Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

T H U R S D A Y , A P R I L 7 , 2 0 1 1

Bryan County Chapter of the Oklahoma Association of Retired EducatorsThe Bryan County Chapter of the Oklahoma Association of Retired Educators will meetat noon Friday, April 8 in the Raymond McKinney Conference Room at the MedicalCenter of Southeastern Oklahoma. Judy Robinson, director of the Pregnancy Center ofBryan County, will be the speaker. Those wishing to eat should arrive at 11:15. Allinterested persons are invited to attend.

LOOKING AHEAD INSIDE TODAY’S DURANT DAILY DEMOCRATDAILY BIBLE VERSEOBITUARIES ................................................ 2ANNIE’S MAILBOX........................................ 3OPINION ...................................................... 4SPORTS........................................................ 5LIONS’ ROAR ................................................ 6COMICS ...................................................... 8CLASSIFIED ............................................ 9-10POLICE LOG .............................................. 12

50 cents

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, butChrist lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live byfaith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself forme.”

- Galatians 2:20

DurantDailyDemocratSOSU teams up with NFL safety

Roy Williams on substance abuseBY SKILER SCHMITZ

STAFF WRITER

NFL player RoyWilliams joined studentsand faculty members fromSOSU Wednesday eveningfor an informational paneldiscussion on substanceabuse and addiction. Theprogram was part of theFighting AddictionThrough Education(FATE) program and ques-tioned participants the dif-ference between percep-tion and reality.

Reggie Whitten is thefounder of FATE which is

a non-profit organizationwith a mission to educatethe public on substanceabuse and addictions inOklahoma. Whitten saidhe created the program tohonor the memory of hisson Brandon who becameaddicted to prescriptiondrugs and alcohol.

Brandon died at the ageof 25 after a motorcycleaccident caused by sub-stance abuse. Whitten saidhe was devastated by thedeath of his son because hewas an “All American” kidand football player. NowWhitten said he travels all

around the state on behalfof FATE where he has hadthe chance to speak tolarge groups about the dan-gers of drugs and alcohol.

Also teaming up withSOSU and Whitten onWednesday night wereNFL safety RoyWilliams, OklahomaDistrict 19 DistrictAttorney Emily Redman,Director of Oklahoma’sState Bureau of Narcoticsand Dangerous DrugsControl Darrell Weaverand Executive Director ofthe Brandon WhittenInstitute for Addiction

and Recovery at ECUHolli Witherington.

The panel responded toa variety of questions onthe issue of substanceabuse and addiction. Theywere also given theopportunity to participatein a small quiz like gamewhere their knowledge onaddiction and substanceabuse was tested by audi-ence members.

For more informationabout the FightingAddiction ThroughEducation (FATE) pro-gram please visitwww.changeyourfate.org.

DURANT DEMOCRAT: SKILER SCHMITZ

NFL Safety Roy Williams is pictured speakingWednesday evening at the Substance Abuse andAddiction presentation hosted by SOSU.

SchoolBoard

approveskey card

system fornew high

school

BY SKILER SCHMITZSTAFF WRITER

The Durant SchoolBoard approved the newkey card system for theupcoming Durant HighSchool facility.

Members also accept-ed a resignation from theDHS basketball coachand are now reportingthat five teachers will beretiring after this schoolyear.

Members approvedthe supply and installa-tion of the access controland security with Hi-

Intersection being revamped for new bridge

DURANT DEMOCRAT: LESLIE BOYD

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES on the corner of First Avenue and Mulberry. The intersection is going through a make-over inpreparation of the bridge going up on 70E by the E-Z Mart in Durant.

See KEY, page 2

No wind, norain means

no burnpermits

BY LESLIE BOYDSTAFF WRITER

The Durant FireDepartment has been busybattling various grass firesaround the county as highwinds and drought settleinto Oklahoma.

Durant Fire MarshalLisa Jackson said her officewill not be issuing any burnpermits due to the unpre-dictable winds and lack ofprecipitation. “This is not aburn ban for the county,”said Jackson. “It is a pre-caution that we are takingto stop any out-of-controlfire before it starts.” Sheadded that residents havealready taken notice of theweather as the requests forburn permits has recentlydecreased.

Jackson went on toexplain that it only takesone gust of high winds indry conditions to start a

See BURN, page 2

Police: Man allegedly robbed at gunpointBY MATT SWEARENGIN

MANAGING EDITOR

DURANT — A mantold police he was robbedat gunpoint when hestopped his car in theNortheast Fifth Avenueand East Beech Street area.

According to DurantPolice, Cody Turner said aman got into his vehicle atabout 8 p.m. Wednesdayand demanded money.Turner told him “no,” andthe man then pulled out asilver-colored pistol anddemanded money again,according to statementsTurner made to police.

Turner told police hegave him $310, and the

robber then told him tolook at his feet. The manthen exited the vehicle andfled on foot. According tothe report, Turner said hethen went back to his apart-ment and told the apart-ment manager who toldhim he should report thecrime.

Turner then went to theSoutheastern PoliceDepartment because hesaid that was the onlypolice station he knew of.The incident was reportedto Durant Police at 8:45.Turner described the manas white, six-feet tall, 170pounds with shoulder-length blondish-brownhair, and said that he was

missing his bottom teeth.The man wore a TexasRangers hat, a torn, brownT-shirt, blue jeans and hadtattoos on his right fore-arm, according to Turner’sstatements An investiga-tion is ongoing.

In other crimes policesaid they seized a “shakeand bake” methampheta-mine lab at approximatelyone this morning. MasterPolice Officer Bryan R.Moore saw a young femalerun from a residence in the400 block of North FourthAvenue. The houseappeared to be abandoned,according to the report, andMoore found the 17-year-old girl in the alley

between North Fourth andFifth avenues.

Upon questioning, thegirl said the house was hermother’s but she was notliving there, and no oneelse was at the home.Officers entered the houseand found Autry Phillips,31, inside, the report stated.

According to police,Phillips said he did nothave any weapons, but dur-ing a pat-down search, offi-cers found a pocket knife.Inside the house, officerssaid they found a plasticsoft-drink container of awhite crystalline substancewith chips of red objects,plus several Coleman®propane bottles. Narcotics

officers were contactedwho confirmed this was a“shake and bake” metham-phetamine lab, a one-bottlemethod to make metham-phetamine. The report stat-ed that Phillips possessed amini baggie of a substancethat tested positive formethamphetamine.

He was booked into jailfor suspicion of metham-phetamine possession andendeavoring to manufac-ture methamphetamine.The juvenile, who toldpolice she did not knowPhillips, was released toher father. Charges arepending a review of thereport by the DistrictAttorney’s Office.

Calera police officer involved in early morning wreckBY MATT SWEARENGIN

MANAGING EDITOR

Durant Police investi-gated a crash involving aCalera Police officer at 7this morning. MasterPolice Officer ShaneHarkey was dispatched tothe crash on Highway69/75 south of Highway70. Calera Police OfficerBlake Wigington said he

was driving north in theinside lane approaching avehicle. He told Harkeythat the driver tapped hisbrakes, so Wigingtonswerved his vehicle to theright onto the shoulder.

Wigington’s vehicletraveled on the shoulderfor about 137 feet beforecoming back onto thehighway and striking aKIA four-door car on the

front, passenger side, thereport stated. Both vehi-cles were knocked into themedian.

The other driver, HaronKirkiru, told Harkey thathe did not tap his brakesand that the police vehiclejust went onto the shoul-der, came back on thehighway, and then hit hisvehicle, the report stated.Kirkiru was taken to the

Medical Center ofSoutheastern Oklahomafor possible injuries.

Police responded toanother crash at 8:45 p.m.Tuesday on North FirstAvenue south ofArmstrong Road.According to a report byOfficer Tim McEachern,Jesse Gordon, 20, wasnorthbound in a KIA whenhe drove onto the shoulder

to make a phone call. Hethen started back onto theroadway to make a U-turn,and was struck in the driv-er-side rear-tire area by aNissan Altima driven byWalter Brearley, 57.Gordon was taken byBryan County EMS toMCSO to be treated forpossible head, trunk andarm injuries. He was citedfor failing to yield.

Lions’ Roar inside today’s edition

See page 6

Vol. 110, No. 152Entire contents copyrighted 2011

www.durantdemocrat.com

22 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT Obituaries THURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

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Tech-Tronics andAnSam for the new DHSfacility.

This will be one of theearlier phases of the newbond series that waspassed last year for thenew school.Construction for the newfacility is set to be com-pleted by next schoolyear. Members say theyplan to take another bigvisit to the school next

month in the regularlyscheduled meeting.

DHS BasketballCoach Phillip Bailey’sresignation request wasapproved by schoolboard members. Theyhave also reported thatPam Buntz and JoyceNorthcutt both fromNWH will also be retir-ing. As well as DonnaSmith and CarolynLawson from DIS, andSid Tolbert who hasworked 25 years with themaintenance department.

KEYContinued from Page 1

large grass fire or damagesomeone’s property.

The hold on issuing burnpermits is only in effectwith the current weather.

Jackson has offered safe-ty tips to help save property

in case of a grass fire. Keepall grass mowed around thestructure, keep items ofstorage or debris, such asunburned fire wood, leaves,or shrub trimmings awayfrom structures, and keep awater hose available or inan area easy to access in theevent there is a grass fire inyour area.

BURNContinued from Page 1

Ex-senator pleads not guilty to bribery chargesBY TIM TALLEY

ASSOCIATED PRESS

OKLAHOMA CITY(AP) — The former leaderof the Oklahoma Senatepleaded not guiltyWednesday to federalcharges of bribery, conspir-acy, extortion and mailfraud tied to what authori-ties say were more than$400,000 in paymentsfrom three companies forhis influence on legislation.

Former Senate PresidentPro Tem Mike Morganentered the plea in federalcourt in Oklahoma City,where a lobbyist and anattorney who also werecharged appeared as well.All three left the courtwithout commenting.

The 63-count indict-ment, handed up last week,alleges that Morgan, 56,took illegal payments froma company that wanted tobuild a solid waste landfill,one that wanted to build apower plant and one thatsought to limit the stateHealth Department’s regu-lation of assisted-livingcenters. It says the illegal

payments were disguisedas legal fees mailed toMorgan, a StillwaterDemocrat, who is also anattorney.

Morgan is accused ofconspiring with lobbyistWilliam Skeith and attor-ney N. Martin Stringer tosteer bills on behalf of twoof the companies from2004 until he left theSenate in 2008.

“In exchange for thepayments, Mr. Morganattempted to assistCompany A in theOklahoma Legislature,”said Assistant U.S.Attorney Scott Williams.

The indictment does notidentify the companies, butMorgan’s attorney, DavidOgle has identified them asDilworth DevelopmentCo., a solid waste manage-ment company; powerplant operator TenaskaInc., and Silver Oak SeniorLiving of Edmond. Theindictment has put a spot-light on the political push-and-pull that accompaniedsome of the measures itcited.

Skeith, 52, of Edmond,

and Stringer, 70, ofOklahoma City, bothpleaded not guiltyWednesday to charges ofconspiracy, extortion andmail fraud.

A federal magistrate seta May 9 trial date for themen before U.S. DistrictJudge Robin Cauthron.

Morgan, known for hisjovial and outgoing natureduring his years in theLegislature, was morereserved as he sat at thedefense table and spoke inhushed tones with his attor-neys prior to the hearingbefore U.S. MagistrateValerie Couch.

Ogle has previously saidthe indictment is politicallymotivated and Morgan pro-vided legal services to thecompanies. Attorneys forSkeith and Stringer havesaid they deny wrongdo-ing.

The indictment has put aspotlight on the politicalpush-and-pull that accom-panied some of the meas-ures it cited.

One was the assisted-living measure thatMorgan authored in 2007,

which prosecutors said hewas paid $12,000 to push.The state’s long-term careombudsman says the billwould have been “amoney-maker” for assistedliving centers but wouldhave put elderly residentsat risk if it had passed in itsoriginal form.

The indictment chargesMorgan with taking adozen $1,000 bribes in2006 and 2007 from a busi-ness identified only as“Company C” that ownedassisted living centers. Theindictment alleges that inexchange for the payments,Morgan authored theassisted living center legis-lation to help relieve someof the company’s regulato-ry burdens.

