Pontotoc County jail escapee sought

A new discount card being distributed by United Way of Pottawatomie County can help lower the cost of medicine by an average of 35 percent, Audrey Seeliger, director of the local United Way, said. It is called the FamilyWize prescription drug discount card.
“If you don’t have health insurance, or you must buy medicine not covered by your insurance plan, United Way provides these cards to our community free of charge to everyone who needs one. There is no age restriction, no income restrictions, no limit on how many times you can use it and no waiting to get a card,” Seeliger said.

Jim Hamby, chief executive officer of Vision Bank, announced that Carl Packwood has been named president of Vision Bank Shawnee.
Packwood was born and raised in Shawnee and is graduate of Shawnee High School. He earned an associate’s degree from Seminole Junior College and a finance degree from East Central University in Ada.

AL-KO Kober Corp. announced it has acquired RBW Industries, Inc., of Chino, Calif. As a result of the acquisition, RBW, a manufacturer of recreational vehicle accessories, becomes a part of the AL-KO KOBER GROUP.
The parties agreed to keep the purchase price confidential.
AL-KO, with its headquarters in Germany, is the world market leader in the RV chassis and component parts segment of the market. In 2007, the AL-KO KOBER GROUP generated sales of 750 million Euro or $1.153 billion in U.S. dollars.

Pottawatomie County’s sales tax returns rose from April 2007 to April 2008, according to figures released recently by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The county’s April 2007 returns, at a tax rate of 1 percent, totaled more than $536,000. The county’s April 2008 returns, at the same tax rate, totaled more than $573,920.
The county’s returns to date, within the respective fiscal years, rose from more than $5.463 million for April 2007 to more than $5.727 million for April 2008. The fiscal years run from July 1 to June 30.

Seminole County’s sales tax returns continued their trend of shooting upward from April 2007 to April 2008, according to figures released recently by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The county’s returns fro April 2007, at a tax rate of 0.5 percent, totaled more than $96,600. The county’s returns for April 2008, at tax rate of 1.25 percent, totaled more than $246,900.
Seminole County’s returns to date, within the respective fiscal years, totaled more than $954,380 for April 2007 and more than $2.431 million for April 2008. The fiscal years run from July 1 to June 30.

Lincoln County’s sales tax returns rose from April 2007 to April 2008, according to figures released recently by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The county’s April 2007 returns, at a tax rate of 1 percent, totaled more than $168,550. The county’s April 2008 returns, at the same tax rate, totaled more than $192,330.
The county’s returns to date, within the respective fiscal years, rose from more than $1.664 million for April 2007 to more than $1.884 million for April 2008. The fiscal years run from July 1 to June 30.

 The city council will consider a $7.8 million incentives package as part of a proposed $50 million factory outlet mall planned along Interstate 40 on the city’s west side.
The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday is expected to consider a package that would include tax rebates of $550,000 a year and $2.3 million for infrastructure, including storm water drainage and intersection improvements.

Struggling to complete a farm bill that can survive a presidential veto, lawmakers have sent the White House a sixth extension of farm and nutrition programs.
Lawmakers had hoped to finish the legislation this week so a final version could be debated on the House and Senate floor next week. But following a meeting that lasted until early Friday morning, some key issues, including the size of payments to wealthy farmers, remained unresolved.

A Tulsa nursing home has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency announced Friday.

Cattle ranchers squeezed by the economy are finding themselves in a conundrum of downsizing they wouldn't have expected a few decades ago, Oklahoma State University beef cow specialist Glen Selk said.