National CHICKEN DANCE DAY was a lot of fun with these guys!!! Check out the video made by a person driving by the festivities!! It's HIlarious!! Thanks to everyone who came out and did some chiken dancing with us, HOT 93.7 and KGFY Cowboy Country 105.5!  Check the vid out at www.facebook.com/thehot93.7 

LOCAL AND AREA NEWS

PAWNEE HIGH SCHOOL COACH RESIGNS AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION

The Pawnee Public School District board has accepted the resignation of a teacher who was apparently at the center of sexual misconduct allegations.

Jeff Tatum was the head girls’ basketball coach, a golf coach and a middle school and high school teacher at Pawnee since 2007.

His resignation was submitted to the school board a little over two weeks ago, the district said.

In March, school officials received a tip accusing Tatum of sexual misconduct. The district hasn't named the tipster, and it won’t comment on the nature of the alleged misconduct or when it took place.

A source within the school district told News On 6 last month that the female student involved has since graduated.

Tatum was suspended for 10 days at the end of March. At the superintendent’s recommendation, he was stripped of his coaching duties at an April 9 special meeting. The board also set a May due-process hearing to discuss Tatum’s future as a teacher, which is required by law. The hearing was scheduled to take place on Thursday, but since Tatum submitted his resignation beforehand, it became unnecessary.

The OSBI said it is still investigating allegations of sexual misconduct between a teacher and a student within Pawnee schools, but investigators have not confirmed Tatum is the focus of that investigation.

Prosecutors in Pawnee County said charges haven’t been filed against anyone at this time.

TURNER TURNPIKE REPAIRS COMING IN LINCOLN COUNTY

Emergency repairs are expected to begin later this month on a Turner Turnpike bridge in Lincoln County.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority declared an emergency Thursday and approved a $528,858 contract to Gibson & Associates to repair Oak Road bridge over the eastbound lanes of the Turner Turnpike.

An oversize tractor-trailer struck the bridge, agency spokesman Jack Damrill said. Turnpike motorists are not affected by the damage, but the bridge was closed to motorists after the damaged section was declared unsafe to carry traffic loads.

Work should begin later this month, with the contract calling for the work to be done in 36 days, Damrill said. The work will consist of removing and replacing the portions of the damaged exterior beams over the eastbound lanes of the turnpike.

GUTHRIE AREA WRECK RESULTS IN ARREST

A man was arrested on complaints of drunken driving and child endangerment after a crash that hospitalized him and his son Wednesday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

About 3:15 p.m., John Withers, 35, of Guthrie, was driving a pickup west on State Highway 105 in Logan County when he hit a tractor-trailer head-on, the patrol reported. Withers and his 5-year-old son, Wyatt Withers, were taken to OU Medical Center, according to the report.

The boy, who was properly restrained in a child safety seat, was in good condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said. She did not release information about Withers, but the patrol reported he was in critical condition. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Curtis Strickland, 52, of Covington, was treated for arm and hand injuries and was released.

A-F GRADE SYSTEM REVIEWED THURSDAY IN OKLAHOMA HOUSE

The Oklahoma House of Representatives addressed the controversial A-F school grading formula Thursday.

By a count of 55-36, the House adopted revisions to the A-F formula that Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, the author of House Bill 1658, said will reflect more fairly and accurately schools' year-to-year performance.

Denney acknowledged that The Organization of Rural Oklahoma Schools doesn't like the technical changes made by HB 1658, either, and that Oklahoma State School Boards Association and the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration has not endorsed it.

The most common complaints against the A-F grading system involved a methodology that critics said gave disproportionate weight to low-performing students and was biased in favor of wealthier districts.

A study by researchers from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University were sharply critical of the way school grades were determined.

Denney said HB 1658 was written by legislators with education backgrounds and members of Gov. Mary Fallin's administration with input from educators. She said the OU-OSU report was taken into consideration but that the researchers were not consulted.

Eleven Republicans, including Ken Walker and Katie Henke of Tulsa, joined 25 Democrats in opposition. Only one Democrat, Rebecca Hamilton of Oklahoma City, voted for the bill, which now goes to the Senate.

OSU STUDENTS NOW HAVE PLACE TO GET RID OF LARGE TRASH ITEMS

As students are moving out for the summer, the City of Stillwater Waste Management division will be collecting large trash items at the Convenience Collection Center, 807 S. Perkins Rd. from now to June 28.

Students with a valid OSU student ID will be able to dispose of items free of charge during this time. The following items will be accepted:

• Furniture
• Appliances
• Mattresses
• Computers
• Televisions
• Stereos

"This collection event really helps the students to get rid of bulky items that they may not be able to pack with them as they return home for summer vacation," Waste Management Manager Chris Knight said.

For more information, contact Knight at (405) 533-8453.

"LOCK IT OR LOSE IT" PROGRAM STARTING IN STILLWATER

The School of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Oklahoma has partnered with the City of Stillwater Police Department, Oklahoma State University Police Department, and the Payne County District Attorney to reduce the loss of valuable property resulting from auto burglary in Stillwater.

