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For local radar and weather information, go to Quikcast (click here.) Click here for National News. Click here for Business News. Click here for Crude Oil Prices. River and Lake Level information: Caney River at Bartlesville Caney River at Ramona Bird Creek at Avant Hulah Lake levels Copan Lake levels Road Condition Reports: Oklahoma 1-888-425-2385 or at http://www.dps.state.ok.us/cgi-bin/weathermap.cgi or for traffic advisories: http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/public-info/traffic-advisory.htm Kansas 1-800-511-5368 or http://511.ksdot.org/kanroadpublic/Ksys/KRDefault.asp Missouri 1-800-222-6400 or http://168.166.124.16/Website/weather/index.htm Arkansas 1-800-245-1672 or http://www.arkansashighways.com/Road/mapopt.htm Texas 1-800-4529292 or http://www.dot.state.tx.us/GIS/HCRS_main/viewer.htm Bartlesville flood prone intersections Local News Posted May 11th, 2008 A tornado roared through the northeast Oklahoma town of Picher, killing at least 6 people and leaving widespread destruction. Oklahoma Emergency Management spokeswoman Michelann Ooten confirmed the fatalities and says the death toll could go higher. Numerous injuries were also reported in the town. Governor Brad Henry sent National Guard troops and other emergency personnel into the area to help with disaster relief efforts. The same storm struck near Seneca, Missouri, about 15 miles away from Picher, killing three people there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports that 54 year old Stephen Melton of Coffeyville died of injuries suffered in head-on collision on U S 75 north of Copan at 9:50 p m Friday. Melton was northbound in the southbound lane when he collided with a vehicle driven by Laura Heape of Independence, Kansas. Heape and 2 passengers in her vehicle were taken to Jane Phillips Hospital in fair condition. Melton died in a Tulsa hospital. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Washington County Commission will present a proclamation to 4-H educator Amy Berg and 4-H Program Assistant Patty Underhill recognizing the two 4-H livestock judging teams. The agenda also calls for action on a proposal to repair areas of the judicial center where radiators were removed. Roscoe Thornbury will make a presentation on hiring a construction consultant for the county jail project. Monday morning's Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting is set for 9:30 at the Courthouse Administrative Center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports fewer people are dying on Oklahoma roadways in 2008 compared to the same time last year. The patriol reports that 199 people have died on Oklahoma roads and highways so far in 2008. That compares to 240 traffic-related deaths during the same period in 2007. May also proved to be less deadly in 2008. The patrol reports 8 traffic deaths so far in May this year, compared to 18 deaths in this same period in May of 2007. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted May 9th, 2008 Signs advocating both yes and no votes in Bartlesville on Tuesday have been removed from where they had been placed and it was a newly hired city code enforcement employee who removed them. According to City Manager Ed Gordon the signs -- both advocating yes and no votes -- had been placed on the city right-of-way. That's a code violation but Gordon says the city has not gone after improperly placed campaign signs in the past. A total of about a dozen signs were removed. The signs are being returned to their respective organizations. A City Progress Committee Billboard advocating a "vote yes" on Frank Phillips Blvd was hit by several paintballs and had to be replaced. Dan Keleher, Jr. of Keleher Advertising says the damaged sign has been taken down. A new "Vote Yes" billboard is being printed and will be installed in place of the vandalized one. See the damaged sign. —————————————— Osage County District Judge M. John Kane IV will hear from attorneys involved in charges against Tulsa County judge Jesse Harris on Monday. According to the Tulsa World, in a response to a request to have District Attorney Rick Esser removed from the case, Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Cerda referred to differences in filing practices between Tulsa and Washington Counties that apparently led to controversy over release of a police affidavit. Washington County treats affidavits filed with the court clerk's office as a public record once bond has been established in the case. While the Tulsa World article doesn't specify the difference between the two counties, it does state that practices are different. Judge Kane has been assigned to hear the trial. —————————————— A former Washington County maintenance employee has been formally arraigned on drug charges. 45-year-old Clyde Allan Walker has been charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled and dangerous substance. