August 20, 2025

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A: Main
May 16, 2025
Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign reminds drivers to buckle up

Starting May 19, law enforcement across Oklahoma will be looking for seat belt violations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and Oklahoma law enforcement agencies urge drivers to buckle up ahead of the national Click It or Ticket seat belt safety campaign. The high-visibility enforcement effort, which coincides with Memorial Day, runs May 19 to June 1, 2025.

“Seat belt use should be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Chris Arnall. “It’s not just a safe thing to do – it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local and state lines to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest thing a driver can do to limit injury or save a life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. So often, it could have been prevented.”

While the national seat belt daytime use rate in 2023 was 91.9%, the 2024 Oklahoma seat belt observation study shows that overall seat belt usage is 86.4% statewide. Some Oklahoma counties are significantly lower than the statewide rate.

According to NHTSA, on average, a person not wearing a seat belt dies in a car crash every 47 minutes. Additionally, those who don’t want to buckle up may not understand they pose a danger to other people in the vehicle. An unrestrained person can become a projectile and crush other occupants during a crash, even if the other occupants are wearing their own seat belts.

“If the enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said Lt. Arnall. “We are asking friends and family to remind each other to buckle up when they drive, and to consider changing their habits if they don’t. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and everyone – front seat and back, child and adult – needs to remember to buckle up.”

For more information on seat belt safety, please visit oklahoma.gov/highwaysafety.

HPS board meets ahead of new school year
A: Main
HPS board meets ahead of new school year
August 15, 2025
The Henryetta Board of Education convened Monday, Aug. 11, at the district’s Board of Education Office for its regular meeting, focusing on final preparations for the 2025-26 school year. Superintende...
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A: Main
Road addition approved by county
August 15, 2025
The Okmulgee County Board of Commissioners met Monday, addressing a full agenda of routine approvals, infrastructure projects, and operational updates.The meeting opened with an invocation that includ...
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Ribbon Cutting Held for Dr. Ann Alexander Children’s Garden
A: Main
Ribbon Cutting Held for Dr. Ann Alexander Children’s Garden
August 15, 2025
Members of the Okmulgee County Community Garden and the Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce celebrate the dedication of the Children’s Garden to longtime garden advocate Dr. Ann Alexander with a ribbon-cutti...
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HPS Receives Donation
A: Main, Lifestyle...
HPS Receives Donation
August 15, 2025
HPS sincerely thanks Mr. Brad Sellers with Eastern Oklahoma Catholic Charities for the donated school supplies and backpacks for our 5th grade students. Pictured is HES Counselor Jennifer Huckabay. Sc...
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Sooner legend to hold book signing
A: Main, Lifestyle...
Sooner legend to hold book signing
August 15, 2025
Henryetta football fans will have a chance to meet a college football icon up close, as Jamelle Holieway, the legendary quarterback who led the Oklahoma Sooners to the 1985 NCAA National Championship,...
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News
Lecture series to highlight 1990s era of MN governance
August 15, 2025
The third installment of the lecture series on the History and Development of Contemporary Mvskoke Government will be held Tuesday, Aug. 19, from 6:308:30 p.m. at the College of the Muscogee Nation Le...
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WhatIsEconomicDevelopment?
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WhatIsEconomicDevelopment?
August 15, 2025
This article kicks off Econ Dev 101 - a local series aimed at demystifying what economic development really looks like in a place like Okmulgee County. Over the next few months, we’ll explore everythi...
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Osage Hill OHCE prepares for upcoming Okmulgee County Fair
August 15, 2025
The Osage Hill OHCE group gathered at the home of Norma Green on Aug. 5 to put the finishing touches on their plans for the upcoming Okmulgee County Fair. With months of preparation behind them, the g...
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County sales tax income increases
August 15, 2025
The Oklahoma Tax Commission recently released city sales tax collection figures that primarily represents local tax receipts from June business. The monies they reported this period represent sales fr...
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100 Years Ago (1925)
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100 Years Ago (1925)
August 15, 2025
A Cloudburst flooded the city this afternoon at 5 o’clock causing considerable damage in the business section by water running into the buildings. Water near Boerstler Wholesale house was said to have...
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Sizzlin’ sounds, spicy spoons await at 45th Bluegrass & Chili Festival
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Sizzlin’ sounds, spicy spoons await at 45th Bluegrass & Chili Festival
August 15, 2025
Get ready, Okmulgee County! If you’re a fan of toe-tappin’ bluegrass tunes and lip-smackin’ chili, the 45th Annual Bluegrass & Chili Festival in downtown Tahlequah is the perfect weekend getaway. Mark...
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