January 2016 Oklahoma Publisher

The Oklahoma Publisher
Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association
Vol. 87, No. 1
12 Pages • January 2016
www.OkPress.com
www.Facebook.com/okpress
INSIDE
CALLING CUSTOMERS:
OPA President Robby Trammell
offers an idea that helps you
get feedback on what your
subscribers think about the
newspaper.
PAGE 2
WINTER STORM WOES:
Stories from some of the OPA
members who were affected
by the post-Christmas ice and
snow storm.
PAGE 7
MUST BE ABLE TO
READ: Ad looking for a
reporter who reads the
newspaper goes viral.
PAGE 8
DONATE TO ONF to receive
this Will Rogers print. Details at
OkPress.com/will-rogers.
2016 OPA Legislative Summit
The Oklahoma Press Association’s Legislative Summit will be held on Thursday,
Feb. 11, at the Oklahoma State Capitol in
Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin will
speak to OPA members at 9:30 a.m. in the
Blue Room, behind the governor’s office on
the second floor of the capitol.
OPA Executive Vice President Mark
Thomas will discuss legislative issues
affecting newspapers at 10:30 a.m., then
everyone will have the opportunity to visit
their legislators in their offices.
Lunch will be provided for OPA members in the second floor capitol rotunda
area.
At 12:45 p.m., Sen. David Holt will
address OPA members in the Blue Room
about election reform in Oklahoma.
The summit offers publishers, editors
and other newspaper staff members the
opportunity to meet their local legislators
and ask them to support decisions that will
affect the newspaper industry.
Newspapers have several important legislative principles to support and defend
including First Amendment issues, Freedom of Information issues, and business
issues affecting newspapers, such as public
notice, taxation of advertising and circulation, etc.
A recent survey of legislators showed
that their most effective contact with representatives is a personal visit. An email ranks
fourth; a phone call ranks fifth.
Legislators listen to people that make
the time to come to the capitol and express
their concerns. Every organization, including those that oppose newspaper interests,
goes to the capitol to demonstrate commitment to their legislative goals and desires.
Those voices must be offset by the pres-
The Oklahoma Press Association Legislative Summit is scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 11, at the
State Capitol in Oklahoma City located at 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
ence of newspaper publishers and editors
at the capitol early in the legislative session.
Register online for this free event by
Monday, Feb. 8, at www.OkPress.com/
legislative-summit.
Better Newspaper Contest deadline nears
Rules and accompanying information
for the 2015 Oklahoma Press Association
Better Newspaper Contest were mailed at
the end of December.
The deadline for entries to be postmarked is Monday, Feb. 8, 2016.
The annual contest added a new event
this year – Advertising Series. To compete
in this event, submit one ad series or campaign containing between three and seven
ads for a single advertiser published anytime within the contest period.
Also changed this year is the Identical
Material rule. The rule now states that
identical material may be submitted by
only one publication – the newspaper that
produced the majority of the content or, if
it was a shared responsibility, the newspaper with the largest circulation.
Mailed packets of information to OPA
business members included rules, labels,
tips and entry forms. Also enclosed was
information for the Digital Media Contest,
Print Quality Contest, Outdoor Writer of
the Year, ONF Beachy Musselman Award,
Half Century Club and Quarter Century
Club.
If you did not receive the rules packet,
all material is available for download at
www.okpress.com/awards.
2
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016
Councilmen plead not guilty
to open meeting violation
Readers value newspapers
If as a journalist you ever wonder
nowadays just how valuable your newspaper really is to readers, try calling
some of your subscribers and asking.
Last year, I was asked to participate
in The Oklahoman’s One Call a Day program as an outreach to our customers.
Basically, the Circulation Department
provides me the phone numbers of five
customers each week and I call them as
News Director to thank them for being
a subscriber and ask if there is anything
we can do to better serve them.
My initial reaction to being asked to
participate was: Oh brother, I’m going
to hear a bunch of circulation gripes
and spend all my time explaining and
defending our news coverage. That reaction was based on 45 years of covering
news and occasionally getting calls from
people upset about a story.
I was badly mistaken. I have been
pleasantly surprised at how much our
readers really enjoy their newspaper and
are happy with our delivery service and
news and information content.
A sampling of reader comments:
• “I’m pleased, no complaints, no problems.”
• “We get excellent service.”
• “We are very pleased with the service you give us.”
• “Nice, very good service. I’m unhappy with sports (laughter) -- with
(columnist) Berry Tramel’s views
at times. And, oh yes, on Friday and
Saturday the crossword puzzles are
too hard.”
• “I’m very happy. I read it online
every day, and get the Sunday
paper.”
• “Service is outstanding.”
• “I’m very satisfied; paper is there
early every morning.”
• “Good service and the content is
pretty good. I take The Oklahoman
for the metro and state coverage.”
• “We are getting real good service
right now, and we like the content.”
• “I’m happy with everything. I just
renewed my subscription with you
guys for another year.”
• “I’ve been a subscriber for years.
Thanks for calling.”
• “It’s good content and delivery. The
paper is credible.”
• “Please put the paper on the driveway – not in the yard.”
• “I am happy with the paper. You
missed me (on delivery) a couple
days, but I called in and they were
taken care of.”
• “Please put the paper closer to my
house. I like the paper and read it
daily.”
• “You have good delivery. Your news
is good, but you have cut back a lot.”
• “I love sports – your headlines are
classic.”
• “Wow! Glad to hear from you. Delivery was an issue a time or two, but
you always took care of it – real
quick. We appreciate that.”
• “No complaints. I’m satisfied, especially with sports.”
• “You do perfect. I’m reading a lot of
Thunder (sports news) right now
and couldn’t do without it.”
• “I love the paper. But, I’ve not
received a (subscription) bill. I have
called and want to pay.”
• “I can’t complain about anything.
Your content is great. Thanks for
calling. It means a lot.”
• “I had a little problem, but it’s
resolved. The new carrier is putting
the paper at the front porch. I like
the editorial section.”
• “You are doing a great job.”
There you have it. A cross section of
responses. A vast majority good, a couple with suggestions for improvement.
But, overall high marks for delivery and
content -- and many of our customers
said they appreciated being contacted.
I close almost all calls with the script:
“As Oklahoma City gets bigger and bigger, we’re working hard to keep everyone aware of what is going on. As you
know, that’s really important to preserve
the strong character of our citizens and
make OKC a better place to live, work
and raise a family. Thanks again for
subscribing.”
May I suggest that One Call a Day
might be a worthwhile program for your
newspaper’s customers and employees
in 2016.
Three Okemah councilmen charged
with violating the state’s Open Meeting
Act pleaded “not guilty” before Associate District Judge David Martin.
Lloyd Raimer, Wayne Bacon and
Bobby Massey were accused of discussing public business among themselves
after a June meeting.
Timothy D. Beets, the defendant’s
attorney, told the court that he would
be filing a motion to recuse the district
attorney’s office at a later date. Assistant District Attorney Don Nelson asked
Beets to file the motion as soon as possible so he could send it on to the Oklahoma Attorney General.
Violating the Open Meeting Act is a
misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500
fine and one year in the county jail.
The councilmen’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 29.
OPA board of directors to vote on two
membership applications in February
The Oklahoma Press Association has
received two applications for membership.
Mark and Sherr y Codner have
applied for an associate membership in
the Oklahoma Press Association.
The Codners, former publishers of
the Madill Record, live in Madill, Okla.
Cribb, Greene & Cope, a media brokerage and consulting firm headquartered in Helena, Mont., has applied for
a sustaining membership in the OPA.
Randy Cope, a director with the firm, is
listed as the contact.
Cope’s emphasis is in newspaper and
publication consulting. He resides in
Neosho, Mo.
The Oklahoma Press Association
Board of Directors will vote on the
applications at its next meeting on Feb.
11, 2016. Any current member wishing
to object to the application of Mark and
Sherry Codner as an associate member
and/or Cribb, Greene & Cope as a sustaining member must do so in writing
to the OPA at 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499, by Feb.
1, 2016.
OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MON., FEBRUARY 8, 2016
DEADLINE FOR BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST ENTRIES
Rules for the 2015 OPA Better Newspaper Contest have been mailed. All rules and
accompanying pages are available to download at www.OkPress.com/opa-better-newspapercontest. For questions or clarification, contact Lisa Sutliff at (405)499-0026 or Jennifer Gilliland
at (405) 499-0028.
THURS., FEBRUARY 11, 2016, 9:30 AM
OPA LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT – FREE but please register by Feb. 8
Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City
Mark your calendar and plan to attend the OPA Legislative Summit. This event is free but please
register in advance. Lunch will be provided. Register online at www.okpress.com/legislativesummit.
THURS., APRIL 21, 2016
OKLAHOMA JOURNALISM HALL OF FAME
New members of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame will be inducted at a luncheon on April
21. For more information, visit http://okjournalism.uco.edu/.
FRI. & SAT., JUNE 10-11, 2016
OPA ANNUAL CONVENTION
DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY SHERATON HOTEL
This year’s convention will be held on Friday and Saturday. Education/networking sessions and
social events are scheduled Friday afternoon through Saturday leading up to the annual awards
banquet Saturday evening where we will celebrate the winners of the Better Newspaper Contest.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the OPA website at www.OkPress.com or contact
Member Services Director Lisa Sutliff at (405) 499-0026, 1-888-815-2672 or email LSutliff@okpress.com.
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016 3
Norman residents sue city officials for
alleged violations of Open Records Act
Two Norman residents filed suit
alleging that Norman city officials violated the state’s Open Records Act by
charging to search for records requested in the public interest and by failing
to provide “prompt, reasonable access”
to documents.
The city and City Clerk Brenda Hall
are being sued by Casey Holcomb and
Darcie Woodson, who seek release
of requested documents and a court
order that would stop the city from
charging what they contend are illegal
search fees.
The Open Records Act allows government agencies to charge a “reasonable fee to recover the direct cost of
record search … if the request: a. is
solely for commercial purpose, or b.
would clearly cause excessive disruption of the essential functions of the
public body.”
However, “in no case, shall a search
fee be charged when the release of
records is in the public interest, including, but not limited to, release to the
news media, scholars, authors and taxpayers seeking to determine whether
those entrusted with the affairs of
the government are honestly, faithfully, and competently performing their
duties as public servants,” the Act
states.
Norman city officials claim a state
Court of Civil Appeals ruling in 1995
allows public agencies to charge a
search fee if it would cause “substantial
disruption” of the agency’s business.
Journal Record sold to New Media
New Media Investment Group Inc.,
the holding company for GateHouse
Media, recently agreed to purchase the
Business Information Division of Dolan
LLC, which includes The Journal Record
in Oklahoma City.
“We are pleased to announce the
agreement to acquire the Dolan assets
and see a tremendous opportunity to
leverage its publications and subscriber base across New Media’s footprint,”
New Media President and CEO Michael
Reed said.
“In addition to the valuable content
Dolan provides to its readership base,
we believe their subscribers, which are
predominately service-oriented business owners, are the ideal customer for
our fast-growing digital services business, Propel Marketing.”
In Oklahoma, New Media owns daily
newspapers in Miami, Shawnee and Ardmore, weekly newspapers in Grove and
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“The sale to New Media is exciting
for us,” said Joni Brooks, publisher of
The Journal Record. “We will be part of a
large, growing company that recognizes
the strength of our audience and wants
to expand our portfolio of offerings to
our customers and grow our business.
