January 16, 2021 Issue, Page 1 of 8

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Serving Western Oklahoma SE ia Saturday, January 16, 2021 Weekend Edition OSDH Vaccine Scheduler Portal now open ‘The Vaccine Scheduler Portal is now operational received some reports of fraud in recent days. MONDAY, 18° TUESDAY, 19% WEDNESDAY, 20" THURSDAY, 21% FRIDAY, 224 allowing eligible Oklahomans to schedule their + Any ads or offers for early access to a vaccine COMANCHE COUNTY | JACKSON COUNTY | COMANCHE COUNTY | JACKSON COUNTY | COMANCHE COUNTY COVID-19 vaccination. OSDH will provide a daily in exchange for payment are entirely fraudulent. Coliseum Community Center Coliseum Community Center Coliseum gaz a4 4 a4 end of day update on progress. + The COVID-19 vaccine will always be free to OSDH released additional guidance today for Oklahomans. the updated school quarantine guidelines that + OSDH will NOT ask you for payment to regis- were announced on Jan. 12. ter for or receive the COVID-19 vaccine. BECKHAM COUNTY ‘ADDO COUNTY | BECKHAM COUNTY | CADDOCOUNTY | COTTON COUNTY Updates as of 5:00 p.m. on January 13: + For accurate information on the Vaccine Activity Center, Sayre | Bethel Baptist Church | Health Dept, Elk city | Bethe! Baptist Church 4 + 414,340 Oklahomans have registered through Se-12p ot 4 92 Scheduler Portal and registration, visit oklahoma. If you received your Ifyou r your the portal to receive notifications on eligibility. gov/covid19/vaccine-information/vaccine-faqs. md er 1 dose on + Phase 1: 10,751 Current priority groups that are eligible Dec. 28" or Dec. 29" your + Phase 2 (currently eligible groups): 233,636 for vaccine appointments as part of Phase 2 SECOND dose is due, SECOND dose is due. 31,112 appointments have been scheduled by of the vaccine plan: KIOWA COUNTY WASHITACOUNTY | TILLMAN COUNTY | GREER COUNTY Health Dept Activity Center Health Dept Health Dept Oklahomans eligible to receive the vaccine. + Healthcare workers gaz 10-4 oa 4 + Reminder that a new allotment of appoint- + Expanded healthcare worker group such as ments will become available. allied health fields and general outpatient health + More appointments will continue to be added service (i.e. behavioral health, dentists) throughout the week, so OSDH recommends that «+ First responders Jackson County HARMON COUNTY ‘Community Center Health Dept people continue checking the system on an ongo- + Oklahomans aged 65+ 840 94 ing basis. Whato expect when registering: if you received your Second dose We want to remind Oklahomans to please be + Successful registration within the portal does cautious of COVID-19 vaccine scams, as we have not guarantee an appointment. Registering only escheduled to See Vaccine page 2. following week. Merritt graduate recommended for the Medal of Honor ' almost like something of a Tom Elk City native Hanks battle movie, except the teachers of Merritt High School can vouch that Plumlee is both develops clothing a real life person and every bit the hero his actions make him out to be, line and rap career ‘According to a report from the Miltiary Times, Plumlee dis- tinguished himself when a vehi- cle-borne IED initiated an attack on Forward Operating Base in Ghazni, Afghanistan, followed by the attack of nine insur- gents armed with small arms, grenades, rocket-propelled gre- nades and suicide vests. In the midst of the attack, Plumlee continued his assault upon the enemy, in spite of be- By Shonda Little in his presidency, his veto being Spec. Sth Class Dwight Birdwell ing wounded by a detonating overridden. and Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe. suicide vest, and risked his life ‘Nicc Johnson sits with his family, Nevaeh, Lyric and Scarlet. ‘The current defense bill has But, buried within the lan- ‘The bill allows the United to get another solider to safety Courtesy photos. made headlines for multiple guage that will define upcom- States Defense Secretary and while providing first aid. By Shonda Little reasons outside the little known ing military spending and give the President to waive the tra- While doing this, Sgt. 1st provision tucked inside that troops a raise, is legislation that ditional five-year limit between Class Plumlee put himself in the Nicc Johnson, 2006 Elk City High School graduate, knows the would allow four service mem- many western Oklahomans be- the acts of valor and approval line of fire to prevent the assault struggles of life. As a child, he remembers enduring poverty and bers the ability to qualify for the lieve will correct a misstep the of the Medal of Honor for these from penetrating the base. ‘The Green Beret is credited the pain of a parent being sentenced to a lengthy incarceration Medal of Honor. Most newspa- country made when not reward- four distinguished servicemen. in federal prison. per headlines and social media ing Sgt. 1st Class Earl Plumlee The treacherous battlefield with killing several attackers at But, on the other hand, Johnson was always a creative child posts have stemmed around with the Medal of Honor. upon which Plumlee was first point-blank range, using both with a natural talent for freestyle rapping and was motivated to President Trump vetoing the Considered along with Plum- recognized unfolded in 2013. small arms and hand grenades. See Plumlee page 3. put in whatever hard work and long hours he needed to in order legislation and, for the first time lee is retired Col. Ralph Puckett, ‘The real life story plays out to escape the cycle of poverty for his own children. By a stroke of sheer serendipity, those two separate, but equally strong forces have now coalesced to form a successful career as a professional Mt. Carmel Baptist Church’s eldest musician anda clothing line. Johnson's venture into both are all found- ed in the same place and started out as a member reflects upon Martin Luther King, matter of happenstance. “[ knew how to freestyle early on. advancements in the cause of equality Tt was just natural for me. Off the top of my head, I could do ten to fifteen minutes. I was influ- enced by this from my cousin By Shonda Little Dwight Jackson, Jr. He recent- ly passed, but he was about my With Covid-19 diagnosis rates age. He and his brother had doubling in Oklahoma over the been actually recording mu- last two weeks, Jackie Anderson sic at their house. They were of Lincoln New Age has decided really into it. So I was over at not to hold the group’s annual their house one day in 2013 Martin Luther King Day march and they were working on a and celebrations. She will hold song, but they couldn’t come some online lessons and will be sharing stories about the famed up with a hook. They had downloaded a beat for free fallen Civil Rights icon, but in an Sallie from YouTube. I started help- abundance of caution, her group ing them and it just flowed out has decided to err on the side of safety. Carmel Baptist Church, are Lincoln Addition in Elk City. Luther King’s inspiring messag- of me. They decided to record it “We would hate to have an highlighting their oldest mem- ‘Throughout her nine and a half es of hope and heralded calls for just like that and they said, ‘Yo, event, even as important as this ber and church mother, Annie decades, she has witnessed a equality for all Americans. this is good. This is your song is, and see an outbreak,” Ander- Bell Smith. great deal in the struggle or “I was watching on the tv af- because you came up with it’ Ev- son explained. At a spry 95-years-old, equality and the advancements ter he was shot,” Smith recalled. erybody seemed to love it,” Johnson Instead, Anderson and her Smith's house serves almost that have been made. She still “I was just crying. It was so sad. explained. congregation, Elk City’s Mt. as the north entrance into the remembers hearing Dr. Martin See Smith page 3. See Johnson page 2. Vol. 119, No. 5 a Te Weather tomorrow 53/31 75 cents, 8 pgs. Mail delivery 580.225.3000 View online elkcityoknews.com