May 21, 2019 Issue, Page 1 of 20

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we J 4 See Big Elk sports page 20 » ie. 6 SS =, —< Serving Western Oklahoma MID-WEEK Since 1901 EDITION Tuesday, May21, 2019 Public invited to Memorial Day service By Don Munsch of the Elk City Education Editor Foundation and Leadership Elk City, a board member of “1, Residents are invited to the Housing Authority of Elk a Memorial Day service at City and a member of Elk 10:30 a.m. Monday at Fair- City Rotary and the Elk City lawn Cemetery’s veterans Board of Adjustments and memorial in Elk City. Ve Planning Commission. Elk City High School valedictorian Reagan Benton, Derek Manning, organizer The Beckham County center, and salutatorian Brooke Sutton, right, will of the event, said the service Sheriff's Honor Guard and be joined by ECHS senior class president Matthew will be moved inside in case the Oklahoma Highway ‘Stout and their senior classmates on stage when of inclement weather. Retired Lt. Col. Tom Mike Patrol will do the colors, the they graduate at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Pioneer Johnson, who served in the 21-gun salute and taps at the Center at ECHS. Staff photo by Don Munsch U.S. Army and isa former service. Elk City commissioner, will said“It’sManning, not a long ceremony,” who also be the keynote speaker. Shawn Wilson from KECO radio will do music at the serves as sheriff in Beck- ham County, noting the Route 66 Festival event. ceremony usually lasts about Johnson, 75, was born in 30 minutes. “It’s very family Activities begin May 31 for the Route 66 Festival and Elk City and is a graduate oriented. The crowd seems to Block Party in Elk City, with the main events occurring on of Elk City High School. He be growing, year by year.” June 1, according to release from the Elk City Chamber of Commerce. Both events will be held in downtown Elk City, served in the U.S. Army from Manning encourages the 1965 to 1985 and has served public to attend the service, and there will activities for the whole family. the Elk City community in a to take time to “honor the A Block Party from 6-9 p.m. will be held on May 31 Elk City in downtown Elk City, located behind First National variety of ways, including a men and women who served 12-year stint on the city com- and gave so much to our Bank. Visitors can enjoy live music from Rival Magnetics, and participating downtown merchants will be open until Tom Mike Johnson will speak at the Memorial Day mission, from 2001-2013. He country” and appreciate 8 p.m. Pop up vendors, community art project, Western service. Submitted photo is a founding board member everything they did. Oklahoma Inflatables and nine food vendors will be on East Broadway along with the Route 66 Festival Cruise Night being held from 8-10 p.m., starting at the National Route 66 Museum at 7:30 p.m. for a photo op. Lasater sentenced Those who show up for the Cruise and Photo Op will have achance to enter the contest for King & Queen of the Road, and the winner will be announced at 9 p.m. at the Block Party. Cars will be cruising down Third Street and Main Street to Sixth Street. People are encouraged to get their lawn chairs and come watch the classic and custom cars. ‘They do not have to register for the Cruise on May 31, as it received 20 days in jail last tion through the district the money after the chil- is free and anyone can join in. week after pleading guilty attorney’s office. She is di- dren’s father was jailed in On June 1, Route 66 Festival begins at 9 a.m. and will be to three counts of embezzle- rected to pay $32,000 within 2012. She was arrested in held until 5 p.m. Visitors will find “lots of shopping opportu- ment in February. 10 days of release and $2,100 January 2018 by the Elk City nities,” the chamber said, and they should be sure and look Sonya Rane Lasater, amonth beginning Aug. 1 Police Department and later for the door posters at the participating businesses. 