Esther Houser, the long-term care ombudsman forthe state Department ofHuman Services, saidTuesday that as proposed,the measure would haveforbidden the stateDepartment of Health fromremoving residents fromassisted living centerswhere their needs were notbeing addressed.

Survivors benefits explainedBY LESLIE HEARN

SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMSREPRESENTATIVE IN DURANT

The loss of a lovedone can be painful. Thedeath of a wage-earnerupon whom a familydepends also can befinancially devastating.

If you’re like mostyoung or middle-agedworkers, you probablythink of Social Securityonly as a retirement pro-gram. But some of theSocial Security taxes youpay go toward providingsurvivors insurance forworkers and their fami-lies. Think of it as a lifeinsurance policy younever knew you had —paid for by the sametaxes that cover you forretirement or disability.

When you die, certain

members of your familymay be eligible for sur-vivors benefits. Theseinclude widows, widow-ers (and divorced wid-ows and widowers), chil-dren, and even depend-ent parents. In manycases, there also is a one-time lump-sum paymentof $255 that can be madeto a surviving spouse orminor children who meetcertain requirements.

You may not think itwill happen to you, butthe stunning truth is thatone in eight of today’s20-year-olds will diebefore reaching their fullretirement age of 67. Infact, 98 of every 100children could get bene-fits if a working parentdies. More than 6.4 mil-lion survivors receivebenefits. The average

Survivors benefit is$1,129 a month.

If you are a survivor,you should apply forsurvivors benefit rightaway. You can apply bytelephone or at anySocial Security office.Call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778). To helpprepare you, here is theinformation we willneed:

· Proof of death —either from a funeralhome or a death certifi-cate;

· Your Social Securitynumber, as well as thedeceased worker’s;

· Your birth certifi-cate;

· Your marriage cer-tificate, if you are awidow or widower;

· Your divorce papers,

if you are applying as adivorced widow or wid-ower;

· Dependent chil-dren’s Social Securitynumbers, if available,and birth certificates;

· Deceased worker’sW-2 forms or Federalself-employment taxreturn for the mostrecent year; and

· The name of yourbank and your accountnumber so your benefitscan be deposited direct-ly into your account.

To learn more aboutsurvivors benefits,please read the onlinepublication atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10084.html.

Visit the Survivorspage at www.socialsecu-r i t y . g o v / p g m / s u r -vivors.htm.

Curriculum contestresults listed at SEBY UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

D U R A N T –S o u t h e a s t e r nOklahoma StateUniversity hosted the98th annualCurriculum ContestMarch 31 with approx-imately 2,500 studentsfrom 70 area schoolsparticipating in 40 dif-ferent exams.

Exams coverednumerous subjects,including mathemat-ics, science, English,foreign language andcomputers. Winnerswere named in fourdivisions.

New Lima HighSchool finished first inDivision I with Kiowasecond and Caneythird.

First place inDivision II went toLatta, followed byWright City andAllen.

Plainview toppedDivision III withIdabel second andByng third.

First place honors inDivision IV went toDurant with BrokenBow taking secondplace.

Various activitiesfor participants wereheld outside the GlenD. Johnson StudentUnion with the Officeof Student Affairs, thestaff of Student Lifeand other SE studentsparticipating.

The Office ofE n r o l l m e n tManagement offeredspecial enrollmentopportunities to sen-iors.

Dr. James Britton,Professor in theChemistry, Computerand Physical SciencesDepartment, is thenew coordinator of thecontest.

“It is quite an honorto be able to workwith our local schools,their sponsors, and thestudents,” Brittonsaid.

“It is certainly agreat opportunity forthese top students tobe able to competewith their peers and itserves as an introduc-tion to Southeastern asthey consider the con-tinuation of their edu-cation. I look forwardto an even more excit-ing contest next year.”

Feds: Ga. man had recruitsell fake movie posters

ATLANTA (AP) —Federal prosecutors say aGeorgia man accused ofmaking more than $1 mil-lion from the sale of fakevintage horror movieposters has found anotherway to continue hisscheme.

Kerry Haggard, wasreleased on $100,000 bailafter he was arrested inApril 2010 on mail fraudcharges.

But U.S. Attorney PreetBharara said in a letter filedMonday that Haggard has

since recruited someone tosell 81 posters and otheritems on his behalf, defy-ing a court order. He urgedthe judge to revokeHaggard’s bail and issue awarrant for his arrest.

Prosecutors sayHaggard sold fake repro-ductions from movies suchas “Frankenstein” for $500to $5,000, bilking victimsof more than $1 millionover a four-year span.

A message left withHaggard’s lawyer was notimmediately returned.

Oklahoma officials to assess damage left by firesBY KRISTI EATONASSOCIATED PRESS

OKLAHOMA CITY(AP) — Emergency man-agement officials plannedto fan out Thursday toassess the damage left bya wind-driven fire nearSpencer that burned sev-eral houses, mobilehomes and farm buildingsand forced the evacuationof other homes and busi-nesses.

Firefighters managedto contain the blaze lateWednesday but remainedon the scene to deal withlingering hot spots,Oklahoma CountyEmergency ManagementDirector David Barnessaid. Many residents whohad to leave their homeswere allowed to return.

“Things have improvedgreatly with the coolingand the winds layingdown,” Barnes said.

Winds ranging from 20to 30 mph at times shiftedfrom a southerly to north-westerly direction, frus-trating fire crews’ effortsto control the blaze as itraced through a heavilywooded area east ofOklahoma City. FireBattalion Chief AlCothran said crews hadthe blaze controlled in theearly afternoon beforewinds shifted in severaldifferent directions as theevening progressed.

Barnes said multiplestructures burned, but hedidn’t have a damage esti-mate or an idea how manyacres were burned yet. Hesaid officials would have a

better idea on Thursday.An Oklahoma National

Guard UH 60 Blackhawkhelicopter equipped witha 600-gallon bucketdropped water on theblaze.

Gov. Mary Fallin said astate of emergency issuedlast month remained ineffect Wednesday, and heroffice was keeping a closewatch on the fires.

“It’s certainly anotherday in Oklahoma withoutany rain,” she lamented.“Our EmergencyOperations Center is inoperation right now, andthat provides us with theability to coordinatethroughout the state withfirst responders and evalu-ate the needs in fightingthese grass fires.”

Fred Anderson, 70,

stood outside his truck atthe corner of Wilshire andPost roads and watched ascrews tried to save hishome. He said the areahas been plagued by firesfor the past five years.

“If it weren’t for thefire department that housewould be gone,”Anderson said. “They’vesaved it five years in arow.”

Loretta Woody and herhusband, Claude, weretold to evacuate the homewhere they’ve lived formore than 30 years, butthey decided to stay. Thecouple has moved their 18cattle closer to the house.

“We’re just basicallystaying until it diesdown,” Loretta Woodysaid. “It dies down andstarts back.”

BY DAVID BAUDERAP TELEVISION WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) —Glenn Beck later this yearwill end his Fox NewsChannel talk show, whichhas sunk in the ratings andhas suffered from an adver-tiser boycott.

Fox and Beck’s compa-ny, Mercury Radio Arts,said Wednesday they willstay in business creatingother projects for Fox tele-vision and digital, startingwith some documentariesBeck is preparing.

Beck was a quick burnon Fox News Channel.Almost immediately afterjoining the network inJanuary 2009, he doubledthe ratings at his afternoontime slot. Fans found hisconservative populismentertaining, while ComedyCentral’s Stephen Colbertdescribed Beck’s “crank upthe crazy and rip off theknob” moments.

He was popular with teaparty activists and drewthousands of people to theNational Mall inWashington last August fora “restoring honor” rally.

Yet some of his state-ments were getting him introuble, and critics appealedto advertisers to boycott hisshow last summer after hesaid President BarackObama had “a deep-seatedhatred for white people.”

Beck said that he went toRoger Ailes, Fox Newschairman and CEO, inJanuary to discuss waysthey could continue to worktogether without the dailyshow.

“Half of the headlinessay he’s been canceled,”Ailes said. “The other halfsay he quit. We’re prettyhappy with both of them.”

Beck said he noted on hisshow Tuesday “how manytimes can I tell the (George)Soros story,” referring to theliberal donor Beck hasmade a target of attacks.

“We felt Glenn broughtadditional information, aunique perspective, a cer-tain amount of passion andinsight to the channel andhe did,”Ailes said. “But thatstory of what’s going onand why America is in trou-ble today, I think he toldthat story as well as couldbe told. Whether you canjust keep telling that story ornot ... we’re not so sure.”

Beck, who outlined onWednesday’s show his rea-

sons for believing that“we’re heading into deepand treacherous waters,”told his viewers at the endof the show that his Fox talkshow would conclude.

“I will continue to tellthe story and I will beshowing other ways for usto connect,” he said.

More than 400 Foxadvertisers told the compa-ny they did not want theircommercials on Beck’sshow. Beck’s advertiserswere dominated by finan-cial services firms, manytouting gold as an invest-ment.

Ailes dismissed the

financial impact of theboycott but expressedsome frustration with it.

“Advertisers who getweak-kneed because someidiot on a blog site writesto them and says we needto stifle speech, I get a lit-tle frustrated by that,” hesaid.

Dear Annie: I’ve beenclose friends with “Lucy”since high school. In thepast few years, I’ve noticedthat she is imitating every-thing I do, and I meaneverything.

I recently dyed my hairred, and she did the same,even using the same stylist.She bought the same car-pet, painted her house thesame color as ours and lastyear acquired the samebreed of dog. She buys hergrandkids the same giftswe buy ours. I just pur-chased a jacket, and whenLucy saw it, she bought thesame one and flipped outbecause she could not get itin the same color. I knowimitation is the sincerestform of flattery, but this isscary. It’s as if Lucy is try-ing to live my life.

Last week, I bought a setof new sheets. Lucystopped by as I was makingthe bed and asked her usualquestions -- where did Ibuy them, how much didthey cost, etc. But then sheasked what my husbandwas like in bed. She con-fided that her sex life is notso good and once thoughther husband was having anaffair. I was flabbergastedand finally said it was per-sonal and nobody’s busi-ness, and I refuse to discussmy sex life with anyone.

Lucy became agitated,said I should be willing toanswer her question sincewe’re good friends andthen left in a big huff. Ihaven’t seen her since,although she lives downthe block. Should I haveanswered her? I think Ineed to end the friendship,but how? -- FeelingUneasy

Dear Uneasy: No oneneeds to answer such per-sonal questions. Imitationis usually a sign of insecu-rity in one’s own taste. Itoften helps to offer to shopwith the person and helpthem develop their ownstyle. Lucy, however,seems to be looking formore than style. She wantsa life upgrade, and she’schosen yours. We suggestyou put gradual limits onthe amount of contact youhave. Continue to befriendly, but find a way tobe busier. When you goout, alter your schedule soyou have less of a chanceof running into her. And ifshe ever asks for help, urgeher to seek professionalcounseling.

Dear Annie: I have sentthank-you notes for various

gifts throughout my life.No matter what I wrote, atleast one person wasunhappy with it.

One thank-you was fol-lowed by a reprimand froman elderly relative, saying Ishould have written more.Another was fussed overby an aunt who said I wrotetoo much and it soundedcontrived. When I sent athank-you e-mail, I waschastised because it wasn’thandwritten.

I think people should behappy their gift wasacknowledged. Most eti-quette rules were formedprior to the invention ofelectronic mail. What is thereal difference between ane-mail and a hastily hand-scratched note? -- B.S.C.

Dear B.S.C.:Handwritten notes are con-sidered more personal andshow greater effort. E-mailthank-you notes are per-fectly fine for those whoare more casual and don’tmind receiving thanks inthis manner. However,unless you are still a child,no one should be chastis-ing you. You have difficultrelatives, dear.

Dear Annie: I read theletter from “Burning Up inVermont” and laughed outloud when you said, “Andnow he can take the bus.”

Vermont is a very ruralstate. The likelihood of busservice where this personlives is remote to none. Youshould have suggested hecarpool with someone heworks with, although thatmight be equally difficult. -- B.B.

Dear B.B.: We admit weare not familiar with ruralVermont, and it’s possible“Burning” lives in an areawhere there is no bus serv-ice. In which case, we hopecarpooling is a feasiblealternative.

