Jenks Tribune, Digital Issue 50 - July 24, 2020

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2020

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City Of Jenks Does Not Issue Mask Mandate, Leaves It Up To Citizens 807 East A Street Jenks, OK 74037

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Inside This Issue Jenks Mayor Robert Lee issues statement on masks Jenks Public Schools Director of Communications, Rob Loeber, delivers powerful speech Girls cross country opens preseason practice

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Jenks Tribune Mission Statement “We are the Jenks community’s hometown source for hyperlocal news, sports and information that the people of our community need to know.”

FRIDAY, JULY 24 2020

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Jenks Mayor Robert Lee Issues Statement Following Tulsa’s Mask Mandate Wednesday, the City of Tulsa passed an ordinance requiring masks in many circumstances. I know many of you have questions about what the City of Jenks plans to do, so I wanted to take a minute to address those concerns.

In short, we are not establishing a mask mandate in Jenks at this time. Tulsa is the region’s population center, so this decision will have a huge impact on slowing the spread in our area. Jenks had a large spike in cases a few weeks ago, and we managed that spike. We are now back to where we have otherwise been for the duration of this pandemic, with one of the lowest numbers of cases in the state.

I support Tulsa’s decision to mandate masks. I personally wear a mask when I’m in public, and I urge Jenks citizens to do the same.

It is my hope that many Jenks businesses choose to require masks for their employees and customers before entering their establishment. This will protect their staff, as well as the community they serve.

A mask mandate in Jenks may be helpful, and I’m open to exploring the possibility as the situation progresses, but there are many challenges to instituting such a policy at this time. One of these challenges is enforcement. We have a small community police department that would be seriously burdened by such a law.

JPD isn’t going to write you a ticket if you don’t wear a mask, but there’s no question that you should wear one. It is a simple way to reduce transmission of the virus — to protect your family and mine.

It is a simple way to protect our first responders, hospital staff, and teachers. It is a simple way to support our businesses.

Yes, masks can be misused. Yes, there were mixed messages in the early days of the pandemic from health officials, when masks were in short supply for hospital staff. Yes, there are some with certain health conditions who may be better off without masks. However, it is abundantly clear at this point that the vast majority of us should be wearing them.

Masks, while not a silver bullet by any stretch, are the best tool we have right now to slow the spread.

If you’re not convinced that masks are effective, I encourage you to review information provided by the CDC and St. Francis Health System: www.saintfrancis.com/about-us/news/masks.

To the many who are contributing this effort, thank you. You know that science is real, and that it will take us working together to beat this pandemic. Please continue to keep your distance, wash your hands, and yes, mask up.

Q&A With ‘Dive With The Bull Sharks’ Contest Winner Trae Taylor

By Kyle Salomon The Oklahoma Aquarium is hosting the third-annual “Dive with the Bull Sharks” event at 7 p.m. Friday.

Trae Taylor, of Wewoka, is the contest winner this year. Taylor is also a volunteer at the Oklahoma Aquarium.

Taylor’s name was randomly drawn from hundreds of entries from across the country. There were entries stretching from Hawaii and Alaska to the east coast.

The Oklahoma Aquarium has the largest amount of bull sharks in the world in their shark tank.

The Jenks Tribune recently had a question and answer session with Taylor, as he prepares for the dive.

Jenks Tribune: What was your initial reaction when you found out you had been selected?

Trae Taylor: My initial reaction was immediate shock. As a volunteer, I did not think the odds were in my favor.

With so much passion for the Aquarium and all marine life, I was very grateful.

JT: How long have your volunteered at the Oklahoma Aquarium and what other tanks have your have the chance to dive?

TT: I have volunteered at the Oklahoma Aquarium for nearly a year. I do not get to come as often as I want because I am a full-time student at Oklahoma State University. When I do come, I dive in the Polynesian tank and Sea Turtle tank.

JT: What are you looking forward to the most about the dive?

TT: I have been fascinated with sharks my entire life. Simply, I am most excited about the creatures themselves. I have been coming to the Oklahoma Aquarium since I was a young boy and I always dreamed of diving in this tank. Now, it is actually happening.

