A1

log onto www.DURAntDEMoCRAt.CoM foR ARChivE • gAMEs • fEAtUREs • E-EDition • polls & MoRE

INSIDE

voters can learn from nfl’s cheap officials. .... Page 4

SPORTSleopards headed to state; lady leopards going home... Page 6

BIBLE VERSE“the fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the loRD shall be safe.”

-Proverbs 29:25

WEATHER

partly sunny today. high of 80. low of 56... Page 7

Vol. 120, No. 268 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 50 cents daily/$1.50 sunday

Durant Daily Democrat

Okla. treasurer: Revenue collections resume climb

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Overall state revenue col-lections slightly outpaced those from the prior year, despite continued lower collections from oil and natural gas produc-tion, Oklahoma Treasurer Ken Miller reported Monday.

Figures released by Miller show that three of the state’s other major tax categories grew in September compared to the same month last year, including income, sales and mo-tor vehicle taxes. Overall, gross collections for the month totaled $988 million, an increase of $27 million, or nearly 3 percent, from September 2011.

“Oklahoma’s economy continues to climb up the expan-sion side of the business cycle in spite of low prices for natu-ral gas,” Miller said. “After two years of sharp growth in rev-enues, collections have leveled off over the past half-year.”

Collections from Oklahoma’s gross production tax on oil and natural gas were down about 40 percent compared to September 2011, but Miller noted that figure is an improve-ment from August’s 54 percent drop.

Miller, who also is an economist, said he was particularly pleased to see September sales tax collections increase 6 percent over the prior year since sales tax is a measure of consumer confidence.

“I think we have an optimistic consumer in Oklahoma,” he said.

Overall income tax collections, including both personal and corporate income taxes, generated more than $402 mil-lion in September, an increase of nearly 16 percent from September 2011, Miller noted.

Motor vehicle taxes generated nearly $59 million, a 6.3 percent boost over the same month in 2011.

Commissioners save money for Bryan Co.Jessica Bregerstaff writer

Bryan County Commissioners recently received an award grant-ing the county a $6,985.44 dis-count on the county’s insurance.

Throughout the past year each commissioner has attended a series of human resource work-shops and Association of County

Commissioners of Oklahoma (ACCO) safety meetings.

These meetings were part of the ACCO’s Self Insurance Pre-mium Discount Program. The Bryan County Commissioners at-tended enough of the program’s meeting to earn a silver award of achievement.

During the regular meeting of the county commissioners Mon-

day, commissioners focused on updated county road reports.

Two county roads are expected to see construction soon. Rob-erts Street in Bokchito and Leav-enworth Trail from Highway 70 to Colbert are both expected to have construction work in the coming months.

SAIC, who inspects the roads presented the commissioners

with all of the bridge work needs for the county.

The main topic in the discus-sion was the lack of safety signs such as low-limit and street name signs in the county.

SAIC suggested that the commissioners have the signs place and take photos with digital timestamps. This will provide proof that the county

is posting the signs.County commissioner Jay Per-

ry said that kids think it is fun to take the signs but they do not re-alize the danger it can cause.

“My concern is with emergen-cy vehicles not knowing where to go,” he said. Perry explained that without street signs, an emer-gency vehicle may not be able to make it to a person in need.

New program approved by Durant School BoardJessica Bregerstaff writer

Durant School Board met at 5:30 p.m. Monday. The board discussed new programs in the elementary and new hires for the Durant Schools.

The school board approved the Durant Kiwanis Club to launch a K-Kids Program for the third-grade at Wash-ington Irving Elementary.

The K-Kids Program is a student-led program for el-ementary students which allows the students to partici-pate in community service projects and charity work.

The board also approved the hire of six new school employees. A temporary Special Ed. Instructor posi-tion went to Beverly Bearden for the remainder of the 2012-2013 school year.

Three temporary teacher assistants hired for varies sites were Sandra Dillingham, Emily Smith and Randal Copeland.

Brent Manners gained a temporary position of trans-portation employee for the schools. Keith Jackson gained the position of technology employee for the re-mainder of the 2012-13 school year.

The school board also had seven new additions to its list of substitutes for the year.

Southeastern president Larry Minks congratulates Homecoming Queen and King Amanda Scott and Payton Werner.

Southeastern celebrates homecomingUniversity Communications

DURANT — “Faithful to the Gold and Blue” was the theme of Homecoming this year at South-eastern Oklahoma State Univer-sity.

Three days (Sept. 27-28-29) of events were held as part of the celebration, including such tradi-tional events as the Whang Bang Alumni Golf Tournament, the Distinguished Alumini Awards Banquet, Former Athletes’ Breakfast, and football game.

Honored as Distinguished Alumni this year were Cap-tain Gail Gorski, (’74), Mr. Steve Robinson (’86), and Mr.

Towana Spivey (’68).Recognized with the Distin-

guished Former Faculty award were Dr. Walter Britt, Dr. Elbert Hill, and Dr. Pat Robbins. (’60).

The Benefactor award was presented to the family of the late Albert H. Brigance (’55). In addition, the grand opening of the Albert H. Brigance Curricu-lum and Assessment Center was held on Thursday, September 27, in Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Henry G. Ben-nett Memorial Library.

The Heritage Award, which honors individuals who have im-pacted the history of Southeast-ern in some unique way, was pre-

sented to the family of the late Dr. Bernice Crockett (’34).

Amanda Scott, junior psychol-ogy major from Ardmore, and Payton Werner, sophomore so-cial studies major from Broken Bow, were crowned Homecom-ing Queen and King.

On Friday, September 28, coach Mike Metheny’s team carded a 50 to claim the champi-onship of the 26th-annual Whang Bang Alumni Golf Classic at Sil-verado Golf Course. Other mem-bers of the winning team were Rusty Zumwalt, Owasso; Jack Park, Norman; Casey Clayborn, McAlester; Paul Postier, Tulsa; and Norm Clayborn, Wilburton.

Fire at vacant residence started by juveniles

A fire at a vacant residence on Friday was started by juve-niles, according to the Durant Fire Department.

Firefighters were dispatched at 2:48 p.m. to 1106 N. Fifth Ave. after smoke was observed coming from the house. They entered the house and carried two mattresses outside to be extinguished.

The fire was contained to the mattresses, according to a fire department report, and the investigation determined it had been started by two juveniles.

In other fires, firefighters put out a vehicle fire at 7:29 a.m. Monday on Platter Road near Highway 69/75. When firefighters arrived, the car was fully engulfed. A cause of the fire was not revealed.

Another vehicle burned Monday afternoon at 4930 Smis-er Road. That fire was put out by Calera Fire-Rescue.

An electrical line started a grass fire at 12:49 p.m. Mon-day at 3165 S. McLean Rd. When Durant firefighters ar-rived, they found a small grass fire near a home. They called OG&E to handle the power line.

Firefighters were dispatched at 9:07 a.m. to a small fire at 12th and Mississippi. When they arrived, there was no fire, but a power line was across the roadway, so traffic was rerouted until OG&E arrived to fix the line.

Durant takes a stand against domestic violenceJessica Bregerstaff writer

The Silent Witness Initiative tour stopped in Durant Monday evening.

The program, hosted by Verizon Wireless and the Okla-homa Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual As-sault (OCADVSA), aims to raise awareness of domestic violence in the month of October.

Monday night’s event consisted of a candle light vigil in memory of those who have been lost to and those who have survived domestic violence.

Two former victims of domestic violence stood up to testify what it was like in an abusive relationship and how friends helped save them.

They told of how the kinds of abuse they were put through, how it affected the ways they thought and how they got out.

Nicole Loper received a broken jaw from her ex-husband that caused her to have her jaw wired shut and her weight dropped to only 98 pounds.

Loper only decided to get out of the relationship when she noticed her son treating his sisters the way her husband treated her.

As Loper read from an old journal she revealed that she felt broken. “David broke my soul,” said the journal entry.

One woman, Tara Woodlee, told of her daughter’s case. Woodlee’s daughter, Ashleigh Lindsey tried to get out of an abusive relationship but was tracked down and murdered by her ex-fiancé.

Woodlee said that even she thought the man was nice. “He was sweet, played up her strengths,” she said. But Tara said that changed when her daughter was engaged to the man. Charlotte Hamil sings at the candle light vigil for domestic vio-

lence victims.See VIOLENCE | Page 2

Starter LoansAvailable $150 to $1,000

Loans Plus123 N. 3rd, Durant

580-920-0106 60353710WAC

60350116

A2

OBITUARIES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012Page 2 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT

DeeNell TumeyDeeNell Tumey entered this

life on September 30, 1941 in Yarnaby, Oklahoma born to Dee and Nellie Redden Townsend and went home to be with her Lord on Septem-ber 29, 2012 in Deni-son, Texas at the age of 70.

DeeNell graduated from Achille High School and has been a lifelong resident of Bryan County and the surrounding area. She married Clyde B. Tumey in 1959 in Durant, Okla-homa and to this union was born three daughters. DeeNell did many things throughout her life but her greatest achievement was being a loving and caring wife, mother and grandmother. She was of the Assem-bly of God faith and she enjoyed shopping and gardening.

DeeNell was preceded in death by her parents Dee and Nellie Townsend; sisters Maureen Swin-dell and Wanda Townsend and brothers Edwin, Harvey, Calvin, James and Kenneth Townsend.

DeeNell is survived by her husband of 53 years Clyde B. Tumey of the home; daughters Sheila Tu-mey of Sherman, TX, Deborah Hargesheimer and husband Billy of Denison, TX and Carla Tate and husband Trace of Denison, TX; brother Grover Townsend and wife Jean of Achille, OK; sisters Mary Smith and husband Winston of Durant, OK, Louise Ames and husband Lester of Calera, OK and Sharon Hoskins of Calera, OK; grandchildren Hagan Tumey, Kira Oden, Todd Hargesheimer, Shay Tumey, Dekota Tate, Alexas Tate and Viccto-ria Tate; 11 great grandchildren and numerous other relatives and many friends.

Services to celebrate DeeNell’s life will be held at 2:00 PM Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at Brown’s Funeral Service Chapel. Pastors David Sanders and Lester Ames will officiate. Interment will fol-low in Rosewood Cemetery in Achille. The family will receive friends at the Funeral Home on Tues-day evening from 6-8 PM. Lunch will be provided at 12:00 PM at the Funeral Home prior to the service. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.brownsfuneralservice.com.

Services are under the direction of Brown’s Fu-neral Service Durant, Oklahoma.

Nora Faye CookServices are pending for Nora Faye Cook, 85,

of Bennington, Ok. passed away Oct. 1, 2012 in Denison, Tx. Arrangements are being handled by Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home in Durant, Ok.

Mattie DudekGraveside service for Mattie Dudek, 94, of Ma-

dill, Oklahoma who passed away on Thursday, September 27, 2012 will be held at Woodberry Forrest Cemtery in Madill. Services are under the direction of Brown’s Funeral Service Durant, Okla-homa.

Churches using ‘souls to polls’ to rally voteCurt AndersonAssociated Press

MIAMI — It’s not just the collection plate that’s getting passed around this fall at hundreds of mainly African-American and Latino churches in presidential battleground states and across the nation.

Exhorting congregations to register to vote, church leaders are distributing registration cards in the middle of services, and many are pledging caravans of “souls to the polls” to deliver the vote.

The stepped-up effort in many states is a response by activists worried that new election rules, from tougher photo identification requirements to fewer days of early voting, are unfairly targeting minority voters — spe-cifically, African-Americans who tend to vote heavily for Democrats. Some leaders compare their registration and get-out-the-vote efforts to the racial struggle that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

“In light of all this, we are saying just let our people vote,” said the Rev. Dawn Riley Duval, social justice minister at the Shorter Community A.M.E. Church in Denver. “The people are being oppressed by these mea-sures. It has ignited a sense of urgency and collective power that we can take by engaging in the process.”

In key swing states such as Florida and Ohio, propo-nents of the new election rules deny they are aimed at suppressing the minority vote in hopes of helping Re-publicans win more races. Reasons for their enactment vary between rooting out fraud and purging ineligible voters to streamlining the voting process.

Oklahoma Election Board reports spike in voter rolls

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Election Board secretary says more than 21,000 Oklahoma vot-ers registered to vote last month.

Secretary Paul Ziriax (ZEER’-ix) said Monday that there has been a net increase of nearly 68,000 voters since January, including more than 21,000 during Sep-tember.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 gen-eral election is Oct. 12.

Ziriax also reported that Democrats still have the most registered voters in Oklahoma, but that Repub-licans and independents are growing at a faster rate.

As of Sept. 30, Oklahoma had just more than two million registered voters with 46 percent being Demo-crats, 42 percent Republican and 12 percent indepen-dents.

Since January 1st — Republicans have added about 45,000 registered voters while Democrats have added nearly 7,000.

Jerry Don GilbertServices are pending for Jerry Don Gilbert, 66,

of Durant, Ok., passed away on October 2, 2012 in Durant.

Arrangements are being handled by Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home in Durant, Ok.

She said not only did he tell Ashley she was ugly but continually broke her phones and burned her with cigarettes.

Ashley decided to leave when the man kicked her in the stomach while she was pregnant with his baby. She told her mother she was afraid to leave because he had said he would kill her family if she did.

Woodlee said Ashley did everything right. She went to the police found help and support, and moved and changed her phone number three times.