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. He's accused of acting in concert with former Washington County Treasurer Stan Stevens and former Washington County Commissioners' assistant Kodi Lee Ferguson. The investigation began following the apparent suicide of Ferguson's husband, Jon Ferguson at his home on December 18th, 2007. Police seized several electronic devices from the home which contained phone records and text messages that allegedly tie Stevens, Ferguson, and Walker to drug-related crimes. Walker and Ferguson are both free on $10,000 while Stevens is free on a $25,000 bond and is currently undergoing a six-month drug treatment program. —————————————— You can cast an absentee ballot in person at the election board office today or Monday the 12th. There will be a two-member, bipartisan absentee voting board on duty each day between 8 and 6 to assist absentee voters. The polls will be open for 12 hours -- 7 to 7 -- on Tuesday. If you have questions on the absentee voting process call the election board at 337-2850. —————————————— OSU Extension Agent Randy Pirtle will introduce Extension 4-H Educator Amy Berg and 4-H Program Assistant Patty Underhill to the Washington County Commissioners during their meeting Monday morning. The commissioners plan action on a proclamation recognizing the accomplishments of two 4-H livestock judging teams and will present the team members with certificates. The agenda for Monday's commissioners meeting also calls for action on a proposal to repair areas of the courthouse judicial center where radiators were removed. Commissioners will hear a presentation by Roscoe Thornbury on hiring a construction consultant for the county jail project. Monday morning's Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting is set for 9-thirty at the Courthouse Administrative Center. —————————————— 18-year-old James Dawson Eckhart of Bartlesville has been charged with negligent homicide. According to a court affidavit, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated a two-vehicle accident that occurred on March 28th on County Road 2400 approximately two miles south and one mile west of Bartlesville that claimed the lives of two Chouteau residents. Reportedly, 61-year-old Betty Day Ashley and 54-year-old Joana K. Hanna were dead at the scene with head, arm, leg, trunk internal and trunk external injuries. They were passengers of a 1998 Ford 4D driven by 64-year-old James W. Ashley of Chouteau, who was injured in the mishap. According to the OHP's report, Eckhart's 2002 Ford pickup was traveling southbound on a county road in Washington County, failed to stop at a stop sign and struck Ashley's vehicle, who was traveling westbound on a county road. Eckhart was also injured in the mishap. Reportedly, Eckhart was not wearing a seat belt, but all occupants in Ashley's vehicle were wearing seat belts. Eckhart is free on a $1,500 bond. —————————————— Since the resignation of former City Attorney Bob Wilson, which took place on Tuesday, a new City Attorney will be sworn in to take over the position that Bob Wilson held for 36 years. The new City Attorney is Jessie Worten. Since 1983, Worten has been a partner at Brewer, Worten and Robinett with offices in Bartlesville and Pawhuska. Worten earned his bachelor of science degree from Oklahoma State University in 1972, and his jurist doctorate from Oklahoma City University in 1976. Worten is a member of the Osage County, Washington County, Oklahoma and American bar associations and a fellowship with the American College of Trial Lawyers, which is an invitation-only organization of trial lawyers comprised of not more than 1-percent —————————————— Over the past 6-weeks, nearly a dozen homes and automobiles have been broken into, with a variety of items stolen. Several weeks ago, Benson's Lumber Company was broken into, along with the Pawhuska Elementary School. Nothing was taken at either of the locations, as police believe the intruders were more than likely scared off by their alarm systems. However, some businesses recently haven't been so lucky. It appears that the latest rash of crimes were committed sometime between late Sunday night and early Monday morning when Moore's Hardware and Lumber and the Chuckwagon Café were broken into. Terry Moore said that thieves pried open a side door to his business… tore apart his office, and made off with a safe containing more than $3,000.00. Jan Swan who owns the Shape N Style Beauty Shop figures the burglars who broke into her salon were only interested in cash, because expensive jewelry in her shop was left untouched. However, Swan said, the burglars went through everything evidently in their quest for cash. Posted May 8th, 2008 The Voter Identification Bill sponsored by Senator John Ford of Bartlesville requiring voters to show a form of identification at the polls was defeated on a party line vote. To learn how people in Washington County felt about an ID