“For now, it’s business as usual, but
we’re looking forward to bringing even
more to our readers and customers,”
Brooks said.
New Media anticipates the Dolan
acquisition will close in early 2016, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Journal Record began publication in 1937 and has been owned by
Minneapolis-based Dolan since 1995.
The Journal Record Publishing Co.
also publishes Tinker Air Force Base’s
Tinker Take Off and The Journal Record
Legislative Report.
Holcomb, an environmental policy
advocate and freelance journalist, said
he has requested city staff email and
correspondence with oil industry representatives during the time that Norman was updating its local oil and gas
regulations.
Woodson is a political activist,
author and lobbyist for improvements
to the city’s animal shelter. She said in
the lawsuit that she has been denied
requested records pertaining to the
animal shelter unless she agrees to pay
a search fee.
The lawsuit was filed by attorney
Jack Craven and has been assigned to
District Judge Jeff Virgin.
Enid News &
Eagle subscribers
become target
for scammers
Enid News & Eagle officials
recently reported that spam email
referring to “unpaid debt” and naming the News & Eagle as the source
was circulating via email.
“This is spam email and should be
ignored or reported as spam,” said
Violet Hassler, digital communications coordinator for the News &
Eagle. “The News & Eagle is in no
way associated with these emails.”
Recipients of the email were
advised to delete the email and to not
open any attachments, which could
contain viruses or malware aimed at
stealing private information.
Considering a sale?
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The
Oklahoma
Publisher
ISSN 1526-811X
Official Publication of the
Oklahoma Press Association
PUBLISHER
Mark Thomas
mthomas@okpress.com
EDITOR
Jennifer Gilliland
jgilliland@okpress.com
OPA OFFICERS
Robby Trammell, President
The Oklahoman
Dayva Spitzer, Vice President
Sayre Record &
Beckham County Democrat
Rod Serfoss, Treasurer
Clinton Daily News
Mark Thomas,
Executive Vice President,
Oklahoma City
OPA DIRECTORS
Jeff Funk, Past President
Enid News & Eagle
Brian Blansett, Tri-County Herald
Ted Streuli, The Journal Record
Ray Dyer, El Reno Tribune
Mike Strain, Tulsa World
John Denny Montgomery,
The Purcell Register
Mark Millsap,
The Norman Transcript
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499
(405) 499-0020
Toll-Free in Oklahoma:
(888) 815-2672
www.OkPress.com
news@OkPress.com
www.Facebook.com/OKPress
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4
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016
This is tobacco
marketing.
Kids who see it are more likely to smoke.
Big Basin, LLC merges with
Cookson Hills Publishers, Inc.
Big Basin Enterprises, LLC, recently
merged with its sister company, Cookson Hills Publishers, Inc.
Jeff Mayo and his brother, Jack, own
Big Basin Enterprises, LLC. Jeff, Jack
and their parents, Jim and Becky Mayo,
own Cookson Hills Publishers, Inc.
Jeff Mayo serves as publisher of
each of the company’s newspapers –
the Sequoyah County Times, Eastern
Times-Register, Eufaula Indian Journal,
Henryetta Free-Lance, McIntosh County Democrat, Okmulgee Times and Vian
Tenkiller News.
“Big Basin has grown so much over
the past few years that it became obvious that combining our sister companies
would reduce our administrative burden
and allow us to focus more on publishing great newspapers,” Jeff Mayo said.
“Combined, Cookson and Big Basin
publish seven newspapers in Sequoyah,
Okmulgee and McIntosh Counties.
“Our mission to put out the best community newspaper we can remains our
goal, regardless of the company name
that owns it.”
The Mayo family has been in the
newspaper business in Eastern Oklahoma for the last five or six generations
dating back to the 1830s. Florence and
Wheeler Mayo started the Sequoyah
County Times in June 1932. Their son,
Jim, came back into the family business
in January 1968. Their grandson, Jeff,
came back in June 2003.
Wheeler, Jim and Jeff all served as
presidents of the Oklahoma Press Association.
New staff member at Stigler News-Sentinel
Ashly Sloan recently joined the staff
of the Stigler News-Sentinel in the advertising department.
A 2008 graduate of Stigler High
School, Sloan studied business admin-
istration at Carl Albert State College
and has a professional background in
advertising sales.
Sloan said she is pleased to be a member of the advertising team.
Marilyn Leader retires from
McIntosh County Democrat
It’s a fact:
Research shows that kids who shop at stores with tobacco
marketing two or more times a week are 64% more likely
to start smoking than their peers who don’t.
Source: Henriksen, Schleicher, Feighery and Fortmann. Pediatrics: The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics,
July 19, 2010. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009 3021
You may not notice,
but they do.
Talk with your kids about tobacco –
learn more at StopsWithMe.com.
After more than 11 years at the McIntosh County Democrat, Marilyn Leader
has retired. Her last day in the office was
Dec. 30.
Leader began her newspaper career
at the Eufaula Indian Journal as a receptionist in 2001, after 19 years as a press
operator for Blue Cross. In 2003, she
went back to her hometown in Indiana
to take care of her ill father.
When Leader returned to Oklahoma,
she went to work at the McIntosh County Democrat as an office manager, but it
didn’t take long before the job grew.
“I was the only one there, so I started
going out talking to people, doing interesting stories,” Leader said.
Throughout her time at the newspaper, Leader has taken on roles as a
reporter and photographer.
She says the highlight of her career
was when the McIntosh County Democrat won the Sequoyah Award at the
Oklahoma Press Association’s Annual
Convention in 2015. The award is the
highest honor a newspaper can receive
from OPA.
Leader will be staying busy by devoting her time to her animals. She and
her husband, Lyman, live on 80 acres
where they tend to several heads of cattle, three horses, three donkeys, ducks,
geese, guinea hens, 13 dogs, 20 cats and
four turkeys
CNHI opens Washington D.C. bureau
Community Newspaper Holdings,
Inc. recently opened a Washington, D.C.
bureau to serve its markets in 23 states,
including Oklahoma.
Appointed as the bureau chief was
Kery Murakami, an investigative and
political reporter with more than 25
years of experience.
Most recently, he covered the banking industry for Bloomberg BNA in
Washington.
Murakami will provide localized coverage and analysis of federal government issues affecting the cities and
towns where CNHI owns and operates
news outlets, said Bill Ketter, CNHI
senior vice president of news.
Murakami said he’s excited about
“working for a news organization that’s
adding Washington coverage at a time
when most others are scaling back or
eliminating it.”
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016 5
University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College welcomes assistant dean
The University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications
has named Yvette Walker as assistant dean.
Prior to accepting the new position, Walker
was night news director and director of presentation and custom publishing at The Oklahoman. She was recruited to the newspaper
in 2006 by Gaylord’s interim dean, Ed Kelley,
when he was editor.
Walker said she believes their work together
allowed Kelley to see her capabilities.
“He knows me personally and has seen my
day-to-day work ethic,” Walker said.
Along with being an associate dean at Gaylord College, Walker teaches two classes at the
University of Central Oklahoma. She also held
the Edith Kinney Gaylord Endowed Chair of
Journalism and Ethics there for five years.
Walker said she hopes her experience in the
journalism world, combined with her experience in educational institutions, will help her be
a valuable resource to Gaylord students.
“I bring experience from both worlds, and
together they will help to make me a good
sounding board for what students need at Gaylord,” Walker said.
DEATHS
HENRY LEE GOODMAN, a former publisher at The Pryor Daily Times, died Dec. 25,
NATHAN DALE MAYHAR, who worked for several Oklahoma newspapers, died Jan.
2015. He was 76.
Goodman was born Aug. 14, 1939. He served in the U.S. Navy and started his
newspaper career at the Atchison Daily Globe in Kansas.
After moving to Oklahoma, he served as advertising director at the Claremore
Progress before relocating to Pryor. Goodman was publisher of The Times in the
1980s and 1990s.
He is survived by three sons, Mark and Donyece Goodman, Mitch and Paula
Goodman, and Nicholas Goodman and Megan Wright; one daughter, April and
Anthony Joyner; two sisters, Joyce Huninghake and Rosie Goodman; eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
7, 2016. He was 79.
Mayhar was born Oct. 6, 1936, in Stephenville, Texas.
His newspaper career started in Texas before moving to Dewar, Okla., in 1965.
Mayhar worked at the Henryetta Daily Free-Lance as advertising manager. He
later moved to Okemah and was named general manager of Okfuskee Publications,
Inc., then became advertising manager at the Okmulgee Daily Times before returning to the Free-Lance as general manager.
In 1973, Mayhar founded the Lake Eufaula World, a newspaper to promote what
he thought was one of Oklahoma’s greatest and most beautiful attractions. He sold
that paper in 1991.
Mayhar is survived by his three children, Glynda Gayle Casselman and husband
Ronnie of Morris, Allen Dale Mayhar and wife Frankie of Eufaula, and Pam Ann
Henry and husband Rod of Norman; six grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
ALQUITA GOODWIN, former operations manager for the Oklahoma Eagle in Tulsa,
died Dec. 8, 2015. She was 77.
She was the former wife of the late Ed Goodwin, Jr., longtime publisher of the
Oklahoma Eagle.
Mrs. Goodwin was born in Cherryvale, Kan., on June 15, 1938. She graduated
from Cherryvale High School before attending Independence Junior College.
She began working at the newspaper in 1965 as operations manager. She worked
at the Oklahoma Eagle until 1990 when she became a probate division supervisor at
the Tulsa County Courthouse. She retired last year.
She is survived by three children, Regina Goodwin, Greg Goodwin and Sabrina
Monday; five grandchildren; and a brother, Jerry Parker.
KEITH LEON RADFORD, a former print operator at Oklahoma newspapers, died Dec.
7, 2015, at his home in Pawnee. He was 52.
Radford was born Dec. 8, 1962, in Yale. Following the completion of his education,
he started working in the oil field. Due to an accident, Radford began working in the
printing business. He worked at the Cushing Daily Citizen and Bristow newspapers
as an offset print operator.
He is survived by his wife, Debbie, and two children, Steve and Brianna of Pawnee, and Sissy Radford and Deek of Yale; and numerous grandchildren and siblings.
BILL LEHMANN, former publisher of the Guthrie Daily Leader, died Jan. 10, 2016, in
Oklahoma City. He was 87.
Lehmann and his wife, Rosemary, were transferred to Guthrie in 1966 by Donrey
Media Group to publish the Leader.
It wasn’t long before Lehmann began a quest to save Guthrie from urban renewal.
He used tons of newsprint and barrels of ink to promote the historic preservation
of Oklahoma’s first state capital. Local and state civic leaders, politicians, bankers,
historians, writers and artists joined the campaign to save the city.
Lehmann was instrumental in raising funds to purchase the State Capital Publishing building, once home to the most powerful newspaper in Oklahoma, and turn it
into a museum. Until recently, it was operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society as
a museum celebrating Oklahoma’s rich newspaper history.
He served as publisher of the Leader until 1977, resigning to establish his own oil
exploration company, Cimarron Valley Exploration Inc.
He was born in Chouteau, Okla., on Nov. 12, 1928. After graduating from Muskogee High School in 1947, Lehmann married his high school sweetheart, Rosemary
Thielen, on Jan. 31, 1948. Lehmann went to work selling advertising for the Muskogee Phoenix. In 1959, he was named director of advertising at the Pawhuska Journal-Capital. In 1965, the paper was purchased by Donrey. Lehmann was promoted to
publisher and a year later transferred to Guthrie.
