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WHAT’S INSIDE:

Local Lake Levels & Weather…….…………..Page 2

Arrests & Police Log……………………...…..Page 3

Church News………………………......……...Page 4

Oklahoma Market Report……………..……....Page 5

Obituaries…...……………………….…….….Page 6

Swap Shop Classifieds…………………...…...Page 7

Financial Focus……………………………….Page 8

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Weather Page 2

Wildflowers Strike A Pose For Photography Class

Wildflowers are ablaze in the Wichita Mountains

Wildlife Refuge. Broad stretches of red and yellow

are visible as you drive or hike and vibrant pink

cactus blooms dot the landscape.

“The recent showers have blessed the area with a

bounty of colorful blooms,” said Steve Enter,

instructor for the Wichita Mountains Photography

Class. “It’s the perfect time to hone your photog-

raphy skills and take in some fresh air at the same

time.”

See PHOTOGRAPHY page 7

Altus Police Department

recognized The Pena family recently gifted the

Altus Police Department with a

homemade cake, cards, and goodies

during National Police Week.

:Our department greatly appreciates

the support,” said Altus Police Chief

Tim Murphy.

The Altus High School Class of 2020

will graduate this Friday, May 22. Due to

unprecedented circumstances surrounding

the COVID-19 global pandemic, the cere-

mony will be different than in years

past. Social distancing requirements and

ordinances for the number of people gath-

ered in one place have caused administra-

tors of Altus High School to think outside

of the stadium, so to speak.

Preparations have begun for the event

which will begin at 6 PM with students

and loved ones lining up in their cars for

the ceremony. Each graduating senior is

allowed one vehicle . The actual gradua-

tion ceremony will begin at 6:30 PM and

will be live-streamed. There is also a link

at altusps.com.

The Graduation parade will begin at 8

PM or immediately following the gradua-

tion ceremony, whichever happens first.

Altus Schools Superintendent Roe

Worbes has made a video outlining all the

steps for graduation. It can be found at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=7n7ibOT4G4c&feature=youtu.be&fbcli

d=IwAR1Y01eYH4uqBsX7C38T5Oqhwh

XCN5q9Kdk_4wsc-

N2Dzopr4qhvw1pF9oI

View the Sunrise Online News’ Altus

and Area Graduates Section at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QyPp-

q6ygoavaw65J4bJLQkciMvdBnDm/view?

fbclid=IwAR3R9xhtpbfzOin__XGDkVBp

L4Xs74JPgZ3FCobpE8qUCXCQrxas_3H

c6T8

Preparations under way for Friday’s AHS graduation ceremony and parade

Case rates and hospitalizations re-

mained at satisfactory levels for the

state to begin phase two of its re-

opening plan which includes allowing

bars, organized sports, funerals, wed-

dings and children’s nursing areas in

churches to resume, with social dis-

tancing and health precautions in

place.

It also allows non-essential travel to

resume for healthy people, but still

asks for at-risk populations to continue

staying home except for essential

needs.

Nursing homes and hospitals are still

prohibition visits. This includes local

nursing facilities and Jackson County

Memorial Hospital which has a zero

visitors policy (excepting minors and

laboring mothers.)

Details of the phases can be found at

okcommerce.gov/…/uploads/Open-Up

-and-Recover-Safely-Plan.pdf

Phase Two of

re-openings

has begun

Page 2 Sunrise Online News

WEATHER http://www.freeweather.com

LAKE LEVELS http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil

There is a slight risk for severe storms late Thursday across far

northwest Oklahoma, with a marginal risk across the remainder

of western Oklahoma and western north Texas. The timing for

severe storms on Thursday will be from late afternoon into the

evening hours, with large hail & damaging wind gusts as the

main hazards.

