ST. LOUIS — On Aug. 22, 2008, I checked in to the Renaissance St. Louis Grand and Suites Hotel along with two friends, for what we hoped would be a problem free stay to conclude a week of horrors.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
DUI Accident Victim Remembered as a Tough Quiet Guy
PONCA CITY — Accidents caused by drunk drivers remains a fact of life.
These accidents leave lasting impacts on the families involved and the first responders and sometimes reporters who respond to them.
At approximately 7:45 p.m. Feb. 19, 2007, I responded to what turned out to be a fatality accident.
It is still one of the most disturbing accident scenes I have seen. The man killed died on the roadway in front of people he didn't know.
His friend was seriously injured and airlifted from the scene. He survived but is said to suffer from pain continuously and has been in legal trouble many times since.
The man blamed for the accident later admitted to drinking at least three beers and was not seriously injured. It would be 18 months after the accident before the drunk driver was sentenced.
He pleaded no contest to first degree manslaughter.
Before he could be led off to jail, he had to listen to the victim's mother speak about the night that changed the lives of at least three families.
A tough quiet guy is how Carolyn Tidwell described her son, Kenneth, in a Kay County District during a victim's impact statement.
Kenneth Tidwell, 46, was killed in the accident caused by then 35-year-old Ross Jackson Edens.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol concluded that the accident occurred when Edens was traveling southbound on Waverly and failed to stop at a stop sign, striking a vehicle driven by Paul Bates in which Tidwell was a passenger.
Tidwell was pronounced dead at the scene.
"My son's name was mentioned one time during the five hearings held here," Carolyn said. "It didn't seem much to me that this was about my son. The other man that was injured, his name was never mentioned in the trial. On Feb. 19, 2007, my husband and I were awakened by the ringing of the doorbell and loud knocking," she said while fighting back tears.
"When we opened the door we were met by a Highway Patrol trooper, a Ponca City police officer and a minister. And when that happens you know something awful has visited your family. They had come to tell us that Ken had been killed by a drunk driver. The trooper said he did not suffer and I wondered how he knew that."
Edens stared downward as Tidwell spoke about the shock her family felt and how painful it was to tell their grandchildren that their father had been killed by a drunk driver.
"That was the beginning of heartbreak that still goes on to this very day," wept Tidwell.
"We will never be the same and none of his friends will be either. That night another person was severely injured and not expected to live. Although he did survive he is in constant pain and his life will never be the same."
Tidwell spoke of the heartbreak when her family went to the funeral home to make arrangements and were told that they should not view their son because of his injuries.
"The funeral director talked about his beautiful curly hair," Tidwell said. "We did make the choice not to see him. I don't know if we made the right decision because since I didn't see him. There are days I still think he might walk in the door and ask what I'm cooking for supper."
She spoke of the pain her grandchildren feel, the nightmares they have and the anger issues they are dealing with.
"My granddaughter has nightmares that her father needs help and she is unable to assist," she said.
Tidwell looked at Edens and told him that she believes the sentence recommended by the district attorney's office was light.
Edens was sentenced to 15 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections; however, after he completes the Bill Johnson Program, which could be less than a year, the remainder of the sentence is suspended.
"I hope you understand our feelings about that," Tidwell said. "My son is gone forever. But I also hope you understand that you have been given a second chance with your family. You walked away with very little in the way of injuries. I do hope your conscious will always remind you how lucky you and your family are. Because it could also had been your parents who were awakened that night to tragic news. We ask that you never drink and drive again."
Before imposing sentencing then District Judge D.W. Boyd took time to speak about the difficulties of presiding over drunk driving accident cases.
"These are one of the most difficult cases in the courthouse," Boyd said. "The defendant is often a good person and provider. Their bosses, family and friends vouch for them on the stand. There are so many crimes before the court that are intentional and these crimes are unintentional. But the other side is it is so preventable. I sit up here and I lecture and visit clubs, civic organizations and schools and tell kids don't drink and drive. I can say how stupid it is and still someone will drink, take a key, start an ignition and drive."
Boyd said on average at least one person is killed in Kay County every year by a drunk driver and many are maimed.
Boyd looked at Edens and said he struggles with the sentence recommended by the district attorney's office.
"Not because I think you are evil or that more punishment will bring Ken back," Boyd said. "But if I thought a life sentence would make people stop drinking and driving, I would make you the example."
Liz Gifford of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said she was disappointed in the punishment.
"I'm little disappointed with the way this turned out because of the simple fact this was a human life," Gifford said. "I understand that there is nothing that would be comparable but still this was very, very light."
Edens served a short sentence in prison and remains free on probation until 2023.
Kenneth Loyd Tidwell is buried in a cemetery in Tonkawa, Oklahoma.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Storm Chaser Tales; Oklahoma Storm Chaser talks about Kansas Tornado Outbreak
An account of the many tornados reported in Kansas May 23, 2008.
PONCA CITY — My friend and fellow news junkie, Chris Caldwell, spent May 23, 2008 chasing a Kansas tornado outbreak.
For those not in this neck of the woods, the western part of Kansas was lit up with tornado warnings most of the day and well into the early morning hours.
