January 18, 2020 Issue, Page 1 of 14

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Serving Western Oklahoma Weekend Edition Manning anounces New Elk City Public Schools board mem- candidacy for ber Melanie Randle takes the oath of office from Board sheriff re-election President Brandon Storm at the meeting Beckham County Sher- Monday night. Randle iff Derek Manning has an- replaced Jim Blevins, nounced his candidacy for who resigned from re-election to Sheriff's Of- the board’s Seat 3 in fice. November because of Manning is completing his first term in office, and he a move outside of the said in a news release that he district. Staff photo by would be honored for the op- Don Munsch. portunity to continue to serve again the residents of Beck- a ham County. Derek Manning “This is my home, and I wake up every single day thank- ful to have the opportunity to serve and work alongside the people I know and who have known me my whole life,” Manning said. Manning said in the release that his first term has been Board swears in new trustee “exactly the kind of challenge” he enjoys. By Don Munsch, Editor [million] to about $1.9 [million]. Now, we want to do better “T am very mission-oriented,” he said. “I have developed Elk City Public Schools Board President Brandon Storm than that. That’s not good. So we have now until the end of a certain skill set and background during my life. And being gave the oath of office to new board member Melanie Ran- June to close that $644,000 gap.” able to use those skills and experience to lead the mission of dle, who took the Seat 3 place at the Monday trustees meet- Garrison described the $644,000 amount to be a worst the sheriff’s office is something I am passionate about and ing. case scenario, and he said several of the district’s revenue feel uniquely suited for.” Manning is a retired Oklahoma State Trooper, serving Randle was appointed to the seat in December after Jim streams are figured at 90 percent. Historically, he said, the Blevins resigned in November. Blevins made a move out- district has collected over 90 percent in these areas, so if most of his career in Beckham County. He and his wife, side of the district. that holds true the deficit should close by the end of the fis- Holli, started and published The Daily Elk Citian, a news- paper that was named one of the top newspapers in the state Also Monday, during his Superintendent’s Financial Re- cal year. port, Rick Garrison said the financial picture for the district He said he wasn’t sure whether some of the improvements in 2012. Eventually the couple sold The Daily Elk Citian. remained the same as the last couple of months. The dis- the district did in recent years would be done this year be- Holli currently serves as an AP Language/Composition and Junior English teacher at Elk City High School. trict’s projected expenditures are $16.2 million and revenues cause of the district’s financial situation. are $15.6 million, with $2.6 million in reserves. “My fear is this is so close now that I don’t know if at the Manning developed, operated and sold another business “So that gives us a little cushion,” Garrison said. “If we end of the year we’re going to have that money to do much,” before being elected Beckham County Sheriff in 2016. Now See Manning page 2. meet that, we’re going to eat into that about $644,000, which he said. “It’s depressing that you can’t do some things, but at would take us from at the beginning of the year from $2.6 See New trustee page 2. Leadership consultant encourages people to demonstrate love as leadership style wt s. Photo by Terri Chervenka. Nicholas Sparks. Photo submitted. Sparks to visit SWOSU in February By Don Munsch, Editor The public is invited to hear author Nicholas Sparks speak at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, according to a SWOSU news release. Memes Sparks is the best-selling author of “The Notebook,” “A creermerstead ‘Walk to Remember,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Dear John” and 16 other books. Many of his novels have been turned By Don Munsch, Editor ered a speech centered on “The Heartbeat of Western Okla- into movies, with “The Notebook,” released in theaters in Casey Merrifield said leaders should raise people up and homa” and related her experiences in town since moving 2004, perhaps the most notable of the films adapted from his not accentuate their faults. Possessing a sense of love is part here in 2005. Ronda Smith, the 2019 chamber president, books. That book was published in 1996, of the definition of being a leader. also gave remarks. Linda Rippetoe was named the 2019 Now, with over 105 million copies of his books sold “Love is calling people out to the best version of them- Pam Gregory Volunteer Award. worldwide, Sparks, a University of Notre Dame graduate, is selves and not calling them out for getting it wrong,” she Merrifield, a leadership consultant and co-founder of the author of 19 New York Times #1 bestselling books. He said. Leaders should “treat people the way you want to be ConneXtion Worldwide, a consulting firm, said she moved lives in North Carolina. treated when correction is necessary” and they should help here six years ago and offered some details about her back- His visit to Western Oklahoma is co-sponsored by the and develop those around them. ground, including how she grew up in Amarillo, and dis- Western Plains Library System and SWOSU Panorama Se- Merrifield shared these and other insights on leadership cussed experiences in her career and life. ries. during the Elk City Chamber of Commerce’s annual ban- “T’'m grateful to be a part of this community, and as I have Tickets remaining range in price from $5 to $25. Tickets quet Tuesday night at the First Baptist Church Activity Cen- gotten to know the people in this community from various are available online at stubwire: https://share.swosu.edu/ ter. spaces, I do have a community of truly good friends in my See Sparks page 2. At the banquet, new chamber President Angi Wyatt deliv- See Banquetpage 2. Vol. 118, No. 5 LLL 53/: 75 cents, 10 pgs. Mail delivery 580.225.3000 View online elkcityoknews.com