 This Saturday is the Pawhuska Annual Christmas Parade, themed “A Classic Christmas,” and it all starts at 5:30pm in downtown Pawhuska. The entire day will be filled with activities for the entire family. The Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center will be hosting a free Craft Extravaganza from 10am to 5pm. Following the Christmas Parade the Constantine Theater will be showing the 1989 film “Prancer.”
This year the Parade Committee named long-time Pawhuska resident and business owner, Sally Carroll parade marshal. Carroll opened Sally’s Sandwich Shop in Downtown Pawhuska in 1949 where it remained open until 2014. Carroll and the Community of Pawhuska celebrated her Centennial (100th) birthday on October 22 this year. Carroll will also be overseeing the Parade Award Ceremony which will be awarding prize money for winning Non-Profit Category entries first place will receive $300, second $200, and third place $100. The Pawhuska Annual Christmas Parade is hosted by the Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce and sponsored this year by Tri County Tech KPGM AM1500 FM 99.1 will be broadcasting live from the Pawhuska Parade from 5 to 7pm. Photo Courtesy: Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce  The Osage County Board of County Commissioners held a brief meeting Monday during which they opened bids, appointed an Elected Official to serve with Tulsa Workforce, and discussed hiring a part-time employee for E-911.
Darren McKinney was selected to represent Osage County with Tulsa Workforce for the remainder of the 2016/2017 fiscal year. McKinney will replace Commissioner Scott Hilton who has served as the County's representative for the past several years. The Commissioners then opened bids for Road and Bridge Materials, Rock, Grater Blades, Concrete, and Sand Monday. District #2 Commissioner Scott Hilton was able to accept the bid from Evans Concrete as it was the only concrete bid for the County. All other items were accepted for tabulation and will be approved, along with the discussion regarding hiring a new part-time employee for E-911, at the next meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners.  Brett Selvidge from Samaritan EMS provided their Monthly report this week at the meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners Meeting, and made a special announcement. Selvidge informed the Commissioners and the public that Samaritan EMS has been sold, however the Company's sale will not impact any existing Contracts or operations. The sale was made to a Tulsa based physician who was not named at the meeting.
Selvidge also provided the October transport and dispatch statistics. The data for October is consistent to what Samaritan has experienced since taking over the operating area earlier this year. During October Samaritan was dispatched 39 times the majority of which were for transport, 65 percent of the calls originated from Barnsdall, and the majority of Samaritans patients are male. Selvidge also announced that Samaritan will soon begin operations in Yukon, after they won the bid from EMSA. Samaritan also has bids out for operations in Nevada, New Mexico, and continuing contracts with Military and Federal Government.  A discussion about the rental prices for the Osage County Fairgrounds took center stage during the weekly meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners Monday. Frequent Fairgrounds patron Brandi Linde brought before the board the discussion of the new rental prices for the Arena at the Fairground in Pawhuska, stating it was not beneficial for “locals” but Fairgrounds Manager Steven Easley explained it was the only way to keep pricing fair.
Discussion continued until District Attorney Rex Duncan chose to be the “bad guy.” With the matter addressed the Commissioners thanked Easley his continued for hard work. The Osage County Board of County Commissioner will meet again next Monday at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska.  A Skiatook man has been convicted and sentenced to life without parole in the stabbing death of his sister in 2014.
22 Year-Old Michael Devin Stanley appeared in Osage County Court Thursday afternoon before Osage County Special Judge Stuart Tate. During the brief hearing Stanley pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his 16-year-old sister, Larisa Fraley, on January 27, 2014. Stanley has also been charged in Tulsa County with killing his great-grandmother, Esther Driskell. Driskell's murder took place in the Skiatook house shared by Driskell, Stanley, and Fraley. Her body was found on January 27, 2014, at the residence, which falls in Tulsa County. Fraley's body was found hours later in an abandoned van in Osage County. Osage County prosecutors alleged that Stanley killed his sister in an attempt to cover up Driskell's Murder.  Osage County Election Board Secretary Andrea Conner said candidates for municipal offices for the City of Pawhuska will be able file Declarations of Candidacy beginning at 8am Monday, December 5. The filing period will end at 5pm Wednesday, December 7.
