Week of November 8, 2024

McCullough wins Woods County sheriff election

Marione Martin

Although election results are preliminary until 5 p.m. today, Nov. 8, Republican candidate Randy McCullough is the winner in the election for Woods County sheriff by a sizeable majority over Independent Keith Dale. McCullough received 3,012 votes (83.18 percent) while Dale had 609 (16.82 percent). The election drew an unusual number of early voters with 1,261 voting early, 123 absentee and 2,213 on Nov. 5 in the sheriff's race. After over 25 years with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and a total of...

State Regents, CareerTech sign second statewide nursing articulation agreement

To continue efforts to address the state's nursing shortage, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish guidelines for public four-year universities to award students credit for prior learning in practical nursing programs at technology centers across the state. "This agreement reflects the strong alignment between our higher ed and career technology centers, and that's...

Parsons, Ryerson appointed to BJCC Citizens Advisory Board

Marione Martin

A Halloween luncheon was held at Bill Johnson Correctional Center in Alva on Oct. 31. Staff members, the Citizens Advisory Board and guests enjoyed freaky foods with strange colors and spooky names. There were eyeballs floating in the iced tea dispenser and deviled eggs had green centers with purple veins extending into the surrounding egg whites. A bowl of green swamp slime was actually green-colored cheese sauce. BJCC staff went all out on the food and décor. Warden Becky Guffy introduced...

Northwestern Department of Social Work selects 2024-2025 CWPEP recipients

Northwestern Oklahoma State University's Department of Social Work has named two students as stipend recipients of the Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program (CWPEP) for the 2024-25 academic year. The recipients are Kyra Hussey, senior from Okeene and Cammi Rogge, senior from Alva. CWPEP provides funds for students who plan careers in child welfare services in Oklahoma. "I am truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program," Hussey said. "It will significantly enhance...

Supreme Court attorney, Northwestern alumna to deliver fall 2024 commencement address

Northwestern Oklahoma State University alumna Judith Ridgeway will deliver the commencement address at her alma mater during the university's fall commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2:30 p.m. in Percefull Fieldhouse. Ridgeway's history with Northwestern began at an early age. Born in Missouri, she moved in with her aunt, Aurice Huguley, at a young age. Huguley worked at the university for 43 years before retiring as a finance officer in 1983. "One of my favorite memories is getting to...

  • No. 1 Kansas hangs on to beat No. 9 North Carolina 92-89

    Associated Press

    LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson had 20 points and 10 rebounds for No. 1 Kansas, which blew a 20-point first-half lead against No. 9 North Carolina before holding on for a 92-89 victory when the Tar Heels' Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer as time expired Friday night. Zeke Mayo had 21 points and KJ Adams Jr had 14 for the Jayhawks (2-0), who led 49-29 in the first half but trailed 87-83 with 3:28 to go. Dickinson and Mayo responded with a series of baskets to tie the game at 89, and Dickinson's basket with 1:15 to go and free throw...

  • Goldbugs now 7-2 after 39-15 win at Meeker

    Marione Martin

    A long trip to Meeker last Friday brought the Alva Goldbugs a 39-15 victory and a lock-in for second place in the district. The Goldbugs now have a 7-2 season record and are 5-1 in the district. Alva will be hosting a football playoff game for the first time since 2017. Alva scored on their first ball possession and led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Goldbugs had increased their lead to 25-7. At the end of the third quarter, Alva led 39-7. Starting toward the end of the...

  • Henderson State tops Rangers

    NWOSU Sports

    ALVA – Northwestern Oklahoma State had the final home game of the 2024 season against the Henderson State Reddies Saturday, Nov. 2. The Reddies scored first before taking a halftime lead and closing out the 44-10 victory over the Rangers. Henderson State improves to 7-2 on the season as the Rangers drop to 2-7 on the year after the loss. Caleb Deal led the team in passing with 96 passing yards including an 84-yard connection to Travis Romar for the one touchdown. Darien Gill finished with a team high 46 rushing yards, while Romar had 84...