Monday, May 18, 2020 1:03 a.m., kitchen smoke de-

tector alarm, 801 George

2:33 a.m., disturbance, 1500

and 1600 blk of Uranus

4:39 a.m., stolen vehicle, 418

W. Broadway

9:07 a.m., reckless driving,

Hwy 62

11:48 a.m., fraud, report to

PD

1:11 p.m., check suspicious

vehicle, Blain and Sutherland

2:00 p.m., fraud, report to PD

2:24 p.m., unemployment

fraud, report to PD

2:53 p.m., woman he met on

a dating site and another guy

stole his phone and money,

city park in Olustee

3:40 p.m., unemployment

fraud, 915 Falcon

4:57 p.m., non-injury acci-

dent, 1113 N. Main

5:04 p.m., domestic disturb-

ance, 702 E. Hardy

5:51 p.m., landlord/tenant

dispute, 418 W. Broadway

9:14 p.m., civil dispute, 612

Judy

9:22 p.m., someone in a truck

followed one of her girls

home and is now parked in

the Methodist Church parking

lot

10:50 p.m., smoke alarm, 101

E. Commerce

11:45 p.m., check suspicious

vehicle, south side of JCMH

ER parking lot

Sunday, May 17, 2020

3:35 a.m., civil dispute, 1101

E. Chestnut

6:17 a.m., car vs deer acci-

dent, Broadway and Market

Road

8:54 a.m., check suspicious

subject, soccer fields

10:15 a.m., check suspicious

vehicle, 1004 Phoebe

1:33 p.m., reckless driving,

800 blk N. Main

2:16 p.m., check suspicious

subject, storage units behind

Kincannon's

3:58 p.m., out of control fire,

15263 CR 208

5:42 p.m., dumpster fire,

Pheasant Circle and Quail

Run

6:52 p.m. truck gone off the

road into a ditch, 62 heading

west just before Headrick

10:39 p.m., remove subject,

901 E. Liveoak

10:40 p.m., alarm, 600 E.

Broadway

11:18 p.m., loud music, 408

Quail Run South

11:34 p.m., check on heavy

smoke, 400 blk Partridge

Saturday, May 16, 2020 2:24 a.m., burglary, 416 W.

Sutherland

3:19 a.m., open garage door

on business, 1000 N.

Spurgeon

8:11 a.m., alarm, 3517 Ranch

Road East

10:42 a.m., animal nuisance,

2401 E. Broadway

12:53 p.m., loud music, 800

blk E. Liveoak

2:39 p.m., little boy in vehicle

by himself with the windows

rolled up, Walmart

3:33 p.m., vicious animal,

3400 Peacock Lane

3:51 p.m., check suspicious

subject, 2011 N. Main

5:56 p.m., check suspicious

subject, 213 S.Cardinal

8:08 p.m., domestic disturb-

ance, 722 E. Elm

9:07 p.m., check suspicious

subject, 700 N. Grady

9:58 p.m., remove subject,

1306 N. Chalmers

10:26 p.m., landlord/tenant

dispute, report to PD

11:17 p.m., disturbing the

peace, 1019 N. Chalmers

11:41 p.m., front door motion

alarm, Braums

Friday, May 15, 2020

12:25 a.m., vehicle parked in

alley, 600 blk W. Commerce

and Cypress

1:48 a.m., check suspicious

subject, 1100 blk N. Main

1:58 a.m., disturbing the

peace, 1521 Debby

2:55 a.m., burglary, 421 E.

Tamarack

4;56 a.m., carpet in residence

is on fire, 114 1/2 SE 2nd

Street

5:30 a.m., front glass door

alarm, 416 N. Main

5:44 a.m., a woman with a

baby just got into their car,

900 blk Asa Lee

9:46 a.m., disturbing the

peace, 1517 Debby

10:29 a.m., animal nuisance,

404 E. Liveoak

11:01 a.m., reckless driving,

passing Navajoe east on

Broadway

12:23 p.m., man took off in a

car and women are running

after him beating on the car,

Walmart parking lot by At-

woods

1:01 p.m., vicious animal,

1309 S. Navajoe

2:18 p.m., alarm, 2929 Laurel

Circle

2:28 p.m., paid someone to

build a shed and they never

showed back up, 612 Taft

2:52 p.m., man trying to col-

lect keys from customers and

he is not authorized to be

there, Enterprise Rental Cars

3:46 p.m., missing baby -

mother possibly hid child in

alley, 1005 Gene

4:12 p.m., fire, north of Blair

near the train tracks

5:15 p.m., alarm, Altus Tire

Pros

6:22 p.m., elderly man fell in

the road and got back up and

appears to be injured. Made

his way to the First United

Methodist Church parking lot

6:24 p.m., intoxicated driver,

S. Park Lane

6:41 p.m., vicious animal,

612 Mars

6:47 p.m., check suspicious

subject, ATM at 701 N. Main

7:09 p.m., vehicle at the main

gate at AAFB with two sub-

jects. One doesn't have a li-

cense and the other's license

expired in 2014

7:15 p.m., accident with un-

known injuries, Hwy 6

7:28 p.m., tree fell in the mid-

dle of the intersection, N.