She was four months pregnant when the man and his friend, hiding from police, tracked Ashley down and shot her.

“She didn’t die right away,” said Woodlee. The man however took his own life and did die right away. While at the hospital Ashley lost the baby. Her mother told her she did not have to hold on any longer and Ash-

ley died within seconds.“Take a stand please,”

said Woodlee at Monday evening’s vigil. She encour-aged listeners to speak out when they suspect domestic violence, asking the crowd to not let any other mother get the call she did.

Jane McMillan, SE coun-seling Director, said that Southeastern students have been stepping up when it comes to domestic violence.

She has seen more and more men taking a stand at events against domestic vio-lence. “SE students are part of the solution not part of the problem,” She said.

For Southeastern, this event kicked off the red flag campaign on campus. McMillan said there will be over 200 red flags on cam-pus to remind student to take a stand against domes-tic violence.

For more information on Domestic Violence or to re-port Domestic Violence call Durant Crisis Control Cen-ter at 580-924-3056.

From Page 1

Violence

Durant locals show up to a candle light vigil for domestic vio-lence victims Monday evening.

Tara Woolee tells her daughter’s tragic story Monday night.

Iranian news agency picks up Onion article as factJASON KEYSERAssociated Press

CHICAGO — A joke by the satirical newspaper The Onion appears to have gotten lost in translation.

An Iranian news agency picked up — as fact — a story from the paper about a supposed survey showing an overwhelming majority of rural white Americans would rather vote for Ira-nian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Barack Obama. But it was made up, like everything in the just-for-laughs newspaper, which is headquartered in Chicago.

The English-language service of Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency republished the story Friday, several days after it appeared in The Onion.

The Iranian version copied the original word-for-word, even including a made-up quote from a fictional West Virginia resi-dent who says he’d rather go to a baseball game with Ahma-dinejad because “he takes national defense seriously, and he’d never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does.”

Homosexual acts are punishable by death in Iran, and Ah-madinejad famously said during a 2007 appearance at Colum-bia University that “in Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country.”

The Iranian version of the article leaves out only The On-ion’s description of Ahmadinejad as “a man who has repeat-edly denied the Holocaust and has had numerous political prisoners executed.”

The article was featured prominently on the Fars website alongside its usual fare of stories about advances in Iranian military technology, condemnation of Israel and Iran’s nuclear program. The story appeared to have been taken down by about mid-day, Chicago time.

Calls to Fars representatives were not answered Friday.The Onion reveled in the fact that it had been taken seri-

ously.Onion editor Will Tracy put out a tongue-in-cheek state-

ment that referred to Fars as “a subsidiary of The Onion” that has acted as the paper’s Middle Eastern bureau since it was founded in the mid-1980s by Onion publisher T. Herman Zwei-bel.

“The Onion freely shares content with Fars and commends the journalists at Iran’s Finest News Source on their superb reportage,” Tracy said in jest.

It’s not the first time a foreign news outlet has been duped by The Onion. In 2002, the Beijing Evening News, one of the Chi-nese capital’s biggest newspapers, picked up a story from The Onion that claimed members of Congress were threatening to leave Washington unless the building underwent a makeover that included more bathrooms and a retractable dome.

Agnes Lorene “Happy” Chaney Agnes Lorene “Happy”

Chaney was born on Sep-tember 23, 1922 in Fill-more, Oklahoma to Leonard Charles and Essie Ella Chaney and passed away with her family at her side on September 29, 2012 in Durant, Oklahoma at the age of 90.

Happy married Herman Willie Chaney on October 27, 1938 in Tishom-ingo and they spent 58 plus years together until Herman’s death on Janu-ary 10, 1997. Happy worked at CR Anthony’s and the Higginbo-tham Cattle Ranch until her retirement. She was of the Baptist Faith and she enjoyed crafts, quilting, flower gardening and making chocolate square pies.

Happy was preceded in death by her husband Herman Willie Chaney; son Royce Wayne Chaney; parents Leonard Charles and Essie Ella Chaney; two brothers and one sister.

Happy is survived by her children Cloys Gene Chaney, Joy Jane Moore and husband Wayne and Deborah Kay Chaney all of Durant; grandchildren Tammy Jetton, Allen Freeman and Angie Walker, Michael Forbis and wife Christy, Rodney Forbis and wife Misty, Doyal Chaney, Djuana Jones and husband Greg, JR Chaney and Shelia Howland and husband Mark; great grandchildren Angela Pitt-man, Tamala Jetton, Taylor Johnson and husband Kelby, Shawn Forbis, Ciera Taylor, Kassie Forbis, DJ Forbis, Colton Freeman, Justin Smith, Gage Smith, Corey Chaney, Willie Howard and John Howland; great great grandchildren Ethan Pitt-man, Aiden Pittman, Grace Howard and Matthew Howland.

Services to celebrate Happy’s life will be held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at Brown’s Funeral Service Chapel. Bro. Jacob Towes will of-ficiate. Interment will follow in Fillmore Cemetery with Allen Freeman, Michael Forbis, Rodney For-bis, Doyal Chaney, Shawn Forbis, Kelby Johnson, DJ Forbis and Colton Freeman serving as pallbear-ers. The family will receive friends at the Funeral Home on Monday evening from 6-8 PM. Condo-lences may be sent to the family at www.brownsfu-neralservice.com.

Services are under the direction of Brown’s Fu-neral Service Durant, Oklahoma.

CAREYHEARING

CENTERS

Open Monday through Thursday9 a.m. to 12 Noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday 9 a.m. to 12 Noon.

Ian C. Carey - Hearing Aid Specialist Carey Hearing Centers Texoma Hearing 400 W. Main, Ste. B 1717 N. Center St., Ste. 300 1027 S. Austin Durant, OK Bonham, TX Denison, TX 580-920-1233 903-583-7900 903-465-9436

• Free Hearing Evaluations• Free Service for Veterans• New hearing aids• Hearing aid repair

60357782

A3

LIFESTYLESTUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT Page 3

Argus HamiltonSyndicatedColumnist

Annie’s MailboxSyndicatedColumnists

Where there’s a will, there’s a way to mend

Dear Annie: I am an 88-year-old father with three grown daughters. I have a substan-tial amount list-ed in my will, which origi-nally was to be equally divided.

A year ago, my youngest daughter and I had a fall-ing out. I said something that irritated her, and she said I am not allowed to bring up that subject again. I replied, “Don’t tell me what I can talk about. If you don’t like what I say, don’t call,” and I hung up. She took that literally, and even though I made numer-ous attempts to reinstate myself into her life, I was rebuffed.

I recently had major surgery. My daughter nei-ther called nor visited. But her husband sent sev-eral emails blaming me for the estrangement, say-ing I should have apolo-gized and what he really thought of me. Frankly, if my daughter had simply acted like nothing hap-pened, it would have been over. Considering how I’ve always helped her fi-nancially, you’d think she would have cut me some slack.

When my daughter made no attempt to end this hostility after six months, I had my attor-ney remove her as an heir to my estate. I have since learned that my son-in-law is quite upset about this. I think he’s been very in-strumental in influencing my daughter’s behavior. I also believe the only rea-

son he was ever pleasant to me was to ensure my daughter’s inheritance.

Wills can always be changed, and if my daughter behaves better, I’m happy to re-instate her. But right now, I’m still angry and hurt by her in-tolerable treat-ment. Even if this gets re-solved, I doubt I will ever feel the same to-ward either of them, and time

is running out. — S.W. in California

Dear S.W.: Somehow, this altercation has de-veloped into an argument about money. We agree that your daughter and her husband are behaving terribly. However, your age doesn’t absolve you of everything. A good first step toward reconcilia-tion is to apologize for hanging up on her instead of thinking she should treat it as if “nothing hap-pened.” We hope she will accept this and allow the relationship to mend. We suggest asking one of her sisters to act as an inter-mediary. If she refuses to budge, however, there is nothing more you can do.

Dear Annie: My entire family attended my cous-in’s wedding in another state. One of my children flew in with his wife and two kids, and the others drove a long distance to attend. The wedding was quite elegant, and we had a nice time. We each sent lovely gifts that we spent a great deal of time select-ing.

After two months, we

each received a generic preprinted thank-you note that didn’t mention the gifts specifically or say anything about using them. The notes weren’t even signed.

What do you think of this “new” way of writ-ing thank-you notes? I am so disappointed in my cousin. I hope the bridal couple sees this. — Dis-heartened Michigander

Dear Michigander: We hope the preprinted note was not the actual thank-you note, but just a placeholder letting you know the gift arrived and they will thank you prop-erly later.

Dear Annie: After reading numerous stories of married couples saying the passion has left their marriages, I had to put in my two cents’ worth.

My husband and I have been married for 28 years. I, too, felt that we were in a rut. A couple of months ago, I texted a topless photo of myself to my husband while he was at work. That night, we had the most “fun” we’ve had in years. Now I keep the pictures coming on a random basis, gradually increasing the raciness. This one little step has been a lifesaver for our marriage. — Somewhere in Virginia

Dear Virginia: As long as no one else uses that phone and those photos don’t go viral, we’re all in favor of using whatever spice helps.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Land-ers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Pres. Obama changes story? Surely you jest

H O L LY W O O D —God bless America, and how’s everybody?

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirmed Friday the U.S. Embassy attack in Libya was pre-planned by al-Qaeda. It had nothing to do with an anti-Muslim video. President Obama changed his story and is now saying that the replacement refs did an excellent job.

The NFL referees got standing ovations from stadium crowds all weekend when they were introduced before kickoffs. They guaran-tee the integrity of the game. You don’t have to love football to appre-ciate what that means, you simply have to enjoy losing money.

The NFL referees returned Friday, ending three weeks of work by those replacement refs. They did a terrible job for three weeks, now they can collect unemployment for ninety-nine weeks. It turned out the NFL owners are the ones suffering from brain damage.

George Clooney returned from a cruise Friday insisting he won’t run for public office someday. It would be a lot of fun for comedians if he were president. A red light flashes on the dashboard of George Cloo-ney’s Audi telling him when it is time to change girlfriends.

Jimmy Kimmel asked the Emmy audience Sunday who’s voting for Romney and half the crowd erupted in applause. Everyone took a stand. The ones who clapped want to be in Clint Eastwood’s next movie and the ones who didn’t want to be in Steven Spielberg’s .

The FBI arrested the Egyptian anti-Muslim filmmaker in Los Ange-les Thursday for violating his parole on a fraudulent check conviction. He was led away in handcuffs with his face covered. The president wants to show the Muslim world that he’s tough on speech.

A San Diego bus driver brought marijuana brownies to work and shared them other bus drivers on Friday. The drivers didn’t know

what had happened. It wasn’t until they drove through McDonald’s drive-thru for the fourth time that the cashier di-agnosed the problem.

Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday making it illegal for employers to demand access to social media accounts. It’s offi-cial. In California you’re not allowed to discrimi-nate on the base of age, race, gender, disability, beer pong trophies or the quality of your top-less photos.

President Obama pre-pared for Wednesday’s debate at the Demo-

cratic Headquarters in Washington D.C. on Friday morning with John Kerry playing the part of Mitt Rom-ney. That was really a stretch. The richest guy in Boston is playing the richest guy in Boston.

A USA Today poll released Friday says only one percent of Americans say crime is the nation’s most impor-tant problem. Eighteen years ago it was fifty-two percent. The number fell because the U.S. economy has gotten so bad that people no longer consider stealing a crime.

Paul Ryan said Friday President Obama’s Middle East policy has blown up in his face and that it’s time to return to a Republican for-eign policy. That’ll be fun. First they put the authoritarian leaders in a wheelchair and then Paul Ryan will push them over a cliff.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the U.N. that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by next summer. He held up a cartoon bomb to explain the crisis in the simplest possible terms. Apparently the Mossad got ahold of the presi-dent’s transcripts at Columbia.

GOP pollsters credited Bill Clin-ton’s convention speech for the Democrats’ gain in the polls. They won’t give Obama credit for any-thing. They just announced the brew pub in the White House basement has been there ever since Al Capone was Treasury Secretary.

© Copyright 2012 Argus Hamil-ton. All Rights Reserved.

Rough economy in clear view for Obama on the roadJulie PaceAssociated Press

HENDERSON, Nev. — Sometimes all President Barack Obama has to do is look out the window to get a firsthand look at the country’s economic woes.

This week in this town, the presidential motorcade speeds past opulent homes lin-ing manmade Lake Las Vegas as he heads to the sprawling luxury development where he’s preparing for the upcoming debates with Mitt Romney. But many houses here are empty, victims of Nevada’s foreclosure crisis, and others are worth far less than their purchase price.

Farther down the road, a golf course is abandoned — one of two shuttered in the neighborhood. A sparkling shopping cen-ter off the main drag has no shops to fill its storefronts.

And if Obama didn’t get the message of pocketbook pain, the marquee at a business — one that is open if perhaps not thriving — spells it out: “President Obama, we need lower taxes.”

Views like these from the window of his fortified Chevy Suburban or armored lim-ousine give Obama an unvarnished look both at the country he runs and the chal-lenges he faces in winning a second term amid a struggling economic recovery.

The president, often cloistered in the White House, says seeing the facts on the ground — in the battleground states that will decide the election — is an opportunity he relishes.

