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Mollman Media News

2018 June 4th - 9th

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In “Getting to know your Chickasha Fire Department” we meet Driver John Clift better known as Mark.

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Saturday, June 9th

 

Two Hospitalized, One Critical Following Head-on Crash

Two people were air-lifted to an Oklahoma City hospital following a head-on collision near Lindsay. The driver of one of the cars, 17-year old Valley Schoate of Wynnewood, was last in critical condition with head and internal injuries.  The driver of the other vehicle, 56-year old Dannita McCullough of Lindsay, was last in serious condition with internal, trunk, and leg injuries. A passenger in Schoate's car, 17-year old Aiden Williams of Lindsay, refused treatment. The accident happened on State Highway 59B about three miles northeast of Lindsay just after 8:00 p.m. last night. The Highway Patrol reports that Schoate ran off the highway and over-corrected, came back on the highway and crashed in to McCullough's SUV. Schoate was pinned in the car for about 20 minutes. Everyone was wearing their seat belts and air bags deployed in both vehicles. The trooper investigating the crash said inattentive driving caused Schoate to drive off the highway.

 

Woman Charged for Allegedly Biting Policeman

A combative Chickasha woman is arrested and is now facing a felony charge for biting a police officer. 28-year old Haley Lynn Barry was taken into custody on Tuesday of this week after police were called to her home in the 1300 block of Utah. Officers were dispatched there to do a welfare check on a child. Witnesses had claimed that Barry threw a child off the porch. Officers found the girl hiding in some nearby bushes, and she told police she was terrified. Police ran a warrant check on Barry, and found she is wanted for an unknown felony out of Houston, Texas. As officers tried to arrest Barry, it’s alleged she resisted, bit one officer on his arm, and tried to bite him several more times, before she was finally subdued. In addition to being charged with a felony for assault on an officer, she faces a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. Barry remains in jail on a $75,000 bond.

 

Stalking Suspect Arrested Again

Tuttle police have arrested a man twice in the last four months for allegedly stalking his ex-girlfriend. 49-year old Brian Beutler of Norman was first arrested in February, and was arrested again this week. The victim claims Beutler has been stalking her family over the past several months. The victim alleged Beutler has called or texted her up to 30 times a day and constantly drives by her house and follows her. Beutler is now facing two misdemeanor of stalking. He's back on the streets after posting bond. He has a July 13th court date.

 

Sheriff Issues Weekly Warrant List

Each week the Grady County Sheriff’s Office issues a list of individuals who have outstanding warrants. Here’s Public Information Officer Lisa Hatchett.

 

 

If you have information regarding any of these individuals you’re asked to contact the sheriff’s office.

 

Talk Show Topics

Here's what we're talking about this weekend. USAO's annual summer symposium on the Civil War is coming up later this month. Associate Professor  of History James Finck is our guest on the KOOL Konversation program to talk about the symposium. On Real Estate Today with John Mosley, guests are Dayliene Saxon and John Hubbard with Home Creations. We have links to both programs elsewhere on this website. You can find them under the Community tab.

 

 

Friday, June 8th

 

State Has Record for Monthly Tax Revenue

The month of May is a record breaker for tax collections in Oklahoma. Nearly $971 million went in to state bank accounts last month. State Treasurer Ken Miller says over the past 12 months, total gross receipts are more than $12 billion; just shy of matching the all-time one-year high which was established from 2014 to 2015. Miller said oil and gas gross production taxes last month were about $74 million...which is nearly double the amount from May of 2017. He said oil and gas gross production taxes brought in nearly $674 million over the previous 12 months, a nearly 60 percent increase from the previous year. Other tax revenue amounts - sales tax revenues from cities and counties were more othan $390 million; combined corporate and individual income taxes generated nearly $282 million. Motor vehicle taxes brought in nearly $70 million.