–––––––––––––––

Annie’s Mailbox is writ-ten by Kathy Mitchell andMarcy Sugar, longtime edi-tors of the Ann Landerscolumn. Please e-mailyour questions to annies-mailbox@comcast.net, orwrite to: Annie’s Mailbox,c/o Creators Syndicate,5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste.700, Los Angeles, CA90045. To find out moreabout Annie’s Mailbox andread features by otherCreators Syndicate writersand cartoonists, visit theCreators Syndicate Webpage at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011CREATORS.COM

THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT 33LifestylesTHURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

Annie’s Mailbox

By Kathy Mitchell &Marcy Sugar

Donald Trump to drive the pace car in the Indianapolis 500 race

HOLLYWOOD--Godbless America, and how’severybody?

Charlie Sheen arrived inManhattan Friday for hisone-man show in RadioCity Music Hall after agreat show in Cleveland.He boarded a Southwestflight to New York carryinga water pipe with an eight-foot stem on it. He heardthat the planes have crackin the roofs.

A Southwest flight hadto make an emergencylanding Sunday after a holeopened up in the top of oneof their planes for the sec-ond time. The governmentsolved the problem rightaway. The TSA just addedcan openers to the list ofprohibited items aboard allflights.

Las Vegas bookiesreported huge action on theNCAA tournamentTuesday. Gambling is thereal U.S. national pastime.Americans spend sixty bil-lion dollars a year ongames of chance, whichinclude sports wagering,casino gambling, Internetpoker and eating sushi.

Moammar Khadaffi sentPresident Obama a person-al letter on Wednesday ask-ing him to call off the war.He wrote Obama that he’spulling for him to win re-election and added thatObama will always be his

son. Donald Trump spentthe entire evening restinghis case.

Donald Trump will drivethe pace car in theIndianapolis 500 race inMay for the race’s one hun-dredth anniversary. Hedoesn’t realize that he’sdriving an experimentallap. Safety engineers wantto see how a race car han-dles with twin airbags onthe driver’s side.

The White Houseworked hard to prevent ashutdown Wednesday.That would leaveAmericans with no feder-al government, cheaplabor and free trade. TheSouth could observe theone hundred fiftiethanniversary of the CivilWar Tuesday by declaringvictory.

President Obamawarned workers at a windturbine factory in NewYork Wednesday to getused to high gas pricesuntil his green-energypolicies take root. That’snot what they came tohear. Gas prices are sohigh in New York that the

rats are car-pooling infrom New Jersey.

The White House hadmountains of dirt on thelawn Wednesday from allthe digging on the secretunderground constructionproject. It’s believed to bea tunnel in case of anattack by Iran or NorthKorea. President Obamahas an exit strategy whenit matters to him.

CBS News reportedthat four suspected drugsmugglers were arrestedin West Africa this weekafter an unregistered air-plane went down in Mali.The plane crashed withten tons of cocaineonboard. The HollywoodReporter called it theworst air disaster in histo-ry.

Bristol Palin reportedmaking a quarter milliondollars last year givingspeeches. The Palins havea nice racket. Sarah makesa fortune giving speechessaying sexual abstinenceworks and Bristol makes afortune giving speechessaying sexual abstinencedoesn’t work.

Toyota announced itwill use Microsoft soft-ware to develop technolo-gy to bring data naviga-tion and entertainment tohybrid cars. Great. Ifthere’s anything moreentertaining than a car that

speeds up for no reasonit’s a car that turns blueand shuts off for no rea-son.

Pastor Terry Jonesincited Afghan rioting byburning a Koran on hisFlorida church lawn. Itdoesn’t bother him. Thisis the part of Floridawhere certain groups willmeet at night and declarethat burning the U.S. flagis sacrilegious, just beforethey light the cross.

Oklahoma broke out inmore brushfiresWednesday as the SoonerState endured the driestconditions since the GreatDepression. No one wantsanother Dust Bowl. Thistime the Oklahomansmoving west to Californiawould collide with theMexicans moving north toCalifornia and create achicken fried burritothat’ll explode the obesityepidemic.

––––––––––––––––

Argus Hamilton is thehost comedian at TheComedy Store inHollywood. He can bereached for speakingengagements by e-mailat argus@argushamil-ton.com

© Copyright2011Argus Hamilton.All Rights Reserved.

ArgusHAMILTON

187968

Glenn Beck’s Fox show ending

Jury search resumes in Jackson doctor caseLOS ANGELES (AP)

— With lawyers raising anew theory involvingmoney and its role inMichael Jackson’s death, ajudge is summoning athird panel of prospectivejurors for the involuntarymanslaughter case againstDr. Conrad Murray.

Superior Court JudgeMichael Pastor, who hasalready screened 340prospects and cleared 147of those for availability,has said a larger pool isneeded from which 12jurors and six alternateswill be chosen.

The judge, who hasseen some of the answersto questionnaires fromthose who have the time toserve, indicated manyprospects will have to beeliminated because theyhold strong views on thehighly publicized case.Only three of the initialpool said they hadn’t heardabout the upcoming trial.

After this initial phase,prospects who remain willbe questioned in person

beginning May 4. Pastorhas set opening statementsfor May 9.

On Wednesday, defenselawyers disclosed a newcomponent of their case —a claim that Jackson wason the brink of financialruin and feared he wouldbe unable to fulfill hiscommitment to a concerttour because of severeinsomnia.

Attorney EdwardChernoff posed the theorythat Jackson was so dis-traught over his inability tosleep that he took “desper-ate measures.”

Defense lawyers previ-ously suggested the popstar might have self-administered an overdoseof the anesthetic propofolwhile Murray was awayfrom his side.

While seeking access toJackson’s financialrecords, Chernoff addedthat the singer was inanguish over his financialsituation and faced ruin ifhe failed to perform duringthe upcoming tour.

Many of the members ofCongress of both parties whohave gone to Syria in recentmonths have said they believehe’s a reformer.

— Hillary Clinton onBashar al-Assad, March 27

Few things said by thisadministration in its twoyears can match this one formoral bankruptcy and strate-gic incomprehensibility.

First, it’s demonstrablyfalse. It was hoped thatPresident Assad would be areformer when he inheritedhis father’s dictatorship adecade ago. Being a London-educated eye doctor, hereceived the full YuriAndropov treatment — theassumption that having beenexposed to Western ways,he’d been Westernized.Wrong. Assad has run thesame iron-fisted Alawitepolice state as did his father.

Bashar made promises ofreform during the short-livedArab Spring of 2005. Thepromises were broken.During the current brutallysuppressed protests, hisspokeswoman made renewedpromises of reform. ThenWednesday, appearing beforeparliament, Assad was shock-ingly defiant. He offered noconcessions. None.

Second, Clinton’s state-ment is morally obtuse. Hereare people demonstratingagainst a dictatorship thatrepeatedly uses live fire on itsown people, a regime that in1982 killed 20,000 in Hamaand then paved the dead over.Here are insanely courageouspeople demanding reform —and the U.S. secretary of statetells the world that the thugordering the shooting of inno-cents already is a reformer,thus effectively endorsing theBaath party line — “We areall reformers,”Assad told par-liament — and underminingthe demonstrators’cause.

Third, it’s strategicallyi n c o m p r e h e n s i b l e .Sometimes you cover for arepressive ally because youneed it for U.S. national secu-rity. Hence our muted wordsabout Bahrain. Hence ourslow response on Egypt. Butthere are rare times whenstrategic interest and moralimperative coincide com-pletely. Syria is one such — amonstrous police state whoseregime consistently works tothwart U.S. interests in theregion.

During the worst days ofthe Iraq war, this regime fun-neled terrorists into Iraq tofight U.S. troops and Iraqiallies. It is dripping withLebanese blood as well,being behind the murder ofindependent journalists anddemocrats, including formerprime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. This year, it helpedtopple the pro-Western gov-ernment of Hariri’s son,Saad, and put Lebanonunder the thumb of the viru-lently anti-WesternHezbollah. Syria is a partnerin nuclear proliferation withNorth Korea. It is Iran’sagent and closest Arab ally,granting it an outlet on theMediterranean. Those twoIranian warships that went

through the Suez Canal inFebruary docked at theSyrian port of Latakia, along-sought Iranian penetra-tion of the Mediterranean.

Yet here was the secretaryof state covering for theSyrian dictator against hisown opposition. And it does-n’t help that Clinton tried towalk it back two days laterby saying she was simplyquoting others. Rubbish. Ofthe myriad opinions ofAssad, she chose to cite pre-cisely one: reformer. That’san endorsement, no matterhow much she later pretendsotherwise.

And it’s not just thewords; it’s the policy behindit. This delicacy towardAssad is dismayingly remi-niscent of PresidentObama’s response to the2009 Iranian uprising duringwhich he was scandalouslyreluctant to support thedemonstrators, while repeat-edly reaffirming the legiti-macy of the brutal theocracysuppressing them.

Why? Because Obamawanted to remain “engaged”with the mullahs — so thathe could talk them out oftheir nuclear weapons. Weknow how that went.

The same conceit ani-mates his Syria policy —keep good relations with theregime so that Obama cansweet-talk it out of itsalliance with Iran and spon-sorship of Hezbollah.

Another abject failure.Syria has contemptuouslyrejected Obama’s blandish-ments — obsequious visitsfrom Senate ForeignRelations CommitteeChairman John Kerry andthe return of the first U.S.ambassador to Damascussince the killing of Hariri.Assad’s response? An eventighter and more ostentatiousalliance with Hezbollah andIran.

Our ambassador inDamascus should demand tomeet the demonstrators andvisit the wounded. If refused,he should be recalled toWashington. And rather than“deplore the crackdown,” asdid Clinton in her walk-back, we should be denounc-ing it in forceful languageand every available forum,including the U.N. SecurityCouncil.

No one is asking for aLibya-style rescue. Just sim-ple truth-telling. If Kerrywants to make a fool of him-self by continuing to insistthat Assad is an agent ofchange, well, it’s a free coun-try. But Clinton speaks forthe nation.

Charles Krauthammer’se-mail address isletters@charleskrautham-mer.com.

(c) Copyright 2009, TheWashington Post WritersGroup

The news leaked outMonday that Katie Couricis stepping down from herfailed experiment as theanchor of the “CBSEvening News.” Peopleinside the news businessgreeted the news as shock-ing. But what’s shocking isthat Couric didn’t get theboot years ago. CBS’s rat-ings cratered while sheearned $15 million annual-ly.

Couric was once pro-jected as the Great WhiteFemale Hope after DanRather’s involuntary retire-ment in 2005. His numbersin his last week haddropped to a last place 8.1million nightly audience.But what did Couric deliv-er?

The end may havelooked near at the end ofMarch, when CBS saw itslowest-rated first quarteramong both total viewersand the prized 25-to-54demographic since at least1992 - as far back asNielsen’s breakdowns forthe show go. Couric wasaveraging only 6.4 milliontotal viewers (and less than2 million among viewers25 to 54). That was waybehind NBC at 9.8 millionand ABC at 8.65 million.

On NPR, eveninganchor Michele Norrismourned that “when youreach back to the era ofRather and Jennings andBrokaw, it seemed like get-ting an anchor job in thepast was much like a life-time appointment, muchlike a Supreme Court jus-tice.” Media reporter DavidFolkenflik answered that“holding one of these jobsis no longer being one ofthe highest priests of jour-nalism because the notion

of authoritativeness hasbeen undermined. Even theNew York Times does notcommand, in some ways,as absolute a voice aboutwhat is news and what isn’tanymore.”

It is refreshing thatAmericans today reject thenotion that we should bowbefore the network TVanchormen as the mosthallowed of politicalactors, let alone “priests ofjournalism.” In the post-Vietnam, post-Watergateperiod, the media assertedthemselves as a fourthbranch of government,abiding by left-wing urg-ings to resist being “ste-nographers to power.” Sothey struck their self-right-eous blows against “risky”tax cuts and “foolish” warsand asserted their couragein refusing to wear flagpins.

Now they’re surprisedthat more than half theaudience has rejectedthem. So much for the highpriests of authoritativeness.

The media elite’s rheto-ric about rejecting the “ste-nographers to power” labelsounds most ridiculouswhen facing one of theirheroes. There was perkyCouric, grinning and bow-ing before PresidentObama on July 22, 2009.“You’re so confident, Mr.President, and so focused,”she blushed. “Is your con-fidence ever shaken? Doyou ever wake up and say,‘Damn, this is hard. Damn,

I’m not going to get thethings done I want to getdone, and it’s just toopoliticized to really getaccomplished the bigthings I want to accom-plish’?”

