An area resident from Tecumseh has some suggestions for how Shawnee can increase revenues from sales taxes. She writes me saying, “Every time I read the News-Star lately it talks about revenue being down in Shawnee, the Pottawatomie County area. But sometimes when I drive around it’s hard to believe that. When restaurants are packed and other places where people do business are also packed.
“I have to admit, yes, we do go out of town to shop and eat a lot and here are the reasons why,” she said.
• People who like Stride Rite shoes for their children have to go to Norman or Oklahoma City (Dillard’s in Shawnee stopped selling them).
• People who have hobbies and do arts and crafts have to go out of town to Michaels and Hobby Lobby.
• Yes, we have Sears and Lowe’s, but Best Buy is hard to beat.
• We do have our share of restaurants, a lot of Mexican and Chinese, but sometimes Outback, Olive Garden and Cheddars are hard to beat.
• Yes, we have Pottawatomie County Book Store and the stores at Shawnee Mall, but even Ada has a Hastings and Borders are hard to beat.
• These are just a few of the reasons why we shop out of Shawnee. It’s not just that we want to, it’s just that we have to sometimes, she concluded.
•••
Shawnee’s Planning Commission will meet today at 1:30 p.m. and there is only one item listed on the agenda seeking any action.
The commission will consider approval of a final plat for Tribalway Addition located on the northwest corner of Highland and Mead. The applicant is Absentee Shawnee Housing Authority.
Community Development Director Justin Erickson also will give his report. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the council chambers of city hall.
•••
Deidre Ebrey, who is the director of Economic Development for the City of Moore, will be the guest speaker at this month’s regular Shawnee Economic Development Foundation board meeting a week from today, Wednesday, July 14.
The meeting is open to the community and those with an interest in economic development activities.
Ebrey is the second guest speaker to visit the SEDF in a series of presentations focused on sharing what other Oklahoma communities are undertaking in their own economic development processes and activities.
Prior to taking her job with the city of Moore, Ebrey was a business development consultant with Oklahoma’s Career Tech system. She specialized in leadership and workforce development, and has worked with some of Oklahoma’s largest businesses.
Deidre holds a BA and master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and certifications in management development/leadership training programs.
The meeting, open to the public, will be 9 a.m. on the second floor of the SEDF building at 131 N. Bell Street.
•••
Our local Gateway to Prevention and Recovery’s report for this summer has some statistics that caught my attention.
The report points out that 56 percent of Shawnee sophomores and 69 percent of Shawnee seniors in 2008 said they obtained alcohol from someone over 21.
In the same year, 91 percent of Shawnee’s seniors said they drank at a friend’s house and 82 percent drank at a party.
These aren’t necessarily shocking statistics, but they are concerning. People throughout our community should also be concerned.
Someone who is 21 or over and who is providing alcohol for a person under that age is committing a crime. Unfortunately, there have been some tragic consequences from these instances and as long as the practice continues there will be more.
Law enforcement can’t police all these times our young people are getting a hold of alcohol. But they often have to deal afterwards with some accident or incident which stems from the use of alcohol.
If you are 21 or over, give it some serious thought the next time a person under age asks you to provide him or her alcohol. Otherwise, you could be a contributor to a situation that turns out tragic, just because you decided to give in and do it for whatever reason.
•••
Virginia Bradshaw sent along this information about Chan Lowe, son of famous actress Carol Channing. Lowe served as an editorial cartoonist during the mid 70s here at the News-Star.
For the past 26 years, he has served as editorial cartoonist, writer and editorial board member of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
He also is internationally syndicated through Tribune Media Services, according to the information Virginia sent along, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
She says his latest honor is having a collection of his cartoons exhibited in an art show of outstanding work by five Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., Class of 1975 graduates.
The show was at the Harrison Gallery in Williamstown, Mass.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, please call me at 214-3922 or e-mail me at michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Please include your name and a phone number for contact purposes.
