SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 PoteauDailyNews.com SERVING LEFLORE COUNTY Complete Spor ts Coverage, 5-7A • 3A Obituaries • 4A Opinions • 8A Area News • 1B Celebrations • 2,3B Faith, Devotion • 4,5B Courthouse 2015 LEFLORE COUNTY SPRING SPORTS G U I D E � SPRING SCHEDULES ★ TEAM PICTURES • 6B Comics • 7,8B Classifieds � TEAM ROSTERS Inside: 2015 LeFlore County Spring Sports Guide Plus: TV Guide, American Profile, Coupons, Dick’s Sporting A semi-trailer got stuck Friday on Polk Creek Street after leaving the Cavanal Expressway. Goods, Walmart According to residents, the driver was led off the bypass by the GPS system he used. After damage to a few yards, a lengthy delay and a wrecker the driver was on his way. Photo submitted www.facebook.com/poteaudailynews $1.25 Weekend Edition Volume 119 No. 190 18 Pages Police pleased with crossing safety program By Kim Ross PDN Editor Drawing taken from the website of Irish sculptor Alex Pentek shows his creation, “Kindred Spirits,” which will be erected in Midleton, Ireland, in honor of the Choctaw Nation. Echoes of kindness Irish commemorate 1860s gifts from Choctaws By Ken Milam PDN News Editor its,” is being completed by Cork sculptor Alex Pentek. On his website, Pentek said, “By t was an act of compassion that creating an empty bowl symbolic has resonated for generations. of the Great Irish Famine formed Monday marks the anniver- and commemorated many times. from the seemingly fragile and The newest is a sculpture of sary of the start of a campaign by rounded shaped eagle feathers used the Choctaw people to raise money nine towering stainless steel eagle in Choctaw ceremonial dress, it is to send to ease the suffering of the feathers to be installed in Bailic my aim to communicate the tenderIrish during the Great Potato Fam- Park, in Midleton, County Cork, ness and warmth of the Choctaw Ireland this year to thank the Choc- Nation who provided food to the ine. taw for their kindness. Only a decade and a half after hungry when they themselves were That announcement prompted their forced removal over the Trail still recovering from their own Amadeus Finlay, an Irish native of Tears to Oklahoma, the Choctragic recent past. living in the U.S., to contact the taws gathered in in 1867 Skully“I have also chosen feathers to Choctaw Nation and tribal Counville near what is now Spiro. reflect the local bird life along the cilman Delton Cox, whose district According to various historical nearby water’s edge with a fusion includes Skullyville. Finlay has sources, they collected $170 — of ideas that aims to visually comwritten an open letter of thanks to tens of thousands of dollars in municate this act of humanity and the Choctaw Nation, which appears mercy, and also the notion that the today’s currency — and gave it to on Page 8A in today’s paper. a famine relief organization. Choctaw and Irish Nations are forThe sculpture, “Kindred SpirThe gift has been remembered ever more kindred spirits.” I For the fourth year Poteau Police and Kansas City Southern Railroad have partnered for the “Officer on a Train” event, to promote railroad crossing safety. “A motor vehicle collision with a train is very likely to produce death or serious injury” said Poteau Police Chief Stephen Fruen. “We have participated in A grandmother, her granddaughter and their partner-in-charity have teamed up to help the homeless — and seek the community’s help to keep up the good work. Juanita Shoop is a retiree new to Poteau who hails from Alabama. Alongside her granddaughter, Kayla Allen-Aldridge, and her best friend and charity partner Lydia Roscoe, they help make sleeping mats from discarded plastic bags to benefit the homeless in Columbus, Ga. “I was searching for a new project and took to Pinterest,” said Allen-Alridge, who lives in Georgia. “That’s when I discovered you could crochet plastic bags.” She (See TRAINS, page 2A) Sunrise service set The Friends of the Kerr Mansion is hosting its first annual Easter Sunrise Service at the Kerr Mansion at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 5. The service will be held on the south lawn of the Kerr Mansion overlooking the Poteau River Valley and the mountains of the Ouachita National Forest, according to group spokesman Kenneth Corn. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Phil McGeehee with music provided by J.B. Lloyd. Family members team up to aid homeless By Amanda Corbin PDN Reporter this enforcement action with KCS the last few years in an effort to raise public awareness and heighten safety at crossings.” Friday the duo held this year’s event from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and reported lower numbers of traffic violations than previous years. “The number of stops we made for violations was down this year” said Assis- started the project in the winter of 2014 while making scarves, ear warmers and bootcuffs. AllenAlridge said she looked further into the craft by searching Youtube, where she saw a women’s prison in Ohio that made the bags for the homeless in their area. That inspired her to create mats in Columbus and her grandmother to collect bags to aid the effort. “I said, well, I can do that,” Shoop said. Shoop said she collects her own bags that she twists into balls to send to her granddaughter. Shoop used to help crochet but is no longer able due to cancer in her hands. She is reaching out to the community to donate to the effort. She said she tried to Kayla Allen-Aldridge and her grandmother, Juanita Shoop of Poteau, recycle discarded plastic bags to (See MATS, page 2A) make a difference for the homeless. “The Easter service fits the deeply held religious belief of Sen. Robert S. Kerr and will showcase the beautiful scenery that the area is blessed with,” Corn said. Following the service, the Friends of the Mansion will host a pancake breakfast before those attending head to their regular church services. The cost of the breakfast is $5. Children under three are free. All proceeds are being used to help refurnishing and restoring the home. Brass knuckles, drugs net charges By Amanda Corbin PDN Reporter Drugs and brass knuckles were allegedly found after an early March traffic stop in Heavener. Justin Dees, 27, was charged by the District Attorney’s Office with two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substances, felony counts that court records show are his second offense. Dees received a third misdemeanor charge of possession of a prohibited weapon in the alleged incident. Heavener Police Officer Larry Milligan performed the traffic stop. According to the affidavit, Milligan stopped the vehicle at U.S. Highway 59 and Independence Road for not yielding to the red flashing (See CHARGES, page 2A) Area PAGE 2A . . . SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 CHARGES TRAINS lights at the intersection. Milligan and Officer Addison Entmeier did an inventory of the vehicle, allegedly finding a bag with eight smaller bags inside and a straw with a crystal-like residue on it. Court records show officers also reportedly found a small homemade container with fine white powder suspected to be cocaine inside. The affidavit alleged that Dees admitted that everything illegal in the vehicle was his own, including a set of brass knuckles. At the LeFlore County Detention Center, methamphetamine allegedly was found in Dees’ clothing. The drug charges could earn Dees from four to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000 each if convicted, while the weapon charge is worth up to 30 days and a fine between $100-250. His bond was set at $7,500. tant Chief Greg Russell. “I take that as a positive sign that these events are promoting safety at crossings the way that we hoped. “We value our partnership with KCS and applaud their commitment to safety.” Russell spent the afternoon aboard a KCS train engine watching for the crossing violations and notifying police units on the streets ready to stop the daring drivers. Officers participating included Cpl. Brandon McDaniel and officers Jeremy Lamb, Cody Johnson, Jerimy Emmert and Tara Winters. The officers were stationed near several crossing from Airport Road to north of Witte Street. Russell reported that according to the National BULLETIN BOARD Summerfield FD Chicken Dinner Summerfield Fire Department will hold its annual fundraising chicken dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 12. Enjoy a great home cooked meal — $6 for adults, free for children 8 and younger. McClendon Homes For Sale Under Construction 21254 East Branson Rd, Poteau 1350 Sq. Ft. 3 Bed, 2 Bath. Enclosed Garage on 2 acres. Located 1 mile from Wal Mart. You pick appliances, floor coverings and paint Ready for move in mid April $125,000 POTEAU DAILY NEWS Secreted away on a Kansas City Southern Railroad train engine, Poteau Police Asst. Chief Greg Russell watches for motorists to ignore railroad crossing signals Friday during the annual Officer on a Train event. PDN photo by Kim Ross Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four crashes occur within 25 miles of a driver’s home and half occur within five miles of their home. A comparison of statistics from NHTSA and the Federal Railroad Administration reveals that a motorist’s collision with a train is far more likely to result in a fatality than a collision between two motor vehicles, according to Russell. mat unique with a different color pattern so they are easy to tell apart,” she said. “In Columbus, we have a large homeless population that live in tent communities. We have also teamed up with Columbus State University and Troy Uni- versity’s Phoenix City Campus to aid in our collection efforts.” The program called Crocheting for Comfort officially started Jan. 11. Since it’s start, Allen-Alridge and Roscoe have taken to Facebook, Craigslist and yard sales to post ads requesting bags. So far, they have collected about 4,000 plastic bags. If you’d like to donate, contact Shoop at (918) 6493740. Bags can also be dropped off at the Poteau Department of Human Services office. MATS collect bags from Walmart and Price Cutter, but both bags returned to those businesses are recycled to make more bags. One full mat takes 500600 bags. The number depends on the thickness of each bag. Target bags are thicker and larger than Walmart’s, she said. “A full mat takes about 15 hours to crochet and the cutting process takes even longer,” Allen-Alridge said. The bags are flattened and cut into 1.5-inch strips, connected and crocheted into a 3x5 foot mat. Each mat weighs about 4 pounds. When plastic and yarn is used to create a mat, it is called “plarn.” “We try to make each Stubbs seeks election I, Shannon Stubbs, would like to announce my candidacy for Poteau Street Commissioner. I am 47 years old and have spent the last 23 years right here in Poteau. I have been married to Amy Stubbs for 26 years. Amy is a first-grade teacher at Poteau Primary. We have two children, Zachary and Peyton. Zachary is in his fourth year at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, pursuing a degree in education. Peyton, our daughter, is 12 years old and enjoys playing competitive softball and basketball. Our family belongs to the First United Methodist Church in Poteau and I am a member of the Poteau Masonic Lodge 46 and Heavener Masonic Lodge 154. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering design from Northeastern and attended Architecture School at The University of Texas at Arlington. I am a hard working selfemployed architectural designer and have been around the construction business my entire life. My father was a residential contractor, so I’ve been exposed to construction job sites for four decades. I spent my summers, while in college, working for the Texas State Highway Department in the engineering division. For three summers I was part of a team that rebuilt Interstate 1 30 through East Texas from Greenville to Mount. Pleasant. After college I started my career in architecture, specializing in the hospitality industry. I have been responsible for designing and providing construction administration on more than 60 hotels and numerous other projects in the five-state region including some local projects: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hotel, Days Inn & Suites Hotel, Best Western Hotel addition, Jamatt RV Sales, Ron’s Discount Lumber, Glenn Thompson Law Firm, Holt Eye Clinic, Main Street Medical and many custom homes. Not only am I responsible for the design and construction administration for the structure, but I am also responsible for the design and construction of the parking lots, frontage roads and all the storm water drainage. Having been a partner in an architectural firm in Fort Smith, I am experienced when it comes to managing employees, dealing with budgets, hiring and training staff and day-to-day operations of an office. As a designer, I am trained to handle multiple projects simultaneously and cope with any problem that arises. I have a working knowledge of all federal, state and local design codes and ADA regulations. I am an experienced professional that has spent my entire career dealing with contractors, budgets, deadlines and building code officials, so I understand how a project needs to be managed. Poteau is my home and I want to see it grow and prosper as much as possible. I know the job of improving our streets will not be easy and it cannot be done overnight, but I pledge to Poteau, if elected, to tackle the streets head on and I will do my very best to improve our streets. I have the experience, training, knowledge and the drive. With your help, let’s make Poteau a better place to live. “Better Roads Ahead.” I would greatly appreciate your vote on April 7. Check out my website at www.shannonstubbs.net for more information, or contact me at (918) 6476069. More Home Sold — Heavener, OK L-R Aaron & Kalyn Lute - Buyers Jody & Andrea Clubb - Sellers Trina Ward - REMAX CLB Sandra Barron - Barron Mortgage Special Thank You to ALL. 5021 N. Broadway • Poteau, OK 918-649-0201 www.clbrealestate.com Each Office Independently Owned and Operated POTEAU DAILY NEWS Today's Weather Local 5-Day Forecast Area/State SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 . . . PAGE 3A DEATH NOTICES Sun Sat 3/21 3/22 Mon Tue 3/23 Wed 3/24 3/25 Joseph Eugene Henry III 67/51 64/50 73/58 of Joseph Eugene Henry66/47 III, 71, of 70/51 Dewar, currently Compiled by Ken Milam Cloudy with Mostly Clouds givA few A few Poteau, died Thursday, ing March way to19, 2015, clouds. in Poteau. clouds. [email protected] rain ending cloudy. services held. Evans and Miller in No the afterHighswill in thebe sun . Highs Highs in the HighsFuneral in the noon. High mid 60s and in thearrangements. mid low 70s and low 70s and Home, Poteau, is handling Today is International 67F. lows in the 60s and lows in the lows in the low 50s. lows in the low 50s. upper 50s. Day for the Elimination upper 40s. Juanita McCurtain of Racial Discrimination Juanita McCurtain, 96, of Hodgen Thursday, Sunrise: Sunrise: Sunrise: diedSunrise: • TODAY — 28th Annual Sunrise: 7:22 AM 7:20 in AMHeavener. 7:19 AM 7:18 AM 7:16 AM 19, 2015, Family Kite Flite Day, 9 March Sunset: Sunset: Sunset: Sunset: Sunset: Servives will 2 PM p.m. Monday, 23, at a.m. to 5 p.m., Spiro 7:29 PM 7:30be PMheld at 7:31 7:32 PM March 7:33 PM Mounds Archaeological Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery, Heavener. Center. — Free community lunch, Helen Louise Terry noon to 2 p.m., New Helen Louise Terry, 81, of Muldrow died Thursday, Beginning Family Oklahoma 19, 2015. At A Glance Ministry, south Saddler. March Private family services will be held at the U.S. National — Ribbon cutting, noon, Cemetery in Fort Smith, Ark. Family visitation will be Enid Wister City Barber Shop Tulsa from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, March 71/45 22, at Mallory-Martin 69/50 and Mary’s Hair Design, Funeral Home in Spiro. U.S. Highway 270 and Main Street, Wister. Oklahoma City — Dance with Libby and the Bandits, 8 p.m., Spiro Eagles center, all invited. Today's Weather Local 5-Day Forecast Lawton 67/51 Sat Sun 3/21 3/22 Mon 3/23 Poteau 67/51 66/48 Tue Wed 3/24 • MARCH 22 — Poteau Special Olympics footArea Cities ball practice, 2-4 p.m., City Hi Lo Cond. City Hi 66 55 rain Oklahoma City 67 Costner Stadium (if rain- Antlers 67/51 64/50 70/51 67 65 53 cloudy 66/47 Okmulgee ing, in Poteau Upper Ardmore Cloudy with Mostly Clouds givA few Bartlesville 70 44 cloudy Pauls Valley 65 Elementary gym). rain ending to clouds. Broken Bow cloudy. 65 54 rain ing way Perry 70 • MARCH 24 — Lunch at the Museum fundraiser for LeFlore County Historical Society, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., LeFlore County Museum at Hotel Lowrey, 303 Dewey Ave. in the afterClaremore noon. High Cordell 67F. Duncan El Reno Elk City Enid Guymon Sunrise: Lawton 7:22 AM McAlester Sunset: Miami 7:29 PM Muskogee Highs sun . Highs Highs in the 70 in 48the cloudy Sallisaw 69 mid in the mid low 70s and 6660s 47and cloudy Sapulpa 69 lows thecloudy 60s andShawnee lows in the 69 66 in51 low6650s. lows in the 48 cloudy Snyderlow 50s. 66 upper 40s. 66 45 cloudy Stillwater 71 71 45 cloudy Tahlequah 67 68 39 pt sunny Tulsa 69 Sunrise: Sunrise: Sunrise: 66 48 cloudy Watonga 68 7:20 AM 7:19 AM 7:18 AM 67 53 cloudy Weatherford 66 Sunset: Sunset: Sunset: 69 47 cloudy Wewoka 66 7:30 PM 7:31 PM 7:32 PM 68 49 cloudy Woodward 71 — Parent cluster training National Cities Hi Lo Cond. City for Poteau and Carl City Atlanta 71 51 cloudy Minneapolis Albert Head Start pro- Boston 37 29 sn shower New York 59 41 mst sunny Phoenix grams, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Chicago AtrainA Glance Dallas 65 57 San Francisco March 24, Poteau Oklahoma Denver 70 38 sunny Seattle Primary School cafete- Houston 79 66 t-storm St. Louis Los Angeles 75 58 sunny Washington, DC ria. Enid Miami 86 69 sunny • MARCH 25 — Area 10 Special Olympics Track Moon Phases and Field Meet, 10 a.m., Costner Stadium. Hi 60 34 77 68 65 62 41 71/45 — Leflore Schools JOM meeting, 3:15 p.m., Leflore Elementary building. Info: (918) 753-2345 ext. 103. • MARCH 26 — Free screening of the film “To Light a Candle,” 7 p.m., Donald W. Reynolds Community Center. — Free legal community education by Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Inc., “Power of Attorney” and “Advance Directives,” 6-7 p.m., Patrick Lynch Library. — Blood drive, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Panama High School. • MARCH 27 — Blood drive, 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., Kiamichi Technology Center, Poteau. — LeFlore County Health Fair, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Donald W. Reynolds Center. • MARCH 28 — Citywide Easter Egg Hunt, registration 1:15 p.m., Twyman Park. (Rain date 3:15 p.m. March 29.) — Vike Hike Half Marathon and 5K, 7 a.m., Carl Albert State College. — Dance with Movin’ On, 8 p.m., Spiro Eagles center, all invited. • APRIL 2 — “The Gospel Crusade” with evangelist Bobby Burton, 6:30 p.m., Donald W. Reynolds Community Center. Lo Cond. 51 cloudy 5073/58 cloudy A 50few cloudy clouds. 46 cloudy Highs in the 48 cloudy low 70s and 50 cloudy lows in the 54 cloudy upper 50s. 49 cloudy 47 cloudy 46 cloudy 50 pt sunny Sunrise: 45 cloudy 7:16 AM 46 cloudy Sunset: 51 cloudy 7:33 PM 44 pt sunny Lo Cond. 29 pt sunny 30 snow 57 pt sunny 53 cloudy 50 rain 46 pt sunny 35 mixed Tulsa 69/50 Oklahoma City 67/51 Poteau 67/51 Lawton — Free Sexual Assault 66/48 Response and Resource Teams training, 8 a.m. to New First Full 5 p.m., Kiamichi Tech Mar 20 Mar 27 Apr 4 Cities Center, 1509 S. McKenna Area City Hi Lo Cond. City St. Registration: Info@ Antlers 66 55 rain Oklahoma City UV Index orcpi.org or call (405) Ardmore 65 53 cloudy Okmulgee Bartlesville 70Sun 44 cloudy MonPauls ValleyTue 416-5448. Sat Sudoku Puzzle #3416-M — Blood drive, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Howe High School 3/25 Last Apr 12 Hi 67 67 65 Broken Bow 653/22 54 rain 3/21 3/23Perry 3/24 70 Claremore 70 348 cloudy 69 3 7 Sallisaw 7 Cordell 66 47 cloudy Sapulpa 69 Moderate Moderate Duncan 66 51 cloudy HighShawnee High 69 El Reno 66 48 cloudy Snyder 66 The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale, 0 Elk aCity 66showing 45 cloudy 71 with higher UV Index the need forStillwater greater skin Enidprotection. 