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The Waurika REAP grant of $45,000 will be used for erecting walls, installing trusses, and installing the roof of the building located near the old Solitaire Mobile Homes manufacturing facility. Original intended use was for housing Oklahoma
Department of Corrections inmates. We are exploring the opportunities for housing other inmates as completion nears. The City of Waurika has committed $25,000 cash match to make a total of $70,000 to complete the project.
(l-r) Jon Waid, Minkah Fitzpatrick (this year’s Jim Thorpe award winner), and Richard Thorpe – son of legendary athlete Jim Thorpe.
Jon Waid and Richard Thorpe attend this year’s Jim Thorpe award ceremony in Oklahoma City Tuesday evening.
Photo by Curtis L. Plant
Oklahoma City – Richard Thorpe, Jon Waid, Curtis and Kimberly Plant traveled to Oklahoma City to take part of the annual Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Ceremony.
Before the ceremony began, Jon Waid had a chance to visit with this year’s winner Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive back for the Univeristy of Alabama.
During their visit Fitzpatrick expressed that he was glad he didn’t have to face Oklahoma University’s potent offense in the title game.
During the ceremony, Oklahoma’s All State team was recognized by the Daily Oklahoman.
Former Governor George Nigh recognized Richard Thorpe, of Waurika and his brother and thanked them for keeping the memory of their father alive.
Abe Lemons, a respected coach who was born in Ryan, Oklahoma was mentioned during the ceremony.
The Jim Thorpe Award has been given to outstanding defensive backs since 1986.
Representing the Dennis Cattle Company of Grady, Oklahoma, Skyler and Bayler Smith placed 5th and 6th out of 11 in the open class with their Hereford heifers “Sassy” and Fallon” at the Ft Worth Stock show last week.
This was their 1st big show! Great job girls!
Hopefully, the rains of this past weekend, which covered most of Oklahoma, offered some much needed relief to those who have been suffering from the horrific wildfires to our north!
The many hardworking ranchers in that area have lost nearly everything. Growing up in rural Jefferson County, fighting grass fires was a way of life. Back then most was done with cattle sprayers and wet tow sacks. But the fires that have been raging to our north have been devastating and the videos and pictures are heartbreaking. Continued prayers for the many affected.
This spring has certainly been cool and damp, and while many of you are wishing for temps in the 90s and up, I could put up with this at least ‘til fall! The fishing has been great, certainly in the ponds, and we have yet to have the hot days with lots of sunshine to drive the fish to deeper waters.
While fishing and camping are foremost on many minds this time of year, I know some of you are daydreaming of the fall-hunting season and already making plans.
Quail are making a comeback, but these days most bird hunters have given up their bird dogs and have limited access to quail country.
But it seems everyone has a place to hunt deer, hogs and varmints. With this in mind, it leads to the question; what means will we use to pursue our intended quarry? For most, the rifle comes to mind and certainly gun hunters outnumber all other forms. Bowhunting follows close behind and it happens to be my favorite method for deer hunting. Hunting with a bow, be it a recurve, longbow or compound, is a challenging sport to say the least and limits you to very close range.
But there is a form of hunting for any size game, big or small, that falls between rifle hunting and bowhunting. It happens to be handgun hunting. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s I read a lot of Elmer Keith’s articles (he promoted and helped develop the .357mag and 44mag). His intent was to develop a handgun round powerful enough to hunt big game. Handgun hunting was then in its infancy and at that time the 44 Magnum was the most powerful handgun round in production. That round certainly gained more fame from being used in the “Dirty Harry” movies. It was used by Clint Eastwood in a S&W Model 29! “Make My Day” became a buzzword.
When I first started handgun hunting, I used primarily a Ruger 6” .357mag and a Ruger RedHawk in 44mag with a 7.5”barrel, both in stainless steel. I took deer, black bear, and hogs with these, out to 50 yards. While being limited to a shorter range, it’s amazing how quickly you adapt when being able to roam the hills with a handgun weighing 2lbs versus a rifle weighing up to10 lbs.
