$1.25 Weekend Edition Volume 120 No. 260 18 Pageswww.facebook.com/poteaudailynews

Former Talihina

High School basketball All-Stater Taggart Lockhart is the new coach of the Howe Lions. Page 5A.

Movie Review Neighbors 2

Sorority Rising Starring Seth

Rogen and Rose Byrne — rated R

Sports 5-6• 3A Obituary, Calendar • 4A Opinions• 7A Area News

• 1, 10B Celebrations• 2B Faith • 3B Devotions

• 4-5B Courthouse • 6B Comics• 7-9B Classifi eds

PoteauDailyNews.com SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016SERVING LEFLORE COUNTY

Tatum Pierce with dad Mason PierceFirst place — ages 3-5

Cambry Dunn with dad Graham DunnFirst place, age 6-9

Myles Womack with dad Kevin WomackFirst place — ages 10-13.

Draw Your Dad contest winners announcedBy Amanda CorbinPDN Reporter

Winners have been announced for the 2016 Poteau Daily

News Draw Your Dad Contest held in conjunction with Father’s Day.

Contest entries were pub-lished in the June 18 edition of

the PDN and on our website at www.poteaudailynews.com. Prizes were awarded in three age categories: 3-5, 6-9 and 10-13.

Winners in the 3-5 age divi-sion included, from first to third, Tatum Pierce, 3, of Poteau (father Mason Pierce), Tenley Reece, 5, of Poteau (father Brandon Reece) and Kearsyn Burgess, 5, of Howe (father Jer-

emy Burgess). For the 6-9 age division, first

place went to Cambry Dunn, 8, of Poteau (father Graham Dunn), second to Preslie House, 8, of Poteau (father Kevin

House) and third to Aislynn Reid, 9, of Wister (father Bran-don Reid).

In the 10-13 age division, Myles Womack, 11, of Poteau (father Kevin Womack) took home first place followed by Meia Graham, 10, of Shady Point (father James Graham) in second and Sean Fabian, 12, of Poteau (father John Fabian) in

third. There were nearly 200 votes

cast in the contest. First place winners received a $30 Visa gift card and large pizza from Pizza Hut, second place received one hour of bowling and laser tag for two at Strike-A-Lot Lanes and third place winners received a skating pass for two at Skate Reation.

Police: Don’t leave children, pets in vehicles By Amanda CorbinPDN Reporter

The Poteau Police Depart-ment is warning drivers to use extra caution during this heat after the department responded to a child accidentally being locked in a hot car this week.

According to the police department, on Thursday a moth-er realized the child was locked in the car and immediately called the police. Unable to unlock the vehicle, they were forced to break the window. LeFlore County EMS checked out the child. The child was not injured,

the department reported.Data from KidsAndCars.org

showed in 2015 alone, 25 chil-dren died from heatstroke while in a vehicle. In 2016, 16 children have died so far and an average of 38 children will die in heat-related deaths from being trapped inside vehicles every year.

Police also said to keep a close eye on pets in your vehicle. Even a cracked window isn’t enough, with temperatures still able to reach into the triple digits inside the car.

If you see a child locked inside a hot car, dial 911.

The heat is expected to remain

with us through the weekend, with a sunny day and highs in the mid-90s expected today and Sunday.

A small chance of thunder-storms breezes into the forecast for Sunday and into next week but highs still are forecast to remain in the 90s.

The 2015-16 GED graduates from the Poteau Adult Learning Center. PDN photo by Trayce Kerbow

GEDs awarded to 66 studentsBy Trayce Kerbow PDN Correspondent

“Poteau is just rocking it,” said Dr. John Ely, executive director of adult basic education at the Oklahoma

Department of Career and Technology Education in Stillwater.

Ely was the keynote speaker at the Poteau Adult Learning Center’s 2015-16 GED graduation ceremony at the Donald W. Reynolds Community

Center Tuesday evening in front of a packed house of family and friends.

“This is one of, if not the, largest class we’ve had to graduate,” said

(See GRADUATES, page 2)

Radio field day set today at Runestone

The LeFlore County Emergency Management Communications Support Team will participate today in the National field Day Emergency Communica-tions Exercise at Heavener

Runestone Park.The exercise will begin

at noon and run through the morning hours of Sunday. The Communications Sup-

Sale to benefi t LCYSLeFlore County Maidens of Mayhem will hold a

benefit yard sale for LeFlore County Youth Services today from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 23277 Spicer Road in Shady Point.

(See HAMS, page 2A)

port Team and Amateur Radio operators provide critical public service for the community during times of disaster. They are capable of providing reli-able communications when normal infrastructure is offline.

Licensed by the Federal Communications Commis-sion and trained in the art of science of radio commu-nications and basic elec-tronics theory, the team and its members maintain and own numerous pieces of communications equip-ment.

“We maintain working relationships with partner agencies throughout the area, state and nation, including Oklahoma Emer-gency Management, FEMA, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army and many other,” said LCEM Director Michael David-son.

According to Davidson, the public service is made available to the community during non-emergency civic events. It has been used to support local events such as Thor’s hammer

Half-Marathon at the Heav-ener Runestone Park, the Poteau Balloon Fest and other large community events.

Since 1933, Amateur Radio operators across North America have estab-lished temporary radio sta-tions in public locations during Field Day to show-case the science, skill and service capabilities of Ama-teur Radio. The event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend during normal park hours. The park closes at dusk.

For more than 100 years, Amateur Radio — some-times called ham radio — has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and com-munications techniques, as well as provide a free pub-lic service to their commu-nities during a disaster, all

without needing a cell-phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reli-ably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network.

More than 45,000 people from thousands of locations participated in Field Day in 2014.

“It’s easy for anyone to pick up a computer or smart-phone, connect to the Inter-net and communicate, with no knowledge of how the devices function or connect to each other,” said Rick Deaton, Field Day coordina-tor for the LCEM CST. “But if there’s an interruption of service or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cellphone infrastructure.”

AMyrna Davis, Poteau Adult Learning Center director.

A total of 66 students received their GED, a high school equivalency diploma for students who for some reason were unable to complete regular high school.

Jamie Anderson of Panama was chosen to address her fellow students,

followed by a poem written by Patsy Eyachabbe for the graduates.

Dr. Don Sjoberg, superintendent of Poteau Public Schools , congratulated students on their determination and hard work.

“Out of 30 statewide programs, Poteau is the fourth largest in student enrollment and I believe the

reason the program is so successful here is due to Davis. She has great student retention,” said Ely.

“It takes a lot of persis tence and perseverance sometimes but I love what I do. You can see the difference it makes in people’s lives,” said Davis.

Rachel Sartor of Heavener received a $1,600

tuition waiver scholarship from Carl Albert State College. John Howe of Wister received a $1,300 waiver from Kiamichi Technology Center and MaryLee Foster of Panama received a $2,000 waiver from River Valley Cosmetology Institute.

