This week in Sand Springs

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Joint City Council-Municipal Authority Meeting Monday

The Sand Springs City Council will hold a regular meeting Monday at 7:00 p.m. at the Sand Springs Municipal Building, immediately followed by the regular Municipal Authority meeting.

Police Chief Michael Carter will provide a presentation regarding the Policing Plan for 2016.

The Council will consider approval of a renewal of the agreement between the City of Sand Springs and Reasor’s for the Fiscal Year 2017.

The Council will consider appointments to the Board of Adjustment, Development Authority, Parks Advisory Board, Planning Commission, Personnel Board, and Airport Advisory Board.

The Council will consider renewal of an agreement with the Metropolitan Environmental Trust (M.E.T.) to continue providing current recycling services through the next year.

August 23rd election voter registration deadline approaches

Friday, July 29th is the final day to register to vote in time for the August 23rd special election.

Tulsa County Republicans will vote in a runoff between Donald Newberry and Ron Phillips for County Court Clerk. Independents are not eligible to vote in Republican primaries.

Newberry is a US Air Force veteran with an Associate’s in Business, Bachelor’s in Psychology, and Masters in Business Administration.

Phillips is currently the Special Projects Director for the County Clerk’s Office and holds a business administration degree.

The winner of the runoff will take on Democratic nominee John R. Andrew in November.

Newberry won the June Republican primary with 35% to 33%.

Highway 97 Rivalry Alumni game moved to Sand Springs

Sand Springs Memorial Stadium will host the third annual Highway 97 Alumni football game for the second year in a row due to ongoing construction at the Chieftains’ stadium.

Registration is Monday the 25th at 5:30 p.m. with the first practice to follow at 6:30 the same day. The game will be held Saturday July 30th at 7:30 p.m.

The series is tied 1-1 with Sand Springs winning last year’s game 35-0.

Dallas terror attack causes unity and support for police instead of fear

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

On Thursday, September 7, Dallas Police Officers protecting a group of protesters were the targets of an unconfirmed number of snipers. Deceased gunman Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, Texas was killed by a bomb squad robot to avoid risking the lives of more officers. Johnson claimed to work alone and also claimed to have planted bombs throughout the city.

State Senator Dan Newberry, who represents Sand Springs and parts of Tulsa, issued a statement Friday calling for prayer in response to the terror attack.

Patrick Zamarripa.

“In moments like these we must all put our differences aside and come together in prayer and support for each other,” said Newberry.

“Domestic terrorism – no matter the motive – must not be allowed to continue in the United States,” said Newberry.  “Our men and women in law enforcement put their lives in danger every day to uphold public safety.  Let’s show our law enforcement officers how much they mean to us today and every day after this. Join me in thanking our men in blue as we pray for the families affected by this senseless act of terrorism.”

Lorne Ahrens.

The Sand Springs Police Department issued a statement expressing sympathy for the victims and families via Facebook late Thursday night. 

"The thoughts and prayers of the men and women of the Sand Springs Police Department are with the killed and wounded officers of the Dallas Police Department and their families."

Brent Thompson.

Preliminary reports indicated as many as four shooters, but it was later discovered that Johnson was moving throughout a single building and firing from multiple floors.

There were approximately twenty protesters at the event legally carrying long guns that contributed to the confusion early-on. Three suspects were detained for questioning but released without charges.

At this time Johnson has not been linked to any known terrorist organizations and has no criminal record. He previously served in the U.S. Army Reserve and completed one tour of duty in Afghanistan before receiving an honorable discharge.

Michael Krol.

Five officers were killed and seven others were injured in the ambush. Two civilians were also injured.  Police have said at least ten officers were casualties of sniper fire and two others were shot in a shootout.

Dallas Police Officers Lorne Ahrens, Michael Smith, Michael Krol, and Patrick Zamarripa were all killed in action, as well as Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer Brent Thompson.

Michael J. Smith.

Zamarripa, a 32 year-old father of two, had previously served three tours of duty with the US Navy before fulfilling his lifelong dream of joining the DPD.

Ahrens, 48, was married to a detective on the force, and was a 14-year veteran of the department. The couple has two children under the age of eleven.

Thompson, 43, was a seven-year veteran of the transit force and was just married to a fellow officer two weeks prior to his death.

Krol, 40, was an eight-year veteran of the department with more than a decade of law-enforcement experience.

