November 14, 2026 Issue, Page 1 of 13

Page Text

with Discounts INSIDE s Veteran Celebrating O u r Veterans Honored t Parts, 10 percen O’Reil ly Auto dai10 percen t off By Sheryl Ponce off; Pep Boys, t off oil change s ly and 50 percen ine Ine to be hon- every Wedne sday; Valvol t off Vetera ns deserv busine sses will Chang e, 15 percenup to ored, and many discou nts and stant Oil Adida s, e; invoic h do that throug cel- the total t online and in-stor e, discou nts are 30 percen stores; freebie s. Many ns’ Day, while percen t off outletNike, 10 ebrato ry on Vetera throug hout and 15 t off; carried LL Bean, 10 percen items; Wranothers are busine sses who t off most orders the year. Those for those who percen percen t off onlinepercen t ed gler, 20 show apprec iation Apple, 10 e to be honor once verifie d; ories; serve, deserv tism cts and access their patrio by recogn izing dollars . This is off produ up to 10 percen t off er s Games top, with consum store; Dave way that citizen produ cts in food; off just one small rt vetera ns in an most t percen 15 and Buster s, off most are able to suppo 20 percen t r. ub, manne StubH ct t off; indire busine sses that events ; Top Golf, 10 percenup to Some of the get nts includ e Lowe’s Costco, new memb ers nt provid e discou Shop Card; 10 percen t discou li- a $60 digital Costco t percen who gives a 15 liams, milita ry eligibi 10 Sherw in-Wil Diamo nds, 10 perafter verifie d rg also offers a Helzbe Depot a- off; ty; Home Pet Health Innt with verific cent off; APCA t on first percen t discou Shops and Cabe- suranc e, save 15 percen tion; Bass Pro t on every Salute” “Legen dary l and 10 percen 10 anima ck, es la’s offers a Outba Locke r provid l afterw ards; discou nt; Foot NFL shop, most anima discou nt on t off every day; a 10 percen t Car- percen t off online orders ; Parverific ation; Parry 15 percen purcha ses after percen t off any 15 percen t milita amoun t +, 50 life of the hart offers a h an online vert+ plan for the discou nt throug s; Eddie Bauer amoun ss Cruise up iption ; Prince ificatio n proces 15 percen t dis- subscr rd spend ing onboa free a to $250 of AT&T, also provid es ; Old Navy offers money on all cruise s; and most on count via ID.me t online percen discou nt on save up to 20 ss plans. a 10 percen t Armou r gives wirele purcha ses; Under ry discou nt unlim ited is only a sampli ng of t milita This list ns, and ers; a 20 percen family memb nts offered vetera that includ es brand discou subjec t to change as it es exclus ive t they are GOVX provid at the time nts for curren a known list the and ticket discou ry memb ers; is only g. Check with printin milita r this protecting and forme memb er of ss to verify the the ground or retaile r or busine WeSal ute offers than boots on y. and perks gentyrann are travel cash nt. ble, but they countries from y rt saving s and retail, discou is not only admira a hero may sound other n and suppo year that the countr ring travel, Honor a vetera suppo rt the Being The one day a s have across partne By Sheryl Ponce uinely heroes. hero is brands . service that veteran busine sses that the meaning of es. It is al to the and hospit ality to honors the veter- the bit simple, but famili minim a of is safety y list their her a goes, or countr and to the e who risks his VA News gives Day comes and dis- milita ry to give back on history and What a given As Veterans’ ry year round or the least one can do individu- someon they have had r or protect others. an and milita schools, and ed by their work. have put his/he - help, rescue, tion of anyone who has impact of busine ss communities, y freedoms preserv to those who who have protect descrip for grantcounts by type with the the of the busiline for the countr or her sacrifice als celebrate those citizens who enjoy perfect uniform the Some his . on States take Don’t a United the merch andise e in- lives free democ each and every ed the rights of have been passed on put on on their websit a- and freedo ms in this ing others. honor a veteran cup of coffee every nesses listed a intension of protect ht that have been ed but se of each and Watch Comp the freedoms that h b h h it is buying se Honoring Tho Who Ser ved SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2026 Weekend Edition REES Congratulates Archer on AIA Honor By Sheryl Ponce Elk City architect, Katie Archer, was selected as an American Institute of Architects (AIA)– Central Oklahoma Chapter’s RH Prasad Honorary Award recipient. According to REES architectural firm’s announcement about the award, it was presented to those individuals who have contributed to the betterment of the architectural profession, the community, and the built environment. “Katie is a dedicated leader, mentor and advocate in the industry. A member of AlA Central Oklahoma Katie Archer since 2003, she has given her time and talent to supporting emerging professionals, advancing architectural education and strengthening communities across Oklahoma. We’re proud of Katie’s contributions to AIA Central Oklahoma and our community,” REES said in their announcement. Archer, AIA is an Architect, Project Manager and Designer at REES. She has more than 15 years of experience leading clients through the architectural process from inception through construction. Her strong client relationship skills have resulted in high client satisfaction and repeating clients. Katie is an American Institute of Architects registered architect in the State of Oklahoma, is a LEED Accredited Professional in sustainable design. In addition, Katie serves on the REES Board of Directors and is a Senior Associate with the firm. “When I was younger, I wanted to go to medical school. However, after a single semester at OU, I changed my mind. Every day I would walk past the school of architecture where the lights would be on at all hours of the day and night. I told my parents that I wanted to switch my major to architecture over winter break during my freshman year. My earliest memories were of spaces and places,” Archer said in an article about her accomplishments in “GoWest” magazine. She went on to say, “Seeing projects become real is the best part of her career. They (architects) will work on projects for years. The hardest part of her job is letting a challenge get the better of me. The industry is constantly changing, and especially because it moves faster, it’s more dependent on technology, but it is also more friendly to women. While women