Declarations of Candidacy will be accepted at the Osage County Election Board office for the office of Councilman at Large, which is a three year term. The nonpartisan Primary Election in the City of Pawhuska is scheduled for February 14, 2017. For additional information, contact the Osage County Election Board at (918) 287-3036.  Osage County employees received a holiday pay increase at the weekly meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners Monday. All eligible County employees received a $100 safety incentive award and a one time $300 holiday pay on their next paycheck.
During the meeting the Commissioners also approved the sale of tax lot properties and signed the deeds for the 29 properties sold during the Treasures Auction on November 7. The commissioners also approved for the county to begin working with Kellpro to develop a new county website. The county was able to negotiate the price down from $2,00 set-up and $3,00 a year, to a $1,000 set-up and they will not start yearly payments until 2017, pending the approval of the agreement. The Osage County Board of County Commissioners will meet again next Monday November 21, at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska.  The final Osage County precinct entered the Osage County Election Board Office in Pawhuska at quarter after midnight as many awaited the results of several close races across the County.
The largest County race on the ballot for 2016 was the decision for which candidate will replace the retiring Osage County Sheriff Ty Koch. The final tally came in with a separation of only 954 votes in favor of Republican Sheriff Candidate Eddie Virden, who took 52.5% of the vote over his opponent the current Osage County Under-Sheriff Lou Ann Brown. The race remained close throughout the evening with the decision resting with the final reporting precinct out of North Tulsa. Another close race was that for Osage County District #2 Commissioner. The incumbent Commissioner Scott Hilton lost Tuesday to his Republican opponent Kevin Paslay. This was the third attempt by Paslay to take the District #2 seat and he did so by 773 votes. The District 36 race for State House of Representatives was not as close as initially anticipated as the incumbent Republican Representative Sean Roberts took 66.8% of the total vote over his opponent Democratic Candidate Cathy Ross of Pawhuska. The final voter turn out numbers from Osage County were 18,942 however this number did not include provisional ballots. The results of the election will not be finalized until all provisional ballots are screened. The final results should be posted on the State Election Board Website, and available at the Election Board Office in Pawhuska on Friday.  This week at the meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners, it was business as usual. The commissioners signed utility permits, Assessor and Election Board reconcilement, along with other standard items on this week's agenda.
Additionally on the agenda was an item from the Tourism Oversite Committee to change host providers for the Visit the Osage website. The commissioners approved the funding for the change. The County has also been looking into changing their website host and developers. The county had received an offer from Kellpro several weeks ago but were awaiting additional information from the company. The item was once again on the agenda, however, no action was taken and it will be addresses again next week. The Osage County Board of County Commissioners meets each Monday at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska.  Election day is upon us and one of the most tightly contested races on Osage County ballots this year is for the position of Osage County Sheriff. The race has come down to the incumbent Osage County Under-sheriff Lou Ann Brown (D) and Former State Special Investigator Eddie Virden (R).
Brown got her start in law enforcement with Skiatook Police Department as an clerk filing paperwork and worked her way onto patrol and served as reserve with the Osage County Sheriffs office. She then transferred full-time to the Sheriffs Department as a Special Victim/Domestic Assault investigator until named Under-Sheriff, by the Incumbent Sheriff Ty Koch. Virden is former Bartlesville Police Officer and Osage County Deputy who ran the Drug Task force for Osage and Pawnee County, serving under Sheriff Ty Koch. Virden then moved into State Law Enforcement in 2010 as a Special Agent over10 counties. Both candidates believe that service to the citizens of Osage County comes first, and ensuring continued cooperation between city, county and state agencies is paramount. However, the two candidates have differing opinions with regards to the use of reserve forces. Virden would like to bolster the reserve force in Osage County and take advantage of the experience from the many retired and former Police, Sheriff Deputies, and Military members throughout the county. Brown believes that the Osage County reserve force is crucial to the Department and as a former reserve deputy understands that maintaining a larger force could lead to some difficulties, with regard to training. Brown said, that due to the issues with the Tulsa County's Reserve, the State will likely begin to impose new more intensive requirements for training. Both Brown and Virden are ready to work for the citizens of Osage County, so regardless of who you vote for; Vote this November 8th. |
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