The sport of handgun hunting took a huge leap when Thompson-Center Arms brought out the “Contender”, a break-open, single-shot handgun with interchangeable barrels. The combinations were endless. I settled on a 14in barrel in .30 Herret caliber. You had to make the cases by fire forming 30-30 Winchester brass but the end result was amazing. You had a handgun that fired 140 grain spitzer bullet at 2775fps. That’s rifle ballistics!
This combination allowed me to take several antelope, mule deer and whitetail at ranges out to 275 yards.
In hunting revolvers currently in production, there are several modern (post-1980) revolver cartridges. Currently the most powerful production handgun round is the .500 Smith and Wesson Magnum. While firing a 350gr JHP bullet, it can exceed 3000 foot-pounds of energy, at nearly 2000fps. The “Big Smith” is followed by the .480 Ruger and .475 Linebaugh which also exceed the .454 Casull by a wide margin.
The only one of these I have fired is the .454 Casull and that was unpleasant to say the least!
For a beginning handgun hunter I would recommend starting with a .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum in either a Smith & Wesson or a Ruger revolver. The next step is practice, practice, practice, until you can keep your shots in an eight inch circle at the range you wish to shoot. Scopes are a great help with sighting and also add weight, which helps reduce recoil.
You don’t have to forsake the rifle, but this fall, consider strapping on that handgun and when that doe walks by at 20 yards, give it a try! It could add up to more venison chili this fall.
It’s just another way to enjoy our great Oklahoma outdoors!
Aaron Torrez recently achieved something that no junior high student in recent history has done.
Torrez won the State Championship in power lifting.
He competed in squats, bench and deadlifting this past week in El Reno.
Torrez is just in the seventh grade and this is his second year to compete on the weight lifting team.
Last year he competed at the state level and finished in 5th place.
He now would like to win the state title every year until he graduates.
Torrez has been a Waurika Eagle since Kindergarten.
In his spare time he loves to fish.
SIDELIGHT – SPANISH TREASURE
In the Fort Worth Gazette of November 3rd, 1984 , a story is related, as told to the correspondent by a Mr. John Schrock, proprietor of the Cowboy Saloon in Spanish Fort, of going across the Red River about two miles north of Spanish Fort with William Shackelford, Walton Crain, W.F. Cole and Sherman Joins to hunt a couple of panthers which had been seen a few days earlier on South Mud Creek. On returning to the river, their dogs jumped a panther which they chased into some rocks by a 50 foot bluff. They found an opening and discovered it led to a rock wall, then went left 20 feet through a layers of sandstone, about 40 feet wide and 130 feet lo0ng, with a ceiling about 15 feet high. A brass howitzer was at the entrance of the cave and inside were some animal bones, copper kettles and remains of wicker baskets, farm implements and saddles and also 6 boxes, each about 5 1/2’ by 2’ by 18”, which were filled with swords, blunderbusses, coats of mail and other matters. In one of the boxes, however, they found about 2 bushels of Spanish coins and bullion. There were gold doubloons and silver “rix” (Spanish) dollars and 3 silver bricks along with 2 gold crucifixes. (Note: there is no corroboration for this story found anywhere).
PREHISTORY
The area east of Spanish Fort, on the Oklahoma side of the Red River, was also the site of prehistoric Indian settlement, dating hundreds of years prior to European exploration. There is a location on the property of the Longest family, which was extensively explored by the University of Oklahoma and Southern Methodist University in Dallad. The Longest family has a private collection of artifacts, including arrowheads and other items, from their digs. Many farmers in the Petersburg and Courtney communities have found stone arrowheads, knives, spear points, axes an other artifacts, also.
The slate is clean.
While regular season records mean something for district tournament pairings and seeding, every basketball squad in Oklahoma starts the post-season with a 0-0 mark.
That is good news for the roundball squads at Waurika and Ryan as all four teams enter the playoffs with losing records.
Play begins tomorrow night (Friday) in the Class A District Tournament for both Waurika and Ryan.
Both Waurika teams will travel to Ft. Cobb-Broxton to face Ringling, while both Ryan teams will journey to Central High to face Bray-Doyle.
The girls’ tilts will open the tournament at 6:30 p.m. at both sites.
Awaiting the winner of the Waurika-Ringling games will be Ft. Cobb, while Central High will take on the winner of the Ryan and Bray-Doyle matchups.
