"Payne County's Oldest Newspaper : Since 1890"
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Voters Go
To The Polls
Tuesday
Voters in Stillwater will
go to the polls for a spe-
cial municipal election in
addition to the Presidential
Preferential Primary elec-
tion on Super Tuesday,
which falls on March 6
this year. The first Tues-
day in either February or
March of a presidential
election year is known as
Super Tuesday because
a large number of states
hold primary elections on
the same day.
$tillwater Journal
Page A1
SPORTS
Lady Demons
Win; Demons
Ousted
The Perkins,Tryon; ,i
Lady Demons are within a
game,of reaching the Clas
4A state tournament again
following last weekend's
regional tournament
sweep. It culminated with
a 47-40 win over the Byni
Lady Pirates Saturday
night at Okmulgee. On th,
, flipside, the Demons were
eliminated from further
post-season action.
Page B1
3ALENDAR
r .... them to
' ':i.@theJoumalok.com
,r i'inn _ Perkins
rPmunity Chamber
emmerce meeting,
VassarCommunity Center
• Mar 5, 6-8:30 p.m.
- Monday Music Night,
Perkins Senior Citizens
Center, 114 E. Kirk
• Mar 5, 7 p.m. - Perkins-
Tryon Board of Education
Meeting, Superintendent's
office
• Mar 7, noon - Perkins
Lions Club meeting,
Holsinger Lions Den
• Mar 7, 7 p.m.
- Alcoholics Anonymous
(AA) meeting, Perkins
Lions Den
• Mar 9, 5-7 p.m - Perkins
Community Chamber of
Commerce Business After
Hours
• Mar 11 - Daylight Saving
Time begins
• Mar 12, 6-8:30 p.m.
- Monday Music Night,
Perkins Senior Citizens
Center, 114 E. Kirk
• Mar 13, 6 p.m. - Perkins
City Commission meeting,
City Hall Annex.
• Mar 13, 7 p.m. - Perkins
Masonic Lodge #92
meeting, 915 E. Kirk
Church .................. C3
Classifieds .......... B4-B5
Comics .................. B6
Entertainment ...... C2
Farm & Ranch._ .... $6
Hisiory .................. A5
Obituaries ........... A2
Opinions ........... A4, $4
Public Records .... $2
School .................. A6
, Seniors ................. C4
Sports ................. B1 -B4
Elementary School Addition Progressing
By Cindy Sheets
Contributing Writer
Perkins-Tryon Elemen-
tary School is a busy place.
A walk down the hallways
reveal rows of backpacks,
original student artwork,
and the low buzz of conver-
sation, but it's the activity
out behind the school that
is especially exciting.
Construction of the
school's new addition is
well underway.
"About 70 percent of the
walls are up," school prin-
cipal Bobby Simma last
week said. "They plan to
pour concrete for the safe
rooms on Saturday."
The 17,000-square-foot
addition classrooms are
pproximately 750-square-
feet each and each will have
'a restroom. All classrooms
will be equipped with com-
puters and smart boards.
The addition also features
a 2,480-square-foot multi-
purpose room, along with a
teacher workroom, storage
areas, and restrooms.
"The multi-purpose room
will be a good place for
little kids to romp around
and play in inclement
weather," Simma said.
Simma said Partners In
Education (PIE) provided
funds for play materials,
toys, games for the multi-
purpose room, with Pre-K
students in mind.
Simma said cafeteria staff
will transport food to the
multi-purpose room for Pre-
K meals. The multi-purpose
room will also be used for
physical education, and will
serve as a safe room.
Perkins-Tryon Superintendent James Ramsey (foreground, left) and Elementary School
Principal Bobby Simma view progress on construction of a new 11-classroom addition to the
school, which can be seen in the background. Heritage Construction started on the project
just after start of the 2011 fall semester. Photo by Cindy Sheets
The new addition will be
connected to the south wing
of the current elementary
school building.
The building's color
scheme was selected to
appeal to young children,
which is important, since
it will soon house Pre-Kin-
dergarten and Kindergarten
classes.
Simma said the elemen-
tary students haven't really
expressed much interest in
the new building yet, but
they have missed their
playground, which has
been off-limits due to its
proximity to the construc-
tion area.
"This has certainly,
wrecked our playgrounds,"
Simma said. "We're thank-
See SCHOOL, Page A3
OnCue store closing due to drainage project
By Cindy Sheets has been completed. ODOT had the station for a short
Contributing' Writer
A long-time Perkins
business will soon be clos-
ing its doors to make way
for a solution to the area's
flooding problems:
The OnCue convenience
store situated at the south-
west comer of the intersec-
tion of State Highway 33
and U.S. :Highway,797
is the last of several gas
stations and convenience
stores to be located on the
site.
The location is part of
a $6.2 million Oklahoma
Department of Transporta-
tion (ODOT) project that
will alleviate storm water
drainage problems that have
plagued the community for
more than 100 years.
Store owner Harland Wells
was this month notified by
ODOT that the purchase of
right-of-way at that location
intends to take physical pos-
session of the property by
April 20.