She also raved over theObamas when she wasn’ton the White House lawn.In September of that year,Couric joined many inexpecting an Obama victo-ry before the InternationalOlympic Committee.

“The Dream Teampushing Chicago’s bid forthe 2016 Olympic summergames is nearly complete,”Couric cooed. “First ladyMichelle Obama landedtoday in Denmark whereOlympic officials aremeeting. ... The team cap-tain, meanwhile, PresidentObama, arrives Fridayahead of the final vote.”

Couric didn’t fail at thisjob or lack authoritybecause she was the firstfemale nightly newsanchor. She lacked author-ity because she was such ablatant feminist and liberalactivist. In her first weeksat CBS, she set the tone byattacking Rush Limbaughas “certainly heartless” inmocking Michael J. Fox’sads for Democrats. Shesupportively interviewedFox for eight minutes onhis crusade for embryo-killing stem-cell research -just as she had repeatedlyloaned her celebrity to themovie star’s foundationfundraisers.

Journalists hailedCouric for her pounding onSarah Palin in 2008. AsFolkenflik at NPR put it,she “earned praise” forhow “her steady question-ing style allowed Palin toreveal herself as uncertain,

at times, of her bearing onpolicy issues,” whichearned Couric “a bevy ofawards.” But others saw itdifferently. She never, evertreated a Democrat thisway.

Just days before, shehailed Joe Biden on thecampaign trail.

“He’s the close-talking,free-wheeling, ice-cream-eating Democratic nomi-nee for vice president.” Hisweakness for gaffesbecame a strength. “Yousay what’s on your mind,and I think people appreci-ate that,” she told Biden.“Have you found that youhave to be uber-careful anddisciplined in terms ofbeing out on the campaigntrail?”

No one imagines thatKatie Couric’s replace-ment at CBS means lessliberalism. The leadingcandidate to replace her isScott Pelley, who’s beentougher on people he’scompared to Holocaustdeniers - global-warmingskeptics - than actualHolocaust deniers, likeMahmoud Ahmadinejad,whom he asserted was“genuinely religious, gen-uinely humble” and “saidto be absolutely incorrupt-ible as well.” The melt-down at CBS will contin-ue.

L. Brent Bozell III is thepresident of the MediaResearch Center. To findout more about BrentBozell III, and read fea-tures by other CreatorsSyndicate writers and car-toonists, visit the CreatorsSyndicate Web page atwww.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011CREATORS.COM

924-4388

Durant Daily Democrat

4 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT THURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

The failed Couric experiment

Syria’s ‘reformer’

OPINION

CORRECTIONSAs a matter of policy, The Durant Daily Democrat will pub-lish corrections of errors in fact that have been print-ed in the newspaper. The corrections will be made assoon as possible after the error has been brought tothe attention of the newspaper’s editor at (580) 924-4388.

THE DEMOCRAT(USPS 163-000) Established 1900: The Durant Daily Democrat is

published daily except Saturday and Monday and widely observedholidays, at 200 West Beech St. in Durant, Okla., periodicals postagepaid at Durant, Okla., 74701.

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POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to:Durant Daily DemocratP.O. Box 250Durant, Okla.(580) 924-4388200 W. Beech

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The Durant Daily Democrat is printed on recycled newsprint and is active inrecycling newsprint and other papers.

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aperschbacher@heartlandpublications.com

FederalU.S. Sen. James

Inhofe, 453 RussellSenate Office Bldg.,Washington, DC 20510-3603, (202) 224-4721;(202)224-5754.

U.S. Senator TomCoburn, 133 HartBuilding, Washington,DC 20510, (202) 224-5754.

U.S. CongressmanDan Boren, 112 N. 12thAve., Durant, (580) 931-0333

StateGovernor Mary Fallin,

State Capitol, OklahomaCity, OK 73105, (405)521-2342.

State Rep. DustinRoberts, 2300 N. LincolnBlvd. Oklahoma City,OK 73105, (405) 557-7366.

State Sen. JoshBrecheen, 2300 N.Lincoln Blvd.,

Oklahoma City, OK73105, (405) 521-5586.

CountyDistrict 1 County

Commissioner MontyMontgomery, 924-5814;District 2 CountyCommissioner TonySimmons, (580) 283-3711; District 3 CountyCommissioner, JayPerry (580) 295-3737.They may be reached at402 W. Evergreen,Durant, OK 74701

CityMayor Jerry L.

Tomlinson, Vice-MayorTom Marcum,Councilperson BobbyStory, CouncilpersonLeon Sherrer,Councilperson Dr. JerryPolson. All may bereached at P.O. Box 578,Durant, OK 74702, 924-7222, or contact councilmembers by e-mail atcityaction@durant.org

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

CharlesKRAUTHAMMER

BrentBOZELL

The “Comments Section” can beaccessed at www.durantdemoc-rat.com, logging in with your username, and clicking “post a com-ment” at the end of an article.

SPORTSTHE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT 5THURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

924-4388ddsports@durantdemocrat.com

Durant Daily Democrat

Caddo racked up 19hits on their way to a17-5 win.

Caddo scored tworuns in the 3rd inning onhits by Ty Miller, TaylorCheek, Ryan Daws, andCullen Whisenhunt.The Bruins extendedtheir lead in the 4th plat-ing six more runs as

Peyton Joines led off theinning with a single and

Clayton Childreereached 1st base on afielder’s choice. TyMiller plated two runswith a triple beforeTaylor Cheek reachedfirst base on an errorwhich scored Millerfrom 3rd. Dillon

Proctor singled to leftfield and he and Cheekscored on a Ryan Dawssingle before a JackWright single scored thefinal run of the inning.

The Leopards got thebats going in the bottomof the 4th inning with adouble by Zac St. John.Cade Carter walked toreach 1st base beforeBradley Nicholas hit a 3run homerun.

The Bruins scoredfour more runs in the 5thand 6th innings on hitsby Miller, Proctor, andJacob Argo. Colbertplated two runs in thebottom of the 6th inningwith a lead-off homerunby Zac St. John and hitsby Bradley Nichols andPreston Rice.

Ty Miller was thewinning pitcher forCaddo, striking out 8batters, walking 2, andallowing 6 hits. Millerwas relieved by DillonProctor in the 7thinning.

Proctor struck out 3,walked 1, and allowed 1hit in the inning.

Preston Ricepitched 3 and 2/3

innings for Colbert,striking out 4 and walk-ing 1. James Hair camein to relieve Rice in the4th inning, striking out2 and walking 3. EastonCardenas finished offthe game for Colbert,

striking out 3 and walk-ing 1.

The Bruins were ledoffensively by TyMiller and Ryan Dawswith 4 and 3 hitsrespectively. DillonProctor, CullenWhisenhunt, and JackWright each had 2 hits.

Taylor Cheek, PeytonJoines, Jacob Argo andBrett Ortega finishedwith one hit each. ForColbert, Zac St. Johnand Bradley Nicholaseach had 2 hits. EastonCardenas, Preston Rice,and Tyler Withers eachfinished with one hit.

Thanks to HazelSoutherland and LifespanCounseling, CoachBobbie Pratt and her teamare excited for the 2011track season. Donationsfrom Lifespan Counselingprovided both the tents

pictured above and equip-ment such as startingblocks, shots and discs,and relay batons for thenew and growing team atSilo. Silo started theirtrack and cross countryprograms in 2010 and are

in the midst of their sec-ond season. Coach Prattsaid, “Not only will thesetents provide shelterfrom our Oklahomaweather, but they defi-nitely make a statementthat Silo is here and

ready to compete.” Theteam will also be havinga garage sale Saturday,April 9th on the corner ofRadio Rd. and UniversityBlvd. Look for their newtents and stop by to showyour support.

Colbert hosts Caddo in conference matchup Tuesday

PHOTO PROVIDED

Caddo catcher Ryan Daws blocks a wild pitch.

PHOTO PROVIDED

After stealing 2nd base, Ty Miller hangs on as he slides over the base.

Silo track thanks Lifespan Counseling SE Women split pairof LSC matches

DURANT, Okla. -Southeastern’s women’stennis team picked up asplit in Lone StarConference matches overthe past weekend, sufferings 7-2 defeat at the Hands ofTarleton State before turn-ing in a 6-3 win over rivalEast Central.

The squad moves itsrecord to 5-5 overall on theyear, but are 1-5 in confer-ence play.

Against the Tigers, theStorm had some trouble atthe top fo the lineups, butdominated the bottom two-thirds to bring home thevictory.

Andrea Georgescu con-tinued to be strong in sin-gles and doubles competi-tion, pairing with MayraLeal to pick up an 8-1 winat the number two doublesposition, moving theirrecord as a duo to 7-5 onthe season.

Marie Liwuslili andSophie Molina picked upan 8-3 win at the numberthree position to improveto 2-0 together and give theStorm a 2-1 lead comingout of doubles following aloss at the number onespot.

Cassandra-Leigh Kleberdropped a straight setmatchup at number oneand Liwuslili fell in threesets at number two mean-ing that the bottom fourpositions would have torally to give SE the win.

Georgescu improved hersingles record to 7-4 with awin at the number threeposition, downing NilsaRamirez by a score of 6-7,6-4, 11-9.

Molina followed suitwith a win over AdishaWaghmarae, but did so instraight sets, 6-0, 6-4,improving to 8-2 on theyear and picking up herfirst win at the four posi-tion.

Riley Brooks sealed theSE win with a 7-5, 7-6 winover Kendra Coltrain at thenumber five position, mov-ing to 7-2 on the year andalso picking up her firstwin at a new position in thelineup.

Caitlin Bell picked upher first official win of theyear in her first completedmatch of the year, downingKristen Clubb 7-5, 7-2 toset SE final winning mar-gin to 6-3.

The win over the Tigers,however, came on the heelsof a 7-2 loss at TarletonState.

TSU took the one andtwo doubles positions for a2-0 lead, but Liwuslili andMolina fought hard andearned an 8-6 win at num-ber three.

The TexAnns took fiveof the six singles positions,with SE’s lone win comingat number five whereMolina downed KaylaDeathrage to fashion thefinal score to 7-2.

Thunder earn some revenge on ClippersBY MICHAEL KINNEYTHE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT

Less than a week ago,the Thunder had one oftheir worst defeats of theseason.

They gave up a 16-point,second half lead to the L.A.Clippers en route to a six-point road loss.

Wednesday, OklahomaCity had a chance to get alittle revenge when theClippers paid BlakeGriffin’s hometown a visit.Once again, the Thunder leta double digit lead evapo-rate in the second half. Butthis time, they found a wayto hold on and earned the112-108 victory at the FordCenter.

The win also meantsomething bigger for theThunder. It wrapped up theteam’s first NorthwestDivision Championship.

“It’s a great accomplish-ment for our fans, city andus to be division champs,”Thunder coach ScottBrooks said. “It’s a step inour process.”

The Thunder (52-26)almost had to wait untilFriday to sow up the divi-

sion when they allowed theClippers (31-48) to hangaround late in the game. A12-point advantage wassoon whittled down to twopoints when Griffin threwdown an alley-oop, reversedunk with :23 left on theclock.

L.A. then fouled KevinDurant, who could only hit1-of-2 from the line. TheClippers had the ball and achance to tie with 18 sec-onds on the clock. Theyattempted to get the ball toMo Williams, but RussellWestbrook had him lockeddown. So Griffin took theinbound pass and drovestrong to the hole and wasfouled by Serge Ibaka.Griffin missed the thunder-ous dunk attempt and achance at a 3-point play. Hemade 1-of-2 from the char-ity stripe and OKC led 108-106.

“I should have made thatdunk,” Griffin said. “Ishould have had a chance totie the game. I am disap-pointed that I missed it.”

The Clippers sentDurant to the line again.This time he sank bothshots to put the game away.

“I think we pulled awayin the third quarter a littlebit and we got too relaxed,”Durant said. “They madesome big shots and somebig plays. But I’m glad wepulled the win out. Similarsituation back at their placeand we lost. So it feels goodto get a win.”

Durant had a team-high29 points to go along withseven rebounds. Westbrookadded 26 points, threesteals and seven assists.Kendrick Perkins racked up17 rebounds, 10 on theoffensive end.

Griffin led all scorerswith 35 points, but only fivecame in the fourth quarter.He also collected 11rebounds and six assists.