  • Ranger Rodeo has success at home

    NWOSU Sports

    ALVA – Home may be where the heart is, but it's often the most difficult place to play. The Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo teams hosted the Central Plains Region teams this past weekend at the Alva Dome, and while there was some rough sledding, there were a handful of Rangers who found success. "That was our hometown rodeo, but it's also a pretty tough place to compete because of the way it's set up," said Dale Lee Forman, a junior from Highmore, South Dakota, who placed in the...

  • FBI, Justice Department investigating racist mass texts sent following the election

    AYANNA ALEXANDER and MATT OBRIEN

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Several federal and state agencies are investigating how racist mass texts were sent to Black people across the country in the wake of the presidential election this week. The text messages invoking slavery were sent to Black men, women and children, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other law enforcement departments. The anonymously sent messages were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee. The FBI said it has communicated with the Justice...

  • Beyoncé leads the 2025 Grammy noms, becoming the most nominated artist in the show's history

    MARIA SHERMAN

    NEW YORK (AP) — Welcome toBeyoncé country. When it comes to the 2025 Grammy Award nominations, "Cowboy Carter" rules the nation. She leads the nods with 11, bringing her career total to 99 nominations. That makes her the most nominated artist in Grammy history. "Cowboy Carter" is up for album and country album of the year, and "Texas Hold 'Em" is nominated for record, song and country song of the year. She also received nominations in a wide swath of genres, including pop, country, Americana and melodic rap performance categories. This is...

  • Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike

    AMANDA SEITZ

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-abortion advocates say there is still work to be done to further restrict access to abortion when Republican Donald Trump returns to the White House next year. They point to the federal guidance that the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden released around emergency abortions, requiring that hospitals provide them for women whose health or life is at risk, and its easing of prescribing restrictions for abortion pills that have allowed women to order the medication online with the click of a button. "Now...

  • Justice Department brings criminal charges in Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump

    ERIC TUCKER and LARRY NEUMEISTER

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Friday disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Donald Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked by a government official before this week's election with planning the assassination of the Republican president-elect. Investigators were told of the plan to kill Trump by Farhad Shakeri, an accused Iranian government asset who spent time in American prisons for robbery and who authorities say maintains a network of criminal associates enlisted by Tehran for surveillance and...

  • Hungry Palestinians in north Gaza search for food, sealed off from aid for a month by Israeli siege

    SAMY MAGDY and JULIA FRANKEL

    JERUSALEM (AP) — With virtually no food allowed into the northernmost part of Gaza for the past month, tens of thousands of Palestinians under Israeli siege are rationing their last lentils and flour to survive. As bombardment pounds around them, some say they risk their lives by venturing out in search of cans of food in the rubble of destroyed homes. Thousands have staggered out of the area, hungry and thin, into Gaza City, where they find the situation little better. One hospital reports seeing thousands of children suffering from...

  • Here are new guidelines for preventing stroke, the nation's 4th biggest killer

    KENYA HUNTER

    The majority of strokes could be prevented, according to new guidelines aimed at helping people and their doctors do just that. Stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half a million Americans have a stroke every year. But up to 80% of strokes may be preventable with better nutrition, exercise and identification of risk factors. The first new guidelines on stroke prevention in 10 years from the American Stroke Association, a division of the...

  • Azerbaijan is the host of the UN's climate conference, shining a spotlight on the petrostate

    EMMA BURROWS

    The spotlight is on Azerbaijan as the small petrostate in the South Caucasus hosts the U.N.'s biggest climate conference. Diplomats from across the world will descend on the capital Baku for the annual climate summit, known as COP29, to discuss how to avoid increasing threats from climate change in a place that was one of the birthplaces of the oil industry. It was in Baku where the world's first oil fields were developed in 1846 and where Azerbaijan led the world in oil production in 1899. Sandwiched between Iran to the south and Russia to...

  • US will appeal judge's ruling that 9/11 defendants can plead guilty and avoid the death penalty

    LOLITA C. BALDOR

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will appeal a military judge's ruling that plea agreements struck by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and two of his co-defendants are valid, a defense official said Saturday. The ruling this past week voided Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's order to throw out the deals and concluded that the plea agreements were valid. The judge granted the three motions to enter guilty pleas and said he would schedule them for a future date to be determined by the...

