There will be a "Unity for the Community" substance abuse awareness 5k walk/run on May 7 in Poteau.

The event, sponsored by Second Chances Recovery and Retail Store, will be at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.

Registrations will be from 3-4 p.m. and the walk/run starts at 4 p.m. Registrations is $25 for adults and $10 for youth.

"This is an awesome opportunity for our youth to show their support against substance abuse and get some great exercise at the same time," event organizers said.

"Second Chances Recovery wants to encourage our youth to take a stand for sober living and a safer community."

Second Chances will be giving away prizes to the top three youth who can raise sponsorship support for their walk/run. First place will receive $100, second place $50 and third place a $25 gift card.

The event also will feature a concert, prize drawings and freedom testimonies. United Worship Band will play at 4 p.m. and Joe Martin Band from 6-10 p.m.

You can register at the store on 2100 N. Broadway, Poteau. They are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sundays. You also can register online at online at www.SecondChancesOK.com.

Fore more information, call (918) 647-0612, (804) 832-3473 or email twallace@secondchancesok.com.

The average price of a gallon of gasoline in Oklahoma is hovering four cents below $2, AAA Oklahoma reported.

On Monday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline at $1.96, the highest its been since mid-November.

“Even with today’s higher statewide average, Oklahomans are paying less at the pump than residents of any other state,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. Only three other states have average gasoline prices below $2: Texas ($1.983), Missouri ($1.986) and Kansas ($1.995).

“Crude oil supply is reportedly building in our region and refineries are continuing to return to production following the spring maintenance season,” said Mai.

“The refinery utilization rate in the region is increasing, which should help stabilize the price at the pump, barring any unexpected disruptions in supply.” 

In Poteau on Tuesday, gasoline prices were:

E-Z Mart: $1.84
Walmart: $1.84
Choctaw Travel Plaza: $1.86
Bud's: $1.84
Tote-A-Poke: $2.09
KP's: $1.84

An AAA survey said attitudes of American drivers have changed with the shift in gas prices.

The survey showed half of U.S. drivers surveyed believed $2.50 per gallon was "too high" of a price and more than 35 percent believed the current national average of $2.22, eight cents higher than last week, was too high. AAA said this is despite gasoline prices being at their cheapest since 2009.

The Heavener American Legion Post 188 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8403 will be hosting the Kid’s Fishing Derby on May 28 at Blues Park pond in Heavener.

The Derby will be a catch, weigh and release to promote conservation. Competition categories will be age 5 and under, age 6 to 10 and age 11 to 14.

First through third prizes will be awarded in each category by weight, with a grand prize for overall best weight.

First prize is a fishing rod and reel. Second Prize is a medium tackle box. Third prize is a fish stringer. Grand prize is a large tackle box with lots of tackle.

The Derby will run from 9 a.m. through noon with free hotdogs and chips being served from noon to 1 p.m. while results are being tallied. Prizes will be given out at 1 p.m. Parents are encouraged to bring their children and enjoy the day.

For further information contact Mike Kennerson at (918) 721-2665, Don Bosley at (918) 721-2009 or Fred Bennett at (479) 212-0749.

(AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday invalidated an initiative petition that calls for a statewide vote on whether to allow wine to be sold in grocery stores.

In a 7-1 decision with one abstention, the Supreme Court ordered that the petition, filed by the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma, be stricken from the November general election ballot.

The petition was challenged by the Oklahoma Grocers Association, which alleged the ballot measure unconstitutionally delegates legislative authority and that the written explanation of its effect, called the gist, is insufficient and misleading.

The Supreme Court agreed, ruling that the petition makes significant changes in the state's liquor laws and that its gist does not provide enough information for voters to make an informed decision.

The Retail Liquor Association's president, Bryan Kerr, owner of Moore Liquor in Moore, said he was disappointed in the high court's ruling.

"That's a shame. We really thought we had a valid petition," Kerr said.

Organizers thought the measure's gist, which is legally required to describe what the petition would do, provided a valid and thorough description of its effect.

"The citizens of Oklahoma won't have the opportunity to vote on what we felt like was a sensible reform of our alcohol laws," Kerr said.

Currently, liquor, wine and beer in excess of 3.2-percent alcohol can be sold only at package liquor stores, which are strictly licensed and regulated and closed on Sundays.

Among other things, the petition would have allowed grocery stores to qualify for licenses to sell wine for off-premises consumption and would permit retail package liquor stores to sell any item sold in convenience and grocery stores.