“It’s good to get out of Washington,” Obama frequently tells crowds on the cam-paign trail, whether he’s in an economical-ly-booming community or a struggling one in a nation where the unemployment rate hasn’t dropped below 8 percent since Janu-ary 2009 — the first month of his presi-dency.

Of course, the president sees much more than economic realities from the black li-mos and SUVs that ferry him to and from events several times a week in contested states from Colorado to New Hampshire to Florida. Clusters of protesters carrying signs castigating him and fans countering with expressions of thanks are staples along most motorcade routes.

Aides say the president takes notice of the world outside his motorcade as it speeds through the streets of big cities, small towns and leafy suburbs. He’s par-ticularly struck, they say, by the people who line the streets to watch his caravan pass. He insists on waving to the crowds through

the tinted windows, even while he’s on the phone or being briefed by advisers — and even if onlookers can’t see him clearly.

During bus tours, Obama often points to aides when there are large pockets of sup-porters standing along the road. The driver slows down and Obama moves to the front so he can get a better look, and so the crowd can get a better look at him as well.

On Monday, crowds lined Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson as the president passed by on his way to a campaign rally in nearby Las Vegas. Many snapped photos or took videos on their cellphones. One young girl waved a small American flag, while an elderly couple waved enthusiastically to the presidential procession.

Small children peered over concrete walls separating their homes from the street and families gathered on their front lawns to watch as the motorcade zipped through the largely Hispanic, working-class neighbor-hood where Obama was heading to speak.

His mere presence makes waves, part of the reason why Obama chose to hold his intensive debate preparations in Nevada. It’s one of a few states that will determine the outcome of the White House race, and aides are mindful that something as simple as seeing the president’s motorcade can build voter enthusiasm and drive local me-dia coverage ahead of the election.

Here, like elsewhere, Obama is getting plenty of reminders about the looming elec-tion.

An electronic billboard flashes informa-tion about voting, urging residents to reg-ister by the state’s Oct. 6 deadline. Signs for local and state candidates dot the desert landscape.

At times, Obama also comes face to face with Romney backers.

Earlier this summer, some residents in Hunts Point, Wash., held Romney signs as Obama traveled to a fundraiser in the neigh-borhood. At another point, during a fund-raiser in a largely Republican neighborhood in Tampa, Fla., several neighbors planted Romney signs in their front yard. Others made their own signs with messages for the president.

“Free markets, not free loaders,” read one sign at the home across the street from Obama’s event. “The bro has got to go,” said another.

Indeed, there are often protests, from Republicans, Occupy Wall Street activists, even medical marijuana advocates.

But sometimes the White House tries to make sure those gatherings aren’t in Obama’s line of sight.

10 things to know for todayThe Associated Press

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today (times in EDT):

1. SYRIA CIVIL WAR LOOMS OVER GENER-AL ASSEMBLY

Over seven days of U.N. speeches, Syria was dis-cussed by countries from Albania to Zambia.

2. WHERE SOCIAL MEDIA IS FUELING VI-OLENCE

The NYPD is doubling the size of its gang unit to combat teen crime driven by dares and insults trad-ed on Facebook and other online networks.

3. THE THREE-PART PERFORMANCE OF PRESIDENTIAL DE-BATES

AP’s Connie Cass ex-plains the strategy of first lowering expectations, then being ready to im-provise on the fly, and fi-nally spinning the perfor-mance.

4. HIGH STAKES FOR PENNSYLVANIA’S VOT-ER ID LAW

A judge must rule Tues-day whether the tough new law requiring voters to show photo identifica-tion can remain intact; the decision could influ-ence the election.

5. HOW TWO BOATS COLLIDED NEAR HONG KONG

Investigators are trying to determine cause of the crash in one of the world’s safest waterways that killed at least 36 people; it appears human error was involved.

6. SKYDIVER VS. SOUND BARRIER

From 23 miles up, “Fear-less Felix” hopes to reach 690 mph, or Mach 1, next Monday with only a pres-surized suit and helmet for protection.

7. WHEN IT PAYS TO ANSWER THE PHONE (FINALLY)

Composer Chris Thile ignored what he thought

were election-year robo-calls. Actually, it was news he’s getting a $500,000 “genius grant.”

8. ABUSES BY EGYP-TIAN POLICE DOCU-MENTED

Six separate crack-downs by police since February 2011 killed at least 120 protesters, ac-cording to reports by Am-nesty International.

9. AMERICANS NOT QUITE READY TO SHOP ‘TIL THEY DROP

Holiday sales are ex-pected to rise slightly, but uncertainties in the economy will likely keep people from overindulg-ing, the National Retail Federation says.

10. DREW BAR-RYMORE’S NEWEST ROLE: MOM

The actress gave birth to a daughter Sept. 26 with her husband, Will Kopelman.

A4

Daily Durant Democrat

OPINION924-4388

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012Page 4

Find us on Facebook

As a matter of policy, The Durant Daily Democrat will publish corrections of errors in fact that have been printed in the newspaper. The corrections will be made as soon as possible after the error has been brought to the attention of the newspaper’s editor at (580) 924-4388.

CORRECTIONS

THE DEMOCRAT(USPS 163-000) Established 1900: The Durant Daily Democrat is published daily except Saturday and Monday and widely observed holidays, at 200 W. Beech St. in Durant, Okla., periodicals postage paid at Durant, Okla., 74701.

Subscription ratesCarrier delivery: $85 annually; $48 for 26 weeks; $24 for 12 weeks; $8 for 4 weeks By mail: $219 annually; $129 for 26 weeks; $69 for 12 weeksE-edition: Read the entire printed version online for only $78 year annually; $39 for six months.Prices above include sales tax where applicable.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: Durant Daily Democrat200 W. Beech St. Durant, Okla. (580) 924-4388

Federal• U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, 453 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510-3603, (202) 224-4721; (202) 224-5754.• U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, 133 Hart Building, Washington, DC 20510, (202) 224- 5754.• U.S. Congressman Dan Bo-ren, 112 N. 12th Ave., Durant, (580) 931-0333

State• Gov. Mary Fallin, State Capi-tol, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, (405) 521-2342.• State Rep. Dustin Roberts, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Okla-homa City, OK 73105, (405) 557- 7366.• State Sen. Josh Brecheen, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Okla-homa City, OK 73105, (405) 521-5586.

County• District 1 County Commis-sioner Monty Montgomery, 924- 5814.• District 2 County Commis-sioner Tony Simmons, (580) 283- 3711• District 3 County Commis-sioner, Jay Perry (580) 295-3737. They may be reached by mail at 402 W. Evergreen, Durant, OK 74701

CityMayor Jerry L. Tomlinson, Vice Mayor Tom Marcum, Councilperson Bobby Story, Councilperson Leon Sher-rer, Councilperson Dr. Jerry Polson. All may be reached at P.O. Box 578, Durant, OK 74702, 924-7222, or contact council members by e-mail at cityaction@durant.org

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Romney forced into defensive modeSo: The sec-

ond quarter’s growth rates were revised d o w n w a r d sharply, rais-ing the pros-pect that Presi-dent’s Obama’s fourth year in office may be e c o n o m i c a l l y weaker than his third. And the dismal unem-ployment fig-ures would ac-tually be much worse if it weren’t for dis-couraged Americans leav-ing the workforce entirely. And the Middle East and North Africa are on fire, resulting in the first U.S. ambassador killed in 30 years, along with three others. And security at the Benghazi consulate, it turns out, was lax. And administration officials dismissed the attack for days as “spontaneous” when some at the White House must have known that this was a falsehood. And al-Qaeda — from Libya to Somalia to Mali to Yemen to Nigeria — seems intent on proving it is not quite dead, with little public recognition or response from the ad-ministration. And Univi-sion reports that more guns linked to the Obama administration’s Fast and Furious scandal went to drug cartels and hit men. And at a Univision fo-rum, Obama tried to shift blame for the scandal with a claim that was immedi-ately proved false.

And yet, entering the first presidential debate, it is Mitt Romney who is on the defensive.

The past few weeks have been tough on Obama. But he has lengthened his lead in the horse race. How to explain it? Republicans diagnose a severe case of media bias, and the symp-toms are not imaginary. Obama’s Middle East policy collapses — and mainstream media outlets focus on an ill-timed Rom-

ney press state-ment. The pres-ident dismisses chaos and mur-der in the re-gion as “bumps in the road,” and the media c o l l e c t i v e l y shrug. Made by a Republican, this remark would be cited as evidence of i m p e a c h a b l e i n sens i t i v i t y. The obsession with Romney’s errors — the panting eager-

ness and lack of propor-tion — is obvious and em-barrassing.

But since the media are neither omnipotent nor monolithic, their at-titudes can’t be the only explanation for the state of the race. Romney and his campaign have coop-erated. The dissing of the 47 percent seems one of those rare gaffes that ac-tually registered with the public by confirming ex-isting suspicions. Just as Obama’s modest conven-tion bounce should have been fading, the contro-versy seems to have ex-tended and even slightly increased it.

And the Romney cam-paign’s initial reaction to the video was incom-prehensible. The chal-lenger could have given a serious speech outlining his approach to govern-ing — something he has not really done since the Republican primaries. He could have detailed his view of where government is necessary and where it has overreached. He could have made the case that unreformed entitlements threaten to consume every other purpose of govern-ment and eventually re-quire a massive, destruc-tive transfer of national wealth from young to old.

Instead, the Romney campaign attacked a 14-year-old video in which Obama recommends “re-distribution, at least at a certain level, to make

sure that everybody’s got a shot.” Redistribution, explained Romney, “has never been a characteristic of America.” So does Rom-ney actually oppose a pro-gressive tax system, en-titlements and benefits for the poor? No, his budget approach sets out to main-tain the current level of redistribution, rather than increasing it as Obama would do. (Romney has pledged that he “will not have the top income earn-ers in this country pay a smaller share of the tax burden” and that he would increase means testing for Medicare and Social Secu-rity.)

The Romney campaign, amazingly, reacted to the 47 percent gaffe with a round of anti-government hyperbole — reinforcing the charge of insufficient compassion the Obama campaign was pressing at the time. When one is caught sounding too much like Marie Antoinette, the natural response is not to sound more like Barry Goldwater or Ron Paul. This is damage control with a wrecking ball.

What does this mean for the debate? Romney will have the opportunity to criticize the obvious faults and failures that led this column. Yet now his performance bears some additional burden. First, he must find a way to convince an economically struggling middle-age female voter in Akron, Ohio, that he is concerned in practical ways about her future. Second, and relatedly, he must outline a philosophy of govern-ment that isn’t libertarian and frightening. Attacks on redistribution and a theoretical defense of eco-nomic freedom will not suffice.

The problem is: Both these goals are defensive and should have been ac-complished months ago. Romney can still make his case — finally unfiltered by the media — but he has complicated his own task.

Voters can learn from NFL’s cheap officials

A4

Daily Durant Democrat

OPINION924-4388

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012Page 4

Find us on Facebook

As a matter of policy, The Durant Daily Democrat will publish corrections of errors in fact that have been printed in the newspaper. The corrections will be made as soon as possible after the error has been brought to the attention of the newspaper’s editor at (580) 924-4388.

CORRECTIONS

THE DEMOCRAT(USPS 163-000) Established 1900: The Durant Daily Democrat is published daily except Saturday and Monday and widely observed holidays, at 200 W. Beech St. in Durant, Okla., periodicals postage paid at Durant, Okla., 74701.

Subscription ratesCarrier delivery: $85 annually; $48 for 26 weeks; $24 for 12 weeks; $8 for 4 weeks By mail: $219 annually; $129 for 26 weeks; $69 for 12 weeksE-edition: Read the entire printed version online for only $78 year annually; $39 for six months.Prices above include sales tax where applicable.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: Durant Daily DemocratP.O. Box 250 Durant, Okla. (580) 924-4388 200 W. Beech

Federal• U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, 453 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510-3603, (202) 224-4721; (202) 224-5754.• U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, 133 Hart Building, Washington, DC 20510, (202) 224- 5754.• U.S. Congressman Dan Bo-ren, 112 N. 12th Ave., Durant, (580) 931-0333

State• Gov. Mary Fallin, State Capi-tol, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, (405) 521-2342.• State Rep. Dustin Roberts, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Okla-homa City, OK 73105, (405) 557- 7366.• State Sen. Josh Brecheen, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Okla-homa City, OK 73105, (405) 521-5586.

County• District 1 County Commis-sioner Monty Montgomery, 924- 5814.• District 2 County Commis-sioner Tony Simmons, (580) 283- 3711• District 3 County Commis-sioner, Jay Perry (580) 295-3737. They may be reached by mail at 402 W. Evergreen, Durant, OK 74701

CityMayor Jerry L. Tomlinson, Vice Mayor Tom Marcum, Councilperson Bobby Story, Councilperson Leon Sher-rer, Councilperson Dr. Jerry Polson. All may be reached at P.O. Box 578, Durant, OK 74702, 924-7222, or contact council members by e-mail at cityaction@durant.org

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

CHRIS ALLENPublishercallen@heartlandpublications.com

DAN BALLEWPress Supervisorddpress@heartlandpublications. com

MATT SWEARENGINManaging Editormswearengin@heartlandpublications. com

RANDY BRUCESports Editorrbruce@heartlandpublications.com

The Durant Daily Democrat is printed on recycled news-print and is active in recycling newsprint and other papers.