The championship games will be played Saturday with the girls’ games tipping at 6:30 p.m.
Waurika and Ringling drew a tough assignment for the district tourney.
The only regular season meeting between the two Jefferson County schools was canceled because of the flu.
However, the boys’ team that survives that contest will have to face a legitimate state title contender.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton is 22-3 on the year and the only three losses have been to ranked teams in Class B, Class 2A and Class 5A. The Mustangs have won nine straight contests.
The Mustangs, ranked second in Class A, won the Caddo County Tournament and garnered runner up honors in tournaments at Chattanooga and Anadarko.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton will be well-rested as the Mustangs last played last Saturday against Walters giving them a week to prepare for the winner of Waurika and Ringling.
The Blue Devil boys come into the tournament with an 8-10 mark. They have been inconsistent much of the season, but should be competitive against the Eagles.
Coach Joe Masoner’s Waurika boys have also struggled to find wins in 2018. The Eagles were 4-13 heading into last Tuesday’s game with Grandfield.
Waurika has had three games canceled because of the flu and have only played once since January 23 before last Tuesday.
The Eagles have had turnover troubles most of the season averaging almost 20 miscues a game.
Cache Arellano has been the ringleader for the Eagles averaging over nine points a game and pulling down an average of eight rebounds a game.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton handed Waurika an 81-28 loss in the first round of the Chattanooga Tournament.
The girls’ bracket of the district tourney at Ft. Cobb will be much the same as the boys’ bracket.
The Lady Mustangs will be the overwhelming favorite as they come in ranked 15th in Class A and won the Chattanooga Tournament and were the runner up at the tough Caddo County fray.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton is 15-10 on the year, but only 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Ringling’s girls will come into the tournament with a 9-6 record and have one tournament title to their credit – the St. Jo, Texas Invitational.
The Waurika girls have struggled all year under first-year coach Kalee Baxter and hold a 5-11 record not including Tuesday’s result with Grandfield.
The Lady Eagles have been led most of the season by Madison Roberson. Roberson has averaged 15 points a game and averages about 15 boards a game.
In the district tournament at Central High, none of the boys’ squads will enter the tournament with a winning record – and it isn’t close.
Ryan, with a mark of 5-16, was granted the top seed, but Bray-Doyle chose to match up with the Cowboys in the first round of the tournament.
Central High’s boys started the season 0-10, but earned the consolation title at the Black Diamond Tournament at Rush Springs at the beginning of 2018. The Bronchos are 4-16 on the year.
Bray-Doyle has had a tough year as well as the Cowboys and Bronchos.
The Donkeys have a 3-15 record heading to the district tourney not including last Monday’s results.
The Cowboys own a win over the Donkeys just before Christmas, but Bray-Doyle has been playing a bit better as of late.
Coach Judd Matthes’ squad has struggled to score during most of the season.
While a number of Cowboys can contribute points on a given night, Ryan lacks the go-to player that is a consistent scorer.
Skyler Parkhill has been the top point-getter for the Cowboys overall.
Central High drew the top seed in the girls’ bracket and comes into the tournament with a 15-8 mark that does not include last Tuesday’s game with Sterling.
The Lady Bronchos won the Minco Invitational and were runner up at the Black Diamond Tournament.
Bray-Doyle’s girls own a two-point win over Ryan in a regular season meeting before Christmas and have a 12-8 mark not including last Monday’s contest with Oklahoma School for the Deaf.
The Lady Donkeys won the Maysville Shootout in December, but are only 4-7 since January 1 – not including the game with OSD.
The Cowgirls, under first-year coach Steve Spangler, have compiled a 7-14 record for the season.
It has been a struggle on the offensive end for the Cowgirls most of the season, but Lily York has been the top point-getter for the season especially in the recent part of the schedule.
Ryan closed out the regular season, however, with two of their better games on the offensive end of the court.
The Cowgirls will start four sophomores and only one senior. The roster has been limited most of the season due to lack of participation and injuries.
Both the district champion and the district runner up will advance to next week’s regional tournament.
Quit job for school?
