edmondson eufaula 1 9-4-14
TRANSCRIPT
8/11/2019 Edmondson Eufaula 1 9-4-14
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/edmondson-eufaula-1-9-4-14 1/1
2013 BETTER
NEWSPAPER CONTEST
AWARD WINNER Presented by the
OKLAHOMA PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Horse ShowEufaula Round-Up Club horse
show at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.6., at the Fairgrounds.
Retired Teachers to meetMcIntosh County Retired
Teachers and Support Personnel will meet at 1 p.m. on Sept.11 atJim Lucas Library.
All retired teachers and supportpeople are encouraged to attend.
This is starting our new year for2014-2015.
We need you. New starting time1 p.m. more information call 918-473-2781.
Looking for ZombiesLake Eufaula Playhouse is
proud to announce our Zombies
had such a good time last year,that they are all coming back and
bringing their friends. This year we have planned more surprises
and are currently preparing forour 2nd Annual Zombie Walk. TheLake Eufaula Playhouse players
will be rounding up all the zom- bies we can find. All Zombies are welcome! Last year ages rangedfrom 5 years old to 80 and fromfar away as Stigler and McAlester.
Watch for updates in this paper.
Auditions set forChristmas Play
Auditions for the Lake Eufaula
Playhouse production of “The BestChristmas Pageant Ever” will beheld at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.6 and at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday,Sept. 7 at the Eufaula CommunityCenter on High Street.
The cast includes 17 children,ages 5-13, and 10 adults. The play
will be held the first two weekendsin December – Dec. 5, 6 and 7 and
Dec. 12 and 13.
See NEWSWORTHY , Page A2
VOL 136, ISSUE 36 (USPS 261-620 – TWO SECTIONS, 18 PAGES – SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
NEWSWORTHY:
O K L A H O M A ’ S O L D E S T N E W S P A P E R , E S T . 1 8 7 6
Indian Journal T
h e
E u f a u l a
75¢
A LOOK INSIDEOpinions ...................... A4
Sports .............. ......... B1-2
Church ........................ B4
Obits ........................... B5
LegalsClassifieds ................ B6-7
Overcast skies cooled the temperatures for at least the start of the 18th Annual Eufaula Indian Community Pow-Wow, held Saturday and Sunday,
Labor Day Weekend. This year’s event honored veterans. The color guard
that raised the flag Saturday morning included, left to right, Spc. Larue
Guocaddle of Carnegie, Sgt. Darlene Sandadota-Sanders of Anadarko,Richard Dabbs (flag bearer for the Creek Nation Veterans Honor Guard)
of Eufaula and Marine Lance Cpl Kimberly Toyekoyah of Anadarko. The
females were part of the Kiowa Women Warriors. (Staff photo by Jerry Fink)
Could face death penaltyBy Jerry Fink
Managing Editor
Following a lengthy preliminary hearing that took placethree days shy of the one-year anniversary of his arrest,Steven Lee Vanzant was bound over for trial last week inconnection with the murder of prominent Checotah resi-dent Debbie Kelsoe.
If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Vanzant will be arraigned in McIntosh County District
Court and a trial date set at 9 a.m. on Sept. 24.Pittsburg County Associate District Judge Jim D. Bland
presided over the preliminary hearing that took place mostof the day on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Kelsoe, 57, was found dead at her rural residence nearChecotah on Aug. 14, 2012. Authorities said she had
been shot in the head with a .22-caliber pistol and herhouse had been set on fire in an apparent effort to hidethe murder.
Firefighters put out the early morning blaze before thehouse was destroyed.
See TRIAL, Page A5
Boating fatalityoccurred July 4, 2013By Jerry Fink
Managing Editor
A preliminary hearing forRyan Shumway, charged
with first-degree man-slaughter in connection
with a boating fatality onJuly 4, 2013, has been setfor 9 a.m., Sept. 22.
Shumway, 31, is allegedto have been speeding in a
boat across the lake withhis family when he collidedin the darkness with twoother boats, killing GaryMcIninch, 54, of OklahomaCity.
The collision took placeabout a mile from EufaulaCove.
Authorities said Shum- way left the scene of theaccident and didn’t turnhimself in for four days.
If convicted of man-
slaughter he could be sen-tenced to four years in pris-on.
Shumway also wascharged with the misde-meanor of failure to giveinformation and render aidat a vessel accident.
Shumway is represented by McAlester attorney War-ren Gotcher.
Authorities said he leftthe scene of the crash andreturned to his home inMcAlester without reportingthe accident.
Assistant District Attor-ney Crieg Rittenhouse saidthe long delay in filingcharges may be attributedto the state’s boating stat-utes, which are somewhatlimited.
It took an extended timeto find additional evidenceto support filing a man-slaughter charge, Ritten-house said.
According to informationfiled in support of the man-slaughter charge, the dis-
trict attorney’s office said
See CHARGES, Page A3
McCutchenhearing
postponedBy Jerry Fink
Managing Editor
A hearing for a formerChecotah teacher doingtime after being convictedof having sex with students
was postponed last weekuntil Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Michelle DianeMcCutchan, 42, who isincarcerated at the MabelBassett Correctional Centerin McLoud, requested thehearing asking the courtto re-evaluate her sentencein hopes of having several
years taken off the 15 yearsshe must serve.
The hearing was to have been held on Monday, Aug.27, before Associate Dis-trict Judge James Pratt.
McCutchan was presentat the hearing, but a pack-
et of information from theDepartment of Corrections
was not.
See HEARING, Page A2
By Leilani Roberts Ott
Staff Writer
It’s not just the harmony of the musicthat keeps people coming back each yearto the Dusk ‘til Dawn Blues Festival; it’sthe harmony that you feel when you’rethere.
“It’s all people enjoying the same thing,”
ShIronbutterfly Ray said as she sat in herlawn chair. “Because it is so soul filled. Nomatter what type of music you like, thereis something for everybody.”
For 13 years, Ray and her husband,Oscar Ray, have brought their crew from
Bare Bones Filmworks of Muskogee to video all the performances at the three-day festival in Rentiesville that features 34
bands on three stages. Besides the musicalartists, there are puppeteers, vendors andfood like barbecue and foot-long corndogs.
The festival was started by the late D.C.Minner and his wife, Selby, 24 years ago.
She continues his contribution to bringingthe blues to all ages by having the festival.
As she got on the outdoor stage to play herguitar and sing with Blues on the Move,she paid tribute to her husband.
See BLUES, Page A2
Eufaula Dam
celebration
committee
reaches out
to the futureBy Jerry Fink
Managing Editor A limited number of per-sonal “time capsules” will
be available to be placedin a small vault that will
be buried near the EufaulaDam, to be opened in 50
years.Middle School Principal
Chris Whelan is creatingthe personal capsules outof 12-inch sections of PVCpipes.
The capsules are beingsold for $50 a piece – andonly 25 will be available.
They are part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration ofthe dedication of EufaulaDam, which took place on
Sept. 25, 1964.
See DAM , Page A3
Vanzant tostand trial onmurder charge
Preliminary hearing set
on manslaughter charge
Harmony in the air at24th annual Blues Festival
Big Clyde Sheeley of Wichita, Kan., plays guitar on the outdoor stage at the
Dusk ‘til Dawn Blues Festival. (Staff photo by Leilani Roberts Ott)
Friday: Eufaula vs Beggs 7:00 • Saturday: OU at Tulsa • OSU vs Missouri State