Criswell Law Office; Curtis Jewelry; Deb-orah’s Florist; Durant Lumber Company; Five Star Office Sup-ply; Generations/Merle Norman; The Glittering Door; HNT Quilt Shop; The Hollow Tree; JJ Mundi; Whitney Kerr, Attorney; Mackey Home Appliance Center; Marie’s;

Mickle Law Firm; Old Ice House; Pat Phelps, Attorney; Ro-ma’s Italian Restaurant; Steger Lumber Company; Swearengin Insurance; Take 2 Boutique; The Country Framer; The Plaza; The Umbrella; and Uncle Stew’s Guns.

Last minute details were finalized for the Durant Main Street Shopping Spree. Participating businesses received the tick-ets and information regarding the contestearly this week.From left, Alissa Atkinson; Carla Dillard, Assistant in the Du-rant Main Street Office; Matthew Corley and Turner Norman. Students from Durant High School are completing their Ser-vice Learning Hours for Mrs. Latona’s class.

‘Dirty 30s’ a painful memory for many OklahomansRobert BarronEnid News & Eagle

ENID (AP) — The dust seemed to rise and hang in the air like floating death. Dirt where crops could be raised blew away, suffocated livestock and brought “dust pneumonia” to people trying to eke out a liv-ing on Oklahoma farms.

The “Dirty Thirties” are not remembered fondly by those who lived through them. Hun-dreds of Oklahomans moved from the state where their liveli-hood blew away with the wind, and many settled in California.

From 1934 to 1938, nature’s severe drought and the Great Depression nearly brought the nation to its knees.

Poor farming practices had re-sulted in over-farming and over-

grazing the land, and when the rain stopped, the dirt began to blow away. Oklahoma was part of a multi-state area of the Mid-western and Southern Plains that were devastated by the drought and wind. In 1932, the number of storms were increas-ing — 14 were reported that year. In 1933, there were 38. Some say 1936 was the worst year of all.

Enid’s George Hutchinson was a student at Longfellow Ju-nior High School in 1936, a year which he recalls as very hot and dusty.

“I remember one day, the school closed about noon so we could find our way home. Once I thought they should have closed, but they didn’t — you couldn’t see down the hall. Ev-eryone went home while they

could still get there,” Hutchin-son said. “That was a mess.”

The dust and wind were so bad, Hutchinson remembers his grandfather telling him he saw a prairie dog trying to dig a hole — 10 feet in the air.

“It was lighter with your eyes closed,” he said.

Hutchinson said the wind was equally harsh. His grandfather lived at Carrier and placed a chain across his fence for a gate. The chain would not stretch completely across the opening, and his grandfather told people he looked at the chain to see if the wind was blowing, Hutchin-son said.

Hutchinson does not recall how long the drought lasted, but remembers 1936 as very hot.

“The year 1936 was the hot-test dadgum summer in the

world, and I was out in it. I was 12 years old. By midnight, it was still too hot to sleep. I went out in the yard with a blanket and slept. We had one fan in the house, and it was a small one. And I didn’t get it,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said the beds were sometimes too toasty to sleep on.

Hutchinson’s father was an attorney and a member of the Oklahoma Legislature. He was running for Congress in 1936, and the family helped him cam-paign all summer. He lost by 34 votes, Hutchinson said.

“I would sit in the backseat of the car and talk into a mi-crophone and say, ‘Vote for my dad.’ It was so hot it was ridicu-lous,” he said.

Dale Miller recalls being in

grade school at Free Home, which was west of Enid’s Glen-wood Elementary School. Free Home was a one-room country school.

“I saw clouds, and it turned dark. It was coming in from the west and northwest, and it dimmed the sun,” said Miller, 86.

The weather had been very dry for two or three years ahead of the dust storms, and animal feed was minimal on their farm. There was little grass, and his family used hay and cottonseed cake as animal feed.

Dirt filled the air, and his fam-ily draped wet towels or a cloth around their noses to help keep out the dust. They also placed towels around the house to try to

See MEMORY | Page 2

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

DEDC gets first look at new casino plansJessica BregerStaff Writerjbreger@civitasmedia.com

Big plans, including a movie theater, for the Choc-taw Casino and Resort, were unveiled to the Durant Economic Development Council during the monthly meeting last week

Choctaw’s Executive Di-rector of Gaming Janie Dil-

lard was there to walk the council through the chang-es scheduled to begin next month and be completed in April of 2015.