But other changes the petition would make "are recognizably absent from the gist," according to the Supreme Court's decision.

The petition prohibits a liquor license from being sold for a package liquor or grocery store within 2,500 feet of an existing store, "making many grocery stores ineligible for a retail grocery wine store license," the decision states.

And only one license could be issued to entities with multiple stores, "again limiting a grocery store's eligibility for a retail grocery wine store license," it says.

Although the initiative petition was invalidated, a similar ballot measure that would permit grocery stores to sell wine and cold, strong beer is pending in the Legislature.

The measure is the result of months of negotiations among alcohol distillers, brewers, wholesalers, distributors and retail groups. A companion bill is reportedly more than 200 pages long.

Most of Oklahoma's liquor laws were developed in the late 1950s and include a variety of statutes and constitutional amendments that cannot be changed without a vote of the people.

Oklahoma is one of only five states in which low-point beer is sold. Unlike strong beer, it can be refrigerated and purchased at grocery and convenience stores until 2 a.m. and on Sundays.

___

Online:

Initiative Petition 785: http://bit.ly/1rtcB0T

Senate Joint Resolution 68: http://bit.ly/24zHn7p

Senate Bill 383: http://bit.ly/1SLHDdJ

The photography exhibit by the LeFlore County Historical Society at the LeFlore County Museum at Hotel Lowrey featuring local professional and amateur photographers officially began Tuesday.

You can visit the exhibit Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Arlene LeMaster revolving exhibit room at the museum on 303 Dewey Ave., Poteau. The exhibit is free, open to the public and will be on display into June 2.

Photographers in the exhibit include Jim Anderson, John Sullivan, Gene Blackwell, Amanda Corbin and Eva Alexander.

Anderson is a retired Geographer teacher and coach, having taught and coached in Poteau for 30 years. He now lives in Van Buren, Ark., with his wife Therasa. He has been involved in landscape photography for 20 years and has traveled and photographed in all 50 states and on four continents.

Sullivan resides in Poteau with his wife and currently works at Central National Bank. He began photography in 2003 and specializes in nature, portraits, sports and events.

Lifelong area resident Blackwell lives southeast of Heavener in the Haw Creek community and has for the past 30 years. He is a farmer/rancher with a passion for local wildlife in their natural habitat.

Corbin is from Heavener and has been the news reporter for Poteau Daily News for the past two years. Corbin is a 2011 graduate of Heavener High School, former graduate of Carl Albert State College and current senior at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Ark. Corbin takes photographs for the newspaper as well as personal work.

Alexander is a retired lifelong resident of Wister. She has several photos featured of LeFlore County, Colorado and Wyoming.

To visit the exhibit at a time outside those times set, call the museum at (918) 647-9330.

Donations are being accepted to help fund the Heavener Chamber of Commerce family fireworks event at Blues Park on July 2.

It will begin at 6 p.m. with bounce-a-rounds, food and the park, new splash pad and skate park to enjoy, The firework show at the ball field will be at dark.

"We will need your help to make this happen. This is an annual event, and with your support it will continue," said Melinda Ballantine with the Heavener Chamber.

"All sponsors will be named in the newspaper and on our Facebook page. With your support we can make this an even greater family event. Our budget this year is $5,500. We need all the support we can get to meet this goal."

Donations can be sent to the Heavener Chamber of Commerce at 501 West First Street, Heavener, OK, 74937.

Donations should be designated for the fireworks event.

With the summer months upon us, a new study by GasBuddy shows lower gas prices are prompting an increase in road trips across the U.S.

According to the study, more than 75 percent of those surveyed said they would be traveling with summer, an increase of 2.2 percent from last year. Seventy-nine percent said they'll be traveling by vehicle.

"Motorists will be filling up their tanks with the cheapest summer gasoline since 2005, and we are finding that more people than ever will be taking advantage by hitting the road," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.

Although the average price per-gallon of regular gasoline increased 6.4 percent in Oklahoma over the past week, it remains below $2 at a $1.98 average, 42.5 cents lower than prices same time last year.

In Poteau on Wednesday afternoon, prices for regular per-gallon of gasoline were:

• Murphy USA: $1.89.
• E-Z Mart: $1.89.
• Choctaw Travel Plaza: $1.89.
• KP's: $1.89.
• Tote-A-Poke: $2.19 (no ethanol).
• Bud's: $1.84.

"As we kick off driving season, gas prices will be nearly a dollar per-gallon lower than the ten-year Memorial Day average of $3.15," DeHaan said.