He is survived by a daughter, Mary Catharine Lehmann; a son, Gene Lehmann
and one granddaughter.
In Memory of
Our Friends
& Colleagues
SCOTT J. SCHULDT, former copy editor at The Oklahoman, died Dec. 31, 2015, after
a long battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 46.
Schuldt was born April 16, 1969, in Indianapolis, Ind. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1991 with a degree in journalism and political science.
He was employed by The Daily Oklahoman until leaving because of his disability.
He is survived by his parents, Judith and Claude Schuldt, and siblings Karen
Schuldt, Gregory Schuldt and Vicki Felty.
PAUL WALDSCHMIDT, longtime reporter and editor for the Sand Springs Leader,
died Dec. 21, 2015, after a lengthy illness. He was 69.
Waldschmidt was born in Ada but moved to Washington state when he was 12.
After graduating high school, he went on to attend college and serve in the Army
during the Vietnam War.
His journalism career began with United Press International before joining Retherford Publications in Tulsa, which published the Leader and other papers at the
time.
Waldschmidt recently left the newspaper after 32 years.
He was active in the community, including volunteer service for several years with
Boy Scouts Troop 507 in Sand Springs.
He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Gerri; two children, David G. Waldschmidt
and Lauren Mattox; one grandson; and a brother, David A. Waldschmidt.
Pendleton Woods
Dec. 1, 2014
David Lee Hall
Dec. 19, 2014
Matthew Pena (Gah-Kohn)
Jan. 4, 2015
Norbert Dee Roach
Jan. 9, 2015
Walter Joe Hancock
Dec. 3, 2014
Maebeth ‘Beth’ Cain Ray
Dec. 31, 2014
Richard Albert Horner
Jan. 7, 2015
Monteray Nelson
Jan. 17, 2015
Anna Janzen Pjesky
Jan. 21, 2015
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation. Send checks to ONF, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105
6
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016
THE OG&E PHOTO CONTEST
NOVEMBER 2015
DAILY WINNER:
BONNIE
VCULEK
Enid News & Eagle
NOVEMBER 2015
WEEKLY WINNER:
CASEY
DAVIS
Choctaw Times
The November 2015
contest was judged
by a member of the
Oklahoma Journalism
Hall of Fame.
Lahoma Fire Chief Chris Hempling breaks up blazing round hay bales as Lahoma and Drummond fire departments back-burn nearby
grass on U.S. 412 west of Enid. Firefighters from Lahoma, Drummond and Enid responded to the blaze.
Photo by Bonnie Vculek, Enid News & Eagle, November 26, 2015
View all winning photos at
www.OkPress.com/
OGE-Photo-Contest
ENTER AND WIN
A $100 CHECK
FROM OGE
ENERGY CORP.
For more information
about the photo
contest,visit
www.okpress.com/
oge-photo-contest
Honoring hometown heroes: This barn near Jones illustrates the patriotism present in eastern Oklahoma County year round.
Photo by Casey Davis, Choctaw Times, November 18, 2015
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PEAK TIME, WATCH YOUR USE
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PEAK OVER. START SAVING …
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The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016 7
Post Christmas storm creates winter woes
A winter storm brought snow, sleet
and ice to parts of Oklahoma the weekend after Christmas weekend leaving
many homes and businesses without
power.
Several state newspapers were affected by the storm.
Lori and Donald Cooper, publishers
of The Carnegie Herald, said their entire
town was without power for several
days, but they still managed to get the
paper out.
“Like we have two other times since
owning the newspaper, we put it together at home using a generator,” said Lori
Cooper. “We purchased the generator as
part of our disaster plan after the first ice
storm several years ago.”
The Coopers managed to finish the
entire paper and get it to the press on
time.
“We didn’t miss a beat, just like we
haven’t missed an issue,” she said.
Eric C. Warsinskey, managing editor of the Watonga Republican, found
himself stranded as he tried to return to
Watonga after spending the holiday in
Harbor Springs, Mich.
Warsinskey said he was able to make
it to Detroit on Dec. 27 only to find
that his flight to Oklahoma City was
cancelled. He was told the earliest they
could get him into Oklahoma City was
Thursday, Dec. 31.
“Our press time is at 10 a.m. on Tuesday,” Warsinskey said. “So, obviously, I
went into panic mode.”
That night he booked a flight from
Detroit to Atlanta to Tulsa for the next
morning.
Warsinskey narrowly beat the storm
out of Detroit before the airport was
shut down, eventually making it to Tulsa
around 2 p.m.
Knowing that Watonga was without
power, Warsinskey rented a van and
went straight to Home Depot to buy a
generator, then headed to Oklahoma
City to pick up his car at the airport and
make the trip home to Watonga.
“I finally made my way into Watonga
Town employees created a snow pile in front of The Carnegie Herald office as they
worked to clear Main Street. Workers later returned with a backhoe and dump truck
and removed most of the snow.
at around 10 p.m., 24 hours before the
paper was due at the press,” Warsinskey
said.
That night was spent working off the
generator to put the paper together.
“Amazingly, we got all 24 pages of the
paper to press on time and accurately,”
he said. “I’ve had a lot of great accomplishments since arriving here in 2013
… but I think that will be tough to top.”
Warsinskey said this was his first
disaster scenario. “As much as you have
a plan in your head for what to do in
that scenario, you kind of have to react
and adapt to the situation as you go,” he
said. “Especially when you’re stranded
halfway across the nation with 24 hours
to go before press time.”
Joye and Stanley Wright, publishers
of The Apache News, were ready when
the power went out.
“We had a generator at home and
did most of the layout on a computer at
home,” said Joye Wright.
Wright said she usually starts working on the next week’s paper on Thursday or Friday and at the end of every
day she puts her work on a flash drive
to take home.
“This helped out tremendously after
the power went out,” she said.
After Stanley got the generator up
and going, she was able to finish the
paper, “although it was smaller and a few
hours later than usual being sent to our
printer at Lindsay Web Press,” she said.
“Power lines were down for miles
between Apache and Cyril and Hwy.
19 was closed for several days,” Wright
said. “We had to go through Anadarko
and Chickasha to get to Lindsay to pick
up the paper.”
The Hobart Democrat-Chief was
without power for about a half day, said
Editor Todd Hancock.
“Fortunately, we were scheduled to
have a small paper and were able to get
it out without too much trouble, he said.
Hancock said his brother has a 10K
watt generator on a welder that he could
bring in if needed.
“I didn’t set it up this time because
the power came on at about midnight on
Sunday night,” he said.
Although the Enid News & Eagle
didn’t lose power in the post-Christmas
storm, heavy ice closed roads and made
delivery difficult, said Publisher Jeff
Funk.
However, a November ice storm did
cause problems in Enid.
About 25 percent of Enid, including
the News & Eagle, was without electricity during that storm. Funk set 3 p.m.
as the deadline to move to Plan B if the
electricity wasn’t restored by then.
Plan B included printing in Norman,
moving layout and advertising terminals
to an off-site location, and powering
necessary in-building equipment with a
small, portable generator.
“Fortunately, power was restored to
our building at 2:50 p.m., and electricity
stayed on with only minor flickers.”
With two more months of winter, it’s
a good idea for all newspapers to have
a plan and know what to do in case the
power goes out.
Person charged in Johnston County Capital-Democrat burglary
One person has been charged in connection with a burglary at the Johnston
County Capital-Democrat in Tishomingo, and another suspect is still being
sought.
Bradley Barrett Jordan was charged
with two counts of burglary in the second degree and one count of knowingly
concealing stolen property, the newspaper reported.
Associate District Judge Charles
Migliorino set Jordan’s bond at $20,000
and scheduled a status conference in the
case for 9 a.m. on Jan. 25. A preliminary
hearing date is expected to be set at that
time.
The break-in at the newspaper office
was discovered and reported to the
Tishomingo Police Department on Nov.
25. A preliminary investigation showed
that entrance into the newspaper was
gained by removing the glass from a
window in the alley.
Items stolen were three Apple iMac
desktop computers; four computer keyboards; four computer mouses; a Canon
EOS digital Rebel XT camera with lens,
a Canon 200-mm telephone lens, and a
camera bag; a Sony 4K Handycam camcorder and camera bag; a metal camera
tripod; approximately $10 in cash; and
an executive office chair.
Two other computers were not taken,
but one was found unplugged, and disconnected from the printer and Internet
hookup.
The items stolen were estimated at
around $6,500, said Capital-Democrat
Publisher Ray Lokey.
Lokey said they were very fortunate
since most of the files relevant to newspaper production were on his laptop,
“including the subscription database,
which was only a few weeks out of date.”
“If they had gotten my computer, we
would have been toast,” he said.
All items were insured for replacement value and two of the three computers stolen have been replaced. Lokey
said OPA computer consultant Wilma
Newby helped set up the replacement
computers.
“I don’t know what we would do without her,” he said. “She has been great
helping us get everything reconnected
and up and running.”
8
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016
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SERVING NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA SINCE 1905
City mulls Vision public input
ƭ The mayor and most of
the Council want to keep
the plan as drafted.
shape of the package.
A majority of councilors defended
keeping the plan largely as drafted at
a meeting Dec. 18, when the overall
scope of Vision changed dramatically
to include votes on general obligaBY JARREL WADE
tion bonds and an extension of ImWorld Staff Writer
prove Our Tulsa to accommodate the
desired projects.
City officials governing ViA majority group including Counsion renewal discussions tangled cilor Anna America and Mayor DewThursday over how much influ- ey Bartlett defended the months and
ence an upcoming series of public years of public engagement to date,
meetings should have on the final saying enough public input has been
For more
Find a list of proposed spending. A3
Vision public meetings
gathered with little time left to make
changes.
“We don’t have time to start from
scratch, and that’s why we did such
an exhaustive process,” America
said. “So, yes, while people can give
us feedback, I don’t want everybody
who made a project coming back
Greenwood Cultural Center,
322 N. Greenwood Ave.
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Location to be determined.
All meetings scheduled for
6-8 p.m.
SEE VISION A3
Heavy hitters
Eight of the 10 strongest earthquakes in Oklahoma’s history have occurred since 2011, including a 4.8 earthquake
Wednesday night in Woods County north of Fairview in Major County. The state’s 10 strongest earthquakes:
Chance of rain. More weather on B8
Get more weather coverage and check out
our weather blog at tulsaworld.com/weather
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Comics ............. D5
4.5: DEC. 7, 2013 | ARCADIA LAKE
4.5: MAR. 30, 2014 | MARSHALL
4.5: JULY 27, 2015 | CRESCENT
4.7: NOV. 30, 2015 | NASH
4.7: NOV 19, 2015 | CARMEN
4.8: JAN. 5, 2016 | FAIRVIEW
4.8: NOV. 5, 2011 | PRAGUE
4.8: NOV. 8, 2011 | PRAGUE
4.9: OCT. 22, 1882 | BENNINGTON
Crosswords ..... D4
Editorial ...........A14
Five Questions E4
Oklahoma received a D+ grade
and a 46th-place finish among the
50 states and District of Columbia
in Education’s Week’s annual rankings of education quality indicators.
