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News

Polls open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, for the Altus, Eldorado, and Olustee Regular Municipal General Elections as well as the Altus Special Municipal Election. Jennifer L. Wilson, Secretary of the Jackson County Election Board, offered voters some tips on how to make their votes count. Wilson said that a valid marking —-fill in the box next to your choices —- is shown on posters at the polling place and inside the vo...
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‘Rumble on the Red’ Memorial Rodeo set for April 6-7
A one-time Oklahoma-Texas rodeo rivalry that brought two young men together as friends in life is now being revived as a memorial to the two 18-year-olds who died together in the fall of 2011 in a tragic car accident. The families of Aaron James Custer of Elk City and Benton Edgar (Ed) Drury of Olustee have joined together to organize the second annual Aaron & Ed’s Rumble on the Red Memorial Rodeo, slated for April 6 & April 7 at the G...
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Absentee voting available today and Monday
Registered voters in Jackson County who want to vote by mail absentee ballot in next Tuesday’s Altus, Eldorado, and Olustee Regular Municipal General Elections and the Altus Special Municipal Election have missed the application deadline, County Election Board Secretary Jennifer L. Wilson said today. “They aren’t out of luck, however,” Wilson said. Voters who want to cast absentee ballots still can do so at the County Election Board Office ...
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Air Force to hold KC-46 public scoping meeting
AAFB - The United States Air Force is scheduled to hold a public drop-in open house scoping meeting Tuesday, April 9, at the Southwest Technology Center from 5 to 8 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to solicit comments on the proposed beddown of KC‑46A tanker aircraft, associated infrastructure and manpower for the Formal Training Unit (FTU) and the First Main Operating Base (MOB 1) at existing active duty Air Force installations with...
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Mrs. Bunny visits Lincoln Head Start
Mrs. Bunny, (Joanne Roberts) was hopping around at the South Western Oklahoma Community Action Group, Head Start Lincoln Center on Thursday. All the students were brought into the a classroom to hear Mrs. Bunny read a story, perform a puppet show, meet her color changing magic bunny, play games, and read the children’s book, “The Golden Egg.” Here a student opened a can of peanuts that turned out to be a springy, slinky surprise!
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Easter activites planned at Emmanuel Baptist
Pastor Boyd Whitehead and the members of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, 800 N. Forrest, invite everyone to their Easter celebration this Sunday. The choir, under the direction of Chris Dykens, will present “To the Risen King,” a worship celebration created by Dennis and Nan Allen. Join them for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., followed by the worship service at 10:40 a.m. The church is also hosting an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday beginning at 11 a....
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Pretrial for Daniel moved
The pretrial for an Altus man accused of killing a woman last year has been moved to September. Officials say authorities are waiting on forensic tests in the case against Manuel Daniel Jr. The pretrial for Manuel Daniel Jr. of Altus has been moved to September. Officials are said to be waiting on forensic tests. Daniel was formally arraigned this past September for the first-degree murder of Melissa Bost. Bost’s body was discovered Feb. ...
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Butler takes oath, Wilson announces retirement at JCMH meeting
At this week’s regular Jackson County Memorial Hospital Authority meeting, Kirk Butler took the oath of office after being appointed by the Jackson County Commissioners to serve as a Trustee on the JCMH Authority for the term ending June 30, 2015. Also during the meeting, Dena Daniel and Shelley Simmons presented an update to the board on Meaningful Use. Meaningful Use is a set of standards defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid S...
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Cantu continuing Jesus Walk tradition
Robert Cantu is set to do his annual Jesus Walk from the Rent City property in the 1000 block of N. Main to Wal-Mart and back. From there, he will walk south on Main to the courthouse and back. Cantu will walk today and Friday, dressed as Jesus, and will then be “crucified” on the cross on Saturday at the staging area at Rent City. The crosses are already in place. Cantu said that he doesn’t preach as he walks, but uses the time to pray and d...