The new plans include a children’s area, new 22-story hotel with a top floor spa, new restaurants, a five-screen movie theater and 20-lane bowling alley.

The children’s area will

be located at the southeast corner of the casino. This area will contain a Kid’s Quest and Lazer Zone.

The south end of the ca-sino will be more family friendly, containing the mov-ie theater and bowling alley and will be country themed to make it a comfortable en-vironment for locals.

Movie theater among remodeling plans

The DEDC saw this depiction of the future Choctaw Casino and Resort during its Tuesday meeting.

Mara Richards now in running for State TOYJessica BregerStaff Writerjbreger@civitasmedia.com

Durant Middle School teacher Mara Richards was named one of the 12 finalists for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.

Oklahoma Superinten-dent of Schools Janet Bar-resi on Wednesday intro-duced the 12 finalists for next year’s state teacher of the year award. The final-ists were revealed during the general session of the State Department of Edu-cation’s Vision 2020 Con-ference in Oklahoma City, an event attended by hun-dreds of teachers.

Richards teaches eighth grade science and pre-advanced placement physi-cal science at the middle school and has 15 years of teaching experience.

Richards was named Durant ISD Teacher of the Year in January and then applied for State Teacher of the Year.

Along with her applica-tion Richards had to sub-mit several essays on sub-jects such as why she began teaching and what her mes-sage as State Teacher of the Year would be.

In April of this year, Richards was struck by a vehicle just a few blocks

away from her home while on a walk.

Richards had to miss the last two months of school and has spent the summer recovering from the accident that caused major injuries.

Despite her injuries, Richards has said she can-not wait to get back to school and her students.

Committees comprised of teachers, parents and community members se-lected the finalists, two from each of the six regions in the state. A committee of education, business and civic leaders will choose the winner who will be revealed at the Oklahoma State Fair in September.

- The Associated Press contributed to this story

Mara Richards

See DEDC | Page 2

Special nonpartisan election to be held for Bokchito

Candidates for municipal office in Bokchito can file dec-larations of candidacy beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, July 22.

Linda Fahrendorf, Secretary of the County Election Board, said the filing period ends at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 24.

Declarations of candidacy will be accepted at the Coun-ty Election Board office for the indicated office for the following offices in Bokchito:

—One Town Trustee seat term to expire in 2015. This is a 2 year unexpired term.

—One Town Trustee seat term to expire in 2017. This is a 3 year and 7 month unexpired term.

The municipal offices at stake in the Town of Bokchito will be filled in the Special Nonpartisan General Election scheduled Sept. 10, 2013.

AT LEFT, OBN agents demonstrate repelling methods for people at Eaker Field Thursday morning. AT RIGHT, Kyle English and Alpha demonstrate how dogs are used to find narcotics that may be overlooked by humans.

Co. Democrats help with school supplies for soldiers’ kids

The Bryan County Democratic Party in conjunction with the United Way and the Families Readiness Group (FRG) is accepting donations of school supplies for the children of all area active-duty military personnel.

“We chose to do this project based on a conver-sation with Pamela Robinson,” explains County Chair, Dave Northcutt. Robinson, Director of Unit-ed Way, emphasizes soldiers’ “need to stay focused on staying alive while on active duty” and says that “the biggest show of support to our troops is to help their families back home.”

Providing school supplies will be especially helpful because prices are expected to rise again in 2013 as they have for several years. Military pay increases were 1.7% this year, while the Na-tional Inflation Association predicts the overall inflation rate will go above 2.0% this fall.

Donations may be brought to Merle Norman Cos-metics Studio and Generations located at the Opera House, 202 W. Evergreen, or the Second Street Salon, 211 N. 2nd, through August 1st.

Northcutt asks Bryan County residents to “help us to support our local troops by helping to support those they most care about.” For more information, contact Northcutt at 580-775-7169.

Used car prices are droppingDee-Ann DurbinAP Auto Writer

DETROIT) — Is that new set of wheels out of your price range? Used cars have gotten more afford-able, especially if you’re looking for a small car or a hybrid.