The 2016 edition of the trade
publication’s “Quality Counts” report focused on outcomes in student achievement, state spending
and educational opportunity, rather
than on education policies and processes.
Oklahoma earned an overall
score of 68.2, while the nation as
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Daily - $1.00
Each year, Freedom resident Jim Darr donates a girls and boys bike
for kids at the Freedom schools. This year’s girl winner is Callie Hopper. The boys winner was Shawn Edwards. (Unfortunatley, our photo
of Shawn failed to turn out.) Photo by Lynn L. Martin
Freedom School
wants to recover 23
years of lost state aid
Superintendent rehired
BY ANDREA EGER
World Staff Writer
Inside today’s Tulsa World
By Stacy Sanborn
7KH ¿UVW UHJXODU VFKRRO ERDUG
meeting after the failed bond issue
proposal in Freedom was held
Monday evening. All members
were present, along with the
superintendent, principal and four
visitors.
The board then went into
executive session near the end of the
meeting to discuss Superintendent
Danny McCuiston’s evaluation.
It was voted McCuiston serve as
VXSHULQWHQGHQW IRU WKH school term.
7KHFRQVHQWDJHQGDZDVWKH¿UVW
item up and was approved by all,
with Board Member Shane Morris
abstaining on purchase order 37 to
Supreme Trailer Sales.
Superintendent’s Report
McCuiston reported December
gross
production
collections
were $12,759.94, about half that
RI ¿VFDO \HDU )< DQG )<
2015. District totals for revenue
collections for the month were
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year local revenue totaled $586,000
PLQXV DG YDORUHP DQG WKLV ¿VFDO
year’s projection is currently
running $435,580, and that amount
is dropping monthly McCuiston
said.
He said he is waiting on
FODUL¿FDWLRQV IURP WKH ¿UH PDUVKDO
RQ D VSHFL¿F DUHD RI WKH VFKRRO
that needs to reach compliance and
will then take action to complete
whatever
appropriate
actions
necessary to do so. This stems
IURP DQ XQDQQRXQFHG ELDQQXDO
Third
place
Thanksgiving
themed cupcakes were created
by Myles Nixon, Linsy Weber,
Second place New Year theme cupcakes were created by Nicole Summer Ralston and Vanessa
Galindo.
Hughes, Ashley Strehl, Will Jessup and Shyla Vance
Community volunteers
work on gym roof
By Lynn L. Martin
Last week, the Freedom
schools had to postpone some
basketball games to the site of
the opposing school because
of water leaks pouring onto the
See Calendar Page 14 ÀRRULQWKH)UHHGRPJ\P
With a weather forecast of
possible blizzard conditions
over the weekend, several citi
zens climbed up on the roof to
attempt some repairs. In one
area, they found a pool of water
VL[LQFKHVGHHS
Two of those helping out
were board members Lynn Bo
lar and Share Morris. Others
helping out were Mark Kinkel,
Lonn Luddington and Shan
Wilson.
Water rushes across closed Oklahoma Highway 112 Monday between Cameron
and Pocola.
PDN photo by Trayce Kerbow
The Poteau River in
Panama Police Chief
John Whiteaker marked a Poteau crested Monday at
more than two-inch rise in 31.44 feet, three inches
about one hour Monday lower than the spring flood
afternoon near a housing
addition on Joy Lane.
(See RECORDS, page 2)
Sunny
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Member of Okla. Press Assoc.
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Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord;
and the people whom he
hath chosen for his own
Psalm 33:12
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Established 1898
This and That,
Page 2
Happy New Year
Scripture For The Week
The message of the cross. . . is
the power of God.
Junior High Cottonbelt
Tournament Brackets, Page 4
2010
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1 Corinthians 1:18
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TT
measured manually. The
last electronic recording at
10:45 a.m. Monday showed
the river at 44.05 feet, but
he was unsure if it still was
rising or had crested.
ES
(See FAMILIES, page 2)
SEE QUAKE A4
Today High 52, Low 32
World Capitol Bureau
State gets
D+ in new
education
report
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Freedom
students
were
asked by their FACS teacher,
Mrs. Selfridge, to create holiday
themed cupcakes. The winning
team selected Christmas and made
Minion Christmas Cupcakes. Their
team consisted of sophomore
through seniors.
The second place winners
selected New Year as their
holiday. This team consisted of
sophomores and seniors. Only
SRLQWV VHSDUDWHG WKH ¿UVW DQG
VHFRQGSODFHZLQQHUV
Third place chose Thanksgiving
and consisted of eighth graders.
Winners were chosen by the
Freedom School Staff as they won
the FCCLA Food Bank Contest.
The students were assisted with
their preparation by the FACS
First place Minion Christmas theme cupcakes were created by Tif- teacher’s daughter. Icing for this
project
was donated by Alva’s
fany Weber, Christian Herrera, Iridian Herrera and Sam Greer.
Market
BY BARBARA HOBEROCK
SEE CUTS A3
50¢
Cupcake Wars
BE
Flood waters are clearing, and sunny days are
ahead, according to Monday weather forecasts.
But what were LeFlore County citizens stuck
doing during endless rains over the holiday weekend? The Poteau Daily News asked residents what
they did during the storms.
Cj Clark said said their son and daughter-in-law
had a baby girl on Dec. 23, and the family spent the
Weekend rainfall resulted in record-setting floods
in LeFlore County.
Although not the worst
flood to hit the area, in
many ways the weekend
flooding topped the record
flooding in the spring.
According to LeFlore
County Emergency Management Director Michael
Davidson, the Poteau River
at Panama will crest at least
at the fifth-highest level
ever recorded, if not the
fourth. Last spring, the river
broke the record for seventh- and sixth-highest
cresting.
Due to technical difficulties Monday, Davidson
said the river had to be
The Freedom Call, Freedom, Oklahoma
ON
By Amanda Corbin
PDN Reporter
By Kim McConnell
PDN Publisher
Volume 94 Number 50
ƭ The budget cuts are in
response to the state’s
revenue failure.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The State
Board of Education on Thursday
voted to cut nearly $47 million
from school districts in the wake of
a revenue failure for the current fiscal year.
The board met in a special meeting to discuss the budget cuts after
the State of Oklahoma last month
declared a revenue failure, resulting in across-the-board cuts to appropriated state agencies.
The revenue failure has been
largely attributed to a significant
downturn in oil prices.
State aid to schools, which is allocated through a weighted formula, will be cut a total of $25
million over the next six monthly
payments.
The board made 3 percent cuts to
several other accounts but made a
6.6 percent cut in the public school
activities account to cushion the
blow to local districts, which later
5.5: APRIL 9. 1952 | EL RENO
Families refuse to let
rains dampen spirits
River reaches near-record levels
N
(See FLOOD, page 2)
A Cameron man escaped serious injury after attempting to drive across a flooded bridge Monday afternoon.
According to Oklahoma Highway Patrol, at about 12:45 p.m. the Pocola Fire Department Swift Water Rescue
Team entered the rushing water of James Fork Creek to save the man who was stranded on a bridge on old
Oklahoma Highway 112 near the Williams Road intersection. The bridge had been barricaded off earlier Monday morning due to raging flood waters. According to emergency responders, the man, whose name was not
released was checked by LeFlore County Emergency Medical Services but suffered no serious injuries. The
truck remained in the water after the rescue was completed.
PDN photos by Kim McConnell
IA
TIO
According to LeFlore
County Emergency Management Director Michael
Davidson, river and lake
levels are at record levels in
many areas in the county.
Davidson said as many as
16 inches of rain fell in the
southeast corner of the
county and more than eight
in other areas.
The Poteau River in
Panama was measured at
44.05 feet at 10:45 a.m. but
after the loss of electronic
BET
TE
Mother Nature wreaked
havoc across Oklahoma
during the weekend, LeFlore County no stranger to
her touch.
Anywhere from 8-16
inches of rain fell in the
county during a 48 hour
period, resulting in washed
out roads, damaged bridges, closed highways, homes
damaged and one swift
water rescue.
Light rain continued ibto
Monday evening as a nold
front moved through the
area, spawning occasional
snow flurries.
Area flood warnings will
remain in effect until canceled by the National
Weather Service.
Ed board
votes to
cut $47M
in funds
AND ANDREA EGER
5.6: NOV. 6, 2011 | PRAGUE
By Kim McConnell
PDN Publisher
Joy Hofmeister:
“We do know that
we anticipate
some districts are
going to have a
very difficult time
remaining open.”
World Staff Writer
World Staff Writer
A rash of 32 earthquakes
that shook the state in a 24hour period Wednesday night
and Thursday increases the
likelihood that Oklahoma will
experience a higher-magnitude quake, Jeremy Boak, director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, said Thursday.
Two large earthquakes —
one that tied for fourth largest
in state history — struck near
a town in northwestern Oklahoma less than a minute apart
Wednesday night and were
followed by 30 smaller quakes
through Thursday evening.
“This little burst has been
quite remarkable,” Boak said.
“Having four magnitude-4s
in one day is highly unusual.
It’s up there in that northern
center. So it’s quite isolated
from the ones we had earlier
this year and the tail end of
last year. But it’s definitely of
concern.”
The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude-4.4 earthquake about 20
miles northwest of Fairview
at 10:27 p.m. Wednesday, followed 30 seconds later by
a 4.8 quake less than a mile
away. The two temblors were
about 3.5 miles deep.
The first quake on Wednesday night was initially estimated to be 4.7 in magnitude
but was later revised to a 4.4.
Seven smaller earthquakes —
still magnitude 2.5 or greater
— had occurred earlier in the
day Wednesday.
The third largest in the
overnight swarm was a magnitude-4.0 quake at 2:37 a.m.
Thursday about 17 miles
northwest of Fairview. It was
recorded about 3 miles deep.
Another magnitude-4.0 quake
was recorded in the same area
about 2 p.m.
About 9 minutes after the
first Fairview seismicity of
Wednesday night — the 4.4and 4.8-magnitude quakes
SCHOOL WOES
MONDAY
Kirk of the Hills, 4102 E.
61st St.
BY COREY JONES
Floods close roads, spread damage
Page 1
January 8, 2016
RISING RISK
Man rescued from swift water
The Freedom Call
final home edition
www.tulsaworld.com
ƭ A more powerful
quake is possible, a
state official says.
Two men take a close-up look at the raging waters of the James Fork Creek on old Oklahoma Highway 112 Monday morning. The same bridge was the location of a
swift water rescue later the same day.
December 17, 2015
SCENE: ‘Revenant’ offers
beauty and brutality. D1
EARTHQUAKE SWARM: 32 QUAKES IN 24 HOURS
50¢
The
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Volume 77, Number 15
Dewey County Record
Seiling, OK, Vol. 106, No. 1
USPS #762-700
75¢
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Serving Dewey County since 1910
pretty good product and we have a darn
good staff.”
(Oh, the pay is $30,000 with benefits,
paid hourly – starting at $14.50, with
overtime, medical benefits after 60 days,
retirement plan after one year. How do
you compare?)
The other items included an Alaskan trooper seizing a Wasilla newspaper
photographer’s memory card after he
took photos of an arrest. It was returned
the same day and the apology came
from the top.
