The Board of Osage County Commissioners met for a regularly scheduled meeting Monday morning at the courthouse in Pawhuska to discuss some important items.


Hominy City Manager Jimmie Ratliff was at the meeting requesting funding assistance from the commissioners. The city is in need of a reconditioned, multi-functional defibrillator. The defibrillator will cost $5,500, but Ratliff wasn't requesting that full amount from the commissioners. The Board asked that the city search out a possible grant before giving them the money.


Osage County FEMA Representative Bill Heald was on hand letting the commissioners know what projects his team were working on across their three districts. He also added that come November 16th, the commissioners can no longer add any more damage assessments to the list.


The commissioners also spoke to three different engineering firms to conduct off-system bridge inspections from 2020-2022. They awarded that bid to Walter P. Moore.


Glenn Security Systems was selected to install a camera system at the Clarence Brantley Indoor Arena. They were one of two companies to bid. Glenn Security Systems was the low bid at just over $3,000.


During citizens input, Osage County Emergency Manager Jerry Roberts reminded everybody about the medical marijuana seminar taking place at the Osage County Fairgrounds on Tuesday from 1-4. This is an educational conference being held to help county employees better understand the Oklahoma medical marijuana laws. They are expecting several county employees to come from all across northeast Oklahoma. The event is also open to the public.


No bids were submitted to fix the treasurer's building. The estimated cost to repair the building is $15,000. Three utility permits were also signed.


The next regularly scheduled Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting will be next Monday at 10 o' clock in the morning.

Another suspect trafficking drugs through Pawhuska has been arrested.
Gary Guffey was arrested Wednesday evening and is alleged to have been trafficking up to 20 grams of meth to town. 
With the help of Osage Nation Police, Pawhuska police arrested Alicia Gibony over the summer as well. Gibony was allegedly trafficking 120 grams of meth onto tribal land. Those two cases total $14,000 in street value.
Pawhuska Police Chief Nick Silva said his department began noticing a large number of burglaries across town over the summer. Silva said it was because people were stealing property and trading it for dope.
Police began arresting people on drug possession and larceny complaints. They then began using surveillance to make larger arrests. Silva says he has seen a decrease in property crimes since making the arrests.
Guffey was caught in a sting operation attempting to sell drugs to an undercover police officer. We will have updates on this story as they become available. 

The Barnsdall Panthers have lost their last two ballgames by a combined six points. The Panthers have two games remaining and must win them both if they want any chance of making the playoffs. Coach Kylee Sweeney knows the effort is there. When watching game film with his team on Monday, Sweeney told them howimportant it is to finish the season strong. 




This Friday, Barnsdall travels to take on Tonkawa, the defending Class A state champions. The Bucs lost some from last years team, but Sweeney knows his team will have to come out and play well in order to get the win. 


Kickoff from Tonkawa is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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The Board of Osage County Commissioners will meet Monday morning at the courthouse in Pawhuska to discuss a number of important items.
The commissioners will interview three different engineering firms to conduct off system bridge selections. They will select Guy Engineering, Walter P. Moore or EST Inc. to conduct these inspections.
The commissioners will talk about different quotes they received to fix the camera system inside the Clarence Brantley Indoor Arena. They will also talk about quotes they have received for fencing materials at the McCord shop.   
Osage County FEMA Representative Bill Heald will be there to discuss the importance of meeting deadlines.
The meeting begins at 10 o’ clock in the morning for those interested in attending. 
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This year, the Osage County Sheriff's Office is planning Halloween differently than it has in years past. In the past, they have always attempted to be present in every city across the county on Halloween.


This year, they are putting on a First Responders Festival at the Hominy City Pool on Saturday, November 2nd at 5 o' clock in the evening. Everyone from across the county is encouraged to come out and meet the first responders, play some games and enjoy some candy. Hot dogs will be provided.

The Roy Clark Memorial Run For Special Needs Barrel Race is taking place this Saturday at the Osage County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska. Opening ceremonies start at noon and the event will start shortly thereafter. Event Coordinator Denise Ward explains what the American Therapeutic Riding Center is and how Roy Clark became associated with it.


Anyone interested in competing in the event has until 7 p.m. Friday night to pre-register online. They can also register on-site at the event. Admission into the event is free.


Every dollar raised on Saturday goes to support the American Therapeutic Riding Center. The American Therapeutic Riding Center serves 90 riders and is located five miles west of Sand Springs. For more information, call 918-246-9450.


(Photo Courtesy of American Therapeutic Riding Center Facebook Page.)
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Pawhuska's 42-16 victory over Hominy last Friday guaranteed the Huskies a home playoff game in the first round. A week 10 win over Pawnee would grant them a second round home playoff game as well, but the Huskies have an interesting two weeks before they face the Black Bears. Pawhuska will face Union's sophomore squad Thursday evening before having a bye next week. Coach Matt Hennesy looks forward to seeing what kind of competition his team will be going up against when they face Union's JV.  


Hennesy added that when the Huskies got their bye week last year, they used it strictly to heal up. This year they are treating things a little bit differently.


Kickoff for Thursday evening's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Ormond Beach Memorial Stadium. Coverage can be heard on Sportstalk KPGM FM 99.1.

The Foraker Company recently purchased the old K-Mart Building located off of Frank Phillips Blvd and Highway 75. They are now wanting to sell a tract of land located on that property separate from the rest. The land is 50,400 square feet and Grants Administrator Nancy Warring says it meets all proper zoning regulations. Her only concern is what may happen if the parcel doesn’t get sold.  
That is why Warring made the suggestion to require a performance bond on the Foraker Company. Karsten Kenworth, who was representing the Foraker Company, said he had several interested people in the land parcel. He argued that once they sold the land, the Foraker Company should no longer be responsible for any upkeep.
They approved the lot split on two conditions that the Foraker Company must follow. Kenworth and the Foraker Group hope to have the parcel sold by the end of the year.   

Staff from the Jane Phillips Medical Center approached the City Planning Commission about changing some signs on their campus and as you drive by on highway 75. Grants Administrator Nancy Warring explains what they plan to do.
The two reasons they are changing these signs is because of branding and trying to make the hospital stand out better. Tracey Diehl explains that.
The City Planning Commission approved the request pending city council’s approval.  

District Two Commissioner Kevin Pasley was looking for a way to get better health insurance for his county employees at Monday's Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting. Court Clerk Sheila Bellamysaid that option is not on the table at the moment because of a lack of money.


Bellamy added that the insurance plans haven't always been this way and that the commissioners have the authority to change it.


Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden said his employees are displeased with the insurance options they have and he has considered exploring other options.


Bellamy said she does plan to check other options next year because insurance plans have gotten so expensive.