Articles

Ninety-five years of developing commercial property, building homes, flying airplanes and most of all being a father, grandfather, and longtime friend came to a close when Paul Brashier Odom Jr., passed away on August 8, 2024, at his home in Newcastle.

A couple of decisions affecting the Newcastle area were made at the August 5 Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting.

A call to Newcastle Police Department about someone entering an abandoned residence resulted in 19 pounds of marijuana. Police Chief Gary Norman said when officers arrived, the marijuana and various pipes were in plain view. The individual at the residence was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and released.

August Calendar of Events

The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Morning Mingle for August will be at 9 a.m., tomorrow (Friday) at Newcastle United Methodist Church, 121 E. Fox Lane.

In a continuous display of commitment to education improvement ten teachers and administrators from Mid-America Technology Center (MATC) recently attended the “Tech Centers That Work” (TCTW) Making Schools Work Conference hosted by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in Nashville.

A welcome back to school cookout was held recently for Newcastle educators by Pioneer Co-op and aided by Chamber of Commerce CEO Gayla Riddle. Helping at the event were Chris St. John of Pioneer, Riddle of the Chamber, Jennifer Howeth, a volunteer from CAPP Promotional, Brad Pierce of Pioneer, and Boomer Elcyzyn, Pioneer Board of Director and Elcyzyn Realty.

New staff and teachers at Mid-America Technology Center for the 2024-2025 school year include Nicole Barlow, Cody Barnes, Chelsi Cooper, John Driscoll, Paul McKay, Joshua Price, Shelbi Striplin, Steven Vines, and Kim Waite.

Let’s just cut to the chase. Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters is Oklahoma’s Christian Nationalist Indoctrinator-in-Chief. Walters has been vocal about his stance against what he perceives as left-wing indoctrination in education. Walters has consistently framed his actions and policies as a countermeasure to what he describes as a pervasive influence of left-wing politics in the classroom. He claims that liberal activists and media have politicized education.

Whether it’s due to impatience, a “me first” attitude, aggressiveness or distraction, drivers running red lights cause more than 1,000 fatalities every year, putting not only their own lives at risk but also the lives of other road users. National Stop on Red Week was Aug. 4-10 and AAA is taking the opportunity to remind drivers that ignoring traffic signals can have dire consequences.

The arrival of August in Congress means that both the House of Representatives and the Senate are out of session and the annual district work period has begun. In other words, this is a time when members of Congress are able to spend the month back in their districts with their constituents and local communities.