Felony stop near Sayre City Park.
A suspect wanted out of Greer County was arrested in Sayre last weekend after a domestic disturbance where a shot was reportedly fired into a ceiling — thankfully, no one was hurt. Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning said Greer County called in the early morning hours, believing the suspect was headed north toward Sayre. A deputy spotted the vehicle coming into town near the city park, and deputies and Sayre police made a felony traffic stop and took the suspect into custody without incident. Greer County took custody from there; the name and formal charges had not been released. Manning praised the teamwork, and it is worth noting this is the second time in recent weeks an out-of-county suspect has been picked up in Sayre because local agencies were talking to each other. (The Penny News, Oct. 26)
Sales tax: Sayre slips while the neighbors surge.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission’s October distribution — mostly August and early September sales — brought good news almost everywhere in western Oklahoma except here. Sayre received $140,897.64, down 1.6% from $143,178.95 a year ago. Elk City collected $1,521,727.08, up 12%. Weatherford took in $1,333,780.63, up 24%. Clinton was up 36.6%. Statewide distributions rose 9.4%. If this sounds familiar, it should: this page flagged a 13.51% Sayre decline in September. One slow month is weather or timing; two in a row while every town around us posts double-digit gains is a pattern worth asking about at City Hall. (The Penny News / Kool 94, Oct. 28)
Stolen pickup, forged papers, and a Beckham County court case.
Dustin Joyner, 47, of Wewoka, was charged in Beckham County District Court after a sheriff’s investigation into multiple county burglaries turned up much more than stolen property. According to the probable cause affidavit, investigators found a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine in the console of the pickup Joyner arrived in as a passenger, and a registration check showed the truck — a 2017 Ford King Ranch valued at over $10,000 — had been stolen, title and all. Investigators say a September bill of sale naming Joyner as the buyer was fraudulent; the registered owner told them they never sold the truck or signed anything. Joyner faces allegations including second-degree forgery, receiving or concealing stolen property, and drug possession, with bond set at $15,000. Those are allegations, not convictions — he is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise — but the case is a good reminder of how much of our rural burglary problem runs through a small number of repeat players. (The Penny News, Oct. 27)
Community and regional activity
A Spanish company picked Elk City for its first U.S. plant. Escofet, a 140-year-old Spanish maker of concrete benches, tables, and building facades, cut the ribbon on a 32,000-square-foot production plant in Elk City in late October. The plant starts with six employees and plans to grow to roughly 40 to 60 jobs as production ramps up, shipping products to projects nationwide. Company leadership said they spent about two years looking at sites and chose Elk City for its raw materials, interstate access, central location, and workforce — and Elk City native Jennifer Cain is a co-founder and the office manager. Fifty manufacturing jobs an easy drive from Sayre is real news for this whole corridor.
Beckham County 4-H shooters brought home state titles. At the state trap shoot in El Reno, Beckham County 4-H was named All Around Champion, with its top five shooters breaking 238 of 250 targets, and the Senior No. 2 team won the state trap title at 142 of 150. The county also took All Around honors in sporting clays, with its Senior No. 1 and Intermediate teams winning state titles there too. Congratulations to those kids, their coaches, and the parents who haul them to practice.
Politics
Tomorrow is Election Day — and early voting is over. Early voting at the Beckham County Activity Center in Sayre wrapped up Saturday, Oct. 31, and there is no early voting today. If you have not voted, Tuesday, Nov. 3 is your day: polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your assigned polling place — not the Activity Center — and you will need proof of identity. Anyone in line by 7 p.m. gets to vote. Your sample ballot and polling place are on the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections, and the Beckham County Election Board (306 E. Main St., Sayre, 580-928-3314) can answer questions. The Sheriff’s Office has been coordinating with election officials on security for polling places, ballots, and equipment.
What is on your ballot. The governor’s race tops it — Mike Mazzei (R) against Cyndi Munson (D), for an open seat and Oklahoma’s first new governor in eight years. For U.S. Senate, it is Kevin Hern (R) against N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas (D), with a Libertarian and independents also running. In U.S. House District 3, incumbent Frank Lucas (R) faces Suzie Byrd (D). One race many voters expect will not appear on the ballot at all: State Senate District 38. Rick Vernon (R) won the June Republican primary outright after Brent Howard retired, no Democrat or independent filed, and under Oklahoma law Vernon is declared elected without a general-election vote. The Beckham County races were likewise settled in the Republican primary and runoff — Butch Goldesberry in Commissioner District 1 and Sammy Carnes in District 3, with Assessor Jonathan Beck and Treasurer Jennifer Drury the only filers for their offices — so those names will not appear Tuesday either. Still check your own sample ballot, because legislative lines split this county and not every Sayre voter sees the same ballot.
