February 2022

Okarche High School December Students of the Month are Ruby VanDenDriessche and Easton Roby.

OHS’ December Lioness and Lion are Karsyn Vallerand and Brody Sadler.

Maple School’s 7/8 girls basketball team earned a berth in the Organization of Rural Elementary Schools State Tournament with a win over Friend 28-21.

Maple improved to 15-9 and will play its first round at state Thursday at noon at Earlsboro High School against Rocky Mountain.

Gov. Kevin Stitt outlined his agenda for the 2022 legislative session during his State of the State Address last week.

His ideas touched education reform, law enforcement crackdown of illicit marijuana businesses, pushing for changes in the McGirt Supreme Court ruling, improving workforce development, tax reform and others. Stitt plans to make these changes while crafting a nearly standstill budget for the next fiscal year.

The theme of his speech was “Driving Hope for all Oklahomans.”

Lifting three players into double-digit scoring, Okarche High School’s girls basketball team rallied from a first-period deficit to close out the regular season with a 65-47 win over Class 2A rival Cashion.

The Warriors, ranked second in Class A, will take a 21-2 record into the district playoffs. Okarche is riding a two-game win streak and victories in 13 of its last 14 games.

Cashion led 17-15 after one period, but Okarche retook the lead with a 17-10 run in the second period for a 32-27 halftime lead.

Redlands Community College women’s basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak with a 62-45 home win over Connors State College.

The victory gave Redlands the regular-season sweep over the Cowboys as Jay Niehues’ team improved to 11-7 on the year and 5-5 in the NJCAA Region 2 standings.

The Cougars remain sixth in the standings but move to within half a game of fifth place.

Redlands was 22-of-61 from the field for 36 percent, including six 3-pointers off 32 percent shooting. The Cougars did struggle at the free-throw line with a 12-of-21 (57 percent) effort.

Seventh-grade students in Tahlequah were quizzed during the first semester of school about their views on critical race theory, transgenderism, abortion and other political issues - in a middle school geography course.

The quiz gained public attention when it was discussed during this month’s meeting of the State Board of Education.

Squandering a small lead midway through the first half, Redlands Community College men’s basketball team kicked off February on a sour note with an 83-74 loss to Connors State College.

The nine-point home loss was the second in a row for the Cougars, who fell to 12-12 on the season and 4-6 in the NJCAA Region 2 standings.

Redlands remains in seventh place in the league.

The Cougars were 26-of-53 from the floor for 43 percent, including a 7-of-20 effort (35 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. Redlands was 15-of-16 from the free-throw line for 94 percent.

Dolores Irene (Dolezal) Williams went to be with her heavenly Savior Feb. 6, 2022.

She was born July 31, 1935, to William and Rose (Maly) Dolezal on the family farm in Yukon. She attended Banner and Riverside rural schools, graduating from El Reno High School in 1953 and Oklahoma State University in 1957 with a degree in Elementary Education. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.

Funeral services for Richard Darnell Jenkins of Minco were held Friday at Minco First Baptist Church, with burial with military honors following at the Evergreen Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Richard passed away Feb. 7, 2022, at the VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was born Nov. 2, 1949, in Chickasha. He graduated from Am/Po High School in 1968. He joined the U.S. Army in 1968 and served during the Vietnam War in Special Forces as a helicopter gunner and sharpshooter.

WASHINGTON – Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says computer science education, an increased focus on career tech and higher teacher pay are keys to the future industries of Oklahoma.

Stitt said he foresees the day in the not too distant future where Oklahoma teachers, who once were next to last in pay, will earn as much as $100,000 a year.