Oklahoma House Studies Use of ATVs and UTVs as Street-legal Vehicles

OKLAHOMA CITY-

Oklahomans could soon be zipping around town and up-and-down county roads on four-wheeled all-terrain and side-by-side utility vehicles under proposed legislation being studied at the state Capitol.

The House Transportation Subcommittee today held interim studies requested by state Representatives Wallace Collins (D-Norman) and Joe Dorman (D-Rush Springs) to determine the viability of licensing “street-legal” all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility vehicles (UTVs) and allowing citizens to operate them in town and on county and state highways.

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Painting of USS Oklahoma Memorial Dedicated

A painting depicting the 2007 dedication of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor was unveiled at the State Capitol on Wednesday.  Sen. Jim Reynolds, who worked with the USS Oklahoma survivors to secure the permanent memorial, said this will forever commemorate not only the lives of the men lost on the ship named for this state, but also, the survivors who never gave up on their dream of creating a memorial for those who died on December 7, 1941.

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Rice Hits Cimarron County on Campaign Trail For U.S. Senate

Oklahoma State Senator, Andrew Rice, (D-OKC), his wife Apple and their son, talk to potential voters, (off-camera), during a visit to Boise City and LaMesa Resturant on Saturday, Aug. 21. The Rices were on their way to Denver, Colo. and the Democratic National Convention.

Interviewed by phone, State Senator Andrew Rice, of Oklahoma City, explained that he represents the center of Oklahoma City near the capital. He has held the office for two years but has set his sights on the senate seat of U.S. Senator James Inhoffe.

Rice was born in Oklahoma and attended Harvard Divinity School after having attended colby College in maine on a football scholarship.

Before becoming a senator, worked in Oklhaoma City for a company that worked on tax budget issues and pushed legislation.

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SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP OUR EARTH

By Iris Imler, CCCD Programs Coordinator

REUSE

 

• Save plastic and paper bags for reuse instead of throwing them away. Take your own bags to the stores to reuse when making a purchase or better yet, don’t use a sack at all if for only a couple of items. Some stores have reusable canvas bags for purchase.
• Save sheets of paper to use the back for notes, grocery lists. Etc.
• Use old newspapers as packing material.
• Share newspapers or magazines.

CONSERVE ENGERY 

• Turn off the lights when leaving a room.
• Caulk and weather strip cracks around doors and windows at home.
• Keep your car well tuned and filters clean. A poorly tuned vehicle can use as much as three to nine percent more gasoline that a well tuned one.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs at home, work, or school with compact fluorescent bulbs.

CONSERVE WATER

 

• Avoid over-watering your lawn.
• Water during morning and evening hours to reduce evaporation.
• Turn off water when brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Run a power washer instead of a hose to clean walkways.

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BREAK THE BOTTLED WATER HABIT

Did you know that the lifecycle energy cost of a bottle of water is equivalent to filling up a quarter of each disposable bottle with oil? Why produce nearly a million tons of plastic to cart billions of gallons of water all over the country when clean, virtually free water flows right into our homes?

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House Speaker Announces Plan to Increase Natural Gas Vehicle Use in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY and TULSA – House Speaker Chris Benge announced the first part of his energy plan with a goal of making it financially possible for Oklahomans to immediately make the transition to low-cost alternative fuel cars, reducing the demand for foreign oil.

The current barriers to compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles are convenience and affordability, both of which are directly addressed in Benge’s plan. The goal announced today will be to double the number of publically available CNG fueling stations in the next five years. The plan also extends state tax credits meant to compliment federal credits and bring the cost of CNG vehicles down to levels Oklahoma families can afford.

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Thousands of Sooners Have Yet to File for Economic Stimulus payments

According to information supplied by the I.R.S., more than 80 thousand Oklahomans have yet to apply for the economic stimulus plan initiated by President Bush and signed off on by the U.S. Congress.

Of those 80 thousand it is estimated that nearly 1,000 could live in Cimarron County.

Congress passed the legislation, in order to boost a flagging economy; eligible households, need but to file a 2007 tax return. Individuals can collect $300 and couples $600.

But the opportunity will be gone on Oct. 15, 2008.

The biggest groups yet to file are disabled veterans and individuals living on a retirement income. Often these people aren’t required to file a tax return, so many assume they are not eligible; nothing could be further from the truth.

