A measure intended to create a manufacturing boon for the state and open the free market for the purchase of firearm suppressors, also known as silencers, has been filed for the 2022 legislative session by Sen. Micheal Bergstrom.
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2020 Homecoming Queen Corri Evans and Kissing Captain Sango Whitehorn
No. 5 Sand Springs (3-0) vs unranked Ponca City (1-2).
Memorial Stadium
600 North Adams Road
Sand Springs, OK 74127
Homecoming Court at 6:30 p.m.
Kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
Inside concessions benefit the Gold Pride Marching Band. Church That Matters pre-game tailgate outside the stadium benefits the Sandite Wrestling team and begins at 6:00 p.m.
Don't forget to stop by the Inkwell Printing official gameday booth for all your Sandite Spirit Wear!
Through three games...
Ty Pennington is 48 of 73 passing for 735 yards, 10 TDs, and 1 int this season. He's currently ranked No. 3 in the Tulsa World's All-World Top Ten Players list.
Blake Jones is 61-477 rushing for 7 TDs.
Receiving leaders
Brody Rutledge, 15-273, 3 TDs
Jacob Blevins 13-173, 2 TDs
Keaton Campbell 13-163, 3 TDs
Ryan Shoemaker 6-74, 2 TDs
Defensive playmakers
Brooks Dudley 29 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks
Drake Fain 23 tackles, 1 for loss
Gabe Brown 19 tackles, 3 for loss, 1.5 sacks
Landon Hendricks 17 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 sacks
Charles Gaylord 16 tackles, 2 for loss
Conner Light 15 tackles, 1 for loss
Ryder Barnes 15 tackles, 0.5 for loss
Chase White 6 tackles, 1 int
Landon Wolfe is 12-of-14 on PATs and 1-of-1 on field goals with a long of 27 yards.
The Sandites' last 3-0 start was in 2012 when they went 6-0 before falling to Union.
Sand Springs beat Ponca City 35-10 last year on the road, but the Wildcats won 24-14 the last time they were in Sand Springs.
Pennington is 31-52-438-1 passing with 3 passing TDs and one rushing TD in his two games against the Wildcats. Campbell was 6-134 receiving against the Wildcats in 2019 and 10-138 with 2 TDs in 2020.
Sand Springs leads the all-time series 26-20-1.
The first-ever meeting was 1952 in a Thanksgiving day playoff that Ponca won 27-9.
The only tie in the series was 7-7 in 1953.
In 1954 the Sandites came back from a 20-point deficit to win 21-20 with future MLB star Jerry Adair at quarterback.
In 1981 the Sandites won 31-24 on the road in triple overtime.
The Sandites have met the Wildcats once before with a 3-0 record and they won 14-13 in 1987. Not including season openers, Sand Springs is 3-0 against the Wildcats when defending an undefeated record.
The Sandites have played Ponca at least thrice before on Homecoming. In 1988 Sand Springs won 20-0, Ponca won 30-14 in 1994, and Sand Springs won 56-35 in 2016.
Ponca City's biggest win in the series was 48-2 in 2003. Sand Springs's biggest win was 57-7 in 2013. The highest total score in the series was a 56-35 Sandite win in 2016.
Sand Springs has pitched four shutouts in the series and has only been shut out once. The last shutout was a 21-0 Sandite win in 2006.
All in the family...
Brett Pennington was 2-1 against Ponca (22-15, 28-0, 13-21)
Caden Pennington was 2-0 against Ponca (42-7, 35-14)
Ty Pennington is 1-1 against Ponca (14-24, 35-10)
Ty Pennington is 2-0 on Homecoming, beating Muskogee 45-14 as a junior and Shawnee 21-19 as a sophomore.
Osage Hills State Park was the destination for the Wheeler Dealers Camping Club Meet and Eat. Sand Springs members are Bill and Pam Doyle.
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A version of this story was originally written for the Sand Springs Leader.
