Earlier this week, the Guymon Planning and Zoning Commission moved forward with the public hearing for a lot in the Joyce Addition of Guymon. The section of land listed is off of U.S. Highway 54. The lot rests behind Margarita’s Steakhouse and Best Western Inn. Part of the plans for the project includes continuation of Sixth Street headed east.
Community Development Manager Doug Moore was at the meeting, where he presented maps, photos and an explanation to commission members on the site proposed for the construction of a new Hampton Inn.
Be sure to grab today's paper for full details on this story.

The Texas County commissioners discussed further matters as work progresses at Memorial Hospital of Texas County Monday morning during their regular meeting. Part of the work still in question includes a lease agreement between the county, the hospital trust authority and Little River Healthcare (LRHC).
The county has met its contractual obligation for matching $500,000. The funding matches the $500,000 LRHC paid into the agreement upon completion of the management contract with the company.
Currently, the expectation is that Little River will work toward ensuring the hospital repays the funding granted by the county once the hospital is returned to a state of profitability.
For more details on the meeting, including other items on the agenda, grab today's paper.

Since the beginning of the school year, talk has gone on about the Guymon Public Schools dress code. Specifically, claims have been made that the code is too subjective and targets girls unfairly. Since then, a committee has been formed to review the current dress code, discuss concerns parents and students have, and create a proposal on what changes can be made to create a less subjective code for students.
On Monday evening, a report was presented to the Board of Education on what changes and suggestions they came up with during deliberations. Board President Mike Ray is also a member of the committee.
Guymon High School junior Candace Booth, another committee member, was at the meeting to present the suggested changes to the board.
"We just wanted to come up with something we felt wasn't so subjective at all," Booth said.
The draft presented offered recommendations for upper and lower garments, outerwear, jewelry, tattoos, hair and general rules.
To learn the full details on dress code recommendations, be sure to grab today's paper.

An Oklahoma City man died Thursday morning during a one-vehicle wreck that led to his vehicle catching on fire and the man being pinned in his vehicle in Beaver County, said Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Jacob L. Leonard, 42, was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck. No other injuries were reported.
About 2:15 a.m., Leonard was traveling eastbound in a tractor-trailer on U.S. Highway 270 about three miles west of Slapout in Beaver County.
For an unknown reason, the tractor-trailer crossed the center line and departed the roadway to the left, OHP said. The vehicle struck the guard rail and traveled the length of the guard rail before striking a bridge barrier, causing the vehicle to catch fire.
The tractor-trailer continued traveling east on the bridge barrier and fell to the ground, landing on the driver’s side.
OHP said Leonard was pinned in the vehicle. Slapout Rescue used the Jaws of Life to extricate Leonard, OHP said.
Leonard’s body was transported by Clark Funeral Home to the medical examiner’s office in Oklahoma City.
OHPS said the cause of the collision is pending investigation.

Guymon’s weekend schedule is full of music and sharing the meaning of Christmas. Local churches are spreading Christmas cheer with heartwarming music.
• Guymon Nazarene Church, located at 24th and Sunset, is having a Christmas story and song event called “More than a story.” The event is Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and an infant nursery is provided.
• Lifeway Christian Center will be presenting He Shall Be Called, celebrating the name of Jesus Christ this Christmas. Performance times are Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Lifeway Christian Center, located at 621 N. Quinn St. in Guymon. Admission is free.
• Victory Memorial United Methodist Chancel Choir is presenting “Were You There on That Christmas Night?” The Christmas musical is by Lloyd Larson.The service starts at the 10:50 a.m. morning service on Sunday.
• The First Baptist Church of Guymon will be presenting their annual Christmas Concert this weekend and would like to warmly invite you and your family to join us.  The choir will be presenting a mixture of new and familiar songs, including a moment where we will all sing some well-loved carols together.
There will be a quartet involving Garlan Flanagan, Rick French, Brent Bauer and Jerry Lunsford, as well as a trio featuring Ginger Lewis, Linda Lunsford, and Lisa Flanagan. There will also be a duet with Guy Langham and Dorrie Test, and solos by Erica Wiebe and Travis Hathcote. The program will end with the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus.
Again, First Baptist hopes you can make plans to help celebrate God’s unspeakable gift to us in His Son, Jesus. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, and Sunday night, Dec. 18. The church is located at 2201 N. Lelia St.  First Baptist looks forward to seeing you.
There’s plenty going on. So, go out this weekend and get in the holiday spirit by visiting one of these musical events.

