Pages 1-2. - Kingfisher Times and Free Press

16PagesWednesdayJune 19, 2013No. 17 of the125th YearIn BriefRelay For Lifekicks off FridayKingfisher County Relay ForLife kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday atKingfisher Park and events continuethroughout the night until7 a.m. Saturday.“Aloha Oe,” is the theme forthis year’s relay, which uses theHawaiian phrase in its ongoingeffort to bid farewell to cancer.Kingfisher RFL has been anannual event to raise cancerawareness, as well as funds forthe American Cancer Society’sresearch and patient supportservices.This year, a total of 55relayers on 10 teams will betrying to raise a total of $50,000.As always, the relay is a family-friendlyevent that includesgames, food vendors and more.Special events this year in-[See Relay Page 11]Eggs n’ Issuesset WednesdayHighlights of the state legislativesession will be served upalong with free pastries, coffeeand juice at the Eggs n’ Issuesbreakfast at 7 a.m. Wednesdayat the BancFirst communityroom.Sponsored by the KingfisherChamber of Commerce, theevent features state Sen. A.J.Griffin and Rep. Mike Sandersand is open to the public.Superintendentreception setA reception will be held foroutgoing Okarche superintendentDavid Glover and incomingsuperintendent Rob Friesenon Sunday, June 23, in theOkarche high school commons.The reception is come andgo, from 5-7 p.m., and anyoneis welcome to attend.County declinessignpost bidsKingfisher County commissionersdeclined all earlier bidson two sizes of posts for 911emergency calling road signsand called for new bids Monday.District 2 Commissioner RayShimanek said the original bidcalled for 10-foot and three-footgalvanized posts.The new bid request will befor eight-foot and three-footposts.Commissioners also openedbids for road and bridge constructionmaterials Monday,but tabled action to allowCounty Clerk Teresa Wood totabulate the bids, lowest tohighest, for action at a latermeeting.Commissioners approvedpayment of the ACCO workers’compensation insurance forthe current fiscal year in onelump sum rather than two payments,thereby saving $6,426.The annual premium paymentwill be $214,232 with onepayment as opposed to a totalcost of $220,658 if paid in twoinstallments.Four county road pipelinecrossings in District 2 were approved.They included:•Request from BrickmanFast Line to start in the NE/4 ofNE/4 of Section 32, Township18 North, Range 5 West, crossingroad N 2950 and ending inthe NW/4 of the NE/4 of Section4, T17N, R5W.•Two crossing requestsfrom Longfellow Energy, oneto start in the NW/4 of the NW/4 of Section 4-19N-5W crossingEW59 and ending in the Section33-T20N-R5W, and the secondstarting in the NW/4 of theNW/4 of Section 9-19N-5W,crossing Road EW 060 and endingin the SW/4, SW/4, Section4-T19N-R5W.•A request from Select Energyfor a pipeline to start in theSW/4 of NW/4 of 10-18N-7Wand end in the SE/4, SE/4, of 4-18N-7W.Fifty Cents Kingfisher, Kingfisher County, Oklahoma USPS No. 295-420Kingfisher County Sheriff’s Officeand Kingfisher Fire Department areinvestigating two suspicious wheat fieldfires reported east of Kingfisher Friday,Fire Chief Randy Poindexter said.The first fire was reported about3:28 p.m. on property belonging tobrothers Robert Wolf and Larry Wolf,four miles east and a mile north ofKingfisher, and consumed about 45acres of wheat before it was extinguished,Poindexter said.A second fire was reported about6:52 p.m. on property belonging to J.Juan Jech, five miles east, three milessouth and a half-mile east of town.Jech said the fire burned aboutseven acres of wheat being farmed byStan Annuschat.The exact cause of the fires has notbeen determined, but neither field wasbeing harvested at the time of thefires, which appear to have been deliberatelyset, Poindexter said.FIRE STILL CRACKLESalong the perimeter ofthis burned-out wheatfield northeast ofKingfisher Fridayafternoon. KingfisherFire Chief RandyPoindexter and thecounty sheriff’s officeare investigating thisfire and another wheatfield fire Fridayevening, whichconsumed a combinedtotal of more than 50acres of crops. Both firesappear to have beendeliberately set.[TIMES-FREE PRESS StaffPhoto by Robin Johnston]Sheriff, fire chief investigate wheat firesWhile the eyes of the nation arefocused on Washington where a newfarm bill is working its way throughthe House of Representatives, the eyesof Kingfisher County farmers are focusedon the skies.A new round of rains stopped thecounty’s small grain harvest in itstracks Sunday.Some farmers, hoping for clearskies and drying winds to help themget harvesting equipment back in thefield, observed what a dilemma it isfor them to complain about rain whenthe county has been under droughtconditions for so long.But the wheat is ripe and waiting inthe fields and it is a better crop thanmany had feared it might be due tolate freezes, hail and disease.Jim Grellner, regional manager forShawnee Mills said those who appliedfungicide to their fields in thespring found that the application paidoff.