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For the weeohl'. July 4. 2019
County budget approved
By Van Mitchell
Journal Staff Writer
STILLWATER — The
Payne County Budget
Board met last week to
approve a preliminary
county budget for the new
fiscal year which started
IM‘onday.
’ 2; County Clerk Glenna
jCigaig said the proposed
b‘ijtdget for fiscal year
321319—2020 is about $1
millionhigher than last
year’s budget. .
i' Among those estimate
‘of'needs presented was
Ithe'Sheriff’s office, which
submitted a requestvfor
$1.6 million in funding
:for'salaries to come from
ithe’county’s general fund.
:Last year the department
given $800,000 from
3036 General Fund for that
expense.
,7 This year, other county
officers expressed con—
cerns about spending the
county’s contingency
fund down and denied
that request. The county
had a contingency fund
of $1 million. ‘
“We don’t mind help-
ing out, but I don’t want
to run that account dry,”
said Undersheriff Kevin
Woodward. “We have
become very dependent
on that $800,000, and
that $800,000 will run out .
pretty quick.”
Craig said county jail
has $9.3 million in its
accounts, and the $1.6
million was needed to
help replenish the coun-
ty’s contingency fund.
“I know what you are
saying,” Craig said. “But,-
you have to look at the
whole county’s general
fund. You have $9 mil—
lion, and the whole county
has $1 million.”
Craig said the county
may need to help with
funding for roads for Dis—
trict l and District 3.
“If we only have $1 mil-
lion, we aren’t going to be
able to help Zach (Cavett)
and Rocky (Blasier),” she
said. “I personally would
like to see you take the
$1.6 million out of there,
so we can build the con-
tingency back up.”
Assessor James Cowan
said he felt the county
would need the money
to help fix county roads
which were damaged
or washed out to due to
heavy spring and summer
rains.
“I think these guys are
going toneed the money
for the roads,” Cowan
said.
SPEF making a difference
By Van Mitchell
Journal Staff Writer -
STILLWATER —The
Stillwater Public Education
Foundation funded over
:fiiiflBDOO back to Stillwater
Public Schools classrooms
for the 2018-19 school year,
which was a record high.
SPEF Executive Director
Jennifer Bartley said SPEF
funded $118,501 for SPS.
“Since I have been here,
I think that 'is the highest
“that we have done for a
school year and we are really
excited,” she said:
’Bartley said the funding
goes for a variety of grants
and other awards.
“We do our teacher grants,
and that is $39, 000‘,” she
said. “A little over $35,000
went towards our Tech to
Teach project, which was
continuing our efforts to put
iPads in the lower elemen—
tary gradesf We did pre—K
last year, and then expanded
into kindergarten, and a little
into first grade. That has been
really exciting to be able to
provide that technology that
is age—appropriate for our
early education students.”
'7§3fBartley said SPEF also
helped fund a lighting proj—
ect for the Performing Arts.
Center at Stillwater High
School.
» ,.“We did also did a big
upgrade to lighting at the
high school,” she said. “A
little over $17,000 was spent
on upgrading lighting equip—
ment.”
Stillwater Public Education
Foundation, instituted and
chartered in 1984,is a 501(c)
(3) non-profit foundation.
The idea for SPEF began
with local citizens, Board
of Education members and
school administrators who
wanted to become more
effective in dealing with the
financial difficulties facing
public education.
The foundation is based
on the essential premise
that meaningful enrichment
programs and innovative
instructional materials are
not attainable solely through
traditional funding sources
Since the foundation’s incep-
tion, more than $1.2 Mil-
lion has been provided to
SP8 classrooms through our
teacher grants and technol-
ogy initiatives, positively
impacting thousands of Still-
water students.
SPEF relies on the sup—
port of parents, grandpar-
ents, businesses, educators,
alumni and friends of the)
Stillwater school system
to fund our grants and pro-
grams. We invite you to
make a wise investment that
will make a difference in the
July Yard Of The Month .
‘ , Gihdy Davis who lives at 1004 Payne Street was selected as the Mutual
Improvement Club
yardcf the month for July. Each, month during the summer the Mutual
improvement Club
recognizes an outstanding yard in the Perkinscommunity. Photo provided ‘
r
lives of children today and in
the future.
The dollars raised sponsor
creative SPEF projects such
as interactive and problem
based learning programs
for all areas of curriculum;
suppliesfor music, art, sci—
ence and math; research
for libraries; the Adopt-an-
Author reading and writing
program; and technology
enhancements.
“Mest of our funds are
donated by individuals and
businesses 'within' our com—
munity,” Bartley said.
Bartlexfsaidif‘SPEF‘isv-plan—>
ning its 2019 Celebration of
Excellence fundraiser which
will be held Tuesday, Sept.
24 at OSU’chs Watkins
Center! Tickets will go on
.sale in August.
“We are gearing up and
making plans for that over
the summer,” she said.
Bartley said nominations
are open for SPEF’s 2019
“Powerful Peers” Teacher
Recognition Awards. Nom-
inations are due by Friday,
Aug. 2.
“It is a great opportunity to
recognize a co-worker who
is maybe a mentor teacher,
who really goes out of their
way to help their fellow
teachers,” she said. “That-is
something that we wanted
to celebrate and recognize.”