 

Former Dental Employee Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

A dental office clerk pleads guilty to embezzling more than a quarter-million dollars from the clinic where she worked. Annette Strailey entered the plea  in U.S. District Court. She admitted taking funds from a Duncan dental clinic where she worked as an office manager between 2012 and 2017. Under the plea, she said the total restitution due to the clinic is more than $280,000. Strailey pleaded guilty to bank fraud and signing a false federal  income tax return. She also agreed that she owes the IRS more than $54,000. On the guilty plea to bank fraud, she faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. For pleading guilty to signing a false income tax return, she faces up to three years behind bars and an additional $250,000 fine.  Formal sentencing will be in about three months.

 

Shannon Springs Park Lake Stocked Ahead of Fishing Derby

Shannon Springs Park will be a popular place for the youngsters tomorrow morning, as the Chickasha Elks Lodge conducts its annual fishing derby. The lake was stocked with 2,000 pounds of catfish yesterday, courtesy of Steve LaForge. Hundreds of fish ranging from 1/2 a pound up to about three pounds were delivered. We have some video of the fish being released on our Facebook page.The fishing derby is for children 12 and under. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the derby running from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Free hotdogs will be served as well.

 

4Hers Compete in Culinary Days

4H youth throughout the region put their food knowledge and preparation skills on display. The Southwest District Culinary Days competition was held in Duncan recently. Three separate contests were held - the Food Showdown, the Table Setting Contest, and Cupcake Wars. Caddo County 4H had both a senior and junior team in the Food Showdown. Senior team members included Tarah Douglass from the homeschool club and Madison Grifftin of Ft. Cobb-Broxton. Junior team members were Addyson Schneberger, Meredith Pye, and Devry Georgen from Carnegie. In the Table Settings contest, Addy Schneberger of Carnegie placed third in the beginner division; and Zoe Shackleford, also of Carnegie was in the intermediate division. In Cupcake Wars, Schneberger place second in the beginner division. Others taking part were Brooklyn Matlock of Anadarko and Meredith Pye of Carnegie in the beginner category; Zoe Shacklerford, again from Carnegie in the intermediate division; and home schooler Tarah Douglas was in the senior division competition.

 

Energy and Metals

Crude oil on the NYMEX up to $65.95 a barrel.

London-based Brent crude is $77.32.

Natural gas up to $2.93 per million BTUs.

Gold is $1,303 and silver is $16.72.

 

 

Thursday, June 7th

 

State Legislator Says Peers Ignored Key Issues This Year

State Representative David Perryman says putting out fires is no way to plan for the future. In his weekly media column, the Chickasha Democrat says so much attention was paid to public education and teacher salaries in the past legislative session, that needs in other areas were not addressed. Perryman writes that while we want business to bring good jobs to the state, those businesses want an educated and healthy workforce. And while we all want Oklahomans to have access to quality health care, he writes that lawmakers suppress health outcomes by refusing to address high uninsured rates and uncompenstated care. Because of that, Perryman says hospitals and ambulance services which must provide care - without regard to a patient's ability to pay - are closing or cutting back services. He says we shake our heads at violence, but refuse to consider allowing working Oklahomans - whose employers do not provide health insurance - to have a path toward wellness, including treatment for mental illnesses which are critical in uninsured populations. Perryman says without a plan, there is no legislative leadership.

 

Two Hurt in Ninnekah Accident

A traffic accident in Ninnekah yesterday sent two people to the hospital with possible bone fractures. The accident happened just after noon at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and State Highway 19.  Ninnekah Police Chief Scott Miller said a car southbound on Highway 81 had slowed and tried to turn east on Highway 19. A pick-up northbound on Highway 81 hit the car. Miller said two passengers in the car were being treated for possible fractures in their wrists and forearms, but said the injuries were not life-threatening. Their names were not released. The pick-up driver was not injured. Miller said it appeared the driver of the car may have run a red light.