52, received the sentence with a balloon payment at released on a $10,000 bond. on May 15 after she was the end. She also will have to The story stated Lasater See Route 66 page 2. charged with embezzling pay some court costs. admitted to writing checks more than $380,000 from the Sentencing info shows on the accounts of the accounts ofchildren placed that she received 10 years children, according to court under her guardianship, ac- on count one with of the time cording to The Elk City News all but 20 days suspended. files. The children’s mother records, and the checks were placed into her bank account Commission for Count two shows she re- or used as a cash withdrawal died in a car crash in 2007, and as a result of a million ceived 10 years, all suspend- ed, and count three shows directly from a bank account where the money was held. CAPPs bond tastes dollar lawsuit, money was she received 10years, all “By her own admis- placed in trust funds for the suspended, with the sentence sion and acknowledgment, By William B. Carroll children. to run concurrent with count Lasater withdrew about Sports Editor By Den Manech Her sentence began on two. Counts one and two run $330,000 of the this money Editor May 16. Court papers from consecutively. by writing checks to herself The Elk City Commissioners acting as the Industrial May 15 show she is ordered Lasater was awarded Authority made several important decisions Wednesday An Elk City woman to pay $393,571.39 in restitu- guardianship and access to See Sentenced page 2. to move forward with respect to the proposed issuance of bonds for the city’s Community Action Project Plans ap- proved by the city’s voters in February. The authority approved the designation of Crews and Associates out of Little Rock, Ark, as the underwriter for the project, Bank of Oklahoma as the trustee bank for the Apollo 10 astronaut speaks project and the law firm of Kutak Rock LLP to serve as disclosure counsel. Rick Smith with Municipal Finance Services was on hand nicians, according to The and John W. Young, Cernan during the industrial authority meeting to discuss the op- Guardian website. was the lunar module pilot tions available to the authority and to instruct the members Stafford, a Weatherford and Young was the com- on their duties and obligations. native, who flew aboard the mand module pilot. [Young ‘Smith said that as a practical matter, because the loan Apollo 10 moon orbit mission died last year; Cernan died term - 24 years - for the proposed project was too long to in 1969, appeared Sunday at in 2017.] The astronauts did get a bank loan ata fixed rate, the city would need to issue the Weatherford High School adress rehearsal for a lunar bonds for the project and would need to appoint an under- Performing Arts Center to landing, and performed writing firm that would actually purchase the bonds and talk about his experiences in “thousands of precise proce- then sell them to various investment based entities. space. dures and calculations” and The role ofthe trustee bank would be to hold the funds This was Stafford’s first did myriad other functions that the city would collect through its taxes and turn around public appearance in Weath- in order to ensure the lunar and use those funds to pay off the bond. erford in nearly 10 years, landing could be done, ac- ‘Smith explained that security counsel actually special- according to Teresa Schoon- cording to a program from izes in reviewing the bond offering documents to make sure maker, events and operations Sunday’s event. they have the correct information as it pertains to securities coordinator for the Stafford Stafford also was involved laws. Air & Space Museum, located in the Gemini mission During his presentation, Smith said that the city would Thomas P. Stafford, left, talked about his experiences in Weatherford. Stafford, 88, program, which predated need to prioritize projects to be completed under the bonds as an astronaut inthe Apollo 10 mission Sunday at flew on the Apollo mission the Apollo program. Besides and suggested several projects based upon the possibility of Weatherford High School Performing Arts Center. just before the one - Apollo his career as an astronaut, completing those project in the next two to three years. Mark Larson, right, was the master of ceremonies for 11 - that first landed men on he served in the military ‘Smith suggested prioritizing the multipurpose indoor Stafford’s appearance. Staff photo by Don Munsch the moon on July 20, 1969. and was a U.S. Air Force activity center; resurfacing fields, including the field at Red ; O mis- fi ilot and test pilot and Rock Stadium to artificial turf; the aquatic center; and im- By Don Munsch Thomas. Stafford said On the Apollo 10)Sra pannejamedthe rank of | Provements to Ackley Park, Smith said projects such as the Editor 400,000 people workedon 181969 stafford was the lieutenant general. Stafford | ©¥P0 center and anew convention center would be projects the Apollo program. Those mission commander and liveemostat disyeatin that would need to be planned for further down the road. Quite an effort was behind _ people ranged from engi- was on board with two other a putting humans on the moon. neers to scientists to tech- astronauts, Eugene Cernan See Stafford page 2. 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