50^ Daily, $1 Sunday ■ 1 Section, 10 pages
Chickasha, Oklahoma ■ Tuesday, April 17, 2001
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Execution date asked for Minco murderer
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION
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the Association of County
City officials invited to participate in cleaning efforts
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Spring Clean Up continues
Saturday is 2001 Trash-Off day in Oklahoma
[STATE FAIR OF 0KLAH0Ma|
Check us out on the web at
www.chickashanews.com
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2001,
Day.”
It
absent.
In other business, the
council approved a resolu-
tion amending the city 2000-
01 budget. The amendment
includes monies provided by
EDA to provide a sanitary
sewer to the municipal air-
See Officials, page 2
Valdez, 41, was sentenced to death
for the April 1, 1989, murder of 26-
year-old Juan Trinidad Barron in
Valdez’s Minco home.
According to court documents,
Valdez and Barron met through mutu-
al friends at an Anadarko bar. During
ODOT awards prizes for the
most volunteers organized,
the most bags of trash col-
lected and the most unusual
litter item found. Past volun-
teers have found everything
from wedding veils to pianos
to diamonds.
Pink House has
applications available
Applications will be
available at 205 Chickasha
Ave., for the Feed the Chil-
dren program, Tuesday
and Wednesday. Food will
be distributed on Thursday.
For more information call
224-5007.
* 2
Express-Star photo by Jenese Epperson
The Chickasha City Council and Mayor J.E. Parker honored
Laura Miller as Employee of the First Quarter of 2001 dunng
Monday night’s council meeting. Miller began her career with
Chickasha at the Police Department and now works with the
Support Services Department.
Express-Star photo by Jenese Epperson
Chickasha Fire/EMS responded to a house fire on Skyview Drive Monday afternoon. Fire
Chief Mike Brice reported that a child playing with matches or a lighter accidentally set her
closet on fire, damaging mostly the closet and her room. Damage estimates for the $75,000
home were about $15,000. No injuries were reported.
*4
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County Inter-Agency
Council to meet
The Grady County Inter-
Agency Council will meet
on Wednesday, April 18, 9
a.m., at the Canadian Valley
Technology Center, 1401
Michigan Ave. The program
will be presented by Bill
Miller with Washita Valley
Transit and Sooner Ride.
Police chief is new
Hall of Fame inductee
Robert Hicks, Chickasha Chief of Police and former director
of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, will be induct-
ed into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials
during a ceremony to be held on Wednesday, April 18. Chief
Hicks will be the first police chief ever to be inducted into the
Hall of Fame.
"It is really humbling because I’m really doing what I
believe God wants me to do," Hicks said “The criteria (for
selection) is to help more than one municipality, and I’ve tried
to do that all these years, simply because that's what needs to
be done."
Hicks served with the Oklahoma City Police Department,
ending his tenure there with the rank of Captain Subsequent to
his retirement from Oklahoma City, he served as police chief at
El Reno. He served as Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau
of Investigation, November 1989 to January 1995. During his
tenure at OSBI, the Automated Fingerprint Information System
was implemented which has allowed numerous previously
unsolved crimes to be cleared with apprehensions and convic-
See Chief, page 2
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To enter the contests,
groups will report descrip-
tions of their interesting
finds, along with the number
of volunteers rallied and trash
bags collected. Gov. Frank
Keating will present hubcap
awards to the winners and
other outstanding Trash-Off
participants at ODOT's annu-
al Trash-Off awards picnic
this summer.
Partners in ODOT's Trash-
Off include chambers of
commerce across the state.
TheExpress
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Toastmasters to
meet Wednesday
The         Chickasha
Remark"ables” Toastmas-
ters will meet from 12:15-
1:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
April 18, 2001, in Room C
at the CVTC Seminar Cen-
ter Marge Walker will be the
Toastmaster, and speakers
will be Janice Cockrum,
Lisa Pate and Debra Wallen-
berg. Jean Dallas will serve
as Tabletopics Master.
The public is invited to
stop by for an entertaining
and informative lunch
hour.
Commissioners. Oklahoma
Municipal League. Okla-
homa Parks and Resorts.
United States Army Corps of
Engineers, Department of
Environmental Quality-Solid
Waste Management and the
Main Street Program.
For more information
about how to participate in
the Trash-Off and how to
order trash bags, contact the
ODOT Beautification Office
at (405) 521-4037.
Trash-Off ideas, tips on
how to form a trash band and
AAH applications also are
available.
25132
-70
"The University of Sci-
ence and Arts of Oklahoma
Drovers basketball team is
comprised of individual
champions who possess
unity of spirit and determi-
nation, displaying unparal-
leled teamwork," Parker
(
Kb
Oklahomans will be talk- m
ing trash ... and picking it up E
during the upcoming 2001 ■
Trash-Off. Saturday, April •
21.
The Oklahoma Depart-
ment of Transportation will
join volunteers for the 13th
annual Trash-Off in picking
up litter on highway road- -
sides, towns and community
areas across the state.
“The Trash-Off is a great m
way to promote state-wide “
pride," said Joanne Orr,
ODOT's beautification coor-
dinator. "It also offers Okla-
homans a fun way to keep
their land grand."             __
Fourteen counties, 165                         _      ,     .    .
communities 29 state narks                           Express-Star photo by Jenese Epperson
fi ean.dpe20,anmasaiy
wif/participatein h° TrS curbsalong,Almar Drive. Sprng Clean-Up runs through Sun-
Off. and the numbers contin- day, Apnl 22
ue to grow Tulsa's Clean- are responsible for coordinat-
Sweep and Oklahoma City's ing their local cleanups and
...
zm—mmehua
Tessa Goodman cele-
brating her birthday with a
sleepover: Kathy and
Clyde Harris hosting an
Easter get-together; Allison
Buckner chasing a cat; and
Madison Von Tungeln
making photocopies.
voters can
apply now
Voters in Grady County
who want to have absentee
ballots mailed to them for the
May 8, 2001, Rush Springs
School and Sterling School
special elections should apply
now. County Election Board
Secretary, Joyce J. Smith, said
today.