“They are getting yields in the high50s (bushels per acre),” Grellner said.“There’s some good wheat out there.”Mike Rosen, manager of WheelerBrothers Grain in Kingfisher, also observedthat the crop was better thanexpected.While the harvest was stalled Monday,Wheeler Brothers in Kingfisherwas loading out grain from elevatorsto make room for the next run.Jay Minton, manager for PlainsPartner elevators across the area, notedthat until Sunday’s rain, weights andquality of grain remained high.“There’ll probably be a little dropoff in test weights after the last rainbut that’s to be expected.”He predicted harvest would resumeas early as late Tuesday onsandier soils but would likely be twoor three days until tighter soils couldsupport equipment.Rosen noted that a shortage of customharvesters this year became apparentover the weekend.There were several farmers lookingfor custom cutters where in thepast there had been custom harvesterslooking for jobs, he said.Although the rain delayed harvest,it benefited pastures, lawns and gardenthroughout the county.Rainfall totals up to three incheswere reported across the county fromSunday and Sunday night thunderstorms.Kingisher – Local weather observer“Both of the fires appear to havestarted from the roadway and on thewindward side of the fields,” he said.“There was no harvest equipment ineither field at the time of the fires.”No dollar amount had been placedon the estimated crop loss at presstime Tuesday.Rain stalls harvest; yields look good so farSteve Loftis reported a total of 1.61inches from three weekend thunderstorms.Ray Shimanek reported threeinches at his residence east ofHennessey.Okarche Grain and Feed, eightmiles west of Okarche recorded 2.7inches.Carl Lack at Plains Partners inOkarche said he had heard reports of2.5 inches there.John Johnson reported amounts of1.5 to 1.8 inches at Johnson farms,west of Cashion.Wheeler Brothers Elevator atOmega recorded 1.4 inches.Plains Partners Elevator at Loyalreported .9 inch.Harold Ebers of Hennessey re-[See Harvest Page 7]Kingfisher hires two new police officersKingfisher Police Chief DennisBaker announced this week that AaronSchlegel and Joshua Blevins have beenhired as fulltime officers at the policedepartment.“We are grateful to have been ableto bring two trained officers to fulltimepositions that were already familiarwith the department and thecity,” Baker said. “These are wellqualifiedguys that bring the departmentthe benefit of their training andexperience.”Schlegel, an Okarche police officerfrom 2010-12, served as a reserve officerbefore joining the force fulltimeto replace Jonathan Riedlinger.He graduated from Okarche HighSchool and attended Redlands CommunityCollege before joining the U.S.Marine Corps.Schlegel completed the state CertifiedLaw Enforcement Education andTraining basis course in 2010 and hastaken additional classes in long-rangerifle operation, alert active shooterresponse, intoxilyzer operation, mobilecop and more.He and his wife Nikole (James)Schlegel have two children, Harley 7and Rhett 5.Originally from Bixby, Blevins is agraduate of Bixby High School andthe University of Central Oklahoma.He also served in the U.S. Army.He completed law enforcementtraining in Kansas and was CLEETcertified in Oklahoma in 2005 throughthe state’s reciprocity program.Blevins also has received advancetraining in interview and interroga-[See Officers Page 11]Officer Aaron Schlegel Officer Joshua BlevinsGOP officials mourn death of local matriarchMarie CooperCommunity leader Marie Cooper,82, described by many as the matriarchof the Kingfisher County RepublicanParty, died Monday evening atan Oklahoma City hospital after a briefillness.A number of GOP elected officials,as well as local party leaders, expressedtheir condolences at the newsof Cooper’s death.“Marie Cooper was a loyal andgood friend to the Republican Party,”Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said. “She volunteeredfor every Republican who ranfor office in Kingfisher County andour state.“More than that, she was a kindand gentle soul and will be greatlymissed.”U.S. Congressman Frank Lucas referredto Cooper as “a tremendousfriend during my time in the statelegislature and when I was elected toCongress.”