JT: Are you mostly excited or is there a little nervousness since you will be diving with sharks?

TT: I am excited because I know sharks are not creatures to be feared. They are very fascinating, and I feel no nervousness, just very grateful for the opportunity to be in their presence.

JT: Do you feel you are prepared for this experience? How will this experience help you advance your career?

TT: As a shark fanatic, I believe I am very prepared. I know a lot about sharks and any experience diving with them will get me to my ultimate goal of working at an aquarium and doing research on the fascinating species.

The Jenks Tribune will have full coverage following Taylor’s Friday dive with the bull sharks.

Loeber Delivers Powerful Message At Chamber Luncheon

By Kyle Salomon

Jenks Public School Director of Communications and incoming Jenks Chamber of Commerce Chair of the Board of Directors Rob Loeber delivered a strong message of unity Wednesday at the July Chamber of Commerce Luncheon.

Loeber spoke about the “Return to Learn” plan Jenks Public Schools unveiled Monday in a special School Board Meeting and the mixed response the district has received since the announcement. Loeber also touched on how inspired he was by the support the local business community has shown JPS, and how much the Chamber of Commerce and Chamber members have done to help get Jenks through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last couple of days at Jenks Public Schools have been pretty interesting,” Loeber said. “Monday night, we unveiled some of our plans for the upcoming school year, our ‘Return to Learn’ options for our students and families, and some of the ways our district is helping to reduce the risk, slow the spread, and mitigate the virus.

“Leading up to Monday, my job as Communications Director, was to prepare this messaging. I was getting ready for our board meeting Monday night and my wife asked me how I was feeling about all of this. She asked me how I thought this was going to go? And if I was anxious, nervous, or feeling stressed.”

Loeber said he thought about it for a second and he said the whole thing made him a little sad. “It makes me sad because obviously these are not the types of decisions we want to make in order to educate 12,000 students,” Loeber said. “But also, the state of the world in 2020, the current climate on social media, I knew the plans we were going to be putting out there would be just one more point for people to disagree on, and sure enough, from the moment our board meeting started, until the time it ended about three hours later, the comment section on Facebook live was on fire.”

Loeber said the district saw a mixed response following the unveiling of the “Return to Learn” plan. “We were praised and told we were complete idiots all in the span of 30 seconds,” Loeber said. “We had people calling each other ‘Karen’ and giving snarky replies to each other and quoting scientific evidence and citing articles. There were some insults mixed in and people said, ‘Why are we even having school? Just wipe down the desks. It is not that hard.’

Somebody also said, ‘As long as you don’t cancel football, I don’t care what you do.”

Loeber said the response from the Monday announcement goes in line with what is happening across the country right now. “People were telling us what a great job we were doing, and others were ripping us to shreds,” Loeber said.

“It really goes in line with the rhetoric that we see so much these days. There does not seem to be much of a middle ground. Everybody is so dug in and entrenched on their side and so uncompromising on so many issues.

“None of this is really a surprise to me, nor is it a surprise to anyone else. It did make me think, is there actually anything that we can agree on anymore? We seem so divided and so dug in with our passionate beliefs and convictions.”

Loeber said he then started to think about a certain group of people in the Jenks community.

“I started to think about this group of people right here,” Loeber said. “The people who are gathered here today in this room. I do not know all your names. I do not know all your stories. I certainly do not know all your political or religious leanings. However, I feel confident in saying there are certain things we can all agree on. We can agree that we want what is best for our kids and for our families.

We can agree that we care about this community and the people in it. We want our businesses to succeed. We want our schools to be strong. We want to create an opportunity and a better future for the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Loeber stated as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, you are invested in the community. “We love this place and we love what this place represents because it is home and we can all agree we can do right by each other,” Loeber said. “These are the things that you are declaring as members of the Jenks Chamber of Commerce. You are invested in this place because you care about this place.

You believe in building those partnerships and forming those relationships because when you do, you know that your customers see a benefit and you know our economy grows stronger.”

