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CHEROKEE
MESSENGER & REPUBLICAN Vol. 109 No. 25 – 16 Pages, 1 Section
‘Our town was mess,’ says mayor By KORINA DOVE Messenger & Republican Staff “Our town was a mess,” according to Mayor Karen Hawkins, who gave a surprise State of the City address during the May 12 joint meetings of the Cherokee Development Authority and City Commission. Hawkins was speaking about conditions of the city 30 months ago, when she said the town was riddled with water problems, near bankruptcy, had no full-time city manager and needed more police protection. All that has changed. According to the mayor, the city’s water plant now works properly, thanks to Water Superintendent Jim Hoos, many dilapidated properties have been torn down and the cemetery looks professionally-kept once again. “Our electric plant that I’ve never seen cleaned up looks nice,” Hawkins said. “In the 12 years I’ve been mayoring, that’s awesome.” She said Cherokee is no longer the “sleepy, bedtime community” it once was, See MESS Page 2
Cherokee, (Alfalfa County) Oklahoma
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NW Oklahoma wheat plot tour a ‘bright spot’ By KORINA DOVE Messenger & Republican Staff For more than 38 years, area producers have been visiting Kenneth Failes’ farm north of Cherokee. Failes sees the annual Alfalfa County Wheat Variety Plot Tour as a good way to promote northwest Oklahoma. His daughter, Patty Kindred, remembers it as the one time a year she and her
KEITH KISLING of Burlington takes a sample of the Garrison wheat variety being grown on the OSU Extension Wheat Variety Plot on Kenneth Failes’ farm north of Cherokee. The plot is one of only 11 in the state. Area producers received an up-close view of more than 20 wheat varieties during a May 9 tour.
Rape charge dropped to assault and battery, Cole pleads guilty
Duster, Greer, Winterhawk and Endurance are four of the top strains this year, but even the best isn’t looking very good, Gribble said. Lack of rain is the number one reason for skimpy crops this season. With less than five inches of rain in the area since September 2010, wheat fields are suffering. Compared to the rest of the state, however, northwest Oklahoma is looking pretty good. “It certainly looks much “By far, it’s kind of the bright spot of better when you get west of the state,” said OklaJet up by Cherokee.” homa Wheat CommisMike Schulte sion Director Mike Schulte. “But it’s still Wheat Commission Director going to be a below average harvest for brother David got soda pop. everybody.” “You have no idea how excitSchulte attended the tour ing this was as a kid,” Kindred at Failes’ farm and was a little said. “I thought all these farm- more impressed with the wheat ers were coming to see my dad- in this area than what he has dy’s excellent wheat. I was so seen in the southern parts of proud to be his daughter. the state. “Plus, it’s one of the only “It certainly looks much bettimes we had pop! They would ter when you get west of Jet up have every kind of pop avail- by Cherokee,” Schulte said. able, and David and I took seriAs producers were hearing ous advantage of that.” the good and bad news about The tradition of supplying this year’s growth in Alfalfa the tour group with an abun- County, the first sample of dance of soda pop lives on. More wheat in the state was being than 30 farmers enjoyed a cold cut more than 200 miles away. drink May 9 at Failes’ farm folSchulte said 250 bushels lowing a presentation by North- of wheat were turned in at a west Area Agronomist Roger Grandfield, Okla. cooperative. Gribble. The inaugural load showed a Twenty-three varieties of test weight of 61 pounds and a wheat grow alongside SH 11. See WHEAT Page 3
‘Sign’ of the times
Former Cherokee police officer excluded from law enforcement By KORINA DOVE Messenger & Republican Staff Prosecutors exchanged felony charges of first-degree rape by instrumentation and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime last week for a conviction of aggravated assault and battery in the case of short-time Cherokee police officer David Otis Cole.
DAVID COLE
Inside today... Wheat Price.............................. 3 Opinions................................... 4 Lifestyles.................................. 6 Funerals................................... 7 Sports....................................... 8 Legals............. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Classifieds............................. 15
Cole, 46, appeared WednesDuring the encounter, a disday, May 11, in Alfalfa County patcher contacted Cole by teleDistrict Court on the felony phone to investigate a report of charges, originally filed Feb. 24 a car driving erratically through along with two misdemeanor Cherokee. Cole answered the charges of soliciting for prosti- call but told the dispatcher he tution and willful omission to would not respond. perform duties by a public ofJudge Loren Angle handed ficer. down a seven-year deferred Cole pleaded guilty to felony sentence for the felony assault aggravated assault and battery charge and one year apiece, and both misdemeanor counts. both deferred, for each misdeOklahoma State Bureau of meanor count. Investigation officers arrested Attached to the convictions Cole in February, shortly after were several rules and condihe admitted to tions, includhaving a sexing the stipuCole cannot obtain ual encounter lation that Feb. 19 with a employment... or “any Cole cannot 20-year-old feobtain emmale resident other position allowployment as a of Cherokee. commissioned ing a person to wear Cole had apofficer of any proached the any official badge and kind, includfemale at her carry a weapon of any ing a security residence days officer, investibefore the as- type.” gator, campus sault and ofpolice officer, a fered to buy store security her a phone card from Wal-Mart guard or “any other position alin exchange for sexual activity. lowing a person to wear any ofThe night of the incident, the ficial badge and carry a weapon female willingly visited Cole’s of any type.” Cherokee apartment, where the Those provisions also include assault took place. See GUILTY Page 2
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Weekend rodeo pays tribute to local cowboy, raises funds for charity.
ALFALFA COUNTY District 1 Commissioner Doug Murrow, along with helpers Katie Schanbacher and Kennedy Murrow, secure a new road sign along SH 11. The three spent Saturday afternoon installing signs in District 1. The signs are going up throughout the county as part of the Enhanced 911 system. Each county road will receive a new name or number and rural residents will receive physical addresses within the next two to three years. The signs were purchased with an $8,800 Rural Economic Action Plan grant received by the county earlier this year. Hundreds of signs still need to be made and installed. County and Cherokee city commissioners will host a joint public meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in the Baker Building in Cherokee to discuss proposals for the E-911 system. The public is encouraged to attend.
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Elementary track stars shine at Jessie Mary Reinhart Track Meet.
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Postal workers pick up 1,551 pounds of food in Saturday’s hunger drive.