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Happy Birthday America
The Railroad Yard, located on‘US 177 between Perkins and Stillwater,
unveiled a large 20
foot by 30 foot United States flag from a crane in their yard Monday
morning just in time for
the Independence Day holiday Thursday. ‘
Former teacher accused of sexting
student scheduled for Sept. 9 trial
By Patti Weaver
Journal Correspondent
STILLWATER — The
jury trial for former Cush-
ing teacher Seth Robert
Swaim on a charge of sex-
ting a 13—year-old female
student on Oct. 8, 2018,
has been scheduled by
Payne County‘District
Judge Phillip Corley to
begin on Sept. 9, court
records show. ‘
Swaim, 25, of Still—
water, who reportedly
now is a full—time student,
appeared in court Friday
with defense attorney
Cheryl Ramsey. Swaim
remains free on $50,000
bain’é‘nding- an Aug. 23
pre-trial hearing on the
charge of engaging in
sexual communication
with a‘minor by use of
technology, court records
show. .
Swaim had been arrested
on Oct. 9, 2018, in Cush-
ing~by Stillwater Police
Detective Sherae LeJeune,
a member of the Okla-
homa Crimes Against
Children Task Force, who
was asked by the Cush—
ing Police Department
to aid in an investigation
involving the solicitation
of a miner, her affidavit
alleged. ,
“I was informed that
a 24—year-old Cushing
Public School teacher
was actively talking to a
13-year-old female stu—
dent...via Snapchat Mes-
senger. The content of the
conversation involved the
request of nude images "of .
the minor,” the Stillwater
detective alleged in her
affidavit.
The girl’s parents had
contacted Cushing police
out of concern for their
daughter, the affidavit
alleged.
At the Cushing Police
Department where the
girl and her parents were
present, the Stillwater
police detective was given
.the girl’scellphone that
was open to the Snapchat
message conversation, the
affidavit alleged. “The
conversation with Swaim
was active and ongoing at
that moment,” the affidavit
1.alleged. r
Ctishing' Police Sgt.
Carson Watts had been
allowed by the girl and
her parents to take over the
girl’s“ Snapchat account
to continue conversations
with Swaim, the affidavit
alleged. .
“I read through the con—
versation and learned that
Swaim was making plans
to meet with (the girl)
at the park at 9th Place
and Highland Avenue (in
Cushing) that evening
after 7:30 pm. He asked
her to send pictures of her-
self until they were able
to meet,” the Stillwater
detectiVe alleged in her
affidavit.
“Based on the conversa—
tion,:I did believe Swaim
did solicit sexual conduCt
and did engage in conver-
sation for sexual interest
with a person‘he knew to
be a minor by technol-
ogy (cell phone). I deter-
mined that it was 'vital to
get Swaim in custody,”
the Stillwater detective
alleged in her affidavit.
Before Swaim posted
$50,000 bond to get out
of the Payne County Jail,
Special District Judge
Katherine Thomas told
him that his bail was con-
ditioned on having no con—
tact with the girl or anyone
under ‘18 and no electronic
device in‘ his possession,
.court records show.
Swaim had previously
been charged with public
intoxication and hitting
two vehicles in the parking
lot of’his apartment cem-
plex in Stillwater Without
notifying the owners on
May 9, 2018, a misde-
meanor case that remains
pending”, court records
show.
Five months before his
arrest in that case, Swaim
had been placed on 18
months’ probation for
aggravated drunk driving
on, Oct. 3, 2017, in Still-
water, to which he pleaded
guilty, court records show.
The prosecution alleges
that Swaim violated the
terms of his probation in a
case that remains pending.
If conVi‘cted of sexting
the student while he was
a teacher, Swaim could be
given a maximum penalty
of 10 years in prison and
a $10,000 fine, according
to the felony charge filed
by Payne County Assistant
District Attorney Debra
Vincent. ‘
OSU Police warn about phone scam
STILLWATER —— The
Oklahoma State University
Police Department is warn-
ing Oklahomans about a'
potential scam that appears
to come fromthe depart-
ment’s phone number. More
than 35 people have been a
victim since June 10.
Chief Leon Jones said
some calls or messages have
directed the recipient to
report to the police depart—
ment, where they claim
an officer will be waiting
regarding an outstanding
warrant. Other callers tell
the victim his or her name
has come up regarding a
drug. investigatiOn. One
caller requested inappro-
priate photos of the victim.
In some cases the caller
used the name of an actual
OSUPD officer. r
“These fraudulent mes-
sages and calls are part of a
larger body cf crime where
an individual irnpersonates
a representative of a law
enforcement or government
agency in an effort toobtain
money, gift cards or per-
sdnal infomation,“ Jones
said. “No one would receive
a call from the OSUPD
regarding warrants or the
collection of meney.”
Anyone who receives
a fraudulent call or text
message should notify
their local law enforcement
agency.
' “It’s simple to find the
names of officers off depart-
ment websites and then
'use them with this type of
crime to make the victims
believe the call is-authentic.
Remember, if you do not
initiate the call or message,
do not provide personal
identifying information like
your address, birth, date,
Social Securitynumber or
phbtos,” Jones said. “Under— .
’ standing the nature of these
scams and protecting your
personal information is‘key '
to not becoming a‘victim."
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