Firefighters battled a large grass fire Friday afternoon and evening in Texas County. No injuries were reported.
Guymon Fire Department said in a news release that fire units from Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas worked the fire that was located at Optima Lake Refuge area, including the river going into the Optima Lake bottom.
GFD also said firefighters battled the fire starting around 2:30 p.m. Friday. Some fire units were released from the scene of the fire at 9:30 p.m. while other firefighters remained on scene of the grass fire throughout the night.
The cause of the fire is unknown and the total damage results are not available at this time.
GFD said fire officials will release more information today.

Notice has gone out via the City of Guymon website at guymonok.org notifying residents that the Guymon Public Library and Arts Center is closed until further notice due to flooding.

We will update as more information becomes available.

The north Pizza Hut in Guymon has closed as of Dec. 13 with a notice on the front door stating, “This store will be closed for a complete rebuild. We will be reopening at a later date,” and encouraging patrons to visit the south restaurant at First Street and Highway 54. In September, the Guymon Board of Adjustments granted a variation on the property to allow a new building to be built closer to the road. The new build is expected to include clearance for customer parking and a drive-through that allows customers to go around the building, as well as give space for delivery trucks to pass behind. Once the rebuild and reopening takes place, the south location is expected to be shut down.
(Staff photo/April Coble)

Saturday marks New Year's Eve! We hope everyone is prepared to stay up to celebrate the departure of 2016 and the arrival of 2017!
The Pop A Top Lounge is hosting a party for the adults on New Year's Eve, with live music and fun! The lounge is at 417 Village Shopping Center in Guymon, and is a great place to meet with friends for a great time.

With a great honor, January will mark 30 years of service completed by Bob Roberts as funeral director at Bunch - Roberts - Funeral Home.
His entire life has consisted of being involved in funeral homes, raising a family and comforting families who are going through the process of having lost a loved one. Bunch - Roberts Funeral Home shows they have wrote over 700 obituaries, meaning the funeral home has consulted that many families.
“It’s a commitment to the service,” Roberts said. “Taking care of the family members that are loved by so many - I think it’s certainly a business of service.”

As assessments and reviews on the request from the Shawnee tribe to place a piece of land outside of the Guymon city limits into a federal trust move forward, meetings continue to be scheduled to address the various facets involved in the process.
One of the items to be addressed is an environmental assessment of the proposed site. An assessment has been released by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. With that assessment, a public meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Texas County Activity Center, located at the corner of Fifth Street and Sunset Lane in Guymon.

Governor Mary Fallin along with legislative leaders today announced that Oklahoma has received an extension through June 6, 2017, to meet the requirements in the REAL ID Act. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that failure for the state to act during the 2017 legislative session on legislation committing Oklahoma to all the REAL ID requirements could result in the denial of future extension requests.

Without the extension, federal agencies later this month would have been prohibited from accepting Oklahoma driver's licenses and identification cards, meaning those without identification that complies with the REAL ID Act won't be able to enter a federal building, military base or courthouse. REAL ID enforcement for boarding commercial aircraft is scheduled to begin Jan. 22, 2018.

The letter states that “for the duration of this extension, federal agencies may accept Oklahoma-issued drivers’ licenses and identification cards for official purposes in accordance with the phased enforcement schedule and existing agency policies.”

“Although this is great news for Oklahomans, this is only a temporary fix,” said Fallin. “While there will be no restrictions on individuals using Oklahoma licenses to fly or access federal buildings through June, legislation must be approved this session to make this permanent. I will continue to work with legislators, the state Department of Public Safety, Oklahoma’s congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure a permanent solution is passed into law before this extension expires in June.”