Students receiving GEDs included Elizabeth Adams, Shilo Agee, Jamie Lynn Anderson, Matthew Anthony Avery, Morgan Barnes, Kayla Benefield, Shannon Leann Brown, Cassandra Renee Card, Charles E. Carter, Eric Wayne Chronister, Scott Clague, Draven Miller-

Clark, Charles Clemmer, Brandy Cline, Mikayla Clinton, Aaron James Cripe, Cheyanne Culp, Tara R. Dees, Elizabeth Diaz, Seana Donahue, Richard Eagan, Austin Early, Breanna Earls, Mariana Enriques, Destiany Eslick, Stephanie Falconer, Leann Farias, Jacob Charles Ferguson, MaryLee Foster, Augustus Frady, Robert Gard, Peter R. Gingerich, Natasha Griffin, Jessica Gullick, Adam Harris, Zachary Heavener, Colin Hensley, Christian Hill, John Howe, Tracie Hughes, Sydney Issac, Randale Johnson, Candice W. Lanier, Amanda

Nicole Laymon, Brooke Ashley Lopez, Sara McDaniel, Terry Mariani, Gabriela Karen Ruiz Nava, Daryl Orsburn, Destiny Danyelle Owens, Christina LoveAnn Panisiak, Derrek Payne, Emily Pearson, Ricky Ray, Adam Rice, April Rodgers, Brittany Sanders, Rachel Sartor, Wendell Settle, Joshua Smith, Robert Smith, Kayla Marie Sutter, Nancy Templeton, Austin Thompson, Justin Wilkinson and Serenity Williams.

Adult Education teachers include Jamie Stovall, Patsy Eyachabbe and Amber MacMahan.

PAGE 2A . . . SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 Area POTEAU DAILY NEWS

GRADUATES

HAMS

Community Bulletin Board

Benefit Day of Fun

A benefit featuring live music, fireworks, food, auction is planned July 2 for Teresa Evans Pick.

Teresa is undergoing cancer chemotherapy and her husband, Bud Pick, is recovering from a broken leg.

Festivities will begin at noon at Gibby’s Biker Camp in Big Cedar, located at the junc-tion of U.S. Highway 259 and Oklahoma 63 (turn east and go approximately three miles). Amenities include a creek for kids to play in, space for lawn chairs, restrooms, fire pit and parking.

Flashback and One Eyed jack will provide the music. Holy Smokes Barbecue will pro-vide smoked meats for sale as well as the auc-tion. Other auction items include coolers, gift baskets, electric guitar, gift cards and baked goods. Admission is $20 all day or $10 per band, including food. Drink concession is extra. For information or donation pick-up, call (918) 413-0449

918-647-2701Precious Metal Permit # PM007720..

POTEAU DAILY NEWS Area SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 . . . PAGE 3A

PDN Online Obituaries

Visit poteaudailynews.com to send condolences,view and search local and nationwide obituaries and more, via Legacy. com

Compiled by Ken Milam newseditor.pdn@gmail.com

OBITUARYOBITUARYOBITUARY

© 2009 Hometown Content

Sudoku Puzzle #3967-M

Medium

1 2 3 4 54 6 1

7 8 91 8 2 7 3

5 7 9 4 1

3 5 24 7 5

6 1 4 3 8

City Hi Lo Cond.

Antlers 95 73 P Cloudy

Ardmore 92 72 Sunny

Bartlesville 94 71 Sct T-Storms

Broken Bow 91 70 Sunny

Claremore 92 74 P Cloudy

Cordell 93 72 M Sunny

Duncan 93 70 Sunny

El Reno 93 70 M Sunny

Elk City 95 71 M Sunny

Enid 93 73 Cloudy/Wind

Guymon 97 71 Sunny

Lawton 94 72 P Cloudy

McAlester 93 74 Sunny

Miami 91 73 P Cloudy

Muskogee 92 72 M Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Oklahoma City 91 75 P Cloudy

Okmulgee 91 74 M Cloudy

Pauls Valley 92 73 P Cloudy

Perry 93 73 M Sunny

Sallisaw 96 71 P Cloudy

Sapulpa 92 76 Sunny

Shawnee 91 72 P Cloudy

Snyder 95 72 P Cloudy

Stillwater 91 73 P Cloudy

Tahlequah 92 71 Sunny

Tulsa 92 75 Sunny

Watonga 92 71 M Sunny

Weatherford 94 73 M Sunny

Wewoka 92 73 P Cloudy

Woodward 96 72 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Atlanta 92 75 P Cloudy

Boston 71 59 M Sunny

Chicago 80 69 Sunny

Dallas 95 76 M Sunny

Denver 88 65 Cloudy

Houston 93 77 M Cloudy

Los Angeles 78 63 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Miami 90 80 P Cloudy

Minneapolis 78 71 P Cloudy

New York 79 65 M Sunny

Phoenix 109 83 Sunny

San Francisco 65 53 Sunny

Seattle 66 54 M Cloudy

Saint Louis 92 72 Sunny

First

Jun 12

Full

Jun 20

Last

Jun 27

New

Jul 4

The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale, with a

higher UV Index showing the need for greater skin protection.

Local 5-Day Forecast

Sat6/25

Sun6/26

Mon6/27

Tue6/28

Wed6/29

Oklahoma at a Glance

Area Cities

National Cities

Moon Phases

UV Index

Sat

6/25

Sun

6/26

Mon

6/27

Tue

6/28

Wed

6/29

10 10 9 9 10

Very High Very High Very High Very High Very High

©2016 AMG | Parade

96/73

Mostly sunny

skies. High 96F.

Winds SSW at 5

to 10 mph.

97/73

Partly cloudy.

Highs in the

upper 90s and

lows in the low

70s.

92/70

Scattered t-

storms possible.

Highs in the low

90s and lows in

the low 70s.

92/68

T-storms early.

Highs in the low

90s and lows in

the upper 60s.

95/70

Sunny. Highs in

the mid 90s

and lows in the

low 70s.

Sunrise: 6:06 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:06 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:06 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:07 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:07 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

•Enid

93/73

•Lawton

94/72

✪Oklahoma City

91/75

•Tulsa

92/75

0

11

Each puzzle is divided into nine sections and each section has nine blank squares. Fill in all 81 squares on the puzzle with numbers 1 to 9. You may not repeat any numbers in any one of the nine sections that you've already used elsewhere in that section. Also, you can use each number 1-9 only once in each horizontal line of nine squares and in each verti-cal column of nine squares.

Solution to June 24 puzzle

© 2009 Hometown Content

Sudoku Solution #3967-D

4 1 5 2 9 6 7 3 89 8 7 4 3 1 2 5 66 3 2 8 7 5 9 4 18 7 1 6 4 2 5 9 32 6 3 1 5 9 4 8 75 4 9 7 8 3 1 6 2

1 5 8 9 6 7 3 2 47 9 4 3 2 8 6 1 53 2 6 5 1 4 8 7 9

TODAY IS GLOBAL BEATLES DAY

• TODAY — Wheels ‘n’ Deals Car, Bike and Crafts Show, live music, downtown.

