Saturday, Nov. 16th
State Receives Grant Connected to Broadband Expansion
Oklahoma has already received more than $1 billion in federal funds to get high-speed broadband service into rural areas of the state. Officials with the Oklahoma Broadband Office now say they are getting a huge grant to help teach individuals how to use the Internet once they get access to it. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has awarded the state an $11.2 million grant that will be used to show new users how to effectively access the world wide web and learn about on-line services. Mike Sanders is the director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office. He said the state must be committed to digital education because it is essential for residents to be equipped with the skills needed to effectively and confidently navigate the on-line world. Sanders said his office will be launching its latest broadband expansion project in western Oklahoma next week. Dobson Fiber will be working to expand Internet service to an eight-county area in and around Custer County.
State Audit Critical of City of Lindsay Operations
A detailed audit of the City of Lindsay by State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd found significant mismanagement and a failure of city council members to provide oversight of expenses. A press release from the state auditor shows the city under-billed commercial customers by about $1.5 million, and there were failures to process utility rate increases and processing late fees which resulted in the loss of about $150,000 in revenue. Byrd said the warning signs were there but no one was looking. The audit also indicated that nearly $500,000 in sales tax funds earmarked for the Lindsay Public Works Authority (LPWA) were improperly retained in the general fund account and not used for LPWA purposes as required by law. Byrd said while there were countless examples of deficient oversight, mismanagement, and poor decision making, they found that less than $2,000 of fraudulent expenses. She did say the officials are working to resolve the issues and it appears the city has turned the corner financially.
Talk Show Topic
On the KOOL Konversation Rev. Chuck Fletcher is talking about his work with the Evolution Foundation which partners with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Find a podcast of the program under the community tab on this website.
Obituary
Kevin White
Funeral service for Kevin White, 52, formerly of Chickasha was held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 16th at Bible Baptist Church. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, an LPN, and a kitchen manager for the Department of Corrections. Arrangements were with Brown-Thomas Funeral Home.
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Friday, Nov. 15th
Second Arrest Made in Suspected Child Abuse Probe
RANCH News has more information about allegations of child abuse at a Chickasha home. The mother of the infant is now behind bars after authorities she allowed the abuse to take place. 18-year old Kayla McDaniel was taken into to custody yesterday after Chickasha police requested a warrant for her arrest this past Tuesday. The warrant was for felony enabling child abuse and misdemeanor failure to report child abuse. The father of the six-week old, Colt Stelting, was arrested last week. Police were called to OU Children's Hospital to investigate a child abuse report. Authorities allege that McDaniel had taken SnapChat videos of the abuse, including Stelting shaking the baby and throwing the child in the air where the infant hit his head on the ceiling. Stelting is being held in the Grady County Jail on a $500,000 bond and McDaniel is being held on a $100,000 bond.
Grady County Treasurer Mails Property Tax Statements
The Grady County Treasurer's office has mailed out the end-of-year property tax statements. Treasurer Robin Burton said the office sent out more than 40,000 statements which includes those sent to mortgages companies. The total dollar value of property taxes is just over $90 million which is an increase of 4.1 percent over last year. Burton said there is a change regarding property tax payments. Property owners can pay all or half the amount due on or before December 31st which is two weeks earlier than in years past. The second half is due on or before March 31st of 2025.
Bill Wallace School Teacher of the Year
RANCH News wraps up our series of the site teachers of the year for Chickasha Public Schools today. Let's hear from Gretchen Slate who is the principal of the Bill Wallace Early Childhood Center-
Kelsey and the other teachers of the year - Christian McCarter at Grand Elementary, Dominique Golightly at Lincoln, Lacee Broyles at the middle school, and Jen Jantzen at the high school who are all in the running to be the District Teacher of the Year which will be announced in the spring.
OHCE Celebration of Crafts Underway
Grady County OHCE holds its annual celebration of crafts show this weekend. The event features more than 50 vendors with mostly hand-made items for sale. There will also be cakes, pies, cookies, and rolls. There will be a quilt show and a quilt turning, and photos with Santa and the Grinch will be available. It's going on in the North Exhibit building at the Grady County Fairgrounds today and tomorrow.