“Defensively, we hadsome issues with Blake,”Brooks said. “But a lot ofteams do. He has a uniquegame.”

The first quarter wasGriffin’s own personalhighlight real. The forwarddunked off lob passes, oneleg and running starts. Buteach time, the Thundercrowd showered the formerSooner with boos.

Durant matched Griffin

point for point. Each fin-ished the period with 13points. But the Clippers led31-26 after the first quarter.

In the second period,OKC’s bench found theiroffense and defense. EricMaynor, James Harden andNazr Mohammed gave theThunder its first lead of thegame.

Perkins may have hadhis worst half of basketballsince he joined the team ashe missed layups and easyputbacks. Despite a fran-chise record of nine offen-sive rebounds, the frustrat-ed center was 2-of-10 fromthe field in the first half.

The Thunder will hostDenver Friday with a divi-sion title already in hand.But Brooks said he stillplans to play each of hisfinal four games the sameas the previous 78. Hedoesn’t want the players tothink it’s OK to settle forjust a divisional crown.

“The first one means alot,” Durant said. “It’s a bigturnaround for us. But wejust have to move past it.It’s a great accomplish-ment, but we are trying toget to something bigger.”

Texas still undefeated after7-3 win over Seattle

BY STEPHEN HAWKINSAP SPORTS WRITER

ARLINGTON, Texas(AP) — Mitch Morelanddelivered the tiebreakingdouble for the still unde-feated Texas Rangers offCy Young winner FelixHernandez. The young firstbaseman then earned a din-ner from new teammateAdrian Beltre for his workwith the glove.

Moreland put theRangers ahead to stay withhis RBI double into theright-field corner in the sev-enth. He then started thenext inning with an incred-ible snag of Beltre’sbounced throw after theGold Glove third basemanmade an equally impres-sive stop in the Rangers’7-3 win over the Seattle

Mariners on Wednesday.“It was OK. He made a

better play than I didbecause it was a tough hopI threw over there, a littletwo-seamer low. He pickedit very nice,” said Beltre,who snagged MiltonBradley’s hard high chop-per near the line. “Everytime he does that I owe hima dinner. Hopefully he cansave me a lot of errors.”

So far this season, theAL champion Rangers areflawless.

They wrapped up theirseason-opening homestandwith their first 6-0 startsince 1996, when they set ateam record by winningtheir first seven games.Texas has a day offThursday before starting itsfirst road trip of the seasonFriday in Baltimore.

6 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT THURSDAY, APRIL 7 2011

Durant Daily Democrat

Vol. 11, No. 23 Durant High School

LIONS’ ROARDHS

Announcements

LLiioonnss’’ RRooaarrPublished every Thursday by

Phyllis Rustin’s Journalism class

PPaaiigghhtteenn HHaarrkkiinnss -- EEddiittoorr--iinn--CChhiieeffTTiinnaa FFiirrqquuaaiinn -- EEddiittoorr

BBrreeAAnnnnee HHaajjnnyy -- EEddiittoorrNNaattaalliiee HHaawwoorrtthh -- EEddiittoorr

SStteeffaannii BBeenncchh -- AAssssiissttaanntt EEddiittoorrSSuuppaarrsshhvvaa PPaarriikkhh -- AAssssiissttaanntt EEddiittoorr

**PROM TICKETS CAN BEBOUGHT DURING C LUNCHFROM MORGAN PODANYFOR $25 A PIECE.

**THERE WILL BE NOSCHOOL FOR DISD ON FRI-DAY APRIL 8.

PRESS RELEASE

Approximately 7,000Oklahoma Family,Career and CommunityLeaders of America areexpected to attend theannual FCCLA StateConvention Friday,April 15, in OklahomaCity's Cox ConventionCenter. The theme ofthis year's convention is"Don't Stop Leading,"according to DeniseMorris, State FCCLAAdviser at theOklahoma Departmentof Career andTechnology Education,Stillwater.

Convention activitieswill begin with a 9:00a.m. general sessionwhere scholarship win-ners will be announcedhonorary members willbe recognized.Oklahoma FCCLAPresident, Macy Hula,Chisholm High School,

will preside over theconvention.

Members and advis-ers will have the oppor-tunity to hear keynotespeaker, EddieSlowikowski. BrittaniParker, former officer,will address officer can-didates in the session"So Are You an OfficerCandidate?" 2011-2012State Executive Councilmembers will be electedand installed.Participants will alsohave the opportunity toview exhibits and attendbreakout sessions.

Almost 700 FCCLAmembers will competein competitive eventactivities in Stillwater,April 8-9. Students willcompete in areas of par-liamentary procedure,job interview, illustrat-ed talk, child care andculinary arts, amongothers. First place statewinners of the competi-

tive activities will berecognized during theconvention on April 15and compete at theFamily, Career andCommunity Leaders ofAmerica NationalLeadership Conference,July 9-15, in Anaheim,CA.

FCCLA is a careerand technology studentorganization sponsoredby the OklahomaDepartment of Careerand TechnologyEducation and is anintegral part of Familyand Consumer SciencesEducation programs incomprehensive highschools and area tech-nology centers. DHSmembers attending areMackenzie Dill, Pres.;Kim Turner, VP; AndieWingfield, Sec; AnnaFolsom; AshleyMitchell; Eva Martin,and faculty sponsor LoriTeel.

Japan, a countryin chaos

BY SUPARSHVA PARIKH

Natural disaster is anentity that strikes at itsown will. It comes witha force so fierce thatmany times it leavesbehind only the rem-nants of a civilization.On March 11, 2011,Japan was targeted bythe ferocity of the Ringof Fire. A 9.0 magnitudeearthquake rocked thenation, sending wavesof destruction onto theshores of Japan. A fero-cious tidal wave fol-lowed the unnervingtremor causing wide-spread loss of life anddestruction of property.The quake and tsunamicollaborated in order toshatter the economicconditions of the flour-ishing Asian nation. Thedevastating natural dis-aster sparked the wreck-age of the deadlyFukushima nuclearplant. Japan was left tocope with the emotion-al, economical and eco-logical impact of a greatearthquake.

Prior to the greatMarch disaster, Japanwas crawling up theworld ladder as one ofthe strongest economicpowerhouses. However,the steady growth hascome to a complete haltas many of Japan's greatindustries have beenheavily damaged in thedisaster. The greatquake has led to a col-lapse of many industriesin Japan. The electronicgiants Sony andNintendo have haltedproduction of some oftheir most valuableelectronic merchandise.Car companies such asToyota and Honda havebeen forced to limit pro-duction levels as manyof their eastern coastfactories have beenobliterated by the tsuna-mi. The nuclear damageto the Fukushima planthas caused massiveshortages in theJapanese electrical mar-ket. The Japanese econ-omy has been sent spi-raling down a dark tun-nel which will possibly

cause long-term effectson the Japanese econo-my.

Japan is one of themost influential powersamong the G20. Thisnation has been a greatinfluence on the globaleconomy. However, onMarch 11, 2011, thet e c h n o l o g i c a l l yadvanced Asian nationhas been defeated by thepowers of nature.Devastated by an earth-quake, tsunami and avolcano, Japan has beensent on a dangeroussubway ride that willonly lead the countrydeeper and deeper intoeconomic and emotion-al devastation. Many ofJapan's most lucrativeindustries have beenforced to dramaticallycut down on production.This, along with theongoing nuclear disas-ter, has caused theJapanese stock marketto plummet. Japan, likemany great nations, isstill no match for thedebilitating effects ofnatural disaster.

Libraryhas newresourcesBY STEFANI BENCH

Amanda McDonald,librarian at Durant HighSchool, is proud to say thatwe have new resources intheir library for teachers andstudents. "I'm pleased toannounce that for a limitedtime, our library will beoffering new curriculum-aligned resources fromABC-CLIO, designed tosupport history and human-ities instruction and studentresearch," says Ms.McDonald.

One of the resources onthe website is www.popcul-ture.abc-clio.com. This isfor the Pop CultureUniverse: Icons Idols Ideas,and it gives you everythingthat goes on in pop culture.You can follow shows suchas American Idol and evenThe Simpsons. It also givesyou different questions andgood research materials.

There are many differenttypes of topics, and thesedatabases can be accessedfrom school or home. Tosee the full list you can go towww.abc-clio.com/school-resources.

Peace CorpsOverview

BY BREANNE HAJNY

Established in 1961,the Peace Corps hasbeen a long running vol-unteer service utilizingwhat they consider theirmost precious resource -the people. Everyone isfamiliar with the PeaceCorps, but many maynot actually know whatit's all about or what isrequired.

Since 1961 PeaceCorps volunteers haveserved in seventy-sevencountries in Africa, Asia,the Caribbean, Centraland South America,Europe and the MiddleEast. These workers liveoverseas in a communitywhere they work andlearn for twenty-sevenproviding technicalassistance in six pro-gram areas: education,youth and communitydevelopment, health,business and informa-tion and communica-tions technology, agri-culture and environment.Each worker receivestraining in any one ormore of these areas, aswell as the language ofthe people and cross-culturization. But notjust anyone can berecruited.

When applying, thesite recommends you doso early so as to quicklymatch your skills topositions as they becomeavailable. The time theyrecommend is ninemonths to a year aheadin advance of your targetdeparture date. But whatgets you in ahead of

other applicants is anexpressed interest in acertain program area,any volunteer experi-ence, a college degreeand a commitment topublic service. You alsomust be eighteen yearsof age and a U.S. citizen.

Some may wonderwhat the benefits ofbeing in the Peace Corpsare, aside from the satis-faction of helping othersin a constructive way.You may not know thatthere is a monetary ben-efit from joining thecorps. After twenty-seven months of service,a worker is eligible toreceive $7,425 beforetaxes for completion ofservice. All travels arealso paid for to and fromyour service area ofchoice, and you aregiven a monthly stipendto cover living and hous-ing expenses. During thetime you serve you willalso receive completemedical and dental careand an affordable healthinsurance plan is avail-able for up to eighteenmonths following serv-ice. Most unlike otherinternational volunteerprograms, there is no feeto participate in thePeace Corps.

This volunteer organi-zation has been aroundfor ages and has helpedmillions all over theworld. The Peace Corpsencourages people to beactive in this greatermovement to make theworld a better place. Formore information visitwww.peacecorps.gov.

Civil Warmysteries

BY PAIGHTEN HARKINS

The Civil War began on April 12,1861 at Fort Sumter in SouthCarolina; that's a fact that mostAmericans know. Some Americanseven go as far in their education tolearn the major battles of the war andthe people involved. Yet there aresome important facts about The CivilWar that most Americans just don'tknow, according to Upfront maga-zine, and need know.

The first little known fact about theCivil War happens before its actualconception. Upfront magazine saysthat, "secession took a long time tounfold, and slavery almost became aconstitutional right." The constitu-tional right aforementioned was away to "pacify the South", to perhapsstop them from seceding. The pro-posed amendment, what would havebeen amendment thirteen, wouldhave prevented inference on the fed-eral level with the slave trade withinthe United States. In doing that itwould also "extended the MissouriCompromise line to the Pacific"which would mean that slave owners

had the right to move with the slavesthey owned to any of the territorieswithin the boundaries of the extendedline. The amendment would havealso "prohibited the abolition of slav-ery in the District of Columbia."

An even lesser known fact aboutthe Civil War has to do with theEmancipation Proclamation. Today,the Emancipation is simply mis-taught, saying that Abraham Lincolnupon giving that speech freed everyAfrican American tied down in slav-ery. However, that is not so. It onlyapplied to Southern states that hadseceded but had been regained by theUnion and were thus under its con-trol. The proclamation didn't apply tothe rest of the Southern states orslave-holding, border states belong-ing to the Union.

The Civil War is full of smallchunks of less than well-knowninformation. The more of theseunknown, yet surprisingly not trivialpieces of information that are knownabout the Civil War the more a personcan begin understanding why it hap-pened and why it ended the way itdid.

Cricket and how itpertains to life

BY KAMERON DUNN

Soccer seems to eludethe interest of the majorityof Americans. It's one ofthose things, like degreesCelsius and driving on thewrong side of the road,which everyone except usappears to embrace. Onecould say that the prob-lem, if it is a problem, liesin its origins - it wasfounded in England, offi-cially, according to all-soccerinfo.com. Perhapsit is due to its foreignnature.