71 45 cloudy Tahlequah 67 Guymon 68 39 pt sunny Tulsa 69 Lawton 66 48 cloudy Watonga 68 ©2010 American Profile Hometown Content Service McAlester 67 53 cloudy Weatherford 66 Miami 69 47 cloudy Wewoka 66 Muskogee 68 49 cloudy Woodward 71 Lo Cond. 51 cloudy 50 cloudy 50 cloudy Wed 46 3/25 cloudy 48 cloudy 7 50 cloudy High 54 cloudy 49 cloudy 47 cloudy11 46 cloudy 50 pt sunny 45 cloudy 46 cloudy 51 cloudy 44 pt sunny City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Los Angeles Miami Lo Cond. 29 pt sunny 30 snow 57 pt sunny 53 cloudy 50 rain 46 pt sunny 35 mixed 2 1 5 3 2 8 6 National Cities 1 9 4 7 1 6 3 Phases 7 Moon 2 4 Hi 71 37 59 65 70 79 75 86 Lo Cond. 51 cloudy 29 sn shower 41 mst sunny 57 rain 38 sunny 66 t-storm 58 sunny 69 sunny 3 6 4 7 9 9 1 8 3 City Minneapolis New York Phoenix San Francisco Seattle St. Louis Washington, DC 1 Hi 60 34 77 68 65 62 41 9 5 8 9 7 © 2009 Hometown Content U.S in ‘tornado drought’ TULSA (AP) — The U.S. appears to be locked in a tornado drought as meteorologists have recorded only about two-dozen twisters so far this year during a period when 100 or more are typical. And there have been no reports of tornadoes so far in March — a sometimes violent period for severe weather. The last time there were no tornadoes in March was 1969. Forecasters at NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman have issued only four tornado watches and no severe thunderstorm watches — less than 10 percent of the average 52 tornado watches issued by mid-March. Warning coordination meteorologist Greg Carbin said there isn’t one answer to explain the sluggish start, but that a persistent weather pattern of cold, stable air prevents a tornado’s ingredients from coming together. Child dead after standoff standoff that the child was in any immediate danger from the dad,” who had told negotiators throughout the night that the boy was sleeping. “At no point did they believe the child was in immediate danger,” Tuell said, leading to the decision for officers not to try and force their way into the apartment, saying such action often escalates the danger of a hostage situation. Tuell said Creech was arrested and would be questioned, but had not immediately retained an attorney. Ex-fire chief indicted OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A grand jury has indicted the former chief of the now-disbanded Higgins Volunteer Fire Department on an embezzlement charge. The Oklahoman reports 48-year-old Curtis Gregory Baker of Hartshorne is accused of embezzling more than $1,000 from the fire department for his own personal use over a twoyear period. Baker denied the claims to the newspaper on Thursday night. He disbanded the volunteer fire department in Latimer County in 2013. Historic site grants available OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Historical Society is accepting applications for matching grants to prepare nominations for the National Register of Historic Places. Each grant is limited to $1,000, and the funds must be used to retain a professional to complete an individual property nomination for the national register. The deadline for the applications is June 3. The register is the catalogue of the nation’s significant buildings, structures, sites, districts, objects and landscapes. While listing is not a guarantee of preservation, it’s one of the most important preservation components for any significant property. The designation provides increased public awareness of the sites as well as limited protection. It also qualifies property owners for federal tax credits under certain circumstances and may qualify the property owner for grant assistance when the programs are funded. TULSA — A 5-year-old boy was found dead Friday inside a south Tulsa apartment after his father, who had shot at police during a 17-hour standoff, surrendered to authorities, police said. “The SWAT team went in to clear the apartment and found the child,” after Bryon Creech surrendered about 10:30 a.m., according to Sgt. Shane Tuell. It was not known when or how the child died, Tuell said. The name of the child was not released. “He led the negotiators to believe that the child was OK when in fact the child was not,” Tuell said. “There was no indication at any point during the entire TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Medium Each puzzle is divided 20 puzzle New First into Solution Full to MarchLast nine Mar sections, and each 20 Marsection 27 Apr 4 Apr 12 Sudoku Solution #3416-D has nine blank squares. Fill in 5 8 6 1 2 9 3 4 7 all 81 squares on the puzzle UV with Index numbers 1 to 9. You may 3 4 2 5 8 7 1 9 6 not repeat any numbers in anyMon Sat Sun Tue 4 3 6 5Wed8 2 one 3/21 of the nine 3/22 sections that3/23 1 9 73/24 3/25 you've3 already used 3 elsewhere 7 2 3 4 77 9 1 8 7 6 5 in Moderate that section. Also, you can useHigh 8 1 9High 2 6 5 7High3 4 Moderate each number 1-9 only once in 6 7 5 3 4 8 2 1 9 The UV horizontal Index is measured 11 number scale, each lineon aof0 - nine 11 with a higher UV Index showing the need for greater 0 9 5 3 6 7 8 4 2 1 squares, and in each vertical skin protection. column of nine squares. The 9 6 3 8 7 2 4 5 1 puzzleAmerican is completed when Content you Service ©2010 Profile Hometown 7 5 8 6 1 4 9 2 3 correctly fill every square © 2009 Hometown Content HAMMOND FAMILY DENTAL Dr. Kendra Yandell, DDS Hammond Family Dentistry was established in 1975 by Dr. Ken Hammond. In 2008, after completing dental school at the University of Oklahoma, Kendra joined her father in the family practice. After purchasing the practice in 2010, one of her first goals was to build a new state of the art dental clinic. The new building was completed in November 2013. The design of the building is centered on patient care and efficiency. It is a clinic that patients, staff and the community can be proud of. Quality patient care continues to be the focus of Hammond Family Dentistry. Kendra and husband Chad bring a new energy to our community and we appreciate their leadership and many contributions. PANAMA STIGLER POTEAU CENTRAL NATIONAL BANK HEAVENER www.cnbpoteau.com POCOLA Opinions PAGE 4A . . . SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 POTEAU DAILY NEWS Gearing up after spring break Notes from the 55th Ed Cannaday Two forces at work A segment of this column will attempt to explain some of the rather unusual processes that legislation takes as it makes its way to eventually becoming a law or statute. Fortunately the process is not always as bizarre as the example I am going to share with you. Let me preface this by saying this story provides the absolute worst aspect of politics and perhaps the best. By this I mean absolute examples of both the deceitful actions of some political figures while others in a similar role of authority try to serve the constituents of the state in a spirit of cooperation rather than deceit. Let me take you back to my sixth column where I referred to a bill I filed, HB1027, which passed out of Common Education Committee on 13-to-1 vote, co-authored by Rep. Dennis Casey, R-Morrison. The one no vote becomes more telling as the story develops. As I indicated, this would call for placing a hold for two years on the “Student Academic Performance” portion of the new state-mandated teacher evaluations sometimes referred to as the quantifiable portion of this process. This makes up 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation and has been the source of considerable concern for school administration and teachers alike. These problems have been documented by a company employed by the Department of Education under the leadership of newly elected state Superintendent of Education Joy Hofmeister. Based on this recent research, Hofmeister led the TeacherLeader Effectiveness Commission to recommend a reassessment of this quantifiable portion of the teacher assessment. As a member of this commission, it was within this context that I filed HB1027 and it passed out of committee with Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, casting the single no vote. While I did not place a lot of significance on his no vote, I did notice that, as assistant floor leader, he let two weeks go by before calling it up for a vote on the full House floor. Since there was a deadline to have House bills heard by the end of last week and that left only four days, Casey and I approached him on his failure to call the bill up for consideration. His response was that he was concerned that the language in the bill could jeopardize Oklahoma’s waiver from federal education law, No Child Left Behind. Upon being informed of this I emailed a copy of the bill to the U.S. Department of Education and contacted members of their staff to set up a conference call between them and Casey and myself. This call took place within 48 hours of this portion of the House session ending. As a result of this call and confirmation that there was not a problem with the language, I went to Nelson with this news anticipating that he would immediately place HB 1027 on the floor calendar, since any delay would keep this much needed legislation from moving forward. To my shock and amazement he said that his real problem was with my Senate author, Earl Garrison, D-Muskogee. Had I known that, I would have asked Garrison to allow me to pick another senator since this legislation was needed for the TLE Commission to move forward with reforms. Casey and I were equally upset by this immature game played by Nelson. Here is where it takes a positive turn. Casey brought the situation up with Presiding Floor Leader Rep. Charles Ortega, R-Altus, and this resulted in a meeting with myself, Casey, Ortega and Minority Leader Rep. Scott Inman. Inman was adamant that HB 1027 be heard even though the 24-hour clock had passed. Following this meeting all of us except Inman were called to meet with Speaker Jeff Hickman. In this meeting Casey suggested he remove the language of one of his bills, HB 1290, and amend it with HB 1027 language. His bill had problems and probably would not be heard even though it was on the calendar. We four agreed to this procedure and that was actually done in the late hours of March 11. It passed on a vote of 79 yes 15 no and is headed to the Senate as HB 1290 with me as its primary author. I share this real-life political drama to demonstrate two dominant forces at work in state politics. One is pure immature pettiness on the part of the assistant floor leader and the second is an example of real leadership by those setting politics aside and attempting to allow legislation through so that our superintendent of education and TLE Commission followed by the State Board of Education could fix a major problem that would have had a negative impact on our schools, teachers and students. Ed Cannaday represents District 15, which includes part of LeFlore County, in the Oklahoma House. Write him at P.O. Box 98, Porum, OK 74455, e-mail him at ed.cannaday@ okhouse.gov, call him at (800) 522-8502 or (405) 557-7375 or go to his website at www.edcannaday.com. SERVING LEFLORE COUNTY Spring break is coming to an end, and we are preparing to spring ahead at Patrick Lynch Public Library. For students, this is the last leg of the school term, and an opportunity for a last push for