Although the County Elec-
tion Board can accept appli-
cations for absentee ballots
until 5 p.m. on Wednesday,
May 2, Smith urged voters
who want to vote by absentee
ballot to apply early. Absentee
ballot application forms are
available at the County Elec-
tion Board office located in
the basement of the Grady
County Courthouse, 326
Choctaw in Chickasha.
"At least two mail transac-
tions must be made," Smith
said. "The County Election
Board must mail the ballots to
the voter and the voter must
return the voted ballots by
mail."
Ballots must be in the
hands of the County Election
See Absentee, page 2
9 J
BufF
ade
By JENESE EPPERSON
Staff Writer
With Spring Clean-Up
2001 kicking off Monday,
April 16, Beautification
Committee Chair Patty
Levine made an appearance
at that night's Chickasha
City Council meeting to
invite city officials to join
the effort.
"The volunteers are doing
an awesome job. It's making
a huge difference," she said.
"I encourage you to get as
much (cleaning) done this
week as possible. I'd love to
see all you out there."
The mayor had some lau-
rels to distribute during the
meeting. Laura Miller was
honored as Employee of the
First Quarter, 2001. Miller
worked at the Police Depart-
ment and transferred to the
Support Services Depart-
ment.
According to Mayor J.E.
Parker, Miller is no shirker
“USAO Drovers Guy D. Huggins Jr. were
Litter Blitz are all joining the disposing of collected trash.
Trash-Off, as well as towns ODOT will distribute the
such as Okmulgee, Cherokee, trash bags.
Mears and Maud.               One of the most popular
Communities and counties features of the Trash-Off is
participating in the Trash-Off the state-wide competition.
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Tuesday night: Mostly
cloudy. Lows around 33.
Wednesday: Becoming
partly cloudy. Highs
around 75.
Wednesday night: Part-
ly cloudy.
Lows 40 to 45.
Extended forecast:
Thursday:     Mostly
cloudy with a slight chance
of thunderstorms.
Highs in the mid 70s.
Friday and Saturday:
Partly cloudy. Lows in the
mid 40s. Highs in the mid
70s.
Entire contents copyright
2000, The Express-Star, P.O.
Drawer E, Chickasha, OK,
73023. Vol. 110- No. 301.
Price to speak at
Friday Forum
Sen Bruce Price is the
guest speaker for Friday
Forum April 20 at noon at
the Chickasha Hotel.
Sponsored by the
Chickasha Chamber of
Commerce and the Chick-
asha Kiwanis Club, Friday
Forum features a different
guest speaker from the
Oklahoma Legislature on
the first and third Friday of
each month.
For more information,
call the Chamber at 224-
0787.
McALESTER (CNHI) - Attorney  an evening of drinking, Barron and  clothes, Valdez told him he had a  trial Valdez testified in his own behalf.
General Drew Edmondson has  Valdez talked and embraced several  choice of being killed or castrated.  Court documents indicate he said he
requested the Oklahoma Court of  times                                 Valdez then shot Barron twice in the  believes homosexuality is a sin
Criminal Appeals to set an execution At about 2 a.m., Valdez, Barron and forehead and slit his throat with a knife according to the Bible and he wanted
S oforaMeS immigrantconvict-  one ^rhZ"; Martin Orduna, went    when Barron fell back onto a couch.   to help Barron understand the error of
edrheunredrsdxesosupremerdcour Vadncehnmde the home, Valdez                  £ crialn S The his ways, valdez sad hebecame angry
Monday denied the final appeal of accused Barron of being a homosexual rug from the room and Barron's body and killed Barron alter Barron refused
Gerardo Valdez,                       and began preaching to him. When outside. Barron, the couch and the rug to isten to (he message.
Barron rejected Valdez’s proselytizing, were burned.                             Three Oklahoma death row inmates
Valdez brought out a pistol and began Investigators found a human bone are scheduled to be executed in com-
slapping Barron with it.                fragment in the home’s backyard bar- ing weeks Marilyn Kay Plantz is to be
Court testimony indicates Valdez becue pit, according to prosecutors. executed May 1. Terrance James is
threatened Barron and told him that Valdez made a taped confession that scheduled to die May 22, and Pittsburg
homosexuals did not deserve to live. was later played for the jury who sen- County killer Vincent Allen Johnson is
After ordering Barron to remove his tenced him to death. In addition, at to be executed May 29.
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_________86
when there’s extra work to read from the proclamation,
be done.                        "Participation in collegiate
"You give 100 percent of sports develops confidence,
yourself to your position and integrity and an enthusiasm
to promote the efficiency of for winning, not only on the
other workers,” he said, basketball court but in every
"What a better tribute from endeavor undertaken by
co-workers than to say, ’She these fine athletes."
makes me laugh, and she can Amid applause and con-
turn a bad day into a good gratulations from the coun-
day.’”                         cil and audience, the team
Later in the meeting it members and coaches shook
was the USAO basketball hands with and (hanked each
team's turn for applause, member of the council.
Acting on a resolution Only five members of the
approved by the council, the council attended the meet-
mayor presented the team ing. Ward 3 council mem-
and coaches with a procla- bers Jerry Helm and David
mation declaring April 16. Richie and Ward 4 councilor
, 4
26 ,38
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