LeFlore County is currently under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 3:30 p.m. At 2:48 p.m., severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from five miles south of Keota to three miles southwest of Damon, moving southeast at 30 mph. The storms could contain wind gusts of up to 60 mph and quarter-size hail. There's a possibility of hail damage to vehicles and wind damage to roofs, sidings and trees.
Summer is here and with it comes the increased risk of heat stroke, especially for children left in vehicles.
Children’s bodies overheat easily making them increasingly susceptible to heat-related illness, especially heat stroke. Heat stroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related death for children. In the United States, a child dies from heat stroke in a vehicle every 10 days.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health offers the following safety tips to keep Oklahoma children safe in cars during extreme heat:
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle for any length of time, even with the windows open. A child’s body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult. If the outside temperature is 101 degrees, the temperature inside of a vehicle can rise above 140 degrees. Even if the temperature is cool and the windows are cracked, a vehicle’s interior temperature can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes.
• Always check the back seat to ensure you remove all children from the vehicle when reaching your destination. More than half of cases of children dying in hot cars occur when a distracted driver forgets there is a child in the back seat.
• If transporting a child is not a normal part of your routine, set up a reminder to get the child out of the car — a phone call from a friend, an alarm on your phone, a note on the steering wheel or dashboard — or place something you will need (such as a purse, briefcase, or cell phone) in the back seat next to the child.
• When transporting children and cargo, always remove the children before removing the cargo.
• Talk to your child care provider to ensure there is a system in place to prevent leaving children alone in a vehicle.
• Always close and lock vehicle doors and trunks when the vehicle is not in use. One-third of heat-related child deaths occur when a child is playing in an unlocked vehicle and becomes trapped inside. Store vehicle keys out of reach and out of sight of children. Teach children not to play in or around vehicles, especially the trunk of a vehicle. Show them how to use the emergency trunk release if they become trapped inside.
• If a child is observed alone in a vehicle, the public is encouraged to call 911 immediately. If the vehicle is locked and forcible entry is necessary because the child is in danger, state law permits an observer to forcibly enter the vehicle to rescue the child. Once the child has been removed from the vehicle, stay with the child in a safe place, within close proximity to the vehicle, until emergency responders arrive.
At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday, Donald Trump officially accepted the GOP nomination for president. The nominee was introduced by his daughter Ivanka, who praised him for being “color blind and gender neutral” and paying women the wages they deserve. In his speech, Trump attacked Hillary Clinton for her foreign policy views and called her a “puppet” of special interests. “I am your voice,” he told cheering supporters on the convention floor.
Can you "brave" the mud? The fourth annual Brave the Mud Run is upcoming Aug. 20 in Poteau.
Participants in the 5k adventure will slosh through muddy pits and compete in obstacles along their trek at the LeFlore County Fairgrounds and the Frisco Trail.
You must register before Aug. 1 to be guaranteed a T-shirt and preregistration prices. Cost is $45 individual or $160 for teams of four or more ($40 per person). After Aug. 1, prices will bump up to $60 individual or $220 per team ($55 per person).
Awards will be given out in several competing categories and costumes.
The 5k starts at 8 a.m. The race will be chip timed by Jaymax. Volunteer positions are available.
The 5k benefits Women's Crisis Services of LeFlore County.
Registration forms can be dropped off at Don Wise Construction, The Coffee Cup or done online at www.runsignup.com/Race/OK/Poteau/BravetheMudRun.
History was made on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Hillary Clinton formally accepted her party’s nomination, becoming the first woman to run as the presidential candidate of a major U.S. political party. The former secretary of state was introduced by her daughter Chelsea, who called her mother her hero.
There’s no substitute for blood needed by patients in local hospitals served by Oklahoma Blood Institute). A blood drive in Poteau Aug. 5 will provide the opportunity for anyone who is healthy and at least 16 years old to make a life-saving difference by donating blood.
The blood drive will be at the Poteau Walmart from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Donors will receive two tickets to the Tulsa Zoo and the "You Otter Give Blood" T-shirt. Health screenings and Donor Rewards points, redeemable in OBI’s online store, are also provided to donors.