Readers believe more Democrats in office is answer to bad economy

Letter to the Editor:Big corporations are

not the job creators in this country. Not even small businesses are. We American consumers are the job creators. Busi-nesses hire more workers when they see enough customer demand for their product, period.

Henry Ford famously paid good wages to the workers who built his Model T Ford, because he understood those work-ers were also consumers and he wanted them to be able to afford to buy his product. Nothing has changed in that respect. Paying workers well is necessary to improving the whole economy, and a better economy drives job growth. Slashing gov-ernment programs—fir-

ing teachers, laying off police and fire personnel, and idling construction workers—is exactly the opposite of what we need to be doing now.

Unfortunately, that’s what the Republicans who currently control Oklahoma’s government, as well as the Repub-licans who control the U.S. House, are trying to do.

Instead of cutting taxes to put more money in the hands of billionaires and corporations—who are not the “job creators,” no matter how many times Mitt Romney and others loudly proclaim that they are—we need a HUGE infrastructure program. Our bridges, roads, and public buildings are crum-bling, and now is the time

to repair them, when peo-ple need work and when government entities can borrow money at incred-ibly low interest rates for construction projects.

Nobel -Prize -winning economist Paul Krugman, in his new book, “End This Depression Now!” insists that we need this huge infrastructure pro-gram in order to grow our way out of the current Depression. (He calls it a Depression rather than a Recession because we seem to be stuck in a bad economy, and that, he says, is the definition of a Depression: being down and not being able to get up again.)

Krugman agrees that the deficit needs to be addressed long-term, but only AFTER the econo-

my is surging again. To cut, cut, cut when times are bad only depresses the economy even more. What’s happening in Eu-rope should tell us that austerity measures don’t work when economies are in a slump.

Let’s put more Demo-crats in office this year and urge them to vote for real stimulus to this economy. Let’s also re-turn to the tax rates we had under President Bill Clinton, when we actual-ly had a balanced budget, when we paid down part of our deficit, and when everyone was doing bet-ter than now (including the billionaires and the corporations).

Sincerely,Elbert and Marion HillDurant

Kerrey’s case for entitlement reform unique

By endors-ing Deb Fisch-er — the sur-prise winner of Nebraska’s R e p u b l i c a n Senate primary — Sarah Palin let a competent candidate slip through her normal screen-ing process. Fischer is no Sharron Angle or Christine O’Donnell — tea party fa-vorites in 2010 who seemed to view ac-complishment and delib-eration as pernicious es-tablishment vices. Fischer is a tough, effective, re-spected state legislator — and, in the few polls available so far, is leading her Democratic opponent, Bob Kerrey.

In electing Fischer, Nebraskans would send a staunch, predictable conservative to Washing-ton, which has consider-able merit. But Kerrey complicates the choice. Ideological conformity is relatively common in the nation’s capital. Indepen-dent thought is rarer. And a Democrat who is keen to confront the nation’s largest challenge — a fiscal crisis driven by entitlement costs — is rarest of all.

Speaking by phone from the campaign trail in Ne-braska, Kerrey rattles off the statistics on fewer workers supporting the benefits of a larger number of retirees as federal entitlement spend-ing squeezes out every other public investment in the gen-eral welfare.

“Our future as a great country depends on our ability to resolve this prob-lem,” he says. It has been his consistent warning since he co-chaired the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement Reform in the early 1990s. And it is the cause that has led him back into elective politics after an 11-year ab-sence.

During past Senate ser-vice, Kerrey was known for his bluntness. (He once publicly said: “Clinton’s an unusually good liar. Unusu-ally good.”) The trait en-dures. The main obstacle to entitlement reform, he told me, is the “presupposition that people older than 65 can’t take the truth. People are afraid of them… . We need to get people over 65 to look at people under 40, who, right now, are going to get screwed. They are going to get less than they were promised. We need to ask the grandparents, does that bother them?”

Not as much as it should. But it bothers Kerrey, 68. “If I win, I want to be specific on changes in Medicare and Social Security. I don’t want to go back just to be back.” By the end of the campaign, he predicts, “it will feel I’m to the right of the Republi-cans on this.”

Kerrey’s criticism of Con-

gress on the entitlement is-sue has its own tea party edge. “One option is to do nothing,” he says. “That currently has 535 co - sponsors . ” He describes the Simpson-Bowles report on fis-cal reform as “a huge lost oppor-tunity” because “the country was ready for it” — which seems an implicit criticism

of President Obama’s refusal to embrace the recommenda-tions of his own commission.

Kerrey scatters biparti-san responsibility in the failure of last year’s deficit supercommittee. The prob-lem started, he says, “when [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid didn’t put on [Majority Whip Richard] Durbin and when [Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell didn’t put on [Sen. Tom] Co-burn.” Durbin and Coburn had taken the political risk of supporting Simpson-Bowles. “Had they been on the su-percommittee, it might have been a different outcome.”

Considering members of Congress “on an individual basis,” Kerrey says, “you should presume patriotism.” But he thinks congressional rules favor partisan gridlock: “I am campaigning to amend the Constitution to abolish both the Republican and Democratic caucuses… We should not allow Congress to organize by party. How can you work with someone who is raising money to defeat you? The rules of Congress have to change, and they can’t be trusted to rewrite their own rules.”

Kerrey, with plenty of people trying to defeat him, is clearly frustrated by the course of the campaign, which has focused on his extended absence from Ne-braska as president of the New School in New York City. “The most important issue for me right now,” he vents, “is defending that I spent 11 years in New York. We need to get to the part where we have a conversa-tion” on entitlements. “We become Greece if we don’t solve this one.”

The current market for viv-id ideological idiosyncrasy is weak. Conservative super PACs are already weigh-ing in against Kerrey. Ele-ments of the left seem no more enthusiastic. “Bob Kerrey equals Joe Lieber-man in our minds,” snarks one progressive activist.

It is a sign of political sickness when the name Lieberman — which stands for independence, integrity and civility — is employed as an epithet. Our system is incapable of significant action when ev-ery representative is ideo-logically typical and pre-dictably partisan. Which is the strongest argument for Bob Kerrey.michaelgerson@washpost.com

Michael GersonSyndicatedColumnist

Letters to the Editor

JANICE WRIGHTAccounting Clerkjwright@heartlandpublications.com

CHUCk DOWNSCirculation Managercdowns@heartlandpublications.com

Now that the National Foot-ball League has apparently learned that it can be costly to hire cheap of-ficials, perhaps the rest of us should learn the same lesson when it comes to government officials, whose bad calls can do a lot more damage.

What do we do when we want a bet-ter car, a better home or a better bottle of wine? We pay more for it. We definitely need a lot bet-ter crop of public offi-cials. Yet we insist on paying flea market prices for people who will be spending trillions of tax dollars, not to mention making foreign policy that can either safeguard or jeopardize the lives of millions of Americans.

Any successful engi-neer, surgeon, or finan-cier would have to take a big pay cut to serve in Congress. A top student from a top law school can get a starting salary that is more than we pay a Su-preme Court justice.

No doubt many, if not most, government of-ficials are already paid more than they are worth. But the whole point of higher pay is to get better people to replace them.

We may say that we want people in Congress, the courts or the White House who have some serious knowledge and experience in the real world, not just glib trick-sters who know how to pander for votes. But we don’t put our money where our mouth is.

Let’s face it. You’re not likely to get a good suit of clothes at a flea market. And you’re not likely to get the cream of the crop to go into the government when they would have to accept a big drop in in-come to do so.

There are always going to be warm bodies avail-able to fill the jobs in gov-ernment. We have lots of warm bodies there now. There will also always be some people who are will-ing to sacrifice their fam-ily’s economic security and standard of living, in order to get their hands on the levers of power.

These are precisely the kinds of people whom it is dangerous to have hold-ing the levers of power.

Can we afford to pay members of Congress, the President of the United States, and federal judges the kinds of money that would enable us to tap a far wider pool of far more knowledgeable people with successful real world experience? We can’t af-ford not to. Cheap poli-ticians are expensive in their reckless spending of tax money. It is the ulti-

mate in being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

To get some idea of the cost, ask yourself: How much would it cost to pay ev-ery member of Congress, the president, and every federal judge a million dollars a year?

There are 535 members of Congress, so a salary of a million dollars

a year would cost $535 million, or just over half a billion dollars. There are 188 federal appellate judges and one President of the United States. That’s 189 more people, bringing the total number of people to 724, and the total cost to $724 million, at a time when people in Washington are talking trillions.

That is less than one percent of the annual cost of the Department of Ag-riculture. Put differently, we could pay all of these 724 officials a million dol-lars a year each — for an entire century — for less than it costs to run the Department of Agricul-ture for one year.

If we limited how long any given individual could hold office in the government — prefer-ably one term — we could have highly knowl-edgeable people with real world experience in charge of taking care of the nation’s business, in-stead of spending their time doing things to get reelected.

They would be a lot harder for special inter-ests to bribe with cam-paign contributions, when high officials would face no more campaigns after getting elected. We don’t need career politi-cians.

The best crop of public officials this country has ever had were in the gen-eration that founded the United States of America. Most of the Founders had careers outside of poli-tics.

Is all this a realistic prospect in the world to-day? Of course not! What is the most realistic pros-pect today is the status quo today.

But the New Deal was not a realistic prospect three years before Frank-lin D. Roosevelt took of-fice. It was not a realistic prospect in 1775 that the American colonies would become an independent nation a year later. The whole point of discussing new ideas is to get people thinking about them, so that they might become realistic prospects in the future.

Thomas Sowell is a senior fel-low at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsow-ell.com.

Thomas SowellSyndicatedColumnist

Michael GersonSyndicatedColumnist

Survey suggests economic growth in Midwest

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Little or no economic growth is likely this year in most of the nine Midwest and Plains states covered by a survey of business leaders, but the booming oil business will continue to drive growth in North Da-kota and Oklahoma, accord-ing to the report released Monday.

The region’s overall eco-nomic index improved to a weak 50.4 in September from August’s 49.7.

Any score above 50 sug-gests economic growth in the months ahead, while a score below 50 suggests a decline. North Dakota’s state economic index hit 61.6 in September, and Oklahoma’s registered 56.6 thanks to the oil boom.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said concerns about U.S. fiscal policy, the elections, infla-tion and Europe’s economic turmoil slowed the econo-my.

“Supply managers, much like the entire business sec-tor, remain very pessimistic regarding future economic conditions,” Goss said.

The survey covers Arkan-sas, Iowa, Kansas, Minne-sota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The region’s employment index remained negative, slipping to 46.1 in Septem-ber from August’s 49.5. Goss said that’s the lowest jobs index since the recession ended in 2009.

“I expect the regional economy to lose both manu-facturing and non-manufac-turing jobs, albeit at a slow pace, in the final quarter of 2012,” Goss said.

Job gains in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Iowa will be offset by job losses in the other six states, he predicted. While strength in the energy industry is fueling growth in North Dakota and Oklaho-ma, Iowa is growing mostly because of strong manufac-turing performance.

The prices-paid index in-creased to 66 in September from August’s 65.2, suggest-ing inflation ahead.

“The combination of drought conditions and the Federal Reserve’s easy or cheap money policies are driving the wholesale level higher,” Goss said.

The confidence index, which measures how opti-mistic business leaders are about the next six months, registered 44.7 in Septem-ber. That was slightly better than August’s 44.3.

STEER CLEAR OF PIPELINES IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

Many underground pipelines carry oil and gas products. So take

care with projects like building a fence, widening a driveway,

or planting a tree as there may be pipelines in your area. Make

safety your top priority and keep your home-improvement

projects on track. Call 811 before you dig.

TAKE CARE.BE AWARE.

XTO Energy www.pipelinesafetyinformation.com/ads

A5

LIFESTYLESTUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT Page 5

Hunters see quail population declining in Okla.Ed GodfreyThe Oklahoman

OKLAHOMA CITY — Louis Dakil thinks the Okla-homa Department of Wild-life Conservation should close quail season.

The owner of Dakil Auc-tioneers in Oklahoma City fears that bobwhite quail are traveling down the same path of the lesser prairie chicken and will be vanish-ing from the prairie.

“I have been hunting 44 years and I have never seen it this bad,” Dakil said. “We are at a very critical point right now, I think.”

Dakil is not the only quail hunter who has suggested closing the hunting season. I’ve heard from several who share the same sentiment.

Many are desperate to save Oklahoma’s quail, whose population has dwindled to an all-time low.

Doug Schoeling, the Wildlife Department’s quail biologist, knows that some hunters believe closing the season is the best thing to do.

“I had a person ask me that same question last week,” Schoeling said. “Why don’t we close quail season?”

His answer?“What I tell people is

there are a lot of parts of Oklahoma that don’t get quail hunted at all, and the quail population in those ar-eas is not going up either,” Schoeling said. “Closing the season down doesn’t mean the population is go-

ing to suddenly increase.”Schoeling said some

hunters have suggested that the Wildlife Department should shorten the sea-son and return to the days of hunting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

“Hunting is not a big reason of quail mortality,” Schoeling said. “There are a lot more things out there causing quail mortality.”

Most of the quail that hunters kill are adult birds that have the least chance to survive through the win-ter anyway, Schoeling said. The life expectancy of a bobwhite quail is just 18 months, he said.

