Local/Area News

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For a lot of people, going for a walk usually means covering a few blocks or less. Former Henryettan Max Duggan started a July 2 and finally stopped Oct. 21.
peakThe 2006 HHS grad covered 2,200 miles during that time as he walked along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
Duggan started the trek from Mt. Katahdin in Maine and ended up on Spring Mountain in Georgia.
the son of Janna Duggan of Henryetta and Ken Duggan of Midland, Tex., he works as a graphic artist and lives in New York City with his girlfriend Tember and their dog Sobo. He took up the sport of hiking several years ago and decided to take the Appalachian challenge earlier this year.
That trail extends some 2,200 miles from Main to Georgia. It was established as a national scenic trail in 1937. Passing through 13 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, the trail is maintained by some 31 clubs along the way.trail map
Because of the scenic views along the way and the challenge of the journey, the trail appeals to dedicated hikers who try to complete the trip in a single season. Last year, 1,186 people completed the entire trip.

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Wreaths of shotguns shells, pens made from wood, paintings, plaques and so much more were on the tables at the fall arts and crafts fair Saturday. Held at the First Baptist Church, the fair brought in several hundred area residents to view and purchase the wares. Organizers say a second craft fair is in hte planning stages for next year.

wellness ribbon

A chilly rain Oct. 19 forced members of the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town to move indoors to officially open their new Wellness Center. The facility is a 7,800 square foot building funded from a HUD Indian Community Development Block Grant, Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal funds totaling $1,295,000. The Wellness Center will offer health and wellness classes and provide a full size basketball court, fitness area/gym equipped with equipment such as stair steppers, stationary bikes, treadmills and arc trainers. Wellness classes will focus on nutrition, diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, obesity, tobacco use, smoking cessation classes, drug abuse prevention, healthy living and stress management. It is located just off US 62 and the Clearview Road junction.

Once again the city of Henryetta saw an improving retail picture with the October sales tax check of $239,838 ahead of last year’s total.
The gain keeps intact the streak of gains that has been going on for the past 11 months. A year ago, the city received $205,119. That series of increases started last December.
The increase was also felt in the use tax check return. The city received $18,818, up from the #17,596 in October 2017.
Okmulgee also enjoyed a boots in sales tax receipts. This month the city of Okmulgee received $535,942 compared with $505,841 a year ago.
The Okmulgee County coffers swelled by nearly $200,000 when the state returned $401,260 compared with $286,847 last year.
Dewar’s sales tax report showed another decline. The town received $10,576, down $1,300 from the 2017 check.

Henryetta was visited by people from at least 25 states and a couple of different countries in September.
That was the tally given by Sherry and Trampas Parker Tuesday night when they reported on the success of the vintage motorcycle races at Nichols park.
tranpas check“It was our pleasure to hold it here,” said Parker. “We hope this will stay in Henryetta.”
The park was the site of three days of racing and the Parkers presented the city with a nearly $2,000 check for the use of the facility.
Parker said this was the second year for the vintage racing. Following the 2017 race, the site was voted as the best of the year compared to other locations across the United States.
They said it is already on the calendar for 2019 and hoped the council would approve the use of the park.
“You did an amazing job with our park and put on the best show you could,” said mayor Jennifer Clason. The Parkers spent time after the race cleaning up any trash that was left over and planted grass seed in areas where the race was held.
They will also be going back through the park leveling off some of the areas that were used by the Oklahoma Cross Country racing Association a week later.
At the council meeting, approval was given for the Henryetta Lions Club to use the civic center Nov. 12 and 13 to take Christmas basket application. Also getting approval was use of the center by Tristan Demmitt for his annual free Christmas dinner. This will be the third year for the dinner and will be held Dec. 22.
The chamber of commerce was also approved to use the center for the annual chamber banquet Jan. 27 and 28.
Council members appointed Jason Lilly to the planning and zoning board.
The city will be working on a new route for a sewer line that will handle the retail property being developed on the west side of town. The new engineering plans will call for the line to go along city-owned property eliminating a problem obtaining easements from property owners in the area. That has held up work getting the sewer line installed.
In other business, the council approved a trash rate increase of $3. It was said the new rate will allow the city to break even on the cost of trash with Centerpoint landfill.
Judicial candidate Rod Weimer and senate incumbent candidate Roger Thompson visited with the council for a few minutes during the meeting.
Weimer is an Okmulgee attorney and has received endorsement by several Fraternal Order of Police chapters as well as local residents.
Thompson said he has a 100 percent voting record with the Federation of Independent Businesses. He said Henryetta has a strong soresight on economic development.