 

Downtown Fire Causes Minor Damage

A fire in downtown Chickasha Tuesday morning caused some damage to one building. The fire occurred in the 200 block of South 4th. Fire Chief Brian Zalewski said the fire was contained to one room, however several adjacent office buildings had to be cleared of smoke. The fire was traced to a clothes dryer in the building. Estimated damage was about $1,000.

 

USAO Students to Lead Tours at Civil War Battleground

Some USAO history students will be helping out with weekend tours of a Civil War battle site in Oklahoma. The students have been learning about The Battle of Honey Springs from associate history professor James Finck. He says his students will be guiding tours along several trails of the historical site.

 

                

 

Finck says the battle was the largest documented Civil War engagement in Indian Territory. It’s located in Rentiesville, which is near Checotah in eastern Oklahoma.

 

 FFA Group to Attend Summer Training              

The Chickasha High School FFA chapter has a few activities scheduled over the summer. Clay Grossnicklaus is the secretary for the officer team, and tells about some of them.

 

                

 

The chapter officers, and advisors Colby and Emily Schmidt, will also attend an officer retreat in Broken Bow later this summer to prepare for next school year.

 

Energy and Metals

Crude oil on the NYMEX is $64.73 a barrel.

London-based Brent crude is $75.36.

Natural gas is $2.90 per million BTUs.

Gold is $1,303 and silver is $16.77.

 

 

Wednesday, June 6th

 

Grady County Unemployment May be at Historic Low

The jobless rate in Grady County has fallen below 3.5 percent. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports unemployment in the region was at 3.3 percent in the month of April. That's down from 3.5 percent from March, and down from 4.1 percent from April of 2017. The OESC indicated that Grady County's total labor force was about 26,300 people.The number of those without jobs and seeking work through the state office was 874. Unemployment in Caddo County for April was down slightly, to 3.9 percent; in McClain County, down to 3.2 percent; in Garvin County, the rate was steady at 3.7 percent; and in Stephens County, the jobless rate was down to 4.6 percent. In the larger counties, Comanche County unemployment was steady at 4.2 percent with a labor market of about 50,000; Canadian County was down a bit to 3.2 percent, with 71,000 individuals in the labor market.

 

ATV Driver Injured After Going off Bridge

A Blanchard man is injured after driving his ATV off of a bridge. 65-year old Terry Carr was taken by ambulance to a Norman hospital where he was last in good condition with an arm injury. The highway patrol said the accident happened on a county road northeast of Maysville about 11:00 a.m. Tuesday. Carr was trying to cross a narrow bridge, when he lost control of the ATV,  ran off the bridge and it rolled into a creek bed.

 

More Stores Selling Tobacco to Minors

A new report indicates that nearly 1 in 5 Oklahoma tobacco retailers are breaking the law when it comes to selling tobacco to minors. The report says nearly 18 percent of the state’s tobacco retailers are not complying with state law regarding underage tobacco sales. That’s a significant increase over the previous five years. Julia Cochran, director of Red Rock Behavioral Health Services, says that in 2012, the rate of non-compliance was a record low 6.8 percent. Cochran says Oklahoma could be in danger of losing funds from the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. In a press release, Cochran said in order receive those funds, the non-compliance rate should not be over 20 percent. She says while the majority of retailers are complying with the law, there are some who choose to ignore it, and are risking the health of children. She says that’s unacceptable. Red Rock Behavioral Health Services can provide information to business owners and employees regarding youth access to tobacco. Call 405-422-8872 for information.

 

Chickasha Crews to Remove Some Cemetery Decorations

For individuals who placed flowers or other decorations on the graves of loved ones in Chickasha cemeteries, officials say many of those items will be removed starting this weekend. City of Chickasha officials say decorations will be removed at both Rosehill and Fairlawn Cemeteries in order that crews can mow the grass. Officials say any items placed on headstones will NOT be removed. Officials say they will start removing the decorations on Saturday.

