The Final Six Months Of 2024
The Times-Democrat takes a look back at the stories that shaped our lives in the final six months of 2024. Much of the news coverage centered on recovery efforts from the devastating tornado that destroyed much of the downtown Sulphur area on April 27. Later in the year, the Sulphur football team gave the local community something to cheer about as they made it to the state championship game in December. Here is a synopsis of those events by reporter Mike West:
July
July 4 -- A rare piece of economic good news was announced as Murray County Commissioners learned that the county has $6.5 million in funds to begin the new fiscal year. Collections for 2024 are up more than $70,000 over last year. The two-cent sales tax proceeds are divided with the county offices and entities getting one cent, and another one cent is dedicated to Arbuckle Memorial Hospital.
At their monthly meeting the Sulphur School Board members approved a new policy regarding communications between students and teachers/coaches. The policy is dictated by a new state law now in effect. The law requires that teachers/coaches communicating electronically with students must include the parent(s) in the messaging.
Approved platforms for electronic and digital communications will be designated by the board of education, the policy states. There are serious penalties for violating the new law, according to school officials.
Wolves Den Ranch near Davis has earned an Oklahoma Centennial Ranch award from the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Department of Agriculture. This is the first time a Murray County property has received this award. Owned by William Wright, the ranch was first settled in 1892 by great-grandfather Ira H.S. Wilson.
State Climatologist Gary McManus declared the “tornado frenzy” of April and May over as no tornados were reported in June. In the previous two months there were 102 tornadoes in the state, including a record 55 in April. Dangerous weather continued, McManus explained, “with historic rainfall, extreme heat and drought, and severe thunderstorms” in the region. Notably, on June 18-19 the Panhandle had “a 1,000-year rainfall event causing catastrophic flooding on the flat terrain of the region.”
July 11 -- Sulphur City Council continues to make progress moving forward after the April tornado. At the regular meeting this week the council approved several street paving and bridge projects. Most agenda items were approved. The city manager updated the council on regular FEMA meetings about damage inventory. There also was discussion of tearing out and replacing sidewalks and streets and moving utilities in the damaged downtown area.
Looking Back
FEMA has provided Sulphur with $2.167 million in individual assistance to homeowners and businesses, according to Murray County Emergency Manager Brian McDaniel. The figures were provided to the county commissioners at their weekly meeting. Already 327 households have been approved for assistance.
The Small Business Administration also has approved more than $4.5 million assistance for homes and businesses.
Another story this week noted that July 31 is the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance. Murray County is one of numerous counties in the state eligible for the federal help.
An Independence Day celebration at the Artesian Hotel drew a large holiday crowd over the weekend;. The Chickasaw Nation’s Beats and Bites event featured bands playing, inflatables, and food trucks.
July 18 -- Progress has already begun to bring businesses back to downtown after the weather disaster. A page 1 story this week describes how a non-profit organization is “stepping up for a Sulphur business destroyed in the April 27 tornado.
The Mix Mercantile Exchange at West 3rd St. and MuskogeeAve. took a direct hit from the EF-3 twister. Now, Heart to Heart on Main Street is donating $10,000 to help the “Mix” as it is known in the community, rebuild on the site. An official with Heart on Main organization explained, “The Mix Mercantile is a beloved local shop … it was more than just a store; it was a vibrant hub for the community and visitors.”
The Mix owner Christy Morris thanked the Heart on Main Street retailers for the donation, noting it will be used “to help us rebuild and come back bigger and better.”
Sometimes out of disasters useful creative ideas are born. Such is the case of former Sulphur residents Sheri Hicks Witham, of Henryetta, and Gary Hicks of Tulsa. The pair are hand crafting “Sulphur Strong” Walking Sticks from limbs of trees that were destroyed in the tornado. The sticks sell for $25 and all proceeds are being donated to tax deductible Community Foundation Account at First National Bank in Sulphur.
The Oklahoma State University Extension office in Murray County has become a center for disaster response after the tornado. Astory this week detailed how the office was swamped with calls by hundreds of people offering help. Educator Debbie Sharp reported, “We were overwhelmed with calls from people all over the country -- the phone was ringing every 30 seconds.”
County employees and hundreds of volunteers worked at the Expo Center to organize the disaster response, including: donated goods inventories, managing work assignments, and preparing meals for storm victims, emergency response personnel, electrical linemen and cleanup crews.
Sharp also reported that the response was helped by the OSU Extension Disaster Assistance Response Team.
Oddly enough, Sulphur sales tax is up from mid-May to Mid-June! The city collected about $45,000 more in sales tax revenue compared to the same time last year. The total collected this year is $372,089.55. The tornado recovery during that time might be part of the reason for the extra revenue, as there were hundreds of out-of-town aide workers here assisting in the recovery effort. Use tax revenue, however, was down in that period by about $7,000 according to figures from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
Two stories this week announced emerging threats from viruses. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported the first human case and death caused by West Nile Virus. The case was in southwest Oklahoma. WNV spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito that has fed on infected birds. An OSDH official explained that summer is the beginning of WNV season here, and that the number of infected cases is expected to increase.
