Daily Bible verse
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6
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LeFlore County legals
LeFlore County legals for this week.
LeFlore County commissioner minutes
LeFlore County commissioners met in a regular business meeting Monday with Chairman Jamie Oliver presiding. Also, present were Interim Member Mike Parker, Member Josh Blaylock and County Clerk 1st Deputy Jedd Kirby. Absent: County Clerk Kelli Ford.
The following action was taken by the board:
(1.) Chairman Jamie Oliver called meeting to order.
(2.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Mike Parker to approve the minutes of regular meeting held October 27, 2025. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(3.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve purchase orders as presented. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(4.) Motion was made by Mike Parker and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve monthly fee reports as presented by Solid Waste, LeFlore County Health Department, and LeFlore County Clerk. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(5.) Transfer of Appropriations: None presented.
(6.) Blanket Purchase Orders: None presented.
(7.) New Business: None discussed.
(8.) Contract Labor/ Service Agreements, Annual Contracts: None presented.
(9.) Burn Ban: Not needed at this time. No discussion.
(10.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve declaration of surplus regarding county inventory item HOW-301.002, 1991 Federal Motors Fire Truck, serial number 46JBBAA80M1003966, purchased on November 17, 2014 in the amount of $12,000 to benefit the Howe Fire Department. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(11.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve resolution and bid notice advertising to accept sealed bids for the purchase of a 2008 or newer fire engine, including the trade – in of a 1991 Federal Motors Fire Truck, serial number 46JBBAA80M1003966, purchased on November 17, 2014 to benefit the Howe Fire Department. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(12.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve notice to hold a public hearing regarding closing section of Midgely Lane, lying in or adjacent to Sections 28 & 33, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(13.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 4, Township 6 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(14.) Motion was made by Josh Blayock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 11, Township 6 North, Range 24 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(15.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 32, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(16.) Motion was made by Mike Parker and seconded by Jamie Oliver to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 28, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(17.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 4, Township 6 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(18.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 2, Township 6 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(19.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 12, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(20.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 9, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(21.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 3, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(22.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 4, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(23.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 2, Township 7 North, Range 25 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(24.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Jamie Oliver to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 18, Township 7 North, Range 26 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(25.) Motion was made by Josh Blaylock and seconded by Mike Parker to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 15, Township 7 North, Range 26 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(26.) Motion was made by Mike Parker and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 31, Township 8 North, Range 26 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(27.) Motion was made by Mike Parker and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve floodplain development permit application as submitted by Cox Communications regarding utility construction within county right of way located at Section 22, Township 8 North, Range 26 East, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
(28.) Motion was made by Jamie Oliver and seconded by Josh Blaylock to approve resolution regarding maximum monthly highway expenditures for the month of November 2025. Motion was approved, all voting yes.
Early voting starts Nov. 13
Early voting begins Nov. 13 for voters in LeFlore County. Voters who will not be able to make it to the polls on election day, have the option of voting early at their County Election Board.
LeFlore County Election Board Secretary Kayla Rees said early voting is open to all voters.
"You do not need to provide an excuse to vote early,” she said. “Oklahoma allows early voting for all elections conducted by the County Election Board or State Election Board—from school board and municipal elections to state and
federal elections. This is a great option for those who will be out of town on Election Day or who want to avoid long lines."
Early voting is available Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at LeFlore County Election Board located at 103 North Church Street in Poteau.
Voting is not available at polling locations.
Some voters may need assistance to vote because they are blind or visually disabled, physically disabled or infirmed, or illiterate. Such individuals may request to have an assistant or vote privately and independently using the ATI device attached to the voting device. Those who require assistance should talk to their precinct official or contact the County Election Board directly for instructions.
Fuestions, contact the Election Board by calling (918) 647-3701 or email [email protected].

LeFlore County scoreboard 11-3-2025
LeFlore County scoreboard and schedule.
Monday’s games
LeFlore 37, Clayton 23
Schulter at Bokoshe (no score reported)
LeFlore at Clayton (no score reported)
Schulter at Bokoshe (no score reported).
Tuesday’s schedule
To add a score or make a correction, please text (855) 819-8824.
Arkansas opens with 109-77 win over Southern
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – Trevon Brazile recorded his 11th career double-double, scoring a career-high 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while freshmen Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas combined for 43 points to lead #14/15 Arkansas to a 109-77 season-opening victory over Southern Monday night at Bud Walton Arena.
The 109 points tied the most by a Razorback team under Razorback head coach John Calipari, was the most in a season opener since scoring 142 in the 2020-21 season opener versus Mississippi Valley State and the fifth-most all-time in a season opener.
Brazile’s career-high 25 points came on the strength of going a career-best 8-of-10 at the free throw line. Overall, Arkansas went 25-of-29 at the free throw line. That 94.4% from the line ties as the eighth-best percentage by a Razorback team.