— Pancake breakfast, 7-9:30 a.m., First United Methodist Church, spon-sored by Poteau Masonic Lodge No. 43 to benefit LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit.

— National Field E m e r g e n c y C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Exercise, noon, Heavener Runestone Park.

— White Family Reunion, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., S u m m e r f i e l d Community Center. Info: Traci Cox, (918) 677-2235, or Kim White Robertson, (918) 647-6153.

— Fifth annual Antique Tractor and Implement Show, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Robbers Cave State Park.

• JUNE 26 — Indian taco benefit dinner for Brenda Steelman, $7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Reichert Fire Department.

• JUNE 27 — Nineteenth annual Poteau Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic, 11 a.m., Wolf Ridge Country Club. Info: (918) 647-9178.

— STEM camp for youths on meteorology and severe weather, 9 a.m. to noon, LeFlore County Extension office. Info or registration: (918) 647-8231.

— Swedish Weave Class 1 project check, 4-6 p.m., Patrick Lynch Public Library.

• JUNE 28 — State and local primary elections; special tax-related elec-tions in Heavener and Howe, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Info: LeFlore County Election Board, (918) 647-3701.

— Presentation and recep-tion featuring Linda Stone Callery, daughter of artist Willard Stone, at the “The Willard Stone Centennial Exhibit: A Legacy Through Family” exhibit, 5:30 p.m., LeFlore County Museum in Hotel Lowrey.

— Light Hearted Reads Book Club, noon to 1 p.m., Patrick Lynch Public Library.

— Painting Party, 6-8 p.m., Yellow Cottage Studios, 1211 N. Broadway.

• JUNE 29 — Kelsey Hoops and Jeremy Juggler, 10-11 a.m., Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.

— Express Yourself pro-gram for teens, 12:30 p.m., Patrick Lynch Public Library.

— Poteau Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, 10 a.m., Wolf Ridge Country Club.

— Talihina Fall Foliage Festival Committee meeting, noon, Treats and Treasures, Talihina.

• JULY 1 — Boom in the Valley: Concessions and inflatables open 5 p.m. with live music, 5k Rocket Run registration 4-5:40 p.m., turtle races 5:30 p.m., 5k 6:30 p.m., fireworks at dark, Choctaw Nation Health Services, Talihina.

City Hi Lo Cond.

Antlers 95 73 P Cloudy

Ardmore 92 72 Sunny

Bartlesville 94 71 Sct T-Storms

Broken Bow 91 70 Sunny

Claremore 92 74 P Cloudy

Cordell 93 72 M Sunny

Duncan 93 70 Sunny

El Reno 93 70 M Sunny

Elk City 95 71 M Sunny

Enid 93 73 Cloudy/Wind

Guymon 97 71 Sunny

Lawton 94 72 P Cloudy

McAlester 93 74 Sunny

Miami 91 73 P Cloudy

Muskogee 92 72 M Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Oklahoma City 91 75 P Cloudy

Okmulgee 91 74 M Cloudy

Pauls Valley 92 73 P Cloudy

Perry 93 73 M Sunny

Sallisaw 96 71 P Cloudy

Sapulpa 92 76 Sunny

Shawnee 91 72 P Cloudy

Snyder 95 72 P Cloudy

Stillwater 91 73 P Cloudy

Tahlequah 92 71 Sunny

Tulsa 92 75 Sunny

Watonga 92 71 M Sunny

Weatherford 94 73 M Sunny

Wewoka 92 73 P Cloudy

Woodward 96 72 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Atlanta 92 75 P Cloudy

Boston 71 59 M Sunny

Chicago 80 69 Sunny

Dallas 95 76 M Sunny

Denver 88 65 Cloudy

Houston 93 77 M Cloudy

Los Angeles 78 63 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Miami 90 80 P Cloudy

Minneapolis 78 71 P Cloudy

New York 79 65 M Sunny

Phoenix 109 83 Sunny

San Francisco 65 53 Sunny

Seattle 66 54 M Cloudy

Saint Louis 92 72 Sunny

First

Jun 12

Full

Jun 20

Last

Jun 27

New

Jul 4

The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale, with a

higher UV Index showing the need for greater skin protection.

Local 5-Day Forecast

Sat6/25

Sun6/26

Mon6/27

Tue6/28

Wed6/29

Oklahoma at a Glance

Area Cities

National Cities

Moon Phases

UV Index

Sat

6/25

Sun

6/26

Mon

6/27

Tue

6/28

Wed

6/29

10 10 9 9 10

Very High Very High Very High Very High Very High

©2016 AMG | Parade

96/73

Mostly sunny

skies. High 96F.

Winds SSW at 5

to 10 mph.

97/73

Partly cloudy.

Highs in the

upper 90s and

lows in the low

70s.

92/70

Scattered t-

storms possible.

Highs in the low

90s and lows in

the low 70s.

92/68

T-storms early.

Highs in the low

90s and lows in

the upper 60s.

95/70

Sunny. Highs in

the mid 90s

and lows in the

low 70s.

Sunrise: 6:06 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:06 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:06 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:07 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

Sunrise: 6:07 AM

Sunset: 8:36 PM

•Enid

93/73

•Lawton

94/72

✪Oklahoma City

91/75

•Tulsa

92/75

0

11

Edwin “Ed” Nathan DeckerEdwin “Ed” Nathan Decker, 69, entered

into eternal rest on Thursday, June 23, 2016.

Ed was born in Howe on May 2, 1947. He was the second child and only son of the late Elmer Nathan Decker and Pauline Ollar Decker. He was a member of the Mount View Baptist Church and a mem-ber of the Howe Water Board.

Ed, a longtime resident of Howe, went to high school in Patterson, Calif., where he met many lifelong friends. Early in life Ed worked at PG&E, building electric towers before becoming an entrepreneur in ranching, farming, trucking, mining and land development. Although very successful in his entrepreneurial endeavors, some say Ed missed his calling as a motivational speaker. Collecting and restoring classic cars, Coke machines and other antiques were among Ed’s greatest passions. Ed will be most remembered as a loving husband and father, devoted friend and a trusted advisor and mentor.

Survivors include his wife, Paula Decker of the home; Children, Kristi and Erik Brandt of Apple Valley, Calif.; Jenny Decker of Howe; Jessica and Jason Wallis of Bed-ford, Texas; Krystal and Clayton Collins of Heavener; Mark Decker of Wister; Justin and Meghan Decker of Grapevine, Texas; Brandon and T.J. Hemphill of Smith-ville; Lane Titsworth of Hatfield, Ark.; Logan Titsworth of Howe; Colten Meeks of Howe; special yncle and wife, Elton and Roni Ollar of Howe; 19 grandchildren; numer-ous other friends, family and loved ones.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, June 27, at the First Baptist Church of Heavener with the Rev. Tim Trent and Larry Stacy officiating. Burial will be in Moun-tain View Cemetery, Glendale. Pallbearers will be Collins Miller, Shannon Nichols, Sammy Pierce, Jeff Cooper, Curtis Paul Faulkenberry and Jace Tanguay. Family visi-tation will be from 2-5 p.m. Sunday at Evans and Miller Funeral Home in Poteau.