“A majority of those quail are going to die over the winter anyway when their food availability is

lower,” Schoeling said.The Wildlife Department

is currently partnering with Oklahoma State University and researchers in Texas to try and determine the cause or causes for the population decline in Texas and Okla-homa.

Biologists have long preached that habitat and weather were the major rea-sons whether the quail pop-ulation was good or bad, but now they suspect other factors may play a larger role in the disappearance of quail such as predators, dis-ease and pesticides.

“It’s not just one thing,” Schoeling said. “There are a number of things causing (the reduction in the quail population).”

Researchers so far have

discovered a high level of parasitic worms in quail that may be impairing their ability to thrive. But Schoe-ling said parasites were found in a significant per-centage of the quail popula-tion in the ’60s as well.

It will be several years be-fore the research produces any definitive results, he said.

In the meantime, there are anecdotal reports of more quail in Oklahoma this year than last. The Wildlife Department just completed its August road-side surveys, but Schoeling has yet to analyze the data.

Hunters shouldn’t give up on quail, Schoeling said. Oklahoma has experienced a severe drought in recent years, and some timely rain

could bring the birds back, he said.

“It wasn’t that long ago that we were killing more than a million quail a year,” he said.

In 2004, Oklahoma hunt-ers harvested more than one million quail, accord-ing to Wildlife Department surveys of resident hunters. Since that time, however, that number has dipped every year except one. Last year, Oklahoma hunters only killed 109,000 bob-whites.

And the number of peo-ple hunting quail in Okla-homa has dropped from a peak of 120,000 in 1987 to only 17,000 last year.

That leaves hunters like Dakil frustrated and de-manding an act of conser-

Texoma Area College Fair now scheduled at Southeastern OSUUniversity Communications

DURANT — High school seniors and juniors are invited to attend the 2012 Texoma Area College Fair Oct. 25 at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

This event is a great opportunity for students to explore opportunities about college and visit with more than 30 college and university representa-tives from Oklahoma, Texas and other states offering information to help stu-dents choose the right school.

The annual event is scheduled for 8:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Bloomer Sullivan Arena on the South-eastern campus. The College Fair is free and open to students and parents.

More than 400 students attended the event last year.

“The Texoma Area College Fair is an excellent opportunity for our local high school students to begin looking at options for higher education,” said Liz McCraw, Southeastern’s Dean of Enrollment Management. “With col-leges and universities from the state and region represented, students may explore areas of study, campus life and costs with a representative from each school without having to travel great distances.”

In addition to browsing the college

and university booths, students will also have the opportunity to attend informative workshops designed to make the college transition a bit easier.

These workshops will be beneficial to parents and counselors as well as students. The workshops include:

9 a.m. – What You Really Need to Do to Prepare for College

9:30 a.m. – Native American Ben-efits

10 a.m. – College Fit: Finding the Right School for You

Colleges and universities already confirmed to attend:

Southeastern Oklahoma State Uni-versity; Austin College; Carl Albert State College; East Central Univer-sity; Eastern Oklahoma State College; Northeastern State University; Okla-homa Baptist University; Oklahoma City University; Oklahoma State University; Southwestern Christian University; Texas A&M-Commerce; University of Arkansas; University of Central Oklahoma; University of North Texas; University of Oklahoma; University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma; and West Point Military Academy.

For more information on the Texo-ma Area College Fair, contact South-eastern’s Office of Recruitment at 580-745-2060.

Oklahoma pharmacist files appeal to murder convictionTim TalleyAssociated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma pharmacist sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting a teen-ager who tried to rob his store claimed Monday that his case was mishandled and his attorney was inef-fective.

Jerome Ersland, 60, made the allegations in an appeal that asks the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to order a new trial and set aside his May 2011 first-de-gree murder conviction and sentence.

Among other things, the appeal alleges that Ersland’s defense attorney, Irven Box of Oklahoma City, did not communicate well with Er-sland, urged Ersland to dis-cuss the case with the me-dia prior to his trial and put his own interests above his client’s — allegations that Box denied.

“They’re totally a pack of lies,” Box said. “The insinu-ations they’re making now are all totally disingenu-ous.”

Box estimated he met with Ersland between 75 and 100 times prior to his trial and criticized his for-mer client for giving con-flicting statements about the shooting to authorities and members of the media who Box said Ersland con-tacted against Box’s instruc-tions.

“I warned him about talk-ing to the press. Jerome Ersland, to be very kind,

was a very difficult client,” Box said. “We vigorously defended this case. The re-sults weren’t good.”

Ersland had been praised for protecting himself and two female co-workers dur-ing the May 19, 2009, rob-bery attempt at the Reliable Discount Pharmacy in a crime-ridden neighborhood in south Oklahoma City.

Prosecutors concluded Ersland was justified when he shot 16-year-old Antwun Parker in the head, knock-ing him to the ground, and then chased a second would-be robber out of the store. But they said he went too far when he grabbed a second handgun and shot the unconscious boy five more times in the abdomen. A coroner’s report said the latter shots killed Parker.

A 12-member jury reject-ed Ersland’s claims of self-defense and unanimously convicted him of murder.

Ersland’s supporters reaf-firmed their belief that Er-sland acted in self-defense and should never have been charged.

“He was threatened. He had a gun put into his face,” state Sen. Ralph Shortey, R-Oklahoma City, said during a news conference with Er-sland’s new attorney, Doug Friesen, in the lobby of the appellate court. “How could that man have been con-victed of murder in the first degree? I don’t know, but it needs to be fixed.”

Friesen criticized Box for relying too heavily on Er-sland’s self-defense claims

and not investigating other aspects of the case, includ-ing Ersland’s mental his-tory and mental state at the time of the shooting and claims that he suffers from an inner ear disorder called Meniere’s Disease and As-perger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism.

Friesen also criticized Box for not calling expert witnesses to testify for the defense, including use-of-force and crime-scene re-construction experts, and for not allowing Ersland to testify in his own defense.

“Somebody telling Je-rome Ersland’s story was critical to the defense,” Fri-esen said. “It’s the defense’s job to present something. Under these sets of facts, I do not believe Jerome got a fair trial.”

Box rejected the criticism and characterized the al-legations as unprofessional and unethical.

“It’s a publicity stunt,” he said.

After filing the appellate documents, supporters de-livered petitions expressing outrage over the verdict to Gov. Mary Fallin’s office. The petitions contained the signatures of about 3,800 people, bringing the total number of signatures on the petition to more than 33,000, said Karen Monah-an.

Monahan said supporters hope the petitions will con-vince officials to investigate Ersland’s case.

“It’s the only thing I know to do,” she said.

Durant Democrat/Zach MaxwellThe newly crowned Miss Indian SOSU Alyssa Rhoades (left) is pictured with 2011 Miss Indian SOSU Caley Wesberry after last week’s pageant hosted by SOSU Na-tive American Student Association. The event was held at the Wesley Center.

Miss Indian now crowned

DURANT, Okla. — South-eastern got 18 digs from Tay-lor Benner and four blocks from Jasmine Everage, but saw its losing streak extend to three matches with a 3-0 loss to Harding on Saturday night in Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium.

The loss dropped the Sav-age Storm to 2-12 overall on the year and 1-4 in Great American Conference play, the Bisons improved to 12-4

overall in 5-0 in the confer-ence.

SE dropped the opening set 25-19 and the scores stayed consistent, dropping set two 25-17 and set three 25-18.

Benner’s defensive effort on the back roaw led all defend-ers in the match, while Mad-elynne Cera and Emily Gentle each added nine digs.

Everage’s four blocks matched the match-high and she was helped out by three

blocks each from Cera and Gentle.

Cera turned in 23 assists to guide the offense and added a kill to her three blocks and nine digs.

Megan Kunkel and Gentle each turned in eight kills, while Ariel Sanders chipped in six.

Southeastern will be back in action tonight when it travels to Southern Nazarene for a 7 p.m. match in Bethany, Okla.

A6

Daily Durant Democrat

SPORTSRandy Bruce924-4388 ddsports@durantdemocrat.com

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012Page 6

Colbert Leopards headed to stateColbert’s Krob sits down 13 Bobcat batters in playoff clincherZach MaxwellSports Reporter

ROFF – The Colbert Leopards are headed to the state baseball championship for the first time in more than a decade.

Colbert won the regional runner-up bid for a shot at state on Monday with a 10-3 decision over Hydro-Eakly. The Bobcats were no match for Leopard ace Ka-son Krob, who fanned 13 in his complete-game victory on the mound.

The early dominance by Krob allowed Colbert hit-ters to do what they’ve been doing all season, which is timely hitting, speedy base-running and scoring almost at will at times. They put up four runs in the third inning which all but salted away the win.

“I’m happy for these kids,” said Colbert baseball Coach Lance Britt. “They worked hard all year and they de-serve this. We got a strong pitching performance today as Kason threw well. “

When the regional play-

offs started last week, Colbert slipped past Roff 1-0 and fell to Sterling 8-6 before rain forced three of the regional survivors to re-schedule games on Monday. Hydro-Eakly eliminated Roff 8-5 on Monday before losing to the Leopards in a winner-take-all game.

“I’m just proud for this community,” Britt said. “We’ll go to work tomorrow and Wednesday, and head up and play Thursday.”

The Leopards could pos-sibly be paired with Bryan County rivals from Silo, but that won’t be known until 2 p.m. Tuesday when OSSAA releases the state tourna-ment bracket. Game times and locations also will be announced today.

Monday was all about the dogpile on Tiger Field in Roff after Colbert clinched state. Parents streamed onto the field for photos, and the players eventually doused their coach from the water bucket in true sports tradition.

Dylan Jones had four RBIs on two doubles, Brad-

ley Nichols counted three RBIs which included a two-run home run into the wind to get the Colbert scoring started. Caleb Shoemake, Preston Rice and Trevor Cole also collected runs bat-ted in.

Krob struck out seven of the first nine Bobcats to come to the plate, retir-ing the side in order in the third. The leopards went up 2-0 in the first on the Nich-ols shot, then 3-0 on a Jones double which scored Shoe-make after he walked.

Hydro-Eakly committed two of their six errors in the third, which didn’t help their new pitcher. Abases-loaded walk scored Dakota Graham after he singled, then Jones’ second double cleared the bases to give Colbert a 7-0 start.

Krob shook off a four-hit fourth for the Bobcats – in-cluding a two-run longball of their own – scattering three more K’s through the inning. The defense shone in the fifth as two base hits turned into outs on a run-down and a pickoff, and Graham at third grabbed a low liner.

The Bobcats tacked on another run in the sixth to

cut the Leopards’ lead to 7-3. But Colbert would add three more in the bottom of the sixth on two errors, a walk, a sacrifice and two base hits (Cole and White-head). Jones, Bradley Nich-ols and courtesy runner Keller Cummins all scored.

Colbert improves to 24-6 overall this season, includ-ing a 5-1 run through the postseason. The Leopards split two regular season games against Silo, and also lost a tournament game to Rattan, a team they are likely to see at some point in the state bracket.

Photos by Zach Maxwell l Durant Daily DemocratDOGPILE! The Colbert Leopards go canine on Tiger Field after clinching a spot Monday in the state finals.

Regional Runner-Up plaque winners, the Colbert Leopards will be back in action this Thursday in the state finals. Take state!

Catcher Cade Carter joyously tackles pitcher Kason Krob to start the celebration Monday after Colbert’s 10-3 playoff win over Hydro-Eakly.

Tushka Lady Tigers advance to state with win over ColbertJacob HartinSports Writer

TUSHKA — After a rainy weekend, the Tushka Lady Tigers and the Colbert Lady Leopards resumed regional tournament play on Monday afternoon. The Lady Tigers received a strong outing from starting pitcher Kelsie Cham-bers and cruised to a 9-0 victory to win the regional tourna-ment championship.

“We played well defensively and hit the ball in key situ-ations,” said Tushka coach David Durbin. “You have to do those things to win ball games.”

The Lady Tigers jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the first inning. Chambers smacked a leadoff single and then Logan Carbaugh followed with an RBI single to put the Lady Tigers in front. Two more runs scored in the inning on wild throws to make it 3-0.

The Lady Tigers tacked on two more runs in the second and third innings with Lindsey Broughton scoring on a run-down in the second and Courtney Viney scoring on an RBI single from Haley Cops in the third.

With a 5-0 Tushka lead, the Lady Leopards started off the top of the fourth inning with a leadoff walk but were unable to put a run on the board. Tushka right fielder Stormy Siren made a nice diving catch for the first out of the inning.

Chambers retired the next two Colbert batters to end the threat. The Lady Tigers took a commanding lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Kayla Wilhite drove in the sixth Tushka run of the game with an RBI single. Carbaugh fol-lowed with an RBI triple for her second hit of game to make it 8-0.

Jordan Weger started off the top of the fifth inning with a single for the Lady Leopards but they were still unable to mount a rally. The Lady Tigers ended the inning with an impressive 6-4-3 double play.

The Lady Tigers added one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI from Jayden Eaves.

With the regional championship in hand, the Lady Tigers now advance to the state tournament where they will play Savannah in the opening round on Thursday.

Storm volleyball blanked in two-game homestand

Southeastern: Dan HokeTaylor Benner digs out one out of her 18 digs against Harding.

