February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019 Vol. 19, No. 37

In This Issue DIRECTIONS

Directions, by Joe Slack, in real life is located in front of OnCue, at 15th and I-35, 4100 E. 15th Street, but this week is hidden somewhere in our paper. Email c o n te s t @ e d m o n d p a p e r. c o m with the correct location to be entered in the weekly drawing.

For more information, see page 4.

Edmond Police cadets honored See Page 13

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Sunny High 39° Low 24°

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Mostly Cloudy High 44° Low 36°

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Cloudy High 56° Low 36°

MELINDA INFANTE

Rachel Schwegal and her niece Aria Puentes, 5, ready to experience tea time at the Rodkey House emulating the 1920’s with Mrs Rodkey.

Glenda VanTiem and Andrea Ostrofsky prepare to savor what was known as the mother-in-law tea in the 1920’s at the Rodkey House Suellen, 8, and her mother Elizabeth Lopez listen as Mrs Rodkey and her daughter-in-law tell the Rodkey story.

Last weekend dozens of women got to enjoy a time machine ride as they traveled back to 1928 to a social tea hosted by Emma and Clara Rodkey.

It’s part of a historical social tea hosted annually by the Edmond Historical Society & Museum.

Emma and Clara provided historical perspective on the day. The women, portrayed by Anna Studstill as Emma and Avery Hebert as Clara, shared the history of tea and social gatherings in Edmond in the 1920s. There were also 1920s artifacts for inspection. Clara and Emma were the daughters-in-law of Isaac and Catherine Rodkey, who were the owners of the historic Rodkey Mill and early Edmond community leaders. Studstill is the Edmond Historical Society & Museum Director of Education. Tea attendees also enjoyed assorted petite

sandwiches, scones, tea cookies, fruit and a choice of teas. Participants came dressed in their finest flapper or more conservative 20’s dress, prairie or church attire.

“We occasionally enjoy changing our events and thought this 1920’s tea would be fun,” added Mrs. Anita Schlaht, Executive Director of the Edmond Historical Society & Museum. “Clara Rodkey and her husband Donald, the Rodkey’s youngest son, actually bought the house from his parents and lived in it from 1927 until 1961. So we thought it would be fun to have the younger generation of Rodkey’s host this year’s tea.”

This Tea was also an introduction to a new 1920’s decade exhibit opening at the museum in late February called “1920’s Edmond: Ain’t We Got Fun?” The exhibit will include artifacts and information

from the Edmond Historical Society & Museum collection and loans from other collections. Items related to the Arts, Activities, and Athletics that provided the entertainment for Edmondites during Prohibition and the Women’s Suffrage movement will be included. The display will remain in the main gallery from 2019 thru early 2020 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote. The Rodkey House, site of the tea, is located at 410 S. Littler on the west side of Stephenson Park.

The museum on 431 S. Boulevard, has been closed for renovations. It is scheduled to reopen on Feb. 19.

Organizers were expecting more than 100 visitors for the sessions last weekend as well as one this weekend. The upcoming sessions may be sold out but call 405-3400078 to check.

Page 2 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 3

Resident can help others; Own tree has Mayflower link

A fascinating family tree search

By Mallery Nagle As people search for their roots, many are able to add leaves to their family trees.

Edmond resident Dawn Hopkins is an arborist, of sorts. She can turn your own family tree in the forest of history into a work of art. A master calligrapher, Hopkins uses her skills to create personalized family trees.

She first learned the ancient art of calligraphy as a college student, adding it takes many years and many courses to attain the master level.

Until her sister, Majel Powell of New Mexico, traced their family back to the Middle East in 150 A.D., Hopkins mainly used her talents to produce quotes, proclamations, honorariums and the like.

“My sister does all of this research,” Hopkins said. “She was putting it in a notebook and then in a drawer. That’s a terrible thing. Why should you hide it? You should be proud of your relatives and where you’re from.”

Hopkins pointed out that it is not uncommon for people to be able to claim royal blood, as she and her sister can. “To get back as far as 150 A.D., you need to find royalty,” she explained. “The common man did not write their information down.”

Hopkins and her sister can also claim other types of “royalty.” Powell found two ancestors who came to the New World on the Mayflower, John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley.

Howland was a servant to another Mayflower family and Tilley set sail with her parents. Hopkins noted that only 52 of the original 105 Mayflower passengers survived that first winter of 1620-21 in Plymouth.

Among the dead were Tilley’s parents and Howland’s employers. Howland inherited his employers’ wealth and married Tilley. They had eight children. The rest, as they say, is history.

But the sisters’ European roots run deeper than even the Mayflower.

Their tree branches back to the Magna Carta in 1215. Twenty-five barons, along with King John of England, signed the document stating laws applied to everyone, including the king. Hopkins and Powell claim relations to 15 of those signers.

When the Vikings got tired of “beating up” on their own, they looked to England in the late Eighth Century for “new lands to plunder,” Hopkins said. The English, she noted,

Dawn Hopkins

were no match for the brutal Vikings and soon adopted the stance of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” English nobility began offering their daughters as Viking brides to form alliances. Through these unions, Hopkins claims ancestry to 18 different Viking families.

On this side of the Atlantic, Hopkins has a Revolutionary War connection. She and her sister are relatives of one Capt. Benjamin Pendleton.

Anyone with completed genealogy can give their information to Hopkins who produces the family trees on 16x20 paper, as standard picture frames can accommodate that size.

Hopkins pointed out that other sizes would necessitate custom frames that can run into hundreds of dollars.

American Revolutionary War Ancestor family trees are produced on 11x14 paper, also a standard picture frame size.

Depending on what a client wants, Hopkins can produce document tracing a family name (males only) or she can include marriages, births, deaths and other important dates.

Prices start at $100 for family tress and $75 for the American Revolutionary War Ancestor tree. “If you want to go back to the Magna Carta or 150 A.D., we’ll have to talk,” she laughed.

Although Hopkins cannot pinpoint the reason for the renewed interest in genealogy, she suspects the popularity of DNA kits, such as 23 and Me, along with Internet’s ease of research have sparked curiosity. “There are so many resources, people want to know how far back can I get,” she said.

Hopkins hopes to start teaching calligraphy courses in Edmond. “It’s a fun art form,” she said. “You don’t have to be a fine artist.”

For information on how to have Hopkins pen your family tree, you can contact her at (405) 458-8520 or dawn2dawnagain@aol.com.

Dawn Hopkins, above, has traced her family tree to the pilgrims. Over many years she has mastered the fine art of calligraphy, left.

MELINDA INFANTE

Page 4 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

From the Publisher

Cox’s Gigablast now in Edmond Just when you thought Internet speeds could not possibly get any faster, Cox Communications announced last week that homes in Edmond and throughout the Oklahoma City metropolitan area have access to 1 gigabit broadband internet speeds. If you are like me and are not sure what 1 gigabit broadband really means in terms of use, here are some exam- Ray Hibbard ples: Cox Communications customers can utilize this powerful connection, equal to 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps), to download 100 songs within three seconds, 1,000 photos in 16 seconds and a two-hour movie in eight seconds. Ok, this I understand.

“Our Gigablast service meets the needs of today’s internet users who increasingly have multiple internet-dependent devices in their homes and desire faster speeds for entertainment, communication, safety and a range of other purposes,” said Kristin Peck, Edmond resident and Cox Communications’ vice president of public affairs. “Cox Communications’ sizeable network investments, including a $10 billion network infrastructure investment, help us stay significantly ahead of demand and enable smart homes, smart businesses and smart cities – all of which depend on reliable fast internet service.”

The announcement was made in Oklahoma City and OKC Mayor David Holt joined Cox Communications in delivering the good news. “Like virtually all cities, Oklahoma City depends on a partnership with the private sector to provide for our citizens’ ever-growing digital needs,” said Holt, “and so I am always grateful when companies like Cox step up and make these kinds of investments. This infrastructure will benefit our existing citizens and their businesses but will also continue to improve Oklahoma City’s profile as a place for job creators and entrepreneurs to relocate. It means a lot to our city’s unity that we maintain that kind of equity, and it fulfills our vision of ‘One OKC.’ I commend Cox not just for providing this service but for the effort to ensure it is provided to all.”

With the average home expected to have more than 50 internet-connected devices by 2020, Cox is prepared for its customers’ growing demands by rapidly expanding residential gigabit speeds. Cox has delivered a wide range of broadband speeds to customers for years, including speeds for business customers that have well surpassed 1 gig for more than 12 years.

“This new service provides our residents and businesses with the technology they are demanding, this is another distinguishing, quality-of-life factor that differentiates our community and helps attract talent in a very competitive environment,” said Roy Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.

Gigablast from Cox delivers more speed, a powerful home network and rich broadband-enabled services to customers through a Panoramic WiFi gateway modem offering wall-to-wall WiFi coverage throughout the home. Gig internet speeds allow users to: n Run all internet-enabled devices at the same time. n Stream 10 Ultra HD videos while surfing the

RAY HIBBARD

From left: Janet Yowell, Executive Director of the Edmond Economic Development Authority; Glenn Fisher, Director of Edmond Electric; Elizabeth Waner, City of Edmond Mayor; and Kristin Peck, Vice President Government & Public Affairs for Cox Communications, attend the announcement at the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. Cox Communications now has Edmond and the entire Oklahoma City metropolitan area covered with the availability of their Gigablast speed broadband.

web and checking email. n Download the entire iTunes library (in HD) in 1 month – and then watch it for the next 15 years.

