Shawnee’s Economic Development Foundation will hold two meetings this morning. The first one is the annual unit holders meeting beginning at 9 a.m. It will be followed by the Foundation’s monthly meeting scheduled to start around 9:30.
The meetings, open to the public, will be held in the Foundation’s office at 131 N. Bell.
During the annual meeting of the unit holders, nine people are being nominated to serve three-year terms on the board. They include John “Rocky” Barrett, Larry Briggs, Kenny Howard, Paul Bass, Brian Blansett, Will Rosebure, Jerry Bayliss, Chris Clark and Jim Stuart.
Barrett, Howard, Blansett, Rosebure, and Bayliss are being nominated for election as new members to the board. Barrett is chairman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Howard is with OG&E, Blansett is publisher of The Shawnee News-Star, Rosebure owns and operates RBC Insurance Agency, and Bayliss is with AT&T.
Bass, Clark, Stuart, and Briggs are being nominated for re-election to new terms. Bass is president of First United Bank in Shawnee, Clark is president of Arvest Bank in Shawnee, Briggs is president of First National Bank in Shawnee and Stuart is an attorney with one of the oldest law firms here.
Nominated for the 2009/2010 officers are Randy Smith, of OBU, as chairman of the board, Marion McMillan, BancFirst president as past chairman, Bass as vice chairman, George Hand of Canadian Valley Electric as secretary and Stuart as treasurer.
The unit holders also will be asked to review and take possible action on by-law revisions. They also will be provided with the annual report.
During the Foundation board meeting, board members will be provided with audit reports from Finley and Cook. They also will hear an update on city water.
An executive session is also planned to discuss several companies, according to the agenda.
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Some upcoming events which you might put on your calendar. The Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce’s Tasty Affair (annual chamber auction) is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Expo Center. That is just three weeks away.
It begins at 5 p.m. with the hospitality hour and silent auction, followed by dinner and the live auction.
The 2010 Planning Session of the Chamber is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, at Remington Park In Oklahoma City. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude with dinner that evening at 6 p.m.
This is important for chamber members and community leaders to help plot the course for the coming year. There will be more details to follow, but mark this date down now.
For further information on these events, contact the chamber at 273-6092.
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Debra McGee, the widow of the Mark McGee, who served as the voice of the IFYR for 16 years, advises me the driver charged in her husband’s death has been bound over to stand trial.
She said the preliminary hearing lasted for more than 3 1/2 hours.
Stacy Sloan Whiteley, 29, of Wright City, is charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with McGee’s death.
Debra says the arraignment is scheduled for this Friday, Sept. 11, at 9 a.m.
According to an Oklahoma Highway Patrol report, alcohol was involved. State troopers, who investigated the accident, have reported that McGee died at the scene of massive injuries. Trooper Jay Reich, of the McCurtain County detachment of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said the accident occurred around 6 p.m. that evening three miles north of Valliant on a county road, old Highway 98.
Troopers reported Whiteley was driving a 2005 Dodge pickup truck northbound on the county road when it ran off the road to the right, over corrected, went back across the roadway running off the road to the left, and striking the lawn mower, ejecting McGee 92 feet north and 18 feet west of the point of impact.
Debra also says that her late husband is in a documentary “Sweethearts of the Prison rodeo” which airs Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. on Cinemax. It was filmed at the McAlester prison rodeo in 2006, 07, 08, she said.
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Ray Belford, from here in Shawnee, passes along this bit of information. There is a nation-wide email campaign to fly the United States flag this Friday, Sept. 11, in remembrance of the attack on the U.S. He says also the day is listed as “Patriot Day” in the U.S.
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A Memorial Ride in honor of the two Seminole County Deputies who were killed recently is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12. Registration is from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Seminole County Courthouse in Wewoka.
The first bike out will be at noon with the last bike in at 5 p.m. Dinner and door prizes will be at 5 p.m.
Cost is $20 per driver and $10 for each rider.
They are asking that all present and past law enforcement officers ride together for this.
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If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, call 214-3922 or e-mail michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Include name and phone number for contact purposes.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
