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The Waurika Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual banquet on Saturday, February 24th at the Waurika High School Cafeteria beginning at 6:30 pm.
Tickets are on sale now for only $15.00 each and can be purchased at First Farmers Bank in Waurika.
Catering the food this year will be the Duncan Regional Hospital.
Bill Robertson and his band Southern Rain will be the featured guest providing entertainment for the evening. Joining them will be Missy Fry.
Ryan Seniors were honored recently at a home ball game!
Ryan Seniors (l-r) Morgan McGhghy (parents Mr. and Mrs. David McGhghy behind her), Tate Kimbro (parents Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kimbro – Mom-Jamie and sister Shaylee stand behind him), Dawson Tomberlin (parents Mr. and Mrs. Tony Tomberlin behind him), River Williams (son of Eric and Carmen Griffin, and Dale and Felecia Williams), Joseph Martin (parents Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Martin behind him), Mackenzie Lewis (parents Mr. and Mrs. Brad Lewis behind her), Cassidy Charmasson (paretns Mr. and Mrs. Josh Charmasson behind her).
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.
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 will bring a 3-14 record into the tournament.
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 came 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 Tuesday’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.
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.
The Senate has completed filing bills for the Second Session of the 56th Legislature. A total of 706 Senate bills were filed along with 23 Senate Joint Resolutions. In 2016, a total of 831 Senate bills and 46 Senate Joint Resolutions were filed.
The deadline does not apply to appropriations bills which can be filed throughout the session. In addition, substantive bills can be introduced during the session after the filing deadline. In order for this to occur, the Majority Floor Leader must assign it to a committee and the entire committee becomes the published author of the bill. Such bills must still be heard on the floor by March 22, the deadline for floor votes on legislation originating in the Senate. Measures not heard within that time frame will be considered dead and cannot be reconsidered.
The process of authoring bills by committee was first adopted by the Senate in 2015 to do away with shell bills, which were bills with no language used as vehicles for measures later in the session. The change was aimed at increasing transparency in the legislative process.
Legislation can be read and downloaded through the official State Senate website at www.oksenate.gov by following the link for Legislation at the top of the homepage. The Senate website also includes daily agendas, meeting notices, calendars, and other helpful information.
You can also follow the Oklahoma State Senate on Twitter at OKSENATEINFO.
The Senate offers streaming audio and video from the Senate Chamber, as well as from all committee rooms. Wireless Internet access is available to all Capitol visitors throughout the Senate gallery, rotunda, committee rooms, offices and press rooms.
The 2018 legislative session will reconvene on Monday, February 5.
As we near the end of January, we are enjoying a week of mild temperatures! It is a great improvement from just a couple of weeks ago with lows in the single digits. Deer season is now complete and next week we will announce the winner of our big buck contest.
This is a great time to be out predator hunting and hopefully lower our population of coyotes, bobcats and even some feral hogs if you’re lucky. The local deer and quail populations would appreciate it.
Waterfowl season is still open and I know that Clay Forst and Stuart Ranch Outfitters have provided their clients with some great shooting opportunities over the last few weeks!
Clay had a post on Facebook this weekend with his great dog “Wrigley”, who had just completed his 1000th retrieve this weekend! If you haven’t seen Wrigley, you have certainly missed out; he’s not only the largest Golden Retriever I’ve ever seen but also a great looking dog. Congrats to Clay and Wrigley- an accomplishment that took a lot of hard work.
As we get into February next week, many of us will start turning our attention to warm spring days and fishing. The early crappie bite isn’t too far off and we all know how great they are on the table.
Now is the time to get your rods and reels cleaned up and lubed, replace the line and inspect the ferrules for nicks which could cause abrasions to your line! Also take some time to go through your tackle box and clean those favorite lures also replacing any bent, rusted or dull hooks.
If your fishing is done using a watercraft of some sort, it is a good time to check that equipment also.
If you fish from a kayak, canoe or float tube this part is relatively straight forward. It mainly consists of checking for any damage and repairing it prior to your first trip.
A boat and motor, whether a simple setup or a state of the art bass boat, needs a little more attention. A total cleanup and a coat of protective wax is a great idea along with a general cleaning. Also wipe down all upholstery with quality vinyl protection such as “303”.
Don’t forget to check your trailer lights and lube the wheel bearings. These 60 degree afternoons are great for taking care of these things and will insure your first trip to the water will be trouble free!
Soon the time for spring fishing in Oklahoma will be here, so grab your favorite rod and reel and be ready to hit the water!
Blizzards and ice storms are still a possibility in Oklahoma in March, but typical March weather includes some mild and sunny days during which the bass in farm ponds get really aggressive in the sun-warmed shallows and can provide excellent springtime angling action.
On sunny days the downwind sides of the ponds may be several degrees warmer than the upwind sides as the breeze pushes the warmer surface water across the pond, displacing the cooler water there.
A variety of lures can produce action. Typically it’s a little too early for plastic worms to be effective, but crank baits, jigs and spinnerbaits can be good choices. My favorite lures for March pond bass-fishing are 1/8-ounce spinnerbaits or big Beetle Spin lures. Carrying a small thermometer to test the water temperature can sometimes be a good way to tell the best areas to fish.
You can also locate early spring bass in a lake in shallow areas close to the bank especially on warm sunny days!
Get your gear ready and grab your poles and get out and enjoy your great Oklahoma outdoors!
Tonight, the FRIENDS of the Waurika Public Library will have their quarterly meeting at 4:30 pm at the library. Many of the programs at the library are sponsored by the Friends of the Waurika Public Library. The Friends have started their 2018 sponsorship drive. Sponsorship of the Friends starts at just $10. For more information or to become a sponsor, please visit the Waurika Public Library.
On January 11th, the First Baptist Church of Waurika Pre-school class visited the Library. After reading ‘Hide and Snake’, the children did activities including ‘ice-fishing’ and a ring-toss. Next, we toured the Depot museum. The kids had a lot of fun pressing keys on the typewriters. Thanks to Sharon Morgan and Jan Farris for visiting us. We always enjoy field trips!
The Story Of The Boot was a display of family stories in Jefferson County created to
compliment the Smithsonian Institute exhibition at the Rock Island Depot this summer.
These stories have been compiled into a hardback book. Copies of ‘The Story of the Boot’ are $25 and take 2-3 weeks for delivery to the library. If you would like the copy mailed to a location other than the library, please add an additional $5 for shipping and allow for an additional week for mailing.
‘Your Hometown’ is a DVD compilation of videos from the local community. The DVD includes the opening of Veteran’s Park, Brickstreet Classic Car Show, Interviews with residents of Jefferson Co. and more! Copies of the DVD are available at the library for $10 with proceeds going to the Friends of the Waurika Public Library.
Story Time has a new day! Story Time is now on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. Each week, we read stories to pre-k children. After Story Time, we have games, puzzles, and children’s computer games available.
For information about events, activities and more, visit our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaurikaPublicLibrary/
Vincente Villarreal, Town of Terral Mayor
Ronnie Ward, Executive Director of ASCOG
The Terral REAP grant of $45,00 will be used to install new water meter to customers. The current meters are obsolete and do not reflect an accurate accounting of water usage.
Sue Bridges, Town of Hastings Clerk-Treasurer
Glenda Hood, Town of Hastings Mayor
Ronnie Ward, Executive Director of the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments
The Hastings REAP grant of $45,000 will be used to repair and resurface a total of 3.35 miles of town streets that are in dire need of repair.