The other virus story concerned a confirmed case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in an Oklahoma dairy herd. Twelve other states have reported confirmed cases, with the first detection in March. There is no concern about the safety of pasteurized milk or dairy products, officials say; the commercial milk supply remains safe.
Looking Back
Finally this month, three Oklahoma legislators, in separate stories, have weighed in on the Trump assassination attempt in Pennsylvania recently. Congressman Tom Cole called the attempt “truly chilling,” adding that political violence of any kind “is never acceptable and is un-American.” State Senator Darrell Weaver (R-Moore) said, “Oklahomans should demand answers” as to how a 20-year-old with no known training could get close enough to shoot “without detection, or without penetrating any level of security.” Weaver suggested that the “apparent security plan was inadequate.”
Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) issued a statement commenting on the assassination attempt, saying, “Political differences are never a justification for violence. We must continue to pray for our Nation, and find a path forward together. May God continue to bless America.”
All three men also noted the firefighter who lost his life in the incident, recognizing him as a true hero.
July 25 -- The CNRA here has a new Superintendent, Devon Bradley, park officials announced this week. He begins his assignment in August. Bradley had been working here as the acting superintendent, serving during the devastating tornado that extensively damaged the park. He comes here from the Grand Canyon National Park as the facility management deputy chief for the National Park Service. He succeeds Bill Wright who recently retired.
Construction news dominated the front page this week. The major bond project at Sulphur Public Schools that had been delayed in the early stages due to legal issues with the state and local codes is now underway. A photo shows progress on the $35 million project as concrete walls are erected and steel beams are installed at the high school site.
The project includes a new auditorium, gymnasium, several career tech classrooms and additional classrooms at the school. Superintendent Matt Holder reported on progress with repairs to the extensively damaged campus by the April tornado. While repairs could take up to a year to complete, Holder said some of the damage is repaired or in progress now. School board members have approved a calendar change to allow school to start one week later than planned, which now is August 15.
Engineering fees of nearly $200,000 have been approved by city council members recently for the repaving of 39 blocks with the City of Sulphur. Areas proposed for resurfacing were listed in the article.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive a $124 million bridge project award through the Federal Highway Administration to replace the US-70 Roosevelt Bridge across Lake Texoma in Southeastern Oklahoma. The bridge was built in 1945.
In his weekly column, Congressman Tom Cole explained in detail all of the 12 bills that have been delivered out of the House Appropriations Committee, which he now chairs. Cole explained he and the committee have worked hard to get the bills marked up and out of committee before August. When he was elected to the committee leadership, Cole said he set a goal to meet that deadline. “Earlier this month, we delivered on that promise,” he added.
August
August 1 -- The lead story in the paper this week was about the damage to the park from the April tornado. Megan Wilkins, a spokesperson for the CNRA, traced the storm’s history, which began as the twister touched down south of Veterans Lake. It traveled 1.4 miles and was a half mile wide, she explained. “Most trees in the tornado’s path were uprooted or had their canopies sheared off,” Wilkins reported. “Approximately 2,000 trees were destroyed with many more damaged,” she added.
For locals, the most iconic tree impacted by the tornado was the Monkey Tree. It is about 130 years old. Generations of children have climbed and played on its gangly limbs. It was damaged in the tornado, but is expected to be saved. The Walnut Grove Picnic Area is closed to the public while cleanup and care for the tree takes place, officials said.
Lots of tornado relief help is on the way as mobile resources and services are to arrive at the Artesian Hotel on Friday, Aug. 2. The community resource event, called “Health and Hope on Wheels,” is hosted by Oklahoma Human Services, Murray County Health Dept. and Chickasaw Nation. Services include: food, medical and child care subsidy assistance programs, medical check-ups and minor illness treatment, school/sports physicals, and Women, Infants and Children services.
Looking Back
If Hollywood plans to do a tornado movie, it’s likely that Oklahoma is at the top of their location scouting list. Well, it’s happened again -- A sequel to the 1996 “Twister” movie was released on July 19 with the title of “Twisters.”
A story this week details the key Oklahoma locations featured in the movie. The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Dept. is highlighting some of these locations. Large and small communities featured in the latest film will benefit from visitors wanting a first-hand look at the sites. The original “Twister” movie was a block buster at the box office, and so was the latest sequel.
A concert called “Roots Run Deep” was held recently at Smokin’ Joes, south of Davis. It was a fundraiser for the Sulphur tornado victims, one of several such events recently. Sulphur’s TJ Todd is pictured performing at the event.
