UPCOMING Hot start lifts EVENTS SE to big win Today at UAM The 37th Annual Bennington Young SPORTS 14 Farmers Barbecue will be today at the Harold Chitwood Community Center in Bennington from 5-8 p.m. with a pie, cake and other items Auctioned off starting at 6 p.m. There will DurantDemocrat be to-go orders. The event will benefit the youth of Bennington 4-H and FFA who are participating in the Bryan County Junior Livestock Show. For more information, eekend call 847-2310 Ext 276. $ The local show will WDURANTDEMOCRAT.COM SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019 1.50 be Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. at the Ag Building. The barbecue is sponsored By Albany Masonic Calera businesses to receive help Lodge #159. Jan. 25 BY MATT SWEARENGIN nalized intersections and a rail Barbara Bon- ner-Stephens, The Durant Choctaw crossing, which create congestion [email protected] regional director Seniors and serious safety concerns. The are having an for Southeastern Several organizations have band- Indian taco sale from grant will pay to upgrade US-69/75 Oklahoma Small ed together to assist Calera when 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. to a controlled-access highway with Business Devel- Friday, Jan. 25 at the construction begins on the high- overpasses and frontage roads, as opment Center, Choctaw Community way project through town later this well as improvements to rail cross- is shown making Center, 2746 Big Lots year. ings. a presentation Parkway. For pick-up In July 2016, Oklahoma was However, road construction Thursday at orders, call 924-7810or awarded a $62 million FAST LANE projects can cause problems for the Calera 924-7811 beginning at grant to upgrade Highway 69/75 in businesses because access can be Town Council 8 a.m.. Cost is $6-$7 Calera to Durant. reduced, so the Oklahoma Small meeting. Several dollars and includes According to ODOT, the grant, Business Development Center, Du- organizations have joined drink and dessert. awarded by the U.S. Department rant Area Chamber of Commerce, together to help Feb. 2 of Transportation, will improve REI Women’s Business Center, and safety and efficiency on the US- Calera business- Calera Fire - Rescue Choctaw Nation Small Business es during the 69/75 corridor along approximately will hold its 44th Development Services have part- highway con- four miles from Chickasaw Road Annual Chili & Stew nered to develop a plan of action to struction project Dinner from 11 a.m. in Calera to US-70 in Durant. This assist Calera-area businesses that set to begin this to 7 p.m. in the Calera segment currently has numerous year. SEE CALERA, PAGE 2 High School Cafeteria access points, including three sig- Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat at Third and Ryan. The event will feature all-you-can eat chili, stew, cornbread, NWH supports #MyDurant desesert and a drink Fallin touts for only $5. Children younger than 4 eat free. There will also be an silent auction with new Durant bidding open until 6 p.m. auction items can be picked up that night. All proceeds facility go the the Calera Fire-Rescue scholar- ship and public safety Outgoing governor fund. Ongoing commends corporate, Soup Kitchen on the second Saturday of local officials for deal each month sponsored by the Light of Hope STAFF REPORT Shelter at Our Savior Lutheran Church, OKLAHOMA CITY – Outgoing Gover- 1524 W. Main, Du- nor Mary Fallin expressed appreciation to rant, across from the the HWH Group for its decision to select library. The kitchen Durant as the site for Salem Tube’s North will be open from 1 American headquarters and advanced p.m. to 3 p.m. for any- Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat manufacturing facility. one who needs a hot “This investment by Salem Tube is NWH students and staff are shown walking back to the school building after posing for a #MyDurant meal. All are welcome. great news for our state, and also the latest photo at the school’s new sign. Clothes Closet First proof of our continued efforts to diversify Baptist Church hosts Northwest Heights and grow manufacturing jobs throughout a free clothes closet Oklahoma,” said Fallin for anyone in need of students and faculty showed The Durant City Council has approved clothing. The closet their support for a Tax Increment Finance District for the features, shoes, coats #MyDurant on project. Paul Buntz, interim director for and other types of Wednesday by the Durant Industrial Authority, said clean, serviceable wearing T-shirts dirt work has already begun on the site clothing. The closet and posing in front at Country Club Road, State Highway 78, is at 217 N. 2nd St. in of the school