We seem much moreakin to an old-fashionedgame of baseball.Baseball is as Americanas Mr. Presley himself.But, interestingly, its ori-gins are rooted inEngland, like soccer, andits flat-batted brother,cricket, draws similarroots (stickiewicket.com,baseball-almanac.com).Besides koobideh andSonu Nigam, it may behard to find somethingmore foreign to the gener-al pallet than this sport.

India took home theCricket World Cup April2', beating Sri Lanka bysix wickets. If you don'tknow what that means, I

recommend tryingWikipedia to get a faintidea of the sport (or any-thing else) so I don'tsound like some preten-tious indie-guy talkingabout stuff l don't knowabout, because I trulydon't know much aboutthis sport. There, I'm a ter-rible journalist, but that'snot the point.

A fellar on VouTube, bythe name of John Green,stated something a bitobvious -

"Please remember thatthe reason news outletsspend more time reportingabout celebrities thanreporting about, say,major world conflicts, isbecause that's what youclick one."

This was said in a webseries game show typething by the name of Truthor Fail, allowing you tochoose whether a particu-lar quote was stated byMuammar Gaddafi orCharlie Sheen. You cantake that however you likebut the statement is true.Obvious and true like how"One more time" onAngry Birds translates tothirty more rounds of"Stupid pig, why won'tyou explode!?"

We don't like cricketbecause that is not whatwe click on. We don't likesoccer because that is notwhat is laid out for us. Wedon't get more info onstuff that is botheringeveryone else around us,not because we don't care,but because we are stuck.

The realization that weneed to act on things thatwill help us to help us isnever motivation enoughto do it. Just because weknow that more watchingtime on the TV willreduce time for moremeaningful things will notstop us from watching.Are we not motivated?Are we too negligent? Idon't know. There it isagain, I don't know, andI'm a terrible journalist.

Realizing is notenough. To change any-thing we have to go fur-ther, no matter what dis-traction. It's becoming theAmerican mode. We takewhat is laid out for us andstay there. We are stuck.The easiest way to get un-stuck? A catalyst.Something that breaks thecycle. A scarier question -what will that change be?Ourselves or somethingelse?

Big news from FCCLA

INDIANOLA, Iowa(AP) — Until he tried amarijuana look-alike prod-uct called “K2,” DavidRozga’s most dubiousdecision was getting aGreen Bay Packers tattooon his shoulder.

Then the 18-year-oldathlete and band standoutgot high on the fake potlast June and complainedto a friend “that he felt likehe was in hell,” his fathersaid.

Though he had neversuffered from depression,the teenager went home,found a shotgun and killedhimself — one of at leastnine U.S. deaths in the lastyear that authorities sus-pect were caused by syn-thetic products designed tomimic marijuana, cocaineand other illegal drugs.

An Associated Pressanalysis shows that thesubstances are increasing-ly causing users to fallseriously ill, with somesuffering seizures and hal-lucinations.

Available in many headshops for as little as $10,the synthetic drugs areoften packaged as incenseor bath salts, but they donothing to perfume the airor soften water.

As more Americans

experiment with them, theresults are becoming evi-dent at hospitals: a sharpspike in the number ofusers who show up withproblems ranging fromlabored breathing andrapid heartbeats toextreme paranoia anddelusions. The symptomscan persist for days.

“These kids weren’tlooking for anything badto happen,” Mike Rozgasaid of his son’s death.“The truth is they didn’tknow what they had got-ten themselves into.”

At the request of the AP,the American Associationof Poison Control Centersanalyzed nationwide fig-ures on calls related tosynthetic drugs. The find-ings showed an alarmingincrease in the number ofpeople seeking medicalattention.

At least 2,700 peoplehave fallen ill sinceJanuary, compared withfewer than 3,200 cases inall of 2010. At that pace,medical emergenciesrelated to synthetic drugscould go up nearly five-fold by the end of the year.

“Many of the usersdescribe extreme para-noia,” said Dr. Mark Ryan,director of the Louisiana

Poison Center. “The recur-ring theme is monsters,demons and aliens. A lotof them had suicidalthoughts.”

The recent surge inactivity has not goneunnoticed by law enforce-ment and elected officials.

The Drug EnforcementAdministration recentlyused emergency powers tooutlaw five chemicalsfound in synthetic pot,placing them in the samecategory as heroin andcocaine.

But manufacturers arequick to adapt, oftencranking out new formu-las that are only a singlemolecule apart from theillegal ones.

On Wednesday, theSenate’s Caucus onInternational NarcoticsControl held a hearing inWashington to discuss

curbing the growth ofsynthetics.

“This is a whole newmethod of trafficking,”testified Joseph T.Ranznazzisi, deputyassistant administrator inthe DEA’s office ofdiversion control.“We’ve never experi-enced this before, whenthe product is just on theshelf.”

Rozga implored law-makers to act swiftly toprevent more deaths:“We are not doingenough, and we are notmoving quickly enough.”

Recreational drugscreated in the laboratoryhave been around at leastsince the middle of the20th century, when LSDwas first studied. Butthese latest examplesemerged only a few yearsago, starting in Europe.

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California mother of three recounts life as an ‘outlaw’BY MIKE HOUSEHOLDER

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT (AP) —Marie Walsh says she wasin prison for a drug crimeshe didn’t commit, facingregular taunts and threatsfrom inmates and guards,when her grandfathercame to visit her and toldher she had to get out.

Her subsequent escapefrom a Michigan prisonand the comfortable lifeshe built afterward —raising three childrenwith a husband who did-n’t know she was a fugi-tive until officers arrivedat their upscale SouthernCalifornia home threedecades later — arerecounted in her newbook, “A Tale of TwoLives.”

Walsh had served 14months of a 10-yearprison sentence for aheroin deal when she fledin 1976. Her new life onthe West Coast wasuprooted in April 2008,when federal marshalshandcuffed her.

The book is “about myodyssey through the sys-tem from a teenager whogot on the wrong path,”Walsh told TheAssociated Press in a

phone interview from herhome in San Diego,where she lives with herhusband of more than 20years. “Escaped it for awhile and built a lifeagainst the odds ... andwas snatched away fromit.”

Walsh is talking abouther past after spending 13more months in prison.Her book recounts hertime in prison and lyingto the people she lovedmost.

Walsh was known asSusan LeFevre when shesays her grandfathershowed up at the DetroitHouse of Corrections andtold her, “Susan, youneed to get out of here.”

She wrote that shethought: “What planet amI on? Had I really justheard my grandfather tellme to escape fromprison?”

To break free, shescaled a 20-foot, barbed-wire fence at the prisonknown as DeHoCo. Onceon the other side, shebegan running.

“If they shot at me, Iwanted them to kill me. Iwas not going back,”Walsh wrote.

Her grandfather waswaiting for her in his

Cutlass. With a searchhelicopter hovering near-by, they headed to hishome in New Baltimore,Mich. Her mother gaveher a few hundred dollars,she said her goodbyes tofamily members andcaught a ride with friendsto the West Coast.

“Somewhere betweenthe cornfields of theMidwest and the westernRockies, Susan ceased toexist,” she wrote.

Once in California, sheused her middle name —Marie — and took the lastname Day. She workedodd jobs, kept out of trou-ble and tried to stay underthe radar.

“I was no longer aparty girl strugglingthrough college classes. Iwas a fugitive from thelaw. ... I had no illusions.I was an outlaw. Yet thatjump over the prisonfence was a leap towardnew possibilities,” shewrote.

She eventually met andmarried Alan Walsh, afinancial executive with atrash company, and thecouple had three children,now ages 18, 23 and 25.But she chose not to tellany of them about herpast — even when her

mother died.In the book, Walsh

describes going with herhusband to her parents’home in Saginaw, Mich.,to say their goodbyes justbefore her mother’s 2004death. She told her hus-band they wouldn’t begoing to the funeral.

Walsh recalled himasking her: “What kind ofperson doesn’t go to herown mother’s funeral?”

She wrote that shethought at the time: “Thekind of person who hasnever told you the secretof her past.”

She also recounts inthe book how the pastcame crashing into thepresent. She wrote that afederal marshal calledher, pretending to be alandscaper and tellingher he’d accidentally cuta palm frond that fellonto one her plants.When she went outside,he pulled out a badge andasked if she was SusanLeFevre.

“I am Marie Walsh,”Walsh told him, accord-ing to the book. Then heshowed Walsh hermugshot from the 1970s.

Walsh called her hus-band and was escorted toa car where she was

handcuffed.Walsh said he wasn’t

completely shockedbecause she had told himshe “had a dark past” thatinvolved drugs. It was herthree children, she said,who were most lost.

“They thought theyknew the world and knewtheir lives, and then all ofa sudden their lives kindof exploded,” Walsh toldthe AP.

Walsh said she wroteher book in part to openreaders’ eyes to what shecalls America’s misguid-ed war on drugs and theharsh treatment that sheand her fellow inmatesendured. An interview on“The Oprah WinfreyShow” was scheduled toair Thursday.

Once she’s done pro-moting the book, Walshsaid she hopes to slipback into her life as itwas — minus the need tohide her past.

“For the most part, Iam doing well in mytransition to a normallife,” she wrote. “Myfriends remark that Iseem unchanged. ... Thenwhen I least expect it,there are moments that Ifeel a deep sense of lossor sadness.”

Justicecould benear forCalif girlheld 18years

BY LISA LEFFASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)— A California woman whowas abducted as a girl in1991 and held captive for 18years could get her firstmeasure of justice if the manaccused of fathering her twochildren by rape after kid-napping her pleads guilty.

Defendant PhillipGarrido, a convicted rapiston parole when 11-year-oldJaycee Dugard disappearedwhile walking to a schoolbus stop, was expected toplead guilty Thursday as partof a plea deal that wouldkeep him in prison for therest of his life, attorneyStephen Tapson said.

The agreement was out-lined last week during aclosed-door meeting thatTapson said he attended withprosecutors, the publicdefender representingGarrido and the judge pre-siding over the highly publi-cized case.

“He is going to pleadunless somebody gets ill orthe power goes off in thecourthouse,” said Tapson,who represents Garrido’swife and co-defendantNancy Garrido.

Deputy Public DefenderSusan Gellman, who repre-sents Phillip Garrido, and ElDorado County DistrictAttorney Vern Piersondeclined to confirm a guiltyplea would be entered.

The case attracted inter-national attention afterDugard surfaced in August2009 and authorities said sheand her children had lived ina hidden compound of tentsand sheds in the Garridos’backyard in Antioch, neverattending school or receivingmedical attention.

Phillip and NancyGarrido were both chargedwith 18 counts of kidnap-ping, rape, false imprison-ment, child pornographyand committing lewd acts ona child.

If convicted on all counts,the maximum sentence forNancy Garrido would be181 years, while PhillipGarrido could get 431 years,according to El DoradoCounty Deputy DistrictAttorney James Clinchard.

National Parks face federal shutdown on Civil War eveBY BRUCE SMITHASSOCIATED PRESS

FORT SUMTER, S.C.(AP) — The loomingshutdown of the federalgovernment includes theNational Parks Service,which could mean festivi-ties commemorating thestart of the Civil War withthe Confederate attack onFort Sumter could happenwithout Fort Sumter.

A shutdown would alsoaffect trips to the nation’scapital, where theSmithsonian and theNational Zoo would beamong the first to close,and could cause springbreak campers out West tofind Yosemite and otherparks closed.

If lawmakers can’treach agreement, theNational Park Serviceceases operations at mid-night Friday, shutteringFort Sumter in the middleof Charleston Harbor justdays before events mark-ing the 150th anniversaryof the first shots of thewar. The Union garrisonon the island surrenderedafter a Confederate bom-bardment on April 12,1861.

“It’s a very specialevent and it would be verysad if something like thathappened,” said ChrisKimmel of Harrisburg,Pa., who visited the fortWednesday as a chaper-one with a group of highschool students fromanother town tied to thewar, Gettysburg, Pa.

Events for the anniver-sary have been plannedfor years. Hundreds ofUnion and Confederatere-enactors plan to stay inForts Sumter andMoultrie, another ParkService site across the har-bor, during a week ofevents.

If there is a shutdown,plans will move forwardto re-enact the bombard-ment Tuesday with about30 cannons ringing theharbor from sites not onfederal land.

“I’m shocked. This is apivotal event in thenation’s history,” said JeffAntley, who is coordinat-ing arrangements for anestimated 1,000 re-enac-tors coming to the city.“You can’t say we’regoing to reschedule forMay. The money has beenspent. The uniforms have

been bought. The travelarrangements have beenmade.”