Smith, 55, spent seven years with the US Army Rangers division before joining the police force in 1989. He and his wife of 17 years have two children under the age of fifteen.

An anonymous Sand Springs resident left this note on Sgt. Kristie Behar’s patrol unit Friday in a show of public support for the City’s finest.

 

Sand Springs plays pivotal role in several County and State elections

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Tuesday was Primary election day for the State of Oklahoma and Sand Springs was well represented in candidacy. Eight of the candidates for various State and County positions were registered with Sand Springs addresses, and even more had Sand Springs ties. Gross voter turnout was up slightly for the Sand Springs area at over 3,200, as opposed to 3,000 in 2014, which translates to approximately 22.7% of voting-age citizens.

Robert T. Murphy defeated Dax Ewbank for the Libertarian nomination for US Senator. Murphy has previously ran for US Congress five times and has never won more than 25% of the vote. He will take on incumbent Republican Senator James Lankford and Democratic nominee Mike Workman in November, along with independent candidates Sean Braddy and Mark Beard. Murphy won the Primary with 56.65% of the vote. Sand Springs voters supported Murphy 15 to 10.

Incumbent Republican Representative Jim Bridenstine won the Republican primary for Congressional District 1 with a landslide over Tom Atkinson and Evelyn L. Rogers. Bridenstine brought home 79.5% of the vote, Atkinson snagged 17.11% and Rogers got 3.39%. Sand Springs voters supported Bridenstine 1673 to 388. No Democrats filed and the lone independent has dropped out leaving the seat uncontested for Bridenstine.

Incumbent Republican Senator Dan Newberry easily warded off a pair of challengers for the State Senate District 37 nomination. Newberry won 69.18% of the vote followed by Sand Springs City Councilman Brian Jackson with 20.26% and Paula L. Patterson with 10.55%. Jackson fared slightly better in his native city with 29% of the vote, but was unable to rally voters to a campaign that focused solely on public education and never mentioned other issues. Newberry won Sand Springs 1244 to 805.

Outgoing Sand Springs Superintendent Lloyd Snow swept the Democratic side of the Senate 37 race with 77.04% of the vote over Cory Gage with 12.96% and Andrew Nutter with 10.00%. Snow's Sandite backing was especially apparent in that he won 88.61% of the vote in Sand Springs. Outside of his school district he still had an impressive record at nearly 70%. Snow won Sand springs 1090-140.

Snow and Newberry will face off against independent Shawn W. Ketcher, also of Sand Springs, in November.

Incumbent Republican Representative Jadine Nollan had little difficulty in fending off Emily G. Delozier for the State Representative District 66 nomination with 74.57% of the vote. Sand Springs supported the hometown representative 1450 to 378. Nollan's November opponent will be Democratic nominee Dianna Phillips, also of Sand Springs. Interestingly, it was Nollan's husband Phil who unseated Dianna's husband Michael in the City Council election this March. 

In the County Court Clerk election, Donald Newberry came out on top of an incredible close election, one of the closest in recent memory. Newberry claimed 35.16% of the vote, followed by Ron Phillips with 33.10% and Mary Atkinson with 31.74%. Newberry and Phillips will now go to a runoff election on August 23rd with the winner taking on Democratic nominee John R. Andrew in November. Sand Springs was nearly as evenly divided as the rest of the County, but put Atkinson ahead of Phillips. Newberry won the Sandite city 726 to 618 to 563.

Rex Berry bested Arthur Jackson 66.61% to 33.39% for the Democratic nomination for Tulsa County Sheriff. Sand Springs held almost identical figures at 756 to 369. Berry will face off against incumbent Vic Regalado in November.

Regalado shrugged off a vicious negative campaign from Luke Sherman with surprising ease for the Republican nomination. After less than three months on the job since winning a special election to replace Stanley Glanz, Regalado defended his position with a 64.31% victory over Sherman with 28.86% and Russell Crow with 6.83%. Once again, the candidate with the best ties to Sand Springs prevailed. The Sandites favored Regalado 1394 to Sherman with 489 and Crow with 172.

Michael Willis bested Nancy Rothman 59.32% to 40.68% in the Republican primary for Tulsa County Clerk. No Democrats, Independents, or Libertarians filed for the position, meaning Willis will win it unopposed. Sand Springs backed Willis 1139 to 743.

