 This Saturday is the 63rd Big Heart Day in Barnsdall, but the festivities will begin this Friday. The golf tournament will kick off the weekend's events at Adams Golf Course in Bartlesville and the Barnsdall High School alumni basketball game will take place Friday evening.
Saturday starts early with a kids fishing tournaments at the Lake Waxhoma and the Big Heart Day parade is scheduled to begin at 10:30am and food and craft vendors will be available all day Saturday. The Mud pit is back and throughout the day there will be kids games and activities such as turtle races and frog jumps, sack races, tricycle races, hula hoop contests and basketball shooting contests, and the Christian music talent contest. The evening will wrap up with the finals for the Christian music talent contest along with all other drawings before the evenings fireworks extravaganza. This year will be a high flying event as the fireworks will be shot from Barnsdall High School Sunday at 2pm, American Legion Post #227 will host Services at the Ethyl Reece West Cemetery to honor those for whom Memorial Day was created. Big Heart Day is Rain or Shine, the 63rd Annual Big Heart Day is happening this weekend in Barnsdall.  The Osage Nation has filed murder charges against Reece brothers Tyler and Jeremy. Due to the recent decision by Judge Stuart Tate, who ruled the state lacked jurisdiction in the murder of Pawhuska Oilman Rick Holt, the Osage Nation Attorney General's office has filed charges against the brothers.
Tyler and Jeremy Reece were charges by the Osage County District Attorneys Office with First Degree Murder, Kidnapping, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, and Desecration of a Human Corpse. Judge Tate ruled that the charges of First Degree Murder and Desecration of a Human Corpse took place on Tribal Restricted Land and therefore the state did not have jurisdiction. Osage Nation Assistant Attorney General Chad Patterson stated the Osage Nation has chosen to file charges to ensure the Reece brothers remain in custody Under the Osage Nation Constitution the maximum penalty the Osage nation can impose is one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. However, Patterson has stated if the Federal Government chooses to file charges the Osage Nation will allow them to prosecute. The Reece brothers will appear before Osage Nation Court on Thursday.  Friday, June 3, will be the last day for voters to register in order to vote in the Primary Elections June 28.
Osage County Election Board Secretary Andrea Conner said that persons who are United States citizens, residents of Oklahoma, and at least 18 years of age may apply to become registered voters. Anyone who has never registered to vote or those who are not currently registered in the county of their residence, and voters who are registered but who need to change their registration information, may apply by filling out and mailing an Oklahoma Voter Registration Application form which must be postmarked no later than midnight on June 3. Any applications postmarked after that time still will be accepted and processed; however, the applications will not be approved until after June 28. Oklahoma Voter Registration Application forms are available at the County Election Board office located at 630 Kihekah Ave, Pawhuska, and at most post offices, tag agencies, and public libraries in the county. Applications also are available at www.elections.ok.gov, and voters can check their registration status at http://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Online_Voter_Tool/.  The Osage County Commissioners held a short meeting Monday morning, and the topic which caused the most discussion was not on the agenda. Under the new business, Osage County Sheriff Ty Koch brought up a very important topic, the care of their inmates.
Osage County Jail regularly holds more than 120 inmates and each are awarded certain rights, in particular the ability to make phone calls. Under the County Jails current contract the county receives approximately 50 cents per minute an inmate is on the phone. Inmates pay for their calls through their commissary funds. The money owed to county from these calls can add up quickly and the current contract holder Lattice currently owes the county $54,000. Lattice is aware of the funds owed to the County and has paid a portion of the balance and has made an agreement to allow the County to keep the fees owed for their service, however Lattice would still owe the County $31,500. Because the discussion was not an item on the agenda the commissioners were unable to take action, or sign a contract with a different company; Prodigy Solutions has agreed to pay off Lattice's owed balance. Therefore, the commissioners will be holding an emergency meeting this Wednesday afternoon to sign a new contract and ensure that inmates do not lose their phone privilege. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Osage County Commissioners will be held Tuesday Morning, due to the observation of Memorial Day.  The Osage Nation General Election will be held June 6. Voters will be asked to vote for candidates for the Fifth Osage Nation Congress, Osage voters will be asked to vote on a constitutional amendment.
