City of Sand Springs Hires Jennifer Swezey as Assistant City Manager

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(Sand Springs, OK) - In a report to the City Council last night, City Manager Mike Carter announced his intention to hire Jennifer Swezey as the newest member of the administration team at the City of Sand Springs. He related that Ms. Swezey will start her duties with the City on October 9th, 2023 in her capacity as Assistant City Manager.

Ms. Swezey has worked since 2021 as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Muskogee. She held the positions of Communication & Media Relations Manager, Community Relations Liaison and Executive Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Broken Arrow.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

She holds leadership experience with the National League of Cities, City Manager’s Association of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Municipal League, as well as many other civic and business based groups.

City Manager Mike Carter stated, “Due to workload and time constraints, I have been looking for someone who can help deliver the quality of administrative services that our citizens, city council and employees deserve. After a couple of years in searching, I am confident that we now have that person in Jennifer Swezey.

He continued, “Our community deserves to have someone like her, and I know Jennifer will do great things in Sand Springs. I look forward to the opportunity to let her use her talents for the benefit of our citizens”.

Mayor James O. Spoon stated, “After meeting with Jennifer, I am confident that she will complement the excellence we have had in our city management and will specifically help with the community engagement that Mike Carter advocates for and our City Council desires”.

He further stated, “I know Jennifer has family ties to the Mannford and as such has spent time in an around our community”.

Ms. Swezey fills the position of Sand Springs Assistant City Manager which was last held by Daniel Bradley, who retired in 2021.

CPHS Basketball: Sandites win Regional Championship 59-51 over Broken Arrow - presented by Inkwell Printing

Saturday night at the Ed Dubie Field House was a special occasion for more reasons than one. The Class 6A No. 9 ranked Charles Page High School boys’ basketball team (18-6) avenged two regular season losses to No. 11 Broken Arrow (18-7), they won consecutive Regional Championships for the first time in school history, and they gave Head Coach Eric Savage his 100th win at Sand Springs.

Coverage of the game is sponsored by Inkwell Printing. Inkwell provides custom apparel for sports teams, businesses, and other organization, as well as promotional items and paper products like brochures and business cards. Inkwell is currently offering fully sublimated reversible uniforms in time for the competitive spring basketball season.

Inkwell Printing
1 W 41st St,
Sand Springs, OK 74063
(918) 508-3634

The Sandites were explosive in the first half, taking a 37-18 lead into the locker room, and used aggressive defense to stave off a second half Broken Arrow rally that went 33-22 in the Tigers’ favor. Junior standout Marlo Fox scored 22 points to lead all scorers, and University of Central Oklahoma-commit Davon Richardson added 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Fox hit a three on the Sandites’ opening possession, then Josh Minney turned a steal into a free throw and the home team never trailed. Ja’ell Talley hit a pair of twos to tie it, but Cason Savage and Fox responded with back to back threes. The Sandites worked their lead up to 17-9 before giving up a trio of free throws to end the period. 

The second quarter was even more lopsided as the Sandites ran away with it 20-6 behind a nine point performance from Richardson. Sand Springs took its first double digit lead at the 4:17 mark, then went on an 11-2 run capped by back to back steal and scores from Cason Savage and Richardson to make it 37-18 at the half.

The Tigers battled back hard in the second half and cut their deficit to 46-35 at the end of the third, but the Sandites found their feet in the fourth and kept up for the most part. Minney drew his fifth foul with 1:04 to play, sending Talley to the line for a traditional three that made it 57-51, but Richardson hit a pair of free throws to end the game.

Broken Arrow was led by Talley and Anthony Allen with 14 apiece and Tyler Pinder with 11.

Both teams will advance to the Area playoffs. Sand Springs will play No. 1 Booker T. Washington (19-5) Friday, March 6th at 6:30 p.m. The Sandites are the only team in Class 6A to beat the Hornets this season, doing so 66-62 at home in January, but lost 69-56 on the road two weeks ago. The winner of that game will advance to State, while the loser will move to the Area Consolation bracket.

Broken Arrow will play No. 19 Yukon (14-11) Friday at 8:00 p.m. in the first round of the Area Consolation bracket. The loser of that game will be eliminated, and the winner will have to win another game to advance to State. Area playoff sites have yet to be announced.

