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Tuesday, 16 March 2010 21:46 |
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By Amber Hanneken
Staff Writer
HUGO — The mustang, the spirit of the “Wild West,” holds a strong position besides man in American history. From now until Wednesday at the Todd Whatley-Lige Hammock Rodeo Arena in Hugo, Choctaw County residents have a chance to give these legendary wild horses a home.
The adoption event began in southeastern Oklahoma last week in McAlester. Adoptions opened Monday in Hugo and continue today until 8 p.m. Wednesday is the last day to purchase a horse at the Hugo arena from 8 a.m. to noon. If you miss your chance in Hugo, the horses will be at the Bryan County Fairgrounds in Durant from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Wild horses are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and are defined as “unbranded, unclaimed and free-roaming horses found on western public rangelands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.” When a herd becomes over populated the bureau offers excess animals for adoption. Burros, or small wild donkeys, are also managed by the bureau in the same manner but none were available for adoption at the Hugo sale.
The horses are of no particular breed and typically stand between 13 and 15 hands high and weigh 700 to 1,000 pounds. They come from as far away as Oregon and Nevada and as near as Kansas. The animals range in color including sorrel, chestnut, black, gray, bay, dun, buckskin, brown, pinto and red roan. All the horses for adoption in Hugo — yearlings through age 4 — are untrained and cost $125 to adopt. There is a $500 incentive to those wishing to adopt a 4-year-old horse. All adopters of older horses will receive a $500 care-and-feeding allowance, which is paid in full after one year of ownership. Read the full story, subscribe to the online edition: http://www.hugonews.com/transitionHDN.html |
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 21:27 |
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By Joanne Webster
Contributing Writer
BOSWELL — “The people of this town are rising up,” a Boswell business owner told members of the town council during a heated meeting Tuesday evening at city hall.
Approximately 40 citizens filled the council chambers voicing their continued displeasure with what they report to be “excessive city police harrasment.”
The topic has been boiling since the fall, after numerous business owners in Boswell told the council that their business was “drying up,” and attributed the loss of business to citizens fear of “harassment by the police.”
Tuesday night, a restaurant owner said he had lost as many as 21 Friday night customers, who said they decided it wasn’t worth coming to town for fear of being stopped by police. One citizen said some teens on a work assignment for a relative were stopped four times in a weekend.
Another business owner said his employees were “stopped repeatedly,” and that numerous travelers, angry at the way they were treated by Boswell officers, would no longer trade in the town.
Some citizens said the town had employed officers with questionable backgrounds. Some questioned why officers routinely “just disappeared” in the middle of the night with the citizens not knowing why they quit.
Another citizen questioned why the council would continue trying to run an aggressive police department with city accounts running a negative balance.
Officer Brian Gordon was called into Tuesday night’s executive session for approximately 50 minutes, during which time citizens could hear members of the council speaking with raised voices inside.
After returning to open session, the decorum grew more raucous, and Mayor Buck Eastwood called for the meeting to be adjourned.
“No! No!,” yelled several citizens. “You’re going to hear us,” several said.
The meeting ended with heated conduct, which included profane language on both sides and adjournment became necessary. Read the full story, subscribe to the online edition: http://www.hugonews.com/transitionHDN.html |
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Friday, 12 March 2010 20:50 |
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By Stan Stamper
Publisher
HUGO — More than 400 Choctaw County men and women were shaking their heads Thursday evening in Hugo, as representatives of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission explained state and federal regulations relating to farm vehicles and trailer towing.
At times the buzz of discontent in the room grew so loud that decorum was lost, but OHP Lieutenant Offotter patiently waited until quiet was restored.
The primary purpose of the meeting was to provide answers to area farmers and ranchers relating to what they could legally haul up and down Oklahoma highways and occasionally into Texas or other states.
Offotter explained that most of the present day laws were on the books back in 1987, but that they had not been fully enforced until recently. He said the laws were largely mandated by the Department of Transportation arm of the federal government.
“They give us highway money and put lots of strings, in the form of regulations, on us, which we must enforce,” he said.
To make understanding the regulations even more difficult, Oklahoma has two sets of enforcement agencies, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission actively enforcing them.
Apparently, OHP deals more with weight and safety matters, while OCC also pays close attention to weights and adherence to regulations concerning intrastate and interstate commerce.
Offotter said there were two significant weight numbers area farmers and businessmen should be aware of. The first was 10,000 pounds and the second was 26,000 pounds.
What might be perfectly legal to haul inside the State of Oklahoma on a farm operation, might not be legal if the trip were to either exceed 150 miles or cross a state line.
Citing an extreme case, Offotter said it was possible a farmer going to Paris, Texas in a one-ton dually to purchase a bolt for a tractor, would fall under the heading of an Interstate Motor Carrier. “You have to learn what to tell the officer,” one of the troopers said. “It would be perfectly legal for you to take your wife to dinner, in some cases, without having to comply with this regulation.” Read the full story, subscribe to the online edition: http://www.hugonews.com/transitionHDN.html |
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Friday, 05 March 2010 19:28 |
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SWINK — Swink School, in partnership with the Choctaw County Boys & Girls Club has recently been awarded a grant through the Boys & Girls Club of America and Kimberly-Clark.
Twenty Family PLUS grants were awarded nationally. In Swink, $15,000 in grant funds will be used for after-school enrichment activities and evening events that promote family involvement and economic development for Swink area residents.
Swink School and the Choctaw County Boys & Girls Club are working together to determine just what programs should be offered.
“When we wrote the grant, our focus included access to our technology lab for students and district patrons from 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays. However, after attending the grant meeting in Atlanta we now realize that there are many other projects that we can target to meet the needs of families. Technology will still be offered, but we are going to let them help us decide which other projects are most needed,” said Swink Superintendent Ed Kennedy.
Some of the projects recommended for daily activities have included: hunter’s education, arts and crafts, gardening, archery and music. It is also important to determine weekly evening events for families.
“In addition to specialty technology workshops, we are considering events like tax preparation help, assistance in getting CDIB cards, home buying, credit counseling and wildlife habitat improvement,” he said.
At 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 8 Swink School will host a community forum to get feedback on program offerings. Hot dogs, chips and refreshments will be served. Read the full story, subscribe to the online edition: http://www.hugonews.com/transitionHDN.html |
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