The Cimarron Public Transit System will hold a community forum in Bartlesville on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at the Bartlesville Public Library in Meeting Room C. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 in the morning.
Cimarron Public Transit operates the CityRide program of Bartlesville and is requesting input from riders, local businesses, social service agencies, elected officials and the general public to assist in preparing for the future.
CPT Transit Director Laura Corff says the advantage of receiving open communication is to help the program better match service with needs. Corff adds priorities will be focused on sustainability and aligning available resources most efficiently to meet the greatest needs.
Feedback will be given to program staff in hopes of getting a better understanding of challenges and concerns from the community’s perspective. There will also be meetings in Pawnee, Ponca City, Sapulpa and Skiatook. 

Pawhuska Public Schools have began using MAP data to track how well a student is doing in school. This system allows teachers to measure what a student knows at a given time and what he or she is ready to learn next. Indian Camp Elementary School Principal Amy Sanders explains how the program works.
Kindergartners can begin taking this test and Sanders says how well the students have done in their first year.
High school principal Lauri Lee has been encouraged by what she has seen as well.
Lee adds she is proud of the way her teachers have adapted to thenew way of teaching.
Beginning in fifth grade, this program will be able to predict what his or her ACT score will be as well.

At Monday evening's school board meeting in Pawhuska, Superintendent David Cash reviewed a survey that had been handed out to people in the community regarding various bond projects.
After hearing the results, it was evident that the community had many different opinions on what is most important to get fixed first.
At next months board meeting, there will be an agenda item addressing which individual bond issue board members should look at. Cash let the board members know what he thought was most important.
The next regular scheduled school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11 at 5:30 in the evening in the Administration Building.

If you have ever had the desire to share your knowledge of nature with others, your chance has finally come.
The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve just north of Pawhuska is looking for guides to give relevant information to park visitors. The volunteer program promotes the Nature Conservatory’s mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
On Jan. 17, there will be an informational meeting at the Bartlesville Public Library at 7 in the evening. There will also be a meeting on Jan. 20 at 2 in the afternoon at the Hardesty Regional Library in Tulsa. If you are unable to attend these meetings, contact Kay Krebbs at 918-287-4803 or 918-855-7189. You can also send an email to [email protected].
Volunteer duties will be shared with others on a daily basis from Feb. 1 to Dec. 23.  

The Osage County Commissioners will have a meeting Monday morning at 10 o’ clock and it looks to be a busy morning.
Kay Kelley will be on hand to give an E911 update and Israel Barlow will be on hand to give a presentation regarding GPS tracking for equipment and vehicles.
The County Commissioners will consider taking quotes to improve the judge’s chambers on the floor of the Osage County Courthouse. They will also consider taking action regarding damage to two sheriff’s vehicles. That money would be paid from the deductible fund.
The meeting takes place at The Courthouse in Pawhuska for those interested in attending.   

Osage County, which is scheduled for Feb. 12. There will be a vote for a Shidler School Board seat and open seats in the city of Pawhuska.
Osage County Election Board Secretary Kelly Choteau says as long as you are a United States citizen and an Oklahoma resident who is 18 years or older, you are eligible to apply to vote.
If you have never registered to vote or are not registered to vote in Osage County, you may apply by filling out and mailing an Oklahoma Voter Registration Application form by Jan. 18.
The County Election Board will respond in writing to every person who submits an application for voter registration. The response will either be a voter identification card listing the voter’s precinct number and polling place location or a letter explaining the reason the application for voter registration was not approved.
Choteau says that anyone who submits a voter application and has not received a response within 30 days should contact the County Election Board Office at 918-287-3036 or email [email protected].
Oklahoma voter registration application forms are available at the County Election Board office, located at 630 Kihekah Ave. in Pawhuska. You can also find them at most tag agencies, post offices and public libraries in the county. You may also go to osage.okcounties.org. 

The search of an 18-wheeler in Pawhuska filled with up to 24,000 pounds of marijuana has led to the arrest of four men.
Virden says the arrest was made after obtaining a warrant to look inside the truck. There were also two men in a mini-van who weredeemed to be their security detail.
The 18-wheeler was pulled over just before 3 a.m. Wednesday morning after failing to stop at the four-way stop on the south side of town. When two police officers approached the truck, they noticed the odor of marijuana.
The two men in the truck claimed they were hauling industrial hemp from Kentucky to Colorado and showed the police officers a bill of lading, which is similar to a receipt. After looking at the bill of lading, the officers knew something wasn't right.
According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, it is only legal for subjects to transport marijuana in the state of Oklahoma if they have an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Medical Marijuana License. Neither person in the truck had such a license.
We will have more on this story as updates become available. 


Photo courtesy of the News on 6. 

The City of Bartlesville is offering free Christmas tree mulching again this season at the upper level parking lot of Sooner Park, located near Madison Blvd and Tuxedo Blvd.
Undecorated trees may be dropped off at the designated area just east of Madison Blvd. through Jan. 20. Mulch will be given out on a first come, first served basis. The mulch can be picked up Monday through Friday.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 918-338-4131. 

The Pawhuska City Council met for a regular scheduled meeting Monday evening at City Hall and things were pretty uneventful.
Ward Two Representative Steve Holcombe questioned City Manager Larry Eulert to make sure the city budget was in order.
Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce Director Joni Nash was on hand to give an economic update. Nash said a podcast she participated in back in July has finally been released and it puts Pawhuska in a very positive light. The podcast, which can be found on Itunes, is based out of Nashville and focuses on unique rural communities.
The next regular scheduled city council meeting will take place on Feb. 12 at 5:30 in the evening at City Hall in Pawhuska.

The City Council voted at its regular scheduled meeting to enter into a contract with United LLC of Tulsa to replace the sand and sub-drains in all of their green side bunkers at the Adams Golf Course. The bunkers will be reshaped, new sub-drains will be installed and a bunker liner will be added to the new sand.
The project was included in the 2018 voter-approved General Bond Election. The project will be partly funded by the G.O. Bond funds, as well as funds from the 2018 Golf Course Memorial Fund and unallocated half-cent sales tax funding. The total cost of the contract approved will be $143,320.
The project is expected to begin in late February or early March and is expected to take six weeks, pending weather.