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FUMC to present ‘The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross’
The First United Methodist Church will have a live musical performance on Easter Sunday. “The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross,” will be conducted by Musical Director Sang Wook Park, and comprised of four vocal soloists, a choir, and orchestra. There will be 24 choir members total, and 22 orchestra members including a harp player. The music composition has a running time of approximately 40 minutes, and will show at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. ...
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‘The Daughter of Dawn’ to be shown at historical society meeting
The Western Trail Historical Society is offering a unique opportunity to see the full-length silent movie “Daughter of Dawn” at its annual meeting on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the historic Plaza Theater, 107 N. Hudson, (now the home of the Altus Christian Fellowship). The Oklahoma Historical Society has fully restored and scored this movie that is based upon a script written and directed by Norbert Myle...
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National precipitation monitoring network looking for additional volunteers
Norman – Ever wonder how much rain fell out of the storm that just passed overhead? Did your mother-in-law on the other side of town get just as wet? Why is the airport so much drier than my house? Wonder no longer. Now, in your neighborhood, volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are measuring precipitation in their own backyards as part of CoCoRaHS - the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, which has grown to over 15,000 v...
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Local elections to be held next Tuesday
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Tuesday, April 2, for the Altus, Eldorado, and Olustee Regular Municipal General Elections, as well as the Altus Special Municipal Election. Jennifer L. Wilson, Secretary of the Jackson County Election Board, offered voters some tips on how to make their votes count. Wilson said that a valid marking —-fill in the box next to your choices —- is shown on posters at the polling place and inside the...
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School employee injured in parking lot accident
Shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday emergency personnel responded to a school parking area east of the football stadium where a school employee was injured. School representatives said that the man was working alone, so details of the incident were not clear at this time. However, they did say that the employee was injured by a vehicle he had been driving, and that a passerby had made the call to police. The school employee was said to be in surge...
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Water conservation efforts addressed at Council meeting
Altus City Chief of Operations Bob Stephenson had several comments about the water conservation effort during the regular meeting of the AMA and City Council on Tuesday. Stephenson stated that he plans to have the revised copy of the Emergency Ordinance to be brought for council’s approval by the first regular City Council meeting in April. He reported that Tom Steed District Manager sent a congratulatory letter because the City has reduced i...
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Homeowner finds burglar inside residence
Altus police responded to 1504 Somerset early Sunday morning at approx. 5:54 a.m. The homeowner told police he returned home and confronted a Hispanic male, dressed in dark clothing, inside the house. The victim stated the suspect ran into the back yard and jumped over the privacy fence. It is unknown which direction the suspect ran. Items missing from the residence were an X-Box, approximately five games, and headphones. Poli...
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A celebration of the outdoors for families, bird watchers and all wildlife enthusiasts planned
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Friends of Hackberry Flat and the Hackberry Flat Foundation offer a fun-filled day for the entire family on Saturday, April 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hackberry Flat Center located near Frederick in southwest Oklahoma. Hackberry Flat Day is an indoor and outdoor event, so dress comfortably and wear walking shoes. Be sure to put on sun screen before you come. All equipment require...
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Cool temperatures slow progess
Oklahoma City - Temperatures were below normal for the week, averaging in the low 40s according to today’s Oklahoma Crop Weather report issued by the USDA-NASS Oklahoma Field Office. Although there were a few warm days early in the week, with a high of 81 degrees in Altus, a cold front the second half of the week resulted in lows into the 20s, to as low as 12 degrees at Kenton. The cold front even brought snow to parts of northern Oklahoma ...
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Council amended agenda includes Hunter Point Bridge Project
The Altus Municipal Authority and City Council agendas have been amended for today’s regular meeting to begin at 6:30 p.m. The AMA will consider to approve a contract between the AMA and Progressive Waste Solutions to provide a flatbed service for a term of five years, and also vote to authorize a 30 day temporary agreement of service until the final agreement is drafted and approved. An item was added to review and discuss to authorize sta...
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