“Her enthusiastic support of theRepublican Party in Oklahoma contributedto the political changes of thelast two decades,” Lucas said. “Shewill be missed.”State Rep. Mike Sanders attributeshis interest in politics and success inseeking office to the support and encouragementhe received from Cooperand former Kingfisher CountyTreasurer Claudette Brownlee.“I could tell a thousand storiesabout Marie, but one of my favoriteswas during [U.S. Sen. Don] Nickles’re-election campaign in 1986,” he said.“I was 11 and just starting to get interestedin politics and Marie andClaudette took me under their wingand made sure I got to meet DonNickles when he came to Kingfisherand get my picture taken with him.“Throughout my career, Marie hasalways been there. She’s a wonderfullady who will be greatly missed.”Cooper was one of Bellmon’sBelles, the group of women organizedmore than 40 years ago by HenryBellmon’s first wife Shirley, to helpBellmon become the state’s first Republicangovernor.A longtime member of OklahomaFederation of Republican Women, thelargest women’s political organizationin the state, Cooper served as theorganization’s second vice presidentand then was elected treasurer in 1987.Cooper established Oklahoma’sFirst Ladies that same year, in part tohonor the state’s three GOP First Ladies,Shirley Bellmon, Ann Bartlettand Cathie Keating, but also as afundraising mechanism for OFRWand its support of Republican candidatesand causes.“We had to be more active in helpinggood candidates to becomeelected, promote education experi-[See Cooper Page 11]

2 Wednesday, June 19, 2013 Kingfisher (Okla.) Times & Free Press•EngagementFrank and Phyllis Walta ofHennessey announce the engagementof their daughter,Ann Walta, to Andrew F. ReoJr., son of Andrew F. and JulieReo of Claremore.Grandparents of the brideelectare the late Frank andFern Walta and Louis andMary Durheim. Grandparentsof the prospective bridegroomare Emily Kaye of Tarzana,Calif., Amelia Reo of Lakewood,Colo., and the late RobertKaye and Andrew Reo Sr.The bride-elect is a 2006graduate of Hennessey HighSchool. She received abachelor’s degree in chemicalengineering from OklahomaState University in 2011, and amaster’s degree in civil engineering,project managementLetter to the editorCover upWell folks, do you ever feelike a mushroom, they keepou in the dark and feed you.s.? The government, as inhe district of corruption, as inhe White House, have triedo cover up a lot of vital inforationin the embassy bombngin which a U.S. ambassaorwas killed. I don’t rememerthe name of the country, ifdid remember it, I wouldrobably get cross-eyed tryngto spell it or say it.The point is, our governentseems to think we areushrooms, they keep us inhe dark and feed us b.s., AtorneyGeneral Eric Holdernd his fast and furious force.ow this and God knows howany other things they (theovernment) sweeps underhe carpet, then turn aroundith an innocent look on theirace.Should we trust the govrnment,not no, but hell no.hould we fear them? Probbly.Why? They are stockinguge amounts of ammunition,he type that is allowed in war.he Geneva convention sayso hollow point ammo, andot what you would normallyse at a shooting range forarget practice, given the facthat two identical firearmson’t perform the same withhe same ammo.Then there are the drones,hese can be used for spying,r for assassinations, yes amall drone can take out aerson or persons.Can we have a governmentf the people, by the peoplend for the people? It sureoesn’t look good for our side.It started going down hillfter the Civil War. F.D.R.retty much put the icing onhe cake, so to speak, when heook us off the gold standardnd bankrupted the country,nd also for all practical purosesdestroyed the constituion.Now F.D.R. did some goodhings, he put people to worknd kept a lot of people fromtarving, created governmentrograms to subsidize agriultureand industry. In dongso, he made us, we theeople, dependent on the govrnment,not good.We shouldn’t have to deendon the government tourvive. Everybody should beble to make a good livingnder the free enterprise sysem.The problem is we haveotten off the free enterpriseystem.Now we are all dependentsf the government. We oweur souls to the governmenttore. Think about it folks,rom where I sit it doesn’t lookood.Ann Walta and Andrew ReoWalta – Reofrom Oklahoma State Universityin 2012. She is currentlyemployed as a project engineerat Williams Co. in Tulsa.The prospective bridegroomis a 2006 graduate ofOologah-Talala. He receiveda bachelor’s degree in businessadministration fromOklahoma