Flashbacks

25 Years Ago May 17, 1995

Crash Claims Cordell Teen

A single car wreck southeast of Cordell at 10:00 p.m. Saturday claimed the life of 16-year-old Jamie Marie Bennight, a sophomore at Cordell High School.

Bennight was pronounced dead at the scene by officers after she was thrown throught the windshield of a 1993 Chevrolet Lumina driven by 16-year-old Crystal Lauer, also a sophomore at Cordell.

The pair were south bound on a county road four miles east and three miles south of Cordell when the driver lost control of the vehicle near a county bridge.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol representative said the car was going at an “excessive speed” before overturning 2 1/4 times and coming to rest on the passenger side.

Lauer was taken to Cordell Memorial Hospital with head, trunk, and leg injuries. She was treated and released on Sunday morning.

Neither of the girls was wearing a seatbelt and the road was paved and dry, according to the OHP.

Jim Fisher, OHP investigating office, said the wreck was caused by reckless driving.

January Is Target Date For Phone Upgrade In Washita County

Southwestern Bell Area Manager David Arbuckle recently said his company has sent an “internal schedule” for the statewide telephone upgrade. He said the Washita County communities of Cordell, Bessie, and Rocky are scheduled to receive digital switching in January of 1996.

Arbuckle said that if the target date is not met, the upgrade will for sure be completed by June of 1996, the date when Bell said all upgrades would be finished.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission recently asked the state Supreme Court to return two pending cases involving the three year old dispute with Bell over rate charges and upgrades.

Bell has promised 72 Oklahoma communities the $84 million digital switching project will be completed by June of 1996.

The digital switches, located at Bell’s Oklahoma City central office, provide state of the art telecommunication services, including call waiting, call forwarding, and speed calling. The 50-yearold rotary or “step by step” switches Washita County currently uses can not handle these types of services.

Washita County Schools Have $250,000 Wrapped Up In Ad Valorem Tax Protest

Washita County’s five public school systems have $249,997.40 being withheld from their yearly tax revenues due to the ad valorem tax protest by state public utilities and pipeline companies.

Earlier this month the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the distribution of $27 million statewide at the request of energy related companies, who say their current ad valorem tax assessments are unconstitutional. An April Senate Bill had released those funds, prior to the high court’s decision.

A total of $363,579.20 is being withheld in Washita County.

50 Year Ago May 14, 1970

Tax Levy For Vo-Tech School Is Approved By All 15 Districts

Midwestern Oklahoma is on the go.

And citizens of 15 school districts proved it once again Tuesday of this week when they voted almost seven to one to approve a tax levy to establish a vocational - technical training school at Clinton-Sherman airbase.

The vote was: Yes--1,670. No--255.

Both Frank G. Kliewer, Jr., chairman of Midwestern Oklahoma Industrial Foundation, and Dr. C.C. Holcomb, MOIF secretary, said they were “well pleased” by the good turnout of voters and by the overwhelming stamp of approval on the program to bring industries to the air base property.

The Cordell school district had the largest total of votes and a margin of slightly over 10 to 1 in favor of the three and a half mill tax levy to finance operation of the vo-tech school.

Governor Asks County To Aid Environment

Gov. Dewey Bartlett has asked all citizens of Washita County to join all other Oklahomans in recognition of “Environmental Quality Awareness Day” on Saturday, May 16.

The idea of the special day is to call attention to the quality of environment in the state.

“We hope to enlist the aid and support of the many groups and individuals in Washita County that will benefit from an improved environment,” Bud Barnes, County Extension Director said.

“On Awareness Day, we are encouraging such things as cleaning up litter along the highways, cleaning up junk that has been dumped along county roads, cleaning up parks and rest areas, and cleaning up any areas covered with debris that destroy the appearance of the communities in which we live.”

Barnes urged all individuals or representatives of organizations to contact him for information on how they can assist with Awareness Day.

City Sales Tax Check Is $4,790

Cordell this week received a check for $4,790.72 from the state tax commission for the one-cent tax on retail sales in March.

This was an increase of $120.56 over the check last month for the tax collected on sales in February.

The tax commission distributed a total of $2,695,149 in city sales tax revenue to 211 communities this month. This was $86,000 above last month’s disbursement.