Through a grant obtained by Dr. DeWade Langley and Dr. Don Mizell of UCO's School of Criminal Justice, and utilizing a sophisticated computer program known as Automated Tactical Analysis of Crime (ATAC), analysis was completed and a campaign developed to address this growing crime problem. This campaign is intended to help target a number of crime hotspots that are experiencing a high incidence of auto burglary.

Stillwater and the adjoining campus has an extremely high rate of personal items stolen at night from unlocked cars. Examples of high value stolen items include firearms, computers, phones, tablets, and other items of monetary and intrinsic value.

The campaign is called "Lock it or Lose it," and is designed to remind residents to lock their vehicles, and hide or remove their possessions from their vehicles.

The operation will consist of changes in police patrols, informational cards distributed by officers during these patrols, door hangers distributed by the Boy Scouts of America, neighborhood informational signage, and finally, TV, radio, and social media.

If "Lock it or Lose it" proves a success in Stillwater, this innovative and collaborative approach has the potential to benefit other municipalities on Oklahoma and across the nation.

CURBSIDE RECYCLING SIGN-UPS GETTING UNDERWAY IN STILLWATER

The City of Stillwater is inviting Stillwater residents to opt into the new "Stillwater Recycles: Curbside Single-Stream Program.” To begin curbside recycling this June, residents need to complete their sign up by June 3.

Beginning soon, Stillwater residents will receive welcome flyers and “Select Your Cart” forms at their front doors. The documents explain single-stream recycling and how residents will be able to select a second blue polycart for the disposal of all accepted recycle materials.

What is Single-Stream Recycling
Single-stream recycling means that all recycled items go into one cart —unsorted. Paper products, cans, plastics No. 1-7 and cardboard. Glass products are not included in the curbside single-stream program, because of the sorting process; however, glass will be accepted at the City of Stillwater Convenience Collection Center, 807 S. Perkins Rd.

How to Participate
Choosing to participate in the program will be easy. “Residents can go online, return the postcard or call us to let us know you are interested in participating," said Knight. The following information is required:

Name on City of Stillwater Utility Bill
Service Address
Telephone & Email
Select Recycle Cart Size (we recommend that you use the same size as your trash cart)
one 35-gallon recycle cart
one 64-gallon recycle cart
one 96-gallon recycle cart

Sign up one of the following ways:
Call City of Stillwater Utility Customer at (405) 742-8269 and provide the above information. Go online to http://stillwater.org and complete an electronic form.
Wait until you receive the “Select Your Cart” form. Choose to drop the completed form off at city hall or return it by U.S. Mail. The address is printed on the form.

Participation is Optional
Knight explained that participation in the Stillwater Recycles: Curbside Single-Stream Program is optional. “However, $1.57 will be added to your City of Stillwater utility bill regardless of your participation.” Waste management Superintendent Chris Knight said, "We looked at a lot of municipal recycling systems, and we chose to offer single-stream recycling because its was by far the easiest for our customers."

The Stillwater City Council voted last November to move forward with citywide recycling, following a successful recycling single-stream pilot program.

Knight said, “By choosing to participate, you could have a lower or about the same size bill. For example, if you currently have a 96-gallon Blue Cart and you choose to recycle, you could ask for a 64-gallon Blue Cart for trash and a 64-gallon Single-Stream Recycle Cart and gain more disposal capacity for about the same price.”

To begin curbside recycling this June, residents need to complete their sign up by June 3. To help residents get started with curbside recycling, Knight hosts an online blog at Stillwater-Recycles.blogspot.com. For more information, contact call (405) 742-8269 or wastemanagement@stillwater.org.

CHECK OUT THE KSPI AM WEEKDAY LINE UP!!

From 7 to 9, mornings start with "Stillwater Magazine", hosted by Stillwater Radio News Director Bill Van Ness. Bill gets your weekday started by bringing you up to date with local news, state news, local sports, local weather and local happenings from around the area with special guests and topics.

"The Game" with Rex Holt airs from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. Rex is the voice for Oklahoma State Wrestling, Oklahoma State Baseball and Stillwater High School Sports. Each day Monday thru Friday, Rex gives you a realistic look at local high school sports, Big 12 sports, Professional Sports and hot topics of the day. Bill Van Ness joins Rex to add his sports insights to the program.

WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE GAME LIVE HERE 9AM-11AM WEEKDAYS 

IN THE LINE UP FROM 11A-2P is “THE JIM ROME SHOW”.  Jim generates an electric atmosphere on the air that's dense with attitude, humor, and hipness. Rather than gunning for controversy and confrontation, Jim aims to engage and challenge his callers. His creative, bare knuckle approach, tempered by intelligence and vast knowledge of sports, has left him perched atop the sports talk world with America's sports radio fans in the palm of his hand.

 eclectic style, listeners never know