Loeber said people have different beliefs, but that does not mean they can’t get along.“I am sure there are some people in this room that you would fundamentally disagree with on just about every issue,” Loeber said. “But, I would be willing to bet you agree on the reasons why you love this community, on the reasons why you decided to raise your kids here and on the reasons why you decided to start a business here.”

Loeber said Jenks Public Schools is a well-respected district because the community is invested. “One of the things that makes our school district so well-respected around the state is because nearly every business owner and every organization in this community is invested in the success of our schools,” Loeber said. “You all have agreed together, as the business community, that strong schools and private businesses are not mutually exclusive. Those are things that go hand in hand. Your agreement on all those principals I just mentioned has brought you together today.”

Loeber said when he looks out among the Chamber members, he sees unity and not division. “That is something,” Loeber said. “We are here together, and I think we can agree on all those things. It gives me hope because I do not see division in this room. I see a lot of buy in to what Jenks represents and what we want it to become. I think we can also agree that we need that buy in now more than ever. We need a little bit of agreement now more than ever.”

Loeber said being on the same team and working together is vital to the success of the community. “I would encourage all of you that when you see your fellow Chamber member, or your neighbor, or your business partner, think to yourself, there is a person that I agree with,” Loeber said. “We are on the same side. We are the same team. We are both doing our part to make this place a little better today than it was yesterday.”

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Jenks Girls Cross Country Opens Preseason, Ready To Defend Title

By Kyle Salomon Last fall, the Jenks girls cross country team crushed the competition, as it captured the 6A Girls Cross Country State Championship in dominating fashion. The Jenks girls will be the favorites to bring home the gold again in 2020, as all seven varsity starters return to defend their 2019 title.

Avery Mazzei, Deborah Mazzei, Shelby Kihega, Ryann Barber, Tarren Lowry, Paige Twiehaus and Gabrielle Vargas will lead a deep and talented group of runners in 2020.

Jenks officially opened preseason practice last week with workouts from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Jenks High School Track and Field Complex. “We probably had our best tempo run ever to start the preseason,” said Rachael Graddy, Jenks High School girls cross country coach. “Not just the varsity girls, but all the way down. Everyone is holding each other accountable.”

Graddy is entering her fourth year as head coach, but there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season.

“I feel like this is the most prepared coming into a season we have ever been based on the varsity girls we have coming back and the leadership we have, but I also feel like it is the most unprepared we have ever been because of the pandemic and not knowing what is going to happen,” Graddy said.

The girls are required to wear masks when they arrive to practice every morning but allowed to remove them when working out on the track. They are not allowed to congregate in the locker rooms, and they are running in groups of four and distancing themselves from each other, as they work out.

The girls cross country regular season is officially scheduled to begin Aug. 22 at Deer Creek High School in Edmond.

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Jenks Resident Deevia Fierro Awarded UCO College Of Liberals Arts Scholarship The University of Central Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts recently awarded a scholarship to Jenks resident Deevia Fierro in recognition of her academic excellence and outstanding service to the university.

Fierro received the McLaughlin Family Endowed Scholarship in Photography. “Our outstanding students have demonstrated not only excellence in the classroom, but oftentimes leadership in college activities and programs. We could not be prouder of them,” said Catherine Webster, Ph.D., Dean of Central’s College of Liberal Arts.

Jenks Varsity Pom Squad ‘Flamingo’s’ Jenks Police

“These scholarships recognize excellence throughout the college and I sincerely hope that the recipients will accept them to honor not only their recent accomplishments, but those that are yet to come. In this unusual year, I want to express special appreciation to those who make these scholarships possible.”

The Jenks Varsity Pom Squad had fake flamingos put in the lawn Tuesday at the Jenks Police Headquarters as a part of their JVP Flocking campaign. Photos/Courtesy

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Bull Shark Dive Highlights Remaining Sharklahoma Events July 24: Dive with the Bull Sharks Contest Winner Dive

Trae Taylor from Wewoka, Oklahoma is the winner of our third annual Dive with the Bull Sharks contest. The dive will occur after hours, but it will be live streamed to our Facebook page.