 

Program Set to Help Seniors with Medications

Over the past year or so, the Chickasha Public Library has teamed up with the OU College of Medicine to offer a number of programs to improve the health of senior citizens. A program to help seniors use their medications safely is the next program scheduled. The Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative will provide a free one-hour program for seniors and their care-givers on Tuesday, June 12th starting at 3:00 p.m. at the library.

 

Energy and Metals

Crude oil on the NYMEX is $65.52 a barrel.

London-based Brent crude is $75.38.

Natural gas is $2.89 per million BTUs.

Gold is $1,299 and silver is $16.57.

 

Tuesday, June 5th

 

 

 

Family, Friends Mourn Shooting Death of Working Mother

As the Chickasha community reels from the shooting deaths of three people this past weekend, family, friends, and co-workers mourn the death of a working mom who loved and cared for her two little girls. Becky Ancheta and her boyfriend were shot and killed at Ancheta's home early Sunday morning. Law enforcement authorities say her estranged husband, Julio Eduardo Hernandez Mata, forced his way into her home. Mata himself was later shot and killed by law enforcement officials following a pursuit. Becky Anchetta was a correctional officer at the Grady County Jail, and was the mother of two girls, ages 4 and 11. The girls were home when the shooting occurred, but were not injured. A GoFundMe account has been set up in Anchetta's name to help with funeral and burial expenses. Anything left over will help raise the children, who will be cared for by their father, Brison Lipscomb, who is in the military and lives in another state.

               

Crash Critically Injures Bradley Resident

A Grady County woman was critically injured in a traffic accident near Alex Monday. 59-year old Linda Schaub of Bradley was air-lifted to an Oklahoma City hospital, with head trunk, and other injuries.  The highway patrol reports the accident happened about 8:00 a.m. Monday at the intersection of a couple of county roads southwest of Alex. It's not yet clear what happened, as the trooper called to the crash says the accident is still under investigation. We do know that Shaub was driving an SUV, and collided with a car driven by 38-year old Jonathan Mitchell of Rush Springs. Schaub was pinned in her vehicle for nearly an hour. Mitchell refused treatment at the scene. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

 

Waste Connections Ends Partnership with Recycle Bank

A little-used program designed to encourage Chickasha residents to recycle has been canceled. Waste Connections, the private sanitation contractor with the city, has ended its partnership with what's known as the Recycle Bank. Residents who placed items in their green recycle bins would accumulate points they could use toward discounts for purchases at retail outlets around the country. However, there weren't many local companies who participated in the program. Waste Connections was asking for its current contract with the city to reflect the change, and the Chickasha City Council approved the move last night. Waste Connections is in the process of changing its contracts with other communities it serves to reflect the end of the Recycle Bank program. It does not impact the recycling program. Residents can still recycle most any paper, phone books, aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles, and many plastic food and beverage containers. Recycling bins are picked up twice per month.

 

One Silver Alert Canceled; Another Still Active

A Silver Alert issued for a missing Oklahoma City man Monday has been canceled. Authorities say 85-year old George Alexander has been located, but no information was provided about where or when he was found. Oklahoma City police say he was located just before 10:00 p.m. Monday. In the meantime, a Silver Alert is still active for a man missing from the Ada area. The Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office reports that 70-year old John Fisher went missing about 6:00 p.m. Sunday. The only description available is that Fisher is black male, and was last seen wearing blue jeans, black tennis shoes, a black veterans cap, and a navy-blue shirt. He may be driving a 2005 black Chevrolet Silverado pickup, with Oklahoma tag number HFS-184. Authorities say he could be in Texas or New Mexico, as his credit cards have been used in both states. If you come in contact with John Fisher call local law enforcement. UPDATE - Silver Alert for John Fisher has also been canceled

 

InterUrban Holds Fundraiser for Animal Shelter

A local restaurant will be helping to care for abandoned animals today. InterUrban will have its second annual fundraiser for the Chickasha Animal Shelter. All day today, one dollar from every hamburger sold will help purchase supplies, provide transportation, and the vetting of animals. In addition, there will be a silent auction of numerous items on the restaurant’s patio from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. tonight. Silent auction items include items from Two Vets Clothing, Shollie's Sweets, Pioneer Woman, Happy Stems, Tractor Supply, PetSense, and others.

