Stillwater Sports: Monken new OSU offensive coordinator A6
NewsPress
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Stillwater, Oklahoma • www.stwnewspress.com
50¢
Minus what?
• Record low temperatures set in Stillwater, around the state By Silas Allen sallen@stwnewspress.com
Can you say nnnnnegative 22? Stillwater residents woke up to record low temperatures this morning. Frosty fingers and chilly cheeks indicated it. The National Weather Service in Norman confirmed it. Stillwater’s overnight low was minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit, which occurred at 7:33 a.m. today, said Forrest Mitchell of the National Weather Service. The previous low
was minus 18 degrees, which occurred several times between Feb. 14, 1905, and Feb. 4, 1996, Mitchell said. The record-breaking temperature in Stillwater was just one of many across northern Oklahoma, Mitchell said. Ponca City also set a local record with a low of minus 25 degrees, he said. The overnight low in Bartlesville was -28 degrees Fahrenheit, a statewide record low, Mitchell said.
The Bartlesville temperature bested the previous statewide record of minus 27 degrees set in Watts and Vinita in the 1930s. The National Weather Service’s seven-day forecast calls for a high today of 28 degrees, with wind chill values as low as minus 14 degrees. The overnight low will be around 12 degrees, with a high Friday near 40, according to the forecast. Saturday’s temperature in Stillwater is expected to climb to 56 degrees.
City talks retirement community By Ricky O’Bannon robannon@stwnewspress.com
Stillwater is closer to becoming a certified retirement community. City government and business leaders discussed the next steps for the program this week. The program started after Milt Morris of Stillwater had a meeting with Sen. Jim Halligan to suggest the idea. Halligan, R-Stillwater, and Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, pushed for a bill in the Oklahoma Legislature last year that designated Stillwater as the pilot city of a certified retirement community program in Oklahoma. As part of the pilot program, Stillwater city government and the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce are responsible for creating criteria other communities around Oklahoma will have to meet to become a certified retirement community. The Chamber of Commerce has dedicated $20,000 over five years to the project. The chamber will also work with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. See ➤ Retirement, page A3
Neighborhood Watch
Tornado seminar tonight
Ricky O’Bannon/photo@stwnewspress.com
Drifting snow threatens to bury a pickup on a road in northeast Payne County.
CUSHING - A storm awareness seminar this evening in Cushing will update storm spotters and emergency management workers and introduce new area residents to tornadoes. The free session is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cushing Youth & Community Center at Seventh and Little. The seminar includes safety and scientific weather information. Speakers will answer questions. Organizers said they are extending a special invitation to area residents who might not be familiar with tornadoes and Oklahoma’s thunderstorms. Cushing and Payne County emergency management directors are sponsoring the seminar. Call 918.223.5054 or e-mail CushEM@cityofcushing.org for more information. Payne County Emergency Management Director Dave Lester said National Weather Service personnel were providing information for the seminar.
OSU prof goes high tech when snow closes campus By Silas Allen sallen@stwnewspress.com
Despite four days of canceled classes in the past two weeks, Oklahoma State
University officials have no plans to extend the spring semester or shorten the upcoming spring break to make up for lost time, university officials announced Wednesday.
OSU classes were canceled for three days last week and again Wednesday due to two winter storms that blanketed the Stillwater area in several inches of snow, leading to treacherous roads and side-
Laura Wilson/photo@stwnewspress.com
Oklahoma State University students enjoy canceled classes during last week’s snow storm by playing a game of snow football.
Weather:
Low 11º High 40º
Stillwater broke the record for low temperatures this morning. -22 degrees.
Index: Classified . . . . . . . . . . A8 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . A11 Dear Abby . . . . . . . . A12 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . A4 Horoscope . . . . . . . . A12
Volume 103, Number 41 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . A2 Public Records. . . . . . A2 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Weather . . . . . . . . . . A12
walks. OSU spokesman Gary Shutt said individual professors would be responsible for finding a way to make up for the lost time. During an OSU Faculty Council Meeting Tuesday, Associate Provost Pam Fry told the council that university officials had no plans to try to make up the lost days through either extending the semester or holding class during Spring Break. A number of faculty members expressed concern during the meeting about the amount of time lost. Council member Bruce Russell, an engineering professor, noted that, because last week’s cancellations fell on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, any class that was held on Tuesdays and Thursdays lost an entire week of class time. Fry said faculty members would need to find ways to make up for the lost time on an individual basis. Ed Harris, an education professor, said he had held classes online to make up for weather cancellations. Harris said he typically makes heavy use of tools, such as Skype, that allow him to hold classes online. The online class sessions are normally designed complement in-person class sessions, Harris said, but when classes are canceled, the technology can also be used to replace class sessions that would otherwise be lost. “Freezes come, so I prepare for that,” he said. “Over time, it’s gotten a lot easier because of modern technology.” See ➤ OSU, page A3
Funerals Sally Vielma Hazel Wright
Obituaries, A2