sign. and the Highway 70 Bypass. It is within Producers of the the Durant city limits and the Calera In- SEE EVENTS, PAGE 2 online television dependent School District. show “Small Busi- The plant will contain approximately ness Revolution – 150,000 square feet of high-tech, preci- Main Street,” will be sion manufacturing space with corporate in Durant next week headquarters office space. INDEX and a reception Robbie Ruminer, HWH Group pres- for them will be ident, said: “Salem Tube is on-shoring OBITUARIES, 2 held from 6-7:30 manufacturing operations to the U.S. The p.m. Tuesday at the FORUM, 3 project combines 140 high-quality, accessi- SE Student Union ble manufacturing jobs and Salem Tube’s COMICS, 4 and a community North American headquarters with man- PUZZLES, 5 welcome rally is set for 5:30 p.m. agerial positions.” CLASSIFIEDS, 5-7 Salem Tube, a Tubacex Group compa- ny, is a global manufacturer of high-pre- RELIGION, 12 cision stainless steel tubing and nickel SPORTS, 14 Fairways, flyways grow in popularity alloy tubes. Tubacex is headquartered in Llodio, Spain, and has industrial facil- BIBLE ities and a broad network of sales offices 18-hole disc golf spread around the world. It exports to QUOTE course plannned more than 100 countries worldwide with a He has shown you, O total global workforce of about 1,800 em- ployees. mortal, what is good. for Lake Durant Craig Hughes, HWH Group vice pres- And what does the Lord ident of real estate and development ser- require of you? To act BY MICHAEL CLEMENTS [email protected] justly and to love mercy SEE FACILITY, PAGE 2 and to walk humbly with It’s a game that consists of your God. throwing a disc into a bucket. Micah 6:8 NIV It’s called disc golf and it ap- pears to be one of the fastest growing sports in the coun- try. Photo provided “Everybody can play,” said This is a typical disc golf target. Durant Trails and Open Space and the city of Durant will install an 18-hole disc golf course at Lake ISSUE 390 Mike Delloro, a loan officer at Durant. VOLUME 142 Vision Bank, active member of Durant Trails and Open course at Lake Durant. The they asked of the city is help Space and an avid disc golfer. pair, and other members of installing the equipment and Delloro, and James Bishop, DTOS, were excited when the regular maintenance once made a presentation to the city signed onto the project. the course is in. Durant City Council at its Delloro said the course will Marty Cook, Durant’s pub- The Salem Tubing facility will be situated on RAYSTONE regular meeting last week to GMedia Group, LLC cost about $18,000, which his this parcel just outside Durant. Durant Democrat, Calera News, Kingston Chronicle push for an 18-hole disc golf organization will raise. All SEE POPULARITY, PAGE 2 2 • NEWS/OBITUARIES SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019 • DURANT DEMOCRAT FACILITY “HWH was able to gen- federal program which POPULARITY members of the Durant can attract profession- erate broad support for offers tax incentives to League, but Delloro said al tournaments to the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the project and was able businesses that invest up to 250 casual players area. to negotiate and secure in rural or economically also use the course. “The 18-hole course vices, conducted a a substantial incentive distressed areas. lic works director, told According to Delloro, will be open to all levels, 12-state site search along package that included “Our volunteer advi- the council the plan the appeal of the game but there’s going to be a the Gulf Coast from the creation of a Tax In- sory board, governing doesn’t call for the city is its simplicity and low professional level feel,” New Mexico to North crement Financing dis- board, staff, and man- to do much more than cost. The average disc Delloro said. Carolina. More than trict. The Oklahoma De- agement have worked it is already doing at the costs less than $15 and He said there are 250 sites were evaluat- partment of Commerce hard to provide NMTC lake. The council unan- the rules of the game are courses in north Texas ed, including 67 existing working in conjunction financing in rural Okla- imously approved the simple. The players start and in cities north of manufacturing facilities with the local Durant homa,” said Scott De- project. at a tee box and throw Durant. By placing the over a 12-month process. officials put together a wald, REI Oklahoma Delloro said the city the disc down the course larger course at Lake “It was a very com- very compelling pack- president and chief isn’t signing onto an toward a target. The tar- Durant, the local league petitive process with a age that made the dif- executive officer.