Used car prices have been falling since 2011, and they’re expected to decline gradually for the remainder of this year. That’s good news for those joining or re-entering the workforce, or anyone else who might find a pay-ment on a new car too steep.

There is some volatility. Prices for used cars are typically higher at the start of the year, when deal-ers buy cars at auctions in advance of the spring selling season. They decline as the year goes on. The price of a 3-year-old car fell 4 per-cent between April and June, es-timates Alex Gutierrez of car-pric-ing company Kelley Blue Book.

Used-car dealers get many of their cars from auctions run by compa-nies like Manheim, a division of Cox Enterprises of Atlanta. The average price for a used car at auction was

$11,031 in June, down 6 percent from its peak in May 2011, Man-heim reported this week. The 2011 peak was the highest price Man-heim had seen since 1995, when it began collecting data.

At Manheim-run auctions, banks and auto company financing opera-tions sell cars that have come back after leases expire. Rental car com-panies and car dealers also sell cars there. Dealers buy the cars, mark them up and sell them for a profit.

Auction values also help set pric-es for individuals who want to sell their cars at the market rate.

In 2009, new vehicle sales fell to a 30-year low of 10.4 million. Two years later, used cars were in short supply and prices got so high that it made sense for consumers to buy new.

Things have turned around. New car sales picked up starting in 2010 and now there are far more used cars in the pipeline. Buyers shop-ping for a 3-year-old used car can expect to pay 25 or 30 percent less than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for a current new model.

The average retail price of a used

car fell by $1,000 per car in the last half of 2012. Gutierrez expects a simi-lar decline in the second half of this year. Keep in mind that used car pric-es vary widely based on the age of the car and the miles it has been driven.

The price declines will be gradual. While more inventory is helping to lower prices, demand is rising as more people get jobs and need vehicles for work.

Gutierrez estimates that a 3-year-old car cost an average $19,000 in June. By compari-son, a new car averaged $31,663 last month. That’s up $307 — or around 1 percent — from April.

Used cars are big business. Ev-ery year around 40 million are sold in the U.S., compared with 14 or 15 million new cars.

If you’re looking for a used car, check prices online and then decide whether you want to go through a dealer or through an individual. Private sellers will often give you a better deal, but dealerships offer certified pre-owned cars that have gone through inspections and may offer better warranties.

People from Bryan Coun-ty gathered at Eaker Field Thursday morning to learn about what OBN does and how it works.

Thursday’s tour included watching OBN agents repel from helicopters, an infor-mative seminar, hands-on weapons demonstrations, drug dog demonstrations and even a helicopter ride.

OBN Director Darrell Weaver said that OBN looks for people to attend these tours who want to be edu-cated and want to help.

“We as law enforcement and OBN can’t do it alone. I strongly believe to have success against these so-cial ills we have to have a grassroots movement with everyone doing their part,” said Weaver.

He said while OBN is normally a very covert agency, he wanted to be overt and open with the crowd. He said he wanted everybody to learn what OBN does and why.

After watching an OBN agent repel from a helicop-ter, participants in the tour went inside for a seminar telling about OBN and the people involved.

Participants learned what areas are covered by OBN, such as drug and human trafficking, and a drug-en-dangered children program.

Participants learned the extent of prescription drug abuse and ways to dispose of prescription drugs so dealers and users cannot get ahold of them.

Weaver said that in 2011, OBN set out boxes for Okla-

homans to dispose of pre-scription drugs all over the state.

Since then, more than 23 tons of prescription drugs have been collected that may have otherwise sat in cabinet or been thrown away and able to fall into the wrong hands.

The seminar also in-formed participants on the people of OBN and the fund-ing of OBN. Weaver said the agency is almost self-funded with 76 percent of its funds being rotating funds.

He said many of their vehicles are bought from surplus from other enti-ties or seized from suc-cessful drug busts.

After the seminar, partici-pants traveled to a gun range where they were allowed to shoot an M16-A2 assault rifle, watch a trained dog find marijuana and witness a simulation drug bust.

Participants were shown how effective a dog can be when searching for drugs and were told how one dog found eight pounds of marijuana at a post office just this week.