The IRS has accounted for about 74 percent of these individuals, (about 20 million of them), but, another 5.2 million still haven’t applied, and they must before Oct. 15.

This check will not have any affect on any government benefits currently being received by the retirees.

The government will be attempting to contact by letter, each of the 5.2 individuals yet to file.

For more information you may call David Stell, in Oklahoma City at 405-297-4444. Or you may go on-line at www.irs.gov and click on newsroom for more information.

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N.M. Fire Ban Ceases

CLAYTON, NM -

The Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands terminated Fire Restrictions effective at 8 a.m., Friday, August 15. Fire danger has decreased over the last week due to moisture and higher humidity over much of the Grasslands. Although restrictions are lifted, visitors are reminded to be very careful with their campfires and/or use of chainsaws.

District Ranger Nancy Walls would like to thank the public for their patience and support during this period of fire restrictions.

The public is reminded that campfire safety is still of concern year round, and urge everyone to follow fire safety precautions when recreating in the forest. If you have a campfire, please abide by the following rules:

• Build campfires away from overhanging branches, steep slopes, rotten stumps, logs dry grass, pine needles and leaves.
• Pile extra wood away from the fire.
• Clear the area down to bare soil.
• Keep your campfire safe and small, especially when it’s windy.
• Never leave your campfire unattended.
• Drown the fire with water & dirt, stir remains, add more water and dirt, and stir again.
• Do not bury your coals as they can smolder and re-ignite later.
• Make sure your fire is dead out before leaving.
• The use of fireworks of any kind is strictly prohibited on all National Forest lands.

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Rain!!!!!!, Beautiful RAIN!!!

The Cimarron County Courthouse can barely be seen from the porch of The Boise City News, a block away during Monday afternoon’s rainstorm. About an inch of rain fell in less than 30 minutes from the fast-moving storm bringing high winds that took branches out of trees. Though the rain follows others over the past few weeks, the drought is not yet broken. Ag experts with the Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency point out that after a year, the damage is done. It will take sustained, general rains to reestablish moisture in the soil. On line go to http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/OklahomaDrought/page1.html to see NASA pictures of the progress of the drought. Below is more pictures of the RAIN, we love it.

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Lucas Home for Town Meetings

 

U.S. Rep Frank Lucas was back in Oklahoma last week, conducting 32 town meetings in an effort to bring his constituents up to speed on the U.S. Congress, one of those stops was in Boise City. Lucas told the small gathering, (five people, three under 25), that this was his 14th year in office. He began by explaining that after the recess he expected a short session of perhaps two to three weeks, in an effort by Speaker Pelosi to avoid a vote on such things as off shore drilling. “The speaker won’t support the status quo,” Lucas said. He then said that at present, an up-down vote on offshore drilling would pass. “It’s the speaker’s goal not to have us there. If we were there for two months, we’d pass the energy bill.”

(Note, as of Aug. 12, the speaker has publicly indicated she might entertain a vote, with some policy changes).

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Hay! What a Unique Home You Have

At Top, Billy Sappenfield, contemplates the second floor of the home he and his family are building in southeast Keyes. The Sappenfields’ new home will be contructed using straw bales. When completed, the two story home will have about 5,000 square feet on two stories.

 

 

 

 

Billy and Debbie Sappenfield, along with their children, are building a unique home and, while it’s energy conserving it really isn’t green, it’s more….brown.

The Sappenfields, of Keyes, are constructing a home with hay bales.

It’s a construction mode Billy said he’d been contemplating for years.

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Trimble-Baird

Amy Lea Trimble, formerly of Cushing, the daughter of Lesa Stokes Ogle of Tulsa, and Barry and Roxanna Trimble of Henderson, Texas announces her engagement to Tyler D. Baird the son of Tim and Candi Baird of Boise City. Amy is a registered nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. Tyler is a Hydraulic Technician at Aberdeen Dynamics in Tulsa. The couple met at church (Iron Pillar Ministries). The Wedding will be held at Thunderbird Chapel in Norman, on September 13, 2008. Following the honeymoon in Cancun they will reside in Tulsa.

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Cancer Relay for Life

Chicken House Team

 

Connie Dye of The Texhoma Bank reads the

Declaration Of Independence From Cancer

“When in the course of human events, it becomes -necessary for people to dissolve their fears which have kept them from, joining together with others to set aside the differences that separate them and keep them from being equal together in respect to the opinions of mankind. It requires that they should declare the causes, which have impelled them to come together this day and declare their Independence from Cancer.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and -women are created equal they have been endowed by their Creator with certain rights among which are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness of Being Free From Cancer.