Energy and Metals
Crude oil on the NYMEX is $67.97 per barrel.
London-based Brent crude is $71.80.
Natural gas is $2.71 per million BTUs.
Gold is $2,572 and silver is $30.65.
Obituaries
'Gurney' Smith
Funeral service for Sharon 'Gurney' Smith, 67, of Chickasha was held at 10:00 a.m. this morning (Friday, Nov. 15th) at Bible Baptist Church. She worked at Delta Faucet for more than 30 years. Arrangements were with McRay Funeral Home.
Cleo Lawson
Funeral service for Cleo Lawson, 84, of Tulsa and formerly of Chickasha will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16th at McRay Funeral Home. She worked at Hermetic Switch (now known as HSI Sensing) for nearly 20 years.
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Thursday, Nov. 14th
Alysia Adams Opts to Face Trial for Death of Child
Alysia Adams, the Caddo County woman charged with murder in connection with the death of 4-year old Athena Brownfield, has opted to go to trial instead of pleading guilty to killing the child. It was reported that Adams, who had been appointed caretaker of Athena, had worked out a plea deal with prosecutors to possibly avoid the death penalty. Now, the case will go to a trial by a jury of Adams' peers in Caddo County District Court in Anadarko with a date to be determined. Ivon Adams, a second caretaker of Athena, is also charged with murder.
Teen Dad Faces Child Abuse Charge
A Chickasha man is charged with child abuse for allegedly shaking an infant and tossing the child where the baby hit its head on the ceiling. 19-year old Colt Dean Stelting was arrested by Chickasha police last Friday. A probable cause affidavit alleges several instances of abuse of the six-week old baby including pinching the baby and bruising his face between Sept. 24th and Nov. 7th. It's alleged there was video evidence of Stelting shaking the baby, and also of him holding the child in one arm and a gun in the opposite hand, wrapping the child's finger around the trigger, and pointing the gun at the camera with Stelting saying "I want my f-ing milk". Stelting is charged with one felony count of child abuse and is being held in the Grady County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He's to be back in court for a preliminary hearing conference next week.
Suspect Arrested for Alleged Drug Trafficking, Assaulting Cop
Verden police arrest a man for allegedly having drugs and assaulting a police officer. 35-year old Dillon Don Jackson Lewis of Anadarko was pulled over for making an improper turn Monday night. A probable cause affidavit indicates Lewis had marijuana on him but he did not have a medical marijuana card. The officer then saw what appeared to be packages of methamphetamine in the vehicle. A scuffle ensued and its alleged Lewis poured some of the meth into a puddle. Lewis was eventually subdued and taken to the Grady County Jail. Lewis is facing charges of assault on a police officer, drug trafficking, and destroying evidence. He remains in jail on a $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing conference is set for Dec. 11th.
Grand Avenue Teacher of the Year
RANCH News is featuring the site teachers of the year for Chickasha Public Schools this week. Today we have the Grand Avenue Elementary Principal Kathy Wenzel to tell us about their teacher-
Tomorrow, we'll have the Bill Wallace Early Childhood Center teacher of the year.
Grady County Fairgrounds Hosts Top Dogs in the Country
Some of the top dogs in America will be making their way to the Grady County Fairgrounds over the next several days. The Town and Country Kennel Club of Norman and the Canadian County Kennel Club of El Reno will host their annual Sooner Circuit Cluster of Dog Shows. Hundreds of dogs will be led through show rings, with handlers looking to gain enough points for their dogs to qualify for the top dog shows in the country next year like the Westminster and Eukanuba Dog Shows. The shows begin today and runs through Sunday. Admission is free and open to the public.
Energy and Metals
Crude oil on the NYMEX is $68.71 per barrel.
London-based Brent crude is $72.56.
Natural gas is $2.95 per million BTUs.
Gold is $2,552 and silver is $29.95.