I assume you read about the news
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319 Main St., Mountain View, OK 73062
Thursday, January 7, 2016
2016 Small Grain
reporting date
January 15th
‘Historic’ flood impact ripples through Grand Lake
Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller
khutson@grovesun.com
Featured newspapers this month:
Poteau Daily News, The Dewey County
Record, The Grove Sun, Tulsa World, The
Freedom Call, Mountain View News, The
Oklahoman, The Norman Transcript and
Kiowa County Democrat.
newmcctour.com
www.metrocreativeconnection.com • service@metro-email.com
+++
For updates on area road closings, visit poteaudailynews.com.
Take a tour now and
experience all of the
incredible improvements.
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HO
Many Area Roads Closed
by Terry Clark
Journalism Professor,
University of Central Oklahoma,
TClark@uco.edu
N
ER
2014
AWARD WINNER
ST
s 7-9 Comics, Classifieds
s 10 Restaurant Guide
TE
UÊ3 Weather, Calendar, Obituaries
UÊ4 Opinions
OK
Clark’s Critique
Newspapers are making news these
days, and four items caught my attention.
The first was a simple help wanted ad
from a weekly Idaho paper looking for a
reporter. It was so unusual that Huffington Post made it national.
“We have an opening for a reporter
who reads,” began the ad for the St.
Maries Gazette Record, a 3,300-circulation county seat paper in a town of about
2,400.
Owner Dan Hammes told HuffPost
he wasn’t joking, saying that anyone
who works at his newspaper must read
newspapers. “I’m old and I’m grouchy,”
he told HuffPost. “So many kids you hire
these days don’t read anything. Not to
mention you can’t write very well if you
don’t read.” (I made sure my students
saw this.)
The rest of the ad was so interesting
I thought I’d apply but my wife outvoted
me: “This is a rural area. Think small
town, rivers, lakes, mountains. Great
outdoors recreation but no shopping
centers, no crowds, no stoplights. If this
appeals to you, you’ll love it here. If you
like shopping malls and Starbucks then
you might want to move on to the next
ad.”
“About our newspaper . . . we have a
staff of 10, which includes three employees in the newsroom. It goes without
saying the person we hire will be able
to write, spell and edit. What also needs
to be said is we prefer to hire reporters
who read because we strongly believe
that knowledgeable, informed people
make superior reporters. We can excuse
you if you have not read a book or two
in a while, but the person we hire will be
a newspaper reader. We are convinced
that in order to be a respectable reporter, you must be informed. We publish a
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
PoteauDailyNews.com
Complete Sports Coverage, 5-6
TI
SERVING LEFLORE COUNTY
A Christmas weekend of
heavy rain throughout the
Grand River Watershed left
many residents throughout
the 1,300 miles shoreline
of Grand Lake scrambling
from the effects of throughout days leading into 2016.
Initially, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers officials
estimated the lake would
hit 754.9 feet, or be at 99
percent capacity on Tuesday, before cresting.
As of Tuesday evening,
the water levels on Grand
Lake were “holding steady”
at 754.8 feet, according to
Brannen Parrish, public
affairs specialist with
the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
Parrish said the release
of 220,000 cubic feet (of
water) per second from
both the Pensacola Dam
and its two spillways, as
ll
ti
KAYLEA M. HUTSON-MILLER / GROVE SUN
Water flows through the nine spillway gates at Pensacola Dam on Tuesday, Dec. 29.
Other flood waters
entering the system were
coming from the Elk River,
which Parrish said was
being impacted by the
flood waters in McDonald
County, Missouri.
Parrish said COE officials continue to monitor
Grand Lake as well as
Dam and a total of nine
on the two eastern spillways, and had the dam at
a high electric generation.
The 226,525 cfs of water
released throughout the
day Tuesday, allowed the
lake to keep at a steady
level, despite flood waters
moving into the area
Impact of Flooding
While the reading for the
National Weather Service
lists Delaware county as
receiving 9.11 inches at
Jay — where the official
measuring station is located
— the results throughout
the region were mixed.
Lisa Jewett, airport manager for the Grove Regional
Airport, said the airports
computerized system
indicated Grove received
the following amounts of
rainfall during the threeday period: Saturday: 4.23
inches; Sunday: 3.32 inches
and Monday: .32, or a
grand total of 7.87 inches of
precipitation.
Other residents reported
receiving 8.76 inches near
Sail Boat Bridge, 7.4 inches
at Patricia Island, just shy
of 9 inches at Blue Bluff,
9.30 inches south of Honey
Creek Bridge.
SEE GRAND, A5
FUN AFTER THE STORM
For one Skiatook teen,
Tuesday’s sunshine gave
staff having to deliver the Boston Globe
because of problems with the circulation contractor. Welcome to the world of
weekly newspapering.
You did see that there’s a new type of
journalism, thanks to the Tulsa World?
The reserve sheriff’s deputy at the heart
of a fatal shooting controversy resigned
and accused the World of “Yellow Dog
journalism.” I’ve heard of yellow journalism, and Yellow Dog Democrats, but
didn’t know they’d interbred.
Cordell, Oklahoma, December 30, 2015 -- This is a
reminder from Skipper Bates,
County Executive Director
(CED) to all Washita County
)DUP 6HUYLFH $JHQF\ )6$
producers who haven't yet
certified their acres that
the deadline to report small
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wheat, is Friday, January
15, 2016. Failure to report by
the deadline or schedule an
appointment by the deadline,
will result in substantial late
fees ($46/farm number).
,QRUGHUWRFRPSO\ZLWK)6$
SURJUDP HOLJLELOLW\ UHTXLUHments, all producers must
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that require certification
include the Noninsured Crop
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$JULFXOWXUH 5LVN &RYHUDJH
$5&DQG3ULFH/RVV&RYHUDJH3URJUDP3/&
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3275 extension 2 for an appointment to report your
acres before the January 15th
deadline.
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:DVKLWD &RXQW\ )6$ RIÀFH How do we spell relief? Power!
DW1RUWK*OHQQ(QJOLVK WORKERS ARE PICTURED REPLACING POLES near Gotebo Wednesday, afternoon, December 30, in an effort to restore power to
Cordell, Oklahoma, or call Mountain View. Electricity was back on in Gotebo that day. Thanks to all those who have worked so diligently to repair what Winter
See Small Grain Page 2 Storm Goliath destroyed.
Mountain View’s sales
tax down from year ago
CITIES RECEIVE $146.6
MILLION
COUNTY RETURNS TOTAL $32.3 MILLION
The December distribution
of sales tax collections by the
Oklahoma Tax Commission
primarily represents local tax
receipts from October business. Companies that remit
more than $2,500 monthly
in sales tax receipts are reTXLUHG WR ÀOH DQG SD\ HOHFtronically. The monies they
reported this period represent
sales from October 16th to
October 31st and estimated
sales from November 1st to
November 15th.
The disbursement of
$138,239,275 in sales tax col-
lections was returned to 514
FLWLHVDQGWRZQVUHÁHFWLQJDQ
increase of $247,851 from the
$137,991,424 distributed to
513 cities and towns in December last year. The use tax
disbursement of $8,330,750
was distributed between 391
cities and towns.
In county returns, 77 counties shared in a $29,220,507
sales tax disbursement. The
use tax disbursement of
$3,077,760 was distributed
between 74 counties.
7KH IROORZLQJ OLVW LQFOXGHV
new sales and use tax rates
for cities, towns and counties
and their effective dates.
NEW RATES
EFFECTIVE DATES
'HFHPEHU1R&KDQJHV
January 1, 2016
(57-01) Bartlesville 3.40% sales
(74-01) Bartlesville 3.40% sales
(55-05) Del City
4.00% sales & use
(68-07) Gore
4.00% sales & use
(29-04) Hollis
3.00% sales & use
(14-11) Norman
4.00% sales & use
(48-88) Marshall Co 2.00% sales & use
3LWWVEXUJ&RVDOHVXVH
)HEUXDU\1R&KDQJHV
0DUFK1R&KDQJHV
Dec. 2015
Dec. 2014
Mountain View 4% $ 12,512.31
$
14,492.46
Gotebo 4%
3,418.70
3,784.25
Hobart 4%
111,679.84
111,223.73
Lone Wolf 3%
4,684.04
2,529.85
Snyder 4%
20,310.86
19,881.75
Roosevelt 3%
3,541.52
2,778.62
Mt. Park 3%
1,101.68
895.00
County Portion Sales Tax
Kiowa County .005
$ 28,848.00
27,963.81
Use Tax
Mountain View .04
$
919.67
1,668.58
Kiowa Co .005
3,108.61
3,198.25
In 2015 we said good-bye to....
(Obituaries printed in the Mountain View News)
September
Helen Sue George
Milan W. Wallace
Betty Brumley
Ricky Len Clark
January
Raymond Bingamon
Jerry Bennett Earnest
Ronald Dale Fenter
Dessie Evatt
Marie Aleen Norton Dumas
February
Francisco Ponce, Sr.
Kathryn Tate
Larry Riley
Alma Lorene Payne
George Martin III
Audrey Marthena Stickland Tully
Barbara Anne Hancock
March
Norine Parrish
Sylvia Dean
Donald “Donnie” Rex Miller
Harrel Gail Ballou, Jr.
Mildred T. Hawkins
Danny Wheeler
May
Winifred Olene Kern
June
Terri ReNae Shelly Thurman
Vada Ammon Streun
Nadine Vandever
Phillip Ray Smith
Elizabeth J. “Beth” Bussey
July
Byron “Barney” Gore
Vernon Blehm
Maybelle Hulett
James Victor Day
Waymon Lee Skipworth
August
Donald “Pete” Granger
Deborah Ann Easley
Warren “Glen” Jackson
Hattie Jean Blakley
October
J.A. Armitage
Donald W. Pearl
James Adair
View News)
April
December
Heather Ricketts Bryan
Arnita Weber
Max D. Easter
Warren Phillips Jr.
Annie Bell Goombi
County Sheriff hosts two-day training
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By Bill Lancaster
Monday and Tuesday
(December 21-22) the
Kiowa County Sheriff’s
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class for law enforcement
officers. The emphasis
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announcements printed in the Mountain
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See Sheriff Page 2
LOOKIN’EM OVER:
pushing up daisies soon”; Okeene Record,
“And ‘Sow’ it begins.”
Time for the results of “Headline of
the year” contest, picked from the first
place winners in this column over the
past 12 months.
First place, tie. The OKC Tribune in
July, on the story about the Ten Commandments being removed:
THOU SHALT NOT
and, The Oklahoma Daily, in December about the stray donkey:
OFFICER SPOTTED HAULING ASS HOME
Runners up: Garvin County News Star
on a seed spitting contest, “Who’s the
biggest blow hard?”; Eufaula Indian
Journal, “Inspiration garden could be
’Tis the season for earthquake,
weather and humanity stories.
• Earthquakes – Headline in the Moore
American says it all: “On shaky ground
in Oklahoma.” Strong coverage by
Corey Jones in the Tulsa World; Sarah
Terry-Cobo in The Journal Record,
“The big warning”; James Coburn
in The Edmond Sun, about increased
risks of more.
• Weather – dramatic coverage in Poteau Daily News, “Swamped” over Kim
McConnell coverage; The Grove Sun,
Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller; The HenContinued on Page 9
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016 9
Clark’s Critique Continued from Page 8
Sooner win sets up potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, Sports
Lincoln Plaza Office Park hits auction block PAGE 1C
THUNDER
ROUTS
GRIZZLIES
REALITY TV STAR
KATIE MALONEY’S
WINTER BEAUTY TIPS
PAGE 1B
PAGE 1D
THE OKLAHOMAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016
75¢
REACHING MORE THAN 475,000 PEOPLE EACH DAY
DEBRIS DELAY
BY WILLIAM CRUM
Staff Writer
wcrum@oklahoman.com
Set aside for a moment those
thoughts that city officials are
special.