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An area resident from Tecumseh has some suggestions for how Shawnee can increase revenues from sales taxes. She writes me saying, “Every time I read the News-Star lately it talks about revenue being down in Shawnee, the Pottawatomie County area. But sometimes when I drive around it’s hard to believe that. When restaurants are packed and other places where people do business are also packed.
“I have to admit, yes, we do go out of town to shop and eat a lot and here are the reasons why,” she said.
• People who like Stride Rite shoes for their children have to go to Norman or Oklahoma City (Dillard’s in Shawnee stopped selling them).
• People who have hobbies and do arts and crafts have to go out of town to Michaels and Hobby Lobby.
• Yes, we have Sears and Lowe’s, but Best Buy is hard to beat.
• We do have our share of restaurants, a lot of Mexican and Chinese, but sometimes Outback, Olive Garden and Cheddars are hard to beat.
• Yes, we have Pottawatomie County Book Store and the stores at Shawnee Mall, but even Ada has a Hastings and Borders are hard to beat.
• These are just a few of the reasons why we shop out of Shawnee. It’s not just that we want to, it’s just that we have to sometimes, she concluded.
•••
Shawnee’s Planning Commission will meet today at 1:30 p.m. and there is only one item listed on the agenda seeking any action.
The commission will consider approval of a final plat for Tribalway Addition located on the northwest corner of Highland and Mead. The applicant is Absentee Shawnee Housing Authority.
Community Development Director Justin Erickson also will give his report. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the council chambers of city hall.
•••
Deidre Ebrey, who is the director of Economic Development for the City of Moore, will be the guest speaker at this month’s regular Shawnee Economic Development Foundation board meeting a week from today, Wednesday, July 14.
The meeting is open to the community and those with an interest in economic development activities.
Ebrey is the second guest speaker to visit the SEDF in a series of presentations focused on sharing what other Oklahoma communities are undertaking in their own economic development processes and activities.
Prior to taking her job with the city of Moore, Ebrey was a business development consultant with Oklahoma’s Career Tech system. She specialized in leadership and workforce development, and has worked with some of Oklahoma’s largest businesses.
Deidre holds a BA and master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and certifications in management development/leadership training programs.
The meeting, open to the public, will be 9 a.m. on the second floor of the SEDF building at 131 N. Bell Street.
•••
Our local Gateway to Prevention and Recovery’s report for this summer has some statistics that caught my attention.
The report points out that 56 percent of Shawnee sophomores and 69 percent of Shawnee seniors in 2008 said they obtained alcohol from someone over 21.
In the same year, 91 percent of Shawnee’s seniors said they drank at a friend’s house and 82 percent drank at a party.
These aren’t necessarily shocking statistics, but they are concerning. People throughout our community should also be concerned.
Someone who is 21 or over and who is providing alcohol for a person under that age is committing a crime. Unfortunately, there have been some tragic consequences from these instances and as long as the practice continues there will be more.
Law enforcement can’t police all these times our young people are getting a hold of alcohol. But they often have to deal afterwards with some accident or incident which stems from the use of alcohol.
If you are 21 or over, give it some serious thought the next time a person under age asks you to provide him or her alcohol. Otherwise, you could be a contributor to a situation that turns out tragic, just because you decided to give in and do it for whatever reason.
•••
Virginia Bradshaw sent along this information about Chan Lowe, son of famous actress Carol Channing. Lowe served as an editorial cartoonist during the mid 70s here at the News-Star.
For the past 26 years, he has served as editorial cartoonist, writer and editorial board member of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
He also is internationally syndicated through Tribune Media Services, according to the information Virginia sent along, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
She says his latest honor is having a collection of his cartoons exhibited in an art show of outstanding work by five Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., Class of 1975 graduates.
The show was at the Harrison Gallery in Williamstown, Mass.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, please call me at 214-3922 or e-mail me at michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Please include your name and a phone number for contact purposes.