CPHS 59 BAHS 51
1Q: CPHS 17-12.
2Q: CPHS 20-6.
3Q: BAHS 17-9.
4Q: BAHS 16-13.

Free Throws: CPHS 15-of-21, BAHS 8-of-13.
Field Goals: CPHS 19-of-39, BAHS 19-of-36.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 5, BAHS 4.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 15, BAHS 12.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 20, BAHS 16.
Steals: CPHS 11, BAHS 5.
Blocks: CPHS 4, BAHS 5.
Fouls: CPHS 17, BAHS 18.

(Sand Springs stats)
Scoring: Fox 22, Richardson 21, Minney 8, Savage 6, Oakley 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Oakley 2, Richardson 1, Minney 1, Savage 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Richardson 6, Minney 6, Savage 2, Fox 1.
Total Rebounds: Richardson 7, Minney 6, Savage 3, Oakley 2, Fox 1.
Steals: Richardson 4, Savage 3, Fox 1, Minney 1, Oakley 1, Askew 1.
Assists: Minney 1, Savage 1.
Blocks: Richardson 2, Fox 1, Oakley 1.
Fouls: Miney 5, Oakley 4, Richardson 3, Askew 2, Fox 1, Savage 1, Shoemaker 1.

(Broken Arrow partial stats)
Scoring: Talley 14, Allen 14, Piner 11, Barnes 6, McCurdy 2, Stika 2, Blair 2.
Fouls: Barnes 4, Talley 4, Pinder 4, Stika 3, McCurdy 2, Golden 1.

CPHS Basketball: Broken Arrow ends Sandites' season 86-81 in overtime, presented by Inkwell Printing

The Class 6A No. 11 ranked Charles Page High School girls’ basketball team (15-8) took on Broken Arrow (10-13) for the second time in the past week and the third time this season Thursday evening at the Union Multipurpose Athletic Center, but this time they were unable to repeat their previous clutch wins.

Coverage of the Sandite post-season is brought to you through partnership with Inkwell Printing, the official provider of all Sand Springs spirit wear. Support your Sandites this weekend at the boys’ basketball home Regional Tournament by purchasing Inkwell merchandise from the Sandite Spirit Store inside the Ed Dubie Field House.

Inkwell Printing
1 W 41st St,
Sand Springs, OK 74063
(918) 508-3634

The Tigers lost their first two meetings 80-78 and 69-67, most recently blowing a ten-point fourth quarter lead in the regular season finale. They made up for it with an 86-81 overtime upset in the game that mattered most, ending the season for the Sandites and extended their own season by at least two games.

The first quarter looked like it could be shaping up for a blowout as six Sandites combined for a 6-of-9 three-point performance and a 20-12 lead. Journey Armstead, Jade Shrum, Madison Burris, Darrian Jordan, Leyshia Morris, and Bayleigh Cheney all hit threes in the quarter. The Sandites also committed a mess of fouls, but Broken Arrow struggled at the free throw line and missed six shots. 

Anyone who saw the first two meetings between these teams knew that the Tigers would not go quietly. They won the second quarter 17-16 and used a nine-point streak in the middle of the quarter to take a 29-26 lead before the Sandites got back to scoring.

Armstead went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe to kick off the comeback, then Morris hit the first three of the quarter at the 1:00 mark to regain the lead. The Sandites forced turnovers on the next two possessions, leading to a three from Burris and a two from Jordan to end the half on a ten-point run at 36-29. 

The Tigers played their best quarter in the third, winning 23-14. The score saw five lead changes, with Broken Arrow finishing 52-50 after a clutch three from Kelsey Duffey. 

Burris hit her third three to kick off the fourth with a nine-point run, but Jada Hytche went on an eight-point run all by herself. Hytche gave her team their biggest lead of the game at 68-63, but Sand Springs battled back and Hailey Jackson hit the game-tying free throw with 3.4 seconds left to force overtime.

Duffey hit a three to open the extra period and the Tigers never trailed from then on.

Taleyah Jones led all scorers with 36 points, and four Tigers scored in double digits. Hytche posted 17, Duffey added 15, and Makayla Adams had 12.

Sand Springs had a more balanced team effort, led by Armstead with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Jackson scored 16 points with 6 rebounds as the only other Sandite in the double.