being required, a random sampling of residents was taken and all felt some form of identification should be required. Senator Ford had three legislative days to have the bill reconsidered but Wednesday night he said he did not see any indication of one Democrat choosing the support the measure and it appeared the bill was dead. This is the third year Ford has sponsored Voter ID legislation and support for the measure has grown each year. ———————————————- Monday morning was a rude awakening for five business owners in Pawhuska, who found their shop windows and doors smashed and stores ransacked by burglars. Two of the victims, Moore's Hardware and the Chuckwagon Café, had cash stolen, while the thieves apparently left the other break-in locations empty handed. The burglars appeared interested only in cash. At Moore's Hardware thieves ignored expensive items and at the Shape-N'-Style, they left behind turquoise and other expensive jewelry. Police Chief Harold Hughes told the City Council Monday night that investigators have found an eyewitness to one burglary and that the police have filed charges with the District Attorney's Office against a suspect in that earlier break-in, but the District Attorney's office needs more information before formal charges can be filed in Osage County District Court. ———————————————- After almost 36-years City Attorney Bob Wilson has resigned. During Monday nights city council meeting Wilson announced his decision to resign his position at 10AM on Tuesday, leaving the legal reins of the city to Jessie Whorten. During his tenure as City Attorney, Bob Wilson has been through eight city managers and 40 different city council members. In Wilson's statement to the council he said that despite all of the different personalities and agendas over the past 35-and-a-half year the city of Pawhuska has always worked together and avoided strife that is so common in other small towns. ———————————————- Yesterday's rainfall caused some flooding problems along Washington County roadways. According to District 2 Commissioner Linda Herndon, there are two sections of road that were washed away, causing a dangerous situation. The affected areas are on County Road North 4010 south of West 1500, just southeast of Bellco, and on Road West 1200 near the low water crossing on North 4010. The Oglesby area showed some roadway flooding yesterday. Herndon says you are encouraged to avoid areas that frequently have water over the roadway and to take an alternate route. Herndon says don't drive around barricades that have been set up along the road, and also says please don't move the barricades. If you know of a road that should be barricaded, Herndon says you should call 918-331-5119 or 766-5223. ———————————————- Four Bartlesville Mid-High students are getting ready to travel to Virginia next week for the Team America Rocketry Challenge -- a national level competition featuring the top 100 squads who will compete for 60 thousand dollars worth of prize money. This is the first year Bartlesville has had a rocketry team and the Mid-High students are the only team from Oklahoma that qualified for the challenge. The team is made up of Andrew Quinn, Daniel, Sauceda, Chris Heath, and Sam Denyer. The four had to survive a qualifying competition earlier this year in order to make it to the event. They were required to build a rocket that was required to fly for 45 seconds, to a height of exactly 750 feet, while carrying two raw eggs. The eggs had to be returned to the ground unbroken. After a full day of launches -- which will be held at the The Plains, Virginia, the winners will be announced. ———————————————- A parliamentary move by a Democratic leader has blocked a Senate vote on the House-passed bill to make English the official language of Oklahoma. Instead, the bill is headed to a joint House-Senate conference committee. Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan said yesterday the bill isn't dead, but it will be difficult to get an agreement to permit another vote on the legislation this session. Morgan made the motion to send the bill to conference and instruct conferees to adopt a streamlined version to be voted on at the next statewide election. Author of the bill, Moore state Representative Randy Terrill, decried the Senate action. He said it would force Oklahomans to pay for translation services. The motion to send the bill to conference was adopted on a 25-23 vote. Twenty-four Democrats and one Republican, Seminole state Senator Harry Coates, voted for the motion. Posted May 7th, 2008 58-year-old Gary Lee Tingler of Bartlesville has been charged with first degree manslaughter. According to court records, the case involved a two-vehicle accident that occurred in August of 2007 on a county road near Vera claiming the life of a Ramona woman. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Ashley Sue Hicks was eastbound when a westbound pick-up truck crossed the center line at the top of a hill and crashed into Hicks' 1996 Ford Taurus. Hicks was airlifted to a Tulsa hospital where she later died. Tingler was also injured in the crash. He was driving a 2007 Dodge pick-up. According to the information sheet, Tingler was under the influence of intoxicating substances at the time of the mishap. His next appearance in Washington County District Court is May 23rd. Tingler was released on an O.R. bond. ———————————————- Republican state Senators expressed their disappointment that Senate Democrats voted along party lines to kill a bill sponsored by Senator John Ford requiring voters to show a form of identification at the polls. Senate Bill 1150 received 24 votes in favor, and 23 votes opposed, but 25 votes were required to pass the bill and send it to the governor's desk. The leader of Democrats in the Oklahoma State Senate – President Pro Tem Mike Morgan of Stillwater – skipped the vote despite being on the floor moments earlier and voting for a procedural motion that brought SB 1150 to a final vote. By skipping the vote, Morgan prevented a tie that could have required Lt. Gov. Jari Askins to break the tie. Senator Ford said he was disappointed that this bill failed but was not giving up on passing the bill. Ford gave several examples of known voter fraud in Oklahoma including one time when a TV reporter registered several pets. Ford can bring the bill back up for a reconsideration of the vote within three legislative days. ———————————————- According to Osage County Sheriff, Ty Koch, County deputies have ended their search in an area of the McClintock Boy Scout Camp. While it was rumored the scene could have contained the body of a man who was reported missing from Bartlesville several years ago, deputies along with cadaver sniffing dogs and excavating equipment did not turn up any human remains at the scene. Koch said the investigation has come to a close. ——————————————— Law Enforcement officers from across the state of Oklahoma have completed a "Cyber Crimes" held this week at Bartlesville's Tri-County Technology Center. According to Washington County district Attorney Rick Esser, the conference featured Mark Davis of the University of Tulsa CyberCops program and Investigator Pat Kennedy of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The presenters discussed the ways officers can better understand computer crime. Esser says there were around 40 officers signed up for the program that gave them a hands-on overview of the forensics lab. The Washington County District Attorney's office has scheduled another seminar for June on drug interdictions. ———————————————- 24 Bartlesville students got a send-off in the form of a rally in front of the high school this morning at 7 o'clock before they boarded two school busses and headed to Stillwater. The 39th-annual Summer Games for Special Olympics Oklahoma takes place through Friday on the campus of Oklahoma State University. The Bruin Pom Squad, Marching Band, National Honor Society and Student Council Members turned out to be part of the send-off. School Board members and school administrators cheered on the students who will compete in the annual summer games. Superintendent, Dr. Gary Quinn said it was great to get a good turnout to support the competitors. The Bartlesville students will be part of an estimated 4,300 athletes and more than 400 volunteers taking part in the event. ——————————————— Tallgrass Prairie Nature Conservancy. The conference will include talks addressing some of the problems Osage ranchers might encounter. In addition, there will be discussion topics on such as the Osage Rangeland Youth Corps, and how that organization can help. Other topics will include Agriculture Tourism in the Osage and Federal Programs for Osage Landowners to get involved in. Most of the presentations during the day will be given during a bus tour of the prairie, with stops at specific locations of interest that will demonstrate first hand some of the discussion topics. After the bus tour, everyone will meet back at the Nature Conservancy Headquarters to have lunch and wrap up the conference with additional presentations and discussions. There's no registration fee for the conference and breakfast and lunch will be provided. Seating is limited for the bus tour Call Julia Wright or Diane Daniels for reservations at 287-5333. Posted May 6th, 2008 A Bartlesville man who was arrested after his children told a teacher and a school counselor he shot them with a BB gun has been charged in the crime. 