Crain and D Street

8:13 p.m., subject keeps rid-

ing 4-wheeler back and forth

down the alley making a lot

of noise, 2329 Cherokee Strip

9:51 p.m., someone is inside

this residence and no one is

suppose to be there, 704 W.

Commerce

10:31 p.m., female subject

Arrests & Altus Police Log Arrests

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Phillip Wayne Jones, 35, domestic assault and battery,

disrupt an emergency telephone call

Gerald Adam Sims, 24, failue to appear/pay

Monday, May 18, 2020

Bryan Keith Blacketer, 32, motion to revoke

Paul Louis Flores, 32, domestic assault and battery

Sunday, May 17, 2020

No Arrests

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Alenjardro Javier Euceda, 21, assault and battery

Jennifer Lynn May Joffo, 38, domestic abuse in presence

of a minor

Kaden Christopher May Joffo, 18, domestic abuse in pres-

ence of a minor

Friday, May 15, 2020

Vincent Guitierrez, 30, DUI, defective vehicle, transport-

ing an open container of liquor

Sunrise Online News Page 3

ALTUS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 107 N. Hudson, Altus ALTUS CHURCH OF CHRIST 600 W. Pecan, Altus ALTUS CHURCH OF GOD 900 S. Park Lane, Altus ALTUS GRACE UNITED METHODIST 620 S. Park Lane, Altus ALTUS KOREAN NAZARENE 800 N. Julian, Altus CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY 1000 S. Kennedy, Altus ELM & HUDSON CHURCH OF CHRIST 400 N. Hudson, Altus EMMANUEL BAPTIST 800 N. Forrest, Altus FAITH LUTHERAN 2401 N. Park Lane, Altus FIRST BAPTIST 300 N. Main, Atlus FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 208 E. Cypress, Altus FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ALTUS 317 N. Main, Altus FREEDOM CHURCH 1400 Falcon Road, Altus FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST 16010 S. CR 210, Altus GLAD TIDINGS ASSEMBLY OF GOD 1505 E. Tamarack, Altus HIGHLAND HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST 1911 N. Main, Altus HOLY REVIVAL CENTER 519 Martin Lutehr King, Altus MACEDONIA BAPTIST 721 Martin Luther King, Altus MARTHA ROAD BAPTIST 20388 E. CR 158, Altus SAINT JOHN’S BAPTIST 620 Martin Luther King, Altus

SALVATION ARMY 1100 N. Park Lane, Altus SOUTHSIDE BAPTIST 1100 Asalee, Altus ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL 721 N. Thomas, Altus VICTORY BAPTIST 1200 S. Park Lane, Altus FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH 2501 N. Park Lane, Altus PRINCE OF PEACE CATHOLIC 1500 Falcon Road, Altus RELEVANT CHURCH OF ALTUS 701 W. Broadway, Altus ALTUS SDA CHURCH 1304 N. Chalmers, Altus APOSTOLIC TRUTH UPC 2400 Galaxy Dr, Altus FIRST CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST 900 S. Main, Altus CORNERSTONE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 900 S. Main, Altus FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER 1100 N. Park Ave, Altus NEW COVENANT MISSION INC 2515 N. Main, Altus OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN 1901 Falcon Road, Altus PRIMERA IGLESIA 401 E. Liveoak, Altus CHRIST WAY CHRISTAN CHURCH 2200 N. Main, Altus NEW HOPE BAPTIST 400 S. Willard, Altus TEMPLO SINAI 805 N. Blain, Altus

Page 4 Sunrise Online News

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

“Taste and see that the

LORD is good; blessed is the

one who takes refuge in

him.” Psalm 34:8

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6yf1poYhBMM

Please visit us online at: https://martharoad.org/

Online giving: https://www.martharoad.org/give or text "MRGIVE" to: 555-888

“Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.”

