January 24, 2026 Issue, Page 2 of 13

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NEWS 2• SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2026 RCCT Continued from page 1 Stage Sponsor for $5000. This donor will get to name the stage and the name will be announced prior to each production. There will be a banner placed on each side of the stage with the name and/or logo, as well as being mentioned on social media for all five pro- ductions. Additionally, they will be listed on the website, flyers, and programs for all productions, and four complimentary tickets will be available for each show, which is a total of 20 tickets. Make plans to see each one of these productions by purchasing a season pass or donating to the theatre. Each show will feature the talent from not only Elk City but talent from all over Western Oklahoma. MISDEMEANORS & FELONIES MISDEMEANORS State of Okla vs Hakob Davtyan DUI. TOC. Possession of marijuana. Failure to move to adjacent lane when passing emergency vehicle vs Makayla Dowling Possession of paraphernalia FELONIES State of Okla vs Deonna A Snyder Child neglect & abuse. Obstructing an officer "There will not be any changes or exceptions to the publication of these records." MARRIAGES & DIVORCES MARRIAGES Jimmy Cook, Elk City – Kathy Dyer, Elk City Statewide Young Professional Board Elects New Members & Leadership OKLAHOMA CITY – JANUARY 20, 2026 – The Oklahoma Hall of Fame selected new members and leadership for its 2026 Second Century Board. The Second Century Board is a group of engaged young professionals from across the state, age 40 and under, who are dedicated to Telling Oklahoma›s Story Through Its People. Luis Lopez, employed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, will serve as Board Chair for a one-year term through December 2026. The Second Century Board 2026 Executive Committee includes Josh Yager, Chair-Elect, Oklahoma City Police Athletic League; Jonna Vanderslice, Vice Chair of Board Development, McAfee & Taft; Andrew Hewlett, Vice Chair of Outreach, U.S. Air Force; and Bailey Smith Londagin, Vice Chair of Oklahoma Born & Brewed, 222 Injury Lawyers. New board members for 2025 include: C. Wesley Barnaby, Edmond, U.S. Air Force and Nichols Hills Consignment/James Bean Estate Sales Molly Bennett, Tulsa, Oklahoma ARCHER Continued from page 1 (USPS # 173-020) 580-225-3000 Is published once weekly by Beckham County Media, LLC 109 W. Broadway, Elk City, OK 73644-4736 Periodicals Postage Paid at Elk City, OK 73644 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PO BOX 964, Elk City, OK 73648 Sheryl Ponce, Staff Writer SUBSCRIPTIONS Deliverd by mail: $50/yearly print only $60/yearly print & online $40/online only No refunds on subscriptions. [email protected] [email protected] Neva Pyatt, Advertising Director Ashley Moore, Advertising Director [email protected] Nancy Karnowski, CSR SUBSCRIBE TODAY Current news and great deals delivered right to your door! The Elk City News the community is bigger than the hard work behind the events. “Like Route 66, Elk City has never been small in spirit. The Mother Road is also a part of our story. It’s the most famous road in the world. Travelers will come from all over to take a picture in front of the Parker Rig or in our museum complex. But Route 66 is not famous because it was easy. It’s famous because people traveled it anyway,” Archer said. “They loaded up their families. Sometimes they strapped everything they owned on the roof of their vehicle, and they took to the road because they thought that the next mile might just change their lives.” It was the resilience, the adventure and the promise that inspired them to travel the road. Archer then compared it to the same spirit State University Foundation Victoria Carrasco, Oklahoma City, Cordell & Cordell Brandon Chenoweth, Piedmont, Traditions Interior Design Hank Honas, Oklahoma City, Commerce Bank Danielle Pelargos, Edmond, OKC Convention Center Tanner Rowland, Norman, Alliance Maintenance Inc. Amanda Sandoval, Bethany, City of Bethany Lacee Sartors, Sulphur, Arbuckle Memorial Hospital Quinton Scott, Ada, PPLSI