"The incredible part is nationally, we'll be saving $2.6 billion over the long weekend versus the highest-priced Memorial Day weekend in 2011 at $3.78 per gallon."

Other highlights of the study showed 53 percent of travelers were heading out to relax versus 27 percent going to see family or an event in comparison to 51 percent choosing to relax and 29 percent going for visits last year.

Also, GasBuddy showed 56 percent will travel at last 400 miles round trip, 36 percent will take at least a two-day road trip and there was a 4 percent increase in day trips over 2015.

Nationally, gas prices increased 1.7 cents per gallon over the week to $2.22.

(AP) — The Oklahoma Republican state senator who authored the bill that would effectively outlaw abortion in the state said Saturday that he hasn't decided whether he'll try to override the governor's veto.

"I have not made a decision," Sen. Nathan Dahm, of Broken Arrow, told The Associated Press. "That's what we're pursuing, what we'd like to see accomplished."

He said he'll decide during the coming week whether to pursue an attempt — the same week that the Legislature faces a deadline to adjourn while grappling with a $1.3 billion budget hole that could lead to cuts to public schools, health care and the state's overcrowded prison system. They've yet to be presented with a proposed state budget.

Republican Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed the bill Friday, saying that while she opposes abortion, it was vague and would not withstand a legal challenge.

The measure would have made it a felony punishable by up to three years in prison for anyone who performs an abortion, including doctors. State law already makes it a felony for anyone who's not a doctor to perform an abortion, and Dahm's bill would have removed the exemption for physicians.

Michael McNutt, a spokesman for Fallin, said the governor has not been notified of a veto override attempt.

"It's a legislative decision. Obviously she would like it to be supported, but it's up to the Legislature at this point," McNutt said.

The Senate voted 33-12 for the bill on Thursday, one vote more than needed to override in the Senate and send it to the House.

Dahm noted that it could be difficult for those who voted for the legislation to vote for an override.

"Sometimes people, even if they voted for the bill, are hesitant to vote to override the governor's veto because of their concern about the governor being petty and vindictive and vetoing some of their legislation," Dahm said.

Republican Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, who voted for the bill, said Friday that he supported it because it's an anti-abortion measure, but was noncommittal whether he would vote for a veto override.

"We're working with the governor on the budget, so there's got to be some strategy involved there," Bingman said. "I want to support the governor as much as I can. At the same time, I want to support our members, so I'll have to think on that."

More than 500 people have been hospitalized due to the flu since October, and another person has died in Oklahoma over the past week.

Creek County claimed a death, making the total flu-related deaths at 13.

LeFlore County has had a total of two hospitalizations related to the flu, as well as one death of a person 65 or older back in early April. Statewide, there have been 549 hospitalizations reported.

Oklahoma and Tulsa County rank highest in flu-related deaths at three each, while Delaware, Grady, Harper, McClain and Rogers have recorded one death each.

Age-wise, those 65 and older have had the highest amount of deaths and hospitalizations in the state, with 200 hospitalized and six dead.

Those age 50-64 were second with 116 hospitalized and four dead followed by infants and children up to 4 years old having 104 hospitalizations, but no deaths. Ages 5-17 had 41 hospitalized and one death and 18-49 had 88 hospitalized and two deaths.

According to the Center for Disease Control, seasonal flu activity usually ends after May.

Thunderstorm chances remain in the forecast throughout the week and into the weekend.

The National Weather Service said the majority of severe storms will stay north of the area, but there is a chance of severe weather from a system passing through on Friday.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of historic rainfall and flooding in eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas that led to seven fatalities in a three-week period.

The state saw 14.06 inches of rainfall in May 2015, making it the wettest month on record, beating out the 10.75-inch record set in October 1941.

Arkansas also set a record for the second wettest May on record at 10.35 inches. Across the border in Fort Smith, Ark., the city saw its wettest May and month on record with a total of 19.85 inches, beating previous May record of 13.67 inches in 1943 and wettest month of 15.02 inches in June 1045.

The Poteau River flooded three times during May last year, leading to moderate flooding near Poteau and major flooding near Panama that led to one fatality.

The third flooding, lasting nearly two weeks, caused major flooding at Wister Lake.

The Poteau River near Panama crested at 43.54 feet. It led to minor flood damages in five homes and estimates around $500,000 in damages to roads and bridges.