Acuff finished with 22 points, scoring 20 in the first half, while adding four assists. Thomas scored 21 points and tied for the team lead with seven assists while leading the team with three steals. Fellow freshman Isaiah Sealy added 12 points, going 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
Acuff (22 points) and Thomas (21 points) scored the second-most and third-most points by a Razorback freshman in a debut since freshmen became permanently eligible for the 1972-73 season. (Note: Patrick Beverley holds the Razorback scoring record by a freshman in a debut with 29 points versus Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 10, 2006.)
Thomas is the first Hog to post at least 18 points, six assists and three steals in a Razorback debut, regardless of class
Michael Jacobs led Southern with 22 points and Fazi Oshodi scored 15 points.
Up next, #14/15 Arkansas travels to Michigan State for a top 25 matchup with the #22/21 Spartans on Saturday (Nov. 8). Tipoff at the Breslin Center is set for 6 pm (CT)/7 pm (ET) and the game will be televised on FOX.
FIRST HALF: ARK: 57 – SOU: 32
• Daius Acuff scored the Razorbacks’ last nine points of the first half and finished with 20 for the half. In fact, the 20 points are the most by a Razorback freshman in his collegiate debut.
• Trevon Brazile, who had seven rebounds, and Meleek Thomas each added 10 points.
• Southern scored first then Arkansas went on a 12-0 run and led comfortably the rest of the half.
• Both teams made six 3-pointers in the first half.
• Arkansas shot 53.1 percent from the field and was an impressive 17-of-18 at the free throw line. Southern was just 4-of-9.
• The 57 points tie for the 5th-most in a half in a season opener and the most since scoring 61 versus Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 25, 2020.
SECOND HALF: ARK: 52 – SOU: 45
• Brazile scored 15 of his 25 points in the second half.
• Arkansas shot 48.8% from the field in the second half but Southern made 45.7% of its shots.
• The rebounding and free throws were nearly even, but Arkansas had 15 assists on 20 made baskets with just four turnovers. Southern only had four second-half assists with five turnovers.
NOTES:
• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Darius Acuff Jr., D.J. Wagner, Billy Richmond III, Trevon Brazile and Nick Pringle.
• Arkansas won the opening tip.
• Southern scored first on a jumper in the lane by Cam Amboree at 19:18. Trevon Brazile scored the first points for Arkansas with a 3-pointer at 18:35.
• Arkansas’ first sub was Meleek Thomas.
• Sophomore Billy Richmond III, who was 1 of 3 Razorbacks to play all 36 games last season, earned his first career start.
• Arkansas is 4-0 all-time versus Southern. Coach Cal improves to 2-0 all-time versus the Jaguars.
• Arkansas is 84-19 in season openers all-time and 93-10 in home openers. Overall, the Razorbacks have won 52 of the last 55 season openers.
• The Razorbacks have won 52 straight home openers, including a 33-0 record in openers inside Bud Walton Arena.
• Coach Calipari is 27-7 in season openers, including a 21-2 mark when those openers are at home. In home openers, Calipari is 31-3.
• Coach Cal is now 22 wins shy of 900 on-court wins for his career.


Live music or AI? What say you?
"Op Ed" Alert! I did some research. I wrote some stuff down.
I was confident that I could write a column on the state of the music industry.
Then, I realized that all my info from Google searches were AI generated. Now, I figure that if AI is smart enough to cheat or lie a little in its favor or even lean a little, then what the heck good is it? I wanted the truth. I feel so hurt and misled. My readers are fortunate because being uninformed will NOT keep me from writing about this pertinent topic! My sincere concern is for the songwriters and musicians/bands.
What I know, original copyrighted songs are protected, as well as any arrangement, performance or reproduction that can be purchased from the writer. This has been the case, with a few amendments, since the 1909 Copyright Act. It was passed because player pianos were using original uncopyrighted songs without permission and playing them for profit. Copyrights protected the mechanical composition of the tune in any form in 1909 and future recorded versions — and it worked for more than 100 years.
The boundaries are being drawn for new innovations of playing recorded versions and receiving royalties. One timeline was projected for next year that AI-generated music could be copyrighted and sold for profit legally. Surprisingly enough, in the last month, there have been new songs that debuted on the Billboard Country Digital Sales charts including an AI band, "Breaking Rust" with its songs "Living on Borrowed Time" and "Walk My Walk." Check them out! I can't tell the difference, and I thought "Milli Vanilli" was a scandal. Thank God for that little difference of the human touch.
I still have decades of live music — concerts, cell-phone videos and studio recordings — that I can enjoy. My advice, create your own playlist. If AI does it for you, I feel it just might have skewed me a little. Keep it real! Thanks for supporting local, live music! I'm probably going to have more well intentioned, uninformed opinions from me on the topic in the future. I can't help myself.
• • •
A huge heartfelt thank you to Dawn's Diner in Red Oak. Dawn and Thomas Slone provided awesome food and becoming a Red Oak community treasure for the last 18-plus years. Halloween was the last meal served. I offer this thanks from all the singers and musicians that have gotten the Dawn's Diner experience. The diner has done as much for live music for the last five years that I have been writing as any venue, and for that we are all grateful. We all wish you the best in your coming adventures. You are loved by so many.
• • •
"Bids and BBQ," put on by the Poteau Future Farmers of America (FFA), will begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.