The project includes
installation of a storm water
holding pond and drainage
conduits that will direct the
water from the trouble spot
approximately 1.5 miles
south through Perkins and
on to the Cimarron River.
Local historian David
Sasser said C.A. Moser
opened a grocery and filling
station at the site in 1936.
"Moser's son, Charlie,
operated it for a few years,
then sold it to his brother,
Jack, in 1947," Sasser said.
"After severe flooding in
1959, the Mosers moved
their station to 202 N.
Main.
"Doyle Harral owned
Harral's Gibble station
there from 1970 to 1976.
Larry Hall and Bill Sasser
time before Richard Pitt-
man [purchased it]."
Wells said he purchased
the business from Rich-
ard and Jo Pittman in the
summer..of 1978. ....... :
Wellald,':' "At that time,
it was a little Gibble Gas
store with no canopy."
Wells said the land was
first leased from Pearl
Freeman, who died in
1982. Kenneth and Helen
McWherter inherited the
property from Freeman;
years later, the property
See ONCUE, Page A3
Lionel Harris, unidentified Total Petroleum representative,
Ken McWherter, former Perkins Mayor Donnell Boyclstun,
and Harland Wells (I to r) at the ribbon cutting of the Whistle
Stop in 1978. Photo provided
Couples jailed on nleth charges
By Patti Weaver
Journal Correspondent
Two Coyle couples
have been jailed in
Payne County on mul-
tiple charges of endeav-
'Change for Chad'
By Cindy Sheets
Contributing Writer
A large group of area resi-
dents showed up Saturday
evening, Feb. 25, to enjoy a
barbecue dinner in support of
a local man.
The "Change for Chad"
benefit dinner was hosted by
family and friends of Chad
CoUum of Perkins. Collum is
in liver failure and is awaiting
a liver transplant.
. Friends and relatives are
working to raise funds to
help medical and day-to-day
expenses while Collum is
unable to work.
The Saturday event was
held at the Perkins-Tryon
High School commons area,
and featured the barbecue
dinner, plus silent auction
items and a raffle.
Debbie Clinesmith, one of
the event organizers, Monday
said 367 people were served
at the dinner. A silent auction
held during the evening also
provided 35 to 40 quality
items donated by local resi-
dents and businesses.
"We really appreciate the
big turnout and everyone's
support," Clinesmith said.
"We plan to have another
event like this in the
summer."
Clinesmith said all of
the food for the dinner was
donated by local businesses
and residents.
If you we'e unable to
attend the dinner, but would
like to help by purchasing a
raffle ticket, drop by Frontier
Realty in Perkins or stop by
Payne Cotmty Bank Saturday
morning. Raffle tickets are
$5 each or 5 for $20. Several
items, including a fiat-screen
tv, a John Deere toy tractor,
and a CHI hair straightener,
are up for grabs in a raffle
drawing, which will be held
on March 1.
"Change for Chad" t-shirts
are also available at Model
Tee Screenprinting in Per-
kins. A portion of all sales
will be donated to Collum.
Volunteers serve mouthwatering plates of barbecue to
diners during the "Change for Chad" dinner Saturday eve-
ning at Perkins-Tryon High School commons area. Photo by
Cindy Sheets
oring to manufacture
methamphetamine on the
property of another man
who said that "just kinda
moved themselves in,"
according to an affidavit
by Deputy Daniel Nack.
Johnny Robin Battle,
26, and Tammy Thi
Keeler, 27, live in a shed
behind the property in the
7700 block of S. Vassar
Road in rural Coyle,
while Juanita Marie
Munoz, 45, and Richard
Joseph Keeler, 29, live in
a bedroom in the house,
the affidavit alleged.
All four were arrested
Feb. 19 while a team of
Stillwater police officers,
Payne County sheriff's
deputies and state nar-
cotics agents "were
conducting interdiction
missions at the Stillwa-
ter area pharmacies," to
monitor pseudoephedrine
purchases, an affidavit
alleged.
Battle was the first
to be taken into custody
after being observed at
a Walmart store on W.
Sixth Street while buying
a box of cold compress
packs containing ammo-
nium nitrate-- that can
be used in the meth
manufacturing process,
Stillwater Police Officer
Kyle Bruce wrote in an
affidavit.
After Battle was
arrested on an outstand-
ing municipal warrant,
the driver of the pickup,
in which he was travel-
ing, consented to a search
of his vehicle, the affida-
vit alleged.
"Under a pile of jack-
ets, I found two Walmart
sacks. One sack contained
a box of cold compress
packs and the other sack
contained a package of
lithium batteries. Both
items are used in the
methamphetamine manu-
facturing process," Bruce
alleged in his affidavit.
Battle initially claimed
that he bought the cold
packs for his injured
thumb and the batter-
ies for his portable CD
player, but eventually
said he purchased them
"to take them back to the
place he was staying to
give them to some friends
to make meth," the affi-
davit alleged.
"Battle said the cold
packs and lithium bat-
teries were the last items
needed to start the manu-
facturing process," the
affidavit alleged.
The pickup driver -
who was not charged
-- told .an officer that
See METH, Page A4
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