Southeastern in sixth at Texoma ChampionshipMatt ThomasSoutheastern

KINGSTON, Okla. —Southeastern fired team rounds of 309 and 305 and finished day one of the Texoma Champion-ship in sixth place with a two-round tally of 614 heading into Tuesday’s final round.

The event is hosted by Chickasaw Pointe Golf Resort on its 7,085 yard, par-72 championship course on the shores of Lake Texoma.

“We did some good things,” said head coach Don Hudson, “But we’ll have to go out and make sure those teams behind us don’t catch up and work on moving up in the final round.”

The Savage Storm was paced by Robert Perry who posted rounds of 74 and 76 to finish with a 150 and currently sits in

a tie for 17th.Greyden Blevins is sec-

ond on the squad with matching rounds of 77 to finish with a 154 in 26th place.

Matt McIntosh carded rounds of 77 and 78 to post a 155 and is cur-rently in a tie for 27th, while Rick Hairgrove is one shot back after card-ing an 81 and a 75 to post a two-round score of 156 and is tied for 32nd.

Jeff Hunter posted an 81 in the opening round and return dint he after-noon with a 77 to finish at 158 on the event in a tie for 40th.

The Storm also field-ed a JV team which is in 12th place out of 14 schools after two rounds of play, carding team rounds of 321 and 327 for a two-round tally of 648.

Will Wood led the charge for that squad with back-to-back rounds

of 79 to fire a 158 and is tied for 40th.

Seth Wheeler turned in a 77 and an 85 to finish tied for 55th with a 162, while Carson Daniel is tied for 60th after rounds of 81 and 83 that added up to an event total of 164.

Jay Ray is in 69th place after rounds of 87 and 80 to total 167, while Sean Adams went 84, 95 on the day for a 179 and is in 76th place.

SE also fielded a pair of individuals, with Jackson Stuteville turning in the best day of the two, card-ing matching rounds of 75 to post a 150 and match SE’s best two-round play-ing in a tie for 17th.

Joey Schroeder also posted matching round, his were 79’s, and fired a two-round score of 158 and is tied for 40th.

Oklahoma Christian leads the tournament

after two rounds with a score of 583, which is good for a 10-stroke lead over Southwestern Okla-homa State in second place with a two-round mark of 593.

If OCU holds on for the win it would be their third-straight Texoma Championship victory.

Northwood (Texas) is in third with a 598, while West Texas A&M is in fourth at 608 and Paris JC is in fifth with a 609.

The Storm sit five strokes behind PJC and a one-stroke advantage over Newman who is in seventh at 615.

Rogers State, Ster-ling and Arkansas Tech round out the top-10 with scores of 621, 623 and 626.

Texas A&M-Com-merce, SE’s JV squad, Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas round out the 14 teams compet-

ing in the event.The Eagles Jared Con-

soli leads the tournament with rounds of 71 and 72 to post a one-under-par 143 over two rounds.

He holds a one shot lead over SWOSU’s Tay-lor Howie and North-wood’s Carter Caldwell

who each shot even-par 144’s.

The two time defend-ing individual champions Vilhelm Bogstrand from OCU is currently tied for sixth, three strokes off the lead.

The final round will be-gan today at 8 a.m.

Southeastern: Dan Hoke

Call 7 days a week 8am - 11pm EST Promo Code: MB0712

1-888-476-0098Call now and save over $850

this year on TV!

Prices valid for 12 months. Requires 24-month agreement

PACKAGESUNDER $50

Packages start at just

FOR 12 MONTHS

Everyday price $24.99/mo

Join Nicole and John and start saving today!

Nicole went back to basics and saved $312!

John got in the game with a wide range of sports, movies and more & saved up to $850!

NO ONE CAN COMPARE TO DISH!THE COMPETITION DOESN’T STACK UP

YESYESYESYESYES

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

LARGEST CABLEPROVIDERS

BLOCKBUSTER @ HOME Get over 100,000 movies, shows and games by mail, plus thousands of titles streamed to your TV or PC*

* Requires broadband internet; must have HD DVR to stream to your TV.

The most HD channels

Lowest All-Digital Prices Nationwide

Award-Winning HD DVR

FREE Installation in up to 6 rooms

SAME DAY INSTALLATIONIN UP TO 6 ROOMS

Where available.

CALL TODAY -INSTALLED TODAY!For 3 months.

PREMIUM MOVIE CHANNELS

Blockbuster @Home (1 disc at a time): Only available with new qualifying DISH service. For the first 3 months of your subscription, you will receive Blockbuster @Home free (regularly $10/mo). After 3 months, then-current regular price applies Requires online DISH account for discs by mail; broadband Internet to stream content; HD DVR to stream to TV. Exchange online rentals for free in-store movie rentals at participating Blockbuster stores. Offer not available in Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands. Streaming to TV and some channels not available with select packages. Digital Home Advantage plan requires 24-month agreement and credit qualification. Cancellation fee of $17.50/month remaining applies if service is terminated before end of agreement. Online Bonus credit requires online redemption no later than 45 days from service activation. After applicable promotional period, then-current price will apply. $10/mo HD add-on fee waived for life of current account; requires 24-month agreement, continuous enrollment in AutoPay with Paperless Billing. 3-month premium movie offer value is up to $132; after 3 months then-current price applies unless you downgrade. Free Standard Professional Installation only. All equipment is leased and must be returned to DISH upon cancellation or unreturned equipment fees apply. Upfront fee, monthly fees, and limits on number and type of receivers will apply. You must initially enable PrimeTime Anytime feature; requires local channels broadcast in HD (not available in all markets). HD programming requires HD television. All prices, packages, programming, features, functionality and offers subject to change without notice. Offer available for new and qualified former customers, and subject to terms of applicable Promotional and Residential Customer agreements. Additional restrictions may apply. Offer ends 1/31/13. HBO®, Cinemax® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. SHOWTIME is a registered trademark of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. STARZ and related channels and service marks are property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. Netflix is a registered trademark of Netflix. Inc. Redbox is a registered trademark of Redbox Automated Retail, LLC. All new customers are subject to a one-time, non-refundable processing fee.

FREE FOR 3 MONTHSwith qualifying packages. Offer based on the

discounted $5 price for the Blockbuster @Home. One disc at a time, $10/mo. value.

Expires: 10/31/12

Expires: 10/31/12 Expires: 10/31/12

60355269

Expires: 10/31/12

A7

LIFESTYLESTUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT Page 7

Weather24-Hr. Forecast

Up-to-the-minute forecast at www.durantdemocrat.com

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 80. North wind 6 to 9 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Light and variable wind.

Durant

Regional

Lake Texoma

Monday’s High 82Monday’s Low 58Precipitation 0.20Precip. This Month 0.00Precip. This Year 28.38

Monday’s ReadingsSTATION HI LOW PCPNAntlers 81 61 0.00Hugo 81 61 0.00Lane 82 60 0.00Madill 82 54 0.00Tishomingo 81 56 0.00

Elevation 613.92Normal Elevation 616.63Water Temp. 83

UpcomingEventsOngoing

The Durant School District requests help in locating and identifying children with disabilities from birth to 21 years of age who may be in need of special services such as visually impaired, learning impaired, physi-cal disabilities, mental handicaps, speech or lan-guage disabilities, emo-tional disturbances and/or other special needs. A phone call to Duane Me-rideth, assistant superin-tendent or Dale Welsh, special education direc-tor, at 924-1276, will re-ceive immediate response in providing appropriate education services, free of charge, for qualifying students with disabilities who live in the Durant School District.

Calera Public School District is looking for children and young peo-ple from birth through age 21 who may be in need of special educa-tion services. Public Law 101-476 mandates confidential evaluation and placement for: visu-ally impaired, hearing impaired, physical dis-abilities, mental handi-caps, speech or language disabilities, emotional disturbances and/or oth-er special needs.

For more information, please contact Gerald Parks, superintendent, at Calera Public Schools (580-434-5700). All ser-vices are without cost to parents and are confiden-tial.

The Bryan County Branch SEOK Chapter of the American Red Cross, 501 NE 4th Ave. in Du-rant, is now offering Health & Safety classes: CPR, First Aid and AED for adult, child and pe-

diatrics. A Red Cross li-censed training provider will instruct the classes. Get certified for employ-ment or family safety. Individual training or in groups of 1-5. Please call for new fee consideration. For more information, contact Dottie Caldwell at (580) 924-0255 or (817) 739-1297 or email at dottie.caldwell@red-cross.org.

Rock Creek public schools are seeking any-one from ages birth-21 who may need special education services. Pub-lic law 101-476 mandates confidential evaluation and placement for visu-ally impaired, hearing impaired, physical dis-abilities, mental handi-caps speech or language disabilities, emotional disturbances and or other special needs.

For more information call Rock Creek Special Education Director Karie Hill at (580) 924-9601 or Rock Creek Superin-tendent Preston Burns at (580)295-3761. All ser-vices are without cost to parents and strictly con-fidential.

Oct. 4-6 The Friends of the

Donald W. Reynolds Community Center and Library will hold their annual book sale Oct. 4 - 6th. The hours are: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm on Thurs-day, Oct. 4th; 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Friday, Oct 5th and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, Oct. 6th. All proceeds of the sale will be used to help sup-port our library.

Oct. 5A spaghetti dinner to

benefit the Calera High School Bank will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5 at

the Jack Stockton Commu-nity Building. Cost is $7 for adults and $3 for children under 12. The band will be performing during the meal.

An Indian taco sale will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday Oct. 5 at the Panola Chicka-saw Center, 1015 Moore Ave. in Colbert. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for chil-dren 12 and under. For to-go orders, call 296-1674. Home-baked items will be available.

Panola Chickasaw Senior Center

Oct. 5-6St. John’s Episcopal

Church, 515 W. Beech, will be holding a Fall Festival honoring St. Francis on Oct. 5 and 6. The Fall Fes-tival begins with a church wide yard sale beginning on Friday Oct. 5th and will run both days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 6, in addition to the yard sale, a local veterinarian will be on hand giving free check-ups to pets and a blessing of the pets by Father Blagg will take place in the after-noon. Also on Saturday, the children of St. John’s will be selling apple cider to help raise money towards Du-rant’s local animal shelter. That evening beginning at 5 p.m. a spaghetti dinner will be served during the show-ing of a movie detailing the life of St. Francis in the Par-ish Hall. All are invited and encouraged to come out and take part as we celebrate the life and teachings of St. Francis. For more informa-tion please call 924-1332.

Oct. 6Caddo Heritage Day

will be held Oct. 6. Any vendors or groups who wish to schedule a booth may do so by calling 380-1202 or 367-2445.

The Rock Creek Com-munity Church, 409 N. Hamilton St. in Bokchito,

will have a gospel singing at 7 p.m. Oct. 6. The pub-lic is invited to bring their instruments, songs and to join in or to just listen to the service.

Oct. 6-7The Durant Elks annual

golf tournament will be Oct. 6-7 at the Durant Country Club. There will be two-per-son teams in a scramble for-mat for $200. There will be a 9 a.m. shotgun start and a dinner Saturday night. For more information, call Daniel Marcy at 931-7353 or email danielmarcy@ya-hoo.com.

Oct. 7Come kick off National

4-H Week on Oct. 7. Any-one who is 5-19 is invited to the Rex movie theater in Caddo for the 12:30 show-ing of The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” The show-ing is limited to the first 120 4-H members. Please Wear 4-H shirts or anything Green. For more informa-tion, call the Bryan County OSU Extension Office at 580-924-5312.

Oct. 7-8The Young Couples

Group is having a bake sale from 6-30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 and 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8.

Oct. 17-20The Durant Elks Lodge

Fall Fest Carnival will be Oct. 17-20 on North Gates Avenue behind Walmart. There will be food and rides.

Oct. 25 The Southeastern Cen-

ter for Funding Research and the Southeastern Li-brary will be hosting a free grant seeking work-shop October 25. Reg-istration is open to area educators as well as local

and regional nonprofits. The registration form can be found at: http://www.eventzilla.net/web/event?eventid=2138966665 There is also a Reg-istration link on our SCFR website at: http://homepages.se.edu/cen-ter-for-funding-research/grantseeking-for-nonprof-its-workshop/.

Oct. 28A Centennial Chili Cook-

off will be held at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 at St. Wil-liams Catholic Church 802 University.

Nov. 2, 3The Achille High School

Alumni Association will host the annual homecom-ing on Friday and Satur-day, November 2 and 3. A high school basketball game will begin the festivi-ties on Friday evening be-ginning at 6:30. This year we will honor the classes of 1942, 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2002. Graduates from these classes will be recognized throughout the game and again at the business meet-ing on Saturday morning. We hope to have a big turnout from these classes both Friday and Saturday. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning in the school auditorium and the busi-ness meeting will start shortly after. Following the business meeting, re-freshments will be served in the school cafeteria. Alumni T-shirts will be on sale both Friday evening and Saturday morning for $12.00 each. Proceeds from the shirts will go to the alumni fund. Hope to see lots of classmates and friends. Come and join the fun.

Oklahoma refinery blast probe could take months

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — It could take months for officials to determine what caused an explosion at an Okla-homa refinery that killed one worker and critically injured another, a spokes-woman with the U.S. De-partment of Labor said Monday.

