As more people become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and with summer fast approaching, the desire to take trips and vacations outside of the United States again will only continue to grow. If you are hoping or planning to take a trip abroad anytime soon, please be advised about some important information and guidance regarding passport applications and renewals as well as certain foreign country requirements.

First, if you are planning to apply for a passport or renew an expiring one, you might experience significant delays due to application backlogs caused by the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, routine passport applications could take up to 12 weeks or longer to process and even expedited passport processing could take between 4-6 weeks.

To ensure you have your passport in time for any scheduled vacations or trips, the U.S. Department of State recommends that you apply early in case of delays. You can learn more about the process and begin your own application at travel.state.gov. While you are visiting the State Department’s travel office website, I encourage you to also take note of the useful traveler’s checklist, including such things as confirming you have the correct travel information, documentation and insurance. 

Second, as you consider your desired destination to visit, know that some countries around the world are currently requiring at least six months of passport validity before allowing entry. This means that travelers leaving the United States may be required to be in possession of passports that are valid for six months beyond the period of their intended stay.

Third, if you are traveling abroad soon and want to receive safety and security updates and allow someone from the State Department to reach you in case of an emergency, I highly encourage you to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) by visiting step.state.gov.

Finally, if you are experiencing a passport issue and need assistance, my office is here to help those living in the Fourth District of Oklahoma. Although we cannot guarantee the outcome of an inquiry, we can certainly help you get answers. However, in order to help you with passport or any casework issues, federal law requires my office to have a signed-in-ink privacy release on file from you to open an inquiry.

For links to additional passport and travel resources or to download a privacy release form, please visit cole.house.gov/services/passport-assistance. If you have any questions, please call my Norman office at (405) 329-6500.

As having been recently elected to the city council and appointed as mayor of Waurika, I am hearing good things about our town and some things that people think should be done differently or areas where we are falling short.

   The purpose of this letter is to point out some things that I think are being done to help our community grow. Many of you are watching the progress of the Sorosis Park renovation at Main and D St. The mural is finished and the sculptures of cows and horses donated by local farmers and ranchers will soon be returned to the wall. Watch for more progress in the coming months. This is made possible by having fund raisers and receiving donations from citizens interested in making our community a more attractive and user friendly place to live.

   Recently a family from out of town who came to attend the Ranch Rodeo said, “Waurika has one of the prettiest Main Streets we have ever seen”. They noticed Veterans Park, the beautiful flowers in pots and the Yaupon trees and shrubs in the brick planters. Our beautiful Main Street is made possible by Craig Williams and community volunteers.

   As we search for new business and industry to come to our community, they invariably ask about our medical care and our school system. The Jefferson County Hospital and Waurika Clinic are great assets for our community. We have a very good school system with excellent administrators and teachers and are very fortunate to have easy access to the Red River Technology Center in Duncan. We all want our students and young adults to have every opportunity for a great future.

   Prospective businesses also ask about the city’s financial condition and residential areas. Our city financial situation is good. We have a great group of city employees, led by strong management who are willing and able to make good decisions, develop excellent budgets and stay within those guidelines to assure we have emergency funds to deal with unforeseen issues. 

   Our police force is very effective and aware of the drug issues and burglaries we have in our community. They are working diligently along with the county sheriff’s department on these problems. We also have employees making residents aware of city codes pertaining to tall grass, weeds and trash on properties.

   Yes, we do have some issues! We have been told by consultants who have helped in our efforts to bring more business to Waurika and create a better place to live that we need to clean up our town. We are working hard on this and making progress. I have talked with people from Comanche, Anadarko, Ardmore and Nocona and they have all stated they had to clean up their town before they could grow.

   Venable Pipeline Company has been here for almost a year and are extremely pleased with the way they were accepted and treated like family in Waurika. The superintendent noted they were treated fair on everything they needed in our town and this was very different than other towns where they had headquartered. This makes me proud of our town and its people.

   Do we have it all worked out? No, but we have a beautiful Main Street, the best Veteran’s Park, a mural depicting the Chisholm Trail in what will be a park that we can all enjoy. We also have a large group of citizens willing to work for community improvement. Are we making progress?  Absolutely, because so many have the vision ingrained in their mind and the possibilities for our little town are great! 

   I ask for your support in working toward an even better community to be proud of and to be seen that way by anyone who chooses to locate here. Waurika Proud!

Sincerely,

Gary “Lebo” Duncan,

Mayor, Waurika, Oklahoma