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Dads are remarkable. They love their children for who they are but always challenge them to do their best. Dads realize they face an impossible task. They admit it from the start, but they willingly take on the blessings of fatherhood to nurture their children in the admonition of the Lord. They aspire to be a “perfect dad.” They know they can’t pull it off but they give it their best effort. First, they know how to laugh a lot. They see the good side of life in spite of the problems and diffi...
Alva Church of God Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10:30 a.m. Alva Church of God is located at 517 Ninth St. in Alva, and can be found on the web at www.AlvaChurchOfGod.org. Alva Friends Church Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m.; coffee and donut fellowship at 10:10 a.m.; worship at 10:30 a.m. Alva Friends Church is on the corner of College Avenue and Center Street. Avard Christian Church Sunday services are from 2-4 p.m. Avard Christian Church is 7 miles west of Alva on Highway 64 and 7 miles south on County Road 370, or 6...
For years, I was the family king when it came to Bible Trivia. We had a board game, complete with “difficult” and “easy” categories. I reigned undefeated through several tournaments and against all comers. Then my wife wanted to play. I don’t play Bible Trivia any more. I bet the apostle Paul was really good at Bible Trivia. After all, he spent his early years studying the “Old” Testament under the tutelage of a man named Gamaliel – one of the most revered teachers and leaders of his day (still quoted by Jewish rabbis on a regular basis). Then,...
Auditor Chris Angel of Angel, Johnson & Blasingame, P.C. spoke to the Alva City Council Monday about the results of the audit for fiscal year 2015-2016. It was a "clean audit" with only a few minor problems. He praised the cooperation of the office staff and said they had no real disputes. Angel mentioned the approximate 20 percent decline in sales tax revenue over the year, going from $1.3 million in the general fund to $782,000 by year's end. The Alva Utility Authority also experienced a...
A new Department of Corrections policy that standardizes pay for inmate work crews will cost the City of Alva an estimated $1,000 per month more. City Business Manager Joe Don Dunham reported the change at the Alva City Council meeting Monday, June 19. Alva has been paying $2 per day per offender used or an estimated $40.25 per month per offender. Rates vary across the state. The number of inmates used can also vary. Alva has a contract for up to 26 per day from Bill Johnson Correction Center (BJCC). That number is not always available, and...
EDMOND — A coaching code of conduct was on the minds of Edmond School Board members last week. Board members urged Athletic Director Mike Nunley to make sure all coaches abide by a policy the board first emphasized during a planning session four years ago. They used last week's planning session for the 2017-18 school year to reiterate the point. "We have great coaches, but I want to make sure the new coaches get a code of conduct," board member Kathleen Duncan said. Duncan asked Nunley whether a document known as the "Edmond Standard" is p...
Woods County Assessor Renetta Benson told the Woods County Excise Board that valuations for county real estate are up, while valuations for personal property are down by $4.5 million. She mentioned that seven oil service firms closed up and moved out of Woods County and headed south in the last year. The excise board approved several requests for money transfers from one account to another, and $2,500 was moved from the Highway M & O account to the Highway Personal Service account to meet payroll for mapping. Another account change was for the...
The Woods County Excise Board studied the budget requests from county officials last Wednesday. Most Woods County offices were able to hold their budget requests steady from the current fiscal year to the future fiscal year beginning in July 2017. These are the estimate of needs figures and things could change when the actual budget figures are available in the fall. Part of the unknown is because larger oil properties in the county are assessed by the Public Service Central State office. Those numbers are not yet available. The county is down...
Local student Julie Owen (Alva High School) graduated from Youth Leadership Oklahoma's Class 17 on Friday, June 9, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Each year a class is selected through a competitive process based on proven leadership, geographic, ethnic and cultural diversity. Selected students participate in a week-long trip across the state of Oklahoma where they learn about Oklahoma's history, culture, issues and leaders and begin to develop a greater understanding and...
The temporary appropriation requests for all districts in Woods County are as follows: • Freedom ISD#6 – $1,694,156 for the general fund, $231,773 for the building fund, and $39,545 for the Child Nutrition Fund. These figures are 75 percent of what was appropriated last year. • Northwest Technology Center – temporary figure of $7,515,565.65 for the general fund and $2,494,837.57 for the building fund. • Alva ISD #1 – general fund temporary appropriation of $12,703,000, building fund amount of $1,774,323, Child Nutrition Fund of $341,850, a...
