The Osage Board of County Commissioners will meet Monday morning in the meeting room of the Pawhuska courthouse and hear from a number of different people.
Hominy City Manager Jimmy D Ratliff II because he is looking for funding assistance from the county for phone system upgrades in the city of Hominy. These upgrades would allow all calls made to non-emergency dispatch numbers to be forwarded to 911. Kelly Bland, Executive Director of the Tourism Oversite Committee, will be at the meeting to give a report on how things are going in the county economically. Bland will also be requesting money from the commissioners for various events coming up around the county. There will also be talk about the road damage that utility companies have caused around the area and permit violations they have broken. The meeting begins at 10 in the morning for those interested in attending. The Osage County Election Board must receive your application for an absentee ballots by Wednesday, March 27th in order for it to be processed in time for the April 2nd election.
Osage County Election Board Secretary Kelly Chouteau says you may apply in person at the County Election Board Office in Pawhuska or download an online version of the form that can be submitted electronically at www.elections.ok.gov. Applications can also sent by way of mail, fax or e-mail. Sample ballots are available on the Oklahoma State Election Board website, as well as the Osage County Election Board Office, located at 630 Kihekah Ave. in Pawhuska. For those of you living in the Skiatook area that were planning on voting in person, you should be aware that Precincts 109 and 112 will be closed for the election. Any registered voter in these two precincts who have not yet received an absentee application should contact the County Election Board Office at 918-287-3036. Hominy Police pulled over a car Tuesday morning for speeding through town on highway 99 and that led to a search of the car.
Following the search, Officer Taylor found methamphetamine, marijuana and multiple pounds of tobacco in the car. The Police Department will let the court system determine what Acamie Moton, along with Tiffany and Darren Hill were trying to do, but the traffic stop is very reminiscent of how criminals attempt to do this. The three are facing charges of conspiracy, drug possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance to a minor. In honor of Roy Clark’s legacy, Barbara Clark has partnered with the American Therapeutic Riding Center to support the children of Green Country.
On Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, the public is invited to the Osage County Fairgrounds to take part in the first annual Roy Clark Memorial Championship Rodeo. The ATRC has provided equine therapy services to thousands of children over the last 10 years. If you would like to take part in the event, call Ringgold and Sons Rodeo Company at 580-244-3635. You also have the option to register on the day of the event. For any questions regarding the fairgrounds, call 818-693-9914 or 918-246-9450. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids aged 6-12 and those under the age of 5 are admitted free. First responders and those with a military get in free. We will have updates to this story as the event draws near. The Pawhuska School report card has been released to show how well the school ranks compared to other districts in the state. Superintendent David Cash admits that last year's results aren't what the district had hoped for.
With this being Cash's first year at the helm, he is looking at ways to improve those grades for next year. The report card was released by the Oklahoma Department of Education. Osage County will be holding a free dump day sponsored by the City of Pawhuska and the Osage County Commissioners on Saturday, March 30.
Items may be dropped off at various locations between 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. Items being accepted include household appliances, furniture, mattresses, box springs, wood and brush. You may also drop off passenger tires as long as you leave off the rims. Items that won’t be accepted include trash, paint, chemicals and any hazardous waste materials. For those of you living in District Number One, items can be dropped off at 8th and Pecan in Pawhuska or 60810 on State Highway 11 in Shidler. You can also drop them off at 516 S. 5th Street in Barnsdall. If you live in District Two, items may be dropped off at 2850 W. 133rd Street North in Skiatook. In District Three, items can be dropped off at 604 Cotton Gin in Hominy or 100 N. 1st Street in Fairfax. For more information, call 1-800-259-1570. The Pawhuska City Council met for a regular scheduled meeting Tuesday evening at City Hall.