The plant, Wynnewood Refining Co., owned by CVR Energy Inc. of Sugar Land, Texas, was shut down for scheduled maintenance and upkeep, known as a “turnaround,” when a boiler that was be-ing brought back online exploded Friday evening. The turnaround resumed Saturday at the refinery.

Billy Smith, 34, of Pauls Valley, Okla., was killed and Russell Mann of Davis, Okla., remained hospitalized in critical condition Monday at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Okla-homa City. His age was not released.

Investigators with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Admin-istration arrived at the scene Saturday and were expected to remain there for up to a week, said Elizabeth Todd, a spokes-woman with the labor de-partment.

“They will go out to the site to determine vio-lations, if any, and the cause of the incident,” Todd said. “Every case is different. It could take weeks; it could take months. Citations and possibly fines will be is-sued if violations are found.”

Todd said she could not discuss what investi-gators have found while the investigation is under way.

CVR Chief Executive Officer Jack Lipinski re-leased a statement Sun-day that said the company was “cooperating fully”

with the investigation.“Our focus is to deter-

mine how this accident occurred and what steps must be taken to avoid a repeat of this incident,” Lipinski said.

CVR purchased the re-finery, which has a daily capacity of 70,000 barrels of crude and produces gasoline, diesel fuel, mili-

tary jet fuel, solvents and asphalt. from Gary-Wil-liams Energy Co. in 2011

Previous incidents at the refinery include a boiler explosion in 2010, a propane leak in 2008 and fire that was sparked by lightning in 2007.

There were no injuries in those incidents.

A8

COMICS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012Page 8 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT

BLONDIE Dean Young/Denis Lebrun

BEETLE BAILEY Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE Chris Browne

HI & LOIS Brian and Greg Walker

FUNKY WINKERBEAN Tom Batiuk

MUTTS Patrick McDonnell

THE FAMILY CIRCUS Bil Keane

DENNIS THE MENACE Hank Ketchum

Ad goes here

CONCEPTIS SUDOKUby Dave Green

Tuesday, OcTOber 2, 2012 ComiCs/EntErtainmEnt

Today’s Answers

HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012:

This year you express an unusual amount of serenity and caring. You will do whatever you need to do in order to keep the peace. You still could have a tendency to be overserious. That, too, will pass. You are willing to adapt and change, especially with family members and roommates. Look at real estate as a possible money source. If you are single, a friendship could play a strong role in your romantic life. If you are attached, your partnerships take a higher prior-ity than in the past, particularly those involved with financial matters. TAURUS seems to connect with you on an unusu-ally deep level.

The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-DifficultARIES (March 21-April 19) HHH Conversation revitalizes you

and encourages a different perspective. A partner might be too intimidated to be as proactive as you are. A discussion with someone close results in support and nurturing. Curb a tendency to push your limits in a money matter ... you will get your share. Tonight: Roll with the moment. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) HHHHH You gain new perspectives

quickly and see a situation in a differ-ent vein, as a result. You demonstrate unusual flexibility. You have a way about you that appeals to associates, friends and family members — as long as you are just yourself. Be willing to manifest greater security and ease for yourself and others. Tonight: Go for what you want. GEMINI (May 21-June 20)HHH Be more visual in your thinking.

A conversation with a respected friend helps you grasp more possibilities. Your creativity might not be so strong if you try to force yourself through a problem. Verbalize more of what you are thinking in order to get feedback. Tonight: Not to be found. CANCER (June 21-July 22)HHHH Listen to a partner’s or loved

one’s suggestion. This person tends to put an interesting spin on situations, which helps you identify with others and better understand what is happening. His or her delightful words encourage your mind to wander. Tonight: Where the crowds are. LEO (July 23- Aug. 22)HHHH Others look to you to take

the lead. You naturally enjoy yourself with even the most intense or negative people in your life. It appears that your mood is contagious. A conversation, though serious, has much compassion

behind it. A partner or loved one has a vision that affects you. Tonight: A must appearance. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) HHHHH Reach out for new informa-

tion and different ways of seeing a situ-ation. If you can come up with several different approaches, it could turn out far better than you’d originally thought possible. Use your unusual appeal later today. Tonight: Be willing to dream. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) HHHH Deal with a change in a part-

ner directly. This person has become unusually verbose or relaxed. This could be a good sign; however, it demands that you make an adjustment. Weigh the pros and cons, if you would like. Ultimately, you’ll know which way to go. Tonight: Dinner with a favorite person. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)HHHH Others might be unusually

difficult and touchy, but your persistence wins the day. Try not to challenge some-one or get into a power play. Ultimately, it will not be worth it. Test out an idea on those who could be affected. Tonight: All smiles. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)HHHH Stay level. Understand what

has to be accomplished. You might find it difficult to home in on what is happening, as you are deep in thought. Be careful when using mechanical objects and driv-ing cars. An authority figure admires the way you handle yourself. Tonight: Stop what you’re doing and take a break. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)HHHHH Your creativity and determi-

nation prove to be unfamiliar benefits. Be willing to walk away from your comfort zone and look past restrictions. A more neutral environment with fewer judg-ments will enhance your relationships on all fronts. Tonight: Don’t forget to call a loved one at a distance. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)HHHH If you have a hankering to

stay home, do. If you work, consider working from home if possible. In the long run, it might be a good idea to con-sider having a home-based business. Express your caring to a loved one — it always is nice to get a hug. Tonight: The homeward-bound theme continues. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) HHHHH You tend to find the right

words at the right time; meanwhile, oth-ers seem to be grasping when it comes to their own self-expression. Touch base with a neighbor or relative. This tie eas-ily can be neglected, but ultimately it is instrumental to your life. Tonight: Find a pal to hang with.

Jacqueline Bigar is on the Internetat www.jacquelinebigar.com.

zITS Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Jacquelene Bigar’s Horoscope

THE LOCKHORNS William Hoest

Legals

Published in Durant DailyDemocrat September 18, 25 &October 2, 2012.

NOTICEANY PERSON HAVING ANINTEREST IN AN ABAN-DONED 2000 NEWMARTRAVEL TRAILER- VIN #1N8DB3626Y0036099 CANCONTACT LEON KENNEDYAT 541-571-4145. FOR MOREINFORMATION REGARDINGTHE SALE OF THISPROPERTY.

/s/Leon KennedyLEON KENNEDY

Published in Durant DailyDemocrat September 25 & Oc-tober 2, 2012.

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OFBRYAN COUNTY STATE OF

OKLAHOMA

IN THE MATTER OF THE ES-TATE OF CLYTIE ALINE MC-CALIB, Deceased.

PB-2004-141

NOTICE OF HEARING FIRSTAND FINAL ACCOUNT, PETI-TION FOR DECREE OF DIS-TRIBUTION, APPROVAL OFATTORNEYS' FEES, COSTSAND EXPENSES, APPROV-

AL OF PERSONAL REPRES-ENTATIVE'S FEES, AND DIS-

CHARGE OF PERSONALREPRESENTATIVE

Notice is hereby given thatJohn McCalib, the duly appoin-ted and qualified PersonalRepresentative of the Estate ofClytie Aline McCalib, De-ceased, has filed her Final Ac-count, Petition for Decree ofDistribution, Approval of Attor-ney's Fees, Costs and Ex-penses, Approval of PersonalRepresentative's Fee, and Dis-charge of Personal Represent-ative. A hearing has been fixedby the Judge of the Court forthe 15th day of October, 2012at 9:30 a.m., in the DistrictCourtroom Courthouse, 402West Evergreen, BryanCounty, Oklahoma, and all per-sons interested in the Estateare notified to appear andshow cause, if any they have,why the Account should not besettled and allowed, the Es-tate distributed , the Attorneys'Fees, Costs and Expenses ap-proved, the Personal Repres-entative's fee approved, andthe Personal Representativedischarged.

DATED this 21st day ofSeptember, 2012.

/s/Mark CampbellMARK CAMPBELL

JUDGE OF THE DISTRICTCOURT

Mary Faulkner, OBA #8386Faulkner Law Office119 North 3rd StreetDurant, Oklahoma 74701Telephone: (580) 924-9600Fax: (580) 924-4448Attorney for Personal Repres-entative

LPXLP

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SERVICES

Home Improvements

Roofs, Metal, Composition,Flat roofs. Roof repairs. Jimmy(Bo) Smith. 924-3721

Professional Services

Curtis JewelryWE BUY GOLD!

207 W. MAIN924-0041

Licensed in Oklahoma

6033

1743

DUMP TRUCK,BACK HOE,TOP SOIL,

SAND & GRAVEL924-6784920-6108

D O Z E R W O R X

60350161

Painting, drywall, 30 yrs. exp.Vernon Hankins, 775-5571

FINANCIAL

300 SERVICES

ANIMALS

AGRICULTURE

MERCHANDISE

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES

Campers / RVs & Trailers

2011 Jayco Jayflight, sleeps 6,can be pulled by a half ton.$10,500. OBO 580-916-1494

AUTOMOTIVE

REAL ESTATE SALES

Houses For Sale

WON’T LAST LONG! 3BR/2BA in Durant, OK. Built in 2006, energy ef-fi cient, vaulted ceilings, open fl oor plan. Great neighborhood close to Lake Texoma, shopping & good schools. OWNER FINANCING!

214-662-7843 or 972-978-1686.

60351141

REAL ESTATE RENTALS

Apartments/Townhouses

2/1 apartment in Calera$300/depo $650/rent W/ALLUTILITIES PAID. Minutes fromChoctaw Casino 580-775-0997.

BriarwoodApartments

One & Two Bdrms.,Unfurnished!

Appliances FurnishedWater paid, CH&A.

924-6025

3123

5260350169

Calera Apartments no longerincome based. 1 bed., $355. 2bed., $390. No application fee.Vouchers accepted. 580-434-5914For Rent large, 1 bedroom du-plex $400./ mo. $400./ dep.water paid, absolutely no pets& no smoking, CH/A, 2 yr.lease call 924-9640

Houses For Rent

1 bedroom house, 38 W. Lo-cust. $275./ mo. $200./ dep.924-16492 & 3 bdr houses for rent, 701N. 2nd & 1518 N. 9th October1, newly remodeled, CH&A,WD hook up, Ceiling fan &DW. All very nice, No Pets!$550-$725/rent 580-920-56802 bedroom, 2 bath mobilehome, Mead area, no pets,$100./ dep. 580-920-52202bdr House $395/mo $300/dep924-16492bdr/1 in ACHILLE. Cutehouse close to school, toomany extras to list! Call or txtfor more details. 580-775-42382bdr/1.5b CH&A, fenced yard1321 N 7th $550/mo $500/dep580-513-11973 bedroom, 1 bath, $500./ mo.$400./ dep. 380-1756 or 380-66813 bedroom, 2 bath, Caddo. 580-367-2229,days; 367-0010,evenings3/1, 712 S. 1st, Calera, stove,refrig., $450/mo., $450/dep.580-434-29553bdr House. $550/mo$400/dep. 924-16493BDR/1BA 1 car garage,fenced yard, close to college.$750/$500 NO PETS! 920-97213bdr/2b 1005 W. Georgia650mo 500/dep 972-658-46574 bdr/2b, large brick home,fenced yard, 4801 WoodlawnSt. Durant, $1000./ mo. $800./dep. 580-775-2491.4bdr/2b $400/dep $700/mo916-1197

FOR RENT2 Bedroom, Country

living in town. Total electric, all

appliances, water,sewer, garbage,

Terminex included.Weekly or monthlyrates. 49th Street

924-2822

311137

6033

1723

Calera, 2 houses, both 3/2, allelec, all app, $525, $600, NOPETS, 580 434 2178 AFTER 5Calera: 1bdr All Appliancesincluded. No Pets/Smoking!104 N. 5th $350/mo. 580-920-5488DURANT 901 Crooked Oak.4/3/2, $1345, 1224 W. Cedar2/1, $585.CADDO 206 Court. 2/2 NEW$550. 580-916-0480 or 916-0598

Houses For Rent

Executive home, 3 bed/ 2 bath,brand new, jacuzzi, granite.See our FB page, WatercolorProperties. $1250./ mo. 580-916-2666

For Rent: 2 bed., 515 S. 12th,large chainlink fenced yard,Ch&A, total electric, no petsand no smoking. $600.month/deposit 2 yr. lease. 580-924-9640

New Brick! 3bdr/2b 1207 W.Georgia. 800/mo 500/dep 972-658-4657

Nice 2bedroom home for rent,near College. 380-3390

Nice 3/2 MH, Mead area, NoPets $350/dep. 580-920-5220

Rent to own RV 5th wheel. Setup in park. $120 a week. 1 or 2person. (580) 889-2100

MANUFACTURED HOUSING

RESORT PROPERTY

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted- General

ATOKA MANOR IS ACCEPT-ING APPLICATIONS FORRN'S, LPN'S & CNA'S.PLEASE APPLY IN PERSONAT 1500 S. VIRGINIA. EOE

Career opportunity, comelearn and grow with the best.Fast track promotions andsalary positions available.Starting pay $12.50hr apply @Rent 1st 709 N. 1st St. DurantOK.

