MID-WEEK EDITION MIAMIOK.COM Have a great day! CHARGERS BEAT Thanks for supporting your local paper! PLAYOFF-BOUND KC SPORTS, PAGE A10 6 54708 11050 1 MIAMI NEWS-RECORD Serving Miami and the surrounding communities since 1903. Tuesday, January 5, 2021 | Vol. 117 No. 2 | $1.00 The American Frontier Pulitzer Prize Centennial Series offered virtually here Staff reports [email protected] MIAMI — Participate in a book discussion with other community mem- bers from the comfort of your own home. “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma” (LTAIO) offers more than your aver- age book club for adults. With the added benefit of a humanities scholar to inform and broaden dis- cussions, participants are able to explore the human experience through lit- A series consists of 4-5 books in this series all Books, theme materials, erature in meaningful and sessions, each featuring deals with a significant and services for this series thought-provoking ways. a book from the chosen element of settling the are provided by “Let’s Books are now available at discussion theme. A region west of the Appa- Talk About It, Oklahoma,” COURTESY PHOTO Culinary Arts students at the Afton Northeast the Miami Public Library humanities scholar opens lachian Mountains. Each a project of Oklahoma Technology Center display their finished projects for participants to check each session telling about of the books describes Humanities with funding before the Christmas break. out. Discussions will the author’s life, giving a time period crucial to from the National Endow- take place through Zoom historical context to the expansion, and all of the ment for the Humanities. beginning on Jan 21. book, sharing its con- narratives include the role Funding for this series “A great benefit that temporary relevance, and of the individual in this is provided by grants from NTC Afton to resume classes participants enjoy is explaining how the book process. the Inasmuch Founda- meeting with community ties into the overarching Community members tion and the Kirkpatrick members of different theme. Participants then are invited to register at Family Fund. Any views, amid pandemic restrictions beliefs and backgrounds discuss their own thoughts the front desk and get a findings, conclusions, to discuss their various about the book. copy of the first book. or recommendations Carla Nielsen When not attending in individual viewpoints. Starting in January, the After you register, the expressed in these pro- [email protected] person, instruction will be The discussions are always Miami Public Library is Zoom link will be emailed grams do not necessarily delivered online. lively,” said Marcia John- offering the series “The to you. represent those of OH or AFTON – With “We are excited to son, Director of Library, America Frontier.” Each monthly discus- NEH. COVID-19 numbers on welcome students back to Arts & Culture for the The five Pulitzer Prize- sion will take place at the rise in Ottawa County, our campuses and look City of Miami. nominated or winning 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. SEE FRONTIER, A3 staff and students at the forward to continuing to Northeast Technology prepare them for success Center campus in Afton in the workforce,” NTC prepare to head back to Director of Communica- school amid ongoing rules tions Cassie Woods said. Sales tax collections to and restrictions. One of the two original NTC classes resumed campuses that opened in in-person instruction on 1973, NTC Afton has been Monday, Jan. 4, under the serving Ottawa, Craig continue to climb in Miami hybrid A/B schedule, an and Delaware counties for adaptable approach that more than 40 years and Jim Ellis October 16th to 31st can fit a variety of school maintains a total enroll- [email protected] and estimated sales from needs where students ment of approximately November 1st to Novem- attend school in person for 500, consisting of adult MIAMI — The “Love ber 15th. a portion of the week and students as well as high Local” initiative is paying Collections for Novem- the remainder remotely. school juniors and seniors dividends for Miami. ber 2020 were $630,953.66 In order to maintain from Miami, Quapaw, Sales tax collections for compared to $535,534.80 the recommended social Commerce, Afton, December 2020 show an for November 2019. distancing protocols, NTC Fairland, Wyandotte, uptick compared to a year Fairland ($1,328.72), students and staff will Bluejacket, Welch, Vinita, ago. North Miami ($5.871.43), begin the new year on a Grove, Jay and Ketchum. Collections for Decem- Peoria ($23.77), Quapaw modified schedule and will “We will be taking ber 2020 are $578,218.93 support Miami in the Companies that remit ($1,729.56) and Wyan- attend in rotations, with all precautions to social while the December midst of COVID-19. more than $2,500 monthly dotte ($2,453.90) all half of the students attend- distance, keep classes 2019 collections were Those numbers repre- in sales tax receipts are showed increases