April 7, 2021 Issue, Page 1 of 10

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Wednesday, April 7, 2021 Weekend Edition Beckham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating of a Two area students chosen as DAR Good Citizens the 2019-20 fiscal year. $17.2 million figure is with in Erick five months ago and that the child’s information was put into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons were not released by our office - regarding a NAMUS entry The district could not find Left, from Elk City - CarolAnn Batterton, Tory Garrison, Lauren Shelton. Right, from Sayre - CarolAnn Batterton, Elia Bustos, Jade Bell, Nancy Lisle. Courtesy photos. The student selected must possess the qualities of dependability, Department of Human Services officials are working with the fiscal year ended. He leadership, patriotism, and service . This program is open to one senior in each high school. Each senior has the option of entering the scholarship competition, which allHunt, threepayroll/insurance of these seniors did. to the current fiscal year, but 48 years, with 40 of Each entry includes grades, community service, activities, letters of continues, and a final recommendation , and an essay. One will be chosen as the Washita Chapter DAR Winner and sent to district. The district winner will go to state judging and nally two winners will be chosen to receive Taylor Easttom with son Porter. Tory Garrison, a senior at Elk City High School, and Elia Bustos, a $5000 scholarships at the National Level. senior at Sayre High School have been selected as the DAR Good Citi- Tory is pictured with Elk City Counselor, Lauren Shelton, and zen for their respective High School for 2020-2021. Washita Chapter NSDAR sponsors this program each year for 21 area high schools . Washita Chapter Regent, CarolAnn Batterton. Elia is pictured with Sayre Counselor, Jade Bell, Washita Regent Elk City native reflects Later on Tuesday on the sheriff’s office FB page, Manning said sheriff’s officials had found documents that confirmed The DAR Good Citizen Program and Scholarship Contest is in- tended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. NSDAR, CarolAnn Batterton, and Honorary Washita Chapter Re- gent, Nancy Lisle. upon Easter as a flawless, and that doesn’t Methodist minister Family and OSBI seeks information on the By Shonda Little satisfied For the thatlast the circumstances the Covid-19 throughpandemicwhich he came to disappearance of Roger Mills County man ton – 1978, 1982 and 1984 – and one state year, families and church faithful alike to abandon their traditional has forced holiday festivities. Taylor Easttom, a 2010 graduate of Elk City many been a coach for 48 years – a head football High School, has been heartsick as she witnessed the far-reach- By Shonda Little coach for 40 years – and has an overall re ing implications touch almost every aspect of her church life at cord of The family of a 33-year-old 307-147 and Crawford, a playoff Oklahoma man isrecord askingoffor 44- St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Edmond and Oklahoma City. 24.their the public’s help in finding He son, playedbrother footballand at father. OklahomaTheState. Okla- “We strength “Our have really seen to is going theincrease tragedydramati in all this,” Easttom sighed. homa State Bureau of Investigations and the Roger Mills County “We have also witnessed it bring cally,” he said. “The [players’] confidence out the in best in human nature. Sheriffs Department are assisting in the search. We had to shut down many of our on-site services a year ago According to a report from the OSBI, Rhett Patrick Allen went and have done all we could to get them back up and running missing at approximately 1 pm from or near his home on March 3. safely as this has gone on. We have seen the increase in deaths His older sister, Chrystal Allen Marshall of Yukon, is now plead- within our congregation and wanted to serve those families the ing with anyone who may have answers to reach out to the family or best possible without bringing additional danger to them. It has law enforcement. been a tightrope that all have all walked together. This has been during “We don’t know if he left on his will,”the free in interview an own Marshall sobbed.at athletic office a timeOfficials when in people needed County Beckham fellowship the cut have nearly most and it $1 million was hard- “We don’t know where he is. It is breaking my parents’ hearts every from est to their get. estimated We have budget had to lean intothis year, virtual with the sermons andfinal Sunday single day and his children’s hearts just as much. Rhett has been approval School. As a of the 2019-20 church, we got asfiscal year budget resourceful coming as we needed toin bethe to very close to his kids. We just want him home.” serve the Lord through this.” Marshall said that she is aware that Allen had traveled to Nash- However, on Easter Sunday, the unseasonably mild weather ville for two days in February but returned home. He had been with and bright sunshine gave way to a new and exciting beginning, her best friend, who is his girlfriend, during the trip. She has no in2019-20 the search Easttom’s isbudget on to at their find opinion. The accident weeklycoordi an offensive Occurred meeting Monday. The fina just after 6 p.m. in a hay field 3 reason to believe he would be in the Nashville area, but also hopes “We see the light at the end of this long tunnel. This is the first over to holiday thewe that state haveby theable been firsttoofhave October. in-person services with that the net is cast far and wide. Cain tried to repair See OSBI page 2. the children’s service sincesomething undershe this all started,” hisexplained. 