Anna-Kate Weichel, Oklahoma City, Mid-America Christian University Cameron Wilson, Yukon, Emma Elle’s Italian Kitchen. Returning members of the Second Century Board are as follows: Brandon Baker, Our Blood Institute; L. Patrice Bell, L. Bell Solutions LLC; Rachel Benbrook, OSU Foundation; Aubrey Bowser, Oklahoma Chiller; Candace Coonrod, Oklahoma City Thunder; Michael Diver, Gaming Capital Group; Addison Dupree, MidFirst Bank; Kendall Dye, PING; James Foster, NexPeek; Bradley Fritch, OU Foundation; Sam Holland, Morgan Stanley; Gigi McCormick, Oklahoma Bar Association; John Milner, Commercial Carpet Contractors and Barta Bailey; Justin Moon, Patrons Bank; Daniel Pae, Oklahoma House of Representatives; Ashley Peterson, Peterson Group; Kalynn Pierce, Phase 2; Grace Rodwell, Devon Energy; Madi Taylor Kelly, Sovereign Bank; Ashley Warlick, MidFirst Bank; and Madeleine Williams, BancFirst Insurance. The Second Century Board supports free educational and cultural programs offered by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame by holding the annual Oklahoma Born & Brewed fundraiser in August and hosting outreach events with impactful Oklahomans throughout the year. that Elk City has had over the past year, with the torn-up streets, the cones, the closures, and the sidewalks. The town struggled through, but then it was almost over. “Progress never arrives wrapped in convenience. Downtown wasn’t smooth, it wasn’t easy, but it was necessary, and it was intentional. It is really part of a bigger promise, a promise we made to stop patching and to start building. And that brings me to the next thing, CAPPs. CAPPs, it’s not just a list of projects. It’s a decision. It’s a decision we made as a community to invest in ourselves, and to think about that next generation,” Archer said. The inconvenience and patience were here because the decision was bold and at times disruptive. The projects have sent a message across the state and beyond the state’s borders that Elk City is not a town content to drift. Archer said that they choose the future, set goals, get it done, and finish it. As he compared the momentum Elk City has created, he referred to the high school’s state winning football team. Archer said that momentum learns, momentum adjusts, and momentum wins. Elk City is living proof that momentum can change everything and start to feel unstoppable. “I’m proud of those opening numbers, our momentum, our retail strength, our regional traffic, and our sales tax numbers that outpace communities much bigger than us all across the state. But we can’t just reduce Elk City to a report because momentum is not just economic, it’s emotional. You can feel it in a restaurant on a Friday night. You can feel it in a business spanning downtown. You can feel it when a new family moves here and makes this place home,” he added. Still kicking doesn’t mean that Elk City hasn’t faced challenges, but it means that challenges don’t take the joy out of Elk City. Archer believes that winning for Elk City is not complicated because they don’t wait for perfect conditions, the work is done. They decide what to do and go get it done, which is where it all comes together. “The secret behind all this, it’s not a road, it’s not a building, it’s not a project or a policy. It’s not CAPPs. It’s the people. It’s the people in this room, the Chamber, the business owners, the employees, the ones who open early and stay late, the ones who hire coaches, sponsor, volunteer, and then show up, the ones who do instead of waiting on others to do it for them,” Archer noted. He concluded by asking what things should they do now for the kids and grandkids, who will thank them for later? The momentum begins in the room with each person there with a vision for the future. brother, Gary Womack. Diana leaves a legacy of 9 grandchildren: Guy Mikles and wife Brandy, Todd Garrett and wife Naomi, Matthew Dale Garrett, Alex David Garrett, Hali Sandoval, Stacy Morris and husband Shawn, Stephanie Inman and husband Jake, Samantha Ann Wright and Jennifer Kaye Rangel and husband Jr. and a host of great