their best possible school year. Some of our student readers here have already met their academically required reading goals for the year and can enjoy leisure reading of their choice, but others are scrambling to complete their prerequisites. We can help with each of these situations and all in between at the library. Students, particularly teens, who see reading as a chore may need help comprehending the potential rewards and satisfaction reading can give in comparison to the effort. Successful treasure hunting can make the cost seem trivial. For a teen with access to a good library and willingness to hunt, rewards may include any or all of the following: Improved decision making, or what might be tagged as stupidity insurance. Teens have more of an aversion to looking, saying or doing something “stupid” than most of us. If they are considering trying something new, or will be discussing something unfamiliar to them, why not “beef up” on the subject first? Let’s state this in a positive way: learning about new subjects, considerations Deadline has passed on Senate bills Last week marked the final week for full Senate consideration of bills that were introduced by our members and approved at the committee level. The next step in the legislative process will be for the House to begin committee work on the bills that began in the Senate and made it out of our chamber. Likewise, we will begin committee consideration of their measures. Still to be addressed this session is the Fiscal Year 2016 budget. With a $611 million reduction in available state dollars, the challenge to appropriate funds to the most critical services, including education, public safety, health, mental health and transportation remains at the top of the priorities this session. In order to do that, we will be searching for ways to help state agencies identify savings and further priori- AWARD WINNER Presented by the OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION Terry Erwin, Publisher ................................................ Ext. 25 [email protected] Kim Ross, Editor ........................................................ Ext. 17 tize their allocations. With a shortfall of this size, there is no way to completely avoid budget cuts. However, it is critical to approach them as thoughtfully and carefully as possible. I’m very pleased that Senate Bill 788, authored by my colleague, Sen. Dan Newberry, was approved by the full Senate before the first deadline passed. SB 788 would protect clergy members and others who are authorized to perform marriage ceremonies from being required to perform those duties if it conflicts with the officiant’s religious beliefs. It would not only protect officiants who are authorized by law to solemnize a marriage, it would also shield churches from being required to participate in ceremonies that might conflict for religious reasons. The legislation wouldn’t To Contact Us: Mail: P.O. Box 1237, Poteau, OK 74953 Location: 804 N. Broadway, Poteau Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday – Friday Telephone: 918-647-3188 • Fax: 918-647-8198 Website: www.poteaudailynews.com BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST “LeFlore County’s Newspaper Since 1895” [email protected] You can expect delivery of your paper by 6 a.m. Please call by 10 a.m. for prompt replacement delivery. If your paper is damaged or missing . . . . 918-647-3188, Ext. 27 1 3 6 1 To Subscribe: Phone 918-647-3188 month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$9.50 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $42 year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75 1 3 6 1 month . months. months. year . . . Gregory Zigoy, Circulation Director ........................... Ext. 27 [email protected] April Morton, Classifieds/Legals ................................ Ext. 11 [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . — Out-of-County, Out-of-State — .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. MEMBER: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guest Column Joseph Silk prevent anyone from seeking marriage services, but it would send our pastors and churches a strong message, letting them know that we not only believe in their religious freedoms and beliefs, but also in their right to exercise those liberties. SB 788 is now headed to the House. I am the Senate coauthor of two House bills now headed to the Senate for consideration. House Bill 1911 would eliminate restrictions on certain types of knives people can carry and essentially would reduce regulations and return certain rights back to the people of Oklahoma. The second House bill I’ve co-authored is HB 1652, which would move an archery hunting tag and license expiration date to Jan. 15 instead of the current Dec. 31. This is just a common sense approach to make the tags valid until the end of the hunting season. I’ve also been working with constituents in regard to modifying various statues that could help keep electrical co-ops more accountable. I will expand on that topic in more depth in the coming weeks, as well as discuss an interesting update on water issues. Joseph Silk is senator of the 5th District. He can be reached by phone at (405) 521-5614 or email at sil@ oksenate.gov. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: [email protected] Cheryl Thornburg, Business Manager ...................... Ext. 29 learning. Many interests, sports and vocations have their own vocabulary, and learning about these subjects, again through fiction as well as nonfiction, gives new meaning to “key words” by opening new and exciting vistas. But be prepared for some words to drop from the teens’ vocabulary, such as “I’m bored” and a lot less “I can’t.” For successful knowledge treasure hunters, there may be more directions calling than time to explore. Can you keep a secret? There are times when teens are wary of communicating, and wisely so. Once information, feelings or concerns are shared, they cannot be retrieved. To seek out facts for personal information or advice, to examine feelings related to teen situations in a safe or perhaps vicarious setting, books are just the thing. Charles W. Eliot, the 17th century president that led Harvard University into national prominence mused, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” Obviously, reading increases brain power. Just as athletes develop muscle and strength by exercising their body, so creativity, imagination, quick connection, retention and hopefully wisdom can be developed through prudent and committed reading, not to mention the “chore” attitude disappears. Turning the page to the week ahead, our adults will again have the opportunity to work on foundational computer skills in the Wednesday afternoon computer class and on Thursday, learn more about Power of Attorney and Advance Directive from 6-7 p.m. in an introductory workshop presented by Legal Aid in the library’s community room. Carole Gill is the children’s and young adult librarian at Patrick Lynch Public Library in Poteau. E-mail her at [email protected]. 2013 The Poteau Daily News (USPS 440-200) is published daily by Horizon Oklahoma Publishing Company Inc., Poteau, OK 74953. Periodical privileges paid at Poteau, OK. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to Poteau Daily News, P.O. Box 1237, Poteau, OK 74953. The Poteau Daily News publishes Tuesday through Saturday. Treasure Hunting or ways to achieve gives confidence to step forward and explore and reaps a treasure of personal growth Carole Gill and confidence. Young people like to have an advantage, an edge up as they go out into the world. Exploring the page before heading into unknown territory can do that. Both fiction and nonfiction give criteria for making choices, building confidence. Where resources are limited, we can get much vicarious experience at bargain prices. That neat, new guy in class who played cricket before moving here? Learning enough to ask questions then researching what he shares may establish common ground, friendship and a whole new sphere of experience. We want people to understand us. Improved communication skills are a natural outgrowth of wide-ranging reading: a better understanding of other perspectives and cultures, hearing and permitting other thoughts, a better way to say, a better word to use. Building a heavyweight vocabulary is a treasure that can drastically improve many test measures and give freedom to move to new levels and new satisfaction in . $12 . $35 . $66 $129 Email letters to Editor Kim Ross at editor@ poteaudailynews.com, mail or drop off at 804 N. Broadway, Poteau, Ok. 74953. All letters must include name, town of residence and phone number for verification. The phone number will not be published. EDITORIAL CONTENT POLICY: Columns, cartoons and letters to the editor published in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Poteau Daily News or its management. Sports POTEAU DAILY NEWS Wister boys beat Wright City, Washington in Red Oak Festival; Heavener boys fall to Allen RED OAK — The Wister Wildcats had a banner Thursday of baseball in the Red Oak Festival as they got a pair of 3-1 wins over the Wright City Lumberjax and the Washington Warriors. Things were not quite as nice for the Heavener Wolves, who began the day’s worth of games with a 9-2 loss to the Allen Mustangs. In Wister’s win over Wright City, the Wildcats (4-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning, only to see the Lumberjax cut the deficit in half by the end of the frame. The ’Cats got a big insurance run in the fifth inning for a 3-1 lead. For the game, Jake Sconyers was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Koby Midgley was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bryar Ward (1-0) got the win, pitching six innings with four strikeouts and scattering two hits. Sconyers got his first save of the season, pitching the final two innings with a strikeout and allowing a hit. In Wister’s victory over Washington, the Wildcats scored twice in the first inning and once in the second for a 3-0 lead. The Warriors cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth inning, but they got no closer. For the game, Adrian Gonzales was 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored, Ethan Billings was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored and Jesse Hammons was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Midgley (1-0) got the win, pitching a complete-game, four-hitter with six strikeouts. In Heavener’s loss to Allen, the