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Wednesday, Nov. 13th
Caregiver Expected to Plead Guilty to Child's Death
The next chapter regarding the death of a four-year old Cyril girl is expected to come to a close today. The body of Athena Brownfield - reported missing a week after Christmas nearly two years ago - was found buried in a make-shift grave near Agawam in January of 2023. Alycia and Ivon Adams, who were caretakers of Athena, are both facing murder charges in connection with her death. KWTV News 9 reports that Alycia Adams will plead guilty to murder in Caddo County District Court today. It's reported that she will avoid the death penalty by doing so. Ivon Adams has a court date in January.
Two Suspects Arrested for Grow-Facility Robbery
Two suspects are behind bars in connection with that hold up of a marijuana grow facility near Cement last week. Court documents indicate the men were already under investigation for other crimes and authorities had managed to obtain their cell phone numbers. Officials were able to determine that the two men were at the Cement location at the time of the robbery. 25-year old Treshaun Demond Traylor and 24-year old Tauriawn Latrelle Knight, both of Oklahoma City, were arrested in Oklahoma City less than 24 hours after the robbery. It's alleged the suspects had guns when they broke into the grow, assaulted several employees, and took more than $5,000 in cash and several bundles of processed marijuana. Both Traylor and Knight have been charged with multiple counts of robbery by force or fear, drug trafficking, and malicious injury to property. Both men are being held in the Grady County Jail on $300,000 bond each.
Tank Battery Blast Damage Held to a Minimum
A tank battery explosion rocked a rural area between Ninnekah and Alex early Tuesday morning. Grady County Fire Chief Rodney Gregory said a 9-1-1 call came in just after midnight. The blast occurred near State Highway 19 and CS2900. Ninnekah and Chickasha fire departments were dispatched with Ninnekah sending three trucks and five firefighters. No one was at the site when the explosion occurred. Damage was confined to the location and crews spent about an hour and a half at the site. Gregory said the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Norge Highway Paving Project to Impact Traffic
Motorists who use the Norge Highway between Grand Avenue and Country Club Road will be slowed by some road improvements being made today. The City of Chickasha and employees with the District 3 Grady County Commissioners office will be applying a two-inch asphalt overlay to the roadway. Traffic will be down to one lane during the project. Officials hope to complete the work this afternoon.
Non-Profit Delivers More Amazon Warehouse Items to CPS
Another two semi-trailer loads of returned and discontinued items from Amazon have been delivered to Chickasha Public Schools this morning. School employees and volunteers arrived before 6:00 a.m. to unload the semis at the Bill Wallace School gymnasium. This is the second of five such deliveries for the district from the non-profit group - Life's Hope of Duncan. Items include household goods, home decor, clothing, car parts, and more. All the items are free and today, students from Grand Avenue School will get to select two items - one for themselves and one for someone else. Life's Hope works with other non-profits across the country and has helped to distribute more than $13 million in items throughout the United States this year.
Lincoln School Intermediate Counselor Honored
Time recognize another site teacher of the year for Chickasha Public Schools. Let's hear from Angie Morgan, the principal at Lincoln School Intermediate Center-
Tomorrow we'll feature the Grand Elementary teacher of the year.
Energy and Metals
Crude oil on the NYMEX is $68.25 per barrel.
London-based Brent crude is $72.02.
Natural gas is $2.86 per million BTUs.
Gold is $2,615 and silver is $30.95.
Obituaries
Kay Hart
Funeral service for Kay Hart, 81, of Chickasha will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14th at Ferguson Funeral Home. She and her late husband Anthony owned and operated Hart Trailers.
Vanda White
Funeral service for Vanda White, 68, of Ninnekah will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15th at McRay Funeral Home. She was a homemaker.
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Tuesday, Nov. 12th
Grady County Veterans Saluted for their Service
A program to honor and recognize the service of military veterans was held at the Grady County Veterans Memorial at Chickasha's Shannon Springs Park as part of Veterans Day ceremonies yesterday. The occasion marked the 29th anniversary of the memorial. Guest speaker was Retired Army Master Sergeant Bill Flores who spent 22 years serving our country including several tours to the Middle East. Flores said many have seen the horrors of war, and older veterans need to reach out younger vets to help them deal with mental health issues associated with their military service-
Prior to the program a number of students from Bill Wallace Early Childhood Center spent time at the memorial and members of the Grady County Rock Island 4H Club gave certificates of appreciation to veterans in attendance.