40 years ago, 1402 N 81st W Avenue was an empty field on the Sand Springs - Tulsa line. Today it’s a thriving church celebrating its 40th anniversary, and the 10th anniversary of its current pastor, Chad Stewart.
Reach Church has been reaching people in Sand Springs, Tulsa, and around the world for nearly half a century, but for most of its history it was known as Word of Life Fellowship.
In August of 2018 they changed their name to Reach, but the mission has always been the same. “Go to Sand Springs, raise up a New Testament church, and from there you will touch the world.”
Those were the words that David Emigh heard God speak to him while the 28-year-old was pastoring alongside his wife Sharon in Rosebud, Missouri.
The Emighs founded the church in 1981 in a former QuikTrip building at 619 E 10th St. that then became the church’s Depot Youth Ministries building when they built their new facilities.
Emigh led the church for 30 years, writing three books, founding dozens of satellite churches, airing an AM radio broadcast, and founding a bible school and international ministerial organization. Many Word of Life churches are still operating around the globe to this day, in countries like the Philippines and Myanmar.
The church never got to celebrate its 30th anniversary, however.
On June 15, 2011, David Emigh died in a motorcycle accident, and Associate Pastor Chad Stewart was thrust into the leadership role.
Stewart came to Word of Life as the College and Careers Pastor, and served briefly as the interim youth pastor before being promoted to Associate Pastor a few months before Emigh’s death.
Moving a church forward after the death of its founding pastor was far from an easy task. Stewart had to honor the legacy of the church’s founder, maintain the church’s existing identity, while simultaneously following his own passions and calling.
On September 11th, over 90% of the church’s members voted to promote him to the lead role, and ten years have proven that he was the right man for the job.
The church has seen a number of changes over the past ten years. The name change was a big one. The youth ministry is now at the main church building, and the old Depot building was sold to The Stronghold church.
But at its heart, Reach Church is still the same. Touching the world from a home base in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
The church meets every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and has youth services on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. They actively participate in the Sand Springs Local Church Network, they serve the local school districts, host community events, and continue to support missionaries and satellite churches around the world.
The congregation will celebrate their 40th anniversary on September 19th, 2021 with two services at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. with guest speakers at each. There will also be a cookout and church picnic following the services.
The annual Sand Springs Homecoming Parade will return to downtown Sand Springs on Thursday, September 23rd at 6:00 p.m.
Read MoreSean Kuehn from Charles Page High School in Sand Springs has been named a state delegate to the 59th annual U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP), which brings together outstanding student leaders from every state. He will join 102 other delegates from around the country March 14-17 for a highly interactive, virtual education and leadership
Read MoreWheeler Dealers Camping Club members met for lunch recently optimistic that they will be able to camp together this year. Last year, campouts scheduled for the first half of the year were often cancelled or had minimal participation due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but members are hopeful they can gather carefully and still enjoy the outdoors together this year.
Read MoreTwo Charles Page High School students were awarded prizes at the Missouri Welding Institute 11th annual welding competition in January. Reese David won the competition and the $15,900 grand prize, and Caleb Graham took tenth place.
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Sand Springs Home Trustee Erik Stuckey (left) shakes hands with former Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce President Kyle Smith outside The Link small business incubator in downtown Sand Springs.
Business incubators nurture the development of entrepreneurial companies, helping them survive and grow during the start-up period, when they are most vulnerable. These programs provide client companies with business support services and resources tailored to young firms. The most common goals of incubation programs are creating jobs in a community, enhancing a community’s entrepreneurial climate, retaining businesses in a community, building or accelerating growth in a local industry, and diversifying local economies.
The role of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce in the incubator process is to certify the incubators and to ensure the incubators meet certain standards of excellence.
Two core principles that characterize effective business incubation include:
The incubator aspires to have a positive impact on its community’s economic health by maximizing emerging companies’ successes.