Bill Todd, the Administrator and Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, was at the meeting making a recommendation to make an ordinance regarding fencing along residential property. Bill Hughes, a Code Enforcer for the city, added very few cities in the state allow front yard fences. Those fences are are less than four feet tall. Hughes said no city allows a privacy fence in the front yard. After hearing from Todd and Hughes, the council passed a resolution with a 3-2 vote allowing for the front yard fence to be no higher than four feet. Subjects must also be able to see through the fence. The Council also sent out bids for two backup generators for the city of Pawhuska. They sent out bids last month as well, but the two generators they got weren't what they had hoped for. When hiring a contractor for a home improvement or business project, Chief Building Official Trey Yankovich says it is important to make sure they have a proper license.
Yankovich stated that everyone who does business in Bartlesville must be licensed through the City of Bartlesville, and sometimes the state of Oklahoma, as well. He went on to say that anyone hired to do home or business improvement jobs must hold a City business license and those performing electrical, plumbing or mechanical work must also hold a State license. Yankovich also said it is important for citizens to check if their contractor has insurance, as those certificates can lapse at any time. He says the City of Bartlesville has no way of knowing that. City permits might also be required for work to be done. To check this, citizens can contact the Community Development Department at 918-338-4238. The Osage Board of County Commissioners met for a regular scheduled meeting at the courthouse in Pawhuska Monday morning and things went smoothly.
After a week of allowing the county's legal representatives to look over the inter-local agreement between the commissioners and the city of Fairfax, it is now official that the town will get $5,500 of aid in emergency medical services. Miller EMS had been charging Fairfax and the surrounding area $7,500 a month to serve the town. That price went up to $13,000 effective March 1, forcing the town of Fairfax to ask for help in paying for the services. The womens building at the Osage County Fairgrounds could soon be getting a face-lift, as the Commissioners signed a resolution advertising bids to make improvements to the building. This is something District One Commissioner Randall Jones has wanted to do from the very beginning. The Commissioners signed a yearly contract with AT&T for the Sheriff's Department to continue getting service with the company. They also purchased a new eventide voice recorder for 911. This cost $31,712 and money is coming out of the E-911 account. The next regular scheduled board of county commissioners meeting is scheduled for this coming Monday at 10 in the morning at the courthouse in Pawhuska. Three suspects were back in court for a preliminary hearing Monday morning for the alleged murder of John Adkins.
Maurice Kent, Daniel Keene and Toby Bighorse are being charged with first degree murder or alternative murder in the second degree and the judge believes there is enough probable cause to move forward with the case. A district court arraignment date is set for April 15 at 1:30 in the afternoon. At the preliminary hearing, the State presented two witnesses who have participated in the investigation. The first was Bill Gee, a Deputy for the Osage County Sheriff's Office. Gee and his team of investigators were the first to come across Adkins' body a few miles north of Pawhuska. Upon returning to the Sheriff's Office, Gee was able to speak with all three suspects. The three suspects admitted that Bighorse was the one who struck Adkins with a hatchet over the side of the head. Gee said that Kent stated he pulled out a knife to force Adkins out of the car. Kent then cut Adkins more than once on the arm. Kent also said he later returned to the scene of the fight to look for his glasses and necklace. Bighorse told Gee there was talks of the three robbing Adkins that evening because he had been paid by the VA earlier in the day. She went on to tell Gee that after the fight they went to a friend's house and hid the knife and shirt. Gee recounted Keene saying he got out of the car during the altercation, but there was no evidence to show Keene partook in the fight. Keene did throw Adkins' phone out the window as they drove off. The Defense questioned Gee in regards to the Medical Examiner's report, as the report doesn't show a clear representation of how he died. The Defense also asked why there was $409 dollars found in Adkins' pocket, along with a debit card if the suspects were trying to rob him. After a brief recess, Osage County Sheriff's Office Investigator Robert Testerman was called to the stand. Testerman testified that he served a warrant to Kent's home upon his arrest to look for evidence. Testerman stated that he found what is believed to be a debit card belonging to Adkins, along with his wallet. Testerman also found a knife consistent with the one used to cut Adkins. |
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