Murray County Deputy Mike Woods’ K-9 partner Max is pictured with about 15 pounds of marijuana interdicted on a routine I-35 traffic stop recently. The dog smelled the pot in the vehicle driven by a 40-year-old man from Texas. The man was arrested and later posted a $15,000 bond.
August 8 -- Lots of school news from the school board meeting dominates the front page this week. Superintendent Matt Holder reported all repairs have been completed that are necessary to allow for start of school on August 15. He also updated the board members on the tornado repairs and meetings with insurance company and FEMA regarding financial help for the school. Transportation Director Corey Cole reported that there are enough new buses in place to start school, and all are now air conditioned. The district lost most of its buses in the tornado.
A color photo showed progress on the schools’ new gym as steel framework is going up. The gym and auditorium, also under construction, are part of the $35 million voter-approved bond project.
Kim Crawford presented an academic report updating the board on the district-wide curriculum that has been worked on over the past four years. She also reported on the huge success of promoting the ACT Testing and Scores at the high school level. Sulphur’s overall composite for 2023 was higher than the overall state average, she said..
Murray County Ag Extension Educator John Holman celebrated his retirement after 11 years at a luncheon recently. During his service here, Holman was very involved with the county 4-H program as well as working with the Blue Thumb water conservation and water monitoring program.
Oklahoma hospitals boost the state economy by more than $30 billion according to a new report released by the Oklahoma Hospital Association recently. Hospitals supported 186,000 jobs statewide and $12.7 billion in earnings for Oklahoma households, the report states. Hospitals offer high-skilled jobs with the average annual wage of $68,922, which is 28 percent higher than the statewide average. August 15 -- A period of confusion has apparently been ongoing about the cleanup efforts from the April tornado. The city council members, at their regular meeting, heard from frustrated citizens and business owners regarding recent notices placed on tornado-ridden properties in Sulphur. A copy of one notice was printed along with the front page story. City Manager Andy Freeman brought some clarity to the situation as he explained the notices were necessary to open the conversation between property owners and the city about progress in the cleanup process and for the possible FEMA reimbursement process.
The council gave authorization to city officials to obtain two separate Bridge Loans for the FEMA Debris Removal as well as the OWRB/Chickasaw Nation Water Project to comply with state requirements for funds availability before bidding begins. In the continuing search for funds for tornado cleanup, the council members approved action on a Disaster Assistance Agreement for Emergency and Major Disasters with the State of Oklahoma. This would allow the city to receive financial aid from the state.
The tornado is finally having a negative impact on Sulphur sales tax collections in June-July. Sales and use tax collections were down just over $39,000 from last year’s totals reported by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The expected drop in the revenue was due in part to the departure of many hundreds of tornado relief workers who have begun to wind down their efforts and return to their homes, a page 1 article explained. The other county sales tax collecting entities also experienced declines. Murray County was down $2,000; Davis declined about $7,000; and Dougherty was down one half from last year -- about $500.
In his long-running history column, local historian Dennis Muncrief told a fascinating story about the very early settlement of what was to become Platt National Park and Sulphur town. The timeframe was 1860’s to 1890’s, a sometime violent period that included the U.S. Civil War. The Chickasaws and Choctaws peacefully reached agreements to settle lands in this area and beyond. Muncrief’s story details important historical events including tribes fighting each other and even a “massacre” of many Tonkawas, a tribe disliked by the southern plains tribes.
August 22 -- Even amid tornado cleanup activities, the city is beginning major water line projects in the area. Recently construction activity is particularly visible around the schools and football field area. A front page photo showed a large pipeline being installed to carry raw, untreated water for irrigation to schools’ practice football fields, other school areas and the Sulphur Hills Golf Course. The water will be provided by the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District, which manages the Lake of the Arbuckles.
Another large water project is mandated by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to replace water lines containing lead. A line to be replaced runs from the east side water plant west on Wynnewood St. to W. 13th St.
On a sad note, A Blanchard grandfather made the ultimate sacrifice in saving his grandson from possibly drowning in Rock Creek in the CNRA recently. In an area known as the :”Forty-Foot Hole” the man was assisting his struggling grandson, which he succeeded in doing. However, the man went under the water and did not resurface, officials said. He was transported to Arbuckle Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced deceased later.
There are problems brewing with the Oklahoma State Department of Education addressed by three stories in the paper this week. The major concerns raised by legislators and private citizens are regarding alleged OSDE funding disbursement issues. The stories involve explanation of various concerns by a state legislator, the state attorney general, and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
August 29 -- A surprise fire at the city’s limb disposal yard last weekend burned up about 125,000 square yards of tornado mixed debris. The pile included what officials called “unknown contents.” Several big explosions at the site put firemen in a defensive mode, building a containment line around the fire. The vegetation debris pile also caught fire after one of the explosions.