1986 Ford“IF350am the director of the children’s ministry at the Edmond location. Wexciseare aboard small, gives the final tight-knit approval community and the within signs off on it Oklahoma His starting date is the first Monday after City metro. I learned how special that is from growing up in Elk Hartman, Beckham City’s Methodist Beckham County County Sheriff’s Church. Clerk. Office, I went to Carter college andFire, got aElk City de- finance Fire, Wrongful death lawsuit filed against our first phase of the CAPS County officials said in gree, so being in a children’s ministry April that changes is not what Iinstarted expecting to do. I did my internship with St. Luke’s while I was the budget out in college. I was a young mother myself and knew that I wanted tion scheme for the Elk offense. On the de GPRMC related to reported Covid death my son Porter to grow up in the church like I had. The more that I was here, the more it had my heart. I am continually blessed watching ministries sprout within ministries. We try to do all By Shonda Little “Prior to his death, Mr. Kimmel lived an active lifestyle, worked as we canTheincounty outreach,cut not $998,696 only forfrom our its budget, members Hartman but also said for the a home builder and worked as a farmer. Mr. Kimmel enjoyed spend- community. We got to start back having the in-person Sunday In the last year, medical facilities and their staff have scrambled ing time with his family and riding bikes with his grandchildren. In school in March, but this is the first holiday we have had in a department year. I can’t think or of every official a more gives one important theirto start estimate of This with. what to respond to the historic pandemic of Covid-19. A little more than October 2020, Mr. Kimmel began experiencing complications of Co- a year ago, Oklahomans watched quarantined Europeans sing from vid-19. Due to these complications, Mr. Kimmel was admitted to is they’re needing the celebration offor the resurrection. Jesus’s year,” Hartman said. This is the “The excise celebration balconies as they struggled with isolation to squash the virus. As the Great Plains to receive medical treatment,” the lawsuit states. of life restored and it was amazing to be blessed to celebrate in world attempted to pull together, tough decisions had to be made to The lawsuit claims that, due to beingcould staytoonnourish unable the floor the himself this way.” prohibit hospital visitors. The hope was to keep virus transmission and his caloric intake becoming inadequate, the GPRMC staff deter- Easttom estimated that she worked at least thirty hours in low among patients. the four days leading up to the holiday. She had no complaints a.m. with took Hot Hash and mined that an oral feeding tube was necessary. about the labor of love. Local staff at Great Plains Medical Center extraordinary However, the suit alleges that the medical staff “negligently” in- lengths to provide safe treatment for those coming in who were serted the oral feeding tube through Mr. Kimmel’s trachea and into “It“We was don’t worthknow every those bit of it,figures too,” sheyet,” she said. laughed. “We’re “Getting kind to see infected with the sometimes deadly virus. Often that left the em- his lung. so many of those little faces again and on a day with such spe- ployees unable to interact with their own families, but the dedica- cial meaning for us was a gift straight from God. Through all of The plaintiffs assert that this caused his lung to collapse, causing year this, webefore startedand our current year figures virtual lessons and help on Sundays. the county We began hav- tion persisted. Because nurses, doctors and staff periodically tested him “extreme pain and mental anguish.” ing regular students log in from Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, positive, many employees picked up extra shifts to fill the unprec- “ButTexas we’veand made 20 percent edented labor gaps. The lawsuit further claims that Mr. Kimmel died due to the al- Georgia, Kansas. We even cuts; some offices had students from Asia and leged lung injury complications, which they blame on the defen- South America. They became our regulars and we got attached One family is now alleging that, even in the trying time, that med- dants’ “acts and omissions.” to them. We will be launching a program in mid-April to make icalAnegligence fire thatoccurred burnedtothe theirTeam Chip Tae Kwon getthat thosewefinal figures fromthat them, it’s kind of waitwasand now deceased loved one. The plaintiffs are asking for $75,000 on their four complaints, as sure continue to offer to them, so there that That is what is now Do building being presented Tuesday afternoon to the inBeckham the 1400 County Dis- well as “an award of all damages available including, but not limited good that came out of this. One group even sent us an edible trict Court through a lawsuit filed by the family of of Jesse Lee “JL” a definite date set for the Commissioners gave their final approval for the figures to: medical expenses, burial and funeral expenses, mental anguish, arrangement for Easter. Seeing all our kids, our volunteers and Kimmel. staff during this weekend was so heartwarming, though. Most JL Kimmel was an 80-year-old man who died in October 2020. physical pain and suffering of Mr. Kimmel prior to his death, pe- firelawsuit chief was for filed the Elk City Fire firstgrief weekend in November. 29 onDepartment. No estate cuniary loss, loss of companionship and and mental anguish of our staff is at least 50% vaccinated. We wouldn’t have done The on March behalf of Kimmel’s something that was unsafe. I grew up in the church there in Elk injuries by his occurred. co-personal Two hispeople in representatives, theSondra daughters build Challis and suffered by Mr. Kimmel’s surviving daughters,” as well as punitive there, at least one account in there,” Hartman said. City and was taught always to put your people first. And thank ingVanderpol. Darla escaped unharmed. The main part of the fi damages, an award of costs, attorney’s fees, prejudgment interest God, we were here on Easter where we could do this.” firelawsuit The occurred in the was filed hotGPRMC against waterandheater area.1-20,” listed “John Does and “all such other and further relief to which plaintiffs may be en- Hartman could not provide an exact figure. The public 75 children this year. That figure was up from 40 last year. $12,130. Easttom has worked in many facets of St. Luke’s children’s The insurance collectively as company defendants. alsoDoes These John is are not investigating. named but are titled, whether at law or in equity.” See Easter page 2. shown to be employees of GPRMC. The plaintiffs have requested a jury trial. Weather Vol. Vol. 117,119, No.No. 54 28 Mail delivery Home delivery Viewonline View online tomorrow 78 / 50 99/70 75 cents, 12 pgs.pgs. 75 cents, 10 580.225.3000 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com elkcityoknews.com