“Everyone knows someone who’s needed blood. It impacts all ages of people and often arises unexpectedly as a result of accident or illness,” said John Armitage, M.D., president and CEO. “Whether we know them or not, there are people now who are counting on us to give.”
Patients who receive blood exclusively from OBI donors include those in Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center in Poteau.
Donors 16 years old must weigh at least 125 pounds and provide signed parental permission; 17 years old must weigh at least 125 pounds; those 18 and up must weigh at least 110 pounds.
Appointments are not necessary, but can be made by calling Greg at (479) 652-2362 or visiting www.obi.org.
Two area college bookstores will be open this weekend to accommodate students moving into dorms and purchasing school supplies during the annual tax-free weekend in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The Carl Albert State College bookstore on the Poteau campus will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Clothing purchased with cash, check, debit or credit cards Friday and Saturday at the Poteau bookstore will be tax-free. The tax-free opportunity will not apply if using financial aid to purchase apparel.
The Sallisaw Bookstore will also have tax-free purchases available on Friday, however will not be open on Saturday. The Oklahoma tax-free weekend does not include school supplies.
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith bookstore, open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., will offer textbooks, certain school supplies, art supplies, instructional materials, backpacks and any clothing less than $100 free of local and state taxes.
Online orders must be placed from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday to be tax free.
For more information and answers to common questions on the sales tax holiday in Oklahoma, as well as a listing of sales tax exempt items, go to www.tax.ok.gov. For listings for Arkansas, visit www.dfa.arkansas.gov.
Morning [Aug. 16] driving conditions are hazardous after almost zero visibility fog blanketed LeFlore County. Traffic moving south from Shady Point into Poteau is backed up and moving very slow.
Registration is open for the annual Triple H — Hills, Hope and Healing 5k to benefit Grace Cottage is scheduled Sept. 24.
Runners may register up to race time, but deadline for PACE participation and to guarantee a T-shirt is Sept. 1.
Cost is $25 per person and $30 on race day. Teams of six or more can register for $20 per member.
The team or individual with the best T-short or costume will collect a special prize.
The race will start and end at Grace Cottage, 311 N. Witte. Participants should by 8:30 a.m. The race will begin at 9 a.m. A post-race party will feature free music and door prizes.
Forms are available at The Coffee Cup and online at https://runsignup.com/Race/OK/Poteau/TripleH5KRun.
Grace Cottage provides pregnant young women age 17 and younger a safe Christian environment where their physical, emotional and spiritual needs can be met and supported. It is licensed by Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
There are several locations in the Poteau area to donate for Cell Phones for Soldiers, a national nonprofit serving troops and veterans with free communication services and emergency funding.
Drop-off locations are available at Choctaw Investment, Poteau Chamber of Commerce, Poteau Post Office, Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center and the OSU Extension Office.
You can donate new or gently used cell phones and tablets. Online, you also can donate monetary donations to deliver calling cards to troops serving around the world.
Every $5 contribution or donated device valued at $5 will provide an estimated 2.5 hours of free talk time.
For more information, or to donate online, visit cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
The LeFlore County Museum at Hotel Lowrey has a new art exhibit featuring several local artists.
Artists showcased at the exhibit include Charles Cook, Ron Roberts, William (Billy) Newby, all of Poteau, and Ed Hunter of Fort Smith, Ark.
Artist mediums include oil painting, woodworking and bronze sculpture.
The exhibit will be be open from now into Sept. 17, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The museum is located at 303 Dewey Ave., Poteau. It is free to visit and the LeFlore County Historical Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Summer is drawing to a close across Oklahoma as schools go back in session. Many will soon return to the classroom; many already have. With thousands of school children walking or biking to and from school, AAA warns drivers to be especially alert and watch for pedestrians before and after school.
The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous for walking children. Over the last decade nationally, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Distraction has become an everyday problem on the road. Last year, Owasso Mid-High teacher Bobbi White was killed in an automobile collision when a distracted driver crashed into her car.