Every Monday and Thursday in July: Shark Feed Talk & Tour Celebrate Sharklahoma with a behind-the-scenes tour of the world’s largest collection of bull sharks. Every Monday and Thursday in July go above the bull shark tank to watch our bull sharks feed from a new perspective. Children must be 3 and older to participate. These tours usually sell out, so purchasing tickets in advance is encouraged.

Cost: General Admission + $5 for Members; General Admission + $10 for non-members.

July 22 & 29: Marine Biologist for a Day Junior biologists will learn how we take care of our animals and their habitats on a daily basis. Junior biologists will prepare food in our kitchen, feed the animals on exhibit, and learn how to test water quality. Campers will get a comprehensive behind-the-scenes tour that will visit the top of our shark tank, the area behind the sea turtle tank, our coral research lab, and our quarantine areas where baby bull sharks and other animals are kept prior to living on exhibit. To finish the day, the group will dissect a shark together, and examine tissues under a microscope.

Ok Fit Delivers Treats To Jenks Police The Jenks Police Department continues to receive support from the local community.

OK Fit in Jenks delivered goodies to the Jenks police officers Wednesday. Photo/ Courtesy

Church Directory Beaver Street Baptist Church 102 W. Beaver Street Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:45am Sunday 6pm Sunday Crossroads Church 2525 W. Main Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday 6pm Sunday 6:45pm Wednesday Dove Ministry 2833 W. Main Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday 6pm Sunday First Baptist Church 11701 S. Elm Street Service times: 8:30am Sunday 9:45am Sunday 11am Sunday First Christian Church 308 E. Main Street Service times: 9:45am Sunday 10:45am Sunday First Jenks United Methodist Church 415 E. Main Street Service times: 8:45am Sunday 10am Sunday 11:15am Sunday Jenks Bethel Baptist Church 11808 S. Elm Street Service times: 11am Sunday

Jenks Bible Church 708 W. Main St Service times: 10am Sunday 6:30pm Wednesday

Newspring Family Church 2907 W. 108th Place South Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:30am Sunday

Jenks Church 1015 W. Main Street Service times: 10am Sunday

River Oaks Christian Church 300 N. Elm Street Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:30am Sunday 6:30pm Sunday

Kirk Crossing 11420 S. James Avenue Service times: 9am Sunday 10:30am Sunday Life Church Jenks 890 W. 81st Street Service times: 4pm Saturday 5:30pm Saturday 8:30am Sunday 10am Sunday 11:30am Sunday 1pm Sunday 4pm Sunday 5:30pm Sunday 7pm Monday

St. James Presbyterian Church 11970 S. Elm Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday The Church at Jenks 2101 W. 118th Street 9am Sunday 11am Sunday The Connecting Co. 1737 W. 81st Street Service times: 10am Sunday

Jenks Tribune fights to keep local journalism alive, needs community support

By Kyle Salomon

It is now mid-July of 2020, which means every weekday morning, I get up bright and early and head to the office to prepare the Jenks Tribune for its print-edition comeback Aug. 7.

We are still putting out the weekly e-editions through the end of July, but let’s be honest, our focus is on Aug. 7 and beyond.

The pressures of covering the Jenks community weigh heavily, especially with a dwindled staff thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Covering news and sports is not going to be an easy feat, but a challenge I look forward to and will attack with confidence on a weekly and even daily basis.

However, those pressures are none bigger than an ant hill compared to a towering mountain when you talk about the pressures of selling advertisements for the newspaper.

I recently read an article from The Atlantic titled, “The Constitution Doesn’t Work Without Local News”. It was mesmerizing and quite honestly brought tears to my eyes as a I read it. I may not have agreed with every little piece of information in the editorial, but the premise was spot on and it gives the reason why local journalism is dying across the country.

Simply put … as a society, we don’t value community news anymore. Sure, we like it. We think it is cute and fluffy like a puppy dog, but we can all live without the new puppy and as a society, we have started to think we can live without local news.

