Area Breaking News
OKDHS to close Okemah office
In an effort to reduce its budget by four percent, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is closing nearly three dozen offices across the state, including its Okemah location. Facing reduced revenue projections for Fiscal Year 2021, OKDHS is rolling out a “service-first” model that entails the elimination of 35 county offices and moving…
Read MoreHonoring America’s fallen veterans
Honoring America’s fallen veterans By Bill Oxford National Commander, American Legion Every crisis has new heroes. During the 9/11 attacks, they were the first responders running into burning and crumbling buildings as others ran out. Now, during the Coronavirus pandemic, the most visible heroes are the health care professionals, who are saving others and risking…
Read MoreEPA injects $300K into Okemah ‘Brownfield’ program
EPA injects $300K into Okemah ‘Brownfield’ program By Ken Childers ONL Editor A vision to redevelop historic gas station properties, or “Brownfield Sites,” along the Highway 62 corridor in Okemah is one step closer to becoming reality, thanks to a federal grant that has been awarded to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC). Last week, the…
Read MoreHigh-speed pursuit ends near Cromwell Man who sparked manhunt was recently released from prison
High-speed pursuit ends near Cromwell Man who sparked manhunt was recently released from prison By Ken Childers ONL Editor A newly-released prison inmate was one of two suspects apprehended near Cromwell Monday morning after leading authorities on a pursuit that began in southwestern Oklahoma. Austin Chace Burks, 31, and Jennifer Nicole Wilson, 36, were taken…
Read MoreMason HS principal retiring after 35 years
Mason HS principal retiring after 35 years By Ken Childers ONL Editor He has been a fixture at Mason High School for more than three decades, and on June 11, he is going to leave the only school system he has ever been a part of professionally. “It will be tough to walk out that…
Read MoreBoley Rodeo & BBQ Festival falls prey to coronavirus
Boley Rodeo & BBQ Festival falls prey to coronavirus By Ken Childers ONL Editor The list of large-scale events in Okfuskee County cancelled because of the COVID-19 crisis continues to grow. Okemah’s Pioneer Days Celebration, held annually in April, was called off this year, and the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, a mid-July tradition since 1998,…
Read MoreGas pump victim of hit-and-run
Gas pump victim of hit-and-run By Ken Childers ONL Editor A convenience store gas pump was taken out in an apparent hit-and-run last week in Okemah. At about 5:18 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, an employee of Fiesta Mart called police to report that a trailer had just knocked over one of the store’s gas…
Read MoreSen. Thompson urges citizens to complete their 2020 census; billions of dollars in federal funding is at stake
Sen. Thompson urges citizens to complete their 2020 census; billions of dollars in federal funding is at stake State Sen. Roger Thompson is urging citizens throughout Senate District 8 to step up for their communities, their counties and the entire state by completing the 2020 U.S. Census. Thompson, R-Okemah, said right now Oklahoma is trailing…
Read MoreHealth crisis delays hearings for murder suspects
Health crisis delays hearings for murder suspects By Ken Childers ONL Editor The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in delayed preliminary hearings for two local murder suspects. Tommy Gouge, who allegedly called police on Valentine’s Day to report that he had killed his wife, and Joshua Green, accused of double homicide and arson, have had their…
Read MoreWilliam Bencoma hired as new Okemah High School boys basketball coach
William Bencoma hired as new Okemah High School boys basketball coach By Justin Scrimshire ONL Sports Reporter In the midst of COVID-19 disrupting business as usual at Okemah Public Schools and forcing teachers and student’s alike to adapt to a distance-learning format, the search has been on for a new high school boy’s basketball coach…
Read More