This year, Bobbi’s mother, Gail, is using back to school as a way to bring awareness to distracted driving. In cooperation with the Owasso Police Department, Gail is placing signs near schools urging motorists to “Drop It & Drive.”
In 2015, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued more than 150 citations for texting while driving.
“More than 1,200 children lost their lives in crashes during after-school hours between 2000 and 2010 nationwide,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma, “and although we’ve seen a steady decrease in the number of tragedies each year, it’s important to remember that it’s up to adult drivers to watch out for children walking and biking to and from school.”
AAA offers six tips to help keep kids safer this school year:
1. Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
2. Eliminate distractions. Children often cross the road unexpectedly and may emerge suddenly between two parked cars. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing. Put down the phone.
3. Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, driveway and around your vehicle before backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under or around vehicles, especially those that are parked.
4. Talk to your teen. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens across the U. S., and more than one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occurs between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Get evidence-based guidance and tips at TeenDriving.AAA.com.
5. Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones and neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.
6. Watch for bicycles. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and the bicycle. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that they wear a properly-fitted bicycle helmet on every ride.
Visit www.AAA.com/Safety for more information.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline spiked nearly 7 cents over the past week, GasBuddy reports.
The average rose 6.7 centers per-gallon over the week to give Oklahoma a $2.03 per-gallon average as of Sunday. GasBuddy performs a daily survey of 2,294 gas stations in Oklahoma.
"With the benchmark WTI crude climbing more than $8 per barrel since the beginning of the month to $48 per barrel and Brent above $50, we should not be surprised to see the average price of gas in many areas nearly 5 cents than it was a week ago," said Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.
Despite the increase, the gas prices source said prices on Sunday were 44.7 cents per gallon lower than they were a year ago. However, they're 12 cents higher than a month ago.
Local Poteau gas prices for regular per-gallon included on Tuesday afternoon:
• E-Z Mart: $1.93.
• Walmart: $1.93.
• Choctaw Travel Plaza: $1.94.
• Tote-A-Poke: $2.23 (no ethanol).
• Bud's: $1.93.
• KP's: $1.93.
"While wholesale gasoline prices reflect the run-up for crude, it may be short-lived since the clock is ticking on the rally for retail prices with just two weeks left before the Labor Day weekend and summer's official end," Laskoski added.
"So consumers should be prepared for modest increases this week that may actually taper off as we approach the holiday weekend."
Historical average prices for Monday's date show a vast different compared to today's gasoline prices in Oklahoma: $2.47 per gallon in 2015, $3.24 in 2014, $3.39 in 2013, $3.58 in 2012 and $3.43 in 2011.
The national average increased 3.7 cents to $2.16 per-gallon.
The Poteau Chamber of Commerce is looking for volunteers to help with this year's festival.
The festival is Oct. 14-15.
Volunteer registration is available at http://poteauchamberofcommerce.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=7088.
Volunteers are needed for attendants at events Cockrill's Critters, Derek Cook FMX, Famous Flying Dogs, Mud Pit Races, the balloon field, main gate vendor entrance and parking on the main grounds.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A group that supports a state question to allow the medicinal use of marijuana in Oklahoma is planning to rally at the state Capitol.
The group Oklahomans for Change plans to rally Tuesday at 4:20 p.m., a numerical reference that symbolizes support for marijuana. Organizers say they are hoping hundreds of supporters show up for the event.
The group wants elected officials, including Gov. Mary Fallin and Attorney General Scott Pruitt, to know there is widespread support for legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Supporters also have been critical of Pruitt's rewrite of the language that will appear on the ballot.
A pro-marijuana group gathered more than 67,000 signatures within 90 days to qualify the medical marijuana question for the ballot, although the proposal likely won't appear until 2018.
Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans are expected to travel over Labor Day weekend, AAA Oklahoma said.
A recent online survey by the travel organization predicts 411,000 Oklahomans will travel 50 or more miles from home over the Labor Day weekend, the most since 2008.