Mustangs erased a 2-1 deficit with a five-run third inning for a 6-2 lead. The Wolves (3-3) committed three errors, allowing for six unearned runs for the Mustangs. In defeat, the Wolves had five hits, a single apiece for Dillion May, Noah Davis, Jordan Terry, Dillan Stallings and Hunter Tiffee. May (0-2) took the loss, despite fanning two batters in 2.2 innings and only giving up three earned runs of the seven he allowed. Grant Shipman pitched the final 3.1 innings with two Ks and allowing no earned runs. CASC softball team to be in Carthage Bash today, Sunday It will be a busy weekend for the Carl Albert State College Lady Vikings softball team as it will play five games in two days beginning today at the Carthage [Mo.] Bash. Today, the Lady Vikings (8-3) will meet Iowa Western Community College at 10 a.m., Riverland Community College at noon and Three Rivers Community College at 6 tonight. On Sunday, the Lady Vikings will meet Indian Hills, Iowa, at 11 a.m., then host Crowder, Mo., at 1 p.m. The Lady Vikings will SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 . . . PAGE 5A Sports Briefs There will be a fund-raising golf tournament beginning at 10 a.m. next Saturday at Choctaw Country Club. The entry fee for the four-person scramble is $160. Golf carts will be available but at extra costs. There will be prizes awarded to the top three teams as well as a prize for the straightest drive and closest to the pin. For additional information, call Matt Brown at (918) 647-3488. ••• There will be a one-day boys and girls basketball tournament next Saturday at Brushy Public School. The entry fee is $150 per team. There will be three age divisions — grades three-four, five-six and seven-eight. Each team will be guaranteed three games. The winning team’s members will be awarded medals. For additional information, call (918) 774-8261. ••• There will be a coed softball tournament sponsored by 3 Girls Animal Shelter April 3-4 at the Poteau Area Recreational Complex. The entry fee is $150 per team, which must have at least 10 players, with three females. There will be a home run derby for $20 for 10 balls. For additional information, call Kenny Blaylock at (918) 605-9922, Cheryl Greenmyer at (918) 471-8514 or Keni Jane Deatherage at (479) 462-9818. ••• The Whitesboro High School senior class will have the second annual “Run with the Big Dawgs" 5k on April 18. There will also be a 1-mile run, as well as a 1k for ages 10 and younger, and a 0.5k for ages 6 and younger. This is a class fundraiser. The cost for the 5k and 1-mile run is $20 prior to April 3, and $5 for the kids races. After April 3, the 5k and 1-mile run entry fee will be $25, and the kids race will be the same. The first 100 will be guaranteed a T-shirt, as well as the first 30 kids in each division. On-site registration as well as packet pick-up will be from 8 to 9 a.m., with the race starting at 9:30 a.m. The kids events will start after the 5k awards, or approximately 10:45 a.m., and they can register until about 10:30 a.m. The 5k is a timed event with medals in five age groups, and the kids will receive medals in the 1k and 0.5k runs. The registration form is available on the school's website at www.whitesborops.k12.ok.us or contact Sonya Morgan at (918) 567-2231 or contact Whitesboro School at (918) 567-2624 or Teresa Davis at (918) 839-5039. play three road doubleheaders next week, 2 p.m. Tuesday against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami, 2 p.m. Thursday against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and 2 p.m. next Saturday against JUNIOR PRIDE — Here are the members of the Howe Lions junior high baseball Rose State College in Mid- team. From left — Coach Jon Sockey, Brandon Knudsen, Chris Garcia, Carson McGee, Haydon Hall, Nicholas Ford, Dustin Stimac, Joseph Benefield, Tyler west City. Sockey, Trever Sockey, Colby Butler, Caleb Crabtree, Brayden Ogelsby, Eduardo Sanchez, Wesley Bradley and Francisco Herenandez. To see most of the LeFlore County high school spring teams’ photos, season previews and schedules, check out the 2015 Spring Sports Guide in today’s edition. Photo Submitted by Scott Parks Cameron girls suffer losses to Red Oak, Keota, Dale in RO Festival on Thursday Wister’s games rained out Friday, won’t be rescheduled Poteau HOF Class of 2015 nominations being sought Keota. The Lady ’Jackets (0-3) only had two hits all day long. Dallas Hadley (0-3) suffered all three losses. Wister’s games Friday in the festival Nominations are currently being ac- girls all-around athlete, wrestling, coachwere rained out and won’t be rescheduled. cepted for the 2015 Poteau High School ing, support and service. Sports Hall of Fame. The deadline to submit nominations is Requirements for nominations are that April 1. the individual has been graduated no later For additional information or to subthan 2010, played sports or coached Po- mit a nomination, call Glynda McDaniel teau teams and was a big fan by giving at (918) 647-7724) or (918) 635-0580, or support and/or service to the Poteau High email to: [email protected] or School athletic program. mail to Poteau Schools, Attention Glynda Today’s Wister-Dale-Spiro three-way canceled, won’t be rescheduled Categories include football, boys and McDaniel, 100 Mockingbird Lane Pogirls basketball, baseball, fast-pitch and teau, OK 74953. By David Seeley games today on the Yel- Sallisaw-Central, while slow-pitch softball, boys and girls soccer, The Hall of Fame Banquet will be at 6 PDN Sports Editor lowjackets’ home field. contests lost Friday at boys and girls track, boys and girls golf, p.m. May 23 at the Bob Lee Kidd Civic The Pocola Indians will Cameron were Cameron boys and girls cross country, boys and Center. Mother Nature almost meet the Wilburton Dig- vs. Oktaka, Cameron vs. rained out the final three gers at 11 a.m., followed Checotah, Poteau vs. Chedays of the 2015 Eastern by Spiro and Valliant in cotah and Poteau vs. AntOklahoma Shootout, but a battle of Bulldogs at lers. None of these games not quite. 1 p.m., the ’Jackets and will be rescheduled. YUKON — The their second game of the boro pitchers in the home While Friday’s games at Valliant at 3 p.m. and the Today’s three-way with Whitesboro Bulldogs will day against the Yukon ju- half of the frame enabled Spiro and Cameron were Leflore Savages and Eu- the Wister Wildcats and have to wait until next nior varsity rained out. It the visitors to score five rained out, a new sched- faula Ironheads at 5 p.m. the Dale Pirates at Spiro runs to take an 8-3 lead afule of games for today in Friday games lost at was canceled due to wet week to try to get their will not be rescheduled. ter four innings. Dakota Farris hit a twofirst win of the season. Cameron has been slated. the Spiro site were Spiro fields and will not be reJoe Smith (0-2) took the The Bulldogs lost run single to tie the game There will be four vs. Antlers and Spiro vs. scheduled. RED OAK — It was a rough start to the 2015 slow-pitch softball season for the Cameron Lady Yellowjackets as they lost all three games in Thursday’s action of the Red Oak Festival, losing 12-0 to both host Red Oak and Dale and falling 12-3 to Wet fields change schedule of final day of Eastern Oklahoma Shootout Whitesboro boys suffer loss in UC Festival 11-3 to the co-op team of Hydro-Eakly/ArapahoButler on Thursday in the Union City Festival. The ’Dogs (0-3) had facing the prospect of trying to make the playoffs without him. Durant last played Feb. 19 against Memphis and had surgery three days later to replace a screw that was causing discomfort in the right foot that he broke during the preseason. Thunder forward Serge Ibaka could miss the rest of the season after having an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee earlier this week. Durant has foot pain, remains out OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — There is more bad news for Thunder star and the reigning National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant. General manager Sam Presti says Durant still has pain in his right foot and will remain out indefinitely. Durant will see specialists to determine the next step. Earlier this month, coach Scott Brooks said Durant could return to the line-up in 1-2 weeks. Instead, Oklahoma City is The Poteau Daily News is your best source for local sports coverage in LeFlore County at 3 in the fourth inning for the Bulldogs, but the combination of either walking or hitting seven batters off of three combined Whites- loss, but a bright spot was Austin Stepp’s relief outing as he went two-plus innings with two strikeouts. ✮ 35 % of young readers aged 18-34 prefer receiving advertising circulars. ✮ 86% who regularly read weekend papers check for print circulars for grocery or foodstore ads. ✮ 80% check print circulars for department store ads. ✮ 70% check print cirulars for discount store ads. Bottom Line: print circular Advertising works! Source: http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/27241/millennials-still-want-their-newspapers?ref=search PAGE 6A . . . SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 Sports POTEAU DAILY NEWS Arkansas women rally for win over Northwestern WACO, Texas (AP) — Jessica Jackson scored 14 points, including the tiebreaking free throw with 30 seconds left as Arkansas overcame a 13-point deficit to beat Northwestern 5755 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday. The free throw by Jackson made it 56-55, giving the Razorbacks (18-13) their first lead in the second half. They overcame three consecutive missed free throws after that, including Jackson's miss on the second attempt that Melissa Wolff rebounded. GOIN' HOG WILD — The Arkansas Razorbacks celebrates their 56-53 win over Wolff had 13 points and Wofford during Thursday's NCAA Tournament second-round game in Jacksonville, Fla. The Hogs will meet North Carolina tonight for a berth into the Sweet 16. Photo by John Raoux/The Associated Press Arkansas hangs on to beat Wofford, faces North Carolina tonight JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Arkansas surely knows about Wofford now. Michael Qualls scored 20 points, Southeastern Conference player of the year Bobby Portis added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and the fifth-seeded Razorbacks held off the No. 12 seed Terriers 56-53 in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. Arkansas (27-8) escaped a slow-paced, back-and-forth game in the West Regional that featured 18 lead changes, 10 ties and neither team ahead by more than five points. "I