  • Democracy was a motivating factor for both Harris and Trump voters, but for very different reasons

    GARY FIELDS and LINLEY SANDERS

    WASHINGTON (AP) — While inflation and immigration emerged as the dominant themes in this year's presidential race, another issue was prominent in the minds of voters for both major candidates: the stakes for democracy. Half of voters identified democracy as the single most important motivating factor for their vote. That was higher than the share of voters who answered the same way about inflation, the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, abortion policy or free speech, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters...

  • Slower winds aid firefighters battling destructive blaze in California

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California firefighters on Saturday were gaining ground on a wildfire that ravaged more than 130 structures as gusty winds subsided with favorable weather conditions expected through the weekend. The Mountain Fire in Ventura County held at 32 square miles (about 83 square kilometers) and was 17% contained, Fire Operations Section Chief Clint Swensen said. The fire broke out Wednesday and exploded in size amid the arrival of dry, warm and gusty northeast winds, forcing thousands of residents to flee and...

  • Qatar suspends its mediation efforts on Gaza and the Hamas office there may have to leave

    WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY

    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Qatar has suspended its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, it said Saturday, after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal for Gaza. It wasn't immediately clear whether the remaining Hamas leadership hosted by Qatar must leave, or where it would go. Hamas has good relations with Iran and Turkey, and some of its leaders are now in Lebanon. However, Qatar is highly likely to return to mediation efforts if both sides show "serious political willingness" to reach a deal,...

  • Biden and Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House says

    DARLENE SUPERVILLE

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host President-elect Donald Trump for a traditional postelection meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said Saturday. Such a meeting is customary between the outgoing president and the incoming president, and is meant partly to mark the start of a peaceful transfer of power under America's democracy. But then-President Trump, a Republican, did not host Biden, a Democrat, for a sit-down after the 2020 election, when Trump lost his reelection bid. Trump sought the presidency again...

  • 1 monkey recovered safely, 42 others remain on the run from South Carolina lab

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, officials said Saturday. Many of the others are still located a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility's fence, police said in a statement. The Rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee didn't fully lock a door as she fed and checked on them, officials said. The monkeys on Friday were exploring the outer fence of...

  • Judge strikes down Biden administration program shielding immigrant spouses from deportation

    HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

    A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Biden administration policy that aimed to ease a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The program, lauded as one of the biggest presidential actions to help immigrant families in years, allowed undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without first having to leave the country. The temporary relief from deportation brought a brief sense of security to some 500,000 immigrants estimated to benefit from the program...

  • Russia blasts Ukraine with more aerial attacks as part of an intensified campaign

    ILLIA NOVIKOV

    KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles, bombs and drones battered three regions of Ukraine in targeted nighttime attacks, officials said Friday, as Russia mounts an intensified aerial campaign that Ukrainian officials say they need more Western help to counter — even as doubts deepen over what Kyiv can expect from a new U.S. administration. Since the war began almost three years ago following Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor, the Russian military has repeatedly used its superior air power to blast civilian targets across...

  • Leader of the free world has never been a role Trump has embraced. The world has gotten the message

    ELLEN KNICKMEYER and LOLITA C. BALDOR

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. presidents usually at least pay lip service to being leaders of the free world, at the helm of a mighty democracy and military that allies worldwide can rally around and reasonably depend on for support in return. Not so under President-elect Donald Trump, a critic of many existing U.S. alliances, whose win of a second term this week had close European partners calling for a new era of self-reliance not dependent on American goodwill. "We must not delegate forever our security to America," French President Emmanuel...

  • The US election was largely trouble-free, but a flood of misinformation raises future concerns

    CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY and DAVID KLEPPER

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A relatively trouble-free presidential election was good news for those working to restore faith in the system. Less encouraging was a flood of misinformation that sought to undermine trust in voting and sow chaos, something experts say is likely to get worse in the years ahead. The most significant test for officials on Election Day was a series of bomb threats reported in five battleground states, some of which forced polling places to be evacuated temporarily. The day otherwise played out like most other election days,...