Dear Dave,
My wife and I have $72,000 in debt from student loans and a car loan. We’re trying to pay off our debt using the debt snowball system, and we each make about $45,000 a year. She’s a teacher, and she’s planning on going back to school for her master’s degree, but she’s thinking about quitting her job to do this. She’ll be able to make more money with the additional education, and she would only be unemployed for two years. The degree program will cost us $2,000 out of pocket per semester for two years. Does this sound like a good idea?
Chris
Dear Chris,
There’s no reason for your wife to quit her job to make this happen. Lots of people — especially teachers — hold down their jobs and go back to school to further their education. I’m not sure trying to make it on one income when you’re that deep in debt is a good idea.
Whatever you do, don’t borrow more money to make this happen. Cash flow it, or don’t do it. We’re talking about $8,000 total, and you’ve got $72,000 in debt hanging over your heads already. My advice would be to wait until you’ve got the other debt knocked out, then save up and pay cash for school. You could slow down your debt snowball, and use some of that to pay for school, but I’d hate to see you lose the momentum you have when it comes to getting out of debt.
The choice is yours, but don’t tack on anymore student loan debt. I know her income will go up with a master’s degree, so from that standpoint it’s a good thing to do. But if you do a good thing a dumb way, it ends up being dumb!
—Dave
Pre-planning explained
Dear Dave,
My grandmother passed away a week ago. She was 98, and I know both she and my grandfather had pre-paid for their funerals in 2004. However, there were outstanding costs of $1,500 with the funeral services we had to pay out of pocket, because she had outlived the insurance policy attached to the pre-payment plan. I know you say it’s always better to pre-plan, not pre-pay, for a funeral. Can you refresh my understanding of this?
Rebecca
Dear Rebecca,
Let’s use a round figure, and say the cost of a funeral is $10,000. What would $10,000 grow to 25 years from now if it were invested in a good mutual fund? Now, juxtapose that number with the increase in the cost of a funeral over that time. The average inflation rate of consumer-purchased items is around four percent. So, the cost of funerals, on average, has risen about four percent a year. By comparison, you could’ve invested that money, and it would’ve grown at 10 or 12 percent in a good mutual fund.
Now understand, I’m not knocking folks who are in the funeral business. But lots of businesses that provide these services realize more margin in selling pre-paid policies than they do in caskets. In other words, they don’t make as much money selling the casket as they do selling a pre-paid policy on the casket.
Do you understand my reasoning? If we knew the exact date she pre-paid, and how much she pre-paid, that figure invested in a good mutual fund would be a whole lot more than the cost of a reasonable funeral. It’s the same principle behind the reason I advise folks to not pre-pay college, or just about anything else, that’s likely far into the future. The money you could’ve made on the investment is a lot more than the value of pre-paying. Pre-planning, on the other hand, is a great idea for many things — including funerals.
I’m truly sorry for your loss, Rebecca. God bless you all.
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 13 million listeners each week on 585 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced that pop music icon Lionel Richie will be the next recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Richie will be honored with an all-star tribute concert in Washington, D.C., that will be broadcast nationally on PBS stations May 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
A songwriting superstar of the first order, Richie is known for his mega-hits such as “Endless Love,” “Lady,” “Truly,” “All Night Long,” “Penny Lover,” “Stuck on You,” “Hello,” “Say You, Say Me,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” and he co-wrote one of the most important pop songs in history, “We Are the World,” for USA for Africa. His song catalog also includes his early work with the Commodores, where he developed a groundbreaking style that defied genre categories, penning smashes such as “Three Times a Lady,” “Still,” and “Easy.” Richie achieved the incredible distinction of writing No. 1 songs for 11 consecutive years.
Beyond his own impressive music career, Richie has mentored young artists as a judge on ABC’s “American Idol” for the past four seasons and is set to return for the show’s 20th season.
“In so many ways, this national honor was made for Lionel Richie whose music has entertained and inspired us — and helped strengthen our global connections,” Hayden said. “Lionel Richie’s unforgettable work has shown us that music can bring us together. Even when we face problems and disagree on issues, songs can show us what we have in common.”
Richie’s songs are part of the fabric of pop music and American culture. The Tuskegee, Alabama, native has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide. He has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, four Grammy Awards, the distinction of MusicCares Person of the Year in 2016, and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017.