Identical letters sent to Fallin and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz and House Speaker Charles McCall state that DHS “recognizes Oklahoma’s efforts in enhancing the security of its driver’s licenses and identification cards” and granted the extension “indicating the plans of your administration and state legislative leaders to move forward on a legislative solution and their expectation that a vote will occur in the 2017 legislative session. This extension is intended to provide Oklahoma with the opportunity to take any necessary steps needed to meet all the requirements of the REAL ID Act and implementing regulation.”

“I’m pleased Oklahoma has been granted an extension by the Department of Homeland Security,” Schulz said. “DHS recognized Oklahoma’s sincere efforts to resolve issues in complying with the federal REAL ID law. This is an important issue for the thousands of Oklahomans whose livelihoods depend upon access to federal buildings and military installations, and it is an issue of convenience in regards to airline travel. There’s still more work to do to solve this issue permanently, but addressing REAL ID compliance will remain a high priority when the Legislature convenes in a few weeks.”

McCall said: “I am very pleased that the federal government is giving us additional time to develop a legislative solution to this issue. This extension will allow our citizens to continue to interact with our federal entities without interruption. House Republicans are committed to a solution that will bring Oklahoma into compliance with the Real ID Act while also protecting the privacy and liberty of our citizens.”

Fallin, Schulz and McCall wrote a letter last month to DHS requesting the extension.

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to make driver's licenses harder to forge. Oklahoma legislators in 2007 passed a bill forbidding the state from meeting provisions of the act.

From Oklahoma Panhandle State University: In the event that our area continues to experience weather conditions that may become unsafe, your immediate safety is our concern. Therefore, the Administration has decided that OPSU will be closed today, Thursday, January 5th at 3:30 pm and reopen Friday, January 6th in an effort to exercise caution for travels. If we close or delay opening Friday due to bad weather it will be posted to the OPSU website. If you are ever unsure, feel threatened or concerned for your safety, stay home.
For further information, please see the OPSU website.

School closures for Jan. 6, 2017:

- Goodwell Schools
- Guymon Schools
- Hardesty Schools
- Northridge Christian School
- Oklahoma Panhandle State University
- Optima Schools
- Straight Elementary
- Texhoma Schools
- Turpin Schools
- Tyrone Public Schools
- Yarbrough Schools

This list will update as we get more closures, delays or early closings.

A message to the future or a glimpse into the past; time capsules are a way to preserve history posterity will be able to delve into and get an idea on where their foundations lie. It is a kind of way to touch the hands and lives of those we may never get a chance to meet, or bring both an older and younger generation together to share in the stories of times past.
Recently, Guymon Principal Loire Aubrey was clued into the opportunity to be part of something to do just that.
A time capsule placed at Carrier School in the 1960s will be unraveled later this January.
Aubrey said an individual from a band that played during the placement of the time capsule 50 years ago recently contacted her and asked her about the time capsule.
Although Aubrey didn’t know anything about a capsule, she took time to look into it.
There’s a time capsule, and it is still where it was placed those many years ago. Now the preschoolers, teachers, staff and the community have a chance to open the capsule to take a look inside on what those who came before them felt was important to pass on to future generations.
Not only is Aubrey organizing the event to open the time capsule, she is also seeking to have former students and members of the band that played when it was set into place to be in attendance at the opening.
The capsule was placed on Nov. 4, 1966. While the school was not able to open it on the anniversary of its placement, it will take on the momentous occasion this month with a special ceremony.
The time capsule opening will take place at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 at Carrier School, located at 103 N. Perkins in Guymon. The community is encouraged to take part on this momentous occasion bringing the past and present together in a single place.
For more information, contact Loire Aubrey at loire.aubrey@guymontigers.com or call (580)338-0420 or (580)338-0460.

Current weather forecasts are very similar to last week’s with 70% to 90% chance of snow and freezing precipitation for Friday through Sunday.

Drivers should take usual precautions for safe travels. The safest way to be safe is to not go out unless necessary. If you have to get out, higher traffic roads will clear faster than side streets and low volume residential roads. If you have to get out, be sure to travel at a lower speed, start stopping sooner and give the surrounding vehicles more space and room in case either vehicle starts to slide.