Like thousands of other Oklahoma City residents, Ward 1
Councilman James Greiner and
City Manager Jim Couch were
waiting this week for crews to
collect debris from November’s
ice storm.
Jeff Mayo named publisher
of Sequoyah County Times
NEWSOK.COM
OKLAHOMAN.COM
As cleanup stretches into sixth week,
OKC officials admit missing mark
on ice storm collection estimate
“People’s patience is running
a little thin at this point,” Greiner
said Wednesday.
Greiner said he had calls Tuesday from a resident near Northwest Expressway and Wilshire
Boulevard and from a neighbor-
hood association president asking “when they were going to be
coming by.”
The name of his own neighborhood, Council Oaks, gives a
clue to the volume of downed
branches and tree limbs still lin-
THE NORMAN
TRANSCRIPT
Visit www.normantranscript.com for breaking news
Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA
$1.50
‘No home but here’
Norman’s homeless population on the decline, but still in need
ing curbs, Greiner said: “We had
quite a bit. They haven’t picked it
up yet.”
Couch told the city council
Tuesday that “we were off” in
SEE DEBRIS, PAGE 5A
‘I HAVE
TO KEEP
COMING
OUT HERE.
I’LL STARVE
TO DEATH
IF I DON’T.’
Mack Burke / The Transcript
Above Left: Homeless Norman resident Johnny Montgomery sits outside of Food and Shelter in Norman. Above Right: Homeless Norman resident Jim Greenwood.
Below Left: Homeless Norman resident Virgil Lee smokes a cigarette rolled from a paper gum wrapper. Below Left: Homeless Norman resident Jamie Tsatoke.
As ordinance takes effect,
panhandlers stress
a means for survival
as city official cites
safety concerns
Editors note:
This is the first
installment of an
ongoing series
on Norman’s
homeless
population
By Mack Burke
Transcript Staff Writer
N
“I don’t have any family here. I don’t have a home.
I don’t have a ride. So, I go behind that church
dumpster and sleep back there ...”
orman’s homeless population shrank in 2015
Jamie Tsatoke,
according to Food and
Homeless Norman resident
Shelter Director April Heiple.
The latest numbers indicate there
“We know there are dozens
are about 70 men and women
estimates don’t tell the whole
who are chronically homeless
story, because homeless numbers more living on the streets who
have yet to engage in services,”
in Norman, 12 of whom are
can be difficult to measure and
veterans. Still, Heiple said those
because people aren’t numbers.
Heiple said.
Additionally, Heiple said there
are many more who are at risk
of losing their homes or living
on the edge of destitution and
those in need of treatment for
mental health issues.
Of all the challenges facing the
homeless, the cold is an immediate reality. Without a home,
exposure can be life threatening. According to data from the
See HOMELESS Page A2
MORE COVERAGE
•Panhandler says he needs money
to pay for medical drugs for
himself and his wife, Page 2A
•Issue has been source of
concern for decades in
Oklahoma City, Page 2A
•Police to hand out information
as they hold off on enforcement
for 30 days, Page 3A
•Read the text of the new
ordinance, Page 3A
Roy, 63, who says he is “homeless
and hungry,” panhandles at an
intersection at Memorial Road
and Pennsylvania Avenue on
Tuesday, two days before an
anti-panhandling ordinance was
to go into effect in Oklahoma City.
BY ANDREW KNITTLE
Staff Writer
aknittle@oklahoman.com
A new, controversial ordinance now
in effect across Oklahoma City has
many panhandlers upset and expecting rough, hungry days ahead.
“Better build bigger prisons,” said
one of them, a 63-year-old named
Roy. “People are going to rob, steal ...
do whatever they have to not to starve.”
Like most of those who panhandle,
Roy only provided his first name. He
said giving his full name “puts me in
a tough spot.” Others interviewed for
this story shared Roy’s concerns.
Panhandling from a median in the
eastbound lanes of Memorial Road
near Quail Springs Mall, Roy sits in his
wheelchair, an American flag propped
up behind him. His sign says, simply, that he is “homeless and hungry.”
One of Roy’s legs is gone below the
knee, and his eyes hide beneath a lowsitting, bright red knit cap.
Roy claims he knows little of the
new ordinance, which significantly
limits where he and others like him
can beg passersby for loose change and
dollar bills. What he has heard about
it, he “doesn’t understand.”
“I’ve been on the street for about
five years now. I have to keep coming
out here. I’ll starve to death if I don’t,”
Roy said, growing slightly agitated as
he spoke.
“What you don’t understand is that
if people don’t want to give it to you,
they’re not going to give it to you. If
they want to help you, they’ll help you.
It doesn’t matter about no law. They
know you’re hungry.”
The rewards for panhandlers working busy intersections range wildly,
from nothing to hundreds of dollars in
SEE ORDINANCE, PAGE 3A
‘Marvin’s Shining Star’
Children’s book aims to help youths with incarcerated parents
By Jessica Bruha
Transcript Staff Writer
Libraries, elementary and
middle schools across Cleveland
County will receive a new children’s book written to help children with incarcerated parents.
“Marvin’s Shining Star” was
written by Norman veterinar-
ian Dr. John Otto and his son,
Payton. The book is based off a
true story about an inmate named
Marvin Perry. Marvin Perry was serving life
without parole at the Lexington
Assessment and Reception Center
(LARC) when he trained a dog
named Star through a prison dog
program. Star suffered neglect
and abuse as a puppy and was in a
shelter before eventually becoming a part of the program.
The book details parts of Perry’s
life and the positive, life-changing
influence of prison dog programs.
Perry trained Star for four years.
She then became a rescue dog for
The image
shows the
cover for the
children’s
book ‘
Marvin’s
Shining
Star.’
Image
provided
See STAR Page A3
Jeff Mayo has been
named as publisher of the
Sequoyah County Times,
announced his father Jim
Mayo, president of Cookson Hills Publishers, Inc.
Jeff Mayo has been associate publisher and general
manager of the Times since
he came back to the newspaper business in 2003.
“Jeff’s heritage and training make him uniquely qualified to carry
on the mission of the newspaper to
serve the people of Sequoyah County,”
said Jim Mayo.
Jeff Mayo said he is honored to carry
on the family tradition of publishing the
Sequoyah County Times.
“While technology has
changed an unbelievable
amount since 1932, when
the newspaper was founded,
the work of getting the news
and reporting it has not,”
he said. “I look forward to
the Times being a continued
positive influence in Sallisaw
and Sequoyah County.”
Jim Mayo has been publisher of the Times since
1986. His parents, Wheeler and Florence Mayo, each served as publisher
since the newspaper began in 1932. Jeff
Mayo began his newspaper career in
1983 as an inserter in the Times’ mailroom.
Mark Codner appointed press secretary
[PHOTO BY ANDREW KNITTLE, THE OKLAHOMAN]
nessey Clipper, “We’re Ice …again,”
Barb Walter.
• Humanity -- powerful writing, photo
by Andrew Knittle of The Oklahoman who interviewed poor people
targeted by OKC’s anti-panhandling
law; The Norman Transcript, Mack
Burke interviewing homeless people,
“No home but here.” This is the kind
of coverage newspapers were made
for, a conscience of a community.
Noticeable – new flag and layout at
The Freedom Call; flag at The Dewey
County Record. Mooreland Leader adds
video technology for cell phones and
tablets. Weatherford Daily News’ Heather
Harmon writes about social media’s reliability as news sources.
End of year coverage – neat page one
layouts at the Kiowa County Democrat
and Wagoner Tribune. Nice treatment
at the Mountain View News, listing the
year’s obituaries by month, “In 2015, we
said goodbye to….” The Hooker Advance
lists obits and births, “Goodbyes and
hellos.”
HEAD’EM UP AWARDS:
First place, tie, The Oklahoman, on Ed
Godfrey’s outdoor column, written by
Ed, about his old hunting dog:
THAT DOG CAN STILL HUNT
and Stillwater News Press on Michelle
Charles’ story about a website naming
Stillwater Oklahoma’s smartest city:
HEY THERE, SMARTYPANTS
Second place, The Ada News, on Carl
Lewis’ story about volunteers helping
widows:
LIFE AFTER DEATH
Third place, Wynnewood Gazette, covering another attempt to pass a school
bond issue:
TIME TO BURN OUR SHIPS?
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Volume 111 - No. 8
Snyder, Oklahoma
You might
want
Wɛ knoɦ...
Snyder Show
Team / Booster
Club meetings
The Snyder Show Team
will meet Sunday, January
10 at 3 p.m., followed by the
Booster Club at 3:30 at the
Snyder Ag Building.
4-H • FFA • 4-H
Snyder 4-H
to meet
Snyder 4-H club will
meet Tuesday, January 19, at
3:30 p.m. at the Snyder Ag
Building.
Mark Codner, previous publisher of
The Madill Record, has been named as
U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin’s district
press secretary.
Codner will be covering 26 counties
that make up the Second Congressional
District.
Codner and his wife Sherry, along
with John D. and Gracie Montgomery,
owned The Madill Record for 21 years.
The paper sold in December 2015.
“Mark is a valuable addition and our
constituents will benefit from his extensive knowledge of community and local
government issues,” Mullin said.
Codner will be working from the
Muskogee office.
~ KCD ~
KCGS to meet
Tuesday
The Kiowa County
Genealogical Society will
meet Tuesday, January 12, at
6 p.m. in the Slaner Room at
the Hobart Public Library.
Joyce VanDerPol is making the arrangements for this
program. Refreshments will
be served. Everyone is welcome to attend.
You’ve Got Questions!
~ KCD ~
City Hall now
accepts debit/
credit cards
Snyder City Hall is now
able to accept debit/credit
card payments. There is a 3%
convenience fee per transaction.
Also, water bills can be
drafted directly from your
checking account with no
additional fees. Drafts are
automatically processed on
the tenth of the month or the
next business day the office is
open.
~ KCD ~
KCD available at
these locations:
We welcome Snyder
Mart as our newest location
for paper sales.
The KCD may also be
found in Snyder at: Waterhole 183, Farmer’s CoOp,
Willis Quick Stop, Snyder
Tag Agency, Toma’s Grocery,
and the KCD office.
Also at: Tom Steed Bait
Shop, in Roosevelt at Sunny’s Express, and in Tipton
at Hop & Sack.
~ KCD ~
Meetings
SNYDER BOARD OF EDUCATION
6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11
SPS Administration Bldg.
Hwy 183, Mt. Park
SNYDER CITY COUNCIL
4:59 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19
NOTE: New Time/Different Day
Snyder City Hall
~ KCD ~
Snyder Bulk Trash Pick-up
January 13 (2nd Wed. each month)
Call 877-592-5030
Weather tops news in 2015
Weather in one form or another
made headlines often in 2015. The year
began with snow and ice and ended the
same way. It appeared the year would
be another one of drought, but Mother
Nature turned things around in April
with the first of many rains.
The city got a new mayor, the Cyclone basketball team made it to state
playoffs, the band received their second-in-a row sweepstakes award, and
the name of the bank changed.
