Week of June 12, 2026
The metal artwork of Buffalo student Kaisyn Girk with Kais' Arc Art was named the Best of Show during the 55th Nescatunga Arts Festival held at the Alva Recreation Complex's Pete and Ruth Leslie Fieldhouse in Alva June 5-6. Girk, who elected to enter the event as a paid vendor to compete for prizes against other non-students, earned first-place honors in the sculpture/pottery category, qualifying him for the Best of Show possibility. He also earned second place in the designer arts/jewelry...
The Northwestern Oklahoma State University President's Leadership Class (PLC) will welcome 17 new members this fall. PLC is a leadership development program led by Dr. Bo Hannaford, university president. The program seeks to develop leadership skills in students who have compiled exemplary records of academic success and participation in high school activities. Graduates of the program are expected to assume leadership roles on campus during their time at Northwestern. Students selected for...
"When you don't have a lot to do, you find things. One of those things I found was being creative in any way, shape or form," says Mikel Robinson. Growing up in the small town of Protection, Kansas, Robinson's entertainment choices were limited. Now living in Woodward, Oklahoma, Robinson continues to explore ways to be creative. She graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva with a degree in mass communications. College is when she really got into painting, "I just was kind...
Enid attorney Amanda Lilley has added another skill to her resume. In addition to her work in criminal law, Lilley is known in the Midwest for her watercolor paintings, but now she is also a published author. She brought paintings and her book to the First Friday Art Walk last week in Alva. "I have a handful of paintings here at Graceful Arts that are all from a collection I did of Morocco," said Lilley. "I went on vacation there in October of 2024 with a couple of friends from law school. We...
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock markets rallied worldwide Monday, and oil prices eased after the United States and Iran reached a tentative deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to get the global flow of crude going again. The S&P 500 rose 1.7% on hopes that this time, the announcement of an Iran-U.S. agreement will mean a long-term fix to a conflict that has worsened inflation around the world. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 468 points, or 0.9%, to a record, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 3.1%. Stocks got a lift...
A Wisconsin beagle breeding and research facility that's been the site of recent violent protests is closing, and its remaining dogs are being taken in by a Florida rescue group. Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement for the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles starting this week. "Not one dog will remain," Lauree Simmons, the group's founder, said in a news conference at a farm in Wisconsin. "No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything." Yearslong opposition...
Fox Corp. has agreed to buy the streaming pioneer Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt. Roku will continue to be run as an open, partner-friendly platform, the companies said Monday, and there appears to be no immediate changes that customers will see. Fox and Roku said that the combined company will become the third-largest player in U.S. television by share of viewing. Media reports had surfaced on Friday that Roku was looking at its strategic options, including a possible sale. Speculation was...
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran and the United States are trumpeting their tentative agreement aimed at ending their war as a victory. But so far there is no word on what's actually in it. The memorandum of understanding, brokered mainly by Pakistan, starts with the simultaneous lifting of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iran's ports, according to Pakistani officials. The two sides will then begin 60 days of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and the potential lifting of sanctions, they told the AP, speaking on...
The Swedish parliament on Monday adopted a law obliging public sector workers to report to the police any migrants who are not authorized to live in Sweden. Critics said it will create a climate of fear and could negatively impact migrants' physical and mental health. The law is part of Sweden's efforts to tighten its approach to migration and comes as the European Union overhauls its migration system, including to expedite deportations. "This is the latest measure in a long list of extremely problematic regulations on migration," Jacob Lind,...
A federal immigration judge has granted asylum to a woman orphaned in Iran in the 1970s and adopted by an American war veteran, who immigration officials threatened earlier this year with deportation to the country with which the U.S. is now at war. Judge Andrew Fishkin's ruling likely ends a monthslong ordeal for the California woman, one of thousands adopted from abroad who were never granted citizenship because of bureaucratic loopholes between adoption and immigration law. The woman has lived in the United States since she was adopted by...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California's Mojave Desert and burst into flames Monday, killing all eight people aboard, military officials said. Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 a.m. during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, which is north of Los Angeles. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near the runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby. Those on board included government...
Several of the skydivers killed when their plane crashed moments after taking off from a Missouri airfield were experienced jumpers, including a leader at one of the sport's biggest organizations. Federal investigators were at the crash site, about an hour south of Kansas City, on Monday, a day after the plane carrying a pilot and 11 skydivers slammed into a field and burst into flames, killing all on board, authorities said. Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, said Bates County...
WASHINGTON (AP) — A combination of term-limits, retirements, aspirations for higher office and one high-profile presidential appointment have triggered a wave of open seats in Oklahoma's state primary on Tuesday. Voters will select nominees to replace departing federal and state officials ranging from U.S. senator and representative to governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and state legislator. They'll also decide whether to renominate some incumbents for another term and consider a statewide ballot measure on the minimum wage....
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began. Details of the deal were not immediately available. Key mediator Pakistan said the signing will be Friday in Switzerland. Key issues like Iran's nuclear program are expected to be addressed later. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed a deal had been reached and said he had authorized an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the...
BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed in a field and was engulfed in flames Sunday, killing all aboard, authorities said. The crash happened shortly after the plane took off from a local airport around 11:30 a.m., and some of the occupants' family members witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson. A heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near Butler Memorial Airport with a massive lineup of emergency vehicles gathered on a nearby street....
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump marked turning 80 on Sunday by hailing an agreement to end the war in Iran hours before a birthday celebration that once would have seemed unfathomable: a cage-fighting show on the storied South Lawn of the White House. He had been touting the emerging deal for weeks, and last-minute strikes in the conflict had threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza — where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into...
As Oklahoma’s Republican gubernatorial primary enters its final stretch, outside groups are spending heavily on increasingly personal attack ads aimed at shaping voters' perceptions in the crowded race. With nine Republican candidates and the possibility of a runoff, political observers say the attacks could intensify as candidates and outside groups fight to define the race before voters cast their ballots. The ads have focused on taxes, crime, transgender healthcare and political loyalty, reflecting the influence of outside groups in...
Celebration of life services for Debbie Ackerman will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the First United Methodist Church with Todd Holder officiating. There will be a private family interment prior to the service under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva. Deborah Ann, daughter of Walter Scott "Bud" and Barbara Ann (Gallon) Baker, was born August 15, 1960, at Alva, Oklahoma, and passed away peacefully June 9, 2026, at Edmond, Oklahoma, at the age of 65 years, 9 months...