That to secure these rights, we the people today have instituted and declare among all men the right to secure for themselves the right to be free From Cancer.

That whatever form that it takes to be Free From Cancer, abolish it and to insure that all peoples have this right to secure in whatever form to effect their rights of happiness to be Free From Cancer and its effects of suffering and abuse.

Such has been the patient suffering of those who have recovered from this attack of cancer on their being, that today we do declare we will work together in harmony and resolve to defeat, overcome and put to rest the Fear of Cancer among humankind. So help us God!

Resolved and declared this day of our Lord, Friday, July 25, 2008 in the city of Guymon in the State of Oklahoma

Written by

Pastor Jerry Coldren

Some of the Cancer Survivors

 

 

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Foster Care Needs You

Dozens of children in foster care at any given time, about 5,625 square miles of sparsely populated area sandwiched between 4 neighboring states and only 2 traditional foster homes to serve it all. For child welfare professionals in the Oklahoma panhandle counties of Cimarron, Texas and Beaver, the numbers just don’t add up.

“Two foster homes for 3 of the largest counties in the state is unacceptable,” said Tom Marcum, Oklahoma Department of Human Services foster care specialist. “It takes hours to drive the children to have visits with their parents. All that time on the road is hard on young children, not to mention the workers spending time behind the wheel and out of the office. The time driving could be spent reconnecting. This is a real roadblock to reunification.”

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Slinging a Smooth Stone

Are We Dumb Enough To Fall For This?

I have in the past criticized President Bush and even remarked that he didn’t need a press aide.

That was then, this is now. My question is: Does Obama even need an election committee and volunteers? Three network anchors followed him on his recent tour of Europe and the Middle East. In the meantime lesser reporters were assigned to follow McCain, sometimes only one.

Less than a month ago, The New York Times, ran an editorial written by Obama, (more likely one of his legion of writers, hell, maybe Katie Couric wrote it), but they denied John McCain equal access. It was to me, a slap at the First Amendment and a gutless decision. What does the Times fear? That McCain might have an original thought? The implication by the national media is that Obama has been anointed, why even vote? And they think Bush stole an election???? Who are they kidding?

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Soldier With Local Connection Wounded in Afghani Combat

Army Spec. Tyler Stafford was wounded on July 13 during fierce combat against insurgents in Afgahnistan. According to a report in Stars and Stripes, (see web address below), Stafford was one of three wounded in an attack that killed nine of his buddies. The attack took two hours from iniation until air support quelled it.

Stafford was serving in a re-enforced platoon, (something more than 50 men), of C company, of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Inf. Reg. They had set up a Forward Observation Base in the Kunar Province of Eastern Afghanistan.

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Henry’s Pride and Joy Turns 100

These three Model Ts, two 1915s and a 1914 small truck are on their way from Flagstaff, Ariz. To Centerville, Ind. the site of the National Model T museum. The little cars that made Henry Ford rich and famous celebrate their 100th birthday this year. According to group spokesperson David Chance, The group left Arizona on July 5 and plans to be on the road for two weeks. They travel about 150 miles per day at speeds of 35 to 40 MPH. They stop every hour to ninety minutes to allow for the drivers and passengers to stretch. “It feels like you are riding in the bed of a truck, sitting on a box,” Chance said of the ride’s lack of comfort. They left Clayton, N.M. early Wednesday morning and were in Boise City, before noon on their way to Dodge City, Kan. by nightfall. They are followed by a support vehicle, a motor home pulling a trailer. It carries tools and parts, and makes sure faster traffic doesn’t overtake the cars too quickly.

 

 

 

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Black Mesa State Park Gets Needed Road Repair

In cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Black Mesa State Park recently received a new asphalt overlay for the main roadway through the park.  The extended snow coverage on the park roads during the winter of 2006-2007 made the repairs especially necessary.   Funds for the project were approved by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission as a capitol improvement project for the park.  J & S Sand Company of Liberal Kansas was the selected contractor and completed the work on July 11th.  To enhance pedestrian safety in the park, two automobile speed control devices were installed on the roadway, one near the playground area and one alongside the main campground sites.

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