(1 Corinthians 13:6)

Sunrise Online News Page 5

Page 6 Sunrise Online News

Obituaries

Hestand Leonard Hestand, 103, Altus,

passed away on Saturday, May

16, 2020 at Jackson County

Memorial Hospital. A funeral

service for family and close

friends will be held at 10:00

AM Friday, May 22, 2020 at

the Martha Road Baptist

Church with Kevin Baker offi-

ciating. Burial with military

honors will follow in the Olus-

tee Cemetery under the direc-

tion of the Kincannon Funeral

Home and Cremation Service.

Social distancing rules will

apply and the service will also

be available via Facebook Live

on Martha Road Baptist

Church.

Leonard Hestand was born on

May 27, 1916 in Chico, Texas

to Newt Howard and Essie

Minnie (Whisenhunt) Hestand.

When Leonard was three years

old, Newt and Essie brought

their family in a covered wagon

to the Red River south of Olus-

tee, where they and their 10

children farmed the land. Leon-

ard spoke fondly of these years,

reminiscing about horse races

with his brother Howard on the

river bed and chasing his little

sister Eva. He developed a love

of horses, cattle, and cars, in-

cluding a Model A that was a

source of great pride.

In 1936, Leonard graduated

from Harmony School and con-

tinued farming until 1942,

when he enlisted in the US Ar-

my Air Corps. Leonard served

for four years and was a veter-

an of WW II, including a tour

in Guam. In 2014, Leonard

flew to Washington, DC on a

WW II Honor Flight, but was

always humble about serving

his country. When asked about

what he learned from his mili-

tary experience, he shared,

“The most important thing I

learned is when you are called

up to do a job, whatever it is,

do it correctly and with pride

and honor.”

Leonard married Mary

Fancher in 1948 and they be-

came proud parents to Mark

and Phyllis. He continued to

farm and also learned the trade

of stone masonry. In 1970, he

began work for the county road

and bridge department, which

he continued until his retire-

ment.

In January 1973, Leonard

married Evelyn Wagnon and to

his joy, he gained a daughter,

Rhonda. Leonard and Evelyn

moved from Olustee to Altus in

1983, where he resided until his

death, having lived 100 years in

Jackson County.

Leonard enjoyed spending

time with family, riding around

the countryside looking at the

land and livestock, and garden-

ing and working in the yard,

often with his dog Brittany at

his side. He could often be seen

sitting on his front porch, en-

joying visits from friends and

neighbors, as he approached his

104th birthday. While losing

him brings great pain, we find

comfort in a life well lived and

the many memories he leaves

behind.

Leonard is preceded in death

by his parents, wife Evelyn, son

Mark, and his nine brothers and

sisters (Charlie, Elmetta, How-

ard, Eva, Virgil, Mable, Ora,

Erie, and Maudie). What a joy-

ous reunion they are having in

heaven!

Leonard is survived by two

daughters, Phyllis Garofalo and

husband, Bob, and Rhonda

Merrimon and husband, Don;

daughter-in-law, Kim Hestand;

grandchildren Brandon,

Stefani, Charlie, Betsy, and

Crissa; 11 great-grandchildren,

and many cousins, nephews,

nieces, family, and friends.

The family wishes to thank

Carol Buchanan and Amanda

Redding for providing care and

support to Leonard each day in

his home for the past few

months, which helped him to

continue living independently,

as well as the team from Meals

on Wheels. Leonard enjoyed

the good meals but more than

that, the conversations. In

Leonard’s last days at Magno-

lia Creek Skilled Nursing and

Rehab, Jordan Castillo was a

great comfort and in his final

hours at Jackson County Me-

morial Hospital, when family

could not be at his side due to

restrictions, Amanda Boyd held

his hand, video-called family

for him, and served as his sur-

rogate family as he passed

away. The family is so grateful

for the support of these

healthcare providers.

The family will receive

friends from 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Thursday at the funeral home.

Social distancing rules will

apply while in the funeral

home.

In lieu of flowers, the family

suggests memorials to the Altus

Senior Center (Meals on

Wheels), the Olustee Cemetery

Fund, or the Altus VFW. We

also encourage you to have a

plate of biscuits and gravy,

Leonard’s proclaimed secret to

a long and happy life.

Online tributes may be made

at kincannonfuneralhome.com

Acosta Marshall "Boy" Acosta, Jr,

69, longtime Altus, Oklahoma

resident, passed away Monday,

May 18, 2020 at OU Medical

Center in Oklahoma City.

