Through a 0.495-cent Pottawatomie County sales tax increase for schools, backed by voters in November of 2015 and set to continue until June 30, 2026, schools have been collecting funds for nearly six years and tallying up more than $23 million for schools so far.
After the last rains, animal tracks in the mud were plentiful. What wild critters made them? Lions, tigers, elephants, ostriches? I suspect a lost Easter bunny, beaver, raccoon, turkey and housecat, since the delicate imprints looked so dainty next to the heavier deeper footprints. Rabbits make four tracks that actually look like bunny ears on feet. Raccoons leave 2”-3” hand prints. Opossum front feet show individual toes, but their rear feet look more like a baby’s foot, if you use your imagination. Bobcat pawprints resemble those of a small dog, minus the claws. The cat claws are retractable.
Please send items for the calendar to Elisabeth Slay, eslay@news-star.com and/or newsroom@news-star.com. April 13 • The Pottawatomie County Clerk’s Office will be closed for training April 13.
Spring bulbs can be so refreshing and a favorite of many. They are a true sign of spring and warmer weather to come.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law on Tuesday that makes it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, as part of an aggressive push in Republican-led states across the country to scale back abortion rights.
Many Native American Club students from Shawnee Middle School, Shawnee High School and Jim Thorpe Academy volunteered at the Kiwanis Pancake Feed on Wednesday, April 6. .
A local group in Shawnee is helping people who have loved ones impacted by addiction. According to Finding Hope, over 165 million Americans ages 12 and up are currently abusing drugs and/or alcohol and the number continues to grow year after year.
Blue Zones Project is hosting a Worksite Well-Being Summit Thursday at Oklahoma Baptist University’s Recreation and Wellness Center. Business leaders, HR professionals and well-being champions have joined forces in worksites across the community in partnership with Blue Zones Project to make healthy choices easier for their employees.
Volunteers sought for citywide cleanup day The city of Shawnee Parks and Recreation Department invites residents to the Great American Clean-up of the City of Shawnee. Meet at 10 a.m.
Mayor: More than 10,000 civilians dead in Ukraine port city KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Corpses are now “carpeted through the streets” of Mariupol after Russian troops killed more than 10,000 civilians over the past six weeks in their unsuccessful fight to capture the strategic southern port, the mayor said, while Western powers warned Tuesday of an ongoing buildup for a suspected Russian assault in Ukraine’s east. The British Ministry of Defense said Russian forces are continuing to pull out of Belarus to support operations in eastern Ukraine, focused on the Donbas region, where Russian-allied separatists have claimed independence.