Raising the roof - literally

(Staff photo by Karen West) By Karen West
Sometimes, worship services can be so profound they are said to "raise the roof."
Mountain Home Baptist Church, about three miles southwest of Whitefield, had a similar experience early Monday morning. The roof was pulled off from the northwest corner of the building on the north side, almost to the front of the church. The cross from the steeple was also ripped off.
"We had services at 7 last night, then around 3 or 4 in the morning, the storm blew in," said Tony Daniels, a member of the church. "It looks like it's been pealed off. The insulation wasn't touched, just the roof. And we just had this roof put on in 2008."
He said he thought it might have been a small tornado that hit the church roof. There are two old, dead trees just to the north of the church, and not one branch had been broken. The houses near the church were not harmed by the storm either.
"With winds strong enough to pull the roof off a building, you'd think there'd be more damage to the trees or other buildings," Daniels said. He called the meteorologists at Channel 6 news to check their weather tracking reports from Sunday night to see if it was possibly a tornado that touched down.

Back to Court

(Staff photo by Karen West) By Karen West
News Editor
District Attorney Farley Ward introduces the new assistant district attorney for Haskell County during a Blue Ribbon Tree dedication at Veterans Park in Stigler on April 1. It's not an April Fool's prank, Ward said. The new assistant distict attorney is Danita Williams, the retired district judge for Haskell, Latimer and LeFlore counties. "(more on this story in this week's Stigler News Sentinel)

Trash the Garbage

(Submitted photo by Dason Browning) by:Doug Russel News Editor

Spring is traditionally looked at as a time of renewal, for people, animals and crops alike. It's also a time of renewal for a number of communities across the country, as individuals and groups join in a yearly effort to clean up areas neglected and polluted.
How bad is the problem? Worse than some might think.
In 2009-2010, 125 volunteers in the Eufaula area jointed to clean up and beautify 75 miles of streets, as well as 15 acres of parks. The volunteers also picked up 50,000 pounds — 25 tons — of litter and debris, including 5,100 pounds of aluminum and steel that were turned in to be recycled.
During the same time frame, 51 volunteers in Checotah cleaned up and 10,200 pounds of litter.
And the problem continues.
That's why a number of area groups have signed on to clean up specific areas of the state again this year, with groups large and small agreeing to pick up trash in an effort to make Oklahoma a cleaner, safer state..(more on this story in this week's Stigler News Sentinel)

In with the new

Municipal elections decided

by:Doug Russel News Editor

There'll soon be new faces on the boards of trustees for three area communities.
Voters in Keota, McCurtain and Quinton decided Tuesday who'll represent them on the boards in coming years, some for 2-year terms and others for 4-year terms. (more on this story in this week's Stigler News Sentinel)