Since we started printing the Jenks Tribune Aug. 16, 2019, I lost count of the times I heard from people how much they enjoyed the paper and how much they looked forward to reading it every week.

It is an amazing feeling when you get to see a new edition for the first time. There are no words or phrases I can think of that describe the amount of work and energy it takes to put out one edition of a printed newspaper, but when you see the final product, it makes it all worth it.

The first year of the Jenks Tribune was a learning experience for me. There are so many things I would have done differently knowing what I know now, but I am going to use that in this second go around with the printed editions.

I still have a lot to learn and that will always be the case. Jenks Public Schools Director of Athletics Tony Dillingham told me earlier in the summer that the day he doesn’t think he can learn anything is the day he needs to retire. That couldn’t be truer and that goes for everyone in every profession.

We have put together a plan that we believe in and believe will help make the Jenks Tribune stronger for its community, but in order for that plan to work, we have to have the support from the local economy.

I do not believe in charging people for the paper. I don’t believe should have to pay to get their local news, but under that model, advertising has to be strong.

I have restructured our pricing scale to make advertising more affordable over a longer period of time. Point being you can’t just purchase one ad in the newspaper and expect it to work wonders for your business. It is the ads that are consistently in the newspaper that have the most success.

We have created an avenue that makes it easier for local businesses to do that, but they have to be willing to buy in and do it. I am grateful for the financial support we have received thus far in our first year in business, but we need more. We need more businesses to jump in with us and we need the businesses that have jumped in to jump all the way in and give us a real chance to bring this community together.

Jenks is a community full of great stories and great news, but social media is not going to do it. We use social media as a platform to get those stories out to the community, but social media by itself cannot do it. It all comes down to how much you value local journalism. Based on what I have heard since we have been here, you value it quite a bit.

I want the Jenks Tribune to be here as long as we can, but that is not up to me. We are a business and just like any other business, we have to have money to operate. I did not get into this industry to get rich and if you know anything about this industry, you will believe me when I say that. I got into this industry to tell stories and inform people, but we have to have ads to do it.

I love this community and I love what I do. August 7 is a few short weeks away.

Give us a chance and advertise with the Jenks Tribune.

Sincerely, Kyle Salomon 918-231-0787 ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

2020 Re-Boot Advertising Special The Jenks Tribune is returning to its weekly print product beginning August 7!

If you commit to advertise in the Jenks Tribune from August through December, you will receive a special monthly price!

Full Page Ad

$800 per month from August through December and get a FULL-PAGE color advertisement EVERY WEEK in the Jenks Tribune and a weekly Facebook post!

FIVE months (21 WEEKS) of full-page ads and Facebook posts for ONLY $4,000!

Half Page Ad

$500 per month from August through December and get a HALF-PAGE color advertisement EVERY WEEK in the Jenks Tribune and a weekly Facebook post!

FIVE months (21 WEEKS) of half-page ads and Facebook posts for ONLY $2,500!

Quarter Page Ad

$300 per month from August through December and get a QUARTER-PAGE color advertisement EVERY WEEK in the Jenks Tribune and a weekly Facebook post! FIVE months (21 WEEKS) of quarter-page ads and Facebook posts for ONLY $1,500!

Eighth Page Ad

$200 per month from August through December and get an EIGHTH-PAGE color advertisement EVERY WEEK in the Jenks Tribune and a weekly Facebook post! FIVE months (21 WEEKS) of eighth-page ads and Facebook posts for ONLY $1,000!

Banner Ad

$200 per month from August through December and get a BANNER color advertisement EVERY WEEK in the Jenks Tribune and a weekly Facebook post!

FIVE months (21 WEEKS) of banner ads and Facebook posts for ONLY $1,000!

Regular Weekly Prices Still Available: Full Page Color $500 Half Page Color $300 Quarter Page Color $200 Eighth Page Color $100 Banner Color $100

*10% Off When You Pay Up Front* Under regular prices, you will be billed weekly!

Call or email Kyle Salomon today at 918-231-0787 or ksalomon@jenkstribune.com and book your spot!