  • A research boat will scan the seabed to help search for those missing in Spain's floods

    JOSEPH WILSON

    BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A Spanish research vessel that investigates marine ecosystems has been abruptly diverted from its usual task to take on a new job: Helping in the increasingly desperate search for the missing from Spain's floods. The 24 crew members aboard the Ramón Margalef were preparing Friday to use its sensors and submersible robot to map an offshore area of 36 square kilometers — the equivalent of more than 5,000 soccer fields — to see if they can locate vehicles that last week's catastrophic floods swept into the...

  • A Texas border county backed Democrats for generations. Trump won it decisively

    NADIA LATHAN and VALERIE GONZALEZ

    RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (AP) — Jorge Bazán's family has lived on the U.S.-Mexico border for generations and voted for Democrats as long as he can remember. He broke the family tradition this year and voted for Donald Trump because he doesn't trust the Democratic Party's economic policies. "I think they forgot about the middle class," said Bazán, who works for the utility company in Rio Grande City, seat of the most Hispanic county in the nation. "People are suffering right now. Everything's very expensive." The South Texas region ...

  • Beyoncé leads the 2025 Grammy noms, becoming the most nominated artist in the show's history

    MARIA SHERMAN

    NEW YORK (AP) — Welcome toBeyoncé country. When it comes to the 2025 Grammy Award nominations, "Cowboy Carter" rules the nation. She leads the nods with 11, bringing her career total to 99 nominations. That makes her the most nominated artist in Grammy history. "Cowboy Carter" is up for album and country album of the year, and "Texas Hold 'Em" is nominated for record, song and country song of the year. She also received nominations in a wide swath of genres, including pop, country, Americana and melodic rap performance categories. This is...

  • FBI thwarts Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump

    ERIC TUCKER and LARRY NEUMEISTER

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Friday in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump before this week's presidential election. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that an unnamed official in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed a contact this past September to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump. If the man, identified as Farjad Shakeri, was unable to create a plan by then, the complaint said, the official told him Iran would...

  • Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as antisemitic

    MIKE CORDER

    AMSTERDAM (AP) — Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday. Five people were treated at hospitals and dozens were arrested after the attacks, which were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Amsterdam, Israel and across Europe. Reports of antisemitic speech, vandalism and violence have been on the rise across Europe since the start of the war in Gaza, and tensions mounted in the Dutch capital...

  • Southern California firefighters make progress against wildfire as fierce winds start to subside

    CHRISTOPHER WEBER and NOAH BERGER

    CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Southern California firefighters made progress against a wildfire that has destroyed 132 structures, mostly homes, and that was fanned by fierce wind gusts that began easing Friday, allowing some people to return to sort through the charred remains of their homes. Joey Parish returned to the site of his former home of more than 20 years in Camarillo Heights. All that was left was part of the burned-out steel frame. "It's tough, it's really tough to know how to process the emotions," he told KNBC-TV late Thursday. He...

  • 43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab. Police say there is no serious danger

    JEFFREY COLLINS

    Forty-three monkeys escaped from a compound used for medical research in South Carolina but the nearby police chief said there is "almost no danger" to the public. "They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish," Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning. The Rhesus macaque primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility Wednesday when a new employee didn't fully shut an enclosure, Alexander said. The monkeys are females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms) and are so young...

  • No. 9 Tar Heels visit No. 1 Kansas in only second on-campus showdown between college hoops titans

    DAVE SKRETTA

    LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — It's hard to call any series between basketball programs a rivalry when they've met just 12 times in their shared history. Hard to call North Carolina-Kansas anything else, though. They are linked by Dean Smith and Larry Brown, Matt Doherty and Roy Williams. And when they have played, the stakes have been the highest: Seven matchups in the NCAA Tournament, five in the Final Four, and twice the winner has cut down the nets — the Tar Heels won the national title in a triple-overtime thriller in 1957, turning back a...

  • Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations

    AYANNA ALEXANDER and ALI SWENSON

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies. The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording. Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time "with your belongings," while others...

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