Tribal Council Approves Sallie Byrd Sevenstar Community Center

The Council of the Cherokee Nation approved last week renaming the current Belfonte-Nicut Community Center after Cherokee Nation citizen and fluent Cherokee speaker Sallie Byrd Sevenstar, who passed away on August 24.

Sevenstar was a lifelong resident of the Nicut Community in Sequoyah County. She was a retired teacher of more than 30 years and member of the Belfonte Baptist Church for more than 50 years, where she taught Sunday school and led singing. She was also the first bilingual Cherokee speaker to receive a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

Tribal Council also approved naming the 4,000-square-foot food storage and outreach center under construction on the property. The building is among eight new facilities and four remodels being built in response to COVID-19. The $25 million in Respond, Recover and Rebuild facility projects, range from PPE manufacturing, added space for social distancing, food outreach sites and a new employee health care facility.

“Renaming the Belfonte-Nicut Community Building in honor of Ms. Sallie Byrd Sevenstar is such a fitting tribute to her lifetime of service to the Cherokee people and to her community,” said Tribal Councilor Daryl Legg who represents Sequoyah County. “Ms. Sevenstar leaves behind a legacy that not only her family and community are proud of, but the entire Cherokee Nation should be proud of. Naming this building in her honor puts her leadership and values on display in the heart of the community.”

The Council also passed an act revising Cherokee Nation election laws to enhance the electoral process and protect the voting rights of Cherokee Nation citizens.

Among the revisions include a section defining election fraud and its penalties. The legislation states illegal interference includes, in-person voter fraud, fraudulent activity involving absentee ballots, ballot stuffing, voting under the name of a deceased person, casting a ballot by a person not eligible to vote, submitting a voter request for any person without their consent, vote-buying and tampering with ballots. The act also states a person who commits election fraud subject to criminal or civil sanctions.

Additional changes to the election code include allowing the election commission to mark an absentee ballot as invalid if the ballot is signed by a person other than the registered voter, rather than discarding the ballot; allowing voters to return absentee ballots by 7 p.m. on election day, rather than be returned on the Thursday before election day and other measures.

“Last September, my fellow Council members and I formed a work group so we could look at the election code and see if the election process needed any revisions. It is important that our Cherokee citizens have a voice in tribal elections and with this work group we wanted to visit and see if we could make the voting process better and safer,” said Tribal Councilor Mike Dobbins. “I appreciate this work group for working so hard on these revisions. A lot of thought went into this, and we received input from the Election Commission, Attorney General and the Marshal Service, and I’m glad to see it pass. Tribal Council Attorney Tim Brown was also instrumental in drafting the final legislation.”

In other business, the Council of the Cherokee Nation also took the following actions:

• Confirmed the reappointment of Vivian Garner Cottrell as an advisory member of the Cherokee National Treasures advisory committee.

• Confirmed the reappointment of Vryl Keeter as an advisory member of the Cherokee National Treasures advisory committee.

• Approved the appointment of Kendra McGeady to the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission.

• Confirmed an act to enhance and expand the verification of identification of Cherokee citizens voting through absentee ballots.

• Lastly, passed an act to recognize the traditional Cherokee names of districts.

The next Council of the Cherokee Nation meeting will be Monday, November 16 in the Tribal Council offices located at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah.

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Younger Pleads Not Guilty to Burglary

A Sallisaw woman pleaded not guilty Oct. 15 to charges of first-degree burglary, a felony, and knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property, a misdemeanor.

Rhianna Lee Younger, 40, faces up to 20 years in prison on the felony charge. Her bond was set at $5,000 and her next court appearance is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.

On Oct. 10 at 11 a.m., a Sallisaw police officer was dispatched to a residence in reference to a burglary that had just occurred. When the officer arrived, he met with the victim, Marlina Hardbarger, who said an old friend, whom she identified as Younger, had just broken into her house while she was inside her garage.

Hardbarger said that while she was in her garage she heard some commotion coming from inside the house. The woman then tried to enter her bedroom, where she had heard the noise coming from, but it was locked from the inside. Hardbarger said she pried her bedroom door open and found Younger trying to retreat out the window, The woman said she was also able to snap a photo of Younger inside her home.

The officer then traveled to a different location, where he exited his patrol car and approached the building. As he did so, a female walked toward the officer. She identified herself as Younger and she later admitted to taking Hardbarger’s property but said she took the items because Hardbarger owed her money and she planned to use the items as collateral.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Cheater Pleads Not Guilty to Burglary

Randy Cheater

A Sallisaw man pleaded not guilty Oct. 15 to a charge of first-degree burglary, police reports show.

Randy Cheater, 38, faces up to 20 years in prison on the felony count. He was released on $5,000 bond and his next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.

On Oct. 7, a Sallisaw police officer was dispatched to a residence in reference to a burglary in progress. When the officer arrived at the scene, he saw a male, identified as Cheater, who was handcuffed and being held in the back of a patrol car while officers spoke to the reporting party who said Randy had kicked her front door in and entered her home after she would not agree to give him money or obtain a loan to give him money.

