Local/Area News

Henryetta area PSO customers are going to get an after-Christmas present in the form of a reduced bill in January.
According to Wayne Greene, PSO corporate communications officer, the reduction is on the fuel portion of all electric bills.
He explained the monthly bill of the typical residential customer who uses 1,100 kilowatt-hours per month will go down $15.53 or 11 percent.
The lower bills are the result of reduced natural gas prices and PSO’s investments in fuel-free generating facilities.
“Recent high fuel costs have been challenging for many of our customers, and we’re happy that lower prices and our investments in fuel-free power will ease those energy expenses,” said PSO President and Chief Operating Officer Leigh Anne Strahler. “In the world of commodity prices, what goes up, can come down. It did, and our customers are going to benefit.”

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For a business to succeed it talks dedicated employees and American Exchange Bank recently recognized several team members who habe been a part of the financial institution for a number of years. AEB president Keith Hare presented the certificate of wards for employees who have been a part of the bank for the past five to 25 years .
Receiving awards were Angie Thomas and Julie stovall, both for five years; Corbet Witham for ten years and Kimberly Stoy for 25 years.

tam award

It may not be on the scale of Las Vegas, Calgary or other national rodeos but the Jim Shoulders Living Legends Rodeo is gaining national attention. Henryetta chamber member and one of the organizers of the 30-year-old rodeo, Tammie Hiatt, was recognized for her works as Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Outstanding Committee Woman of the year for 2023. She and hisband Mark, picked up the award at a special ceeremony held in Las Vegas this past weekend. Some 2,000 people were on hand for the awards ceremony.

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Every December American Exchange Bank recognizes the organizations that provide so much good to Henryetta. 
Receiving the donatins this were were: Lions Club represented by Nita Robertson, president; Dewar Education Foundation officers Kim Green Diane Hester, Carroll Carter and Jody Yarberry; Henryetta Public Library to librarian Joann Hott; VFW Post 539 to Glen Cook Sr., and Bill Goodner; Girl Scouts Little House to Tammy Smith. Earlier this year donations were made to the Henryetta Education Foundation.

Henryetta school board members are wanting to get a piece of property appraised before they make a decision to sell it.
Monday night the board decided to find out what the 50 by 140-foot piece of property next to Jack Gibson Way would be worth.
Kanon and Cade Bailey want to buy the land and add it to four other lots they own that have frontage on Main Street.
The issue was first brought up at the November meeting and since then Bailey said he researched the ownership at the request of the board then.
He said there a quit claim deed was issued to the school in 1948 by Marge and J.A. Hurt. “There is nothing said about a trust and the abstract has problems with it,” he said.
Bailey said the land would be used as a parking lot for the other property currently owned by the Bailey property management company. He pointed out that in addition to the land being located in a 100-year flood plain, easements for Main Street and Jack Gibson Way as well as a driveway easement currently uses up more than half of the land.
Superintendent Dwayne Noble said part of the appraisal cost would involve bringing the abstract up to date. Once that appraisal is completed, the board would then make a decision to sell it.
After an executive session, board members approved hiring Angie Wallace as custodian for the remainder of the year. The board postponed hiring a maintenance director until the January meeting.
Also postponed was hiring Nabholz Construction to manage all repairs and construction resulting from the hail storm earlier this year. Noble told the board he was expecting to get a final report on projected costs for the work from the school’s insurance company later in the week. If approved, Nabholz would be the construction manager for the project and would ultimately be responsible for any problems. “If you hire a roofing company they might be out of business in a couple of years,” he added. Both Noble and current maintenance director Harold Fox, have submitted their retirement plans effective the end of the school year. “This is going to be a long process going into the next school year,” he said.
Board members accepted the retirement letter from Pamela Palmer who will be leaving the district at the end of the school year. She has been at the pre-k building during much of that time.
The school is responsible for disposing many records dealing with students and board members are looking at having the process done by the American Document Shredding company in Tulsa. A proposal by that company was presented but board members want to find out if a $60 per bin charge is for actual usage or would be a monthly charge and if the company would pick up the documents instead of school personnel driving to Tulsa to have the work done. The issue is going to be brought up again in January.
While service animals and the therapy dog are allowed at school, board members are prohibiting people from bringing their pets to classes and activities. That decision was added to the school policy Monday night with signed to be posed at all school entrances.