By Virginia Sanders

On Monday, we had real good music at the Howe Music Hall. We really enjoy all who come here. I sure hope it gets better but I know it is going to be hot — but we have air conditioners. Everyone’s welcome, young or old. If you want to play or sing or just listen, come on down.

Our performers were Clarence Buchanan of Mag-azine, Ark., Delbert Medders of Talihina, Harvey Wylie of Leflore, Jo Morris of Howe, Tommy Norwood of Mon-roe, Virginia Sanders of Monroe, Vernon Johnson of Dog Creek, Jeff Dodd of Howe, John W. Sanders of Monroe, Connie Cabe of

Howe, David McNair of Poteau, Evelyn and Dolphus of Shady Point and Geneva Rich of Poteau.

Our pot luck was pinto beans, cornbread, onions, peanut butter cookies and lemon meringue pie.

The free music shows around here include Poteau on Saturdays, Heavener on Fridays and Howe Music Hall on Monday. We start at 6 p.m.

Remember to send prayers to veterans, troops and their families.

Virginia Sanders is a longtime member and per-former with the Howe Music Hall. The free music show is held at 6 p.m. every Monday in the old Howe Music Hall.

Howe Music Hall Notes

Weather camp for youths set Monday

LeFlore County Emer-gency Management will provide a STEM camp on meteorology and severe weather to the LeFlore County 4-H clubs from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at the OSU Extension Office in Poteau.

Presenters will be from LCEM, local television sta-tions, National Weather Service and a professional storm chaser.

Presentations will cover topics such as forecasting, radar data and uses, meteo-rology career opportunities, storm and tornado develop-ment and severe weather awareness and safety.

There also will be sev-eral interactive experiments and demonstrations planned on topics such as wind speed and atmospheric pressure.

Contact the OSU Exten-sion Office at (918) 647-8231 for more information or to register. You do not have to be a 4-H member to attend the free event.

PAGE 4A . . . SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 Opinions POTEAU DAILY NEWS

The only sane conclusion from Orlando

Maybe it was the heart-breaking texts sent by those who expected to die. Or my conversation with a close friend whose loved one miraculously survived. It may also have been the gut-wrenching, real-time documentation via social media of a mass shooting with unprecedented casu-alties.

There was something about the early morning massacre at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that felt different, in a sickening, disturbingly intimate way.

Perhaps that was because, for the majority of us, it was probably the closest we’ve ever come to understanding how it would feel to be trapped inside one of America’s real-life, recurring night-mares with nowhere safe to hide.

Those directly impacted by the trauma and memory of the murders need every ounce of support we can muster to help them cope with their profound loss and grief. As for the rest of us, we — and, by exten-

sion, our society — will be far better off if we make a conscious effort to for-ever remember everything we saw in our mind’s eye that day.

If we’re ever going to solve the seemingly intrac-table issue of gun violence in the United States, we can’t afford to forget how it felt to imagine our sons, daughters, and friends des-perately trying — often futilely — to save each other and themselves.

Nor can we afford to forget what it might feel like to send or receive a frantic, final text message during an hours-long bloodbath, as Mina Justice learned when her son Eddie texted her from his hideout in Pulse’s bath-room: “He’s coming. I’m gonna die.”

By keeping those imag-es alive, we increase our chances of doing what we’ve long known we must do: Voluntarily break up with our guns and stop manufacturing them for the general population.

One look at our track record makes it painfully

clear why this is our only sane course of action. From the beginning of time, we’ve demonstrated again and again that emo-tional and psychological frailty are integral parts of being human. The results can be frightening, unpre-dictable, or both.

However, instead of acknowledging our vola-tile shortcomings — and their consequences — we’ve routinely responded to our fear of “the other” by inflating our personal armament collections. Unsurprising, given that war has been the default problem-solving method of nations for centuries.

Still, nothing short of disarming can save us from ourselves. Because even the most optimistic among us readily admit it will be quite some time before our species embraces the prin-ciples of unconditional

love, compassion, accep-tance, and forgiveness on a consistent basis.

The prerequisite for going all-in to rid our-selves of these killing machines is courage. To date, there hasn’t been enough of that to go around.

Until now.With the memory of our

nation’s latest tragedy freshly etched upon your mind, you have, within you, a resource far more powerful than any weap-on.

Don’t let it go to waste.

John Morlino is a for-mer social worker who founded The ETHIC (The Essence of True Humanity Is Compassion) to promote peace, nonviolence and compassion. Column dis-tributed by OtherWords.org.

Recently, I have gotten to visit some of the local ele-mentary schools to lead the students through an engineer-ing project. The schools want to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) at a young age. I have taught college students as a supplementary instructor here at the University of Arkansas, but now my teaching method must change to better cater to kindergartners through seventh graders. I love watching the children’s minds work as they try to make a wind powered (them blowing on it) car out of paper, straws and Life Savers or as they try to keep their egg from cracking when it gets dropped from 15 feet by using materials we provide. Their imagination and enthusiasm inspires me. They remind me how amazing it is to learn, and they encourage me to share what I know with any receptive people I meet.

Watching someone make a connection, or watching their eyes widen as they realize something new, will not grow old for me. It makes me think about the teachers that I have had over the years and the teachers that I have watched. Teachers show up in every aspect of your life whether it be a school teacher, your parents, your chil-dren, your friends, someone on television or an author. We all receive so much instruction, advice and knowledge each day from people around us (especially younger people).

In one video I watched on the evolution of humans, it explained how valuable humans teaching one another laterally and vertically became to our development. In today’s society, people persistently share ideas with one another to improve the standard of living for more people. Often, we see this flow of knowledge from older people to younger people. Older people have more experiences; it makes sense. However, too often people look at the age of a person to determine the value of the shared informa-tion.

Many young people I know have experiences that older people do not and this provides them with insight and a perspective that could result in incredible life analysis and advice. I admit that I have done this age “discrimination” in the pursuit of knowledge. I spend, and have spent, much of my life placing myself with older people and asking them questions (of which I am extremely thank-ful), but I have not spent enough time asking people my own age and younger about their thoughts. Asking myself what younger people can teach me.

Tim Michin gave a commencement speech that I enjoy watching from time to time where he shares some advice from his life. One of the points he makes is to be a teach-er. It does not matter what you do with your life, be a teacher for someone. We each have something unique and valuable to share with people. How are you finding ways to teach others?

For an example, I learned to rope a bull the other day. The person who taught me has never been a school teach-er to my knowledge; he just knew how to rope a bull and how to explain it to someone who had no experience. In that moment, he became a teacher that I valued. I try to thank all people who have taught me throughout my life, and I try to make sure they know how much I appreciate them. It does not have to be explaining the energy balance of thermodynamics, it could be as simple as flipping the light switch. Next time someone decides to share with you, make sure you thank them for being a teacher.

