GED classes starting soon
By Doug Russell
News Editor
Need a GED? If you have a CDIB card, you can enroll in an upcoming class — and possibly get a bit of money as an added bonus.
Classes will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday following the May 21 enrollment date. Classes will be at the Choctaw Nation Community Center, 2208 E. Main, Stigler.
According to Neal Hawkins, with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's adult education division, anyone with a CDIB card can enroll in the program. "This is a tribal program, so you must have a CDIB card. You don't have to be Choctaw," he said. "We serve all Cherokees, Creeks, Chickasaws — as long as you have a card from a federally recognized tribe, you can sign up for our classes."
Before a student can take the actual GED test, he or she will also have to provide a government issued photo identification card, whether that card is a driver's license, state ID card, passport or some other type of identification. "That's a state Department of Education requirement," Hawkins said. "When they go to the test, the examiner will have a copy of the picture ID to compare to make sure the right person is taking the test."
Potential students must be at least 16 years old. Students between the ages of 16 and 18 must have a special form filled out and returned, Hawkins said, adding that the students can pick up the forms on the first day of class.
"We pay for everything, books, pens — everything," Hawkins said. That includes the price of the GED test itself.
In addition, some students may be eligible for a $10 per day transportation stipend, as well as a stipend paid to take the GED test.
For more information or to enroll, contact Hawkins or Kathy Springfield at 800-522-6170, extension 2319 or 2122.
Prospective students may also enroll the first day of class.
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Staff photo by Wendy Smith
McCurtain drama students serenade softball coach Dannie Culwell with "He's A Rebel" during a fabulous '50s performance at the school.
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911 upgrade coming
By Doug Russell
News Editor
An upgrade to the 9-1-1 emergency call system is on its way, with the Stigler City Council approving to fund it for as much as $213,000.
"The 911 equipment we have is really old," City Manager Jim Smith told councilors during a regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening. "It's hard to find parts for it and it doesn't work well with cell phones."
Kenneth Murdock, 911 director for Stigler and Haskell County, previously told the News-Sentinel that the current system doesn't allow operators to pinpoint the location of a caller who is using a cellular telephone.
"We currently just receive the phone number and nothing else, no name or location of the call," he said. "It is extremely frustrating to receive a 911 call from someone using a cell phone who is needing help and being unable to get them the help they need in a timely manner because their location is unknown. This leads to the dispatcher asking, for example, 'What's your name? What is the problem?' and, more importantly, "What is your location?'
"This takes up time that could be spent getting the appropriate personnel to the scene."
The upgraded system should change that and allow operators to know almost exactly from where a call originates, Smith said.
The council approved spending $190,000 for 911 upgrades, while at the same time approving an additional $23,000 to be used if the current 911 recorder is not compatible with the new equipment.
"Will this bring everything up to standard?" asked Councilor Randy Mouser.
"Yes," Smith replied.
Even so, the 50-cent per phone charge, coupled with the landline charges for the 911 system, will barely cover expenses, Smith said.
In 2010 Haskell County voters approved a charge on cell phones to support the 911 system, but the charge doesn't generate as much as officials had hoped. In part, that's because the charge doesn't apply to "pay as you go" phones, or those for which a person buys minutes, but it's also because the cell phone charge is paid to wherever the telephone number originates. For example, if you have a phone service out of Eufaula, the money from the charge goes to McIntosh, rather than Haskell, County.
"There just aren't as many landlines as there were 10 years ago," Smith noted. "The money from that charge is way down. Now everyone is going to cell phones, and a lot of people don't use the regular cell phone services."
Healthy Living Expo this Friday
By Karen West Sanchez
Staff Writer
Free blood pressure checks, free hot dogs and lots of free goodies.
Where can you find this? At the Healthy Living Expo hosted by the Stigler Health & Wellness Center in conjunction with Sans Bois Health Services and OSU Extension office. The event will be held on the courthouse lawn May 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There will be live entertainment at the gazebo, featuring The Matthews Brothers, who will perform at 9:15 a.m., 10:20 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.; the Glam All-Stars at 10 a.m.; and the Diva All-Stars at 11 a.m. Bring your lawn chairs and sit and enjoy the entertainment.
Door prizes will be awarded to those who register.
Several of the home health agencies will offer free blood pressure checks; HALT will be on-hand to offer tobacco cessation literature; free massages will be offered by Sharon Johnson Massage; the Haskell County 4-H will host a Healthy Community Scavenger Hunt; Sans Bois Health Services will be providing free hot dogs; and Hoover Drug will be popping lots and lots of popcorn.
Bring your children along, as there will be plenty of giveaways for them as well.(more on this story in this week's Stigler News Sentinel)
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