Broken Arrow will return to action Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Muskogee vs. Union. Both teams will advance to the Area playoff.

BAHS 86 CPHS 81
1Q: CPHS 20-12.
2Q: BAHS 17-16.
3Q: BAHS 23-14.
4Q: CPHS 19-17.
OT: BAHS 17-12.

Free Throws: BAHS 22-of-33, CPHS 18-of-25.
Field Goals: BAHS 27-of-53, CPHS 26-of-70.
Offensive Rebounds: BAHS 10, CPHS 17.
Defensive Rebounds: BAHS 28, CPHS 15.
Total Rebounds: BAHS 38, CPHS 32.
Steals: BAHS 8, CPHS 13.
Blocks: BAHS 3, CPHS 1.
Fouls: BAHS 24, CPHS 24.

(Sand Springs statistics)
Scoring: Armstead 25, Jackson 16, Burris 9, Shrum 8, Padilla 7, Morris 6, Jordan 5, Cheney 3, Regalado 2.
Offensive Rebounds: Armstead 4, Padilla 3, Jackson 3, Shrum 2, Burris 1, Jordan 1, Morris 1, Cheney 1, Regalado 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Armstead 4, Burris 4, Jackson 3, Padilla 1, Shrum 1, Morris 1, Cheney 1.
Total Rebounds: Armstead 8, Jackson 6, Burris 5, Padilla 4, Shrum 3, Morris 2, Cheney 2, Jordan 1, Regalado 1.
Steals: Armstead 8, Jackson 4, Padilla 1.
Assists: Armstead 4, Padilla 2, Jackson 2, Morris 2, Shrum 1.
Blocks: Burris 1.
Fouls: Padilla 5, Armstead 4, Jackson 4, Morris 4, Jordan 3, Shrum 2, Burris 2.

(Broken Arrow partial stats)
Scoring: Jones 36, Hytche 17, Duffey 15, Adams 12, Myers 4, Herrera 1, Sanders 1.
Fouls: Sanders 4, Duffey 3, Jones 3, Hytche 3, Adams 3, Myers 3, Zackery 3, Duin 1, Herrera 1.

Senator Nathan Dahm files legislation prohibiting traffic citation quotas

State Senator Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed legislation prohibiting law enforcement entities from enacting policies that require officers, justices or judges to meet traffic citation quotas.

“It’s no secret that some jurisdictions may emphasize writing tickets at different times to try and generate more revenue,” Dahm said. “Our peace officers shouldn’t be pushed by their employers to focus on writing extra tickets or collecting extra revenue from citations.”

Senate Bill 1264 would prohibit any political subdivision or agency of the state to maintain, require or suggest policies that employee evaluations, promotions, compensation or discipline may be based on the issuance of a specified number of traffic citations by law enforcement officers, or the amount of revenue a court justice or judge collects from these citations.

The bill does not prohibit municipalities from obtaining budgetary information from the courts, including estimates of court collections in a budget year.

“Prohibiting quotas will allow our law enforcement officers to better serve our communities by keeping their focus on protecting our citizens, not bolstering revenue.” Dahm said.

Bill filed to create tax credit for Oklahomans taking gun safety courses

OKLAHOMA CITY - Senator Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, filed legislation Wednesday to create an income tax credit for Oklahoma citizens who successfully complete the gun safety training course required to get a concealed carry permit.

“Since Constitutional Carry has gone into effect, many people have expressed concerns about no longer forcing people to undergo government-mandated training in order to exercise their rights. Even though we haven’t had any major incidents, I encourage everyone to exercise their rights in a safe and informed way. This bill will allow those who wish to take the training course to do so and then claim an income tax credit for the costs of the course.” Dahm said.

Senate Bill 1090 includes several provisions, including a tax credit for those who complete the course, a tax credit to cover the fingerprinting, pictures, and licensing costs for those who get their concealed carry, as well as a tax credit for those who renew their existing carry permit.

“Whether it’s our second amendment rights to bear arms, first amendment rights to free speech, exercising our religion, or truthfully engaging in the freedom of press, it is important that we all use our rights without harm to others,” Dahm said.  “I look forward to having all those who have expressed concerns about the training requirements to join me in promoting this solution to encourage additional training without government force.”

