March 2, 2022 Issue, Page 1 of 8

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hy Serving » LILY Western Oklahoma Since 1901. Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Weekday Edition Investing in the Future The Vogue Gets a New Look Superintendent Mike Sparks. Sparks Gives Legislative Update to Teachers By Sheryl Ponce Above shows the pro- cess during the remodel. At right is Lori Weatherly. a During the teacher's professional day last Monday, Super- intendent Mike Sparks spoke to the teachers about some legis- The first in a series by Sheryl Ponce lation coming up at the state capital. He presented a YouTube video of Governor Stitt proclaiming Oklahoma School Choice Transitioning from turquoise to white, moving all of the mer- Week that took place in January. chandise to the backroom, and putting down new flooring was “I am not bashing the governor, as I show you this, but I no small task for Lori Weatherly, owner of The Vogue Boutique in do think you need to know what's going on,” Sparks told the teachers as he started the video. Elk City. Her store is one of several on Main Street to undergo a In the video, Stitt said that Oklahomans are celebrating transformation. What started with a need to replace the carpet, the freedom to choose a school that best fits their needs. He turned into a remodel. tweaked it to meet her vision. With the new look, Weatherly feels indicated that it could be a traditional school, a public charter “The store will be ‘sweet sixteen’ in May, and this is definitely refreshed and renewed. school, a public magnet school, online school, or private school. one phase of remodeling. We needed new flooring and painting, “I look forward to coming to work each day. There is some- “Education is not a one size fits all. That’s why last session, and then we changed the layout of the store, a fresh update,” thing different to do everyday, although I try to plan and check I signed Senate Bill 73. That law gives students the ability to Weatherly said. things off my list,” she explained. transfer to another school district at any time, as long as they While the end result was a bright new look, the process was Weatherly said that she loves her customers. She likes finding have space available. School choice is also about giving fami- not quite as easy as she thought it was going to be. Roy Herndon and Sherri Horn were key to the remodel process. Others who new and different styles that just fit the customer's personality. lies the opportunity to set their children up for a bright future through an excellent education. You do that by giving parents pitched in throughout the transformation included her employ- Although she has an online store, about 80 percent of her busi- the freedom to choose the best school. This is our mission,” ees and Tim Dewitt, Sherri Horn, Julie Bylerly and Horn’s daugh- ness comes from the walk-in customers and she seems to like it Stitt said in the video. ter Breanna. that way. “Tt took a week and a half to complete. We closed New Year's Once the teachers viewed his announcement, Sparks told ‘The remodel is one way Weatherly is reinvesting in the store Eve and reopened Jan. 14th. We had about ten people helping them about two bills that have passed out of committee. One and shows the faith she has in the community and her customers. of them is about school vouchers. with the painting. Brian Patterson built the new counter,” she added. She would encourage the public to stop by and see the remodel, “There are about 65,000 kids right now in the state of Okla- In the next phase she will be adding some cabinets and re- as well as meet her employees Madison Dowdy, Cade Dewitt, and homa that do not attend the public school. And if the voucher working the backroom while preparing for the downtown reno- Kylie Powers. The Vogue is located at 109 N. Main, their web page bill was to pass that would be $365 million out of the overall vations that will be coming. Weatherly planned the transforma- is http://www.thevogueboutique.com and they can be reached at education budget for the state of Oklahoma. So, every public school that receives money from that same pot of money is tion with the help of Lily Rose Creations for the design, but she 580-225-5155. See Sparks page 2. People’s Convoy Makes it’s Layover Local From left to right- LC Price, Brian Brosee head trucker of The Peoples Convoy and Nick Archer Elk City Mayor. Photo by Sandy Dean. By Sheryl Ponce Club stood watch at the entrance to the yard, while supporters lined the street across from Starting from California on Wednesday, the the facility. American flags were seen flying People’s Convoy was on schedule to stop in Elk from the bridges as they traveled from Texas to City as they trek their way to Washington, D.C. Elk City. ‘Their expected time varied throughout the day, ‘A group from Erick came over to provide Left, Dan Gambill. At right volunteers Karen Graham and C.H. Long from Peace Fellowship but they began to pull into the old TriPoint pulled pork sandwiches, and local supporters Church get coffee ready. Staff photos by Sheryl Ponce. yard about 4:00 with a police escort. There was provided coffee and water. As the trucks carry- on the scene, reporting to his Facebook follow- put people in touch with the right people and a shutdown of traffic at the stop light by Bar $ ing donated supplies came in, they unloaded at ers the process and location of the convoy. He the one who is handling it here in Elk City. I'm at 7th St. and Eastern, as the convoy exited the one of the empty buildings. The truckers would became involved because he happened to be trying to do what I can to help him out,” Gambill highway. pick-up what they needed, and the remainder is back in Elk City and he knew the cause. said. Not only were trucks and tractors lined up, to be donated to the local food bank or organiza- “('m just here to support the folks. Because Most of the day seemed to be hurry-up and but travel trailers and pick-ups who supported tions. of my involvement with the city before, people the cause joined the group. The Downed Biker’s Local resident and trucker Dan Gambill was asked me a lot of questions. I've been trying to See Convoy page 2. Vol. 120, No. 18 View online LA Weather tomorrow 77/ 75 cents, 8 pgs. Mail delivery 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com