Kendrick Hardaway is a 2014 graduate of Poteau High School. He currently attends the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. Email him at hardaway.kendrick@

Teaching affects all aspects of life

Guest ColumnJohn Morlino

A Hilltop PerspectiveKendrick Hardaway

“LeFlore County’s Newspaper Since 1895”

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ER NEWSPAPER CONTEST

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Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The silly season of elec-tion year politics always arrives a few days before the first primary election.

Supporters of candidates begin to voice their support in public and some write the newspaper to persuade and voice support for a particu-lar candidate.

Thursday’s edition of the Poteau Daily News and the Heavener Ledger included a cleverly disguised letter to the editor from Gail Jansen which threw stones at Traci Barnes, Troy Dyer, the sher-iff candidates and myself, but the letter was clearly an attack on Traci Barnes by a

Rick West supporter.My concern with the

letter is that it promotes a false narrative of the tribal issue discussed with respect to my posi-tion on ad valorem and sales tax of tribal-owned

businesses as compared to non-tribal businesses in Oklahoma. My position has been consistent. Businesses in Oklahoma should com-pete in fair markets rather than markets of credits, exemptions, subsidies, rebates and exclusive com-pacts — tribal or non-tribal.

We must have a tax struc-ture of equity, certainty and stability if we are to expect business prosperity, job growth and funding of the core functions of govern-ment. Each of us will play a critical role in the prosperity and government policy of Oklahoma — including the tribes.

My other concern is the characterization of candi-dates — other than Ms. Jansen’s preferred choice — as ignorant, racist and hav-ing nothing to say. I have been out there on the cam-paign trail every day with Rick,Traci, Troy, Rob [Seale] and Jim [Craig], and I can assure you that all are good people. Each has a vision that they believe is the best course of action which will benefit the peo-ple in their district. None are ignorant or racist and all are wanting to share their vision. I would expect that Rick shares the same opin-ion.

And last, had you done your homework, you would have found that your criti-cism of Rob and Jim’s absence from the forum is not unusual for a candidate. Conflicts with forum dates occur. Rick

West — who you are sup-porting — refused, not once, but twice to partici-pate in question and answer forums for voters who want-ed to be informed on the issues.

Ms. Jansen, let’s have coffee, I will invite Rick, Traci, Troy, Rob and Jim. You will find all to be sin-cere people who want noth-ing more than to be a repre-sentative of the people. Few are willing to take on that responsibility. Let’s be thankful we have people of this character willing to rep-resent and protect us. Let’s not be a participant of silly season politics. Let’s not throw stones. Let’s be a part of the problem solving solu-tions for District 3.

Sincerely,

Dewey HarrisonPoteau

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Email letters to Publisher Kim McConnell at editor@poteaudailynews.com, mail or drop off at 804 N. Broadway, Poteau, OK, 74953. All letters must include name, town of residence and phone number for verification. The phone number will not be published.

EDITORIAL CONTENT POLICY:

Columns, cartoons and letters to the editor published in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Poteau Daily News or its management.

POTEAU DAILY NEWS Sports SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 . . . PAGE 5A

Monday's LeFlore County Boys Summer Basketball League Schedule

At PocolaStigler vs. Pocola, 5 p.m.; Poteau vs.

McCurtain 5:45 p.m.; Poteau vs. Stigler, 6:30 p.m.; McCurtain vs. Pocola, 7:15 p.m.

At HeavenerBraggs vs. Heavener, 4:30 p.m.; Smith-

ville vs. Braggs, 5:15 p.m.; Talihina vs. Heavener, 6 p.m.; Talihina vs. Smithville, 6:45 p.m.; Talihina vs. Gans, 7:30 p.m.; Gans vs. Heavener, 8:15 p.m.

At SpiroSallisaw vs. Spiro, 5 p.m.; Leflore vs.

Sallisaw, 5:45 p.m.; Arkoma vs. Spiro, 6:30 p.m.; Leflore vs. Sallisaw JV, 7:15 p.m.; Arkoma vs. Sallisaw JV, 8 p.m.

At HoweWilburton vs. Howe, 4:30 p.m.; Ro-

land vs. Wilburton, 5:15 p.m.; Roland vs. Howe, 6 p.m.

At Sallisaw-Central High SchoolCameron vs. Sallisaw-Central, 5 p.m.

• • •Editor’s note: The Bokoshe-Cameron

and Bokoshe/Salllisaw-Central games will not take place at Sallisaw-Central High School due to the Tigers not having enough players. It was not certain what other match-ups would take place at that site. Monday’s games will conclude the 2016 LeFlore County Boys Summer Bas-ketball League season.

UP FOR TWO — Leflore’s Blake Crase, center, goes up for two points in between Heavener defenders Colt Callahan, left, and Nate England during Monday night’s LeFlore County Boys Summer Basketball League game at the Heavener Gym. The schedule for the final Monday of the season is listed below.

PDN photo by David Seeley

ENTERING THE HEAD COACHING RANKS — Former Talihina High School basketball All-Stater Taggart Lockhart, part of the 2011 Class 2A state champion-ship team, entered the head coaching ranks earlier this summer break when he was hired as the new coach of the Howe Lions. Lockhart, center, talks to his new team just before the Lions faced Arkoma in Monday’s LeFlore County Boys Summer Basketball League game at the Howe Gym.

PDN photo by David Seeley

Former Talihina player named new Howe Lions basketball coach

By David SeeleyPDN Sports Editor

It might not have been the top item on the agenda for former Talihina High School basketball player Taggart Lock-hart, but entering the coaching ranks isn’t too bad for him either.

Lockhart was hired as the new Howe Lions basketball coach earlier this summer break to replace longtime coach Shane Brown.

“The main goal was to always con-tinue to play — whether it was overseas or wherever — but Plan B was to coach,” said Lockhart, who saw injuries during his collegiate playing days at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock cut his playing career short.

When the chance arose for Lockhart, who was an assistant this past season with the Atoka Wampus Cats, to enter the coach-ing fraternity, the opportunity to coach the Lions was too good to pass up.

“It was closer to my wife’s family and my family,” he said. “I had talked to Coach Brown, and I knew they had good young talent. I just thought it was a good opportu-nity. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

The former Talihina star hoopster is anxious to see what his new team can do next season.

“We’re young but I think we’re really talented,” Lockhart said. “I think we have a chance to do something good. I’m hop-ing by January or February, we’re going to be pretty good by the time the playoffs start.”

Lockhart, who was an Oklahoma Coaches Association All-Stater in basket-ball, had the rare feat to play in the Class 2A State Tournament all four years as a Golden Tigers, finally getting that elusive gold ball as a senior in March 2011. All of his basketball knowledge he learned as both a player and last year as an assistant coach will get to be put to use now.

“While I was under [boys coach] Russ Harrison at Atoka, he’s a very good bas-ketball mind,” Lockhart said. “He had a lot of success there. I learned a lot from there. I played under Chris Gillespie [at Talihina] as well as playing in college [at Arkansas-Little Rock].”

The LeFlore County Boys Summer Basketball League, which has taken place every Monday during this month, has af-forded Lockhart the chance to get to know his new players better — and vice versa.