The incubator itself is a dynamic model of a sustainable, efficient business operation.
These incubators provide:
Flexible space and leases
Access to office services and equipment
An on-site incubator manager as a resource for business advice
Exposure to a network of outside business and technical consultants, often providing accounting, marketing, engineering and legal advice; and assistance with financing and marketing.
Currently, 31 certified small business incubators are operating in Oklahoma, with tenants ranging from small service companies to high-tech research and development operations and manufacturing entities.
During 2020, Oklahoma incubator managers were asked to complete a questionnaire to document their activities for the current reporting period. The following statistics are based on the information received from the responding incubator managers:
Currently 1,165 jobs are provided by 109 small business located in incubators.
More than 1,000 small businesses have located in a small business incubator throughout the life of Oklahoma’s Certified Small Business Incubator Program.
More than 500 of those have graduated from the program or relocated to a larger facility.
1,373 people are currently employed by 259 of the graduated businesses that remained in the state.
Here are just a few success stories from those business throughout 2020:
Aircraft Logistics Group, LLC Acorn Growth Companies Oklahoma City, Okla.
The success of Aircraft Logistics Group, LLC continues to be a compelling story for incubators. In 2017, the company completed the sale of a significant portion of its loan portfolio to a strategic buyer in the aerospace and defense sector that carried forward the mission of airborne intelligence missions in support of the global war on terror. The sale represented an 8x return on invested capital and a 46% gross internal rate of return.
Generation FSH Hemphill Create Tulsa, Okla.
Generation FSH is a new tenant of Hemphill Create, specializing in welding and fabrication service. The owners of the company saw an opportunity to start their family business at Hemphill in October 2020. The husband and wife duo wanted to leave the shuffle and control of the corporate grind and bet on themselves. Duane Grundy is a welder and fabricator, while his wife Shavonne Grundy handles corporate affairs. Gaining perspective from Hemphill’s successful family business has helped further the Grundy’s outlook on success and provided historical data and industry knowledge to add to their repertoire of talent.
Flexibility and support are key to success in these unprecedented times. Hemphill has offered companies a safe haven to grow and explore business strategy and growth in spite of the on-going global pandemic.
Mortgage Solutions Financial The LINK Sand Springs, Okla.
Mortgage Solutions Financial started at The LINK by occupying two private desk spaces. The company has flourished, doubling the initial number of employees. They have outgrown their work space three times and now occupy three office suites. Their growth and financial standing has far exceeded their expectations. They anticipate graduating from The LINK incubator soon.
Indigo Technology Group The Forge Tulsa, Okla.
Indigo Technology Group, a Tulsa based software company, uses their scalable technologies as a platform to launch other startups alongside industry veterans. As a technology platform, they become a multiplier when coupled with domain experts, cutting the costs and shortening ramp-up time to profitability. Indigo has successfully helped launch several growth-oriented companies and highlights their achievements through Indigo’s annual “Technology Showcase” each spring.
Commerce will be highlighting incubator business success stories in upcoming issues of the New Pioneer – signup for our E-Newsletter. Find out more about certified Incubators or locate an Incubator near you.
Get the details on everything coming up this week in Sand Springs, from City government meetings to sports, to free community events.
Read MoreWhile the number of active COVID-19 cases across state of Oklahoma are declining, the number of deaths attributed to the virus are continuing to climb. In the latest numbers from the Oklahoma State Department of Health, active caseload has declined by more than 10,000 in the two weeks since its last peak, but the seven-day rolling death average is at an all-time high of 42.7 per day.
Read MoreFormer Sand Springs City Councilman and businessman Kim Lee Tilley was laid to rest Monday at Woodland Memorial Park, following his death on January 13th. Services were held at Broadway Baptist Church with Pastor Lee Herring officiating.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic in Oklahoma is once again reaching new heights after several weeks of somewhat controlled growth. It took only 11 days for the number of active cases in Oklahoma to go from 20,000 to 30,000 in November. It took 52 days to go from 30,000 to 40,000.