Incumbent County Commissioner Karen Keith warded off Deanna Vincent for the Democratic nomination for her position. Keith had the biggest blowout in Tulsa County with 81.95% of the vote and will take on a Republican challenger from Sand Springs in November.

Josh R. Turley won a close race with Jonathan Grable for the Republican nomination for County Commissioner with 52.55% of the vote. Sand Springs backed the Sandite 1157-722.

Lloyd Snow clinches Democratic nomination, will face Newberry in November

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Outgoing Sand Springs Superintendent Lloyd Snow has the Democratic nomination for Senate District 37 all locked up after a landslide victory over Cory Gage and Andrew Nutter. Snow has been serving the Sand Springs community for sixteen years, and looks to continue doing so in a new field.

After sixteen years as the City Superintendent, Snow's era will come to an end on June 30th when Sherry Durkee officially takes over the office. While Snow initially intended to retire upon leaving the Superintendent position, dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in the Capitol lead him to launch a campaign for the Senate District 37 seat in April.

When he launched his campaign he stated "I am frustrated, disappointed, and discouraged with the challenges our children, families, citizens, and communities continue to face due to devastating budget reductions and poor policies in the areas of public education, health, safety, and transportation."

In December Snow talked to Sandite Pride about his reservations in running for office and his desire for any other worthy candidate to step up. When nobody came forward for Snow to rally behind, he filed his candidacy as "an obligation to be a voice of reason, common sense, and responsibility for our families and communities."

Snow has a long history of recognition for community service. In 1997 he was named the Oklahoma Administrator of the Year. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Medal for Excellence in Administration. Most recently he was issued a proclamation from the City of Sand Springs for his service to the community in May and received the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration Lifetime Achievement award earlier this month.

Two and half months of campaigning led to a massive victory over the Democratic field, but Snow was quick to acknowledge that it's only the beginning. In the Tuesday night primary, Snow won 77.04% of the vote against Cory Gage with 12.95% and Andrew Nutter with 10%. 

Snow gave a victory speech at the Snow For Senate Watch Party at Hampton Inn and Suites in Tulsa Hills, expressing his desire "to make it better for kids, to make it better for people that have health needs...to make it better for Oklahoma...for better roads and bridges and infrastructure. Trying to craft a budget that can be sustained and actually work for people and for families and for communities.

"We as a State are at that point in time where enough is enough. I am a different kind of candidate in a lot of ways because this is not my life ambition. I've lived my life ambition, my passion. Now it's more of a purpose, it's more of an obligation. It's more of what I consider to be, 'how are we going to solve the problems we face?' And the solutions are having more people vote, more people in campaigns, have more people participating. I'm going to be at this full time."

SS Police open doors to private transactions

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The Sand Springs Police Department announced via Facebook recently that they are in the process of registering with www.safetradestations.com as a Safe Station for private transactions.

Citizens engaging in person-to-person transactions via Craigslist, Facebook groups, etc. can now meet in the lobby of the City Municipal Building for safety . The station has cameras inside and outside and police are always present in the event of an incident.

 

Register bicycles with the City to avoid theft

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The Sand Springs Police Department issued a reminder last week via Facebook that citizens are welcome to register their bicycles with the City website to aid in the return of a recovered bike.

"Every year the Sand Springs Police Department receives calls of found and stolen bicycles. It is our goal to return these bikes to the rightful owners, but the majority of the time that does not happen.

One issue is that many people do not write down their serial number. Some people think that it will be in the owners manual, but often it is not included by the manufacturer, only a space to write it down.

S.S.P.D. offers a service to help this problem. Our bike registry lets you enter your information and bike serial number into our system. If an officer recovers the bike, we know how to contact you. This saves our citizens from needing to buy a new bike and it saves our officers time, effort and much needed storage space. If your bike is ever stolen, we will already have the information on file that we can get your serial number for the report and enter it into the national database.

This is a free service and only takes a few minutes to complete. If you feel this could be of help to you, please go to this link."

To follow the SSPD on Facebook, click this link.

Friday is the primary registration deadline! Here's a look at the Sand Springs ballot

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Friday, June 3rd, is the final day to register to vote in the June 28th Oklahoma primary elections. Voters have until then to register to vote, change their address, or update other registration information before the Statewide primary.

Voters must either register in person, or mail their registration forms and have them postmarked before the deadline. Per Oklahoma voting law, registered voters cannot change their party affiliation between April 1st and August 31st during even-numbered years. Both the Democratic and Libertarian Parties have opened their primaries to Independent voters this year, but only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary.

