Belfonte, Gore Voters Choose School Board, Trustee Members

Voters in Belfonte and Gore decided several races during elections Tuesday, according to unofficial results posted by the Oklahoma Election Board.

In the race for Belfonte Public School Office 1, Mike Hyde received 119 votes compared with Kim Muskrat’s 9 votes, while Ed Baker defeated Nadine Ross 114 to 12 for Belfonte Public School Office 2 (an unexpired term).

In Gore, Lester Keathley was elected to Gore Public Schools Office 1 over Matt Holland by a vote of 218-74 and Robin Henry defeated Donald C. Carter for a seat on the Town of Gore’s Board of Trustees by a vote of 140-58.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Drug Take Back Day Set for April 24 at Walmart

It’s time for the DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and the Sallisaw NOW Coalition is once again spearheading collection efforts.

Members of Sallisaw NOW will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at the Sallisaw Walmart, with drop boxes to allow folks to safely dispose of any expired or unwanted medication.

The National Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

In addition to the drop boxes, coalition members will have medication lock boxes, NARCAN drug overdose reversal kits and Deterra Drug Deactivation System pouches available.

Amy Edwards, Sallisaw NOW’s prevention services director, says this is the sixth year her agency has participated in the event in partnership with the Sallisaw Police Department and Walmart.

She said the Drug Take Back Day is important to the community because “so many drugs get in the wrong hands.” In 2020, she said, nearly 84,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses. She added that about 64.5 percent of those addicted to opioids don’t have a prescription for the drugs themselves.

The National Drug Take Back Day is held twice a year, Edwards said, on the last Saturdays of April and October.

According to DEA statistics, in October 2020, 492.7 tons of medication were collected during the 19th National Drug Take Back Day.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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CN, Guard Break Ground on Veterans’ Housing Addition

Members of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Navy Reserve and Air Force Reserve Command were on hand for the groundbreaking of a Cherokee veterans housing initiative in Tahlequah on Monday along with, center from left: Master Sgt. Mitchell Sisco, Innovative Readiness Training program operations manager; retired Brig. Gen. Brent Wright; Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.; and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner. The participating military units will provide personnel to construct the 21 new homes as part of the U.S. Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training program.

Cherokee Nation leaders joined representatives from the Oklahoma Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Navy Reserve and Air Force Reserve Command, along with family members of the late Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor Mige Glory, to break ground on the future site of the Mige Glory Addition in Tahlequah Monday.

The Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma Air National Guard broke ground Monday at the future site of 21 new homes for eligible Cherokee veterans and their families.

The project is part of the Cherokee Veterans Housing Initiative through the U.S. Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training program. Plans for the new Mige Glory Addition include a total of 21 new homes over the next three years, with the first seven new single-family subsidized homes to be built in the first year along with the necessary infrastructure to support the housing addition.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said it was exciting to be at the groundbreaking ceremony Monday surrounded by construction equipment and pipes already in the ground. It is expected that housing pads and framing will be visible in the coming months.

“We know that the need for improving housing in Northeastern Oklahoma is great and that the need for our Cherokee population is even greater,” Hoskin said. “We should do everything we can to serve our Cherokee veterans, because they have served us and this great nation. That’s where this housing project comes into play. It could be that our veterans are currently living in housing that just doesn’t meet their needs and these homes will better meet that need. We also know there are jarring statistics on veteran homelessness, and that is why we focused on this project over the past few years. Disproportionally, native veterans are among the homeless veteran population and the more we can do in the area of housing, whether it’s emergency rental assistance or this type of long-term housing solution, the better, and we should keep focusing on solutions for this problem. Partnering with these military units, we have the tools and talent to make a big difference.”

The Oklahoma Air National Guard, the Army National Guard, the Navy Reserve and the Air Force Reserve Command will provide personnel to construct the new homes as part of the Innovative Readiness Training program. The IRT program provides hands-on, real-world training during the construction process, allowing joint military units an opportunity to improve their deployment readiness.

Master Sgt. Mitchell Sisco, operations manager for the IRT program and a Cherokee Nation citizen from Tahlequah, has worked with the Cherokee Nation to kick off the project. Sisco said he approached the Cherokee Nation about establishing a veterans housing addition through the IRT program after completion of a similar project in Montana in 2016.

“This is a wonderful example of how the military and civilians can work together to help out for a good cause,” Sisco said. “The Innovative Readiness Training program has multiple missions: we have construction, medical, cyber and all kinds of missions where we can go out into the civilian world and leverage our military training requirements with our community partners’ requirements to get tangible benefits for them. We have many other construction, medical and cyber missions throughout the U.S. and its territories.”

The Cherokee Nation provided the 30 acres for the project, and the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation will provide materials and other basic services for construction of the new homes. The Housing Authority will manage the property and in the future, will open the application process to Cherokee veterans. The Cherokee Nation Office of Veterans Affairs and Cherokee Nation Emergency Management department are also providing support for the project.