Oklahoma Senator files legislation to prevent red-flag laws

OKLAHOMA CITY- Senator Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, announced Tuesday he had filed Senate Bill 1081 to push back against any proposed red flag laws coming from the federal government. The bill, titled the “Anti-Red Flag Act,” would preempt all current or future proposed red flag laws coming from Washington D.C. and make them null, void, and of no effect in the State of Oklahoma.

The bill also would prohibit any state or local entities from accepting federal funds to try and entice state agencies into implementing infringements on Oklahoma citizens’ Constitutional rights.

“The Second Amendment is abundantly clear that it is an individual right to keep and bear arms. And it is necessary to keep a free state. Oklahoma has a responsibility to protect our citizens’ rights from anyone who would try to infringe upon them,” Dahm said.

“In America, we learn from an early age that we are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. We have due process protections enshrined in our Constitution. Red flag laws violate all these principles, violate numerous constitutionally protected rights, and set a dangerous precedent,” Dahm said. “In Oklahoma, we already have legal processes for those who are adjudicated as a threat to themselves or others. We don’t need new laws that will further infringe on rights. We should be about protecting rights.”

SB1081 will be available to be heard in the next legislative session beginning February 2020.

Precision Optical has served Broken Arrow for more than two decades

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Precision Optical has been doing business in Broken Arrow for more than twenty years. Founded by George and Mary Dakil in 1994, the store features one of the largest selections of sunglasses and prescription eyewear in the Tulsa area.

Precision carries popular brands like Ralph Lauren, Ray Ban, Kenneth Cole, Vogue, Vera Bradley, and Covergirl, just to name a few. Their products range from tradition frames to rimless, regular sunglasses and prescription, and safety glasses and sporting brands as well.

Humans first began using eyeglasses sometime in thirteenth century Italy. In 1784 Benjamin Franklin invented the bi-focal lens and Americans have been cranking out creative eyewear ever since.

Precision Optical is up to date on all the latest trends, fashions, and most importantly, technology. From anti-reflection coating and polarized lenses to transitions lenses and sports goggles, all of your eyewear needs can be filled at Precision Optical in Broken Arrow.

Whether you're new to eyeglasses or have been wearing them all your life, George can help you with whatever your needs are. From alternative materials for individuals with polycarbonate allergies, to innovative materials such as wood and bamboo, Precision Optical is the place to go for Broken Arrow eyeglasses. 

Located at 520 South Elm Place, Precision Optical is located right in the heart of Broken Arrow, just four minutes from the Elm Exit of the Broken Arrow Expressway. 

Not only is Precision Optical a great place to purchase new lenses, they are also a great place to repair your broken frames. Whether your problem is the hinges, the nose pads, or bridges, they have state of the art methods for repairing your eyewear. 

Whether your needs are medical or aesthetic, shopping or repair, Precision Optical is your full-service Broken Arrow optical one-stop-shop. With decades of experience and a love for their industry, you can count on good service, a warm smile, and attention to your needs and budget.

Click here to visit Broken Arrow's premier optician online.

Governor Mary Fallin Signs Paperwork Placing Five Additional State Questions on November Ballot

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin signed election proclamations Monday that place five additional state questions on the November 8 general election ballot.

The paperwork signed by the governor placed these issues on the ballot:

• State Question (SQ) 779, which would increase the state sales tax by 1 percent to fund teacher pay raises and other education causes.

• SQ 780, which reclassifies some criminal offenses, such as drug possession and property crimes, as misdemeanors instead of felonies.

• SQ 781, which would take money saved from implementing SQ 780 and allow counties to fund community rehabilitation programs.

• SQ 790, which would remove a section of the Oklahoma Constitution prohibiting use of state resources for religious purposes.  

• SQ 792, which would allow wine and full-strength beer to be sold in grocery stores and convenience stores.

The deadline for the governor to sign election proclamations for state questions to be placed on the November 8 general election ballot is Friday.

Two other state questions already are on the ballot. SQ 776 would declare that the death penalty is not cruel or unusual punishment and would allow the Legislature to designate any method of execution if a current method is declared unconstitutional. SQ 777 would prevent lawmakers from passing legislation to regulate agriculture unless there is a compelling state interest.