Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Pawhuska, Steve Hughes has said that the heavy rains over the spring and summer has caused problems for his department. Hughes says residents aren't taking the time to clean up their yard and when they do, the grass is blown into the street.
Hughes is offering overtime to his employees wishing to do extra work to get those properties cleaned up. The city is also now beginning to brush hog the right-away next to the rail road. Hughes hopes this will fix the rodent problem next to those homes and lessen the fire danger once the dry season comes. Pawhuska Police Chief Nick Silva was at Monday evening's city council meeting and he let them know that his department is being recognized at a statewide level.
Silva went on to applaud the council for passing an ordinance that will allow the police department to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. With that being said, Silva knows there is a problem that his officers are working hard to fix. Silva added that he will be going back to Oklahoma City in two weeks speaking on behalf of the Pawhuska Police Department trying to make Oklahoma the first state in which every officer has a tablet. A fatality crash occurred Tuesday afternoon around 4:00 o’ clock on State Highway 11 located approximately two miles east of Pershing.
Steven David Haber was pronounced dead at the scene after his car collided head on with another vehicle. Four passengers of a 2003 Dodge Durango were transported to the hospital. Rebecca Jo McLain was admitted in stable condition. Three minors have been admitted into the hospital as well. One is in critical condition, the other two are in stable condition. Haber was driving eastbound on State Highway 11 and McClain was driving westbound when the two vehicles collided head on in the westbound lane. The cause of the collision is still under investigation. The Pawhuska Huskies are 2-0 heading into their first district contest of 2019. Thus far, they have outscored their opponents, 117-34 and this Friday's home game against Woodland will mark the third in a row at Ormond Beach Memorial Stadium. Coach Matt Hennesy expects to see the Cougars give the Huskies a challenge, though.
Pawhuska got out to a 46-6 halftime lead against Oklahoma Union before cruising to a 60-18 victory. Bryce Drummond was 12 of 18 and threw the ball for over 200 yards. Easton Kirk rushed for over 100 yards on the ground. The Huskies never turned the ball over and they didn't commit a single penalty. Hennesy did say his team must do better at executing two-point conversions. Heading into the game against 1-1 Woodland, Hennesy said the Huskies are at full strength. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 o' clock and that game can be heard on Sportstalk KPGM FM 93.3. The Pawhuska City Council met for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Tuesday evening and a lot of exciting announcements were made for the city.
One of these things includes the fact that the city is recruiting some brand name hotels and city manager Dave Neely believes these hotels are showing interest in coming to town. The city council voted to explore two options in regards to making repairs to the city water reservoir. It is working at half capacity and neither company will be able to begin making repairs until next spring because the city first has to get approved for a grant. The council also allowed for a vote to take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12th. There will be two questions on the ballot for Pawhuska citizens. These questions have to do with extending the termination date on sales tax rates in the city to December 31st 2024. There was also a resolution to approve a cooperative law enforcement agreement between the City and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This will allow the Pawhuska Police Department to work more closely with the Osage Nation. It was also announced that fifth Street from Leahy Ave. to Kihekah Ave. will be closed from 11 in the morning until 6 in the evening to celebrate the Allen Brothers being in business for 100 years. The next regularly scheduled Pawhuska city council meeting will be Tuesday, October 8th at 5:30 in the evening. The Skiatook Chamber of Commerce will meet for its monthly luncheon Wednesday afternoon at the First Baptist Church, located at 940 Oak Street in Skiatook.
School Superintendent Rick Thomas will be this month’s featured speaker. Cost to attend is $7 and the event starts at 11:45. Pioneer Days will also take place from Thursday September 19ththrough Saturday the 21st. Thursday will feature a 5K-color run, carnival rides and live music. Friday will feature a rodeo at 8 o’ clock in the evening. On Saturday, the parade starts at 9 in the morning. There will also be a kids fishing derby, a bean bag toss tournament and much more. For more information, go to skiatookchamber.com. The Board of Osage County Commissioners met for a regularly scheduled meeting at the courthouse in Pawhuska Monday morning and were able to accomplish a number of things.
There is a building in Fairfax that has needed to be demolished for several months, but the county doesn't want to assume the responsibility of doing the job in case something were to go wrong because they would be liable. At Monday's meeting, they decided to allow JL & Associates to do the work. The project will cost $7,000, but Terry Loftis, who was there to represent the firm, assured the commissioners that they will be there to oversee each step of the project. The commissioners discussed the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Certificate of Compliance, which is an affidavit that the district attorneys office wrote up. This affidavit deals with rules and procedures that growers of medical marijuana in the county must follow. The commissioners signed the affidavit as it was written. Rural Economic Action Plan Grant applications from INCOG are due by October 4th. The commissioners signed a resolution to begin applying for those grants. After talking to three separate companies, it has been decided that Kellogg Engineering will be the firm that makes repairs to the Blackburn Bridge, which was severely damaged by the flooding earlier this year. The commissioners also signed Bob Glenn Concrete as the contractor to make repairs to a county building in McCord. Those repairs will cost $30,000. The next regularly scheduled Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting will be next Monday at 10 o clock in the morning. The Pawhuska School Board met for a regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening in the Administration Building. Superintendent David Cash wants everyone to remember that the vote for the school transportation bond is taking place Tuesday. He explained one last time what the $250,000 bond is for.
At Monday evening's meeting, the board approved a contract with Tri County Tech, allowing students to earn credits from that campus. They also agreed to a partnership for Special Needs Services with the Osage County Interlocal Cooperative. This summer, the Huskie Basketball Booster Club was created. At Monday's meeting, the board approved their bylaws, making them an eligible club. It was also announced that the Pawhuska softball field will be used on Saturday October 5th for a benefit game between the Pawhuska Police and Fire Department. They will be raising money for the school. The old Fairfax Furniture Store, along with the Bighill Trading Post, which were both buildings that were severely damaged by a tornado nearly a year ago, need to be torn down. The only problem has been that the county doesn't want to take on this project because if something were to go wrong, they would assume the liability.
District three commissioner Darren McKinney has been looking for someone willing to assist with the project and Terry Loftis, with JL and Associates, is a firm that will be willing to take on the responsibility. The commissioners signed this contract with JL & Associates for $7,000. Loftis made a promise to the commissioners that he will make sure to honor the contract they signed. This is the type of proposal McKinney was hoping to see heading into the meeting. They hope to demolish the building and leave it to where another structure could be constructed in that same place at a later date. An 18-year-old Bartlesville man has been charged with first degree murder with deliberate intent in Osage County. Anthony Pruitt was arrested on warrant for a firearm charge in Washington County last Tuesday. He remains in custody in Washington County.
It is alleged that Pruitt shot and killed 19-year-old Lakenvian Jernigan on August 29. Jernigan was found along Highway 123 and County Road 2300. Augustus Pruitt was arrested and is currently in custody Osage County on accessory to murder charges. Also, 19-year-old Keshawn Evitt is facing accessory to murder charges. Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden stated previously that four suspects were involved and warrants were issued. We have reported that Jernigan has allegedly been involved in multiple cases. One case revolved around a drive-by shooting last January where he entered a guilty plea in Washington County Court. Anthony Pruitt was a co-defendant in the case. |
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