Kate Gibbs, a spokes-woman for a group thatpromotes tourism in thenation’s capital, said theNational Mall will remainopen, although the world-class Smithsonian muse-ums would go dark.

“What we might standto lose is the NationalPark Service expert whocan add that ounce ofmagic by saying, ‘You’restanding where MartinLuther King stood whenhe delivered the ‘I have adream’ speech,’” saidGibbs, of Destination DC.

It’s a busy time forWashington. The NationalCherry Blossom Festival,which draws about 1 mil-lion visitors each spring, isfinishing up this weekend,though it wasn’t clear howa government shutdownwould affect events.

At Yosemite NationalPark in California, stu-dents on spring breakflock to the majesticmountains this time ofyear to see waterfallsswollen by winter rains,park spokesman ScottGediman said.

Any shutdown, he said,would be done in phases.

“It’s such a complicat-ed place with camp-grounds, trails, hotels,tour buses,” Gedimansaid. “It’s not as simple aswe close the gate andeverybody goes home.”

About 1,000 workersemployed by a companythat runs park services aswell as about 800 parkworkers would be affect-ed. Business outside thegates would also suffer.

“We really don’t have awhole lot of industry otherthan tourism,” said LesterBridges, president of theMariposa CountyChamber of Commerce.

If there has to be a shut-down, April is the besttime of year forYellowstone NationalPark, where snow is fore-cast for the next severaldays.

For much of the month,only buffalo and a fewhardcore bicyclists visitOld Faithful. The fewhardy visitors are usuallyweekend warriors lookingto spy on wolves in theLamar Valley or ski orsnowshoe.

The park had about

33,000 visitors last April.“That’s about a day duringour peak summermonths,” park spokesmanAl Nash said.

A closure could setpreparations back for thebusy summer season.About 300 miles of roadare being plowed whilehotels, stores and parkfacilities have to beopened, and water andsewer systems have to bereadied.

“If the park doesn’topen on time, it’s definite-ly going to be a financialhit for businesses thatalready struggle with ahighly seasonal econo-my,” said Bill Berg, presi-dent of the chamber ofcommerce in Gardiner,Mont., just outside thepark’s north entrance.

Anna Holloway runsthe Tumbleweed Café andBookstore in Gardiner.Holloway has a hard timebelieving that a govern-ment shutdown will hap-pen, but things would begrim if it does — and lastsinto summer.

“My business would gounder and I would lose itall,” she said.

Synthetic drugs send thousands to ER Michigan couple to walk+2,000 miles for wedding

CANTON TOWN-SHIP, Mich. (AP) — AMichigan couple is plan-ning a truly long weddingmarch. Joseph Crist andLaura Brunett are goingto walk some 2,500 milesto get to their wedding inLas Vegas this fall.

The happy coupletold Detroit televisionstation WJBK that theyplan to leave CantonTownship in WayneCounty in mid-April,and that they expect the

trek to prepare them tospend a lifetime togeth-er.

They hope to be inLas Vegas by Septemberand plan to marry atnearby Lake Mead.

The 24-year-olds metin middle school, andgot the idea for the tripfrom the book, “TheLost Art of Walking,” byGeoff Nicholson.

Crist says they knowtheir plan is “extremelycrazy.”

Visit us on the web at

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88 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT THURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT 1111StateTHURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

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Protest planned next weekon university campus

BY ANDREW KNITTLETHE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT

A group of about 50University of Oklahomastudents are planning tocarry out a peacefulprotest next week target-ing the institution’s sexu-al assault policy.

Organizers have askedthe media not to divulgethe exact time, date orlocation of the demon-stration.

The protest follows acolumn written by JordanWard, a sophomore at OUwho says she was raped ata fraternity party inJanuary 2010.

Ward said that follow-ing the assault, she waitedto file a report until May2010. By December ofthe same year (roughly 11months after the inci-dent), she was ready topress charges.

“The officer calledStudent Affairs, and when(the OU PoliceDepartment) called meback, the departmentregrettably informed methat OU has a 30-daystatute of limitations inthe Student Code ofConduct,” Ward wrote inthe OU Daily, the univer-sity’s student paper. “Thismeans I would have hadto make this decision 30days after I filed thereport.”

It’s this relatively shortstatute of limitations thathas Ward willing to fightOU’s administration.

“As a survivor of rape,the healing process is anextremely lengthy one ...dealing with and movingon from the physical,emotional and mentaltrauma involved with rapeis not an easy road,” Wardwrote, adding that she

still worries about run-ning into the man whoraped her while on cam-pus.

Ward wants a one-yearstatute of limitations putin place to supplant theexisting 30-day limit. Shealso wants OU policeofficers, who apparentlydidn’t know the rule offthe top of their headswhen she filed her initialreport in May 2010, bettereducated and more able todeal with victims of sexu-al assault.

OU President DavidBoren agrees with Wardabout extending thestatute of limitations onsexual assault cases filedon campus, saying “alonger time limitation isappropriate in these cases.

“I have asked theOffice of Student Affairsto recommend an appro-priate time period,” Boren

said. “It would be myintention to recommendan extension of up to 180days in these cases. Thisaction would reflect thetime frame utilized by thefederal government forthe reporting (of) thesetypes of cases.”

Boren said he plans topresent these changes tothe OU Board of Regentsduring its next regularmeeting.

“In addition, it shouldbe remembered that understate statutes, there is a12-year statute of limita-tions for criminal sexualassault cases,” Borensaid. “Any time a studentis convicted under a crim-inal statute, even if it isafter the period of timeallowed for the filing of astudent code complaint,the university takes actionon that criminal convic-tion.”

Indian law and order panel has first meeting in NMBY SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A L B U Q U E R Q U E ,N.M. (AP) — A nationalpanel of judicial and lawenforcement experts con-vened Wednesday in NewMexico to begin its part ina massive federal andtribal effort aimed atrevamping the justice sys-tem across IndianCountry.

The nine-memberIndian Law and OrderCommission was estab-lished under the TribalLaw and Order Actsigned into law last sum-mer by President BarackObama. It is charged withconducting a comprehen-sive study of law enforce-ment and criminal justicein tribal communitiesacross the country, andusing its findings to makerecommendations toCongress and the presi-dent.

Jefferson Keel, lieu-tenant governor of theChickasaw Nation ofOklahoma and presidentof the National Congressof American Indians, wasamong the commissionersmeeting in Santa Fe. Hesaid the panel has thepotential to be a drivingforce behind implement-ing the act, which con-tains sweeping changesaimed at giving tribesmore authority, resourcesand information neededto combat crime on reser-vations.

“Safe, strong tribalcommunities are in every-one’s interest,” Keel saidin a statement, adding thatthe commissioners allhave a “deep experienceand a passion to addressthe issues facing tribalcommunities.”

According to the feder-al government, violentcrime rates on Indianreservations are morethan twice the national

rate, and there is an epi-demic of domestic andsexual violence in IndianCountry, along with highinstances of child abuse,teen suicide and sub-stance abuse.

Federal officials havealso said there is a prolif-eration of gang activity onreservations, and yet lawenforcement recruitmentand retention acrossIndian Country lag farbehind the rest of thenation. Statistics showthere is a roughly 40 per-cent unmet need instaffing for police offi-cers.

The commission willbe focusing on theseproblems, as well as juris-diction and juvenile jus-tice issues, and the effectof tribal jails and the fed-eral prison systems onreducing crime and reha-bilitating offenders.

The Tribal Law andOrder Act includes sever-al key provisions, such as

requiring U.S. attorneyswho decline to prosecutealleged crimes in IndianCountry to share informa-tion and evidence onthose cases with tribaljustice officials.

It also improves thecollection and reportingof crime data, expandstribal courts’ sentencingauthority, revamps policetraining, and provides forthe appointment of spe-cial U.S. attorneys toensure violent crimes intribal communities areprosecuted.

The commission hasuntil July 2012 to submitits findings and recom-mendations.

Its other membersinclude several tribal andfederal justice officials;former Reps. EarlPomeroy of North Dakotaand Stephanie HersethSandlin of South Dakota;and University ofCalifornia law professorCarole Goldberg.

Law enforcement: Oklahomamurder-suicides not trend

BY KRISTI EATONASSOCIATED PRESS

OKLAHOMA CITY(AP) — Law enforcementofficials say although sev-eral murder-suicide caseshave made headlinesacross Oklahoma in recentmonths, there is nothing tosuggest a measureableuptick in such crimes.

Agencies have reportedfive murder-suicidesstatewide since March 5,bringing the year’s totalreported cases to six — orhalf the total for the mostrecent entire year avail-able. There were 12 mur-der-suicides in the state in2008 and 11 in 2007,according to theOklahoma Violent DeathReporting System.

“From a statistics stand-point, we should just waitand see” before drawingany conclusions, saidSheryll Brown, director ofviolence prevention pro-grams at the OklahomaState Department ofHealth. “We could havesix up to this point and wemight not have anymore.”

No single agency tracksthe number of murder-sui-cides nationwide, saidKristen Rand, legislativedirector for theWashington D.C.-basedViolence Policy Center,which seeks stricter guncontrol and tracks newsaccounts of murder-sui-cides. The Federal Bureau

of Investigation recordshomicides and theNational Center for HealthStatistics tracks suicidesbut nobody combinesthem, Rand said.

Oklahoma is one of 18states participating in theViolent Death ReportingSystem, a pilot programsponsored by the Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention to track mur-der-suicide cases.

Some experts havepointed to the economicdownturn as a possiblecause for a perceivedincrease in cases, particu-larly those related todomestic violence, Randsaid.

“The common patternin murder-suicide is thatthey are under tremendousstress, like losing a job,”Rand said. “In particular,men can feel like theycan’t provide, so it’s rea-sonable when we have aneconomic downturn andunemployment ratesincrease that we wouldlikely see an uptick.”

Friends said theynoticed changes inMichael McCreary ofEdmond after the realestate agent switched jobs.His wife, Freda Cross,filed for divorce and a pro-tective order after the 61-year-old began drinkingheavily last fall. McCrearyshot Cross to death outsidean Oklahoma City con-venience store on March22.

BY KASEY FOWLER ENID NEWS AND EAGLE

A Fairview pastor’s $1million bond was contin-ued Wednesday follow-ing his initial courtappearance on nine sex-related charges.

Tommy Joe Pitts, 51,pastor of MidwayAssembly of GodChurch, is being held inMajor County Jail on thecharges related to allegedactions against three chil-dren between the ages of8 and 12.

Pitts is facing twocounts of first-degreerape, two counts offorcible oral sodomy, onecount of second-degreerape by instrumentationand four counts of lewdmolestation. Each countof first-degree rape car-ries a penalty of five yearsto life in prison. Eachcount of forcible sodomyis punishable by up to 20years and up to a $10,000fine. Rape by instrumen-tation is punishable byone to 15 years in prison.Each count of lewdmolestation is punishableby three to 20 years inprison.

Pitts appeared beforeJudge Timothy Haworthwith a court-appointedlawyer, Fritz McGee, ofthe Oklahoma IndigentDefense System.

According the affidavitfiled in the case, MajorCounty Sheriff’s Officereceived a call from Pitts’wife, Lorenda, on March31. She said her husbandwas planning to commitsuicide after she con-fronted him with infor-mation about the accusa-tions against him.

About 20 minutesafter the sheriff’s officereceived her call, a callwas received that TommyPitts was involved in avehicle accident with asemi near Chester.According to the affi-davit, Dewey CountyUndersheriff JeremyRogers was at the acci-dent scene. He said Pittstold him he intentionallyhit the semi in an attemptto kill himself. According

to the affidavit, Pitts alsosaid he would be taken tojail because he had beenmolesting the girls.

Robert Banks, aninvestigator with theMajor County DistrictAttorney’s Office, inter-viewed Lorenda Pitts andthe girls.

According to the affi-davit, Lorenda Pitts toldBanks her husband has apornography problemand she had noticed achange in his behaviorrecently. Lorenda Pittssaid she confronted herhusband about the accu-sations, according to theaffidavit, and he deniedthem at first but thenadmitted to touching thegirls. He begged his wifenot to call the police,according to the affidavit,then ripped the telephoneoff the wall and took thekeys to the truck and left.Lorenda Pitts calledpolice from a friend’shouse.