We bring you the first three months
of our summary of 2915 this week.
January
Powdery snow blew across the area New Year’s Eve, mixed with rain at
times. The first day of 2015 dawned
with slick streets but not much in the
way of snow accumulation.
Around noon, January 13, Kiowa
County Sheriff Bill Lancaster and Undersheriff Keith Cotton arrived at a
location just south of the Snyder City
Limits where Jeffery Montgomery,
wanted in Texas for drug crimes and assault charges, was reported to have been
staying. After he fled into the rocky
hills, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics offered to send a helicopter with
fleer capabilities to find Montgomery.
Moments before the OBN helicopter
arrived, Montgomery was located trying to wedge himself between two large
rocks. He was taken into custody and
transported to the Kiowa County Jail
where he awaited extradition proceedings and was later returned to Texas.
Ruthe Kendall and Johnye Kirk attended an old-fashioned ‘Bed Turning’
at the Mt. Park Senior Citizen Center
on January 22. Quilts viewed were
a 1925 log cabin pattern made by
Ruthe’s grandmother, a quilt made by
Ruthe for her great-granddaughter, a
quilt made by Johnye’s mother during
the Depression and a friendship quilt
also made by Johnye’s mother.
Five generations gathered when
LuRetta Hall celebrated her 87th
birthday. In attendance were her
great-great-grandson Kaiden Johnson,
great-granddaughter Ashley Johnson
with great-great-granddaughter Kindley, daughter Linda Alexander and
granddaughter Karen Snow.
February
The excavator made quick work
February 3 in tearing down what was
locally known as the “Maxwell house.”
The derelict house sat vacant on the
property behind Snyder City Hall until the city purchased it in 2014.
Dylan Flinn signed a letter of intent to play football for Northwestern
Oklahoma State University as part
of National Signing Day February 4.
Joining him were his mother, Karen
Flinn, father, Perch Flinn and Coach
Robert Babcock.
Christy McPherson was presented
as SPS 2014-15 Teacher of the Year
and Gwen Killian was presented as
Support Person of the Year.
Dale Saul and John Hesch announced their candidacies for mayor.
The corner bedroom of a house
at 1005 11th street belonging to
Ruthe Kendall was reduced to charred
boards and smoke damage after a fire
February 14.
SEE SUMMARY ... PAGE 3
No decision yet
KC District 3 EMS discusses next step
• Can I photograph minors without consent?
Kiowa County District 3 EMS board held their regular meeting Monday
night, but reached no decision on what is next.
Board chairman John Vaugh and members Kyletta Ray and Nolan McCall
discussed delinquent payroll taxes and other issues regarding dissolution of the
service in an open session. Member Jackie Willis was absent.
Shaun Cecil, Jackson County EMS director, was in attendance to add input
about the possibility of that service taking over District 3, and their current status
of providing service to the area. He said he will continue as is until March to allow
them to work out a plan. As far as assuming control of District 3, he indicated
they would not take over the service if all the assets were sold off.
The board voted to pay current expenses and set a special meeting for Monday, January 11 at 6 p.m.
Winter Storm Goliath – the aftermath
In a week’s time what was frozen has mostly thawed, power has been restored (mostly), skies have been bright blue, then back to gray as new weather
events move in. School is back in session after the two-week Christmas break and
things are gradually returning to normal. Whatever that is …
Remnants of last week’s winter storm remain in the form of piles of ice on
the corners, left when it was bladed off the streets, trees with broken limbs still
hanging forlornly, and deep ruts in the fields where repair trucks had to be drug
in and out in order to get the poles to all the breaks. Power company trucks still
travel up and down the highway as they work to ferret out the scattered problem
points and make permanent repairs where lines had been temporarily put back
into service.
Southwest Rural Electric reported power back on Thursday morning to
customers of the Frederick and Guyer substations, which are fed by the Western
Farmers Electric Cooperative of Anadarko. Western Farmers had not yet restored
power to the Altus, Navajo and Tipton substations – crews were working to rebuild transmission lines around Altus in icy, muddy conditions.
SWRE representative Joe Wynn said conditions were so bad workers’ trucks
had to be pulled on sleds by two bulldozers at a time.
Public Service Co. of Oklahoma reported that as of 3:30 p.m. Thursday,
only approximately 792 customers in western Oklahoma were still without power. Power was restored to residents in Caddo, Grady, Harmon and Tillman counties during the day Thursday.
On Monday about 200 SWRE customers began the day without power,
and only half that number by the afternoon. Wynn said remaining outages were
isolated to a few locations in Kiowa, Jackson and Tillman counties. That number
compares favorably to 400 without power on Sunday morning, 2,500 Friday
morning, peaking at 7,700 customers on Dec. 27 and 28.
(Hint to the Gazette – please use multiple paragraphs in your stories.)
Honorable mentions: Vinita Daily
Journal, on Denton Thomason story,
“PAAS adoption program a howling success”; Enid News & Eagle, on Sally Asher
story, Billy Hefton photos about a service
dog for an autistic child, “Jake comes
to the rescue”; The Bigheart Times, on
Louise Red Corn’s story, just for getting
“pyrrhic” in a headline, “Fletcher case
yields pyrrhic ruling”; Mangum StarNews, “They called the storm Goliath”;
Tahlequah Daily Press, on Sheri Gourd
story about the school marching band,
“On another note”; Okarche Chieftain, on
Roger Pugh’s, “After ‘Ice Age,’ Okarche
begins return to normal.”
• Can police deny access to records
by issuing a press release?
• Should I alter my archives
when a person demands it?
• Can I report inaccurate
tesimony given in open court?
• What are the laws about liquor advertising?
These are questions answered by the attorneys for the OPA
Legal Services Plan members in recent months. Newspapers always
need timely legal advice on issues related to newspaper publishing.
You should join OPA’S
LEGAL SERVICES PLAN!
See www.OkPress.com/LSP or contact Lisa Sutliff
at (405) 499-0026 or toll-free in Oklahoma 1-888-815-2672
10
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016
Enhance reader experience with augmented reality
Computer Notes
from the road
by Wilma (Melot) Newby
wnewby@okpress.com
Ever wish you could run a great video
on your front page? One newspaper in
the state is doing just that with the help
of an application call Aurasma.
Aurasma is HP
Autonomy’s
augmented reality platform. A reader can
point his smartphone, loaded with
a customized app powered by Aurasma,
at the page of your newspaper to unlock
enhanced content, such as animation,
video and audio.
For example, a reader could point
his phone at a photo of the winning
touchdown, which would take him to a
video of the play. It’s a bridge between
the physical paper and any video content
you want to publish.
Here’s another example of how it
can be used. A reader takes a photo of
an ad in the newspaper, which takes
that reader to a video about the store or
products on sale.
The basic service is free but commercial accounts are available for more
features. Although it’s free now, that
may not always be the case. As we’ve
seen before, once the word about a new
product gets out the price can escalate.
NEWSROOM APPS
Following is a rundown of some of
the best apps for your newsroom, in no
particular order. These apps provide
ways to bring information you’re tracking together into one place – and find
them when you need them.
• FEEDLY, a desktop news reading tool,
runs on both Android and iOS phones
or tablets. It’s a good way to bring all
your news feeds into one place and
bypass ads and photos. It even has a
flashy magazine and card-style layout
for a more visual approach. Users
can sign up for topical updates from a
variety of websites and blogs, or add
custom subscriptions from sources
like RSS. Articles can be saved in the
app for offline viewing and shared
through a variety of other apps.
• GOOGLE DRIVE, Google’s cloud storage service, lets you bring everything
together in one place. Available for
Android or iOS, it serves as a great
productivity aid due to its integration
with the rest of the Google ecosystem. Users can easily upload and
download files, and efficient file sharing and collaboration features are
great for newsrooms. A joint calendar
lets everyone know what stories are
coming up and who’s covering them.
Easy configuration of sharing settings, folder structure, quick access
to recent files and details, and built-in
viewing of documents, PDFs, photos
and videos make for a versatile cloud
storage tool on all mobile devices.
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• DROPBOX, like Google drive, is a
good way to share files over most
devices. Dropbox just dropped support on OSX 10.6 and less, so it’s falling out of favor in many newsrooms.
However, it’s a great tool for phones
and tablets if your office has a newer
system to sync with.
• Custom keyboards can add lots of
useful features for reporters handling
email, messaging and document
editing on their phones and tablets.
SWIFTKEY, for Android and iOS, is
among the best third-party option.
It comes with configurable settings
that allow you to set up the keyboard
just how you want it.
• SUNRISE is a free calendar app for
Android and iOS. Good calendar apps
are my favorite. Sunrise syncs with
your existing Google Calendar on
the set up screen. It also works with
iCloud and Exchange calendars. It
has background syncing, quick event
entry, reminders, time zone support,
location tagging and more. It now
works with Office 360 apps as well.
• A real time saver is the reasonably
accurate and fast app DRAGON DICTATION. This simple dictation app
transcribes whatever you speak with
good accuracy. There are some shortcut buttons to push the transcribed
text through to Facebook, email and
a few other places, but Dragon Dictation doesn’t store any notes in the app
itself. It works great. I think it works
better than Apple’s native software.
• PUSHBULLET lets you sync any kind of
device with any other. You can push
links, addresses plotted on Google
Maps, images and other information
from one device to another in just a
matter of taps or clicks. Pushbullet
also pushes other kinds of content, if
you subscribe to it, acting something
like an RSS reader. It won’t replace
other syncing services that you might
use, but it’s good to have for those
times when you want to quickly move
one thing from a computer to your
iPhone, or vice versa. Read about it at
pushbullet.com.
• If you’re willing to pay, 1BLOCKER will
deliver the most-powerful and flexible
ad-blocking experience on the mobile
web. Thanks to iOS 9, it’s now possible to throw off the yoke of privacycompromising trackers, pop-over ads
and such with iPhone ad blockers like
this.
• LASTPASS costs $1 per month but it’s
worth it to securely store all those
passwords that no one can remember.
It lets you access, manage and create
unique passwords wherever you are.
The app syncs with other installations
of LastPass, such as those on your
laptop or desktop computer. It takes
an hour or so to learn to how to use
it, but taking a few minutes to get this
one down could save you many hours
retrieving passwords later. LastPass
is best installed on more than one
device so all your eggs aren’t in one
basket, so to speak.
• REDLASER is an app that turns your
iPhone’s camera into a barcode scanner that even works on QR codes.
• TRELLO, for both Android and iOS,
is a digital bulletin board that you
can use to set up “to do” lists, tasks
and notes. Users create “lists,” which
are dynamic containers that can be
filled with “cards.” All of this can be
shared with other users, with provisions for creating new cards, adding
comments and assigning tasks. This
database for ideas is great for the
truly organized among you.
• OUTLOOK is now out for Android and
iOS. If you love its interface of email
and calender on your PC, why not
stick to the same platform on all the
devices you use.
• Microsoft now has ONEDRIVE for sharing files between devices. Together
with Office 360 we’re being offered
good software that all works together.
The only differences is that it costs a
little each month.
• For offices using LibreOffice, and
there are several now, there is GLOBALOFFICE for the iOS. This free app
competes with Microsoft but is not as
full featured.
• Google incorporated many of its editing features into the Photos app it
brought back to life and called SNAPSEED 2. It gives you the precision and
control of professional photo editing
software on your phone or tablet.