told our guys (Wofford) just ran out of time," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. "Thank goodness they ran out of time." The Razorbacks advanced to play fourthseeded North Carolina tonight. The Tar Heels edged Ivy League champion Harvard earlier in the night. Arkansas looked as though it might become the latest No. 5 seed to get upset in the NCAAs — No. 12 seeds went 6-2 against No. 5 seeds the previous two years. But pesky Wofford (28-7) missed three 3-pointers in the final minute-plus, allowing the Razorbacks to hang on. "We know we had a great team coming in," Wofford coach Mike Young said. "Arkansas was just a little better. ... The score was in the 50s, we took nine more shots and we had eight turnovers. I would bet my last dollar that we would win that game. We didn't, obviously." Southern Conference player of the year Karl Cochran and Eric Garcia had decent looks on the final possession, but both shot off the mark. Garcia's clanged off the rim at the buzzer. "I felt the 3s were going to go in," said Spencer Collins, who led Wofford with 16 points and nine rebounds. "That's the same sometimes. Shots go in. Shots don't go in." Cochran and Jaylen Allen added 12 points apiece for the Terriers. Many picked Arkansas to falter, especially after Anderson and his players made it clear Wednesday they had done little preparation for the Terriers. Instead, they spent much of the lead time working on getting themselves ready. It nearly backfired. "We didn't get rattled," Qualls said. "If they would have made their bucket, we knew we would have taken care of business in overtime." Wofford had no answer for Qualls' athleticism and Portis' inside presence. Qualls made eight of nine shots, including three big dunks, and Portis scored all his points in the paint. Arkansas also played at Wofford's pace, which was plodding and methodical at times. "We can win a lot of different ways," Anderson said. "We showed that tonight." The game was entertaining from start to finish, and included a couple of interesting moments involving shoes. Moses Kingsley played a possession in the first half without a shoe, which he flipped to the bench. Rashad Madden also lost a shoe in the second half. He seemed to toss his toward the bench and then it got thrown back across the court. Officials called timeout and looked at the replay, but couldn't decide what to do. They eventually tagged Arkansas with a delay-of-game warning. Michigan State holds off Georgia men CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Denzel Valentine scored 16 points and went 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to help Michigan State hold off Georgia 70-63 on Friday in the NCAA Tournament's round of 64. Travis Trice scored 15 points and Branden Dawson had a strong second half for the seventh-seeded Spartans (24-11), who answered a push from the Bulldogs with a poised run to take back control. Yet they weren't nearly so steady coming down the stretch, flirting with blowing a 10-point lead in the final 1:16. Valentine's free throws were critical as Georgia (21-12) rallied to make it a one-possession game in a finish that at one point had Spartans longtime coach Tom Izzo turning and punching the scorer's table in fury. Still, Michigan State did enough to hang on, showing at least glimpses of the experience from playing in 18 straight NCAA Tournaments. Michigan State advanced to face the Belmont-Virginia winner in Sunday's round of 32 in the East Region. Charles Mann scored 19 points to lead the 10thseeded Bulldogs, who were playing in the NCAAs for the first time since 2011 and only the second time since 2008. http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/27241/millennials-still-want-their-newspapers?ref=search Coffey's lay-up with 11:39 left. Arkansas from the SEC, in its first season under former Razorbacks player and ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes, cut the gap to a single possession by scoring 10 straight points. Calli Berna's 3-pointer with 8:16 started the Razorbacks run, before Brooks had a layup and Bowen a three-point play. Wolff's jumper with 5:48 left got them within 51-49. The game was tied 23-23 at half after the score was tied six times and changed four times. No. 2 seed Kansas routs New Mexico State Aggies OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The last few weeks have been an exercise in patience for Kansas. Shots haven't been falling, the offense hasn't looked good. The game has been a struggle. All of that changed against New Mexico State. Frank Mason III scored 17 points to lead a balanced attack, and the second-seeded Jayhawks rolled to a 75-56 victory over the No. 15 seed Aggies on Friday, giving their beleaguered Big 12 its first NCAA Tournament victory in four tries this March. "It was nice to see the lid come off the basket," said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose team had twice failed to hit a single 3-pointer in games during the last few weeks of the season. Perry Ellis added nine points for the Jayhawks (27-8), who also did their part in setting up a tantalizing match-up with seventh-seeded Wichita State in the Midwest Region's round of 32. The Shockers played No. 10 seed Indiana in their opening game later Friday. "It would be a big game for our state, without question," Self said. "But if it's Indiana, we get a chance to play one of the most storied programs in the history of our game." D.K. Eldridge had 11 points and Remi Barry and Tshilidzi Nephawa scored 10 each for the Aggies (23-11), who had swept the Western Athletic Conference regularseason and tournament titles. "We ran into the real Kansas," Aggies coach Marvin Menzies said. "I know they sputtered a little bit there toward the later part of the conference, the conference tournament. But I knew Bill would have his guys ready. I knew they wouldn't take us for granted." Especially after a stunning day of upsets Thursday, including an 0-3 mark from the Big 12. Kansas made sure to rob any drama from its opener at the CenturyLink Center, though. It shot holes in the Aggies' unorthodox zone, going 9-of-13 from behind the arc. It turned just about every turnover into a run-out. And the Jayhawks ran ragged New Mexico State's veteran starters, who had not allowed an opponent to score 70plus points in their last 24 games. "It was very nice to see the ball go in the basket," Mason said. "It gave us confidence as the game went on. We're happy we knocked down shots." In fact, the rim played better defense against Kansas for much of the game. Ellis missed a dunk in the opening minutes. Mason and Landen Lucas each missed bunnies. Wayne Selden Jr. even got the ball on a fastbreak, elevated high above the rim and then realized he was going to come up short on a dunk, missing a desperation layin instead. Kelly Oubre Jr. clanked a dunk on an alley-oop pass off the iron early in the second half. All those easy misses didn't put the Jayhawks in danger, though. All they did was keep New Mexico State from an even more lopsided defeat in its fourth straight NCAA trip. Cold from beyond the arc late in the season, the Jayhawks heated up in front of a heavy pro-Kansas crowd. Ellis knocked down an early 3, Oubre added another, and Devonte' Graham hit consecutive 3s that gave the Big 12 regular-season champs a 34-16 lead late in the first half. No. 1 Kentucky hammers Hampton LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Take away the sluggish start and ragged finish, and top-ranked Kentucky opened the NCAA Tournament just the way it wanted against 16th-seeded Hampton. Karl-Anthony Towns bounced back from a minislump with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Harrison added 14 points and the Wildcats rolled to a 79-56 win over the outmanned Pirates on Thursday night in the Midwest Regional. Getting started took some doing for Kentucky (35-0), which was already 56% 65% of young people aged 18-24 and 75% of those aged 25-34 act on newspaper advertising in some manner 15 rebounds, while Kelsey Brooks had 15 points and Jhasmin Bowen 12 for Arkansas, the No. 10 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional. Ashley Deary and Alex Cohen each had 13 points for Northwestern (23-9), which was in its first NCAA Tournament since 1997. Maggie Lyon had 12 points and Nia Coffey 11. The Big Ten Wildcats opened the second half with three consecutive layups by Lyon, Deary and Coffey in a 75-second span to turn a halftime tie into a 2923 lead. They led 48-35 on of Young Adults between ages 18-34 read newspaper media content in print or online during a typical week. Source: http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/27241/millennials-still-want-theirnewspapers?ref=search resigned to the late tipoff. The Wildcats' wait became even longer as Cincinnati fought to a 66-65 overtime win over Purdue in the preceding game. That made for an uneven night as the Wildcats shook some cobwebs and seemed to tire late. Fortunately for Kentucky, it did what it needed in between. "I didn't like how we started the game, I didn't quite like how we finished the game, but it is 1 o'clock at night," said coach John Calipari, who nonetheless called it a good win. "And we had an overtime game where the guys were hanging out in the locker room for an hour and a half, so I'm going to chalk it up to that and move on." One who seemed fresh throughout was Towns, whose game needed the jump start. Limited by foul trouble the past two games, the 6-foot-11 freshman was forceful all night without getting careless in helping the Wildcats cruise to the site's most lopsided outcome of the day after three 1-point finishes at the KFC Yum! Center. "One thing I did tell them in the huddles," Calipari added, "you have to respect the fact that we're throwing you the ball every time down. And if you get double-teamed, you must pass it because you've got to respect the guys that are passing you the ball. So if we do — and Hampton didn't trap, which is why he had all those baskets." Trey Lyles added 10 points and six rebounds, Tyler Ulis scored 11 and Willie Cauley-Stein grabbed 11 rebounds for the Wildcats, who face Cincinnati this afternoon. Hampton's Quinton Chievous shook off an ankle injury suffered in Tuesday's First Four upset of Manhattan to score 22 points with 10 rebounds. But the Pirates (17-18) were no match for Kentucky after the first 10 minutes and trailed by as many as 35 midway through the second half. Hampton shot just 29 percent from the field. "When you come with two 7-footers and bring two more 7-footers off the bench, it can begin to wear you down, and I think that was a problem for us," Hampton coach Edward Joyner Jr. said. Sports POTEAU DAILY NEWS SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 . . . PAGE 7A Baylor stunned by Georgia State in NCAA Tournament JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Baylor was in complete control, and then it fell apart in the final three minutes. It was quite the surprise for coach Scott Drew. No. 3 seed Baylor was unable to handle Georgia State’s fullcourt defensive pressure down the stretch and lost 57-56 on R.J. Hunter’s long 3-pointer in the closing seconds of their NCAA Tournament game on Thursday. Rico Gathers’ two foul shots with 2:54 left put Baylor up by 12, but the Bears (24-10) didn’t score again. They finished with 21 turnovers. “The thing I’m disappointed with is all year long we’ve executed down the stretch,” Drew said. “We’ve been a tough team, and I feel bad the way that the last five minutes went.” Hunter’s 3-point basket with 2.7 seconds remaining capped the comeback for No. 14 seed Georgia State and knocked his proud father, coach Ron Hunter, right off his seat. With dad working the sideline in a rolling chair less than a week after tearing his left Achilles tendon while celebrating the Sun Belt Conference championship, R.J. shrugged off a slow start to come through when his team needed him the most. Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Taurean Prince had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Baylor. Pesky Georgia State (25-9) forced three crucial turnovers as Hunter scored nine in a row during the closing surge, including a 3-pointer that brought chants of “R.J. 3! R.J. 3! R.J. 3!” from Panthers fans at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The junior guard’s steal and layup trimmed Baylor’s lead to 56-53, and he drained another NBA-range 3-pointer for the win after the Bears’ Kenny Chery missed the front end of a 1-and1 that could have put the game away. “He just made a contested 3. There was nothing we could do about it. We did our job and he just made it,” Chery said. Baylor, which also squandered a double-digit lead in the first half, appeared to be in good shape after Royce O’Neale and Lester Medford made 3-pointers during a 12-1 burst that turned a one-point deficit into a 52-42 lead, but the Bears couldn’t finish the job. “We’ve been preparing all season for moments like these,” O’Neale said of the shot that ended the Bears’ season. “He just made a good shot.” No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones upset by No. 14 seed UAB Blazers LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Georges Niang sat bent over with a towel draped over his head and his face in his hands. Iowa State’s All-Big 12 forward was at a momentary loss for words. He even apologized for not being able to describe his emotions after the ninthranked and third-seeded Iowa State Cyclones lost 60-59 to 14th-seeded UAB on Thursday in the first major upset of the NCAA Tournament. “All the expectations this team had and then you’re just bounced the first game of the NCAA Tournament,” Niang said. “I can’t tell you how terrible I feel.” It was the second year of heartbreak for Niang, who broke a bone in his right foot in the Cyclones’ opening win in last year’s tournament on their way to the Sweet 16. Their leading scorer played only eight minutes of the first half with foul trouble, though he managed to finish the game with only 11 points. “I let a lot of people down,” Niang said. “It’s just tough to just sit and have this be a reality.” Iowa State (25-9) came into the South Regional looking for a much longer run than a year ago, when it reached the regional semifinals without Niang. The Cyclones just couldn’t match the scrappy Blazers on the boards and couldn’t hold onto a 55-51 lead with 3:13 left. Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg called it as tough a loss as he’s had. The Cyclones had won five straight, rallying from double-digit deficits in each on their way to the Big 12 Tournament title. Hoiberg said they had an emotional three days in Kansas City and were not helped by playing the first game Thursday. “I’m not going to make any excuses,” Hoiberg said. “You’ve got to come out and play 40 minutes ... I don’t know. Maybe we should have let them get up double digits. That’s kind of how we play our best.” Iowa State wound up as the first No. 3 seed to go down on the day. Baylor followed within the hour, a 57-56 loser to No. 14 seed Georgia State. That makes this the third straight year a 14 seed has upset a No. 3 seed, and further damaged the reputation of the Big 12. The Blazers (20-15) came in with the youngest team in the NCAA Tournament and with nobody having played in this event. They wound up winning the program’s first NCAA game since 2005 and ran over to celebrate in front of the fans of a school that shut down its football program in December. “We were celebrating because that was a really big win for us with us being the underdogs,” UAB guard Tyler Madison said. Iowa State, which lost its opener as a No. 2 seed in 2001, last led 57-56 on a basket by Monte Morris, but William Lee hit a 17-foot jumper with 24 seconds left. Niang had a jumper blocked by Tosin Mehinti, and Lee got the rebound. Lee hit two free throws with 12.1 seconds left for the Blazers’ final points. The comebacks the Cyclones made so successfully in the Big 12 Tournament never materialized. “We anticipated we would start to make a run,” Cyclones forward Jameel McKay said. “Throughout the day, shots weren’t falling like we thought they were.” Naz Long missed a 3 that Morris tipped in with 0.4 seconds left, and the Cyclones couldn’t get the ball back before the Blazers started celebrating their gutty win. Robert Brown led UAB with 21 points, Lee finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Madison also had 11 rebounds as the Blazers dominated the boards 52-37. Texas Longhorns end frustrating season with loss to Butler Bulldogs PITTSBURGH (AP) — Texas convinced itself it had finally turned the corner, confident that three months of inconsistent play had finally developed into something more cohesive as the Longhorns entered the NCAA Tournament. Nope. Sluggish at the start and sloppy at the finish, Texas saw another maddeningly erratic season end with an all too familiar sight: a slow trudge to the locker room after another first-weekend flameout. Jonathan Holmes scored 15 points and Isaiah Taylor added 14 but the 11th-seeded Longhorns mustered little flow in a 56-48 loss to sixth-seeded Butler on Thursday. Texas (20-14) failed to win more than one game in the tournament for the seventh straight spring, a drought that is threatening to eat away at support for coach Rick Barnes. “Whether you get knocked out right now or you get knocked out in a week, two weeks, there’s always an empty feeling,” Barnes said. One that’s becoming an annual rite of spring in Austin. The Longhorns were ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 in December before another freefall through the Big 12. Given a chance to change the narrative against the resurgent Bulldogs, Texas instead was undone by an avalanche of missed shots and mistakes. It was a common theme for perhaps the country’s most competitive conference during the regular season. Baylor and Iowa State, both No. 3 seeds, were stunned earlier in the afternoon. “This tournament’s not given to anybody,” Barnes said. “All you have to do is look around today. I know we’ve got teams in our league that struggled today.” Few struggled mightier than the Longhorns, who have one of the nation’s most imposing front lines but could not use it to their advantage. Texas outrebounded Butler 41-28 and blocked five shots but turned it over 15 times and led for less than six minutes. A pull-up jumper by Taylor drew Texas within 4443 with 2:42 to play but the Longhorns never got closer. Kellen Dunham knocked down a free throw and then hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 4843. Dunham shook his right index finger as he trotted LSU men collapse late in loss to N.C. State PITTSBURGH (AP) — LSU’s return to the NCAA Tournament following a six-year absence went brilliantly for 30 minutes. The athletic and precocious Tigers overwhelmed North Carolina State at times, and it looked as if they had finally arrived for coach Johnny Jones. Then the misses piled up. Frustration followed. A maddeningly familiar result, too. Better days may be ahead in Baton Rouge, but this one is going to sting for a while after BeeJay Anya’s hook shot rolled around and in with a second to play to lift the Wolfpack to a 66-65 victory. It was the latest and most painful collapse in a season pockmarked with them for the ninth-seeded Tigers (22-11). There was the meltdown against No. 1 Kentucky last month. The baffling loss to Auburn in the Southeastern Conference tournament a week ago. And now there is a long offseason to figure out how the Tigers missed their final 12 field goals and six crucial foul shots that allowed the Wolfpack to somehow survive. “We wasn’t ready for our season to end right now,” LSU forward Jarell Martin said. “We worked real hard and felt like we had a great shot. North Carolina State, they did Xavier goes inside-out, beats Ole Miss men JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Having already dismissed the First Four’s comeback kids, Xavier now gets the NCAA Tournament’s little darlings. Matt Stainbrook scored 20 points, Dee Davis added 17 and the sixth-seeded Musketeers beat No. 11 seed Mississippi 76-57 in the West Regional on Thursday. The 6-foot-10 Stainbrook took advantage of his size in the post, making 8 of 10 shots in the paint and adding nine rebounds and five assists. Davis was nearly as good from the outside, hitting 4-of-9 shots from 3-point range. Coach Chris Mack pulled them to a rousing ovation with 1:51 remaining and the game in hand. Xavier (22-13) advanced to face 14th-seeded Georgia State on Saturday. Stefan Moody led the Rebels (21-13) with 14 points. Estate Sale 104 Clark • Poteau, OK Saturday, March 21 Sale Starts at 8 a.m. Furniture, Glassware, Antiques, etc. EVERYTHING GOES!! Contact Mike McDaniel 713-725-2800 a great job of executing their plays down in the stretch.” down the court in celebration. Taylor bricked a shot in the lane and Kameron Woods made two free throws to stretch Butler’s lead to 50-43 and the Longhorns failed to get within a possession the rest of the way. Dunham led Butler (23-10) with 20 points and the Bulldogs moved on to face third-seeded Notre Dame on Saturday while the Longhorns begin another long off-season wondering how things went wrong. BREAK THROUGH to Your Potential Don't Miss this Opportunity to Attend the Natl. Electrical Code 2014 Update Class - Meets CEU requirements for OK Construction Industries Board. Will be held Sat., March 28 ; 9 a.m - 4 p.m. ; Cost of Class: $65 ; Enroll by phoning Elvie Moss, x 218 or Rhiannon, x 239. Please pre-pay by phone or in person by Fri., Mar. 27. Long-Term Nurse Aid Classes begin every other Monday Next class scheduled to begin Mon. March 23! Enroll early as classes fill quickly. AGRI-Business Recordkeeping Class – Meets April 24, 25 and May 1,2 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. In this class, you will learn how to keep better records for your Farm or Ranch to avoid costly mistakes. Cost of 4- day class is $ 175. £xäÊ-°ÊVi>]Ê*Ìi>ÕÊU www.ktc.edu È{Ç{xÓxÊUÊ£nnnxÈÇÈÈÎÓ Become a fan on FACEBOOK/kiamichitechcenters-poteau WE ACCEPT MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, VISA AND AMERICAN EXPRESS The following people were booked into the LeFlore County Detention Center overnight. The information was gathered from the jail’s daily roster and only shows booking information. Only those with a case number listed have been charged. Stay tuned each morning to see who was arrested overnight. CF — criminal felony CM— criminal misdemeanor FD — family docket such as child support For more information about an arrestee, you can search by name or case number on www.ODCR.com or www.OSCN.net. March 18 Noah Wayne Burnett, writ; no bond Allen Collins Jr., CF-11-179, CF-14-6, FTA FTP, CF-14-6, drug court sanction; $4,053 bond Sean M. Hollan, CM-14-812; $9,000 bond Michael Hammond, CF-03-13A, CF-10421, CF-11-5, county DOC; $4,608.10 bond William Livingston, county DOC; no bond Sandra Kay Loper, domestic abuse violence; $2,000 bond Daniel Himes, city warrant, city charges, attempting to elude, no driver’s license in possession while driving; $1,485 bond March 19 Jacqueline Renee Harjo, writ; no bond Kristy Luann Goines, drug court; no bond Littie Gallegly, writ; no bond Kenneth Pariseau, driving under influence; no bond William Burrough, hold; no bond Joshua Moore, county DOC; no bond Cooper Davis, Poteau warrants; $1,898 bond Ken Brookfelt, Wister warrants, public intoxication, transporting open container, Wister; $2,982 bond Area PAGE 8A . . . SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015 POTEAU DAILY NEWS Friendship through Famine A letter of gratitude to the Choctaw Nation Editor’s Note: March 23 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Choctaw Nation’s campaign to raise money to donate to Ireland during the Great Potato Famine. The gesture created a bond between the nations that continues today. “A mist rose up out of the sea, and you could hear a voice talking near a mile off across the stillness of the earth... when the fog lifted, you could begin to see the tops of the potato stalks lying over as if the life was gone out of them. And that was the beginning of the great trouble and famine that destroyed Ireland.” By Amadeus Finlay Of all the devastations to befall Ireland, few have been as harrowing as the You started out as friends 2015 And your love for each other has grown into much more. Here’s to forever more, with your very best friend. Open Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Across from KFC, Poteau • 647-2701 [email protected] Check for new arrivals on our facebook. CASH FOR GOLD © 2015 JATW Great Potato Famine. Striking in the fall of 1845 and lasting for almost six years, an Gorta Mór left over 1 million Irish dead as a result of starvation, exposure and disease. When the emaciated peasants looked to their colonial masters for support, the British minister for famine relief responded that the events were, “a mechanism for reducing surplus population... the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of [Irish] people.” During the famine years, Britain exported out of Ireland approximately £500,000 of government produced food. The fact that it had been British policy to constrain the Irish to tiny plots of barren land suitable only for growing basic tubers was conveniently forgotten. When famine hit, the Irish would starve. It was an inevitability brought on by nature but predetermined by acts of man. Within such a hostile environment, the Irish felt that they had few friends. And yet, 4,000 miles away, the news of the ruin in Ireland had reached the people of the Choctaw Nation. The Choctaw, too, were familiar with how society hemorrhages in the face of tyrannical governance, and in the Irish they saw shadows of their own past. Only 15 years before, the Choctaw had been the victims of a forced march from their homelands, a wretched exodus that they call the Trail of Tears. But the long march from Mississippi to Oklahoma had made the Choctaw acutely sensitive to the anguish of those desperately in need, and when news arrived of what was happening in Ireland, a group of concerned tribal members promptly rallied together to raise funds for those Irish still clinging on to life. “We helped the Irish because that’s who we are and what we are,” explains Tribal Council Speaker Delton Cox. “We remembered the sorrow to befall our people, and we felt the same for the people in Ireland. ... $170 might not seem like much, we were poor, yet each of us eagerly gave to help our brothers and sisters.” A softly spoken man with a musical Oklahoma twang, Delton is the embodiment of the connection enjoyed by Ireland and the Choctaw. Some of his ancestors were Brysons, a name historically associated with a rugged peninsula on Ireland’s west coast named Donegal. Delton compares his two lines of heritage, drawing on a shared cultural landscape centered on kindness and support. “This way of being is important to us,” he continues. “My granddaughter is part of a short film about kindness and compassion, so she is learning to take this on through her life.” There is a certain familiarity in Delton’s fondness for his granddaughter. Like the Choctaw, the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is one that is highly treasured by the Irish, and it was from my grandmother that I first learned about the kindness of the Choctaw during the Great Hunger. Born in the spring of 1913, the Ireland that young Evelyn Johnston knew was a place still at the mercy of illness, violence and political unrest. Her own grandparents had lived through the famine, the proximity of the event made even closer by the lingering uncertainty in the world around her. With just enough animation, this kindly matriarch impressed upon me her belief that Ireland’s unlikely allies had been sent by the divine. But there was more. Not only had the unprompted charity of the Choctaw resonated deeply with my grandmother, but since her own father had met the great Lakota Sitting Bull during a visit to the United States in the 1880s, Evelyn felt she had just the faintest sense of connection with the native people of North America. In turn, Evelyn’s son, my father, ensured that the stories of our connected past were not lost, and until the day he died he passionately advocated that the Choctaw were to be remembered as our friends. But such is the way of Ireland, a misty island crisscrossed by a deeply ingrained culture of oral history. Sure, I learned about Medb, Cú Chulainn and Finn, yet of all the exciting stories I heard growing up in rural Ulster, the relationship between Ireland and Oklahoma was the one that captured my imagination. Indeed, it seems that the relationship enjoyed by the Choctaw and Irish has captured the imagination of more than just my family. In 1990, a delegation of Choctaw officials participated in an annual walk in County Mayo to commemorate the Doolough Tragedy, a starvation march that occurred during the Hunger, while in 1992, a group of Irish anthropologists retraced the Trail of Tears in a gesture of reciprocal solidarity. Most notably of all, the Choctaw dubbed Ireland’s then-president, Mary Robinson, an honorary chief. And the beautiful thing is that the friendship continues. Later this year, a monument of gratitude to the Choctaw shall be unveiled in Midleton, County Cork. The sculpture will take the form of an empty bowl cupped by feathers, a poignant embodiment of the Choctaw embracing a starving people. The news was warmly received in Ireland, and it was due to the announcement of the Midleton statue that I first got in contact with the Choctaw Nation. Not only did Chief Gary Batton promptly respond to my enquiry with considerable grace, but in the continuation of the close relationship between our people, I was extended the offer to write this article. So what to say in closing? Well, my thoughts are simple, and as I write in my adopted country of the United States, thousands of miles from the whitewashed cottage of my childhood, I fondly reflect that the friendship between the Choctaw and the Irish continues to blossom. Few, if any connections have lasted so long, and certainly none have known as much mutual respect, compassion and laughter as that enjoyed by Ireland and the Choctaw. Look how far we have come. Now, let’s see how far we can go. Go raibh maith agat. ••• Amadeus Finlay was born in Ireland and educated at the University of Edinburgh where he studied American History. He has spent his professional career in international media and communications, and currently lives with this wife in New England. Amadeus can be contacted at amadeus_finlay@ hotmail.com ••• About The Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation is the third largest Indian Nation in the United States, with close to 200,000 tribal members. The first tribe over the Trail of Tears, the historic boundaries are in the southeast corner of Oklahoma. The vision of the Choctaw Nation is “To achieve healthy, successful, productive, and selfsufficient lifestyles for a proud nation of Choctaws.” Tribal business success over the past few years has enabled the Choctaw Nation to begin to achieve this vision, as well as to assist the communities that are in the Choctaw Nation. Servant leadership is an important value to Choctaw people. For more information about the Choctaw Nation, its culture, heritage and traditions, please go to www.choctawnation.com. No news organization on Earth or any other planet covers LeFlore County news better than we do.
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