Medicare Changes Announced
It's the time of year when Medicare recipients can enroll in new programs. Social Security recipients will be a getting slight increase of 2.5 percent for 2025 however that will be offset by an increase for the cost of Medicare Part B for out-patient services. Ray Walker with the Oklahoma Insurance Department's Medicare Assistance Program said a change in the prescription drug coverage will benefit those who are on a lot of medications-
Open enrollment runs through Dec. 7th. Walker suggests talking with a reputable local insurance company to offer assistance in signing up for Medicare for the first time or to discuss options about changing coverage plans.
Chix Middle School Teacher Honored
Ranch News is featuring the site teachers of the year for Chickasha Public Schools this week. Today let's hear from Middle School Principal Tori Clark-
Tomorrow, we'll have the Lincoln School Intermediate teacher of the year.
Energy and Metals
Crude oil on the NYMEX is $68.53 per barrel.
London-based Brent crude is $72.29.
Natural gas is $2.91 per million BTUs.
Gold is $2,601 and silver is $30.42.
Obituary
John Johnson
Funeral service for Dr. John Johnson of Chickasha will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15th at Ferguson Funeral Home. He taught computer science at USAO and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston where he worked with the space shuttle program.
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Monday, Nov. 11th
Chix Schools Complete Renovation of Opportunity Workshop
Crews have been working the last few weeks to remodel the former Chickasha Opportunity Workshop into usable space for Chickasha schools. Tonight the school board will consider naming the building at Iowa Avenue and John Cowan Drive as the 'Chickasha Public Schools Educational Services Center'. Programs to be located in the building are the district's instructional technology department, the Chickasha Public School Foundation, the high school and middle school pom programs, the Pierson Testing Center, some additional classroom space, and a conference room.
Bill Wallace employees to be recognized
The Chickasha Board of Education will recognize a couple of employees at the Bill Wallace Early Childhood Center as the Chicken Express Employees of the Month during its regularly scheduled meeting for November tonight. They are Arizona Ridgeway who is the Certified Employee of the Month and Kayla Smith who is the Support Employee of the Month. Smith will also be recognized as the Support Employee of the Quarter.
CHS student nearly aces national test
Chickasha high school student Austin Clift will be recognized for her near perfect score on the PSAT. Clift score 1500 out of possible 1520 points which is in the top 1 percent of all test takers. The school board meets at 6 o'clock tonight at the school administration building.
Special meeting scheduled to consider teacher termination
The school board has a special meeting tomorrow to hold a hearing to consider a recommendation to fire certified teacher Dylan Nagode. Superintendent Rick Croslin is a making the recommendation to terminate Nagode who is listed as a music teacher on the school district's website. No information was provided about the reason for the recommendation. After the hearing the school board will go behind closed doors to consider the recommendation. That meeting is set for 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon at the school administration building.
Salvation Army to Begin Kettle Drive
The Salvation Army which serves Grady and Caddo counties is about to begin its annual Red Kettle Bell Ringing Campaign. The goal is to raise $45,000 all of which will be used to help needy families in the region. Lt. Bobby McFarland said they are always looking for volunteers to ring the bell and there is an easy way to sign up-
The bell-ringing campaign starts tomorrow and will run through Christmas Eve. McFarland also says that Angel Trees will be out soon with gift lists provided from area children. Last year there were more than 300 'angels' in the two-county area.
Chix Schools Site Teachers Featured this Week
This week RANCH news will feature the Site Teachers of the Year for Chickasha Public Schools. Honorees were selected by teachers at each school and each are candidates to be the Chickasha Public Schools Teacher of the Year that will be selected in the spring. We'll start at the high school today where Principal Debbie Davis talks about their selection-
We'll highlight the middle school teacher of the year tomorrow
Energy and Metals
Crude oil on the NYMEX is $70.38 per barrel.
London-based Brent crude is $73.87.
Natural gas is $2.67 per million BTUs.
Gold is$2,667 and silver is $31.40.
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