Louisiana youth takes home bull riding title; Florida native named all-around cowboy

Delayna and Brent Pearcy of Meeker announce the birth of their son, Bryce Scott Pearcy, at 3:31 p.m. June 16, 2008, at Lakeside Women’s Hospital in Oklahoma City.
He weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.
Bryce is the brother of Breanna.
Grandparents are Danny and Debbie Lowe and Charles and Sherry Pearcy, all of Meeker.
Great-grandparents are Bill and LaDonna Welborn and Verena Pearcy, all of Meeker.

Shawnee voters face some critical decisions when they head to the polls in the July 29 election to decide the races for mayor and two city commissioners.
Their focus squarely should be on quality of life issues, and who they think will provide the best leadership and pay the closest attention to the priorities which have been identified by residents. Voters should weigh carefully whether they are satisfied with the status quo and the leadership exerted by those serving now, or whether they believe new leadership is needed.

Once again it’s time for Shawnee and surrounding communities to put out the welcome mat. By later this afternoon, several thousand people will have arrived for this year’s International Finals Youth Rodeo.
A sprinkling of the visitors began showing up Friday, when some of the early arrivals came to check in horses and set up their RVs. Beginning early Saturday, there was a steady stream which was expected to last through the night and into this afternoon.
Despite spiraling fuel prices, around 900 contestants are expected to compete this week in the 16th annual IFYR. This is more than just a rodeo. It’s a huge event that Shawnee should take pride in hosting because it originated here and this community owns it.

About the only thing hotter than the mid-July sun beaming down on the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center Saturday was the action during the final day of the International Youth Finals Rodeo. The final day brought the expected as well as some surprises.
Nobody was more surprised than 16-year-old bull rider Jacob O’Mara. O’Mara, who hails from Prairieville, La., scored an 83 on his final ride Saturday to win the go round and emerge as the bull riding champion. “I really didn’t expect to win it,” said O’mara. “I couldn’t have asked for a better bull than the one I got today.”
O’Mara in the first go round scored a 78 but faltered in the second round as he failed to reach the eight-second standard. He more than made up for it when the heat was on in the final go round. There were only three bull riders that went the distance Saturday. Along with O’Mara, Kevin Kieckhefer and Caleb Sanderson were the only cowboys to hang on.
Sanderson, with the third place finish in the bull riding, captured the all-around cowboy title. Along with his bull riding success, the Kissimee, Fla., native captured second place in the saddle bronc. “I’ve only been riding horses for about a year now,” said Sanderson. “I’ve been riding bulls for a long time so I feel much more comfortable on them.” The best all-around cowboy is now on his way to Farmington, N.M., for the high school finals rodeo, which begins this week. He has $3,019.10 in his pockwet from his week of work in Shawnee.

Here are the conditions at Oklahoma lakes as reported Wednesday, July 9, by the state Department of Wildlife Conservation and lake rangers.

Investigators looking into last month’s killings of two girls just outside of Weleetka say they plan to release new details about their investigation.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is planning to hold a news conference on Monday outside the Okfuskee County Courthouse. They say they will release portions of a 911 call made by one of the girls’ family members just after the girls’ bodies were discovered. They also plan to discuss some of the investigative techniques being used to track the killer or killers.