The family will greet friends

at visitation from 9:00 am until

9:00 pm, Wednesday, May 20,

2020 at Lowell-Tims Funeral

Home in Altus.

Funeral services will be at

2:00 pm on Thursday, May 21,

2020 at the Lowell-Tims Fu-

neral Chapel in Altus.

Interment will follow at the

Altus City Cemetery under the

direction of Lowell-Tims Fu-

neral Home and Crematory,

Altus.

Lowell-Tims will provide a

live web-cast of the service

beginning at 1:58 p.m. Thurs-

day. Go to www.Lowell-

Tims.com and click on Mar-

shall Acosta, Jr.. There will be

a blue tab that says "watch

webcast" inviting you to join

the web-cast.

To sign the online guest book

and share memories with the

family please visit

www.Lowell-Tims.com

Jones David Ray Jones, 73, long

time resident of Hollis, Oklaho-

ma passed away May 18, 2020

in Harmon County, Oklahoma.

David was born May 3, 1947

in Altus, Oklahoma to Wilton

"Jiggs" Jones and Nadine

(Bussey) Jones. He was educat-

ed in the Arnett School system

and was valedictorian of his

high school in 1965. In August

of 1958 David gave his life to

Jesus, he was baptized at the O

M Church of Christ, in Harmon

County, Oklahoma. April 14,

1990, David married the love

of his life, Sherri (Childers)

Jones in Hollis, Oklahoma. He

spent almost every healthy day

of his life on the land, farming

and ranching. He farmed Cot-

ton, Wheat, Hay, and was a

cattle rancher. He proudly

served his country in the Okla-

homa National Guard.

He was a farmer who worked

hard, a breadwinner who pro-

vided, a husband who loved his

wife, a father who loved his

children, grandchildren and his

first great grandson born nine

weeks ago.

On Monday, May 18, 2020,

David told his son he was go-

ing to go fishing at his pond, he

passed away fishing still hold-

ing his fishing rod with the line

still in the water.

He is preceded in death by his

parents, Wilton "Jiggs" Jones

and Nadine (Bussey) Jones,

paternal grandparents; Floyd

and Velma Jones, and Maternal

grandparents; Nathan and Cora

Bussey.

David is survived by his

Wife, of thirty years Sherri

Jones, his son David Daren

Jones and wife Kristi, daugh-

Continued page 7

Swap Shop Classifieds

SERVICES

If you need your yard

mowed, call 580-649-1389

PETS

I’m looking for a small dog

for inside my home. I prefer a

puppy. Please call Gwen at 402

-3012 ro 649-9794.

FOR SALE

67” Barner Blades RTS skies

used once. Asking $100 Call

940-261-0266

Three piece black curio cabi-

net. Asking $250 Call 590-799-

9484.

Dale Earnhardt collectibles:

race cars, plaques, plates and

pictures. Make an offer. All in

very good shapes. Call 590-799

-9484.

Jeff Gordon collectibles. Make

an offer. All in very good

shapes. Call 590-799-9484.

WANTED

If anyone has any old

lawnmowers that won’t run

anymore and want to get rid of

them, call 580-649-1389 and I

will pick them up.

Sunrise Online News Page 7

ter Dawn Michelle Cargal, and

husband Jud, sister; Karen

Dennis and husband Bruce,

grandchildren; Hunter Cargal

and wife Taylor, McKenna

Cargal and Fiance Braden

Block, great grandson; Dawson

Cargal.

Open visitation will be from

1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Wednes-

day, May 20, 2020 at Harmon

County Funeral Home. Social

distancing rules will apply

while in the funeral home.

A graveside service will be

10:00 a.m. Thursday, May 21,

2020 at Fairmount Cemetery in

Hollis, Oklahoma. Pallbearers

will be Daren Jones, Jud Car-

gal, Hunter Cargal, Martin

Baeza, Tony Cox and Cole

Childers.

Online tributes may be made

at https://

www.harmoncountyfuneral.

Box Eldon Box, 72, of Frederick,

died May 16, 2020.

Visitation will be Friday, May

22, 2020 from 4 to 7 PM at Orr

Gray Gish Funeral Home in

Frederick, 111 N. 11th Street.

A private funeral service is

planned.

Obituaries Continued from page 1

Steven takes groups of up to nine on educational hikes featuring

various points of interest throughout the refuge, all delivering a

spectacular view.