Additionally, Cox is making significant upgrades to its infrastructure in Edmond as part of the company’s commitment to invest $10 billion in its network over the next five years. DOCSIS 3.1 technology builds on the strength of Cox’s fiberbased network and provides the ability to roll out gigabit internet speeds throughout more neighborhoods at a faster pace. Cox has committed to offering gigabit speeds to all customers – not just a select few – and an array of speed and pricing options to all homes and businesses, not just chosen neighborhoods.

Monica Mancini makes UCO Jazz Lab appearance Just a short month after David Wilcox appears on the stage of the UCO Jazz Lab as part of the Tres Amigos Productions concert series, jazz singer Monica Mancini will perform in her Edmond debut at the same venue.

Tres Amigos is a not for profit production company that donates all proceeds from the concerts to the Monica Mancini UCO Foundation ear marked for jazz and music scholarships. They have endowed one $25,000 scholarship and are close to finishing a second one as well.

The concert will be Saturday, March 9. Tickets are $75 each and can be reserved by calling (405) 340-8552. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. It is predicted to sell out as do other Tres Amigos concerts.

If her last name is familiar to you, it is because her father is Henry Mancini, the award-winning composer. She was raised in Northridge, California and her mother, Virginia, was also a singer. Mancini is a recording artist with the Concord Record label.

She is also a double Grammy nominated vocalist.

She sang professionally for the first time when she was fourteen years old with the Henry Mancini Chorus. Her mother and sister sang with the group as well.

Mancini later became a studio singer in Los Angeles and her debut album, Monica Mancini, was accompanied by a television special on PBS in 1998.

She has worked with Placido Domingo, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson as well as other international recording artists over her career. Her concert performances include appearances with the Chicago Symphony, New York Pops, Boston Pops, Dallas Symphony, Seattle Symphony, the London Metropolitan Orchestra and several other major symphony orchestras worldwide.

“I always keep in mind the composer’s intention because I believe melodies and lyrics are crafted with a definite purpose. I want to bring out the beauty of the writer’s word through music,” Mancini said. The New York Times described her voice as rich, expressive and as “the glamorous vocal equivalent to diamonds flashing.”

Popular composer John Williams wrote about Mancini saying she “brings her talent, musicality and most of all, love to the music and proves that the passage of musical genes didn’t stop with the Bach’s, Strauss’s or Ellingtons”. She has collaborated with greats such as Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne and Take 6. Mancini is one of those talents that other vocal artists admire and recognize her incredible talent as a singer.

You won’t want to miss this concert because it is sure to be noted as one of the best offered by Tres Amigos Productions. You will also be helping fund important student scholarships at our own UCO. Students need all the help they can get these days.

Call (405) 340-8552 to reserve your ticket today. It will be a sell out folks.

(Ray Hibbard may be reached by e-mail at ray@edmondpaper.com)

Check out what’s inside! n Weekend calendar of events..........................................................Page 6 n ‘Mary Poppins’ racist? No way columnist says ............................Page 8. n Farris looks at infamous 1935 trial ............................................Page 10. n McGuinness cheer team wins national event..............................Page 14. n George Gust reviews award nominated movie............................Page 15. n Crossword ..................................................................................Page 15. n Chamber award winners featured ..............................................Page 16. n Business news ............................................................................Page 21. n Worship directory ......................................................................Page 23.

See if you can find ‘Directions’ “Directions,” in real life is located in front of OnCue, at 15th and I-35, 4100 E 15th Street, but this week is hidden somewhere in our paper. E-mail contest@edmondpaper.com with the correct location to be entered in the weekly drawing.

Local artist Joe Slack created the sculpture to draw the public in. “I just want to engage,” said Slack, “And for it to be part of the landscape.” At it’s tallest point of 17 feet ‘Directions' is the largest sculpture Slack has ever attempted. It features three huge faces with a rust patina. Located along I-35 it is certain to draw travelers in to engage with just one of the pieces of public art Edmond is known for.

For more information on Edmond public art please visit http://visitedmondok.com/public-art.php

Publisher Ray Hibbard Jr. ray@edmondpaper.com Partner Christopher T. Hoke Editor Steve Gust news@edmondpaper.com Production April Burgess, Deanne York

Cover Design Deanne York Legal Counsel Todd McKinnis Ruebenstein & Pitts, PLLC Copyright © 2019 by Edmond Media Publishing 107 S. Broadway Edmond, OK 73034 405.340.3311 (office) 405.340.3384 (fax)

Advertising Director Alexx Harms alexx@edmondpaper.com

Mailing address: P.O. Box 164 Edmond, OK 73083

Advertising Account Executive Chris Thomas chris@edmondpaper.com

All rights reserved.

Material contained herein may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission from Edmond Media Publishing.

Contributing Writers Dave Farris, Mallery Nagle, Kacee Van Horn, Rose Drebes, George Gust.

Photographer Melinda Infante

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Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 5

PHOTO PROVIDED

With recipient Chris Sperry, middle, are Elaine Sheik and Ken Sperry.

City, Character Council honor HOPE Center executive director hard to seek a helping HOPE Center’s Executive hand from others. No Director, Chris Sperry, rematter how much or how ceived recognition as Chamlittle HOPE Center is able pion of Character for to provide for their Respect at a recent Edmond clients, Sperry believes City Council meeting. it’s important that each UCO’s Professor of Socione feel safe and appreciology, Kathryn Williams, ated. nominated Sperry for the Treating others with rehonor. She said, “You can spect comes from tell a lot about a commuSperry’s desire to keep the nity in how it treats its most Sperry Biblical commandment, vulnerable citizens.”

The two ladies met when Williams “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Sperry also said, “I think that invited Sperry to speak in William’s treating others with honor and digCareers in Sociology class. They also nity is simply good manners—showing worked together at HOPE Center.

Sperry leads HOPE Center ‘s volun- consideration and concern for others.” teers through her example. She Sperry is a native Oklahoman. meets clients with a warm smile and After serving for 10 years as a volunsincere desire to offer assistance. teer at HOPE Center, Sperry became Williams said, “I have spent over 45 the Executive Director in January years in the ‘help profession,’ and 2008. view her as that exceptional kind of She and her husband, Ken, have person that can empower people been married for 33 years. They’ve with kindness.” lived in Edmond for 27. They raised Sperry said, “So many of our two daughters and two sons. One clients are stressed with so many overwhelming issues that simply feel- daughter is an accountant at Boeing and the other a nursing student at ing that someone cares and recognizes their struggles makes a See HONOR, Page 7 significant difference to them.” It’s

Page 6 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

Dodgers & singing auditions The Oklahoma City Dodgers and The Oklahoman will host open auditions Saturday, March 2 at Myriad Botanical Gardens for musical performers to sing or play “The StarSpangled Banner” before Dodgers home games throughout the 2019 baseball season and online registration is now available.

For more information about National Anthem Tryouts presented

by The Oklahoman and the OKC Dodgers, 2019 season ticket packages or group outings, call (405) 218-1000 or visit okcdodgers.com.

Thursday Feb. 7 ---- In the Gallery ---- Exhibit: Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered ---- Transcendence: Contemporary Op Art by Jason Wilson ---- Hair ---- Symbiotic: Opening Reception ---- The Great Board Game Swap of 2019 ---- Hearts for Art ---- OKC Broadway presents: On Your Feet ---- Prairie Classic Quarter Horse Show ---- Chocolate Decadence on Automobile Alley Friday Feb. 8 ---- In the Gallery ---- Exhibit: Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered ---- Transcendence: Contemporary Op Art by Jason Wilson ---- Hair ---- Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company ---- Randy Rogers Band ---- Prairie Classic Quarter Horse Show ---- An Affair of the Heart ---- Lunar New Year in the Gardens ---- Hearts for Art ---- Ancient Massive, Wild – The Bison Exhibit Saturday Feb. 9 ---- In the Gallery ---- Exhibit: Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered ---- Transcendence: Contemporary Op Art by Jason Wilson ---- Hair ---- Gifts for Mom: Jewelry Design Class (Valentine’s Day Edition) ---- 1920’s Tea at the Rodkey House ---- Happy Heart Festival ---- Pawfectly in Love Celebration ---- Ties & Tiaras Daddy Daughter Dance ---- Lazy E Red Dirt Classic – World Series of Team Roping ---- Avenue ---- Prairie Classic Quarter Horse Show ---- An Affair of the Heart ---- David Wilcox ---- Hearts for Art ---- Ancient Massive, Wild – The Bison Exhibit ---- Hot Chocolate Valentine ---- Harlem Globetrotters Sunday Feb. 10 ---- In the Gallery ---- Exhibit: Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered ---- Transcendence: Contemporary Op Art by Jason Wilson ---- Hair ---- Lazy E Red Dirt Classic – World Series of Team Roping ---- FACS: Sandra Thompson: The Music in My Life: It’s My Birthday!

---- Avenue ---- Hearts for Art ---- Ancient Massive, Wild – The Bison Exhibit ---- FACS: Sandra Thompson: The Music in My Life: It’s My Birthday!

---- Prairie Classic Quarter Horse Show ---- Signature Tour ---- Read the West Book Club: American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon ---- An Affair of the Heart Extra Information on Weekend Happenings In the Gallery Location: Edmond Fine Arts Institute Extra Info: Featuring works

by Cody L Rains For information go to: http://www.edmondfinearts.com/ Transcendence: Contemporary Op Art by Jason Wilson Location: UCO – Mitchell Hall Theater Extra Info: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., the exhibit is located in the Krottinger Family Gallery, a space located in the hallway leading into the newly renovated dressing rooms, classrooms and theater spaces of Mitchell Hall. For more info find them on Facebook.

Hair Location: UCO – Mitchell Hall Theater Mature themes.

Extra Info: Feb 7 – 9; 7:30 p.m., Feb 10; 2 p.m., for more info visit

https://www.uco.edu/cfad/academics/music/ Symbiotic: Opening Reception Location: UCO – Mitchell Hall Theater Extra Info: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., for more info visit them on Facebook Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company Location: UCO – Jazz Lab Extra Info: 8 p.m., $10, for more info visit ucojazzlab.com Happy Heart Festival Location: Mercy Fitness Edmond I-35 Extra Info: 12 -2 p.m., Join in our games, crafts and cookie decorating!

There will also be having a nutritionist come to speak about healthy snacks! Appropriate for ages 3 – 11 and parent participation is encouraged. For more info visit them on Facebook.

Pawfectly in Love Celebration Location: Best of Books Extra Info: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Louisa McCune, co-editor, of the new book “Love Can Be: A Literary Collection About Our Animals” will be signing copies.

Lazy E Red Dirt Classic – World Series of Team Roping Location: Lazy E Arena Extra Info: visit lazye.com FACS: Sandra Thompson: The Music in My Life: It’s My Birthday!

Location: UCO – Jazz Lab Extra Info: $10, 7:30 p.m., for more info visit ucojazzlab.com Gifts for Mom: Jewelry Design Class (Valentine’s Day Edition) Location: Heart Studios Extra Info: 5 -7 p.m., $25 ---- $30, Ages 5 and Up, create different kinds of earrings, bracelets and necklaces with professional techniques to give away to Mom or someone special for Valentines Day. 1920’s Tea at the Rodkey House Location: Rodkey House Event and Education Annex Extra Info: 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., $20, A great multi-generational event for ladies, ages 5 and up, to experience teatime in 1920 Oklahoma. Our traditional tea fare includes savories, scones, sweets and of course tea.

Purchase tickets edmondhistory.org Harlem Globetrotters Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena Extra Info: 2 – 7 p.m., for more info visit chesapeakearena.com David Wilcox Location: UCO – Jazz Lab Extra Info: $35, 8 p.m., purchase tickets online ucojazzlab.com or by calling 405 340-8552.

Ties & Tiaras Daddy Daughter Dance Location: Hilton Garden Inn & Edmond Conference Center Extra Info: $15, 4:30 ---- 6:30, 7:30 – 9:30, Ages 3 – 12, Daddies and Daughters will dance the night away in the new Edmond Conference Center.

Randy Rogers Band Location: Showplace Theatre, Riverwind Casino Extra Info: 8 p.m., get tickets online at riverwind.com Avenue Location: River Lounge, Riverwind Casino Extra Info: Feb 9; 9 p.m. – Feb 10; 1 a.m.

OKC Broadway presents: On Your Feet Location: Civic Center Music Hall Extra Info: Recommended for ages 8 and up, for tickets visit OKCBroadway.com or call (877) 737-2929.

An Affair of the Heart Location: Oklahoma State Fair Park Extra Info: $10 for all three days, Fri & Sat; 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sun; 11 a.m.

– 5 p.m., for more information visit aaoth.com

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 7

PHOTO PROVIDED

Chris Sperry with Kathryn Williams.

Honor From Page 5 OKC University. Their two sons are both studying engineering at OSU. On behalf of the City of Edmond and the Character Council of Edmond, Chris Sperry was honored before the City Council as a Champion of Character for exemplifying the character trait of respect (Treating others with honor and dignity).

The Character Council is a grassroots, nonprofit organization committed to creating a citywide initiative to build Edmond into a "Community of Character."

The group believes that the character of a nation can only be strengthened one person at a time, one community at a time. Toward that end, the Character Council of Edmond seeks to recognize residents who demonstrate character, as witnessed by those who have been affected and influenced.

To nominate a citizen as a “Champion of Character,” one who exemplifies these character traits, visit www.edmondcharacter

Page 8 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

Commentary ... We’re on YOUR Side

The odd things in the news It can sometimes be a challenge to make this space as relevant as possible because there are a few days between press time and distribution.

In a Twitter age, a few days sees dozens of topics trend and Steve Gust then disappear.

For example I'm sure the President's State of the Union address will have lots of fireworks. For now I can only speculate because we can't wait that long to go to press. n Local issues. Many people get emotionally invested in national events and politics. Don't get me wrong, it's important. Yet please don't forget the local issues as well. Next Tuesday there will be a huge vote in Edmond. The public will get to decide on a $93 million dollar school bond package. Please see article on Page 17. The Edmond Schools have a tremendous track record of having these passed.

You have to go back to the days of Wally and the Beaver in the 1950s to find one voted down. I urge passage. Investing in education is a good thing and people continue to move to Edmond because of the strong schools we have.

There will also be an election for three Edmond City Council seats, Wards One & Two, plus the mayor's seat. The top two candidates from each race go on to an April general election. I urge people to study the candidates and make an informed vote. The council members selected will make key decisions on several issues that affect quality of life in Edmond. In other words, folks, it's important. n Super Bore. The initial feedback I've received is people got over the "excitement" of this year's Super Bowl about two seconds after the final gun. I guess my favorite ad featured Budweiser beer guys back in the Middle Ages. Gee, I never knew corn syrup was that bad of a thing.

Good thing I watched the Super Bowl.

And I guess I'll never understand the "halftime entertainment" feature of the game.

Not exactly my cup of tea. What's odd also is the crowd they put in front of the acts. Pay people to cheer someone? n Interesting article last week in The Oklahoman on why some stretches of the Interstate are dark. Thieves are stealing copper wire from the light poles. Isn't there a way to secure the copper better or use another material? n The Oklahoman is advocating raising the age to smoke from 18 to 21.

They say the idea deserves "serious," at-

tention. Maybe. I wish nobody would ever smoke regardless of their age. Just isn't good for you folks. Yet somehow we live in a society that believes we can pass a law and everything will be just fine.

We have hundreds, if not thousands, of laws involving firearms. The liberals keep telling us another law here or there will cure that problem also. It's just folly.

We have laws against illegal immigration. As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working out for ya?" n In the aftermath of the Virginia Governor's fiasco, a silly story emerged.

It claimed that the eternally loved 1965 original "Mary Poppins," motion picture is racist. Why? Well it's because Mary Poppins has soot on her face and it's obviously blackface. Welcome to the 21st century and some of the idiotic conclusions some people reach. Memo to The New York Times, chimney sweeps in old London probably did get a lot of soot.

Same with coal miners. Are coal miners racist? Of course not.

To suggest that Julie Andrews’ character in “Mary Poppins” was racist is beyond stupid.

Sometimes this politically correct society bugs me.

(Steve Gust may be reached at news@edmondpaper.com)

A grim fire safety reminder Better building materials and wiring result in far fewer fatal structure fires than in years gone by, and thus make news like a deadly blaze recently in northwest Oklahoma City all the more jarring.

Four people — three of them children — died early Sunday in the fire at Quail Ridge Apartments, located near W Memorial Road and N May Avenue. Roughly 20 people were displaced.

The victims were identified as Carson Nyte, 12, Bentley Evans, 7, Paisley Evans, 4, and their aunt, 34-year-old Melissa Evans.

The Evans children attended Charter Oak Elementary School in Guthrie; Carson attended Guthrie Upper Elementary School.

Evans' boyfriend survived by jumping from a balcony, and told firefighters he expected the woman to pass the children down to him.

However, the four didn't make it to the balcony.

These were the city's first fire-related fatalities of 2019. Last year, 22 people died in Oklahoma City fires. Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson says most house fires are caused by discarded cigarettes, cooking or electrical issues — all of them preventable.

He noted the importance of having working smoke alarms, and an evacuation plan that includes two possible exits.

The fire department can help city residents with the former. Information about free smoke alarms and installation is available at (405) 316-2337 or at smokealarmsokc.com or gratisalarmsokc.com.

From NewsOK.com/ The Oklahoman

Bice: GOP agenda will move state forward Senate Republicans have unveiled their agenda for the 2019 legislative session. State Sen. Stephanie Bice, who holds dual leadership roles as Finance Chair and Assistant Majority Floor Leader, said the legislative priorities her caucus has identified will include key reforms, a continued Bice commitment to education and an emphasis on increased transparency and accountability.

“I’m excited about where we are as a state this session, particularly compared to where Oklahoma was the last few years,” said Bice, R-Oklahoma City. “Much of that has to do with some hard decisions we made in past sessions to strengthen our state’s budget, invest in education and adopt common sense criminal justice reform as well as improving our budgeting process. Our

agenda will build on those accomplishments.”

Among the agenda priorities the Senate Republicans outlined was a commitment to honor and protect the $2.9 billion investment in Oklahoma teachers, students and schools.

“Within that commitment is our shared goal of enhancing student outcomes and repairing our state’s national reputation,” Bice said. “It is difficult to attract businesses to our state and develop our workforce if it is perceived we don’t value education. We need to make sure our schools are educating children five days a week.”

Bice said continuing Oklahoma’s effort to enact meaningful criminal justice reform offers multiple benefits for the state.

“Finding alternative ways to hold nonviolent offenders accountable is critical to reversing an unsustainable growth in our prison population,” Bice said. “It’s a reform that will save millions of dollars that can be used to address the need for

Letters to the Editor policy We love mail, especially mail from Edmond Life & Leisure readers with complaints, compliments or comments about what they read here. The rules, even for e-mail letters: 1) You must tell us your full name; 2) You must give us your complete address and phone numbers (but we will identify you only by name); and 3) We reserve the right to edit letters for length, clarity and taste (our taste).

Send mail to Letter to the Editor, Edmond Life & Leisure, 107 S. Broadway, Edmond, OK 73034, or fax to 340-3384 or e-mail to news@edmondpaper.com.

greater substance abuse treatment and access to mental health care and further enhance education—programs that turn lives around, keep families together and strengthen communities.”

Senate Republicans also support the creation of a legislative budget office to provide greater accountability of taxpayer dollars and to give the governor greater authority to choose leaders at state agencies who will help promote an agenda to turn Oklahoma around.

“Accountability and transparency are essential to building a strong trust between the public and those chosen to be their voice at the Capitol,” Bice said. “These goals are essential to our overall agenda, and one that will help us create an even stronger future for Oklahoma and all our citizens.”

For more information, contact Sen. Stephanie Bice at 405-521-5592 or please e-mail bice@oksenate.gov.

Political Quote Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.

Winston Churchill

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 9

Page 10 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

The theme during the trial was ‘lie & deny’ (Editor’s Note: In this installment, the government continues its trial in 1935 against Adam Richetti, former partner of Pretty Boy Floyd.)

By David Farris On the morning of June 17, 1933, at the Union Train Station Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., Oklahoma City FBI Agent Joe Lackey was in possession of a 16-gauge Winchester model 12 pumpaction shotgun.

The weapon was owned by McAlester, Okla. Police Chief Otto Reed and was fitted with Farris a factory-made, 18inch barrel and loaded with shotgun shells that he had personally handpacked with three ball bearings each.

Moments later, that same weapon was used to kill three men, with just two shots, in a tragic friendly-fire accident.

Prior to the tragedy, Agent Lackey, along with Agent Frank Smith and Chief Reed, had risked their lives traveling from Arkansas into Missouri with their federal prisoner, Frank “Jelly” Nash. After their ordeal, the men had been sleep deprived for more than 24-hours and their nerves were on edge.

On the morning of the shooting, Lackey was seated in the back seat of

Kansas City Agent Ray Caffrey's Chevy, behind the driver's side. To his right, sitting in the middle, was Agent Smith, and to his right, behind the passenger side, was Chief Reed. Their prisoner, Nash, was cuffed and seated in front next to the driver's side so, as Lackey put it, “... we can all watch you.”

Kansas City Agent Reed Vetterli and Agent Caffrey were standing in front of the car, along with K.C. Detectives Frank Hermanson and Bill Grooms, when three men pointing .45 caliber automatic weapons appeared and one ordered the lawmen to, “Put 'em up! Up! Up!” Lackey saw the men and swung Reed's shotgun into action only to learn that he didn't know how to make it work. He as much as conceded this fact in his report to Bureau Director John Edgar Hoover when he wrote, “In endeavoring to cock this gun to fire, it jammed and to the best of the agents recollection he was unable to get it unjammed during the proceedings.”

Note Lackey's qualifier, “to the best of the agents recollection.” He didn't know that there is a small button to the left rear of the trigger guard that must be pressed in order to work the slide and chamber a round. Obviously, in a panic, he must have stumbled upon it in order to work the slide, but not before placing his finger on the trigger. As a result, the shot-

gun fired two ball bearings into Nash's head, killing him instantly, while the third one penetrated the windshield and fatally struck Caffrey in his head.

Something else that Lackey didn't know about this particular shotgun model was why it was so popular with lawmen. By keeping your finger on the trigger after firing the first round, any subsequent cartridge will automatically fire when chambered.

This explains the second blast that shattered the windshield and sent a ball bearing tearing through the head of Officer Hermanson.

At that point, the gunmen opened fire with their machine guns, killing Officer Grooms, seriously wounding Lackey with three rounds in his back, and grazing Vetterli in the arm as he ran for cover. Chief Reed was also dead, shot twice in the head; once with a .45 from a bad guy, and another from a .38. The only ones armed with .38s on that morning were the good guys. In other words, four of the five men killed had been shot in the head by lawmen.

This wasn't a conspiracy theory, but unfortunately were the facts in the case. Facts that were well-known to agents who testified to the contrary almost two years later, beginning on June 13, 1935, during the trial of Adam Richetti who was charged in the shooting. Richetti and his since-deceased partner, Charley “Pretty Boy” Floyd, had the bad luck of arriving in town to see their girlfriends on the evening before, what became known as, the “Kansas City Massacre.”

Were such damaging facts known, it could not only derail the prosecution's case against Richetti, but also sink Hoover's struggling federal bureau. In order to make sure that these facts never made it into court, Hoover's men had to make that 16gauge shotgun disappear.

It would be difficult to separate Lackey from the 16-gauge since, after the massacre, bureau technicians had used it to conduct their own ballistics tests. Perhaps such damaging information may have been compartmentalized within the Bureau, but this did not include the agents who testified.

Vetterli also had personally handled the shotgun when he returned it to the lawman's family in Oklahoma.

Interestingly, Richetti was only charged in the murder of Kansas City Police Detective, Frank Hermanson.

He had originally been charged in the murder of Kansas City Agent Ray Caffrey, which was why the FBI became involved. Both men were each struck by a single ball bearing to the head. This was noted in Caffrey's case because the projectile had been discovered next to him, after it rolled out from the gaping wound it created. The round that struck Hermanson had traveled completely through his head which gave the prosecution the opportunity to blame his fatal wound on one of the two, .45 caliber automatic pistols that the defendant was alleged to have been firing on that day. This was in contrast to numerous Bureau reports that stated Hermanson had been killed by a shotgun.

Someone else who knew about the 16-gauge was the independent ballistics expert, Merle Gill, hired by the Kansas City FBI office to analyze the crime scene. He was not happy that agents had failed to inform him about Reed's shotgun, and stated so in a letter to the Bureau's office. He next made his findings public when he sent a copy of his letter to the Kansas City Journal-Post, who ran it on Nov. 19, 1934. The expert further proclaimed, to Hoover's displeasure, “Pretty Boy Floyd (and by extension Richetti) had nothing to do with the massacre.”

However, when Gill testified in court on the morning of the first day of Richetti's trial, he never mentioned a 16-gauge shotgun or ball bearings.

He had also, since sending his letter, matched one shell casing from the massacre to one of the two .45 caliber Colt pistols taken from Floyd when he was killed.

Finally, to sell the lie and save himself, Lackey, had to testify under oath. He began his tale by switching places with Chief Reed, putting him in the shooters seat. He testified truthfully that he had been in possession of a 12-gauge shotgun lent to him by the OKC Police Department, and that, “...when I got off (the train) to meet the officers that morning I just picked up a shotgun.”

He also truthfully stated, “At that time I noticed it was Otto Reed's gun...”

Lackey next testified that Reed's shotgun had also been a 12-gauge and that neither one had been fired on that morning. Richetti's defense attorney, Ralph Latshaw asked, “Are you sure of that?”

Lackey responded, “I gave Reed ammunition for it in McAlester.”

His claim also implied that both shotguns were loaded with buckshot and not ball bearings.

Latshaw next presented Lackey with the two spent 16-gauge shotgun shells that had been found inside Caffrey's Chevy after the shooting and asked him, “Did you ever see these before, Mr. Lackey?”

“I never saw those before yesterday – before this week in the prosecutor's office; that is the first time I ever saw those shells,” He responded.

“Will you say that neither one of those shotguns there were loaded with these?”

“Yes, sir, I will” “What shotguns did you see there, Mr. Lackey?”

“The only shotguns I saw were the one that I had and the one that Otto Reed had.”

With nowhere left to go, that was it -- the defense had no further questions. Lackey had successfully perjured himself through the storm into calm waters and then off into the sunset.

The Bureau's sins were almost absolved. And all that it took was to sacrifice some criminal, like Richetti, who was already wanted anyway, on the alter of moral relativity.

A bright future lay ahead for John Edgar Hoover's FBI and his agents.

Sleeping at night might be another matter.

Big 12 Baseball title tickets for sale All-session tickets for the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark are now on sale.

The championship will be played in a double-elimination format beginning Wednesday, May 22 and culminate with the Big 12 baseball championship game Sunday, May 26.

All-session tickets can be purchased by visiting Big12Sports.com/BuyTickets and include all games of the championship, including if-necessary games, totaling 15 contests.

Tickets start as low as $69 for terrace seats, with field level seats at $99 and club seats available for $169.

Tickets can also be purchased online here or by calling (405) 2182180.

Group tickets are available for groups of 10 or more. Prices start at

$12 per session for terrace seats, with field seats $15 per session.

Groups can reserve the best seats before single-session tickets go on sale to the public.

The event will consist of two fourteam brackets with the first game slated for 9 a.m. Central time May 22 and the championship game May 26 at 1 p.m. Central time.

The eight Big 12 baseball teams with the best conference records – based on their respective winning percentage – in regular-season competition will qualify.

The Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Oklahoma City Dodgers will serve as the championship hosts for the 20th time at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, located in the heart of Oklahoma City and the vibrant Bricktown entertainment district.

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 11

Team of the Week

PHOTO PROVIDED

On the back row from left are Coach Erin Bickle (School Counselor at Edmond Santa Fe High School) and Coach Allison Morris (Lower School Counselor at Heritage Hall). On the second row are Walker Hill, Blaise Bickle, William Morris, Ford Scovel and Rogue Self. On the front row are Hudson Moore, Roman Grau, Hudson Davis and Braeden Conklin. (Not pictured on the team is Miles Thompson.)

Team work for Y boys Coaches Allison Morris and Erin Bickle coach a six and under boys basketball team at the YMCA in Edmond. This is their third season coaching together. "It started as a way for us to spend time with our sons and cultivate their character through basketball," Morris and Bickle said.

Both coaches work in education as school counselors and have a love for the game. "We are passionate about working with children and see this as a way to give back," Bickle said.

Three of the boys played together last season, and through a network of school connections the team is now made up of primarily first grade students. If you attend practice or a game you'll find well laid plans to ensure optimal teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship and basic fundamen-

tals are being learned.

You might even see these two coaches involving the dads on hand to properly teach techniques. "Our goal is for the boys to have fun, build solid character and have a positive attitude - win or lose," Morris said. "We have a special group of boys who have learned they all have a purpose and a place on the team."

This year the players have an extra drive to work hard with their revamped YMCA Thunder jerseys. Recently the team was selected for the Court of Dreams experience at Chesapeake Arena where the team practiced on the Thunder's home court.

Player William Morris said, "I've always wanted to shoot on the court and I finally got to. It was the best day of my life!"

County jail has many woes

By Kevin Calvey Okla. County Commissioner Last week, I mentioned part of my new duties as your Oklahoma County Commissioner involve oversight over our problematic County Jail.

We have learned a LOT about the jail since I took office Jan. 2. I've been in the jail four times to check on maintenance. Recently, we Commissioners had to consider a $15,000 change order Calvey on a $300,000 contract for jail mold remediation. My staff and I went inside the jail to look.

My mother, Mary Jane, is a Ph.D. Epidemiologist. She knows about environmental hazards. Mom scoffs at the notion that mold requires expensive remediation. Common bleach kills mold. I asked the jail maintenance people why they didn't bleach the mold away, rather than stick the taxpayers with a $300,000 bill. They responded that until recently, they didn't allow bleach in the jail, because it could be used as a weapon. "Then don't give it to the inmates!" I replied.

Many of us remember when the jail opened. Inmates kicked out cinder blocks to escape. The jail is indeed poorly built. But more and more, we are learning that most of the problems in the jail are due to deferred maintenance, rather than to the poor construction. We do need some sort of new facility. But unless a new facility is properly maintained and managed, we will end up with an expensive white elephant once again.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments. 405-7131503, or kevin.calvey@oklahomacounty.org.

May God bless you!

Page 12 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

Shanghai Opera Symphony

Shanghai Opera Symphony sets appearance The famous strains of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto will emanate from the Armstrong Auditorium stage for the first time ever when conductor Zhang Chengjie and the Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra team up with pianist Hao Duandaun on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m., during the orchestra’s inaugural North American tour.

“Hao will have one of the world’s finest Steinway & Sons concert grand pianos on which to play this iconic concerto,” Armstrong Auditorium Concert Manager Ryan Malone said. “Having personally selected this instrument in Hamburg, Germany, I can tell you it is going to be a treat for both pianist and audience.”

Established in 1956 along with the construction of the famous Shanghai Opera House, the Shanghai Orchestra is renowned for its interpretation of classical symphony repertoire, performing the masterpieces of the world’s most historic composers.

In addition to the Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, the orchestra will perform Rachmaninoff’s epic Symphony No. 2.

The Orchestra has hosted renowned maestros such as Daniel Oren, Lorin Maazel, John Nelson, Thomas Sanderling, Markus Stenz, Zoltan Kocsis, Maurice Peress and Jan Latham-Koenig, and has toured Finland, Italy, the UK, Germany, Hong Kong and Macao. The 2019 USA tour will be the Shanghai Opera Symphony’s debut at the concert halls of North America.

Since 1998, the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation Performing Arts Series has featured notable performances ranging from classical, jazz and folk music, as well as theater, classical ballet, folk dance and more. With only 75 feet from the stage to the back wall, the Armstrong Auditorium continues to receive praise for its beauty and fabulous acoustics. The 823-seat theater is crafted for the most exceptional projection of balance and sound and boasts a nine-millisecond initial time delay gap – providing an intimate listening experience.

Tickets to the Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra performance begin at $45. For more information about ticket options, subscriptions, group

rates or current exhibits, please visitwww.ArmstrongAuditorium.org or call 405-285-1010.

Currently at the Armstrong Auditorium through March 31, the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation has extended the “Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered” exhibit. The archaeological exhibition premieres two of the most significant artifacts discovered in Jerusalem, allowing visitors to explore the history of ancient Judah's most famous king-prophet pairing.

Items on display include 40 artifacts from the time of King Hezekiah, including the recently discovered royal seal impressions of King Hezekiah and Isaiah from the Ophel excavations, royal Judean clay vessels, and weapons used during the siege of Lachish. The exhibit also features important Assyrian history including replicas of such artifacts as the famous Annals of Sennacherib Prism, also known as the Taylor/Jerusalem/Oriental Prism, various other Assyrian inscriptions, and the famous Assyrian wall reliefs of Lachish from the British Museum.

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 13

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Nation’s first First Lady gives presentation tonight The Oklahoma History Center is honored to present Colonial Williamsburg’s Katharine Pittman in a portrayal of America’s “Lady Washington,” Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. The performance will be tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and will take place in the Chesapeake Event Center. Admission costs are $10 for Oklahoma Historical Society members and $20 for nonmembers.

There is no reserved seating, so early arrival is recommended.

Tickets may be reserved by calling . The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.

Katharine Pittman has been an actor/interpreter for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for six years. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and holds degrees in theater and history, and performed for many years around the country in musicals and operas.

However, history was always her passion and, when given the opportunity, Pittman developed the Martha Washington portrayal and became one of the Nation Builders for Colonial Williamsburg.

While in Oklahoma, Pittman will make an appearance at the annual Colonial Day event at the Oklahoma State Capitol and Revolutionary Day in Tulsa.

The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums.

The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

For ticket information call 405-522-0765

Irish cheer team dominates the nation

McGuinness cheer team national champs The state of Irish Cheer is strong and the good news is, it’s getting stronger, as they continue to make school history.

Fresh off their second consecutive state championship, the Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School Cheer team took their talents to Dallas over the weekend and didn’t disappoint, bringing home a National Championship in the Small Intermediate Game Performance division against 17 teams. Thus, marking the first National Championship for the cheer team in school history. Not only did they win the National Championship, they also won the High Point banner with a score of 97.9; competing against 92 teams.

Also in Dallas, and not to be out done,

the Irish Cheer team competed in the Medium Game Day division and finished 5th out of 21 teams. A significant jump from last year, when they finished twelfth. Their improvements were on full display and they showed everyone the Irish cheer program is building a legacy and they are here to stay.

A huge congratulations to coaches Mandy Gerszewski, Amber Freeman and the entire Cheer program as they continue to dominate the cheer world. Seniors are Hailey Harris, Lexi Joyce and Ainsleigh Rapp. Juniors are Holly Danner, Sunni Foster and Olivia Koenig. Sophomores are Julianne Bentley, Kalli Burke, Grady Morton and Liv Messina. Freshmen are Jenson McPherson and Isabella Scherm.

Students part of Washington D.C. protest Ten students and two teachers represented Bishop McGuinness in the Archdiocesan group that traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the March for Life last week. They are Paula Le, Shelby Savely, Katherine Ramirez, Emma Singletary, Lydia Lytle, Ellie Franks, Ethan Silvernail, Charlie Maxwell, Wyatt Lanphear, William Janson, Mrs. Frame, and Mrs. Allen.

They were able to visit religious and historical sites, including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the

Immaculate Conception, where we attended a mass with over 20,000 people, the National Shrine to St. John Paul II, and a tour of The Catholic University of America. They had a private mass with Archbishop Coakley and celebrated a Latin Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Students also visited Arlington National Cemetery and witnessed the changing of the guard as well as a night walking tour of the monuments.

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 15

A nominated Academy Award movie you can stream at home right now

By George Gust “BlacKkKlansman” is a 2018 film from director Spike Lee and is nominated for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards.

The film follows the based on actual events tale of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colo., who successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan branch with the help of a Jewish surrogate (Adam Driver) who eventually becomes its leader.

Looking at the premise of “BlacKkKlansman” alone you’d think that this was a screwball comedy the overall tone Lee was aiming for.

Overall, “BlacKkKlansman” is a movie that fits in that aimed for the lowest common denominator, nicely in Spike Lee’s filmography and brings up sevbut director Spike Lee was able to sow together eral challenging issues in our current society that the comedy, tension and social commentary to are echoed in the film’s early 1970’s setting. And great effect in this film. There is no questioning while the performances and filmmaking technique that Lee has been a challenging filmmaker in the are fantastic, the story and narrative momentum past with his breakout films like “Do the Right of the film ends up taking a back seat to the film’s Thing” and “Malcolm X” but in recent years his message. There are laughs and tension filled films haven’t been as high profile as this one. scenes, but the thing that will stick with you is the And while the story and the performances of last few minutes which bring the film from the this film are entertaining and gripping, Lee seems land of fiction into the real world of today. to be more concerned with getting his social com“BlacKkKlansman” is rated R for language mentary point across in an obvious way. There are throughout, including racial epithets, and for dissome lines of dialogue in the film that don’t quite turbing/violent material and some sexual referring true to the moment, but you can tell that it ences.

It is available to stream now. was meant to be a reflection on today’s current climate. This oblique echoing of ideas doesn’t neces3.9 out of 5 stars sarily hinder the film, but there are times when the message is front, and center as opposed to the narrative of the film’s story.