“The summer league has helped me a lot,” he said. “It’s given me a chance to know the guys a lot better and them to get to know me. It’s been a good scenario so far.”

Lockhart likes the Lions’ work ethic, but now he’s trying to raise the bar that much higher.

“I like the fact they always want to play,” Lockhart said. “I open this gym two times a week, and they’re always coming and playing. Something I’ve sort of got to work on is working harder. I don’t think we’re working as hard as I would like us to at this point, but they’re getting better each and every day. So, it’s been an improve-ment, and I’m satisfied at this point.”

Arizona hands OSU first College World Series loss, forces if-game

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Na-than Bannister and two relievers pitched a four-hitter, Arizona had 14 hits against what had been the best pitching staff in the NCAA Tournament, and the Wildcats beat Oklahoma State 9-3 at the College World Series on Friday.

The Wildcats forced today’s rematch, with the winner advanc-ing to the best-of-three finals be-ginning Monday against the win-ner of the other bracket between Texas Christian University and Coastal Carolina. The champion-ship series could be an all-Big 12 match-up if the Cowboys and the

Horned Frogs win their respec-tive bracket.

Today’s OSU-Arizona game time was not going to be known until the end of Friday night’s TCU-Coastal Carolina game, since there could be two if-games today if Coastal Carolina knocks off TCU.

Bannister was dominant until he had to leave with an apparent injury with two outs in the third inning. Kevin Ginkel (5-1) and Cameron Ming held the Cowboys mostly in check the rest of the way. Jensen Elliott (9-3) took the loss.

J.J. Matijevic and Zach Gib-bons had three hits apiece to lead Arizona (46-23). The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the first on Mat-ijevic’s RBI single, marking the first time the Cowboys (43-21) have trailed in the national tour-nament. Louis Boyd doubled in a run and Gibbons had an RBI sin-gle in the second, and Gibbon’s sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 4-0.

The Cowboys won their first two CWS games by scores of 1-0 to reach the bracket final, and they had an 0.71 earned-run aver-age through their first seven tour-

nament games. When their start-ing pitching didn’t show up — it had allowed three runs in its pre-vious 51 innings — the offense’s struggle in Omaha was magnified. OSU is batting .170 with five runs through three CWS games.

Bannister, who has pitched a nation-leading 142.1 innings, was starting his fifth game of the NCAA Tournament. He allowed one run in eight innings of Arizo-na’s 5-1 victory over Miami last Saturday.

He struck out five of the first eight batters he faced Friday. After he walked Collin Theroux, coach

Jay Johnson, pitching coach Dave Lawn and an athletic trainer went to the mound. Bannister threw a couple of warm-up pitches, then walked to the dugout, tipping his cap to Wildcats fans.

Four of Arizona’s last five runs were unearned.

OSU’s Conor Costello tripled in a run and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. After Dustin Williams’ single in the fourth, the Cowboys didn’t get another hit until Garrett Benge was credited with a double when left fielder Justin Behnke lost the ball in the sun in the ninth.

Cowboys, Wildcats play winner-take-all game for championship-series berth today

Lewis hopes for return to form at NW Arkansas Championship

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Former world No. 1 Stacy Lewis has been busy since winning her last tourna-ment two years ago, get-ting engaged and pre-paring for her upcoming wedding in August.

The former Arkansas standout and two-time LPGA Player of the Year tries to get back into win-ning form when she returns to her college home for the NW Arkansas Champion-

ship, which began Friday at Pinnacle Country Club.

Lewis won the 2014 tournament in front of a vocal and supportive gallery, her 11th victory overall. However, the 31-year-old hasn’t won since, falling to 10th in the world rankings and strug-gling to balance her usual on-course focus with her off-course life.

“I would definitely say the golf itself is not where

it needs to be, but I feel like personally I’m in a great place,” Lewis said. “A lot of good balance go-ing on in my life.”

While Lewis’ standard of play this season hasn’t been at the level of when she was the LPGA’s Play-er of the Year in both 2012 and 2014, she has finished second in two tourna-ments, including at last month’s LPGA Classic in Alabama.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons went from Down Un-der to the top of the National Basketball Association Draft, and a record number of international players followed.

The Philadelphia 76ers took the Australian with the No. 1 pick on Thursday night, making him the first of a record 14 interna-tional players chosen in the first round.

Nearly half the selections in the 30-pick round were interna-tional players, topping the 12 in-ternational players chosen in the first round in 2013.

Simmons climbed on stage to the sound of cheers from a Philly-filled crowd hoping he could turn around the 76ers.

Not long after the same crowd was largely quiet as the draft filled with unfamiliar names.

The picks included the first Austrian (Utah center Jakob Po-eltl, No. 9 to Toronto), the highest Greek player ever drafted (Geor-gios Papagiannis, No. 13, Phoe-nix, rights dealt to Sacramento), two Croatians (Dragan Bender, No. 4 to Phoenix and Ante Zizic,

No. 23, Boston), and two players from the Caribbean (Buddy Hield, Bahamas, No. 6 to New Orleans; and Skal Labissiere, Haiti, No. 28, picked by Phoenix but dealt to Sacramento).

The NBA said there were 26 international players selected, surpassing the record of 21 set in 2003.

Some of the international play-ers won't come to the NBA next season, and perhaps never will.

Simmons might be ready to star now.

Philadelphia grabbed the ver-satile 6-foot-10 forward from Louisiana State University who averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 re-bounds and 4.8 assists to become the only player in Southeastern Conference history to finish in the top five in all three categories.

He comes with some questions — he made only one 3-point bas-ket — but too much potential for the 76ers to pass up with their first No. 1 pick since taking Allen Iverson 20 years ago.

"It feels amazing, honestly," Simmons said. "I can't even — my legs were shaking when I was on stage."

Philadelphia fans who made the trip to Brooklyn's Barclays Center loudly cheered the selec-tion in hopes that Simmons can help them move forward after three straight dismal seasons, in-cluding a 10-72 finish in 2015-16 that was just a game better than the worst ever in the 82-game schedule.

The last No. 1 pick from LSU was Shaquille O'Neal — who will be enshrined in the Naismith Me-morial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Iverson in September.

The Los Angeles Lakers, pick-ing second for the second consec-utive year, took Duke's Brandon Ingram, who averaged 17.3 points as the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. He is the latest young player on a team that will begin life without the retired Kobe Bryant next season.

"I'm just going to be myself,"

Ingram said. "Whatever I can do to impact the game, whatever the coach needs me to do, I'm going to do it."

The Boston Celtics then began a busy night by picking California forward Jaylen Brown. Boston had eight picks in the two-round draft, starting with one it acquired from Brooklyn in 2013 in the deal that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets.

Bender ended the run of three straight freshmen when the Suns selected the 7-1 forward who has been playing professionally for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Milwaukee rounded out the top 10 with Thon Maker, originally from South Sudan, and Orlando followed with Domantas Sabonis, whose rights were quickly dealt to Oklahoma City along with Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova for forward Serge Ibaka.