Once back at Eaker Field, the day concluded with aerial tours in OBN helicop-ters. Participants were able to ride in OBN helicopters and see how agents can find marijuana from the sky.

Weaver said all of this was to let people know they are out there and watching. They want to discourage people from growing, selling and using drugs.

The agency hopes that by educating people on OBN, that it will get more people out there helping to prevent drug use and fighting the war on drugs.

OBN has been in the area all week searching for drugs using aerial and ground tac-tics with the assistance of the Durant Civil Air Patrol.

Durant Police Reserves Capt. John Wyatt said that the Durant Civil Air Patrol is a vital part of what is go-ing on by acting as a com-munications platform for the OBN and they are glad to be able to help.

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COUNTRY STYLE TUESDAY, JULY 16, 20132 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT

Zach Maxwell photos | Durant Democrat Jill Wigington (center) accepts the Main Street Volunteer of the Year award from board members Juli Herrington & Greg Phillips.

Main Street awards presented at annual dinner

Juli Herrington and Greg Phillips present the Business of the Year award to Lisa Jernigan of Bliss Boutique.

Kelli & Kyle Norman accept the Student Volunteer of the Year award on behalf of son Turner Norman, presented by Main Street board members Juli Herrington and Greg Phillips.

AT LEFT, Main Street board members Juli Herrington and Greg Phillips present the Best Interior Design award to Re-becca Collins of HNT Quilt Shop. AT RIGHT, Josh Mullins of Nautilus, Inc., (center) accepts the award for Best Facade from Main Street board members Juli Herrington and Greg Phillips.

Juli Herrington and Greg Phillips present the Best Window Display award to Laura Booth of Take 2 Boutique.

Zach MaxwellStaff Reporter

The Durant Main Street organization held its annual awards meet-ing on last week, filling Three Valley Museum with applause for busi-nesses and volunteers who have made the downtown promotion program a success.

Main Street recognized donors, the city and its media partners before re-porting the efforts of four committees and handing out seven awards.

Awards included:Volunteer of the Year:

Jill Wigington.Student Volunteer of

the Year: Turner Nor-man. Turner’s name will be the eighth added to the Colten Sherrill Youth Volunteer Award

plaque which hangs in the Main Street office.

Business of the Year: Bliss Boutique (Lisa Jernigan).

Best Member Outside of the Main Street Dis-trict: State Farm Insur-ance (Jim McGill).

Best Window Dis-play: Take 2 Boutique (Laura Booth).

Best Façade: Nautilus, Inc. (Josh Mullins).

Best Interior Design: HNT Quilt Shop (Re-becca Collins).

Door prizes of a Du-rant-themed Monopoly game (“Durant-opoly”) and commemorative street bricks were given to several attendees.

Committee reports came from the design, economic, promotion, and organizational committees.

Participants of the OBN tour at Eaker Field get a unique view as they ride in an OBN helicopter.

Participants of the OBN tour at Eaker Field get a unique view as they ride in an OBN helicopter.

From Page 1

OBN

The 22-story hotel will contain 500 new rooms and sit within the casino just North of Gilley’s. The hotel will maintain the quality of the existing hotel, but may have a different look.

The new spa will take up the entire top floor of the new hotel and have its own pool.

“It will be state of the art,” said Dillard.

She said the spa will have massages, saunas, manicure, pedicure station and new treatments such as blow-out

stations to smooth hair.The event center will be

moved to the north end where the bingo currently sits. Also on the north end will be a new 50,000- square-foot conference center.

The Oasis Pool will re-ceive a large expansion as well. A beach design is being discussed that may include real sand at the pool area.

A children’s pool will be added as well along with a splash pad and other water-park-like attractions. Dillard said while a full waterpark is not possible with this ex-

pansion, though it is some-thing the resort would like to bring in eventually.

New dining options

will include an Asian noo-dle bar, Smash Burgers, Applebee’s, Sammy’s Bar and Grill and a “Back Porch Suds and Grub” food court.

This food court will be all name brand and set in travel trailers for a back-porch feel.

Overall, the new casino layout will show an up-scale casino on the north end and a cozy country themed casino and a fam-ily area on the south end.

Dillard described all of the new renovations and ad-ditions as well as explaining the benefits for Durant.