Many from our area will find themselves trekking down to the Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival in Tuskahoma. The festival is ongoing daily into Labor Day on Monday.
The report by AAA said more than 95 percent of travelers will drive and 4.4 percent will fly. Additionally, nearly 27 percent said the low cost of gasoline influenced their decision to travel this weekend.
Despite Oklahoma's average price of regular gasoline rising more than 20 cents since Aug. 1, with a $2.13 average Thursday, prices remain 17 cents cheaper than prices on Sept. 1, 2015.
“Labor Day is a high risk holiday for motorists,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma.
“Three things contribute to the danger: it’s the last gasp of summer — we’re trying to make the most of it and that means we tend to take chances we wouldn’t ordinarily take, we’re in a party frame of mind and alcohol is often present, and warm temperatures sap our strength and make us sleepy. So we have distracted drivers, drivers who have been drinking and drowsy drivers.”
Across the nation, 35.5 million people traveled over Labor Day weekend last year. The number is expected to increase this year.
AAA is encouraging drivers to be safe while out on the road this weekend. Nationwide, the U.S. fatality rate could exceed 40,000 this year.
The National Safety Council estimated traffic deaths are 9 percent higher during the first six months of 2016 compared to last year, AAA said. In 2015, of those killed in traffic accidents over Labor Day weekend in Oklahoma, none of the victims were wearing a seat belt, AAA said.
LeFlore County saw a slight decrease in unemployment rate over the month of July, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission said.
Our county's unemployment rate decreased from 7.7 percent in June to 7.6 percent in July. However, it is a sharp increase from 7.0 percent reported in May and 6.9 percent in July 2015.
Out out of the 77 counties in Oklahoma, LeFlore ranks 62 in unemployment rate in a scale of lowest to highest.
Stephens County ranked highest in employment at a 10.9 percent rate. Latimer County followed at 9.9 percent and McIntosh ranked third highest at 9.3 percent.
Grant County held the lowest unemployment rank at 3.1 percent followed by Cimarron County at 3.2 percent. Alfalfa and Love County tied for third at 3.6 percent.
Statewide, the unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 5.0 percent.
The nationwide unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent.
A free motorcycle safety course with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation will be Sept. 17 in Poteau.
The course will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center at 105 Reynolds Ave., Poteau.
Signup is online at www.ohpsaferriders.com with 30 total spots.
Those who complete the safety course will receive a certificate and be eligible for an insurance discount for up to three years.
Required items to attend include your own bike, long pants, gloves, eye protection, boots above the ankle, long-sleeve shirt and helmet.
No passenger riders will be allowed, but spectators are welcome to watch. Registrants also should bring a sack lunch.
Minimum age to sign up is 14 and you must have a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license.
VIDEO: Meet the 2017 Guinness World Records holders
The latest stars of the Guinness World Records include the tallest female dog, the longest domestic cat and a man who has become the fastest runner on his hands upside down with a football between his legs.
Oklahoma State Election Board officials are warning voters to be cautious after several residents reported receiving phishing emails designed to look like communications from state or county election boards.
The emails indicate the recipient’s voter information has been changed or is in need of verification and contain a link to a malicious website.
Do not open links from any email sent unsolicited from someone claiming to be an election official. All communications regarding changes in voter information or the need to verify registration information are sent by U.S. mail and not through email.
People can verify their registration information, access other important information and contact the Oklahoma State Election Board at elections.ok.gov.
The election board responds to emails sent through a web form on its website. Those responses will always be from someone with an elections.ok.gov email address and will not be sent unless you have provided your email in an effort to contact the agency.
Military and overseas voters may receive email from a no-reply address ending in okelections.us, however all replies are sent directly to the appropriate county election board’s email address.
Voters who are unsure of the authenticity of an email claiming to be from the Oklahoma State Election Board or their county election board should contact the state election board at (405) 521-2391 to verify whether the communication is legitimate.
Those who receive phishing emails should report them to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov and/or the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@antiphishing.org.