The girls told BanksTommy Pitts threatenedthem with punishment ifthey told anyone whatwas going on, accordingto the affidavit.

The Rev. H. FranklinCargill, superintendentfor the Assemblies ofGod Church OklahomaDistrict, said Pitts hasbeen suspended pendingthe investigation’s out-come. Cargill told TheAssociated Press nothingin Pitts’ file would havecaused suspicion.

Midway Assembly ofGod Church, located 13miles southwest ofFairview on U.S. 60, wasdestroyed by a fire inFebruary, said a memberof the congregation, whodid not wish to benamed. A sign on thedoor of the church, saidmembers were meetingin Fairview for servicesat Church of God(Seventh Day).

The member of thechurch said rumors hadbeen circulating thechurch was burnedbecause of what TommyPitts is accused of doing,but he said those rumorswere not true.

Pastor charged,held on $1M bond

A cross section of callsto the Bryan County

Communications Center

FFrriiddaayy12:00 a.m. someone

tried to steal vehicle 800block of W. Evergreen

12:37 drunk manknocking on every doorAvalon Apartments

1:55 lady goingthrough people’s trash600 block of N. Ninth

2:35 threats 400 blockof E. Jones

5:04 prowler 500 blockof S. 14th

6:44 smoke Ninth andMulberry

7:33 auto burglary N.Seventh, AT&T

7:55 large bull mastiffin front yard 5400 blockof Roadrunner

11:22 two young malespulling pants down nearCatholic Church

11:34 assaultStagecoach Bar

12:15 p.m. auto acci-dent 10th and Evergreen

1:45 truancy 400 blockof N. Hamilton

2:52 brush fire by land-fill

3:02 threats 1100 blockof Hill

3:38 received fakechecks 500 block of W.Georgia

3:51 auto accidentWalmart parking lot

4:03 attempted burgla-ry 400 block of Dogwood

4:40 auto accident 10thand Evergreen

4:58 someone tried tobreak into shed 1300block of W. Locust

5:12 has goats thatalways get out 500 blockof Rabbit Creek

5:27 trailer on fire 300block of Gates

5:31 dog making otherdogs bark 300 block of N.McKinley

5:40 stolen vehicle1400 block of W.Sandpoint

6:56 domestic assault3100 block of N. First

7:02 threats 7700 blockof Leavenworth

7:46 shopliftersWalmart

7:51 neighbor tookbike 400 block of W.McCurtain

8:09 son in road yellingobscene names, possiblydrunk 1300 block of W.Locust

9:23 kids with lightersrunning in front of carsRobert E. Lee

9:46 auto accidentChoctaw Rd.

10:54 man beating

woman 600 block of N.13th

10:56 lady out in streetyelling 1300 block of W.Locust

11:15 threats 1000block of Katy

SSaattuurrddaayy12:57 a.m. assault 5000

block of S. Ninth1:17 shots Fifth and

Plum2:07 husband pushed

her 200 block of W.Walnut

3:15 dogs barking allover the neighborhood1400 block of Corinne

3:21 baby’s mama andboyfriend is in the yardand won’t leave 700block of S. Third

4:25 threats 2200 blockof Dentwood

10:10 hit and runWalmart

4:53 p.m. public intox-ication 500 block of N.19th

4:55 brush fire Kenefic5:14 fire 1600 block of

Fish Hatchery5:50 five or six little

ankle biter dogs runningloose 600 block of S.Third

7:27 larceny FamilyDollar

7:46 dog loose 200block of N. Kelly

8:13 brush fire 200block of Woods

9:58 disturbance 900block of W. Main

10:23 motorcycle acci-dent Green Oaks andWillafa Woods

10:54 prowler 400block E. Jones

11:04 vandalismSeventh and Live Oak

SSuunnddaayy12:35 a.m. revving

motor 15th and Olive12:48 public intoxica-

tion Walmart parking lot2:13 burglary OG&E

N. First5:58 stolen vehicle

Platter Flats7:12 four wheeler

stolen 100 block of Dallas9:20 male and female

shoving each other 200block of S. Timothy

11:28 automobile bur-glary 200 block of Trout

11:53 burglary 200block of W. Main

12:07 p.m. unwantedguest 1300 block of W.Louisiana

12:22 man in traileraimed gun at people 100block of Boatclub

1:10 automobile bur-glary 100 block of Trout

2:03 auto accident east

of Roosevelt Bridge3:50 boyfriend hit her

and she hit him back 1900block of W. Mississippi

4:12 brush fire 1300block of E. Sandpoint

6:55 white Camaro outwith people who stole herhorse Wright’s Drive-Inn

6:58 kid shot out frontwindow, same kid did thisbefore 1200 block of FourSeasons

8:05 disturbance 100block of Butterfield Trail

8:15 auto accident1500 block of E. 70

8:45 loud music 3600block of Pearl

10:05 trailer brokeninto 200 block of Trout

10:55 brush fire behindStonebriar addition

11:27 public intoxica-tion 11th and Alabama

MMoonnddaayy12:21 a.m. auto acci-

dent 70E and Meadows1:35 fight 6100 block

of Leavenworth12:54 p.m. argument

behind Mike’s A Plus onN. First

1:01 brush fire 700block of Westwood

2:01 smoke Good DealThrift Store

2:52 fraud Fifth andElm

5:09 vehicle fireWestside Travel Plaza

6:01 threats 1500 blockof Upper W. River Rd.

7:18 loud music 900block of N. Sixth

9:42 screaming andcausing a disturbance1600 block of N. Ninth

TTuueessddaayy1:04 a.m. prowler 400

block of Jennings2:45 prowler 500 block

of N. Sixth7:06 auto burglary 600

block of McCarley8:40 church broken

into, gun taken from pas-tor’s desk 300 block of N.49th

9:02 auto accidentChuckwa exit from 69/75

10:02 burglary 4100block of W. University

10:20 larceny 400block of S. 14th

10:43 auto accident1100 block of Main

11:12 mental or oddbehavior Money TalksMobile Home Park

12:22 p.m. man keepstrying to live there andshe doesn’t want himthere 1100 block of E.Main

12:22 brush fireCounty Line Road

12:47 auto accident

Sonic on Main1:26 man passed out in

parking lot Lucky StopS.E. Third

1:39 a couple of gasmeters have been dam-aged Newberry Creek Rd.

3:28 neighbor lets dogsout to attack kids andcalls kids names 100block of S. Brackett

3:34 dumping 800block of N. First

4:19 two girls fightingSalita’s

4:24 attempted burgla-

ry 4100 block ofUniversity

4:32 auto accident 69and McKinley

4:46 threatening tobreak someone’s windowBuffalo St.

5:00 auto accidentFifth and Plum

5:08 Doberman onchain being walked by oldman that was trying to sichim on her 400 block ofS. 13th

6:07 vandalism 1100block of W. Liveoak

6:13 domestic assault900 block of W. Alabama

8:45 auto accident N.first old OHP Station

8:55 fight Walmart9:03 dogs out of con-

trol and barking 200block of E. Roberts

9:15 loud music Sixthand Mississippi

9:36 assault 5500 blockof Wilson

11:15 large, white doghas been hit Christy’s ToyBox

1122 THE DURANT DAILY DEMOCRAT Local THURSDAY,APRIL 7, 2011

Coming events tOOnnggooiinngg

Choctaw Nation HeadStart, a free child develop-ment program, is now tak-ing applications. Childrenmust be at least 3 years old,and not 5 years old, bySeptember 1, 2011. Theyserve all nationalities, how-ever, we do have a NativeAmerican preference poli-cy. Families of childrenwith special needs arestrongly encouraged toapply. Our program assiststhese families in obtainingservices that may be need-ed. In addition, the programalso gives preffered consid-eration to families who areclassified as being home-less, in accordance with thedefinitions set forth by theMcKinney-Vento Act.Contact the staff at yourlocal Head Start to deter-mine your eligibility. Yourfamily may qualify fortransportation services toand from school, as well.Contact Center Supervisor,June Dobbins,at 580-847-2767, or 1-800-522-6170,extension 2353, for anapplication or more infor-mation.

The Silo Center is opennow on Monday, Tuesdayand Wednesday until the firstof April for a good homecooked meal for just $3.50.They will begin at 12 p.m.-1p.m. and everyone is wel-come. For more informationplease call 924-6532.

Caddo Elementary

School will begin their Pre-K Enrollment on March28- April 1 from 8 a.m.- 3p.m. at the elementaryschool office. Parents willneed to bring birth certifi-cate, shot records, socialsecurity card and CDIBcard if applicable.Remember students mustbe four years old on orbefore Sept. 1. For moreinformation please call580-367-2515.

Durant Round-Up Clubis looking for a RodeoQueen for the 2011 rodeoseason. The annual Rodeowill be held on June 17and 18. If anyone is inter-ested in becoming queenor become a member ofthe club please contactCindy at 775-2888 or visitLoftis Satellite to getmemberships.

AApprriill 88A special Crafts Sale

will be held on Friday,April 8 and Saturday,April 9, at the DurantCommunity Center from10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

The Bryan CountyChapter of the OklahomaAssociation of RetiredEducators will meet atnoon Friday, April 8 inthe Raymond McKinneyConference Room at theMedical Center ofSoutheastern Oklahoma.Judy Robinson, directorof the Pregnancy Centerof Bryan County, will be

the speaker. Those wish-ing to eat should arrive at11:15. All interested per-sons are invited to attend.

The 2011 TexomaSpring Garden Fling willbe held at the BryanCounty Fair Ground’sHaggard Hall located1901 South 9th Avenue inDurant on Friday, April 8and Saturday, April 9,from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.Exhibitors include Burk’sPlants, Bryan CountyRose Garden Club,Southeastern CeramicClub, Joe’s WholesaleGreenhouse, ShelteredWork Opportunities,Liberty Honey, TexomaArt Association, Avon,LeJean’s Plants NThings, Bryan CountyMaster Gardeners,Durant WholesaleNursery , Blue RiverTractors and Lowe’sHome Improvement. Formore information pleasecall 924-5312.

AApprriill 99Safe Kids Oklahoma

and Smart Start programin Durant will hold ahands-on car seats safetycheck from 10:30 a.m.until 12:30 p.m. April 9at Market Square inDurant. Certified childpassenger safety techni-cians available to pro-vide hands-on instruc-tion on installing carseats and booster seatsand answer any ques-

tions.

The Achille PostOffice is hosting aPassport Fair onSaturday, April 9, from10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

The monthly meetingof the Parkinson’sSupport Group will beheld on Saturday, April9, at 2 p.m., at the LaneFrost Health and RehabCenter on 2815 EastJackson Street in Hugo.Everyone is invited andrefreshments will beserved. For more infor-mation please call 580-326-0873 or 580-317-3873.

AApprriill 1199The Mead Baptist

Church on Church Streetwill be hosting TheSinging Pierots onSunday, April 10, at 11a.m.

AApprriill 1111Durant Round-Up

Club will hold theirmonthly meeting onApril 11, at 6:30 p.m.

The CartwrightCommunity Associationis sponsoring a TownMeeting and free BeanSupper on Monday, April11, starting at 6:30 p.m.,inside the Sunset CoveActivities Center inWillifa Woods. For moreinformation please cal580- 965- 4006.

173514

Wednesday’s High 78Wednesday’s Low 53Precipitation 0.00Precip. This Month 0.00Precip. This Year 2.15

Wednesday’s ReadingsStation Hi Low PcpnAntlers 79 41 0.00Hugo 77 38 0.00Lane 78 42 0.00Madill 79 45 0.00Tishomingo 80 39 0.00

Regional

Durant Readings 3-Day Forecast

MondaySunny, with a highnear 79.

SundayA 30 percentchance of showersand thunderstorms.Mostly cloudy, witha high near 79.

SaturdayPartly sunny, with ahigh near 86. Southwind 11 to 14 mphincreasing tobetween 19 and 22 mph.

Elevation 613.74Normal Elevation 615.00Water Temp. 58

Lake Texoma

WeatherUp-To-The-Minute Forecast Atwww.durantdemocrat.com24-Hr. Forecast

TONIGHT:Partly cloudy, with a low around65. South wind between 9 and16 mph, with gusts as high as23 mph.

TOMORROW:A 20 percent chance of showersand thunderstorms after 1pm.Partly sunny, with a high near 85.South winds 9 and 11 mph.

Police log t