“It’s all about tourism,” said Dillard.

She said that the new busi-ness coming to the casino will bring more people into the City of Durant. She also informed the council that the new additions will bring approximately 780 new jobs and $17 million in annual salaries to Durant residents.

According to Dillard, the Choctaw Nation is cur-rently the largest employ-er in Durant, employing more than 5,400 people.

From Page 1

DEDCJanie Dillard explains the new layout of the future Choc-taw Ca-sino and Resort to the DEDC.

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Car hop needed. Apply atWright's Drive In 319 S. 9th

Diesel & Tire TechsTruck dealer seeking dieseltechs and tire techs for Durantlocation. Excellent pay and be-nefits, experience required.903-957-6010

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CDC chief: Tobacco use still top killer in Okla.Tim TalleyThe Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — The director of the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention said Thursday that tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in Oklahoma and nation-wide, even with the number of smokers rapidly declining.

In an address at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Dr. Thomas Frieden said the number of adult smokers in the United States is the lowest ever documented and there are 4 million fewer smokers today than just five years ago.

However, Frieden said the nation has experienced a big increase in heart disease and stroke in recent years, conditions

often linked to smoking among other factors, such as high blood pressure and obesity.

The state Department of Health says Oklahoma has one of the highest percentages of smoking-related deaths in the na-tion, and tobacco use causes the premature deaths of about 5,800 Oklahomans each year.

“We are living in the midst of a huge increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” Frie-den said during an address at the. “Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the coun-try. We know it’s killing people.”

The number of smokers in the nation has dropped at an annual rate of 4.4 percent since 2009, in part due to the adop-tion of smoke-free laws in vari-ous states and cities as well as

anti-smoking advertising cam-paigns that Frieden said “pull back the curtain on the exami-nation room” and graphically il-lustrate the affect smoking has had on former smokers.

“As doctors, when we think about smoking, we think about the suffering that we see,” Frieden said.

More than 26 percent of adults in Oklahoma smoke, and the state has one of the highest smoking rates in the country. The state Health Department es-timates that the direct and indi-rect costs of tobacco use in Okla-homa exceed $2 billion a year.

Statistics provided by the Unit-ed Health Foundation show the state ranks high in the number of cancer and cardiovascular deaths. The state averages about 200 can-

cer deaths per 100,000 residents, but the rate of cardiovascular deaths is 330 per 100,000 resi-dents — 48th in the nation.

Under current Oklahoma law, smoking is not allowed in most indoor public places, but some exceptions include private of-fices, bars and restaurants with separately ventilated smoking rooms. Cities and towns are prohibited from enacting strict-er smoking bans than those al-ready in state law.

In February, Gov. Mary Fallin endorsed a plan for a statewide vote next year on tighter smoking restrictions, including efforts to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, after a state Senate committee rejected a bill she supported to allow cities and

towns enact stricter smoking bans than exist in state law.

But the state has adopted other programs to counter the harmful effects of smoking in-cluding the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund, created in 2000 after the state settled a lawsuit against big tobacco companies. The fund promotes smoking cessation programs and others that improve the health of Oklahomans and fund cancer and addiction research.

“Oklahomans want to have ef-fective programs,” Frieden said.

He said the CDC has set a goal of preventing a million heart attacks and strokes over the next 5 years.

“All of this is a core mission for public health,” he said.

COUNTRY STYLETUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT 3

Imitating teen idol becomes career for Durant manRichard ChaseSpecial to the Democrat

A Durant toddler was barely walking when a rock and roll singer turned the world upside down with his voice, style and movement on stage. By the time he was a teenager he had grown to love the mu-sic of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.

Larry Stilwell grew up in Durant listening to his idol and trying to im-itate his style and voice. When he was 15, Stilwell was sneaking into the local American Legion Post where his uncle would convince the band to let the youngster sing Blue Suede Shoes, one of Elvis’ first hits.

“It was the only song I knew all the way through,” said Stilwell. “Later I would practice his other songs and when I visited my mother in Duncan I would sit on the hood of a car and sing to the neighborhood girls.”