• DOC SCANNER + OCR FREE turns your
phone into a scanner that will even
use Optical Character Recognition to
turn photographed text into recognizable text. Phone cameras now have
the software to compete with desktop
scanners. You can scan a document
as a PDF file, email and print from
the program. I love this app and it’s
only $2.99 to upgrade to the “no ad”
version.
On these cold winter afternoons, take
a little time and check out some of these
apps. Many of them will save you time.
OPA Computer Consultant Wilma Newby’s
column is brought to you by the Oklahoma
Advertising Network (OAN). For more information on the OAN program, contact Oklahoma
Press Service at (405) 499-0020.
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016 11
NNA warns of marijuana advertising
The National Newspaper Association
recently cautioned newspapers to be
wary of marijuana advertising.
NNA said the question about marijuana advertising arose in December
when the Postal Service issued an internal directive to its employees about the
issue.
Although Oregon and Colorado now
permit marijuana sales for recreational
use, it is still a Schedule 1 controlled
substance under federal law.
Usually a product or service that can
be legally sold can be legally advertised.
Although marijuana for recreational use
is legal to sell in two states (and for
medical purposes in more than 20 other
states), the Postal Service says newspapers should not run ads from marijuana
shops.
“It is illegal under the Controlled
Substances Act to advertise a Schedule
1 drug, so even in Oregon and Colorado,
the ads cannot be in a mailed newspaper,” the NNA said.
The USPS provision states: “It shall
be unlawful for any person to place in
any newspaper, magazine, handbill, or
other publications, any written advertisement knowing that it has the purpose
of seeking or offering illegally to receive,
buy, or distribute a Schedule \1\ I controlled substance. As used in this section
the term ‘advertisement’ includes, in
addition to its ordinary meaning, such
advertisements as those for a catalog of
Schedule \1\ I controlled substances and
any similar written advertisement that
has the purpose of seeking or offering
illegally to receive, buy, or distribute a
Schedule \1\ I controlled substance. The
term ‘advertisement’ does not include
material which merely advocates the
use of a similar material, which advocates a position or practice, and does not
attempt to propose or facilitate an actual
transaction in a Schedule \1\ I controlled
substance.”
It’s also not legal to put the ad on
a website. The next paragraph of the
USPS states that “it shall be unlawful for
any person to knowingly or intentionally
sue the Internet, or cause the Internet
to be used, to advertise the sale of or
to offer to sell, distribute or dispense, a
controlled substance where such sale,
distribution, or dispensing is not authorized by this subchapter or by the Controlled Substances Import and Export
Act [21 U.S.C. 951 et seq.].”
Thomas Marshall, general counsel
to the Postal Service, told NNA that
postmasters are not authorized to make
rulings on “mailability.” They can’t seize
the mail or hold up a mailing while they
have questions answered. If a mailer
asks the Pricing and Classification Center (PCC) for a ruling on the mailability
of an ad, the PCC will tell the mailer if
the ad is not permitted.
The Controlled Substances Act permits a prison sentence up to four years
for violations of its advertising ban. NNA
said media lawyers would argue that the
law applies to the advertisers, not to the
newspaper.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued
guidance to the states in 2013 that it
would not interfere with local decisions
on legalization except in eight protected
areas. For example, it will enforce the
federal law if attempts to sell to children
are detected, or sales across state lines
into areas where marijuana possession
remains illegal are found.
“None of the eight areas have to do
with advertising explicitly, but it is imaginable that advertising in a children’s
publication would awaken the federal
police,” the NNA said. “Or possibly even
an ad in a newspaper that crosses into
prohibited state territory.”
Although the Postal Service will not
refuse to deliver your mail, a postmaster
could refer your issue to the US Postal
Inspection Service, which in turn could
turn it over to the Department of Justice
for prosecution.
NNA noted that the Controlled Substances Act applies to newspaper ads
however distributed, not just mailed copies.
Will we see a war over control of content?
That InterWeb
Thing
by Keith Burgin
kburgin@okpress.com
“All your base are belong to us” is
a famous Internet meme based upon
a poor English translation of an early
90’s Japanese video game called “Zero
Wing.” The phrase was part of the opening text, meant to convey the idea that
all of your bases were now controlled by
another faction in the game.
To me, the social media landscape
seems very much like this today. It feels
as though platforms would rather control everything than connect everything,
and that’s a stark contrast to the way it
all started out.
Twitter, the ubiquitous micro-blogging platform, may take a leap forward
in this regard.
Tech website re/code (recode.net)
reports that Twitter may be building
a new feature into its service that will
allow users to move beyond its post limit
of 140 characters to as many as 10,000
characters. No one at Twitter has confirmed this, but they’re talking about it
in general terms.
The issue that Twitter higher-ups see
is that users are getting around the 140
limit by posting images of text when
they want to say more than a tweet will
allow. Twitter wants to eliminate the
need for this hack and allow that text,
real text in theory, to be searchable –
bringing more eyeballs to Twitter from
the search engines.
It also lessens the need for other
platforms – image hosting services, for
example – and increases the chance
that users will spend more time on Twitter. Facebook – and to a lesser degree,
YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest – are
already headed this way.
In my opinion, “render unto Caesar”
moves like this threaten the social media
ecosystem by eliminating the need to
host art individually and it may lead to a
dearth of original work on the Internet.
Rather than offer a festive banquet to
choose from, it creates a trough in which
to pour slop.
To be fair, every company needs to
grow and expand if it is to survive and
survival is difficult in the online jungle.
And I would never presume to tell any
company how to maintain or better its
spot in the food chain.
I’ll say, “I don’t like the way this is
heading.”
With Facebook trying to be the
world’s news source, Twitter stepping
up to compete, and both companies
snapping up tangential service providers like Tommy Chong wandering in a
pot field, you have to wonder what the
landscape will look like after what I see
as an impending war over the control of
content.
Will we see an apocalyptic wasteland
with nothing left but cockroaches and
cat videos or will the online world find
an equilibrium with equal access to slop
or filet?
I’m not panicked but I can see the
slope of a hill and this one is headed
downward.
Access to the connectivity of the
Internet, and with it the general availability of publishing tools, opened the
way to millions of voices we might never
have heard otherwise. I consider that a
great thing.
It would be a shame to see it all slide
backward and end up with few outlets
for creativity digging for pearls in the big
digital trough.
“All your content are belong to us.”
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION
STAFF DIRECTORY
ADMINISTRATION
MARK THOMAS
Executive Vice President
mthomas@okpress.com • (405) 499-0033
JEANNIE FREEMAN
Accounting Manager
jfreeman@okpress.com • (405) 499-0027
SCOTT WILKERSON
Front Office/Building Mgr.
swilkerson@okpress.com • (405) 499-0020
MEMBER SERVICES
LISA (POTTS) SUTLIFF
Member Services Director
lsutliff@okpress.com • (405) 499-0026
ADVERTISING
LANDON COBB
Sales Director
lcobb@okpress.com • (405) 499-0022
CINDY SHEA
Advertising Director
cshea@okpress.com • (405) 499-0023
BRENDA POER
Advertising Assistant
bpoer@okpress.com • (405) 499-0035
CREATIVE SERVICES
JENNIFER GILLILAND
Creative Services Director
jgilliland@okpress.com • (405) 499-0028
ASHLEY NOVACHICH
Editorial/Creative Assistant
anovachich@okpress.com • (405) 499-0029
COMPUTER ADVICE
WILMA (MELOT) NEWBY
Computer Consultant
wnewby@okpress.com • (405) 499-0031
DIGITAL CLIPPING
KEITH BURGIN
Clipping Director
kburgin@okpress.com • (405) 499-0024
KYLE GRANT
Digital Clipping Dept.
kgrant@okpress.com
JENNIFER BEATLEY-CATES
Digital Clipping Dept.
jbeatley-cates@okpress.com • (405) 499-0045
GENERAL INQUIRIES
(405) 499-0020
Fax: (405) 499-0048
Toll-free in OK: 1-888-815-2672
12
The Oklahoma Publisher // January 2016
OKLAHOMA NATURAL GAS CONTEST WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NOVEMBER 2015 WINNERS
November Column: HAYLIE SMART, Owasso Reporter
November Editorial: WAYNE TROTTER, Countywide & Sun
NOVEMBER 2015 COLUMN WINNER
HAYLIE SMART, Owasso Reporter
The power of gratitude can be life-changing
Being grateful has changed my life.
This is the season for being grateful, but I learned
the true benefits of it a few months ago when I
needed it most.
I was very unhappy with some aspects of my
life and one day I was complaining about all of
it to my mom. She was busying herself with wiping the kitchen counters when she stopped and
looked at me.
“What if you only had today what you thanked
God for yesterday?” she asked.
That simple question stayed with me and at the
time I was reading Walking with God by John
Eldredge. The author kept a journal of his prayers
and conversations with God and encouraged his
readers to do the same.
I went to a drug store and bought an 89-cent
notebook and decided to write every day five
things I was grateful for. It started out as simple
things, such as, a morning cup of coffee, reliable
transportation and sleeping in on the weekends.
After a couple of weeks it became more specific,
such as, homegrown pattypan squash, the first
signs of autumn and feeding ducks at the park.
After doing this for a month I was amazed at how
many things I never wanted to live without. I was
grateful for every little thing, especially the people
in my life.
Such as, my coworker Karen bringing me a gift
from her vacation, my granny telling her church
friends how proud she was of my Smart Cents
program and playing Spinner and Rummikub with
my grandparents.
It was around this time I started feeling joy again,
despite my life situation still being the same.
It was so gradual, I can’t pinpoint when it happened.
For the first time in my life I can say I’m genuinely
happy and content with what I have and what I
don’t have. My family and friends have all noticed
the change and say I’m a completely different
person than I was six months ago.
I encourage everyone to take stock of what you
have and write it down. What if what you said
“thank you” for today was all you had tomorrow?
That was exactly what I needed to hear to realize
my life really wasn’t bad at all.
Anyone who knows me knows my dream is to
teach English and it’s becoming a reality more
every day. I believe in my daily practice so much
I’m going to implement it in my classroom.
Hopefully, when my students move on they’ll
keep journaling all their daily blessings, but more
importantly, they’ll understand the power of gratitude. They may even go on to teach others how
it can change a life.
When I write my five things before bed tonight,
writing this column will be one of them. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to share this personal
story.
Enter and Win
a $100 Check
from Oklahoma
Natural Gas!
The November Oklahoma Natural
Gas Column and Editorial Contest
was judged by a member of the
Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
1. Each month, send a tear sheet or
photocopy of your best column and/
or editorial to Oklahoma Natural Gas
Contest, c/o OPA, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499.
2. Include the author’s name, name of
publication, date of publication and
category entered (column or editorial).
3. Only ONE editorial and/or ONE column
per writer per month will be accepted.
4. All entries for the previous month must
be at the OPA office by the 15th of the
current month.
5. Winning entries will be reproduced on
the OPA website at www.OkPress.com.
Entries must have been previously
published in print. Contest open to
all OPA member newspapers.
Although Oklahoma Natural Gas Company
selects representative contest winners’
work for use in this monthly ad, the views
expressed in winning columns and editorials
are those of the writers and don’t necessarily
reflect the Company’s opinions.
Thank you for continued
support of “Share The Warmth”
Read the Winning Columns & Editorials on the OPA website:
www.OkPress.com (Under Contests)