for the ing in person on Mondays separate, and require $543,732.92. sent sales tax receipts from required to file and pay most recent reporting and Tuesdays, and the masks on our campuses, “Love Local,” which October business from electronically. period. other half attending in and are optimistic that kicked off in October, is Oct. 16-31 and estimated The monies reported person on Thursdays and a way for Miamians to sales from Nov. 1-15. this period are sales from SEE TAX, A3 Fridays. SEE CLASSES, A3 ‘She wanted to make a difference’ COVID claims three days after Christmas. That day, following a doctor’s Services Bluejacket teacher, appointment, Jennifer’s husband Services for Jennifer Cunningham will Wes Cunningham dropped her take place at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6, Grove resident off at the Integris Grove Hospital 2021, in the old gym at Bluejacket High emergency room for testing to School where she played basketball, determine how the double pneu- including the year the team finished as Kaylea Hutson-Miller state runner-up. Those in attendance [email protected] monia — one of the effects of the are asked to wear masks and adhere to virus — was progressing. social distancing standards. GROVE — What began as a “It was the worst feeling to have to In lieu of flowers, family members self-quarantine for Bluejacket set in a car outside and not be able have asked memorials to go to a High School English teacher Jenni- to be in the room with her,” Wes GoFundMe account to help Wes and the girls at https://gofund.me/9c1642d5. fer Cunningham after an exposure said. “You are absolutely helpless.” COURTESY WES CUNNINGHAM Services are under the direction of Jennifer and Wes Cunningham with their daughters on Dec. 4, progressed into a life- Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home, Grove. Annaliese, 11, and Victoria, 17. threatening bout of COVID-19 SEE CUNNINGHAM, A2 Follow The Hunting Miami News-Record permits on Facebook at 23 N MAIN ST MIAMI OK 74354 facebook.com/ (918) 542-2413 • GOFORTHJEWELRY. COM Find us on Facebook and Twitter miamioknews MI-00091650 A2 | TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021 miamiok.com THE MIAMI NEWS-RECORD NEWS Stitt’s staff discussed plan to reopen schools based on mask mandate Ben Felder help, they are going to have Walters, Stitt’s secretary of school buildings as the The Frontier to join in with pressure (on of education, said ordering pandemic first arrived in local school boards).” an in-person option and Oklahoma. OKLAHOMA CITY Hofmeister has said the a mask mandate were key But this school year the — Gov. Kevin Stitt wants best way to reopen school parts of the discussion from board has largely left indi- all schools to reopen for buildings is to enforce a the beginning. vidual school districts to in-person learning next statewide mask mandate, “Those were two things decide how to respond. month. State Superinten- or at least require one for that were always part of The result has been a dent Joy Hofmeister wants students, teachers and all the discussion … but there patchwork of some schools a mask mandate in all school staff, a move the wasn’t a hard deal there,” conducting in-person learn- school facilities. governor and a majority Walters told The Frontier. ing, while others are holding Earlier this month, staff of his appointments to the Both Walters and Hof- class entirely online. for each hashed out a state Board of Education meister said discussions on Stitt believes the incon- proposed order that would have rejected. a possible order could be sistent response is creating have done both but was But after nearly a week of Gov. Kevin Stitt visited with Guymon Public Schools renewed. an academic disparity. ultimately rejected by the conversation between state Superintendent Angela Rhoades (left) during a visit “We all want schools to “I’ve heard from so governor a day before the education officials and the in September. be able to open as soon many parents, students state Board of Education governor’s staff, a proposed as they can do so safely,” and teachers about how could vote on it, according order was drafted and The next day the gover- by Stitt, could take up the Hofmeister said. “But it is hard this year has been,” to multiple sources and shared with the governor’s nor’s office informed the issue without the governor’s paramount that we have Stitt said. “Many kids have documents obtained by office that, if approved by Department of Educa- approval. safeguards in place and had the option of being The Frontier. the state board, would have tion that Stitt was not on But Hofmeister said she mask-wearing is a bedrock in person for school and I “We just didn’t get required all school dis- board with the proposal, wouldn’t present the pro- safety measure.” believe all children deserve there,” Hofmeister told The tricts to offer an in-person according to three people posal to the board without At a December news that same opportunity.” Frontier.