Read MoreGet the details on everything coming up this week in Sand Springs, from City government meetings to sports, to free community events.
Read MoreProfessional wrestling will be coming to Sand Springs in 2021. Core Professional Wrestling will debut at HillSpring Church on January 2nd thanks to the efforts of local couple Nathan and Audra Estrada along with HillSpring Associate Pastor Matt Barnett, who will serve as the Commissioner of the new league.
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Sean Kuehn (center) receives the August 2018 Sandite Spirit Award. Kuehn was recently selected to serve on the Oklahoma 2021 Student Advisory Council.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister has named 97 Oklahoma high school students to her 2021 Student Advisory Council, the sixth consecutive year the group has been convened to assist Hofmeister and the Oklahoma State Department of Education in matters of policy.
“Students have a lot to say about their education, and it is critical that we listen to them. The direct insight we receive from our students is incredibly valuable, and each year I am encouraged by the thoughtful reflection and fearless vision of these brilliant young leaders,” Hofmeister said.
The 2020 Student Advisory Council last met virtually in June, where students voiced their challenges about learning amid a global pandemic and how racism impacts the classroom experience. Other past discussion topics have included the importance of personal financial literacy, increased awareness of student mental health needs, and how trauma can impede student success. Feedback from the Council has been instrumental in state-level initiatives to provide teachers more professional development in trauma-informed instruction, replace end-of-course high school testing with the ACT or SAT, and pilot Individual Career Academic Planning (ICAP).
Recommended by their district superintendents, the students hail from across Oklahoma and represent rural, urban and suburban schools of all sizes. Forty-four are returning members who have served on the council in previous years.
The first virtual meeting of the Student Advisory Council is scheduled for Jan. 26. Sand Springs student Sean Kuehn was selected to serve on the council for the second-straight year.
SAND SPRINGS, OK - The City of Sand Springs is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Carter as the new City Manager. Carter has been the Chief of Police since 2015 and has been a Sand Springs Police Officer for almost 28 years.
Carter plans to take over the day-to-day operations from interim City Manager Daniel Bradley in March, after a transition period to keep stability within the Sand Springs Police Department.
Of the hiring, Mayor James Spoon stated, “We are delighted to be able to promote someone from within our city organization. Mike has shown how much he cares for our community and he has the unanimous support of the City Council.” He also added, “I would like to thank my fellow city councilors for the effort that was put into the exhaustive search and that the opportunity presented itself to get such a worthy candidate.”
Carter was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a graduate of Tulsa Will Rogers High School. He later was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and has lived in Sand Springs for the past 26 years with his wife Deborah, and his son, Zachary and daughter, Emma.
Carter is a graduate of the 221st session of the FBI National Academy. In 1995, he served at the scene of the Murrah Federal Building bomb attack in Oklahoma City and also directed the City of Sand Springs operations during the recovery from a devastating ice storm in 2007.
Carter also has received numerous awards during his career with the Sand Springs Police Department, including the Medal of Valor, two Life-Saving awards, City of Sand Springs Employee of the Year, and twice named Officer of the Year. In October of 2018, Chief Carter represented his agency in receiving the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) /Cisco Leadership in Community Policing Award for developing the concept of a Policing Plan in his community. The City of Sand Springs has continued this concept for over five years.
While working as the Chief of Police, Carter also assisted the City of Sand Springs in economic development endeavors as well as helping with many other areas outside of the typical duties of a police chief, but equipping him with perspectives that will help him in his new role as the City Manager.
In speaking about his appointment, Carter said, “I am truly humbled by the level of support I have received; not only from the City Council, but from all of the City employees. I hope to carry on the good work our team has been doing and feel honored to be able to work with people I respect so much.”
The position of City Manager was last held by Elizabeth Gray, who left in May after six years of service and took a position with the City of Bethany.