make up approximately 42 percent of architecture students, only one out of four members of the American Institute of Architects are wom- en. Women are more likely to step away from a demanding profession related to family commitments. I have been extremely fortunate to have a supportive spouse, parents, and in laws who all make it possible for me to be both a mother and an architect.” She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oklahoma and her MBA from Oklahoma City University. While at OU she met her husband, Nick. They have two children, Alexander and Emilia. She is the See ARCHER page 2 ECPS Board Hears Proposed ‘Opportunity Culture Program’ from Kayla Watkins By Sheryl Ponce Gov. Stitt Promotes Oklahoma Opportunity Zone that Could Bring New Investment to Elk City By Sheryl Ponce Governor Kevin Stitt and the Department of Commerce announced the Federal Opportunity Zones (OZs) that were created by Congress as part of the Investing in Opportunity Act, included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, were finalized. There have been 104 strategic sites across Oklahoma designated as opportunity zones to attract private investors. One of those sites is located just south of I-40, extending north toward Roger Mills County. This tract was chosen because of its proximity to I-40, existing industrial potential near Merritt Road, and its suitability for development. According to Gov. Stitt, Elk City is interested in developing the current industrial parks west of town. The OZs are designed to stimulate long-term private investment in low-income urban and rural See BOARD page 2 communities. This allows investors to realize federal tax benefits by investing capital gains in Qualified Opportunity Funds. Stitt explained the proposed sites, “We chose 104 that we were allowed to choose from, and the governor’s office and the Department of Commerce tried to basically spread them out between industrial parks, communities desiring to have housing, shovel-ready sites, but basically the idea is to attract long-term private investment all across the state and their designated kind of low-income area below the medium income of that specific kind of census area.” He continued to say, “We’re really excited about Elk City. We chose a See STITT page 2 Oklahoma Weighs $50 Billion Nuclear Research Opportunity as Elk City Makes Shortlist By Sheryl Ponce District 55 Representative Nick Archer was the guest speaker at the Elk City Rotary Club’s regular weekly meeting. He gave the group an update about the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus initiative. This program involves a potential $50 billion investment in one or more states, which establishes nuclear power facilities. “One of the big things that the federal government of the Department of Energy has been working towards is a nuclear renaissance in the nation, and The Elk City Public School’s Board of Education met for their regular monthly meeting, Monday, Nov. 9th, at 7 p.m., in the board office. President Brandon Storm called the meeting to order and asked for public comments from Superintendent Mike Sparks. Having none, the board continued to hear Intermediate principal, Kayla Watkins’ discussion about the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Program with Opportunity Culture. “It’s all about a growth mindset, and in this program and this structure, it ranges from every student at all four sites to teachers, prospective teachers, teacher candidates, administration, and ultimately, I believe it’s going to tie back to the legacy that I believe is going to be left,” Watkins began. “There are multiple levels that this can apply to. I’m going to start with the teacher’s role. So first, you have a teacher assistant, but not in the typical form. A candidate that is going to be a teacher or is going to school to be a teacher or wants to be a teacher. We take that person and we place them with the very best of our teachers in each building. All day long, they are getting high-quality educational experience, learning from the very best of what we have. It allows them to go out and get more hands on the ground and in more classrooms.” She went on to explain that the teachers who are so for those of you who don’t know, nuclear power proliferated the United States in the late 50s through the early 70s. Events abroad as well as an event at Three-Mile Island, basically just stopped all of them. That is not to say that nuclear power hasn’t been a big piece of our power generation in the United States. There are 96 reactors across almost 30 states, which have operated silently and efficiently for decades,” Archer explained. He went on to talk about the fuel that comes out of the reactor that spends about five years within the reactor. Due to the fission process, other Weather tomorrow RCCT Presents an Evening of Murder and Mystery By Sheryl Ponce elements are created as those atoms split, and as that happens, new elements are created. This decreases the efficiency of that reaction. “You run that material for about five years, and at that time, that material then goes to on-site dry storage, where it is forever sent, until now,” Archer said. “The Department of Energy’s nuclear lifecycle innovation campus initiative is $50 billion investment spread amongst the single or potential couple of states who win an award. The eco- The Red Carpet Community Theatre is returning with another murder mystery dinner called, “Bump Off at the BBQ.” Join in the fun at the Elk City Golf and Country Club on Dec. 5th at 6 p.m. Go to rcct.org to reserve a spot for this evening of entertainment and dinner with the cast of this popular Australian interactive party game. The setting is in a neighborhood backyard barbeque in a small town gathering, where the host is suddenly found dead in the middle of a social event. Guests will roleplay assigned characters to uncover hidden motives and secrets to solve the murder. Be prepared for colorful personalities or out-of-place guests throughout the evening. Tables are limited, therefore, when seats are gone, they are gone. Suspicion will run rampant because everyone is a suspect, during an evening that is full of twists and turns. To find out who killed “Willy Willy,” See NUCLEAR page 2 See RCCT page 2 45 / 39 99/70 Vol.No. 122,54 No. 46 Vol. 117, 75 cents 75 cents, 12 pgs. Mail delivery Home delivery 580.225.3000 580.225.3000 Viewonline online View elkcityoknews.com elkcityoknews.com