The Minnesota Timberwolves used the No. 5 pick on Providence junior Kris Dunn, a two-time De-fensive Player of the Year in the

Big East who should fit nicely for new coach Tom Thibodeau.

A couple of the draft's best shooters went next, with New Orleans grabbing All-American Hield from Oklahoma, and Den-ver picking Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray at No. 7.

Michigan State's Denzel Valen-tine, the Associated Press Player of the Year, went 14th to Chicago to close the lottery, but that was a rare well-known name to the crowd at the time, as Papagiannis went 13th to Phoenix — climbing out of a crowd in the stands near the concourse level surrounded by Greek flags — with Spain's Juan Hernangomez going 15th to Denver, and Boston selecting Guerschon Yabusele of France at No. 16.

Labissiere, who played with Murray at Kentucky, barely sneaked into the first round after being considered a potential lot-tery pick.

OU guard Isaiah Cousins was picked 59th in the second round by the Sacramento Kings, while teammate Ryan Spangler was not selected.

PAGE 6A . . . SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 Sports POTEAU DAILY NEWS

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LeFlore County news better than we do!

The Poteau Pirates football team is currently doing a fundraiser to help raise money to help upgrade the lockers inside the Costner Stadium Fieldhouse as well as the seats by each locker and getting a sign to honor past playoff teams and All-Staters on the outside of the field house.

Each player is trying to raise $500 with the desired overall goal of reaching a grand total of $6,000.

For additional information about the fundraiser or to find out how to make a donation, call Poteau Quarterback Club President Jerry Pitchford at (918) 721-9878 or Poteau football coach Forrest Mazey at (254) 290-3963, or get with any of the Poteau football players.

• • •The Par-3 Golf Tournament will be-

gin at 9 a.m. next Saturday at Choctaw Country Club. The tournament was to have been this morning but was post-poned.

For additional information, call Choc-taw Country Club at (918) 647-3488 or Keelie Allphin at (918) 413-8203.

• • •The Eastern Oklahoma State College

Baseball Showcase Camp will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at the EOSC baseball field in Wilburton.

The camp cost $75 for two-way play-ers and $50 for single-position players.

The evaluations will be conducted akin to a professional try-out camp. Par-ticipants will exhibit their skill compet-ing against first rate talent and be evalu-ated at their respective positions.

Pitchers will report to the bullpen, and all players will run a 60 yard dash and practice batting.

For additional information and to download a registration form, visit eosc.edu/baseballcamp or call (918) 465-1704.

• • •The 19th annual Poteau Chamber of

Commerce Golf Tournament will begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Wolf Ridge Country Club. Registration and lunch will begin at 11 a.m.

The entry fee is $130 per two-player team, which includes green fees and golf carts.

Hole sponsorships are available for $125, and a longest drive sponsor is available for $100. Other sponsorships are available as well. For additional in-formation, call (918) 647-9178.

• • •The Poteau Wrestling Camp will be

from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Tues-day at the Bob Lee Kidd Civic Center. There willl be a lunch break daily from noon to 12:45 p.m.

The camp is open boys and girls who will be enterting first through 12th grade next fall. The entry fee is $30 per camp-er, which inlcudes a camp T-shirt.

Several University of Central Oklaho-ma wrestlers will help conduct the camp, including former Poteau Pirate Tyler Tu-stin, who is a two-time Class 4A state champion and four-time state placer.

• • •The first annual Wister Lady Wildcat

Softball State Champion In-Training Fundamentals Camp will take place from 9-11:30 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Wister softball field.

The camp is open to girls ages 6-12.

Entry fee is $35 per player, with a family discount of $15 per additional player.

For additional information, call Wis-ter softball coach Kristie Jo Morgan at (918) 647-6943 or Deedra McMillin at (918) 649-4130.

• • •Entries are currently being taken

for the 2016 Poteau Church Softball League.

The entry fee is $400 per team. The deadline to enter is Thursday.

League play will begin July 7.To register or for additional informa-

tion, call Billy Bond (918) 647-1939.• • •

The Game of Bones Coed Softball Tournament will be July 9 at the Poteau Area Recreational Complex.

Each team will have seven males and three females comprise its roster.

Each team can hit four home runs for the cost of $125, while $150 per team will allow unlimited homers.

There will be a home run derby with the entry fee of $10 per participant for 10 hits.

For additional information, call Dej Mathis at (918) 413-3706 or Johnette Stites at (918) 721-3233.

• • •The 2016 Spider Webb Memorial

Tournament will take place July 9-10 at both the Choctaw and Wolf Ridge coun-try clubs.

There will be a practice round at both sites July 8.

The entry fee is $450 per two-person team. Mulligans are available for $75 per team. The tournament is limited to the first 80 teams.

For additional information, call Ron-nie Burgess at (918) 839-4810 or Wolf Ridge Country Club Golf Professional Matt Brown at (479) 414-3970.

• • •The Eagle Crest Golf Course Couples

Scramble will take place July 9-10 at Eagle Crest Golf Course in Alma, Ark. There will be a practice round July 8.

The entry fee is $325 per team.The championship team will earn

$450, $335 for the runners-up and $200 for the third-place team.

The tournament is limited to the first 36 teams who sign up.

For additional information, call Eagle Crest Golf Course at (479) 632-8857.

• • •The Eastern Oklahoma State College

Softball All-Skills Camp will take place July 11-12.

The camp is open to girls who will be entering grades 1-12.

The sessions for grades 1-6 will be from 9 a.m. to noon daily, while the ses-sions for grades 7-12 will be from 1-4 p.m. daily.

The entry fee is $60 per camper, with an optional session for pitching and catching available for an additional $15.

Registration will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the camp. Attendees are encouraged to bring their equipment [glove, bat, helmet, etc ...] and must bring a signed liability waiver and camper ap-plication, available at eosc.edu/softball-camp.

For additional information, call EOSC softball coach Kendra White at (918) 465-1706.

Sports Briefs

76ers take LSU's Simmons with No. 1 pick in NBA Draft Pelicans select Hield; Cousins drafted by Kings; Spangler not selected

Thunder send Ibaka to Magic for Oladipo, Sabonis

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Thun-der might finally have found their shooting guard in Victor Oladipo.

Now, they just need to persuade Kevin Durant to stay.

Oklahoma City traded power forward Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for Ola-dipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova and newly drafted forward Domantas Sabonis, the teams announced Thursday. The Thunder may have tweaked their roster to appeal to Durant, who will become a free agent on Friday.

Oladipo fills a void for the Thunder, who have struggled to find a steady shoot-ing guard since trading James Harden to Houston in 2012. Oladipo averaged 16 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists last season for the Magic.

"I think the number one thing with Vic-tor is make-up," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. "This is a guy that we've looked at for a long time. He's tough-minded, he's competitive, he's selfless."

Oladipo had two of his best games last season against the Thunder — he posted 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on Oct. 30 and had a 37-point outing on Feb. 3.