More than 400 candidates have filed for office in Oklahoma this filing period, more than in any presidential year in recent history, according to Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax. This is also the first year that the Libertarian Party has been officially recognized in the State of Oklahoma, meaning voters now have four registration options. 

Incumbent United States Senator James Lankford has the Republican nomination secured with no challengers, as does Democratic nominee Mike Workman. Libertarian voters will choose between Robert T Murphy and Dax Ewbank for their candidate. There are also two independent candidates: Sean Braddy and Mark Beard.

Current Congressional District 1 Representative Jim Bridenstine is up for reelection and is challenged by Tom Atkinson and Evelyn L. Rogers for the Republican nomination. No Democrats filed for the race. The winner of the Republican nomination will square off against Independent David Matthew Hullum. 

Sand Springs City Councilman Brian Jackson is challenging incumbent State Senator Dan Newberry for the District 37 Republican nomination, as is Paula L. Patterson. 

District 66 State Representative Jadine Nollan has one challenger in Emily G. DeLozier for the Republican nomination. Dianna Phillips, wife of former City Councilman Michael Phillips, has the democratic nomination locked up.

Donald Newberry, Ron Phillips, and Mary Atkinson are running for County Court Clerk as Republicans.

Rex Berry and Arthur Jackson are vying for the Democratic nomination for County Sheriff. Vic Regalado, the incumbent from Sand Springs, is being challenged by Russell Crow and Luke Sherman for the Republican nomination for County Sheriff.

Michael Willis and Nancy Rothman are running for the County Clerk nomination from the Republican party.

Deanna Vincent is challenging Karen Keith for the Democratic nomination for County Commisioner District No. 2. Jonathan Grable and Sand Springs's Josh R. Turley are running for the Republican nomination.

Gov. signs ‘Kristin’s Law’; measure will better protect domestic violence victims

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SUBMITTED

Legislation that changes the legal definition of “pattern of physical abuse” has been signed into law. Senate Bill 1491, also known as Kristin’s Law, authored by Senator Bryce Marlatt and Representative Scott Biggs, was approved by Governor Mary Fallin on Wednesday.  Marlatt said the change will enable tougher penalties to be handed down sooner—a change that could help save lives.

“Studies of cases right here in Oklahoma show that in the vast majority of domestic violence cases that ended in homicide there was prior evidence of domestic abuse,” said Marlatt, R-Woodward. “Domestic violence tends to escalate. The more incidents that happen, the more dangerous the situation becomes. By applying stronger penalties sooner, hopefully we can stop some of these offenders before it’s too late. I appreciate the tremendous bipartisan support in both chambers and am grateful to Governor Fallin for signing this bill into law.”

Under current law, there must be three or more separate incidences of domestic abuse within the previous twelve months. Kristin’s Law would reduce that by requiring two separate incidents of domestic abuse to establish that pattern, and it would no longer be required that the two incidents must have happened in the previous year. If that pattern is established, conviction carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of reducing domestic violence,” said Biggs, R-Chickasha, a former prosecutor. “Spouses often have little recourse when the person who is supposed to be in their corner is instead their victimizer. I think this legislation will help us to intervene more quickly and increase the protection of domestic violence victims. I thank Governor Fallin for her support of this legislation.”

Kristin’s Law will become effective November 1, 2016.

Police impersonator at large

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According to City of Sand Springs Chief of Police Mike Carter, a white Chevy Tahoe pulled over a woman in the area of 44th and Spruce on Thursday. After taking the woman's license and registration, the suspect demanded she exit the vehicle and then groped her. The full statement is as follows:

 "Important Message:

The Sand Springs Police Department just received a report of a police impersonator.  It was reported that white Tahoe that pulled a lady over around 44th and Spruce.  This vehicle is described as having a light bar on top of the vehicle as well as a push bar with lights on it.  A white male suspect wearing all dark clothing a displaying some sort of badge made the victim produce her drivers license and insurance.  He then made her get out of her vehicle and groped her.  Officers are taking a report from the victim.  If anyone sees this vehicle or knows who may be responsible for this act, please call SSPD at (918)245-8777 or 911.

If a vehicle attempts to pull you over and you are not sure it is an officer, please dial 911 and continue to drive to a well lighted area such as a convenience store.

Chief Mike Carter"