Equipment Operator,Laborer, and Concrete FinishCarpenterApply at Ideal Construction352 E North Hills Drive, Atoka918-360-9574

Executive Director in Durant,OK. Requires 3 years of exper-ience in managing programs oroperations in a non-profitagency, preferably a Boys &Girls Club. Submit all applica-tions online at www.bgca.org

Full Time Bookkeeper/OfficeClerk proficient in Microsoft Of-fice. Must havea valid driver's license. Apply inperson at Stateline Truck Cen-ter. 2215Leavenworth Trail, Colbert,OK. Or call 580-931-8606x4405.

IMMEDIATE nurse assistantposition available @ UrgentCare in Durant. Must have ba-sic Nursing skills, resumesonly. Drop them by at 1807West University or fax to 580-920-9978 ATTN: Debra.

New Media Marketing Sales

Attention! Have you beenlooking for a position in salesthat really rewards you for yourefforts? Could any or severalof the following words be usedto describe you or your per-sonality? Fast paced, com-petitive, decisive, persistent,eager, bold, forceful, in-quisitive. How about assertive?Do you like to meet newpeople? Are you good at multi-tasking? Do you work well withothers and with the public? Ifyou've answered yes to manyof these questions, you may bethe person we are seeking.The Durant Daily Democrat islooking for experienced andentry level salespeople to sellonline and print advertising forour newspapers. These are fulltime salaried positions with agenerous commission pro-gram working Monday throughFriday. No evening or weekendwork. Benefits include Healthinsurance, 401 K, vacation. Ifinterested send inquiry or re-sume to Chris Allen atcallen@heartlandpublications.com. Heartland Publications is agrowing company offering ex-cellent compensation and op-portunities for advancement tomotivated individuals. EOE

PART TIME EQUIPMENT MANAGER

with Agricultural machinery and

maintenance experience. For more information

contact Bryan Conservation District 924-5464 or

200 Gerlach, Durant, Ok.

Part-Time cook needed, apply@ Wright's Drive In. 319 S, 9th

Stone-brook Homes is Look-ing for a caregiver for the prop-erty. 14hrs/week for FREERENT. Must be able to workon appliances and paint. call:580-745-9695

Help Wanted- General

Arbuckle Truck

Driving School, Inc.

Laid Off???

Low Income???

No cost grants if you qualify

4 weeks

Job Placement

1-800-560-287360356923

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A *

*PARTICULAR TYPE OFPERSON *

*A MANAGEMENT TRAINEETO JOIN*

*A FORTUNE 1000COMPANY*

One who will take a personalinterest in our business.

If you are willing to work hardand study hard,and willing to take directionand follow a proven system,and willing to dedicate your-self to becoming successful,then we need to meet!

We will train you...and trainyou well!

In the classroom and in thefield.

We will pay you ...and pay youwell!

60,000+ in your first year.

We offer advancement oppor-tunities limited only by yourown desire andabilities

*Please forward resume to *

*Chadtls@aol.com or fax to918-445-6818*

*Or call Preston C Henson@918-706-5107 or 918-706-5108*

*for a confidential interview.*

Miscellaneous

AAGEver Consider a Reverse Mort-gage? At least 62 years old?Stay in your home & increasecash flow! Safe & Effective!

Call Now for your FREE DVD!Call Now 866-935-7730

ACCELLER CLASSIFIEDSAVE on Cable TV-Internet-Di-gital Phone. Packages start at

$89.99/mo (for 12 months.)Options from ALL major ser-vice providers. Call Acceller

today to learn more!CALL 1-866-636-5984

CREDIT CARD DEBTBuried in Credit Card Debt?

Over $10,000? We can get youout of debt quickly and save

you thousands of dollars! CallCREDIT CARD RELIEF for

your free consultation1-888-838-6679

HERITAGE FOR THE BLINDDONATE YOUR CAR, TRUCK

OR BOAT TO HERITAGEFOR THE BLIND. Free 3 Day

Vacation, Tax Deductible, FreeTowing, All Paperwork Taken

Care Of. 888-740-6292HIGH SPEED INTERNET

Highspeed Internet EVERY-WHERE By Satellite!

Speeds up to 12mbps! (200xfaster than dial-up.)

Starting at $49.95/mo. CALLNOW & GO FAST!

1-877-358-7040

HYDRAFLEXINAttention Joint & Muscle PainSufferers: Clinically proven all-natural supplement helps re-

duce pain and enhance mobil-ity. Call 888-602-7109

to try HydraflexinRISK-FREE for 90 days.MEDICAL GUARDIAN

Medical Alert for Seniors-24/7monitoring. FREE Equipment.FREE Shipping. NationwideService $29.95/Month CALL

Medical Guardian Today877-356-1913

MY COMPUTER WORKSComputer problems? Viruses,spyware, email, printer issues,bad internet connections-FIXIT NOW! Professional, U.S.-

based technicians. $25 off ser-vice. Call for immediate help.

1-877-617-7822

MyION DIABETICSATTENTION DIABETICS withMedicare. Get a FREE talkingmeter and diabetic testing sup-plies at NO COST, plus FREEhome delivery! Best of all, thismeter eliminates painful fingerpricking! Call 877-310-5568

PARK AVENUEBuy Gold & Silver Coins - 1

percent over dealer cost For alimited time, Park Avenue Nu-mismatics is selling Silver andGold American Eagle Coins at

1 percent over dealer cost.1-888-284-9780

A9

CLASSIFIEDSTUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT Page 9

NYPD to boost gang unit over social media violenceTom HaysAssociated Press

NEW YORK — The New York Police Department is plan-ning to double the size of its gang unit to 300 detectives to combat teen violence fueled by dares and insults traded on social media.

Rather than target established street gangs involved in the drug trade, the reinforcements will focus mainly on “looser associations of younger men who identify them-selves by the block they live on, or on which side of a hous-ing development they reside,” Police Commissioner Ray-mond Kelly said in prepared remarks.

“Their loyalty is to their friends living in a relatively small area and their rivalries are based not on narcotics traffick-ing or some other entrepreneurial interest, but simply on local turf,” Kelly added. “In other words, ‘You come in to my backyard and you get hurt. You diss my crew and you pay the price.’”

The remarks were provided in advance of Kelly’s appear-ance Tuesday in San Diego at a gathering of the Interna-tional Association of Chiefs of Police.

Under the new plan, the NYPD gang unit will work more closely with other divisions that monitor social media for signs of trouble.

Kelly cited a recent case in which investigators used Facebook to track a turf war between two Brooklyn crews named the Very Crispy Gangsters and the Rockstars. The case resulted in dozens of arrests for shootings and other mayhem.

“By capitalizing on the irresistible urge of these suspects to brag about their murderous exploits on Facebook, detec-tives used social media to draw a virtual map of their crimi-nal activity over the last three years,” Kelly said.

Detectives have seen instances where a gang member has taunted rivals by circulating a photo of himself posing in front of their apartment building. Orders of protection also have been posted as a means of intimidation, Kelly said.

The NYPD has developed strict guidelines for investiga-tors using social networks “to instill the proper balance be-tween the investigative potential of social network sites and privacy expectations,” Kelly said.

The rules allow officers to adopt aliases for their online work as long as they first get permission from the depart-ment. They also will use special laptops that protect their anonymity.

Staffing for the expanded unit will come from gradual re-deployment from other areas of the department, not from new hires.

Obama trying to avoid miscue in first debateJulie PaceAssociated Press

HENDERSON, Nev. — President Barack Obama has one mission heading into his first debate with Republican Mitt Romney: Don’t screw things up.

Five weeks from Election Day, Obama has political mo-mentum and an edge in polls of the battleground states that will determine the election. But he’s sure to face a blister-ing challenge from Romney, who needs to use Wednesday’s debate in Denver to change the trajectory of the race.

Both parties say the first debate traditionally helps the challenger, whose stature tends to rise in the eyes of many voters by simply appearing on stage as the alternative. Seeking to mitigate that effect, Obama aides are working with the president on keeping command of the debate while not being overly aggressive.

The president retreated to a desert resort in Nevada for three days of intensive debate preparation for Wednesday night. He was joined by a cadre of top advisers, who are focused on helping Obama trim his often-lengthy explana-tions to fit the debate format. Equally important is coaching Obama to look calm and presidential during an onslaught of criticism from Romney.

Obama’s campaign has tried — to the point of hyperbole — to lower expectations for the president and portray him as an underdog who hasn’t had enough time to get ready.

“He has had less time to prepare than we anticipated,” campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said Sunday. “It’s difficult to schedule significant blocks of time when you’re the president.”

What the expectation-lowering aides leave out is that Obama, in fact, has had plenty of time to prepare at the White House and during long flights on Air Force One. And they never mention that only Obama, not Romney, has more experience with general election debates.

The president’s aides also have tried to set sky-high ex-pectations for Romney, casting him as a strong debater who won the GOP nomination in part because of the way he dispatched his many competitors in the crucial primary de-bates.

“Mitt Romney … has been preparing earlier and with more focus than any presidential candidate in modern his-tory,” Psaki said. “Not John F. Kennedy, not President Bill Clinton, not President George Bush, not Ronald Reagan has prepared as much as he has.”

The most pressing task for Obama, who once taught law at the University of Chicago, is shedding his often wordy, detailed explanations in favor of tighter answers. Aides say Obama isn’t coming prepared with a series of “zingers,” just more concise descriptions of his positions and his criti-cisms of Romney’s.

Despite Obama’s reputation as a gifted speaker, his 2008 debate performances were uneven.

He stumbled in several multicandidate forums during the early days of the 2008 campaign, with his most promi-nent low point coming when Obama said, with a touch of sarcasm, that rival Hillary Rodham Clinton was “likable enough.” But the debates that fall against Republican John McCain helped Obama fend off suggestions that he was too inexperienced for the White House and show that he had what it took to be president.

Obama aides have been reviewing Romney’s debates, both in the 2008 and 2012 Republican primaries and from his statewide races in Massachusetts. They’ve also been studying recordings of prior presidential debates for signs of what pitfalls could face an incumbent.

Aides say they’ve noticed Romney often launches a fresh critique against his opponent early in the debates, some-thing that hasn’t been part of the campaign discussion thus far. During a primary debate earlier this year, Romney caught rival Newt Gingrich off-guard by bringing up invest-ments he held in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Aides also are prepping the president for a moment they say Romney has already telegraphed: Accusing the presi-dent of lying about the Republicans’ positions.

WE’LL SHOOT DOWN THOSE DIRTY OLD TIRE PRICES!

BJ’S TIRESBJ’’’’BBBBBBJJJJJJJJJJJJJBBBBBBBBBBBBBBJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ’’’’’’’’’’’’’BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJBJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJBJJJJJJJ’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS T TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT RESRRIRIRIRIRIRIRIRIRIRIRIREEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIRRRRRESEEIIIIIIIIRIIIIIIIIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEIRRIRIIRIRIIRIRIIRIIRIRRRREEEEEEEEEEEREEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRREEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

518 1/2 E Highway 70 (580) 924-1625

603

5801

3

2003 Chevrolet Avalanche - White, auto,80,000 miles, 1 owner, lifetime power train warranty.

Larry Dyson Motors Inc.Home of the Warranty Forever

Weekly Special $12,950

580-924-1418www.dysonmotors.com

60357982

Stock No. 3629738

6035

8000

Bring in this coupon and get

40% OffAny one regular priced item.

Cannot be combined with other offers or specials

High-Speed Internetby Satellite

Loftis Satellite 625 W. Main, Durant

580-924-6161 loftissatellitedurant.com

is Here!Speeds Up to 15 mpbs

NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS SE

As Low as $16,998. A/R/A Stk # 20355.

Only one in stock at this price!

1601 S. Mississippi Ave.

Atoka(580)889-3349

60

35

79

75

RHONDA SHORTAmanda BurtonLauren Carlton(580) 434-6300

RED RIVER TAG AGENCYMONDAY thru FRIDAY 8:30 TO 5:00

CLOSED 12:00 TO 12:30

711 North McKinleyCalera, Oklahoma 74730

Fax (580) 434-6305

60358020

No Tricks...Just Treats!

Loans up to $1000

Call 924-5400or come by 1009 W. Main

FAST AND FRIENDLY!

6035

7965

Because where you live

really matters...

3802 W. University Blvd. - Durant, OK(580) 924 - 7600

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIInnnnnnnnnnnnnnttttttttttttttooooooooooooo AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww HHHHHHHHHHHHHHoooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeee AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAttttttttttttFFFFFFF

6035

7980

DIRECTIONS: Select one winner in each of the boxes by

circling your choice. The entry with the most correct choices wins $50.

Fill out form below and submit entire page by 5pm Thursday to to Durant Daily Democrat,

200 W. Beech, Durant, OK 74701Winner must be 18, no purchase necessary.

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________

Phone: ___________________________________________

Football Contest

Brought to you by:The Durant Daily Democrat

LAST WEEK’S WINNER:

MARVIN NIX

SE at Arkansas Tech Wewoka at Caddo

OU at Texas Tech

Arkansas at AuburnBrowns at GiantsEagles at Steelers

West Virginia at Texas

LSU at Florida

Durant at Tulsa Memorial

Kingston at Lexington

Three Rivers Pecans, LLC901 N. Service Rd. Calera, OKthreeriverspecans@hotmail.com

FUDGE SALE

60358027

60355178

TIE-BREAKER:HOW MANY YARDS OF

OFFENSE IN THE OU-TEXAS TECH

GAME?

_________

A10

LIFESTYLES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012Page 10 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT