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• FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020 • JENKSTRIBUNE.COM •
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CHAMBER TO HOST BANQUET The Jenks Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Awards Banquet Thursday. See the story on Page 3.
Jenks Schools set bond vote for Feb. 11 By KYLE SALOMON
ksalomon@jenkstribune.com
February 11, Jenks Public Schools district voters will hit the polls to vote yes or no on the new General Obligation Bond JPS has put together. The amount of the G.O. Bond is $12,487,260. The Jenks school district voters have passed the last 55 of 56 bond issues. “We are very fortunate that voters in the Jenks school district have turned out and
shown their support for Jenks Public Schools,” Jenks Public Schools Communications Director Rob Loeber said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of our voters and stakeholders.” Here is a list of the items the bond will be used to pay for: -District-wide equipment, such as items the district needs for day-to-day operations -Facilities management equipment and repairs
-Printing improvements, such as copiers and scanners for numerous buildings in the district -Textbooks and media equipment -Transportation, such as yellow school buses, Trojan Pride buses and district vans -More classroom/instructional space, including improvements to the older part of the Freshman Academy The dollar amount of the bond keeps Jenks Public
Schools below the 10% rule, which states that a school district must not have more than 10% bonded out of its net assessed value. “Think of the classroom and instructional space like seed money for expansion,” Loeber said. “With our current growth rate, we know we are going to need more classroom and instructional space in the near future. We just don’t know what site will need it at this point.”
Potential motive identified in Jenks tragedy By HAYDEN TUCKER
htucker@jenkstribune.com
BOYS HOOPS BEATS SAND SPRINGS The Jenks High School boys basketball team took down Sand Springs Tuesday on the road. See the story on Page 5.
PET OF THE WEEK: OSCAR The Jenks Animal Shelter Pet of the Week is Oscar. see the full story on Page 10.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID JENKS, OK PERMIT NO. 7
Jenks Police have updates on a possible motive behind last month’s murder-suicide. On Dec. 15, Jenks Police responded to a domestic disturbance call at 3706 W. 106th Street. Upon arrival, officers found three dead, a father and his two children. They deemed it a murder-suicide. 36-year-old Thang Khen was believed to have gathered his four children in his garage where he shot two and then himself. Detective Sergeant Eric Bowdle provided an update on the motive to the Jenks Tribune Tuesday. He said they’re still waiting on the medical examiner’s findings before the case can be concluded. Bowdle said while they’ll never know with certainty what Khen’s motives were, he had been showing signs of ‘extreme paranoia,’ believing he was being followed and spied on. Bowdle said more than one family member said he would point out aircraft in the sky which were following him while driving. The family members also said Khen expressed that he believed he would die soon. Khen shot and killed his eight-year-old, Peter and 10-year-old Samuel Pau. His nine-year-old child and infant were able to flee the garage without any harm. Thang Khen and Samuel Pau were transported to the hospital where they were pronounced dead. Peter Khen died on scene.
South Elm Street in Jenks has long been a discussion among Jenks residents as an area that needs to be addressed. City Council is making that the center piece of the upcoming bond package. Photo/Hayden Tucker and Photo Ilustration/Jiner Wiesman
Road improvements, capital funded projects dominate City Council meeting By KYLE SALOMON
ksalomon@jenkstribune.com
For the first time in 2020, the Jenks City Council convened for a meeting to discuss items concerning the City of Jenks. Road improvements to south Elm Street and 111th Street from Elwood Avenue to U.S. Highway 75 and capital funded projects created the most buzz among the council. The Jenks City Council approved the Project Agreement for 111th Street from Elwood Avenue to U.S. 75 and the intersection of 111th Street and Elwood Avenue. Jenks approved the project with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to allow Robert Lee, Jenks Mayor, to execute the
funding of $1,058,000 from the 2010 and 2013 bonds with the additional funding of $708,712 to also be encumbered from the 2010 bond account. $65,763 has already been deposited with ODOT. The project has been ongoing for more than 10 years and according to Jenks city officials, the project should be completed by fall of 2021. “We are making great progress on these projects,” Lee said. “We are advancing rapidly at this point. They have been in the works for years and years now. We are happy to see them taking the next step. South Elm Street widening will be the center piece of the bond package. Anyone who drives that road, especially during rush hour, knows it is something we need to
address immediately. We have been working on engineering, we just need the funding now.” Jenks Assistant City Manager Robert Carr put together a list of 109 capital funded items that the City of Jenks needs to determine how to fund in the near future. The total dollar amount of the 109 items is $138,146,575 with several of the listed items already having a funding source. Jenks City staff and Jenks City Council will determine which of the 109 items will be on the potential April ballot for Jenks residents to vote. The deadline for the Jenks City Council to vote and decide what is going to be on the potential General Continued to COUNCIL, Page 10