Okmulgee to host marching
band competition Saturday

The Okmulgee Bulldog Invitational Contest will be staged all day Saturday - and into the evening.
OHS Band Director Rusty Helms said the event will be broken into two sessions, including the preliminaries and conclude with the finals in the evening.
The following is the schedule for the bands to warm up and then play:
 CLASS BAND WARM UP MOVE
2A Chandler 8:35 AM 9:00 AM
3A RED Okemah 9:00 AM 9:25 AM
3A RED Wilburton 9:25 AM 9:50 AM
3A RED Heavener 9:50 AM 10:15 AM
3A RED Tahlequah Seq 10:15 AM 10:40 AM
3A BLACK Beggs 10:40 AM 11:05 AM
3A BLACK Eufaula 11:05 AM 11:30 AM
3A BLACK Victory Christian 11:30 AM 11:55 AM
3A BLACK Stigler 11:55 AM 12:20 PM
BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK
4A RED Checotah 1:30 PM 1:35 PM
4A RED Hilldale 1:35 PM 2:00 PM
4A RED Cushing 2:00 PM 2:25 PM
4A BLACK Stilwell 2:25 PM 2:50 PM
4A BLACK McCloud 2:50 PM 3:15 PM
4A BLACK Ft. Gibson 3:15 PM 3:40 PM
PRELIM AWARDS 4:15 PM 

OHS to Host Band Contest Saturday
The Okmulgee High School will host the second annual marching band competition this Saturday, October 27, at historic Harmon Field. Band Director Rust Helms invites the public to come out and enjoyed the outstanding performances from area high schools. Admission is $5 per person for pre-lims and $5 per person for finals, or $8 all day.  Children under 5 are free. In a related note, the Pride of Okmulgee wishes to publicly thank the Durant High School Lions’ march band for loaning their uniforms for OHS to use this marching season.  The director points out that “They are not charging us a dime!” Okmulgee’s band own uniforms were damaged or destroyed in a recent fire at a local dry cleaners. With the marching season at hand, the Bulldogs were given the use of the Durant band uniforms for 2014. Show off the borrowed uniforms are OHS band members: TOP:  2014 Showpiece Drum Majors Samantha Crosley and Arianna Crosley, MIDDLE:  Patrick O'Brien (senior percussionist), Jacob Mitchell (Sophomore Trumpet Player), Paul Williams (Senior Percussionist), and Voreese Hoggans (Junior Saxophone Player) and
Kneeling:  Nathan Gassen (Sophomore Percussionist).
(Staff photo by Herman Brown)

OHS Cheer Squad wins Regional Title -

On to State This Weekend in Norman

Okmulgee County News Source

County jail unrest quelled by officers

A fight broke out Monday morning in the very overcrowded Okmulgee County Jail.
Jail Director John Martin said mattresses were burned, glass was broken, and flooding was discovered in the barricaded units.
Jail employees used a Taser to gain control of one inmate, who was not identified. The county ambulance service also brought out one prisoner and transported him to the emergency room to be treated for smoke inhalation. It was unclear if this inmate was the same one who had been Tasered.
At noon, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Department tactical team went inside the jail at noon to get the prisoners back inside their individual cells. The lawmen were armed with non-lethal bean-bag guns and billy clubs.
 The jail director told Tulsa TV’s Newson6 reporter that the incident caused $10,000 and blamed the chronic overcrowding. The facility is approved for 226 prisoners but held 323 on Monday.
“There's supposed to be two per cell but there's, like you know, five or six in a cell,” a woman told the TV reporter. “People are sleeping under beds and in walkways; some aren't on mats but on the floor.”

OSUIT announces farm & industrial
equipment program name change

Sponsoring organization merger means greater resources, improved opportunities

OSU Institute of Technology has announced a name change to the Farm and Industrial Equipment degree program resulting from the merger of its sponsoring organization.
The SouthWestern Association, an organization of equipment dealers from five states including Oklahoma, merged with a similar association in Canada earlier this month to form the new Western Equipment Dealers Association (WEDA).
The new association, which now includes members from four Canadian provinces, is now positioned to provide its members more access to services and programs including enhanced training and recruitment opportunities.
OSUIT’s degree program, which educates students in the repair and maintenance of increasingly advanced and technical farm and heavy equipment used across the country, will become known as the Western Equipment Dealers Association Technician Training Program.
“Both associations have the same goals and objectives and understand the importance of educating and training the future workforce,” said John Schmeiser, CEO of WEDA. “This merger makes sense and will strengthen the larger association and provide more services to address the growing needs of today’s dealers.”
OSUIT will begin incorporating the name change to WEDA while continuing to honor the history of the SouthWestern Association and its partnership with the university.
The SWA program started at the university more than 10 years ago when members of the association saw a growing need for more skilled technicians in their dealerships and recognized the opportunity to meet that demand through a degree program at OSUIT.
Since then the program has continued to grow as the demand for service technicians has increased in conjunction with the advancement of equipment and technology in the farm and industrial equipment industry.
“The name may be changing, but our focus on providing a quality, hands-on education continues,” said John Hoover, WEDA program instructor at OSUIT. “Our goal remains to provide the best education so students are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need for the real world.

Obituaries

James Larry Benear (Sweat)

James Larry Benear (Sweat), a resident of Schulter, passed away Sunday, September 21, 2014 at the age of 66. He was born June 20, 1948 to James Larry Benear and Ratchel Lee (Hampton) Sweat in Wichita, Kansas.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Ratchel Sweat; father, Jimmy Benear; father, Curtis Sweat; daughter, LaDonna Benear; nephew, Brian Sweat and brother, Jimmy Benear.

Survivors include his three children, Lukisha Smallwood and husband, J.D. of Schulter, Larry Benear and wife, Susan of Okmulgee and Jimmy Benear of Tulsa; two sisters, Delenda Sweat and Nancy Price; three brothers, Allyn Sweat, Pat Sweat and Jeff Benear; eight grandchildren, Justin and Shelby McKee, Frank Tarwater, Wyatt McKee, Devin Benear, Albany McKee, Jessie Benear, Alexandria Smallwood,and Kelsey Smallwood and other numerous relatives and friends.

Graveside Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at the Salt Creek Cemetery in Wilson with Allyn Sweat officiating.

Visitation will be Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Jackson Funeral Home Chapel in Okmulgee.

Pallbearers will be Larry Benear, Jimmy Benear, Frank Tarwater, Devin Benear, Justin McKee and Buddy Stidman.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Wyatt McKee and J.D. Smallwood.

REV. OTTO GOINS

Rev. Otto L. Goins, 104 Assembly of God Minister/Pastor Died Tuesday Services, 11:00 AM, Friday Hayhurst Funeral Home Chapel, Broken Arrow Visitation, 6:00 to 8:00 PM, Thursday Hayhurst, Broken Arrow, 918-258-9623 www.hayhurstfh.com