“BlacKkKlansman” features a couple of fantastic performances from the film’s central duo of Washington and Driver. John David Washington (son of Denzel Washington) is a relatively new face to wide releases, but his performance (which feels like his father’s screen presence) is up to the task of this stranger than fiction story. And as his counterpoint in the undercover operation, Driver is electric in any scene he is in. I’m not sure that Driver is capable of turning in an uninteresting performance. And in opposition to Driver and Washington stands Topher Grace as the controversial Klan leader Adam Driver and John David Washington star in Spike Lee's David Duke, whose performance is sur- stranger than fiction Best Picture nominee "BlacKkKlansman" prisingly intense, but fits in well with

Pollard production The Pollard Theatre Company continues its 2018 - 2019 Season bringing one of recent years most celebrated romantic stage comedies, John Cariani's “Almost Maine,” to the most romantic time of year. Director Matthew Alvin Brown brings this self-described "play for romantics" to life at the Pollard Theatre when it runs Feb. 15 through March 2 in historic downtown Guthrie.

The residents of the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine (described as being so far north it's almost in Canada) are falling in and out of love in unexpected, unusual, and often hilarious ways. As the northern lights hover magically overhead, knees are getting bruised, and hearts are getting broken. But the bruises heal and hearts mend -- almost -- in this delightful romantic comedy featuring 4 actors in 19 roles.

“Almost, Maine” will run Feb. 15 through March 2 at the Pollard Theatre. Tickets are $25 with senior, military, student and group discounts available. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm. Thursday, February 28 at 8:00pm, and Sunday matinee performances, January 17 and 24 at 2:00pm. Tickets are available online at www.thepollard.org, by phone, 405-282-2800 or at the Pollard Box Office, located at 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie.

Crossword Puzzle STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: VALENTINE'S DAY ACROSS 1. Indian black tea 6. Elmer to Bugs 9. Glorify 13. Head of a mosque 14. E.T. transporter 15. This was his name-o 16. Mental portrait 17. Chlorofluorocarbon, abbr.

18. French novelist Zola 19. *Related to puzzle theme 21. Way to absorb 23. Lobe locale 24. H. H. Munro's pseudonym 25. Rap sheet abbr.

28. Hungarian bagpipe 30. Deeply hidden within self 35. Initiation ceremony, e.g.

37. Made with stitches 39. Venus neighbor 40. Crucifix 41. Cerberus' domain 43. Petri dish filler 44. Young hooter 46. Fraternity recruitment season 47. Type of shark 48. ____ Grove, MN 50. Corset rod 52. Animal's nose 53. Number one 55. Second solfa syllable, pl.

57. *Flowery Valentine's gift 61. *Between girlfriend and wife 65. Liquid drug container 66. Planet ruler in the movies 68. *Blast from Harry's past, movie 69. Caterpillar hairs 70. Easter lead-in 71. Human social group

72. *Tied upon marriage 73. Kith partner 74. Wild plums DOWN 1. Gulf V.I.P. 2. Clash of heavyweights 3. NBA action 4. Lake scum 5. Dionysus' follower 6. Mussolini, with Il 7. On vacation 8. Cuckoo for what puffs?

9. *Romantic ride 10. Anisette, for short 11. Tangerine plus grapefruit 12. "Easy ____ it" 15. *Kind of wish 20. *Puppy love 22. Do biathlon 24. Woodworker's byproduct 25. *Cupid's ammo 26. Native of American Great Plains 27. Circular island of coral 29. *First word 31. Hat-tipper's word 32. Donated life-saver

33. Interest in a venture 34. *Heart____ 36. "Harper Valley PTA" star 38. Hatchling's home 42. Harry Belafonte's daughter 45. Tiny tube 49. Tiger's launch point 51. Leavening agent, pl.

54. Smelled offensively 56. Angry growl 57. Lounge, like in the sun 58. A sign 59. "____ ____ no good" 60. African tea 61. Shade-loving plant 62. Greek muse of history 63. River in Bohemia 64. *"Can't take my ____ off you..."

67. Hawaiian dish

See Answers Page 23

Answers Page 23

Page 16 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

Chamber honors business leaders

The Edmond Chamber Ambassadors are a group of dedicated volunteers who mentor Chamber members and attend ribbon cuttings, events and special meetings. The honor of Ambassador of the Year is awarded to the Chamber Ambassador who can make the highest number of goodwill calls, ribbon cuttings and groundbreaking events throughout the year. Joe Cardenas was named Mercy’s 2018 Ambassador of the Year. With him in the photo are Sherry Jordan, chamber president & CEO and Lisa Springer a Mercy vice president, right.

This year’s chairman, Bret Towne, chose his wife, Nancy. Traditionally the chairman of the Chamber selects the person who has contributed the most to his or her term as president. Bret Towne is also superintendent of the Edmond Public School system.

Citizen of the Year The Edmond Chamber and members of the Edmond community enjoyed seeing Don Betz, President of the University of Central Oklahoma, accept the 2018 Citizen of the Year award on Friday night. After accepting his award, Betz shared a few words and enjoyed the evening with family, friends and colleagues. Helping to present the award is Sherry Jordan, Chamber CEO.

OU Medical Center Edmond’s Young Professional of the Year Sammy Flores, with Crawford Family Funeral, was the winner of OU Medical Center Edmond’s 2018 Young Professional of the Year Award. This award is given to a young professional who demonstrates leadership, provides valuable service to their business or profession and gives back to their community. With Sammy is Leslie Buford of OU Medical Center Edmond.

The Philanthropic Business of the Year Award honors businesses that have made significant contributions to community. Applicants were judged based on the extent of services provided to the community The winner of RCB Bank’s sponsored award was Premier Beauty Bar. Accepting was Laura Hickenboth, owner. With her is Kenneth Wohl of RCB Bank.

First United Bank’s Small Business of the Year finalists were: AC Owen Construction, Brent Gibson Classic Home Design and Crawford Family Funeral. The 2018 Small Business of the Year Award was given to AC Owen Construction. Acceping was Aaron Owen. To the right is Brian Peterson, vice president of First United Bank.

The Edmond Chamber has many volunteers that help with many councils, committees, programs and events. Jessica Lyle was named Integris Health Edmond’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year for her leadership and dedication to the Edmond Chamber, as well as the community. Lyle is a graduate of the Leadership Edmond program, serves on the Ambassador Council, is a significant contributor to Edmond’s Dancing with the Stars. With her is Tracy Cain, senior marketing representative for Integris Health Edmond.

Prosperity Bank’s Woman of the Year Stephanie Carel, co-owner of Silver Leaf Gems, was the recipient of the 2018 Woman of the Year award. Carel is known for her involvement in the Downtown Edmond Business Association, Edmond Historical Preservation and Trust and the Edmond Fine Arts Institute. Also with Stephanie is Randy Stafford, president of Prosperity Board Edmond.

Chairman’s Award

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 17

Summit Middle School would receive a new classroom addition which doubles as a storm shelter if an Edmond Public Schools bond proposal passes on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The bond proposal also calls for the construction of new elementary schools to accommodate for growth in the student population.

School bond issue Feb. 12 Members of the Edmond School Board have voted to bring before patrons a $93 million bond issue Feb. 12 to increase school security, upgrade and improve school buildings and fund the construction of classroom additions and new schools.

Nearly $40 million of the bond issue would be used to purchase land and fund the construction of two elementary schools.

“Many of our elementary schools are full and we have had to bring in portable buildings in order to have adequate space for the students,” said Superintendent Bret Towne. “The construction of numerous apartment complexes in the Southwest quadrant of our district and large housing additions east of I-35 necessitates building new schools in these areas to accommodate for the growth in our elementary student population.”

The district has already purchased land at Douglas and Coffee Creek for an elementary school. Ideally, the district would like to build another ele-

mentary school in the far Southwest quadrant of the district in the Quail Springs Mall area. Absent from this year’s bond proposal is a request for funds to build a fourth high school.

“The student population of our secondary schools has not grown at the same rate as it has in our elementary schools. We believe the district’s focus should be on alleviating the congestion in our larger elementary schools, several of which now have between 9001000 students.”

Other noteworthy updates and improvements in the 2019 bond proposal include $3.7 million for enhanced safety features at schools.“Among the immediate improvements the committee recommended is implementing the use of student/staff photo ID cards at all secondary schools which would be used for card-swipe access to buildings, installing more video/audio buzz-in systems for patrons and visitors, and installing more video cameras on the exterior entries of schools to display images of individuals who approach,” Towne said.

Page 18 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

Talented musicians The Edmond North High School wind ensemble and percussion ensembles have received invitations to perform at the 2019 Music For All National Festival March 14-16 in Indianapolis, Ind. The wind ensemble earned a spot on the prestigious featured stage among the most elite programs in the country. Above are members of the North wind ensemble. North traditionally has a strong music program.

Members of the North percussion ensemble

Prestigious national competition

North wind & percussion ensembles invited to event The Edmond North High School Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble from Edmond, OK will be two of the select musical ensembles that are invited to perform at the 28th annual Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, March 14-16 in Indianapolis.

Ensembles were selected following a recorded audition process, evaluated by a panel of nationally-esteemed conductors and music educators.

The Music for All National Festival showcases the finest high school and middle school music ensembles and student musicians in America, shining a spotlight on outstanding music-making and the importance of music education. Seventy-one concert bands, orchestras, choirs, percussion ensembles, and chamber ensembles from across America have been selected to perform at the 2019 Festival.

The Edmond North High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Greg Mangus, and the Edmond North High School Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Ben Conrady, will perform in concert in one of Indianapolis’s premier halls, receive a post-concert clinic for future growth, providing an educational experience for both teachers and students. The ensembles also participate in master classes and special events,

including a 3,000-guest Gala Awards Banquet. “Being invited is the achievement,” says Debbie Laferty Asbill, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Music for All. “Once an ensemble has been invited and arrives, the Festival is noncompetitive, with no placings awarded. It’s a celebration of musical excellence and achievement.”