Osage news reports the proposed amendment, ONCR 15-04, if passed would authorize the Osage nation Court to issue criminal “punishments that are not greater than allowed by federal law.” Under the 2006 Osage Constitution, the court cannot issue punishments longer than one year in jail and cannot impose fines greater than $5,000. According to Congressional Speaker Maria Whitehorn, passing the amendment “will allow the Nation to enhance criminal punishments for crimes committed within the Nation’s jurisdiction,” and would allow the Osage Nation to adopt the Tribal Law and Order Act, and the Violence Against Women Act “both of which are vital to the expansion of the Nation’s jurisdiction and sovereignty.” Read More at OsageNews.org  This Saturday the Hominy Community Center will be offering a free public event honoring American Veterans and celebrating the history of Hominy. You are invited to a free showing of Celia Xavier's film “Playground of the Native Son,” a film showcasing the 1920s all Native American professional football team the Hominy Indians. The event will begin at 6pm with free food, drinks, and live music, followed by a presentation recognizing veterans for Armed Forces Day.
Administrative Business Manager for Big Sky Ranch and community center committee member April Brown has more of the details. The presentation before the film will feature guest speakers Rex Duncan, Charles O'Leary, and Joe Hawkins, along with distinguished member from the Osage Nation. In the event of inclement weather the showing will be moved indoors. Make sure to show up early to reserve your spot for the show. The event would not be possible without the support of the community; Crystal Bay Marina donated the food for the event, Big Sky Ranch's Gary Lanham is an executive sponsor, along with C&G's and Sign World.  There is a new sports voice on the FM dial in Northeast Oklahoma. You can now hear programming from Pawhuska's AM 1500, KPGM crystal clear, 24 hours a day at 99.1 FM.
Radio station owner, Kevin Potter says it took several months to move the request through the Federal Communications Commission. The transmitter is in place, the antenna was mounted on the mast, and the signal went on the air over the weekend. You can near programming from the Oklahoma City Thunder's flagship station, WWLS and from Fox Sports. In addition, KPGM carries daytime St. Louis Cardinal games and this summer you will hear play-by-play for the Bartlesville American Legion Indians and Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's and Women's Basketball. KPGM also carries live Pawhuska High School football and basketball games plus local news from Pawhuska and Osage County. Potter says adding the FM channel at 99.1 gives KPGM increased night-time coverage and static-free sound regardless of the weather.  Monday the Osage County Commissioners approved the use of the Osage County Fairground for the FFA Banquet, but tabled another request to use the facility. The second request came from Tjuana Boulanger, who is working to start a low cost spay and neuter clinic, and asked to use the County's Women's Building.
Boulanger and other Pawhuska residents would like to set up a clinic in response to Pawhuska's new city ordinance. Under the new ordinance if an animal is at large and is taking to the city pound the animal will be vaccinated, and spayed or neutered at the owner's expense. The ordinance is in response to Pawhuska and Osage County's animal overpopulation. The Commissioners chose to table the measure so they could verify the legality with the District Attorney's Office, but they did support the idea. The Osage County Board of County Commissioners will meet again next Monday at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska Osage Nation Congressional Candidates will be in Bartlesville for a meet and greet. Candidates Brandy Lemon and Hank Hainzinger will visit the Bartlesville Women's Club on Wednesday May 18, at 5:30pm.
The candidates are interested in meeting and introducing themselves to you and Osages living in Bartlesville as they campaign for a seat on the Fifth Osage Nation Congress. The Osage Nation Congressional election will be held June 6. Below are links to the Candidates Biographies, hosted by Osage News. http://osagenews.org/en/article/2016/03/31/brandy-lemon-announces-her-candidacy-fifth-osage-nation-congress/ http://osagenews.org/en/article/2016/04/08/hank-hainzinger-files-his-candidacy-fifth-osage-nation-congress/  Barnsdall students from the High School and Junior High were honored for their perseverance at the May meeting of the Barnsdall Chamber of Commerce. Junior High students Jasmine Burkett and Noah Wossom and High School students Taylor Shaw Griffin and Tanner Denington were honored Tuesday. Misty Farber updated the chamber on school events including graduation which is scheduled for Thursday May 12, at 7:30pm.
Chamber President Claude Rosendale updated the chamber on progress in the Beautify Barnsdall Campaign and the Shop Barnsdall Campaign. So far ten lawn signs have been ordered for the Shop Barnsdall Campaign and cement was poured for the loading area at the Community Center and new handicap parking at the library. Rosendale also discussed at length the scheduled events and plans for the upcoming Big Heart Day, which will be Memorial day weekend. T-Shirts have been ordered and should be delivered within the next week. The Barnsdall Chamber will meet again on June 14, at the Barnsdall Community Center Last week Rosendale sat down with Bill Lynch at the Bartlesvilleradio studio to discuss Big Heart Day. |
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