“This is truly an honor of a lifetime, and I am so grateful to be receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song,” Richie said. “I am proud to be joining all the other previous artists, who I also admire and am a fan of their music.”
Bestowed in recognition of the legendary songwriting team of George and Ira Gershwin, the Gershwin Prize recognizes a living musical artist’s lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of entertainment, information, inspiration and cultural understanding. The honoree is selected by the Librarian of Congress in consultation with a board of scholars, producers, performers, songwriters and other music specialists. Previous recipients are Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and the late Hal David, Carole King, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, and Garth Brooks.
Richie will receive the Gershwin Prize at an all-star tribute concert in Washington, D.C., on March 9. PBS stations will broadcast the concert — “Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song” — at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 17, (check local listings) and on PBS.org and the PBS Video App as part of the co-produced Emmy Award-winning music series. It will also be broadcast to U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world via the American Forces Network.
Please visit our virtual newsroom for additional materials and media assets related to this announcement.
“Lionel Richie: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song” is a co-production of WETA Washington, D.C.; Bounce, a division of Concord Music Group; and the Library of Congress.
“As producer of the vibrant series since its inception, we are excited to bring this new concert honoring Lionel Richie to the American people in collaboration with the Library of Congress,” said Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA. “This special production exemplifies WETA’s ongoing commitment to showcasing arts and culture in the nation’s capital and honoring leading artists who have made extraordinary contributions to popular music.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Library of Congress, WETA and our member stations to celebrate Lionel Richie and his extraordinary artistic contributions,” said Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. “As America’s largest stage for the arts, PBS remains committed to bringing the best of music, theatre and dance to our audiences.”
Major funding for the broadcast is provided by the PBS and public television viewers. Wells Fargo is the presenting sponsor. Additional funding is provided by the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Fund and the Leonore S. Gershwin Trust for the benefit of the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board, Michael Strunsky, trustee; AARP; Universal Music Group; the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; and William C. Burton. Air transportation is provided by United Airlines.
International superstar Lionel Richie has a discography of albums and singles that are second to none. With more than 125 million albums sold worldwide, he has been awarded an Oscar, a Golden Globe, four Grammy Awards, the distinction of MusicCares Person of the Year in 2016, and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017. In March 2018, Richie put his handprints and footprints in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, one of the oldest awards in Hollywood. He recently received the Ivor Novello PRS for Music Special International Award.
Richie sold out arenas worldwide with a set list of his brightest and best anthems on his All The Hits, All Night Long Tour. In recent years, he also headlined festivals including Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and Glastonbury, drawing the festival’s biggest crowd ever with more than 200,000 attendees.
Richie took fans on a spectacular musical journey with his latest album, Live from Las Vegas along with his most recent tour, the “Hello” tour, which kicked off in summer 2019. The album, which was released on August 16, 2019 was No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart. The album also marks the legendary artist’s first release on Capitol Records.
Richie was a judge on ABC’s “American Idol” for the past four seasons and is set to return to the judge’s chair for the show’s 20th season. He launched his Las Vegas headlining residency show, Lionel Richie — All the Hits in April 2016. In an unforgettable evening featuring his brightest and best anthems that have defined the music icon’s unparalleled career, Richie took his fans on a spectacular musical journey, performing a variety of his seminal hits. Richie recently extended his “Back to Las Vegas” residency at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theater with a 12-show engagement in 2022.
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song honors living musical artists whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with George and Ira Gershwin, by promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations of musicians.
In making the selection for the prize, the Librarian of Congress consulted leading members of the music and entertainment communities, as well as curators from the Library’s Music Division, American Folklife Center and Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.
The Gershwin name is used in connection with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song courtesy of the families of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. GERSHWIN is a registered trademark of Gershwin Enterprises.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after learning about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for more than 70 years.
“Queen Elizabeth II lived an extraordinary life and displayed an unwavering sense of duty to her country. As the longest reigning monarch in modern history, she leaves behind an unparalleled legacy that extends numerous generations and 15 prime ministers. Her loss will be deeply felt not only by her loyal subjects but by countless admirers around the world. My prayers are with the Royal Family as they grieve the loss of a truly legendary matriarch and with our British friends as they mourn the loss of their much beloved Queen.”