Once inside, Cheater allegedly began looking for items to take and grabbed an X-Box system. He then left the house with the X-Box but he threw it in the bushes outside the home.

The woman stated she was afraid of Cheater and said she believed that he would hurt someone in her home.

Cheater was transported to the Sallisaw Police Department without further incidence.

 Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Catholic Charities Seeks Heater, Coat Donations

With winter weather just around the corner, Catholic Charities of Sallisaw is launching its annual space heater and coat drive for folks in need in Sequoyah County.

Pam Wemhaner of Catholic Charities said Friday that the annual event is just one part of the group’s efforts to bring comfort to people in need. “We want to keep everyone warm in the winter and everyone cool in the summer,” she said in describing the group’s springtime fan drive.

Wemhaner said her group needs donations of new space heaters and new or gently used winter coats of all sizes for the upcoming giveaway.

“I just want to get the word out so people can come and get whatever they need,” she said.

Donations of coats or heaters can be dropped off at the Catholic Charities office at 409 N. Adams between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, or call the office at (918) 775-6111 or The Mix 105.1 at 333 S. Kerr Blvd. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The mission of Catholic Charities, which was created in 1910, is to provide services to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same, according to the group’s website. Wemhaner said Sallisaw’s Catholic Charities organization has been up and running for more than 30 years serving the needs of those in the community.

Wemhaner discussed other ways the charity can help folks in need. During the coronavirus pandemic, folks are welcome to come by weekly to receive free food and clothing between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Old Highway 17 and Marble City Set to Get Road Improvements

Marble City residents and others who travel on Old Highway 17 north of Sallisaw will soon get a new $3.3 million road as Phase II of a “long-awaited” road project begins, Sequoyah County Dist. 2 Commissioner Steve Carter announced.

The project was one of several awarded by the State Highway Transportation Commission, according to Chris Wallace, an ODOT engineer for District 1.

The contract, which was awarded to Ross Construction of Muskogee, will begin with a passing lane at the four-way intersection in Marble City leading to the top of the hill to allow vehicles to go around the large trucks, which tend to slow down traffic at times, Wallace said.

Carter said that this project has been in the works for years and he and his staff have “worked hard” to keep the project ongoing. “We started with a plan just to widen the shoulders of the road,” he said, but after that plan got underway, it was decided that several bridge projects had to be completed to build a better road for folks in that area before the major road project could begin.

Carter said “I’m really tickled” that this project is getting underway. “I predict the project will take about 200 days to complete,” then Phase III work will begin on a new bridge on Taylor Drive near Sallisaw, he said.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Muldrow Man Sought on Gun Charge

An arrest warrant was issued Oct. 13 for a Muldrow man accused of being in possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction.

Donald Gene Allen, 53, faces up to 10 years in prison on the felony charge. His bond was set at $10,000.

Around 9 a.m. on Oct. 3, a Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to a residence in reference to a man with a gun. When the deputy arrived at the scene he was met by Rita Peterson, who told him she had walked outside to let her dog out that morning and said her brother, Allen, was standing in her yard with a rifle in hand.

Peterson said Allen walked up to her while pointing the gun at her, then smiled and walked past her into the residence and turned on the coffee pot. The woman said Allen then left the residence and went back to a residence next door. Peterson said she was scared for her life.

Later, Allen admitted walking to his sister’s yard with a gun but said he never pointed it at anyone. He said he has had problems with people and animals breaking into his shop building so he took the gun, a Remington .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle. Allen told police where they could find the gun and admitted to being a felon out of Arkansas.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Sallisaw Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Arson

Felicia Nicholl Bargar

A Sallisaw woman pleaded not guilty Oct. 7 to felony charges of second-degree arson and endangering human life during arson, court records show.

Felicia Nicholl Bargar, 32, faces up to 35 years and/or a fine of up to $25,000 on the arson charge. She is looking at a seven-year sentence on the second charge. Her next court appearance is set for 9 a.m. Dec. 2.

On Oct. 3, a Sallisaw police officer was informed of a possible arson at Fullbright Trailer Park. Witnesses at the scene said they saw Bargar fleeing from the fire.

A neighbor told police that Bargar had come to her house and stated to her: “Something bad was going to happen tonight.” Bargar also told the witness to call the fire department. The woman also noted that Bargar smelled strongly of alcohol.

The mother of the homeowner told police she saw smoke coming from her son’s trailer, so she ran to make sure Bargar was not inside the trailer house. When she arrived, however, the woman discovered Bargar sitting in the middle of the road laughing. When asked why, she reportedly said “Because let it burn, let, let it burn. I did it. I set the trailer on fire.”

Bargar then reportedly fled the scene on foot.

Later, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office received a call stating that Bargar was walking from the VFW. Two officers spotted an intoxicated Bargar sitting on a front porch of a home near the VFW.

Once Bargar was taken to the police station, she admitted to having drunk at least a full pint of whiskey the day the fire occurred. She said the fire started near the breaker panel and she went to the neighbor and asked them to call the fire department.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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