"Kim (The Shawnee News-Star)"

The International Finals Youth Rodeo continues at the Expo Center in Shawnee.

Boy Scouts of America The Cub Scouts of Canadian Valley recently spent an exciting week at their annual Cub Scout Day Camp at Gordon Cooper… Login to continue reading Login Sign up for complimentary access Sign Up Now Close

WASHINGTON – Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe, the longest-serving senator from thestate, died Tuesday morning surrounded by family after suffering a sudden illness at age 89.Inhofe, whose political career spanned six decades, established himself as a fixture of Oklahomapolitics and a mainstay of the conservative ideology. He championed U.S. military strength andstrong defense spending, later serving as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committeefrom late 2018 to 2020, a longtime goal of the former senator.He also served as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, oftenspeaking against climate change. Inhofe famously threw a snowball on the Senate floor to protestnotions of man made global warming in 2015.Before serving as a senator, Inhofe spent four years as the mayor of Tulsa, 10 years in theOklahoma Legislature, and eight years as a member of the U.S. House. Inhofe was elected to theU.S. Senate in 1994, where he served five terms until retiring in 2023, citing long-termcomplications of COVID-19.U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma City), one of Inhofe’s colleagues, said he was a truelegend and force to be reckoned with in the Senate.“Cindy and I are deeply saddened about the loss of Oklahoma’s favorite son, Senator JimInhofe,” Lankford said in a statement. “We grieve along with our state and nation the loss of atrue patriot for our American values and way of life. He kept his relationship with Jesus, hisfamily, and all Oklahomans as his priority. His passion for our military, aviation, energy,infrastructure, Africa, and our personal freedom was vital for our state and our nation.”Longtime colleague and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) also released astatement on Inhofe’s passing, writing that any legislator would dream of having his legacy.“The Senator for Oklahoma lived up to his unique and distinguished middle name: Jim was aMountain of a man,” McConnell said in a statement. “The people he served, a group much larger

With Oklahoma's summer heat, Shawnee Splash in downtown Shawnee has been a popular place to cool off and have fun.