OKLAHOMA CITY — Public schools' reliance on under-qualified teachers shows no signs of letting up at the dawn of a new fiscal year. The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Thursday morning approved 224 more emergency certificates for the month of July. Those are provisional licenses that allow individuals to be employed as classroom teachers before they complete the education or training requirements for regular or alternative certification. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said the state's teacher shortage "isn't going away – in fact, it...
A special meeting was called by the Woods County Board of Equalization on Thursday, June 22, to discuss a round of fair cash value appeals made to the board by several oil and gas companies in the area. The board's quorum was met, and in attendence were Chris Olson, Robert Seivert, Joe Shirley, Shelley Reed, Renetta Benson, Jeff Mills, Stephanie Lambert and Brian Mitchell. Jerry Wisdom and Benjamin Hunley, representatives from Total Assessment Solutions Corporation (TASC), were also in attendence. The companies requesting appeals were...
When Nicki says the car is making a different noise, I know to follow up. Her diagnostic skills have proven correct every time and with her superior hearing acuity, it’s often something I haven’t noticed. Latest malady: bad front wheel hub. Her description of the sound was spot-on and the mechanic concurred. Bad wheel hub: critical part. I know many car owners ignore check-engine lights and squeaking brakes but when you let a lot of little problems build up, it eventually is too costly to res...
For a while back in the day, I listened to country music. One of my favorite groups was The Kendalls, who were unique because they were a father-daughter duo. Many of the songs they recorded were about extra-marital affairs. Their biggest hit was “Heaven's Just a Sin Away.” Another was “It Don't Feel Like Sinning to Me (Feels Like Love).” My favorite Kendalls song was “The Pittsburgh Stealers.” The two married people in it were running around on their spouses “stealing happiness and cheating...
BROCKTON, Mass.—He is one of a select few on the Brockton Rox. Brandon Nesseralla isn’t relying on a GPS to guide him around the area. “I still know where I am,” the Rox right-hander said. “I drive around and I know exactly where I am. We went golfing the other day down to Plymouth, down to Village Links (Golf Club), and I was the only one that knew where we were going.” Nesseralla knew where they were going because he knows where he’s been. Born in Weymouth, the son of Pete Nesseralla and Sheila McNamara lived in Whitman until he was “aroun...
For the second straight year, two Northwestern Oklahoma State University steer wrestlers finished among the top 10 at the College National Finals Rodeo. Joby Allen of Alva and Cody Devers of Perryton, Texas, finished fourth and 10th, respectively, at last week’s finale in Casper, Wyoming. Allen had a four-run cumulative time of 23.5 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth overall; he also added points by finishing in a tie for fourth in the second round and placing third in the championship round. “It took me a little while to get rolling on it,...
For the second time this year, the Share hospital, convalescent home and The Homestead made profits. The operating cash balance for May was $468,519, which represents 13.4 days of operating expenses, excluding depreciation. The accounts receivable balance was up $4,406 to $2,900,273. The accounts payable balance for May was $673,845. This represents 43.4 days of operating expenses excluding costs related to salaries, benefits and depreciation. Gross patient revenue for the hospital for May was...
Metta Kay Wenzel of Mulvane, Kansas, and Sara Jane Wieker of Oak Brook, Illinois, recently established a scholarship at Northwestern Oklahoma State University to assist student-athletes who have an interest in the field of agriculture and/or education. The Wes Wenzel Scholarship honors the memory of husband and brother, Joe Wesley Wenzel, a 1965 graduate of Northwestern. "This scholarship represents a deep family commitment to Northwestern and will serve as lasting legacy to Joe Wenzel and his...
Members of the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils (OASC) gathered on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alva campus for BASIC, a leadership workshop, June 11-16. The university welcomed 322 high school students. Seventeen are high school graduates who came to Northwestern prior to the camp's start so they could prepare for their roles as junior counselors during the workshop. Students attending for the week included high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. During the workshop,...
What does an art gallery director/curator and established artist do during summer vacation? Well, if your name is Jo Decker, then you're installing your art at Studio 112 and a Half in Shawnee for a July art show and meeting other artists, too. Decker, who recently just won second place in acrylics with "Turquoise Barn" and in mixed media with "She's a Bear Before Bed" at the Nescatunga Art Festival in Alva, has been invited to show and sell her art at Studio 112 and a Half. "We are honored to...