Defensive driving techniques are necessary in bad weather. Allowing more time to reach your destination will help as well.

The city street department will monitor conditions and take necessary precautions to help insure the safety of the public. With over 80 miles of paved roads in Guymon, there is no economical way to de-ice all of the roads. The roads function as a drainage structure for water that leaves private property. As the roads are sanded with a mixture of salt added in specific sections, more water is entering the roadway and refreezes overnight. Thoroughfares are sanded/salted to ensure that emergency vehicles have ways to travel safely around the city. Areas around schools, high traffic intersections and areas with severe slopes prone to icing are given higher priority. Refreeze of snow melt can cause a more dangerous situation than when it first falls. Refreezes often result in “Black Ice” which is just ice that freezes clear looking black due to the asphalt color beneath. This gives the driver the illusion of a safe road when in fact it is extremely slick.

The City of Guymon wants everyone to be safe and hopes that these tips can help you get home safely to your families. Leave earlier, drive slower and give extra room to pedestrians and vehicles to help ensure you have done your part as well.

A sounding of jury docket hearing took place at the Texas County Courthouse in the case of Claire Louise Torres Monday morning, with the defense moving to opt for a bench trial.
In the event of a bench trial, a judge is the sole finder of fact, rather than a jury in a jury trial.
Last year, Torres was accused of allegedly engaging in sexual contact with a minor, initiating contact through the social media app Snapchat. The victim was said to be 16 years old at the time.
Torres entered a not guilty plea in August, and has received a $100,000 bond with the condition that she has no contact with any males under the age of 18. She was also required to surrender her passport to the court clerk.
Torres faces five counts of rape in the second degree and 20 counts of indecent exposure.
A status hearing for a bench trial will take place on May 10 at 2 p.m.

Tonight, Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE) will be hosting a POE conversations meeting to allow educators and legislators time to discuss the obstacles faced in education in the state. The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at North Park Elementary School in Guymon, located at 1400 N. Crumley St.

Oklahoma schools and educators have faced much uncertainty in recent years, including budget shortfalls, teacher pay and shortages, A to F grading for schools, and other issues. These problems have created tension between teachers, administrators, parents and legislators.

POE states the first step in addressing these issues is to start with establishing common ground between these groups with open conversations about the problems faced in Oklahoma's public education. With this in mind, POE has started a statewide initiative called 'POE Conversations'.

State Senator Bryce Marlatt and State Representative Casey Murdock are expected to be in attendance with a POE government relations team. Light refreshments will be provided. Educators, parents and public officials are invited to attend this event.

The Professional Oklahoma Educators' website states the organization "serves the needs of teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, college and university education majors, retired educators and all public education employees in Oklahoma and fights for schools and public education on the state and national levels."

POE was founded in 1988 by educators and supporters, providing liability insurance and legal protection at an affordable cost. It is a non-profit professional organization governed by a board of directors consisting of teachers, retired educators and business leaders.

More information about POE and its functions can be found online at professionaloklahomaeducators.org, can be contacted by phone at (405)872- 3175 or toll-free at (888)331-2763. The POE offices can also be contacted by mail at P.O. Box 639, Noble, OK 73068.

The Guymon Chamber of Commerce has released a statement on a company stating to be affiliated with the chamber to sell advertising on tote bags.

"In the past, we have worked with this company, but since have had several issues - one being that they did not deliver as promised," Director Jada Breeden wrote.

The company did not deliver the product promised after months of calls in attempts to resolve the issue. The public and businesses are advised that Totes To Go is not affiliated with the Guymon Chamber of Commerce.

"I hope that this (warning) will help our local businesses from being taken advantage of by companies that misrepresent themselves and the chamber," Breeden concluded.

A Totes To Go listing on the Better Business Bureau website shows the business is not accredited with the bureau, but has a high number of negative reviews on its business practices.

If you are concerned about claims of affiliation with any business or organization, check directly with those groups to verify the information.

The Guymon Chamber of Commerce can be contacted at (580)338-3376 or jada@guymonokchamber.com.

The Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma can be contacted at (405)239-6081 or info@oklahomacity.bbb.org.