Altus Times - News, Businesses, Classifieds, Sports and Events in Jackson County, Oklahoma

News

Strong winds blow over rail cars
Hard straight winds from the east blew over two rail cars off W. Bradford, just past Allen Street near Market Road on Tuesday afternoon. A crew member at the scene said a crane was coming in today to lift the cars back on the track. Half of the load of treated wood timbers had been unloaded, but many were spilled onto the ground near the tracks.
full story

Council acknowledges application to develop well in Hightower Park
The Altus Municipal Authority and City Council held their regular meeting Tuesday, April 9, in Council Chambers of the Municipal Complex to discuss items on the consent agenda. The AMA awarded bid #98300 to H.D. Supply of Oklahoma City, for one 2000 kVA 480Y/277, three phase, Pad Mount Transformer, for a total price of $27,588, and authorized the purchasing department to seek bids for a bundle of 20 Low Composite Direct Burial Fibergla...
full story

Beneficial rainfall received
Oklahoma City - Multiple days of rain resulted in big precipitation totals for central and southeastern Oklahoma, as high as 4.76 inches at Talihina according to today’s Oklahoma Crop Weather report issued by the USDA-NASS Oklahoma Field Office. The state averaged 1.44 inches for the week, and every Mesonet station recorded some precipitation. Far western Oklahoma received a half inch or less and many locations in the Panhandle recorded less ...
full story

ATV area now open for season at Quartz Mountain
Eagles Roost ATV Area is now open for the season. ATV riding is a sunrise to sunset fee activity. All ATVs need to have a 10 foot orange or red safety flag. Hikers, please stay out of the ATV riding area now that the ATV season as started. ATV riders, please remember the hard packed sand at the lake’s edge is not in the designated riding area. The designated riding area starts at an elevation of 1559 feet a...
full story

Rape suspect arrested, bonds out
Jackson County Sheriff’s Department arrested Jorge Tapia, 47, Monday in connection with a sexual assault.Tapia had been on the run in connection with an attempted rape a couple of months ago. According to Police Chief Tim Murphy, the suspect is the stepfather to the 24-year-old victim. The victim told investigators that while she was asleep in her bed, she felt someone lay on top of her. She awoke and discovered Tapia attempting to remove h...
full story

Rod and Cindy Smith Announce Retirement
On April 14, Rod Smith will retire as minister of music of First Baptist Church in Altus. He has served there for 32 years. Rod and wife Cindy Smith came to First Baptist Church in 1981 from their hometown of Dallas, Texas. Before coming to Altus, Rod served as a music and preaching evangelist from 1970 to 1981. He has preached and sung in over 1,000 revivals, crusades, and concerts. Bro. Rod holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dallas Ba...
full story

Construction plans signed for Navajoe Road
Jackson County Commissioners signed plans to begin road construction on Navajoe Road in Altus, in their regular meeting 9 a.m., Monday, April 8, in the Commissioners’ Office of the Jackson County Courthouse. Commissioners also approved Oklahoma Department of Transportation Plans to pave a three mile stretch on Navajoe Road beginning at SH 19 and extending South to County Rd 157. The road will be paved 22 feet wide with a three foot gravel sho...
full story

School board revises facilities use policies
The Altus Public School District Board of Education held their regular meeting Monday, April 8, in the Conference Room of the Administration building to discuss items on the agenda. During the meeting, the Board approved to revise two school policies concerning the use of school property and facilities, which will increase costs for outside groups seeking to use the school for an activity. The new policies state that a certified employee mu...
full story

First meeting of Board of Freeholders to be held Monday to begin process of penning a City Charter
In Tuesday’s election, Altus voters cast 1,028 ballots for, and 438 against the proposition for a Charter form of government. The vote does not necessarily mean that Altus will go to a Charter form of government, but simply means that the freeholders elected will now work together to pen a charter to go before the people for a vote. Their first meeting will be held Monday. Those elected to serve 90-day terms as Freeholders are, for Ward One...
full story

School Board meeting set for Monday
The Altus School Board will meet in regular session Monday at 5 p.m. in the conference room of the administration building. The Superintendent’s reports and comments will include the OSSBA District 11 meeting. Claims will then be approved, before addressing the consent agenda. Consent agenda items include budget expenditures, activity funds, cafeteria funds, career tech programs, the CLEP plan and the National Math and Science Initiative gr...
full story

KC‑46A tanker scoping meeting set for Tuesday
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - 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 F...
full story

Mayor to appoint MAPS Facilities Committee
The Altus Municipal Authority and City Council will hold their regular meeting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, in Council Chambers of the Municipal Complex. They will consider items on the consent agenda. The City Council has been invited to attend a briefing on Monday, April 8, at 1:30 to discuss items on the April 9, agenda, but no vote or action will be taken at that time. During the regular meeting, the AMA will consider to award bid #9...
full story

Granite woman injured in motorcycle accident
Lisa Peters, 50, of Granite, was taken by Greer County EMS to Jackson County Memorial Hospital early Saturday morning after a motorcycle accident on North CR 1440 2/10 miles south of SH 9 in Kiowa County. According to reports, Peters was south bound on North CR 1440 on a 2004 Honda motorcycle when she failed to negotiate a curve, overturning the cycle to it’s side, impacting the roadway. The vehicle came to rest in the ditch. Peters was a...
full story

Alexander gets 35 years for molestation
District Judge Brad Benson, in Greer County District Court, sentenced Andrew Edward Alexander, 50, to 35 years in prison Thursday. Alexander, of Mangum, had been found guilty of Lewd Molestation of an 11-year-old female on May 2, 2011, in Mangum where he lived with the girl’s mother. The mother came home from a trip to the doctor to find the girl crying in the bathroom with the lights off, and the defendant hiding behind the shower curtain....
full story