The two state questions — from our earlier ballot draft. All Oklahoma voters can vote on both. SQ 845 would change the rules for who can serve on Oklahoma’s Judicial Nominating Commission — the body that screens candidates for top judicial vacancies — and how its members are selected. Read OK Policy’s SQ 845 Fact Sheet: https://okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/SQ-845-Fact-Sheet.pdf SQ 847 would lower property tax assessment caps starting in 2027 — the homestead cap from 3% to 1.75% a year and the general cap from 5% to 4% — and change the senior property tax freeze rules. That slows future increases; it does not cut anyone’s current bill by that percentage. Read OK Policy’s SQ 847 Fact Sheet: https://okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/SQ-847-Fact-Sheet.pdf
City Council and projects. The next regular council meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall Annex. A note for fellow government-watchers: no agenda or minutes from the Oct. 20 meeting have been posted online that we could find — if you want those decisions, the City Clerk’s office (580-928-2260) is the place to ask, and posting them online would be a small transparency win. On projects, the Route 66 horseshoe sculpture for City Park — backed by a $50,000 Project 66 grant to the Rivers Edge Arts Society — was being set in place this past spring, judging by photos shared from the park, as part of the Route 66 centennial push. The north water tower refurbishment, backed by a $150,000 SWODA/REAP grant, has had no status update posted online this year; that is another good question for Nov. 17.
Events
It is a school-and-election week in Sayre — no big festival this week, but plenty going on:
- Monday, Nov. 2: Sayre 5th/6th grade basketball plays in the Thomas Tournament at 4 p.m., and the high school girls scrimmage at Wheeler at 4:30 p.m. Sayre FFA also has its state Opening/Closing and Greenhand contest trip to Stillwater early this week.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your assigned polling place. Vote, then check on a neighbor who might need a ride.
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: Pep rally and bonfire at 6 p.m. ahead of Senior Night, and 5th/6th grade basketball is back in Thomas at 4 p.m.
- Senior Night football vs. Watonga, 7 p.m. at Sayre: The school district calendar lists this game on Thursday, Nov. 5, while several outside schedules list Friday, Nov. 6. Double-check the school’s Facebook page before you head out — somebody’s calendar is wrong, and we would rather flag it than send you out on the wrong night.
- Thursday, Nov. 5: If the game lands on Friday instead, Thursday still offers Elk City High School’s Prism concert, 7 p.m., for a county music night out.
- Sunday, Nov. 8: St. Matthew Women’s Bazaar and Turkey Dinner in Elk City — an annual fall favorite; check the Beckham County Record events calendar for serving times.
Gossip Corner
The hardest post in Sayre Rants and Raves this week came from a mother whose son, she says, was jumped by six young men in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 25, after being taken to a party out by Starvation Creek. She reports a broken jaw, two blackened eyes, and his phone and shoes taken, and the family is asking anyone who knows anything to contact the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office at 580-928-2121. The group responded the way Sayre does — more than 100 reactions and 80 comments, mostly prayers and shares. My thoughts: if you know something, call the Sheriff and skip the speculation online, where naming kids on rumor helps nobody and can hurt an investigation. And parents, this is a fair week to ask your teenagers where the party actually is and who will be there. The key takeaway is what we all grew up knowing, nothing good ever happens after midnight.
The topic of voting came up twice. One neighbor was confused about early voting deadlines — a confusion Tuesday will settle, since Election Day is the last chance — and another simply asked for a ride to early voting at the Activity Barn, saying she was tired of not being able to get there. Within hours, a neighbor took her, and she came back to the thread to say thank you. That is the whole story of Sayre in one post: somebody needed help, somebody showed up. Sayre stays as great as always.
Halloween did the rest of the talking. All week, folks posted which houses still had candy — Fairway Drive, East Washington, the Housing Authority on 2 Street — and Saturday night ended with thank-yous, including to American Legion Post 146 for giving kids a great evening. Somewhere in between, a little dog found near South Highway 66, so covered in stickers it could barely walk, got its picture shared all over town, a neighbor asked whether Highway 152 is open again at the 152/6 intersection, and half the group went looking for a mechanic who does not charge an arm and a leg. If you found that mechanic, post the name — about twenty of your neighbors are waiting on the answer.
Correction (Nov. 2): An earlier version of this post said Rick Vernon faced Democratic and independent opponents in State Senate District 38. No other candidates filed in that race; Vernon won the Republican primary and is declared elected without appearing on the November 3 ballot. We regret the error.