 

Divorcing Parents say Program Beneficial

Married couples who are considering divorce are required to take part in a program to ease the burden on their children. Last year, over 3,000 parents took part in Oklahoma State University's Co-Parenting for Resiliency program. Susan Routh with Grady County OSU Extension says those who have gone through the course indicate it was beneficial.

 

                

 

Routh says after attending the class, about one out of every three participants believed their marriage could be saved. The course is offered monthly in Grady County. The next one will be Wednesday, June 27th at the OSU Extension Office in Chickasha, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. To register go to the website, www.coparenting.okstate.edu

 

Energy and Metals

Crude oil on the NYMEX is $64.75 a barrel.

London-based Brent crude is $75.29.

Natural gas is $2.93 per million BTUs.

Gold is $1,295 and silver is $16.41.

 

Monday, June 4th

 

 

 

Double-Homicide Suspect Shot and Killed by Law Enforcement

Two crime scenes were cordoned off in Chickasha and Pocasset yesterday, after two people are shot and killed at a Chickasha home - and then the suspect is shot and killed by a law enforcement following a high-speed pursuit. The OSBI was summoned to investigate. It began about 5:00 a.m. Sunday, when Chickasha police were dispatched to a home in the 900 block of North 12th. We obtained police scanner audio about the initial call. Two children were in the home.

 

                

 

The children were not hurt. As police arrived the suspect ran out of the house, jumped into his truck and led police on a high-speed pursuit on U.S. Highway 81 north to Pocasset. Here is scanner audio as the chase comes to end.

 

                

 

The suspect has been identified as 32-year old Julio Eduardo Hernandez Mata. His estranged wife, 31-year old Rebecca Mae Hernandez Mata was one of his victims. The other is 31-year old Juan Antonio Hernandez Gonzales. U.S. Highway 81 in Pocasset was closed for more than eight hours as authorities investigated that scene. Officers with Chickasha police, the Grady County Sheriff's office, and state troopers all fired their weapons at Hernandez Mata. Investigators did find a weapon at the crash site.

 

Surgeries Finally Resume at Grady Memorial Hospital

It's been almost three years since any surgeries have been performed at Grady Memorial Hospital. That is changing today, as the hospital officially opens its new surgery wing.  State and federal health officials closed the hospital’s old surgery rooms in August of 2015. Shortly thereafter, Grady County residents approved a county-wide sales tax increase to pay for the new addition, which also includes an imaging center. Hospital administrator Kean Spellman says the new surgery rooms are already booked, with new general surgeon Dr. Michael Johns joining several other surgeons and doctors.

 

                

 

The imaging center won't be open for a few more weeks. Spellman said an open house is scheduled for Sunday, July 1st.

 

Accounting Firm, Inmate Labor to be Discussed by City Council

A proposal to hire an accounting firm for the City of Chickasha for the coming fiscal year is to be considered by the city council tonight. City Manager John Noblitt is recommending the use of Crawford and Associates to assist with a move to modified accrual accounting, and to prepare financials, general accounting, and financial assistance. Hourly rates range from $45 an hour for clerical staff to $250 an hour for the firm’s president and chairman. The council is expected to renew a contract with the Department of Corrections for inmate labor; and may also approve the service contract with the Grady County Jail. The group is also to recognize Daniel Ward in the public works department as the city's employee of the month. He's worked for the city for 10 years. The city council meets at 6:30 p.m. tonight at city hall.

 

Energy and Metals

Crude oil on the NYMEX is $65.81 a barrel.

London-based Brent crude is $77.59.

Natural gas is $2.96 per million BTUs.

Gold is $1,297 and silver is $16.43.

 

 

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