This past season, Oklahoma City most-ly used a combination of defensive stopper Andre Roberson and the scoring-minded Dion Waiters at shooting guard. Roberson, a 6-foot-7 leaper, improved as a scorer in the playoffs and has potential, but his ca-reer marks of 3.6 points per game and 27.4 percent from 3-point range put him in dan-ger of being replaced.

Waiters is a solid offensive threat, but he has been inconsistent. He is a restricted free agent, and adding Oladipo softens the blow if the Thunder aren't able to keep him.

Ibaka emerged from raw talent to core piece for the Thunder along with Durant and Russell Westbrook. He led the league with 3.7 blocks per game in 2011-12 and led the league in the same category again the next season. He was on the Natioinal

Basketball Association's All-Defensive first team three straight years.

"He's been absolutely integral to help-ing us create a sustainable foundation of sustainable success for the Thunder," Presti said. "He's been a great citizen of Oklahoma City, and we're confident that he's going to continue his career trajectory with the Magic in Orlando."

As the game changed and Ibaka was drawn away from the basket more by pe-rimeter shooting big men, he became valu-able as a versatile defender who could still block shots, yet still keep up with guards on switches.

Ibaka emerged as an offensive player during the 2013-14 season while West-brook was out with a knee injury and aver-aged career-highs of 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds while leading the league in total blocks. The next season, Ibaka extended his consistent mid-range jumper out to three-point range, but his overall averages fell and he missed the final part of the sea-son with a knee injury. He averaged career highs of 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds in 2013-14, but those numbers fell to 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.

Sabonis, the No. 11 overall pick, is the son of former NBA player Arvydas Sa-bonis. The 6-foot-11 power forward from Gonzaga averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 re-bounds last season.

Sabonis was thrilled to be heading to Oklahoma City, which led Golden State 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals be-fore dropping the final three games and the series.

"They were 30 minutes away from the finals," Sabonis said. "Hope I can bring that extra piece to their team that will help them succeed even more."

Ilyasova averaged 10.4 points for De-troit and Orlando last season.

The Thunder also sent cash to Denver for the 56th overall pick, Connecticut guard/forward Daniel Hamilton. He aver-aged 11.7 points and 8.3 rebounds last sea-son as a sophomore.

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and since this is my last column for a few weeks, I thought I would give you a few quick and easy Fourth ideas.

We’ll be taking Miss Gracie to San Francisco, so we decided to take the camper and visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and lots of other awesome places along the way.

Oh, how can I forget? The place Gracie is dying to visit is Las Vegas, so we will be stopping and seeing a Cirque du Soleil show. Personally, I’m looking forward to the Grand Can-yon, but hey, to each his own.

After we get to San Fran-cisco, we’ll be setting Gra-cie up and leaving her for a month. Yikes. Then, she will fly home just in time for school to start.

Anyway, back to the Fourth of July decorations. •  This  first  one  is  a 

great project for the kid-dos, so if you’re needing to get some things done or, frankly, just need a moment to yourself, this is the proj-ect for you. Remember making the paper chains in school? We used to make them a lot for Christmas decorations. Grab a bunch of red, white and blue con-struction paper, scissors, and tape or stapler and let

them get busy. Hang them in the house or outside for party decorations.•  Ever  since  we moved 

into this house, I’ve wanted to do the patriotic bunting on the front porch. This house is absolutely perfect for it, but after I priced it I have decided I don’t need it that bad. I love this idea for makeshift bunting. Use fabric and yarn instead of the regular bunting. The Budget Decorator, www.

thebudgetdecorator.com, suggest using a red and white striped fabric and tie with navy yarn. I’m not sure how I feel about the navy yarn, it might be too much of a contrast for me, but I think using the striped fabric and tying with a white yarn is a great alter-native to the regular bun-ting.•  I just love Mason jars. 

They can be used for just about anything. Tie a little

red, white and blue ribbon around the lip and let your imagination go wild. You can use them for utensil holders, vases, votive hold-ers, or here’s a novel idea … actually drink out of them.•  Last  but  certainly  not 

least are the flags. Of course, I don’t need to tell you this, because you already have them out from Memorial Day. If you don’t,

go get a few and put them out.

Oh, by the way, I was in Dollar Tree the other day and they have lots of great Fourth of July decorations.

I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth and make great memories.

Glenda Wise of Poteau is a former florist and dec-orator. Email her at glenda-wise@windstream.net.

POTEAU DAILY NEWS Area SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 . . . PAGE 7A

• Cut waste in government• Pro 2nd & 10th Amendments• Support right to farm• Pro-Small business• Traditional Marriage• Pro-Life• Oppose consolidation of rural schools• Eliminate unfunded mandates on schools• Promotes Kiamichi Technology Centers• NRA Endorsed with Aq Rating • Represent 3rd District - Not OKC• Republican

918-208-6022Rwest918@windstream.net

Authorized and paid for by Rick West 2016.

Decorating WiselyGlenda Wise

Fourth of July — What colors shall we use?

Patrick Lynch Lynch Public Library’s Summer Reading Program has been a huge success so far, according to library Director Jo Hunt.

“The excitement in children of all ages is becoming very contagious. This past week, Magical Michael drew the largest number of attendees — more than 400 — we have welcomed since we started. The wall-to-wall audience was mystified by all the tricks Magical Michael performed,” Hunt said.

The next event will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.

“We know you do not want to miss the amazing ‘Juggle Whatever,’ formerly known as Kelsey Hoops.

“This is a husband and wife team per-forming an amazing LED glow show and interactive juggling and hula hoop perfor-mance,” Hunt said.

For a preview of what you will enjoy, go to www.jugglewhatever.com.

Kelsey Hoops will perform Wednesday with “Juggle Whatever” at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.

Summer events continue

Steelman benefit planned SundayAn Indian taco benefit dinner for Brenda Steelman will

be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Reichert Fire Department.

Cost is $7 including drink and dessert.

Brinnlee Sweet wins UAFS scholarship

Brinnlee Sweet of Poteau has been awarded a  University  Engineering scholarship at the Univer-sity of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

The competitive schol-arships is for students demonstrating strong aca-demic performance with the desire to complete a degree in mechanical or electrical engineering.

PAGE 8A . . . SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 Draw Your Dad Winners POTEAU DAILY NEWS

Tenley Reece, right, with sister Shelby Reece and dad, Brandon Reece — second place, age 3-5 division.

Sean Fabian, right, with dad John Fabian and brother Myles Fabian — third place, age 10-13 division.

Aislynn Reid with dad Brandon Reid — third place, age 6-9 division.

Kearsyn Burgess with dad Jeremy Burgess — third place, age 3-5 division.

Meia Graham with dad James Graham — second place, age 10-13 division.

Preslie House with dad Kevin House — second place, age 6-9 division.

Hull wins scholarshipRonnie Hull, a 2016 graduate from Spiro High School, is the recipient of the Oklahoma Home and Community Education $500 scholarship. This college scholar-ship is given annually to a LeFlo-re County student who is plan-ning to major in education. Ron-nie is planning to attend Connors State College with a major in Agricultural Education.