There are many groups and charities out there that are fundraiser worthy, but this one can help shape the future for farmers and ranchers that we need to put supper on the table. There will be barbecue to help raise money for the group. "Rumor" has it that when you come in the lobby, you can pick out the pig that you want to eat. You just have to give it a good bath in scalding water, scrape it good, butcher and get it cooked. What a deal!
I would wear old clothes if you have any.
There will be live music, a raffle, live and silent auctions and barbecue! Contact an FFA member for info and tickets.
• • •
As for live music this week, "The BackPorch Country Band" will play from 10 a.m. until noon Thursday in Pocola. Yes, there will be coffee! It is at the Pocola Senior Center, located at 700 Faye Avenue. You can get a great meal to boot. This week, it's meatloaf and all the fixings.
Here's a chance to hear guaranteed live music on Thursday in Waldron, Arkansas Gregg and Rita Shively will host a session where you sit in a circle, sing a couple and pass it on to the next singer. There have been six to 14 guitar
pickers in Memorial Hall, located at 96 S. Main Street in downtown Waldron. The music will be from 6-9 p.m. Y'all all come!
On Friday, it's the "Larry B. Show" at the Fort Smith (Arkansas) Senior Activity Center on Cavanaugh Road. There's a big dance floor to shuffle and scoot to the sounds of the 1970s and beyond. You won't be disappointed. The music will start at 7 p.m.
Muldrow City Limits has a super line-up for November. This Saturday, it's "Re'pod' Trailers" on stage at 7 p.m. There will be a lot of dancers. There will be a lot of room and a whole lot of fun. See ya there!
"Oklahoma 59 South Duo" has a big weekend. Randy Fennell and Earl Hearon will be playing awesome country music at the Ranch Restaurant at Talimichi near Tuskahoma. The food makes it worth the drive down U.S. 271 just past Albion. The singing will start at 5:30 p.m. and last until 8 p.m. Then the "59 South Duo" will be Randy and Hank McMurtery playing at Tonita's Mexican Restaurant in Pocola from 6-9 p.m.
"Uncle Fudge" will be jamming in downtown Poteau at the Shop Dog Brewing Company, located on Dewey Avenue, on Friday. There will be awesome music as well as real nice folks and a beautiful vintage room. There will be music from 7-9 p.m. Catch the show.
That's all I got! I will resist the temptation to ramble on any further. Thanks for supporting local live music.
For additional information about any live-music events or to let me know of any such venues, call or text message me at (918) 649-5736, get with me on Facebook or e-mail me at [email protected].

Mostly clear skies again Tuesday
Weather forecast for Tuesday is for mostly clear skies and slightly warmer temperatures in Heavener, LeFlore County and the area.
The high is forecast to be 76 degrees with a low of 52.
Sunrise was 6:42 a.m. Sunset is 5:21 p.m.
Monday’s high was 76 with a low of 46. No rain was recorded, leaving the monthly total at 0.01 inches. November’s average rainfall is 3.00 inches.
Average temperature for Nov. 4 is a high of 67 and low of 39. Records for the date were a high of 86 in 1978 and a low of 21 in 1982.
Last year on Nov. 4, the high was 80 with a low of 60.
Calendar of events
Calendar of events for the next week for Heavener, LeFlore County, southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The calendar is a free service for our readers. If you are with a non-profit and want an event publicized, CONTACT me.
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
City of Poteau meetings
High school basketball: Schulter at Bokoshe; LeFlore at Clayton
Tuesday
Funeral service for Barbara Ellen Young
Poteau Evening Lions Club meet 6 p.m. CASC
High school basketball: Bokoshe at Cameron; LeFlore at Wister
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
Thursday
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC
Heavener City Council meets 6 p.m.
Heavener VFW bingo 6:30
High school basketball: Buffalo Valley at LeFlore
Friday
High school basketball: Battiest at Cameron; Wister at Stuart
High school football: Heavener at Bethel; Mounds at Talihina; Hartshorne at Panama; Arkoma at Copan; Pocola at Haskell; Broken Bow at Poteau; Antlers at Spiro.
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
Local school boards meet


Graveside services for Helen Haynes set
Graveside services for Helen Haynes, age 81, of Talihina are 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at the Talihina Cemetery with Reverend Phil McGehee officiating. Services are under the direction of Evans & Miller Funeral Home of Poteau.
She was born July 5, 1944 in Talihina to Mary (Green) Hickman and Sam Hickman. She passed away Oct. 30, 2025, in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Survivors are her husband of 63 years, Charles Haynes; sons Danny Ray Haynes, Bobby Morrison and wife Tanya Gappmayer-Morrison, Barb Morrison and wife Ashley; daughters Tiajuanna White, and Tina Darlene Silva and husband Gabe; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; granddaughter, Heather Haynes; brothers Archie Hickman, Barb Hickman, and Billy Hickman; and sisters, Mary "Otema" Smelser, Rebecca Southern, and Donnie Lee James.
You may leave an online message for the family at www.evansandmillerfuneralhome.com.