State University in2011, with minors in humanresources and sports management.He is currently employedat Newfield Explorationin Tulsa as a business processmanagement analyst.The wedding has been setfor Saturday, July 13, at HolyFamily Cathedral in Tulsa.A reception will follow atPost Oak Lodge.The couple plans to establisha home in Owasso.I’ve gotten off my beatentrack. I think it probably allties together. You all have agood day.Jon Cochran Sr.VACATIONBIBLEAmerican Farmers & bine instead of a volunteerSCHOOLRanchers/Oklahoma Farmers could result in thousands ofUnion (AFR/OFU) joined dollars in damage to valuableforforces with the El Reno FFA harvest equipment.Chapter on June 11 to helpPreschool“We hope to give farmerschange the course of the 2013 and ranchers in this area athroughwheat harvest for producers little piece of mind,” saidin the Heaston area. Located Detrick. “Cleaning up fields6th Gradejust a few miles southwest of can take a lot of time andEl Reno, the area’s farmers and money. Insurance does not~ranchers were hit hard by the cover the cost of field cleanupand farmers certainly don’tJune 23 - 26May 31 tornado outbreak.Darcy Jech, of the Delvin have time right as they deal6 - 8:30 p.m.Jech AFR Insurance Agency with damage to their homesin Kingfisher, along with other and farm structures.”area agents was a member of The AFR/OFU and El Renothe volunteer group that providedlunch for approximately impact in the tornado reliefFFA day made a significant250 volunteers from across effort. More than 250 volunteersfrom southeast Texas,FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCHOklahoma and many otherstates. The AFR Insurance102 S. MAIN, KINGFISHERseveral Midwestern states andgroup also participated in the all across Oklahoma cleanedupwell over 400 acres.For More Information, call 405-375-3286day’s clean-up activities.The AFR/OFU and El RenoFFA event brought in severalgroups including 15 FFAchapters from across Oklahomaand many AFR/OFUemployees, insurance agentsNEW PATIENTSand cooperative members.The day was part of a biggervolunteer effort called “Fieldof TEAMS.” The effort worksto clean up tornado debris infields and rural roadways. OF ALL AGESVolunteers work in groups,meticulously combing fieldsfor debris, everything from Meet Yoursmall boards to whole sheetsof tin.Krablin Medical“It can be easy to overlooktornado damage to agriculturalareas because a field isClinic Staff:not a home,” said AFR/OFU•BRETT KRABLIN M.D.President Terry Detrick. “Butwhat people don’t realize is•BRIDGET KEAST, P.A.-Cthat these fields are a ‘place ofbusiness.’ Without a wheatcrop, farmers lose a major portionof their income.” APRN-CNP•RACHEL CAMERON,Wheat harvest is fast approachingand many farms are •AMBER MEIWES, P.A.-Cstill clogged with debris fromsurrounding structures.Sheets of tin, wood planks,shingles, insulation, fencingand other types of debris litterthe otherwise harvestablefields. Tornado debris poses agreat risk to producers—debrisfound by a wheat com-~ 2013 ~KINGFISHER EDUCATIONALFOUNDATION DUCK RACEKRABLIN MEDICAL CLINIC6:00 P.M. • THURSDAY, JULY 41001 Hospital Circle • KingfisherVERNIE SNOWAQUATIC CENTER405-375-7935www.krablinmedicalclinic.comSpecializing In Primary CareHappyand Internal Medicine85 th Annual Physicals Routine HealthcareWomen’s Health & GYN ExamsTHE DUCKS ARE COMING!1st Place: $1,000 • 2nd Place: $500 • 3rd Place: $300 • Last Place $100Call A KEF Board Member For Your Duck...You Could Be A Winner!Local business instrumentalin tornado clean-up eventBirthday!Love you,~ Your FamilyW e A r e C u r r e n t l y A c c e p t i n gMelinda BrewerFinancial Planning SpecialistVice PresidentFinancial Advisor1601 NW EXPRESSWAYOklahoma City, OK 73118405-879-7111melinda.d.brewer@morganstanley.comhttp://www.morganstanleyfa.com/thembgroup/Pediatric Care Minor Emergency CareOn-Sight X-Rays DOT PhysicalsNursing Home CareWe Take Same Day AppointmentsThe riskiestfinancial moveis doing nothing.Your wealth plan should keep up with the changingcircumstances of your life, as well as with the cycles inthe financial markets. A new career, a new grandchild,a new business, a significant shift in your portfolio —any of these events could necessitate a fresh look atyour strategy.As a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor, I can work withyou to develop a plan and then help you manage yourinvestments and assets through life’s changes. Call todayto arrange an appointment. We’ll work together to planfor what may come.© 2013 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC588400 (12/12) CS 7338862 MAR014 04/13