More Misc News. -- May 31, 2007 -- Collinsville, OK -- www.cvilleok.com

Dairy Capitol 4-H Members who participated in the locker clean out at CHS May 31st were left to right: Jennifer Lutz, Karen Klein, Rachel Harrold, Jessie Sylverster, Micah Cooper, Rhiannon Guinn, Stephanie Harrold, Tyler Lutz and Kayce Thetford.

4-H Club Cleans Lockers

Collinsville’s Dairy Capitol 4-H Club has joined with the Tulsa County 4-H Community Service Project to Keep Oklahoma Beautiful. The Keep Oklahoma Beautiful project is happening in conjunction with the Oklahoma Centennial and the Great American Cleanup. Each Tulsa County 4-H Club has been challenged to do 6 projects, many of which encourage the Clubs to perform or collect “100” things. The Dairy Capitol has chosen to collect 100 cell phones, 100 pounds of clothing items, 100 pairs of tennis shoes, 100 pounds of newspaper, and to plant 100 flowers. The 6th project was to clean 100 school lockers.

On the first official day of their summer break, 9 Collinsville students, who are also 4-H members, gathered at the Collinsville High School and with permission from the school administration they began to clean out lockers. In 2 hours and 35 minutes the 4-H members swept and wiped out all 602 lockers.

Next on the Dairy Capitol’s to do list is to collect the cell phones, clothing items, tennis shoes and newspapers. This will be accomplished on June 16 from noon to 5pm. The 4-H members will set up a drop spot for all these items in the American Legion Building parking lot, and the community is highly encouraged to participate. If you have questions you can reach the Dairy Capitol Club Leader Deb Lutz at 371-8236.

$1500 Best Buy Children's Foundation Scholarship
Awarded To Toni Slagle

Toni Slagle is a 2007 graduate of Collinsville High School and is the daughter of Cory and Kristie Slagle. Toni plans to attend Northeastern State University (NSU) next fall.

This year, the Best Buy Children's Foundation awarded more than $2.7 million dollars to graduating seniors across the country. More than 1,700 graduating high school seniors were selected to receive a scholarship for $1,500 or $10,000.

Scholarship recipients were chosen based on community service and academic achievement and must be entering an accredited U.S. university, college or technical school in the fall immediately following their high school graduation.

Note: Toni and her 2007 CHS classmates received about $450,000 total in scholarships and grants based on the awards announced May 14th at the senior awards assembly. Check back later for a partial list of those awards. Toni's award above was the only one I received a press release for. -- Ted -- 5/31/2007

Legislative Session in 2007 Brings Effective Changes & Fiscal Responsibility
By State Rep. Earl Sears

The year 2007 in Oklahoma is the year of ideas. In this, our centennial year, we as lawmakers have been faced with the challenge of turning great ideas into effective policy for our great state.

On Friday, May 25, the state House of Representatives wrapped up this year's legislative session. I believe we'll look back on this session as one of positive action to benefit Oklahomans of all walks of life.

We continued the trend of conservative tax cuts for working Oklahoma families. We crafted a solution for the state's cash-strapped teacher retirement system. We made it easier for students to afford a college degree if they're willing to earn it. And we passed new provisions to protect Oklahomans from dangerous offenders.

Perhaps most significantly, we championed fiscal responsibility by passing a state budget that actually cuts the size of state government, restrains future government growth and encourages state agencies to serve the public more efficiently.

Tax relief is one of the best ways to spur our economy forward. This year, a childcare tax credit for stay-at-home parents, an acceleration of state income tax cuts and a back-to-school sales tax holiday will benefit working families. And the elimination of the state franchise tax on most small businesses will encourage job growth.

Our plan to shore up funding for our state's teacher retirement program addresses a concern held by many Oklahomans. Our teachers are instrumental in our state's future, and we've found a reasonable solution to make sure they receive the support we promised them when they retire.

We passed a major tuition lock program that lets in-state college students opt in to a guaranteed rate for four years. Also, the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, which helps low-income students pay for college, will have GPA requirements so students don't get a free ride without making the grades.

Regarding public safety, we approved new penalties for sex offenders who prey on children and we authorized a top-to-bottom independent audit and transformational study of the state Department of Corrections. The study will aim to stop the cycle of band-aid funding measures for state prisons and find a long-term solution.

I'm particularly proud of the state budget agreement we passed this year, which cuts the size of government for the first time in years. And we finished the people's business in a timely fashion by not dragging things out into a costly special session in a year when many political experts predicted partisan gridlock at the state Capitol.

In the coming years, fiscally responsible reforms paired with tax cuts will have an "iceberg effect" as more money flows back into the economy and away from politicians. Oklahoma taxpayers will get to keep that money to save or spend, growing the economy. That should be music to our ears. It certainly is to mine.

Earl Sears (R- Bartlesville) serves District 11 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He can be reached by phone at (918) 336-4855 or via e-mail at earl.sears@okhouse.gov.

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