“The class is meant for beginning photographers looking to

improve their skills,” said Steven. “People unfamiliar with the

area appreciate having a guide to help choose great trails for the

time of year and their hiking skill level. Some trails are more

challenging than others.”

Photography instruction includes basic camera settings, light-

ing, composition and subject selection.

Periodic stops are made to take advantage of unique photo

opportunities like bison and other wildlife, rock formations, flo-

ral scenes and lakes.

Classes are three hours long and $25 per participant. Those

interested can book a class through Facebook at https://

www.facebook.com/medicineparksouvenirportraitsllc/ or by

contacting Steven directly at (405) 205-1300 or steveran-

dolphshow@live.com.

Photography Continued from page 1

As we go through the corona-

virus pandemic, with its con-

stant threat to personal health

and its devasting impact on the

economy, it can be hard to find

a silver lining. But if there is

one, it’s that government agen-

cies, private businesses and

nonprofit organizations have

contributed, in one way or an-

other, to helping relieve some

of the stresses – financial, phys-

ical or emotional –that many of

us are feeling. So, it’s im-

portant for you to know what

types of help are out there.

Here are some of the key areas

in which resources are availa-

ble:

Unemployment – The

CARES Act, a major piece of

the recent economic stimulus

packages, expanded several

aspects of unemployment insur-

ance, including eligibility,

amount and duration. To learn

more about unemployment in-

surance flexibility during the

COVID-19 outbreak, and to

find a link to your own state’s

unemployment insurance of-

fice, visit: https://www.dol.gov/

general/topic/unemployment-

insurance. You might be able to

collect some benefits even if

you’re still working. Specifical-

ly, if your hours have been re-

duced, you could receive part

of your unemployment benefits

as short-time compensation.

Your company’s human re-

sources area can let you know

if you’re eligible.;

Banking/Credit Cards/

Consumer and Student loans –

Many financial institutions are

offering loan modifications, fee

waivers or new lending prod-

ucts to help consumers during

this time. To see what’s availa-

ble, contact your own bank or

credit union. Credit card issuers

and other consumer loan pro-

viders are also offering pro-

grams to help borrowers; to

learn more, visit these credi-

tors’ web sites or call their cus-

tomer service lines. And, as

part of the CARES Act, bor-

rowers can stop making pay-

ments on federally held student

loans through Sept. 30, 2020.

Health care – Losing employ-

ment often means losing health

insurance. If you’ve recently

lost your coverage, you may be

eligible to participate in the

special enrollment period to

sign up for an Affordable Care

Act (ACA) health insurance

plan. Depending on your in-

come, you may be eligible for

subsidized health insurance. To

see if you qualify for the spe-

cial enrollment period, or for

Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s

Health Insurance Program), go

to https://www.healthcare.gov/

screener/. If you don’t qualify

for Medicaid or CHIP and can’t

afford health insurance, you

may be able to get free or low-

cost services at a community

health center. To find one near

you, go to https://

findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/.

Mortgage – Another provi-

sion of the CARES Act allows

you to apply for suspension or

reduction of your mortgage

payment for a limited time if

you have a federally backed

mortgage (FHA, VA, USDA,

Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac).

You’ll need to contact your

own mortgage service provider

to request this relief.

Utilities – Many gas, electric

and water service providers are

temporarily suspending discon-

nections of customers unable to

pay their bills due to the effects

of the pandemic. Also, some

utilities are suspending late fee

charges. Contact your local

utilities to determine the bene-

fits for which you may be eligi-

ble.

Telecommunications/

Internet – Numerous broadband

and telephone service provid-

ers (https://www.fcc.gov/keep-

americans-connected#pledges)

have agreed to temporarily stop

terminations and waive late

fees for customers facing finan-

cial struggles arising from the

pandemic.

And some providers (https://

www.fcc.gov/keep-americans-

connected/above-and-beyond)

are also offering other benefits,

such as free internet service to

students and teachers and in-

creased broadband speeds for

customers working remotely.

These are challenging times, to

say the least. But by availing

yourself of the appropriate re-

sources, you may well be able

to make your life easier.

This article provided by Emily

Smith, Edward Jones, 901 Fal-

con Rd., Altus, Ok. Call 580-

Page 8 Sunrise Online News

Emily Smith

Getting Through the Pandemic: You’ve Got Resources