Money is beginning to flow to deal with the urgent tornado recovery process here, and that is good news for Sulphur, a story says. At a recent meeting of the Sulphur Task Force at theArtesian Hotel, House Speaker Charles McCall explained that the city is designated to receive $15 million in state funds to aid in the recovery. The funds are from the Oklahoma Emergency Management, and will be available immediately while the community waits on FEMA reimbursements.
More funding is generated from a successful fundraiser on Aug. 17 called “Party for the Plaza.” Nearly $21,000 was raised to go toward repair for the Sulphur City Plaza that was destroyed in the April 27 tornado. The outdoor event was held near the Artesian Hotel. Speaker Charles McCall presented $10,000 of the total raised, which came from the state legislature. The crowd at the event enjoyed performances by several popular entertainers, ending with the feature act, the TJ Band in the evening.
Looking Back
At their meeting on the 19th, the Murray County Commissioners approved accepting funds from the Oklahoma Opioid Settlement amounting to $180,871.87. The county will receive the funds over the next seven years.
In other action at the meeting, the commissioners approved agreements with architects and RFD Construction to proceed with the remodeling of the Court House.
September
September 5 -- Fall is county fair time in Murray County. The lead story this week is by Debbie Sharp, who traces the history of county fairs in North America all the way back to 1765! The fair kicks off for a three-day run this weekend at the Expo.
Fair activities include animal judging, shooting competitions, cupcake judging, skillet throwing, horse show, Lego building, OHCE booths, live music, 4-H concession stand, and a 4-to-6 year old’s tractor race, among other attractions.
Fall also is Sulphur Bulldog football time. The season begins this Friday at Washington. This year’s team is “one of the stronger football programs of the last several decades,” a front page story explains.
A story about risks to the health of young people reported some really good news. The 2023 Oklahoma Youth Risk Behavior Survey dramatically showed that “not all high school students are engaging in risky health behaviors” the story states. The survey indicated a 77% decrease in cigarette smoking among teens since 2013. Vaping also is down among students.
The latest data show: 95.7% of students did not drive a vehicle after they had been drinking alcohol; 80.9% did not use marijuana in the past 30 days; 75.5% had never smoked a cigarette; 95.7% did not smoke a cigarette in the past 30 days; 71.2% were not sexually active.
September 12 -- A bit of chaos prevailed at the city council’s meeting Monday as the group removed an agenda item without a vote. The item that has appeared on agenda’s over the years is the public participation part of the meeting. This means citizens will no longer be allowed to address council members during regularly scheduled meetings.
The city attorney recommended the item be placed back on next month’s agenda for discussion and possibly creating a policy.
This time of the year, we are in election season, too. A story reminds citizens of approaching voter registration deadline. Nov. 5 is general election day in this Presidential election year.
Finally, this issue featured tips for fall gardening from the county extension office, which also provided suggestions for preparing your home for fall and winter.
September 19 -- Several local law enforcement agencies worked on a multi-day probe of two reports of stolen vehicles recently. The vehicles were taken from separate locations on the west side of Sulphur, according to reports. Two suspects were eventually arrested.
The aftermath of the tornado continues to mean extra work for city officials. The city council recently had yet another special meeting called to deal with some “housekeeping items.” They approved action on a grant application by the fire department for funds to help re-build the fire truck sub-station that was lost in the storm. The council also discussed seeking quotes on outsourcing waste management services.
Sulphur Bulldogs steamrolled the Davis Wolves Friday night 42-7, the 8th win in 9 years of the series for the Dawgs. Thousands of fans from both towns filled Agee Field here to witness the historic rivalry game. Sulphur Coach Corey Cole summed up the victory simply, saying, “We did everything we set out to do.”
Murray County Sheriff’s Department has received a $150,000 grant through the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office Funding Assistance Grant Program. All 77 counties have applied for funding through the new program.
September 26 -- The city council continues to call Special Meetings to deal with numerous items not addressed in the regular monthly meeting. This week’s newspaper explains two more meetings called this month, bringing the total to three. A meeting set for Sept. 30 concerns the thorny issue of allowing “Public Participation” at regular monthly council meetings. The article states, “All local citizens interested in being able to speak at council meetings are encouraged to attend the Sept. 30 meeting.”
The other Special Meeting called this month happened on Sept. 20. The meeting was required to reappoint members of two boards that had been previously appointed at the regular monthly September meeting. The boards were shown to not be in compliance with the Open Meeting Act when they did not post agendas in time to meet the five-day time period to appoint officers. The boards are: the City Planning and Zoning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission. They are scheduled to meet on Sept. 24 to elect officers.
Murray County has a budget nearly $2 million larger than last year! Departmental budget requests were filled due to “the large increase in collections,” an article explained. Total funds for 2024-25 were reported at $6,816,272.65.