The Edmond North Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble are comprised of 62 students, grades 912. While the groups rehearse during the school day, much of the rehearsal time is before the school day begins, and in the evenings. Mr. Mangus and Mr. Conrady have also invited several outstanding clinicians from local universities to help prepare the students for their performances on the national stage.

The Music for All National Festival is comprised of several events: National Concert Band Festival, Orchestra America National Festival, National Choir Festival, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, Middle School National Music Festival, Chamber Music National Festival, and three national honor ensembles: The Honor Band of America, the Honor Orchestra of America, and the Jazz Band of America.

The 2019 selected ensembles hail from 22 states and Puerto Rico:

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 19

YWCA Oklahoma City sets ‘Galentine’s Day’ brunch YWCA Oklahoma City will host its second Annual Galentine’s Day brunch on Feb. 16.

The brunch will be a fun and unique way for women in our community to come together and celebrate each other. Additionally, the proceeds will support services for over 140,000 individuals annually, including direct victim services, educational outreach, prevention education and crisis hotline. YWCA OKC is the only certified shelter for victims of domestic violence in Oklahoma County as well as the only SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program in Oklahoma County.

The event will take place at the Skirvin Hilton Ballroom located at 1 Park Ave. in Oklahoma City. Guests will enjoy a brunch buffet, mimosas, shopping at sponsor’s booths, and goody bags. A cash bar will also be available. Tickets cost $35 for one ticket with open seating. Guests can also purchase a reserved table for larger groups. Each ticket purchase in-

Brief Greg McKinnis, MD, was recently appointed Chief of Staff for SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital.

Dr. McKinnis is ABIM board certified in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine.

He obtained his medical degree at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1992, followed by residency in internal medicine at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center (OUHSC).

cludes one free mimosa. Event registration opens at 9:30 am with brunch being served at 10:00 am.

Sponsorships are still available and start at $250. All sponsors get the opportunity to provide items for the goody bag and some sponsor levels include a booth opportunity at the event. To find out more about sponsoring, please contact Sami Grega at sgrega@ywcaokc.org.

Our Yellow Heart Sponsors are Barnett Real Estate, Cameron Financial Strategies, Dippin Dots, LLC, Grace Living Centers, Lifesquire, and Pam Hilliard-Mary Kay Cosmetics. Our Pink Heart Sponsors are Girl-a-Tude, Michael Brown Associates, and Okie Kids Playground.

To attend, you may purchase tickets here http://www.ywcaokc.org/galentine-s-day.

About the YWCA Oklahoma City Founded in 1907, YWCA OKC has worked tirelessly on behalf of women and minorities for over a century.

Page 20 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

The GEDCom to be explained by expert day Walt and his Most genealogists will mother were looking likely encounter the term through his late aunt’s “GEDCom” when workgenealogy research. ing on their family trees.

That inspired a search But, what is that exactly? for his great-grand“GEDCom” is an acronym mother’s grave. Walt standing for Genealogical was hooked. He is Data Communication and now trying to improve are text only files. GEDon his aunt’s work and Com files are used to document the informaquickly transfer information she was unable to tion either from one reWalt Stoyanoski find. searcher to another or to Walt enjoys the challenging deteccreate family trees on another comtive work and the reward of walking puter or website. where his ancestors did. He is a Using GEDCom files make the member of the Oklahoma Genealogiprocess far more accurate and cal Society, OHCE Genealogy Group, quicker. However, these files contain OKC Computer Genealogy Club, Nalarge blocks of text and can be diffitional Genealogical Society, New Engcult to read and understand. land Historic Genealogical Society, The Edmond Genealogical Society Tulsa Genealogical Society, Rock will meet Monday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 County Genealogical Society (Wisp.m. at the LDS Church, 1351 E. 33rd Street in Edmond. Our program, consin), and the Hardwick Historical Society (Massachusetts).

The GEDCom Explained will be preOur March 18 program will feature sented by EGS member, Walt StoyEGS President Andra Aven who will anoski. Walt's program will explain what GEDCom files are, how to navi- present Researching Irish Genealogy.

Genealogical research assistance is gate through them and how we can available at 5:30 p.m. prior to the use them in our genealogy research.

Walt Stoyanoski became interested meetings. Visit our website http://www.rootsweb.com/~okegs in genealogy shortly after retiring and find us on Facebook: Edmond from the Accounting and Finance DiGenealogical Society (EGS). vision at Tinker Air Force Base. One

Scott Taylor

Free music at Arcadia Round Barn A full weekend of live music is planned for Feb. 9-10 at the Arcadia Round Barn.

On Feb. 9, Bartlesville singer-songwriter Scott R. Taylor will provide Morning Music from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the downstairs museum of the Round Barn.

On Feb. 10 it’s the Valentine edition of the Round Barn Rendezvous, with acoustic musicians offering up their favorite romantic ballads from noon to 4 p.m. in the loft of the barn. Guests are invited to enjoy a buffet of chocolate treats in honor of the holiday.

Taylor said he started singing at age 3, coming up through church and school choirs. The folk music move-

ment of the 1960s prompted him to learn the banjo and play with the Turkshead Trio. After taking time off for his career and family, he returned to music in the 1990s and started writing and performing cowboy, Western and inspirational material.

Taylor’s recording projects have included cowboy music, a CD of humorous songs and an acoustic Christmas album.

Admission is free to both weekend events but donations are accepted for the maintenance of the barn, which is six miles east of Interstate 35 on Historic Route 66.

For more information about music at the Arcadia Round Barn, call Joe Baxter at 405-833-1350.

The EEDA presented Megan Rawson, Greg Womack, Raegan Thornhill and Jennifer Prentice of Womack Investment Advisers, Inc. with a commemorative arrow for being a recent Featured Business in The Arrow.

EEDA features Womack’s firm The Edmond Economic Development Authority (EEDA) recently featured Womack Investment Advisers, Inc. in a recent issue of EEDA's newsletter, The Arrow. The Arrow is a monthly newsletter emailed to approximately 2,000 subscribers. Featured businesses also receive a commemorative arrow to recognize their participation.

"The featured business portion of The Arrow was created as an outlet for the EEDA to further support and promote the Edmond business community," said Janet Yowell, EEDA executive director. "Womack Investment Advisers has been a member of the Edmond business community for nearly 20 years and we were pleased to provide our readers with more information on the company."

Womack Investment Advisers, Inc., is an investment management and financial planning firm, offering estate planning, insurance planning, investment planning, and tax planning.

President and Certified Financial Planner, Greg Womack, established the family-owned and operated firm 18 years ago and has a total of 32 years in the financial services industry.

"Growing up in Edmond, I knew this city was a great place to raise a family and plant a business," said Womack. "Sharing our story in The Arrow was a great opportunity and a great experience."

To read the full Womack Investment Advisers, Inc. feature in The Arrow, visit www.eeda.com/archives.

To subscribe to The Arrow, visit www.eeda.com.

The EEDA exists to offer resources that stimulate the growth of Edmond's economy by creating and maintaining an optimum environment for both new and existing businesses, offering services that facilitate the growth and expansion of those businesses and generating opportunities to increase the sales tax base of the city of Edmond.

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 21

New Francis Tuttle superintendent The Francis Tuttle Technology Center Board of Education has selected Dr. Michelle Keylon to be the school’s next superintendent/CEO. The move, which will take effect in July, was prompted by the upcoming retirement of Dr. Tom Friedemann, who has been superintendent since 2009.

Keylon currently serves as Francis Tuttle’s deputy superintendent/COO, a position she has held since 2015. She joined the technology center in 2005, after having been state program administrator for the Business, Marketing, and Information Technology Education Division of

Dr. Michelle Keylon

Oklahoma’s CareerTech system.

“Francis Tuttle enjoys the reputation it has today because of its dedicated employees and unparalleled leadership,” said Kurt Loeffelholz, Board of Education president. “Dr. Keylon’s commitment to excellence and her passion for our students’ success will ensure that we continue to be a premier provider of career and technology education for our communities.”

Francis Tuttle Technology Center serves high school students and adults in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area with careerspecific training, in support of

developing and maintaining a quality workforce for the region.

Francis Tuttle also offers complete business and industry training and consulting services, and short-term training for career development or personal enrichment.

With four locations in Oklahoma City and Edmond, Francis Tuttle offers central Oklahoma diverse training programs in fulfillment of the school’s mission to prepare customers for success in the workplace. More information is available at francistuttle.edu or by calling (405) 717-7799.

Ribbon cutting, open house set for new medical facility After a successful opening in January, Oklahoma ER & Hospital is excited to announce that it will be starting February with celebrations. Early in the month, the micro-hospital will hold two special events to welcome community members through its doors. First, the official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, followed by the Grand Opening the next day.

On Feb. 8 at 10 a.m., Oklahoma ER & Hospital’s ribbon cutting will take place. The Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce will attend to commemorate this exciting event. Guests will get special access to facility tours and complimentary refreshments from local businesses, like The Original Lemonade House Grille.

The next day, on Feb. 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the micro-hospital will host its Grand Opening.

This event will feature local food trucks, facility tours, special giveaways, and bounce houses for children to play in. Local restaurants, like The Original Lemonade House Grille, Bahama Buck’s

Oklahoma ER & Hospital Shaved Ice, Cowboy Chicken, and Andy’s Frozen Custard will also take part with catering services.