Hike With Your Dog Day - CANCELED.
6:00 p.m. Sand Springs City Council and Municipal Authority meetings.
City Municipal Building
100 East Broadway Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:00 p.m. CPHS Wrestling vs. Mustang.
Mustang High School
801 South Snyder Drive
Mustang, OK 73064
6:00 p.m. Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum Trust Authority meeting.
Sand Springs Museum
9 East Broadway Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:30 p.m. CPHS Girls Basketball vs. Muskogee.
Muskogee High School
3200 East Shawnee Road
Muskogee, OK 74403
4:00 p.m. Sand Springs Development Authority meeting.
City Municipal Building
100 East Broadway Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:00 p.m. BINGO.
American Legion Post 17
500 North Main Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
7:00 p.m. CPHS Wrestling vs. Broken Arrow.
Tiger Field House
2200 North 23rd Street
Broken Arrow, OK 74012
Add your event to our weekly newsletter. Email SanditePrideNews@gmail.com
Free for nonprofit/free/charitable events.
Free for Sandite Pride Partners.
4:00 p.m. Sand Springs Planning Commission meeting.
City Hall
100 East Broadway Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
5:30 p.m. Sand Springs Parks Advisory Board meeting.
Case Community Center
1050 West Wekiwa Road
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:00 p.m. Sand Springs Board of Adjustment meeting.
City Hall
100 East Broadway Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
7:00 p.m. Sand Springs Board of Education meeting.
CPHS Performing Arts Building
600 North Adams Road
Sand Springs, OK 74063
8:30 p.m. CPHS Boys Basketball vs. Inola.
Inola High School
801 East Commercial
Inola, OK 74036
4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Good Samaritan Free Health Clinic.
Church That Matters
3 West 41st Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:30 p.m. CPHS Girls Basketball vs. Bartlesville.
8:00 p.m. CPHS Boys Basketball vs. Bartlesville.
Bruin Field House
1700 Hillcrest Drive
Bartlesville, OK 74003
2:00 p.m. CPHS Girls Basketball vs. Edmond North.
Whitey Ford Field House
601 South Riverview Drive
Bixby, OK 74008
6:00 p.m. BINGO.
American Legion Post 17
500 North Main Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
7:00 p.m. CPHS Wrestling vs. Stillwater.
Ed Dubie Field House
600 North Adams Road
Sand Springs, OK 74063
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Open Hike Day.
Keystone Ancient Forest
160 Ancient Forest Drive
Sand Springs, OK 74063
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Hike With Your Dog Day.
Keystone Ancient Forest
160 Ancient Forest Drive
Sand Springs, OK 74063
Add your event to our weekly newsletter. Email SanditePrideNews@gmail.com
Free for nonprofit/free/charitable events.
Free for Sandite Pride Partners.
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Open Hike Day.
Keystone Ancient Forest
160 Ancient Forest Drive
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:30 p.m. CPHS Girls Basketball vs. NOAH.
8:00 p.m. CPHS Boys Basketball vs. NOAH.
Ed Dubie Field House
600 North Adams Road
Sand Springs, OK 74063
6:00 p.m. BINGO.
American Legion Post 17
500 North Main Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Chipper Days.
Free chipping of limbs up to 2” in diameter. Free wood chips and firewood while supplies last. Must bring Sand Springs water/refuse bill for proof of residency.
City Street Department
8620 West 21st Street
Sand Springs, OK 74063
Add your event to our weekly newsletter. Email SanditePrideNews@gmail.com
Free for nonprofit/free/charitable events.
Free for Sandite Pride Partners.
Sandite Pride News, LLC is a locally owned and operated Sand Springs, Oklahoma news source, serving the community since 2014.
What is Sandite Pride News?
Sandite Pride is the only locally owned and operated news source for Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Sandite Pride News was founded in 2014 by Scott Emigh. The site is primarily focused on Sandite sports, Sand Springs city development, events, and community news.