grandchildren, other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents Farnice and Hazel Womack, husband Gary Martin, father of her children, Sonny Wright, brother Dannie Womack and 2 granddaughters, Valona Jo Wright and Esperanza Isabel Sandoval. Graveside Chapel Services were held on Thursday, January 22, 2026, 2:00 P.M. at Fairlawn Cemetery in Elk City, Oklahoma with Pastor Butch Black officiating. Public viewing for Diana was held on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, from 2:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at Peoples Cooperative Funeral Home, located at 1400 West Main, Lone Wolf, Oklahoma 580846-9018. Online condolences for Diana can be made by visiting www.peoplescooperativefuneralhome.com OBITUARIES DIANA MARTIN Diana Sue Womack Martin passed from this life on January 16, 2026, at home surrounded by family. She was born on June 12, 1939, in Elk City, Oklahoma to Farnice Nolan Womack and Hazel Luella (Judd) Womack. Diana spent her early years in Rosston and Beaver, Oklahoma, finishing her high school years at Elk City, graduating Providing comfort and support for End of Life choices Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness, such as cancer or heart failure. Hospice care also helps family members manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one. For questions regarding hospice service or eligibilty, contact: Carrie Perry, RN - Administrator Brianna Barker, RN - MANAGER OF PATIENT CARE SERVICES SOME OF THE MOST COMMON CONDITIONS ARE: • Cancer • Failure to Thrive • End Stage Cardiac Disease (CHF) • End Stage Cerebrovascular Disease (CVA) • End Stage Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) • End Stage Pulmonary Disease (COPD) • End Stage Liver Disease • End Stage Renal Disease • AIDS/HIV • End Stage Neurological Disease such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s Professional, Passionate Advance, Attentive ... Our Difference is Our Care in 1957. Diana worked two jobs while raising her 5 children. She met the love of her life, Gary Lee Martin and they were married on April 7, 1978, at Prairie View Baptist Church in Elk City and with this union he gained 5 stepchildren. Diana retired from Elk City Lumber serving as bookkeeper for 26 years. Diana and Gary were active members of the Trinity Fellowship Church and attended every chance that they had until they could no longer attend. She loved to read, go camping, watch John Wayne movies, enjoying her pets, working in the yard, feeding and watering the birds. Diana is survived by her two sons Sonny and Patrick Wright, three daughters Delana Hall-Badillo and husband Gabrial, Judy Wright Maddox and Michelle Sandoval and husband Paul, and LARRY BRASELL Larry Lynn Brasuell was born on March 25, 1960 to Henry Ray and Barbara Ann (Thomas) Brasuell in Clinton, OK. Larry attended Paul’s Valley State School. After school, Larry spent the majority of his life in Elk City and Carter. In his spare time he loved to listen to the radio, dance, sing old country songs, and playing the guitar. He enjoyed watching old westerns such as Gunsmoke on TV. He will be greatly missed by his friends and family. He is preceded in death by his parents Henry and Barbara Brasuell, two brothers Troy and Nelson Brasuell, and nephew Jordan Jones. Larry Lynn Brasuell was born on March 25, 1960 to Henry Ray and Barbara Ann (Thomas) Brasuell in Clinton, OK. Larry attended Paul’s Valley State School. After Have you ever considered becoming a hospice volunteer? A fulfulling experience in the spirit of giving and receiving. THE BRANDING IRON restaurant $15.99 Thursday Night Steak & Shrimp Buffet $12.99 Friday Night Catfish & Ribs Buffet Carrie Perry, RN Locally owned & operated. Proudly serving central western Oklahoma since 2011. Dine-In or Carryout Available 1200 S. 10th Street • Clinton, OK • 580-323-5554 school, Larry spent the majority of his life in Elk City and Carter. In his spare time he loved to listen to the radio, dance, sing old country songs, and playing the guitar. He enjoyed watching old westerns such as Gunsmoke on TV. He will be greatly missed by his friends and family.