As Oklahoma ER & Hospital prepares for these events, the staff is abuzz with excitement. “We were so happy to open in January, but we’re all looking forward to the Grand Opening,” says Dr. David Long. “This gives us a chance to get to know our community better. Having that personal connection with our patients is why I enjoy working in a micro-hospital like ours. I’m not just treating strangers, I’m treating my neighbors.” The doctors, nurses, and medical technicians on staff at Oklahoma ER & Hospital are all highly-trained in adult and pediatric care and will be at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening to meet guests and participate in activities. For more information, visit http://okerhospital.com or contact their Marketing Director, Makailyn Dillon at (405) 251-2300.

Arledge & Associates interns Two college students have been accepted to Arledge and Associates’ 2019 spring and summer internship program, the Edmond accounting firm announced.

Brittany Savage joins Arledge as an audit intern. Savage is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a member of the UCO Accounting Plagg Savage Club and Oklahoma Society of hands-on experience in accounting Certified Public Accountants.

Evan Plagg also joins Arledge as an and administration. Our firm welaudit intern. He earned a Bachelor of comes the chance to invest in the next generation of leaders in the acScience in Business Administration counting field.” from The University of Tulsa and is Arledge & Associates, PC is a reccurrently pursuing a Master of Busiognized leader in the accounting inness Administration from Oklahoma dustry offering practical solutions in State University. the financial areas of tax planning, “We are excited for Brittany and auditing, consulting, accounting adEven to join our team,” managing partner Jim Denton said. “It will be a visory services and client accounting. great opportunity for them to gain

Ex-county sheriff & group oppose long trucks on roads As a new Congress takes shape, a top priority is infrastructure. A major part of this debate will be concerns of increasing the size and weight limits for tractor-trailers -- including longer double-trailer trucks. Law enforcement leaders are traveling to Capitol Hill to tell Congress they don’t want motorists in their towns to be forced to share the roads with bigger trucks.

One of the leaders headed to Washington is former Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel, Chairman of the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Traffic Safety Committee.

Sheriff Whetsel recently retired as Sheriff of Oklahoma County and is still actively involved in both the NSA and the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association. Both groups strongly opposes any increases to truck sizes or weights.

Sheriff Whetsel met last week with

members of Oklahoma’s federal delegation, including Sens. James Inhofe and James Lankford.

“I have spent my entire career in law enforcement working to make our roads safer,” said Whetsel. “Making trucks heavier or longer and saying they will not be more dangerous goes against everything I have learned and seen in my 50-year career -- this makes no sense.”

A handful of the country’s largest trucking companies are lobbying Congress to require every state to allow even longer double-trailer trucks, the so-called “Double 33s,” which are 17 feet longer than today’s 53-foot single-trailer trucks.

Another proposal being floated by large shippers is to increase national truck weights from the standard 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds -an increase of 5.5 tons.

See Trucks, Page 23

About Oklahoma ER & Hospital Oklahoma ER & Hospital was conceived with a simple, yet visionary idea – to bring quick and compassionate, concierge-level emergency care to its community. Our inclusive facility offers completely comprehensive medical care, treating both major and minor injuries.

Page 22 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure

13TH F FAIRWAY AIR RWAY - O OAK AK TREE BEA BEAUTY UTY

37+ ACRES ACRES W/MAJESTIC VIEWS

STUNNING HOME O ON N 1.61 A ACRES CRES

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One of the many spacious and luxurious rooms in the New York estate of actor Bruce Willis.

Asking price of almost $13 million

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Bruce Willis home is one to die for

“Die Hard” movie star Bruce Willis has been actively buying and selling real estate across the country for years while still managing his other business ventures and a tight film schedule. With the goal of returning to California to be close to family and friends and having just sold his Sun Valley ski home, Bruce’s focus has now turned to the sale of his pastoral New York estate that has served as his East Coast family residence since 2014. It is listed at $12.95 million.

Located only 40 minutes from midtown Manhattan, the gated 22-acre estate in Bedford Corners, New York comes with views over the Croton Reservoir and lush countryside.

Grounds contain a total of four houses, two garages, a saltwater pool, pool house and tennis court.

With a total of 12 bedrooms between the four houses, it is convenient to entertain stay-over guests who can enjoy their own separate, fully-contained living space. The Craftsman-style main house at 8,958 open-and-airy square feet has five bedrooms and multiple fireplaces including one in the kitchen and master suite. There is also a playroom, media room, wine cellar and an octagonal room above the roof line for viewing the countryside and the reservoir. The house is filled with light from large windows that offer superb views and ultimate privacy.

Westchester County is well known for its celebrities who enjoy living in the countryside but also its proximity to Manhattan. The area is home to Oscar-winning actors, Broadway stars, musicians and billionaires including Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chevy Chase, David Letterman and Richard Gere. Billionaires Nelson Peltz, businessman and investor and Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan CEO also live in Bedford.

Though their lives will be concentrated on the West Coast in coming

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Bruce Willis’ acting career skyrocketed after the monster 1988 motion picture hit ‘Die Hard.’

years, the family will still keep their Manhattan apartment. Willis is currently working on the film Glass, with plans already in the works for three additional films. Now with more than 70 films under his belt and at age 63, Bruce shows no signs of slowing down, proving himself to be an “action” figure in real life as well as the roles he plays.

The elegant country estate of Bruce and Emma Willis is now on the market priced at $12.95 million. The listing agents are Nancy Strong, Stacey Oestrich and Ann Cutbill Lenane of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Armonk, New York. “$100 Million Drop In Los Angeles” Time to pull out the checkbook! A Los Angeles home is newly priced at $150 million after a dramatic overall $100 million price cut. The home includes two alligator-upholstered elevators, a $30 million collection of exotic cars, two fully-stocked champagne-and-wine cellars and, to sweeten the pie just a little more, . . .a massive candy wall in the game room with help-yourself glass cylinders of every favorite. And let’s not forget the helicopter. Co-listing agents are Rayni Williams and Branden Williams of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills and Shawn Elliott of Nest Seekers International, Beverly Hills.

Shelter Insurance offers stipend

This spring, the Shelter Insurance Foundation will award a $2,000 scholarship to a graduate of Edmond North High School. Shelter Agent Steve Shed sponsors and partially funds this scholarship.

A committee of local high school officials and community leaders will select the local recipient. The committee will consider each applicant’s scholastic achievements, educational goals, citizenship, moral character and participation and leadership in school and community activities. The scholarship is given without regard to race, disability, religion, national origin or gender of applicants. The name of the recipient will be announced at the close of the school year.

The student may apply the scholarship funds toward tuition, fees, or campus housing for any course of study beginning the fall after the recipient’s high school graduation and

leading to an academic degree at any accredited college or university. The Foundation makes payment directly to the school the recipient selects.

Applications and additional information about the Shelter Foundation Scholarship will be available in January and should be completed and returned to the school official serving on the selection committee by March 31st. For more information, interested seniors should contact their high school counselor or principal or Shelter Insurance Agent Steve Shed at 405-285-4663 (office) or 405-5034444 (cell). His office is at 500 W. 15th St. Ste. 1 in Edmond.

The Shelter Insurance Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation for charitable and educational purposes.

It is sponsored by the Shelter Insurance Companies – offering auto, home, life, farm and business insurance services to customers in 20 states.

Edmond Life & Leisure • February 7, 2019 • Page 23

Trucks From Page 21 The U.S. Department of Transportation's 2016 Final Report to Congress recommended against any changes in current truck size and weight laws.

“If real-world experience is not enough to give pause to heavier and longer trucks, one would think Congress would pay attention to USDOT,” Whetsel said. “They are technical experts on this issue -- and if transportation researchers think this is a bad idea and law enforcement thinks this is a bad idea, it seems like common sense to oppose bigger trucks,” Whetsel said.

Regarding the longer double-trailer trucks, USDOT found that they needed 22 additional feet to stop compared to double-trailer trucks on the road today.

The Department also found that double-trailer trucks had 58 percent higher out-of-service violation rates compared to single-trailer trucks.

Regarding the heavier trucks, USDOT found in

limited state testing that they had significantly higher crash rates: 91,000-pound trucks were 47 percent higher, and 97,000-pound trucks were 99 to 400 percent higher than trucks weighing 80,000 pounds. Heavier trucks also had 18 percent higher brake violation rates. This is a critical finding because the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) published a large-truck study in 2016 that found a truck with any out-of-service violation was 362 percent more likely to be involved in a crash.

Whetsel is also concerned with other findings published in the USDOT report that point to additional infrastructure damage caused by bigger trucks.

“As I continue to work on ways to make the public safer as they travel, it is obvious the state of our roads and bridges have an impact on this,”

Whetsel said. “Running over potholes, or avoiding potholes, can create very dangerous situations,” he said. “The better our infrastructure, the safer we will all be.”

According to Federal Highway Administration data, nearly 55 percent of all bridges in Oklahoma are currently in fair/poor condition.

USDOT found that longer trucks would cause an additional $1.1 billion in bridge costs. The Department also found 91,000-pound trucks would cause another $1.1 billion in bridge costs, and 97,000pound trucks would cause $2.2 billion.

Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi Good Shepherd Anglican Church (Traditional Episcopal) 1000 N. Broadway, Edmond •314-8715 Sundays - Holy Communion 8:00 & 10:00am Animal Friendly Parish “If you have people who exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have those who deal likewise with their fellow human being.”

St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

www.anglicancgsedmondok.com 1928 Book of Common Prayer • anglicancgesedmondok.com

SCRIPTURE • TRADITION • REASON

Page 24 • February 7, 2019 • Edmond Life & Leisure