The new housing addition will be named in honor of the late Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor Mige Glory, who served in the U.S. Army after being drafted at age 18. Glory served as a clerk for the 122nd Evacuation Hospital at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

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Vian Slates Town Cleanup for April 20-21

The Town of Vian has scheduled its community cleanup for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 20 and 21.

The cleanup is only for residential customers of the Vian Public Works Authority and all trash will be picked up on residents’ normally scheduled trash day. Please make sure to have all your refuse materials curbside by 7 a.m. on the day of your trash pickup.

Everything from metal to household trash will be accepted, but metal must be placed in a separate pile. Any appliance that contains Freon or has a compressor must have it removed before pickup.

Tires and batteries will not be accepted, nor will hazardous wastes such as paint, pesticides or cleaning chemicals.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Commissioners Proclaim April Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse Prevention Month

The Board of Sequoyah County Commissioners proclaimed April Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Abuse Prevention Month at their weekly meeting Monday.

Cindy Smith, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s investigator who heads up the county’s Coordinated Community Response/Sexual Assault Response Team (CCR/SART), said the team couldn’t do its work without its community partners, which include the Sallisaw Police Department as well as law enforcement officers in Vian, Roland, Muldrow and Gore, the district attorney’s office, Help in Crisis, the Cherokee Nation and more.

“We are fortunate to have people step up to help with housing, clothing, gas,” or whatever assault victims may need. “We are blessed to have a lot of partnerships in the county. (Sheriff) Larry (Lane) has never, ever failed (to help).”

“We are all about the victims,” she said.

Smith urged people to come see the artwork of students who participated in “Hands Against Child Abuse,” which will be on display at the Sheriff’s Department.

The commissioners unanimously approved the proclamations, with District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers adding, “We appreciate the tremendous service you provide for our community.”

In other business, the commissioners:

*Awarded a bid for the purchase of a paver for District 3

*Approved a temporary interlocal agreement between the county and City of Sallisaw for District 2. The agreement will recoup damages that occurred during a bridge project on a low-water crossing

*Approved the Sheriff’s Department’s purchase of two 2021 Dodge Durango SSV RWDs and one Chevrolet crew cab four-wheel drive truck

*Approved the transfer of funds from District 1’s maintenance and operations account to T8.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Cherokee Nation Celebrates Sequoyah’s Life

The Cherokee Nation is celebrating the life of Sequoyah and his influence as a cultural icon in a new exhibit at the Cherokee National History Museum.

As part of the bicentennial celebration of the Cherokee syllabary, “Sequoyah: An American Icon” shares details about Sequoyah’s historic achievement and its impact on the Cherokee people. The exhibit will run through Dec. 31.

“Sequoyah’s legacy continues 200 years after the introduction of the syllabary to the Cherokee people,” said Krystan Moser, manager of cultural collections and exhibits for Cherokee Nation. “This accomplishment, something not done by any other single person in recorded history, has cemented Sequoyah as an icon not just in Cherokee history, but American and even world history.”

This exhibit will include a historical biography of Sequoyah, a reproduction of a portrait of him from 1828, samples of his handwriting, proceedings from the dedication of his statue at the U.S. Capitol Statuary Hall and much more.

“This exhibit is just part of the programs and events we have lined up as part of the Cherokee syllabary bicentennial celebration,” Moser said. “We hope to educate and entertain the public with Sequoyah’s story and inspire them all to learn more about this true American icon.”

Those interested in learning more about the legendary statesman and inventor of the Cherokee syllabary are encouraged to also visit Sequoyah’s Cabin Museum in Sallisaw. The cabin was constructed by Sequoyah in 1829 and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and a National Literary Landmark in 2006. The homestead includes a one-room cabin and nearly 200 acres.

The Cherokee National History Museum is in one of the tribe’s most iconic structures, the Cherokee National Capitol building, 101 S. Muskogee Ave. in Tahlequah. The museum opened in 2019 and shares the history and culture of the Cherokee Nation within 4,000 square feet of permanent exhibit space that features Cherokee lifestyle from pre-European contact through the Trail of Tears and the revitalization of the tribe after the Civil War.

For information on Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism, including museum operations, call (877) 779-6977 or visit www.VisitCherokeeNation.com.

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KI BOIS Seeking Input on Community Needs

KI BOIS Community Action is collecting community needs assessment surveys.

The agency is attempting to go all electronic but will accept a paper survey if the respondent is more comfortable with that format.

The survey is available on the KI BOIS Facebook page or by contacting Royce Alverson, KI BOIS Community Action’s community liaison, at (918) 967-3325, extension 134, or (800) 299-4479. The paper survey can then be completed and mailed to your local KI BOIS office.

Surveys will be collected until June 1, 2021. Data collected will determine programs KI BOIS will administer in its service area.

KI BOIS asks that area residents complete the survey whether they are agency clients or service providers.

Survey Link: https://capaz6.capsystems.com/OKAMS//05/Ques.aspx?surID=b641fcbb-6ee6-4a09-a7d7-aac5014b84af&Agy=07&Type=WEB-LINK.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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