There is an elevated risk of severe thunderstorms Friday [May 27] evening, with an onset mid- to late afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS said thunderstorms are set to develop in the afternoon hours and may pose a severe weather risk. Storms will move east late into this afternoon and early evening before weakening overnight.

Storms pose a risk of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.

Into Saturday and Sunday, there will be a 20 and 30 percent chance of thunderstorms, respectively. Highs will be in the 80s.

Into next week, the severe weather potential will return.

The annual Kids Fishing Derby was held at Blues Park in Heavener on Saturday [May 28]. A total of 75 fish were caught by 36 youth fishers.

Winners in the 0-5 age group were first place Logan Ballard, second Kari Morrison and third Remington Tiffee.

Winners in the 6-9 age group were first place Aiyden Hash, second Brently Hash and third Hudson Nicols.

Winners in the 10-15 age group were first place Spencer Sinclair, second Madi Hull and third Caleb Urchison. Sinclair also was overall winner of the tournament.

The event is sponsored by American Legion and members Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8403 members.

Thunderstorm chances remain in the forecast throughout the entire week.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa shows on Memorial Day, we have a 60 percent chance of storms with highs in the 80s.

The majority of today's [May 30] storms will be in the afternoon, with possibilities of producing hail, strong winds and heavy downpours.

On Tuesday, there is a 50 percent chance of storms, 70 percent on Wednesday, 50 percent on Thursday and 50 percent on Friday.

Storm chances dwindle down for the weekend, with a 20 percent chance forecast for Saturday and a partly sunny Sunday in the works with highs near 81.

Oklahoma gas prices are continuing their uphill climb, rising 3.4 cents per gallon over the past week.

GasBuddy reports this week's statewide average of regular per-gallon of gasoline is $2.06. GasBuddy surveys 2,294 gas outlets across the state to find their average.

Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy said prices are their lowest in 11 years.

"Not only gasoline prices, but diesel too," he said.

"In fact, every single state in the nation is seeing  lower gasoline and diesel prices than where we started summer last year — both of which currently average $2.32 per gallon. Going forward, much of the country will spend much of the summer in the twos for both gasoline and diesel."

On Memorial Day Monday, GasBuddy reported gasoline prices were 33.4 cents lower than the same day a year ago and 16.9 cents higher than a month ago.

In Poteau on Tuesday, regular per-gallon of gasoline was:

E-Z Mart: $1.99
Walmart: $1.99
Choctaw Travel Plaza: $1.99
Bud's: $1.99
KP's: $1.99
Tote-A-Poke: $2.29

Nationwide, the national average increased 3.0 cents over the week to $2.32 per gallon.

The national average is an increase of 11.1 cents over the last month but is 42.7 cents lower than the same time last year.

Heavener and Howe are set to hold special elections regarding taxes during the primary and special elections on June 28.

Friday is the last day to register to vote to be eligible to vote in the elections.

In Heavener, voters will decide on an ordinance for a sales tax of 7 percent, in addition to current sales taxes, regarding hotel rooms.

The full question reads:

"An ordinance levying and assessing a sales tax of seven percent in addition to present sales taxes upon the gross proceeds or gross receipts derived from rents received from occupancy of hotel rooms, providing for use of tax funds; providing for tax rate; providing exemptions; providing tax to be separately designated on bills; providing for operator's duties; providing for bond requirements; providing for assessment and determination of tax; providing for refunds; providing for notices; providing for remedies exclusive; providing general powers of the city manager; requiring certificates of registration; making records confidential; providing for criminal penalties; providing for civil remedies; requiring approval of ordinance by majority of registered voters voting at an election held for such purpose as provided by law; fixing effective dates; providing for severability; and containing other provisions related thereto."

In Howe, a special election will be held to rededicate the current 3 percent sales tax and use tax rate for the support of the Howe Fire Department.

The full question reads:

"Shall Howe Ordinance No. 16 adopted the 7th day of March, 2016, rededicating the current sales tax and use tax rate of three percent for the support of the functions of the Town Fire Department to be dedicated and divided as follows: .25 percent to the Town Fire Department and .25 percent to the Town Police Department be approved and 2.5 percent to the Town of Howe? This is not a new tax but a reallocation of an existing tax. It does not extend the tax. this only changes the way it is divided up between the City General use, the Fire Department and the Police Department."

According to the LeFlore County Election Board, the elections will be decided by majority vote.

Pictured above are the sample ballots for both elections. Pictures can be engaged by the slideshow tool above. They also are attached as PDF documents at the end of this article.