30-year-old Darrell Glenn Walker has been charged with child abuse. According to a court affidavit, Bartlesville Police went to the school to investigate of a possible child abuse case. Police reports say Walker 's 8-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter told school officials that he would shoot them in the arms, legs, and hands when they got bad marks on schoolwork or got into trouble at home. One of the victims told officers the weapon was a small BB gun. Police say Walker's girlfriend later told officers Walker also shot at her with the BB gun when he became angry. Walker denied shooting the kids. His next appearance in Washington County District Court is May 23rd. Bond was set at $20,000 with a condition he have no contact with the victims. ———————————————- Due to a lack of a quorum, the Bartlesville City Council did not conduct its monthly regular scheduled meeting last night. Council members Ron Nikkel and Vic Holcomb were in attendance while council member Julie Daniels, Vice-Mayor Eddie Mason and Mayor Tom Gorman were absent. Because there was no quarum, city business couldn't be conducted. A small number of citizens was disappointed that a meeting wasn't held. Nikkel told the crowd he attended the meeting to hear what the citizens had to say and he ended his comment saying "we've been shut down." ———————————————- Washington County District Attorney Rick Esser is responding to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct made by attorneys for a Tulsa judge accused of exposing himself to two women in a Tulsa parking lot last month. The D-A says cases are filed based on the facts that can be proven, not on who the suspect or the victim is. That's why he wants the case tried in open court and on the public record, just like every other case. According to Esser, the public is welcome to attend all court hearings and hear the evidence as it is presented. He goes on to say that the pleadings in any case are only a small part of the facts and not the complete picture. Esser indicated that negotiations in criminal cases often start before the charges are filed and the majority of criminal cases are disposed of by a plea made instead of a trial because of discussions between a prosecutor and the defense attorney. He says those discussions did take place but the the defense wanted another month to reach a decision. Once the press found out about the incident, Esser allowed full access to the items that were a public record. When a Tulsa World reporter asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit, Esser told them that if it was an item of public record, that they could have it. Esser says that's what is done in Washington County in all cases where a judge has to set bond. The affidavit was already on file with the Tulsa County Clerk's office. Esser plans to file a formal response this week. He says everyone is welcome to read what he files because it is the facts of the case that will ultimately decide the outcome. ———————————————- A Tulsa man is being given probation for the death of another Tulsa man in a boating accident on Skiatook Lake. Jason Barthel pleaded no contest in Osage County District Court to a charge of negligent homicide in the death last July of Ronald Gildersleeve. Barthel was given a one-year deferred sentence. Prosecutors say Barthel was driving a speed boat when it crashed into a pontoon boat that was anchored on the lake and killed Gildersleeve. ———————————————- Bartlesville High School juniors Scott Hull and Candace Grimes have been chosen as the May Rotary Students of the Month. Hull is the son of Guylene and Browning Hull. He is involved in Spanish club and baseball. Grimes is the daughter of Terri Wadleigh. She is a member of National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. Rotary Students of the Month are juniors or seniors chosen by a committee of teachers at Bartlesville High School They are selected on the basis of character, initiative, and leadership capabilities. They must be good students and active in their school and community. ———————————————- Police have arrested a Chelsea couple on drug complaints days after their toddler was found dead. Arrested over the weekend were Patricia Ann Folk and Richard Michael Card. They do not face charges in what police have described as the suspicious death of their 23-month-old son. His body was discovered in a Chelsea home on April 25. It could take three months before the state Medical Examiners Office determines a cause and manner of death. Three other children in the home were later removed. —————————————— The Nowata City Commission and Municipal Authority seated three new members and one incumbent from the last commission. The Ward 2 position was declared vacant and a new commissioner will be appointed at the next meeting. Tom Pierson was appointed mayor and Nancy Oglesby was appointed treasurer. The current group of city appointees were retained with the exception of the city manager. The city clerk will serve as interim city manager until a new manager is hired. The cemetery mowing contract was awarded and the commission decided to mow the city parks with current city employees. There was a presentation on the sewer line improvements and the commission approved continued preliminary work pending the creation of a new budget that would identify funding sources.