Stilwell dropped out of school and got a job as a cement finisher. In 1968 when Elvis came out with his live Come Back Special, he was

mesmerized and decided to learn how to sing like him, never thinking he would ever have a career singing those songs he loved so well.

As years passed by, he met and married a beautiful young lady at Abundant Life Temple with whom he has three children, where the two attended church. He was satisfied to just dream about singing for a ca-reer but didn’t think he could ever be successful so he was content to be a working man.

Nine years ago he started learning how to operate a computer and was browsing the web when he ran across an El-vis Impersonator site and noticed many bookings which raised his curios-ity. He started searching other impersonator sites and that’s when he decid-ed that was something he could pull off or at least have fun trying.

He began a serious routine of practicing, bought his first jump-suit, a public address system, began advertis-ing and got his first gig at a Christmas show at That Country Music

Place in Mead.“I was scared to death,

but after the first three songs, I got over my stage fright and the crowd started to really get into the show,” he said. “I had a very suc-cessful two-hour show and that was where my career as an Elvis imper-sonator began.”

He now lives in the Dallas area and Elvis Tribute performances are his full time gig. He never really understood the impact Elvis Pres-ley had on the lives of everyone until he began his performances. He works casinos, private and corporate events. He also does many shows for benefits, especially to help out friends and enjoys working nurs-ing homes. Last week, he performed a benefit to help the Kendall Er-vin family with medical expenses following an untimely stroke that left Kendall partially para-lyzed, in a wheelchair and other complications.

He especially loves performing for elderly residents of nursing homes because they were the generation who

grew old with memories of Elvis. He always gives the women in the audi-ence something to take home special by wrap-ping scarfs around their neck and giving them a peck on the cheek.

“I was singing to a group at Oak Ridge Man-or in Durant one time and put a scarf around an el-derly woman’s neck,” he said. “She was so proud of that scarf, when she passed on later, the fam-ily decided to have it in-cluded in her final attire.”

There are thousands of Elvis impersonators around the world and while he says the pay may be little sometimes, the rewards can be great.

Larry Stilwell

Celebrate the Retirement Estimator’s fifth anniversary Hard to believe, but it’s been five

years since Social Security’s Retirement Estimator debuted. Within months of first becoming available, the online Esti-mator was praised as one of the best ser-vices on the Internet, and it has consis-tently retained its excellent rating every year. Results from the American Cus-tomer Satisfaction Index show Social Security’s online Retirement Estimator is consistently one of the highest-rated services on the web — even higher than the websites of many other public or private sector agencies and companies, including Netflix and Amazon. Every year millions of people use the Retire-ment Estimator. You can too at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. Prefer to

do your business in Spanish? You can find it at www.segurosocial.gov/calcula-dor, too. The Retirement Estimator is a convenient, secure, and quick financial planning tool that lets workers calculate how much they might expect to receive in Social Security benefits when they retire. The attractive feature of this calculator is that it uses your earnings information on file at Social Security without displaying your personal infor-mation. So you get an instant, personal-ized estimate of your future retirement benefits. And, it’s so easy to use. The Es-timator even gives you the opportunity to run different scenarios and “what if” situations. For example, you can change the date you expect to retire or change

expected future earnings to create and compare different retirement options. This can help you as you plan ahead. To use the Retirement Estimator, you must have enough Social Security credits to qualify for benefits and you cannot cur-rently be receiving benefits.

Join the celebration! Experience the popular online service now by visiting Social Security’s Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. Then, once you’ve sketched out your retirement plans, you’ll know where to go when the time comes to apply for benefits: online at www.so-cialsecurity.gov. Happy fifth anniver-sary, Retirement Estimator!

Tips on avoiding dehydrationPat JonesSODA Ombudsman supervisor

According to the dictionary the word: Dehydra-tion means:

1. Excessive loss of water from the bodyor from an organ or bodily part.This brings me to a very important point.

Now that it is July and our temperatures are already in the 90’s, we need to be very mindful of our elderly living in nursing homes and in their own homes. It doesn’t take very long for our body to become dehydrated from heat and the lack of necessary fluids.

Please encourage our elderly to consume more liquids in this warmer weather. (Make sure that they are not on a restricted fluid intake, before doing so.) Beverages need to be easily accessible for them. Residents that suffer from Alzheimers, dementia, incontinence, or residents that have colds or the flu are at greater risk for dehydra-tion. So those elders that cannot or don’t drink by themselves, please offer them a drink and re-mind them to drink water throughout the day as you talk or check on them.

Other causes of dehydration can be fluid loss due to an illness, (diarrhea, fever, infections), side effects of medications, (diuretics). So please help promote adequate hydration to our elders, so they may have a happy and safe summer.

To learn more about dehydration and how to assist our elders, try becoming a Volunteer Ombudsman. To get more details contact Tiffany Wingfield or Pat Jones at SODA Area Agency on Aging at 580-920-1388 or call the Senior Info. Line at 1-800-211-2116 or write to them at P.O. Box 709, Durant, Ok. 74702.

Shakespearean Festival’s directors bring variety The Oklahoma Shake-

spearean Festival is excited to present its 34th “Magical Season” to the Texoma area.

This summers produc-tions include The Comedy of Errors, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Smoke on the Mountain. The festival is thrilled to welcome directors and mu-sical directors from across the country, promising to make this summer’s festival the most varied to date. The directors include Charles Prosser, Paul Crook, Dana Ayers, Jeremy Blackwood, and Producing Director of OSF, Riley Risso-Coker. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is directed by Prosser with music direction by Blackwood. After a season on hiatus, Charles is back for his fifth season with OSF.

Charles is a regular at Theatre Tuscaloosa in his home state of Alabama. His summers in Durant are the highlight of his year and he looks forward to coming back for many years to come. Memorable roles at OSF for Charles include Flastaff in Henry IV, Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls and Senex in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.

Blackwood serves as Music Director/Vocal Coach for Opera Theatre and Music Theatre produc-tions at Southeastern Okla-

homa State University. His Opera Productions in-

clude Sweeney Todd, Opera Gala, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Telephone.

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COUNTRY STYLE TUESDAY, JULY 16, 20134 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT

Bryan County children learn canningJessica BregerStaff Writerjbreger@civitasmedia.com

The Bryan County 4-H and Bryan County OSU Extension office hosted the third of four learning day camps last week.

This week’s camp was called Canning 101. Bryan County children learned to can bread and butter pickles and make peach jam at the camp.

Children had a hand in each step of the pro-cess, from chopping the ingredients to stirring the pot and putting it all in jars.

Bradlin French chops cucumbers for bread and but-ter pickles at the Canning 101 day camp.

Timothy Bray pours peach jam into jars at the Canning 101 day camp.

ABOVE, Jackie Joe Coe pours ice over cucumbers and onions to make bread and butter pickles. BELOW, Bryan County children stir peach jam mixtures at a 4-H day camp.

Bailey Brad-ley, Jackie Joe Coe, Mya Smith, Bradlin French, Har-mony Lee, Priscilla Bray and Timothy Bray display their peach jam at the Canning 101 day camp this week.

Harmony Lee, Priscilla Bray and Jackie Joe Coe peel peaches for peach jam at the Canning 101 day camp this week.

Rev. Jack BallPastor, Faith TemplePentecostal Church of God

Proverbs 29:18“Where there is no vi-

sion, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

Do you have a vision? As God’s people we need a vision. When God’s peo-ple lose sight of what is important to them, their vision becomes dimmed and then they begin to fall away. If we have a consis-tent time to be alone with God, we will keep that vi-sion and will work toward accomplishing what we have started out to do.

God has a plan and He wants us to fit into what He desires for His peo-ple. It is time we catch the vision. It’s time God people lay hold on eter-nal life and strive to en-ter into Heaven’s gates. The Bible says to fight the good fight of faith.

What is your vision? Is it to see your church grow? Do you desire to see people come to the Lord? What are you doing about it? Are you sitting on the pew each service and praying for God to send them in or are you witnessing to those you work with or those in your neighborhood?

We all need more of a vision to see souls saved. Our country needs us to have a vision, a vision to see Christian standards re-turn to our communities.

With prayer and Bible reading and living a God-ly life in front of others, we can show that God is alive and well. Why not catch the vision and begin to profess a good profes-sion before those that are around us. Stand up and be counted for Christ. Keep the vision alive in your life.

Stand up for God and be counted for Christ