Voter registration forms are available at the County Election Board Office at 103 N. Church St., Poteau, behind the LeFlore County Courthouse or online at www.elections.ok.gov.

In case you missed it is a feature on our website recounting headline stories from the paper throughout the week.

Papers are available at our office, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Here's a roundup of headlines throughout the week:

May 31, 2016:

• Award winners from the Kids Fishing Derby held May 28 in Heavener.
• Jailing of a Cameron sex offender after a standoff in Arkansas.

June 1, 2016:

• Pictures from a car crashing into a home in Poteau.
• LeFlore County EMS receiving an award from the American Heart Association.

June 2, 2016:

• Article on special elections regarding taxes in Heavener and Howe.
• A Poteau graduate was named a National Merit scholar.
• Feature on a local sailor deployed to the Persian Gulf to help combat ISIS.

June 3, 2016

• Murder trial set to begin for a local man accused of murdering his son.
• Story on a local skating rink set to open its door for the summer season.

Be sure to check out today's paper to see our top headlines of the day.

Ready to go cruisin'?

The Historic Downtown Poteau Wheels 'n' Deals annual Car Show and Cruise Night is upcoming June 24-25.

Cruise night will be that Friday with cars set to cruise the streets Of Poteau. The car and bike show will be Saturday.

The event also will hold a burnout contest, sound competition, food and crafts, kids game and 50/50 pot.

A swap meet will be held both days. Registration is $15, as well as vendor and swap meet fee.

There will be Best of Show, Best Engine, Best Interior and Best Paint. Classes include Special Interest, Best Club Participation, Best Rat Rod, Best Under Construction, Longest Distance and more awards given out for additional classes.

For more information, call (918) 839-6678 or the Poteau Chamber of Commerce at (918) 647-9178.

You also can email at poteaumainstreet@windstream.net or adminpoteauchamber@windstream.net.

An eight percent across-the-board tuition increase was approved by the Carl Albert State College Board of Regents on Tuesday [June 7, 2016] in Poteau.

The increase was due to the state cutting 16 percent from higher education this year, regents were told.

Students will see an increase from $105.05 to $113.45 per credit hour.

The regents voted to continue with the concurrent enrollment process, which allows high school seniors who qualify to attend classes during their senior year and CASC will waive their tuition up to six hours.

"I believe this is a very important recruiting tool for the college, with the majority of those seniors returning for the next three or four semesters," CASC President Garry Ivey said.

However, concurrent enrollment is expected to be down approximately 30 percent due to the budget cuts.

The total budget for the 2017 fiscal year is estimated at $29.1 million, a reduction of 19.42 percent from last year's budget.

Meals provided by the food services department at the college will see about an 11-cent increase per meal.

See a full article on the meeting in our June 9, 2016, paper.

The Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods which businesses will have to implement by July 26, 2018.

The changes include increasing type size for "calories,""servings per container" and the "serving size" categories and bolding the number of calories and the "serving size" declaration.

Serving sizes have changed since the previous serving size requirements published in 1993, so manufacturers must now base serving sizes on amounts of food and beverages people are actually consuming.

"By law, the serving sizes must be based on the amounts of food and drink that people typically consume, not on how much they should consume," the FDA stated on their website.

The FDA stated that package size affects what people eat, therefore, packages between 1-2 servings will be labeled as one serving because they are consumed in one sitting. There will be a dual-column label that list calories and nutrients "per serving" and "per package/per unit" for products larger than a single serving but could still be consumed in one sitting (i.e. 24-ounce bottle of soda).

Manufacturers must declare the actual amount, in addition to percent daily value of vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. They can voluntarily declare the gram amount for other vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A and C will no longer be required on the label since the deficiencies for vitamins A and C are now rare.

The footnote is changing to better explain what percent Daily Value means. It will read: “The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”

"Added sugars" in grams and as percent Daily Value will be included on the label. "Calories from fat" is being removed.

"The current label is more than 20 years old. In order to make sure consumers have access to more recent and accurate nutrition information about the foods they are eating, it’s time to make changes to the nutrition facts label. The changes announced today are based on updated scientific information, new nutrition and public health research, more recent dietary recommendations from expert groups, and input from the public," the FDA wrote on their website.

Manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to make the changes to their labels.

For more information, visit www.FDA.gov.

Here's the latest for Friday June 10th: Military authority for airstrikes on Taliban expanded; Gunman at large in southwest Ohio; Muhammad Ali's funeral; Soccer fans, locals fight in France.