Caldwell, who used to chase storms for KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, talked about what he saw.
"I left Ponca City around 2 p.m. and headed for Alva," said Caldwell.
"As I arrived I made a call to the station and they pushed me on west to Buffalo. I had just arrived there when they called and had me push on over to Beaver County in the Oklahoma Panhandle. A storm was moving northeast and was reported having a rotating wall cloud. I could see the wall cloud from quite a ways out and as I got closer I started seeing two funnels dipping out of it and I noticed two separate areas with rotation and the storm cycled up and down and eventually pushed into Clark County in southwest, Kansas.
"I saw the first tornado this cell produced just north of Englewood, Kan. which is just across the Oklahoma border in Clark County. It was on the ground for less than a minute. The second tornado was northwest of Ashland, Kan., and it was down several times for a total of about eight minutes.
"The third tornado was several miles farther north of the first in Ashland that I saw. It was down for about two minutes and the fourth tornado was one mile west of Greensburg, Kan. and I'm unsure the total time it was on the ground since it was dark by this time and seeing it was very difficult between the lighting flashes."
Greensburg was destroyed by a large tornado in 2007 and many residents were still leaving in FEMA trailers when this outbreak hit.
"Greensburg, residents were watching the skies very close once again," he said. "I witnessed a tornado there just one mile west of town. No video or pictures since it was nighttime and I wasn't able to get it on tape between the lightning strikes. There were also reports of two other tornadoes near Greensburg.
"The first one was reported nine miles southwest of the town and the second report indicated a storm moving near the area that was producing a large wall cloud and producing occasional tornadoes. The National Weather Service will do a survey and its possible this was just one tornado being reported by two or more people.
Caldwell said he saw five semi trucks flipped over by the high winds. "The first one was flipped just as it passed by me as Rear Flank Down Draft winds occurred from the back side of the tornado that was north of Englewood, Kan.," said Caldwell.
"I pulled to the side of the road and recorded a 92 mph wind gust from that one. I was hit by more RFD winds from the first Ashland tornado and I recorded it at 126 mph. It rocked my vehicle and I felt the drivers side lift off the ground a couple inches for just a split second so I turned into the wind and road it out. The 126 mph wind only lasted for a second at most and then dropped to 89 mph and then down to 61 mph and held steady there for a good eight to 10 seconds.
"The road was blocked by the flipped semi so I had to go back to the north to go around and try to get back to Oklahoma and I came upon the next four semi's flipped over and they were all within a 200 yard stretch of the highway and it was blocked and rescue workers were already there at the scene getting one of the trapped drivers out.
"So basically I was trapped between the first flipped semi and the four flipped semi's. Officials allowed me to go around the mess and I continued north and came upon three oil tanks pushed 25 feet from their pad. There was also numerous power lines down and there was a very strong odor of both natural gas and oil.
"By this time it was getting dark and the only way back to Oklahoma without going down muddy roads and taking a chance of getting hit by the core of another storm coming out of Oklahoma, that had produced the Fort Supply tornado and was reported having baseball sized hail, was to continue north and then back east through Greensburg.
"That is when I caught back up with the cell that had produced the first three tornadoes I had seen and thats when I caught the tornado one mile west of Greensburg. So, all four tornadoes were produced by the same cell. From there I had to race back east to try and stay ahead of yet another tornado producing storm reported having a large wedge tornado and was also reported as having softball sized hail and coming from southwestern Kansas and I just almost got by without any problems but then came the hail and I was hit by quarter sized hail for about a half mile or so and then it was a clear path back to Wichita and back down Interstate 35."
Caldwell made it back to Ponca City about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
"I was sure glad to get home but was not able to hit the sack just yet since I had to then edit all my video for the 5 a.m. newscast," he said.
"What a day and night."
The storm prediction website indicates 73 tornados were reported in Kansas from May 22-23.
Nationwide Totals are listed as 48 Tornados for Thursday, May 22rd in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and California and 62 Tornadoes for Friday May 23rd in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
"It is possible the tornado count over the past two days will be reduced or increased since its common for multiple reports from different people for the same tornado and some reports come in late and some aren't listed in a timely fashion," said Caldwell.
"The four tornadoes I personally saw only one of them appears on the SPC Web site even though I reported all four as they occurred."
Friday, May 2, 2008
My First Marathon Experience; The 8th Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
OKLAHOMA CITY — The 8th Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon took place April 27, 2008.
The event is designed to honor the memory of those killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.
Two friends and I made the trip and joined 19,000 people in the event which is made up of 26.2 and 13.1 mile runs and or walks. Our event was the 13.1 mile walk.
After a Saturday filled with trials and tribulations that included an unplanned two hour tour of Oklahoma City, casino losses, and an unidentified flying object that damaged my windshield on my new Honda Accord, it was time to compete.
Despite my snoring we were up before the crack of dawn and made our way to the hotel lobby and joined others for the short bus ride to downtown.
Once downtown we joined 19,000 others in cold, wet, windy conditions. We lined up in what we thought was our group, walkers who planned to finish 13.1 miles in four hours. As it turned out we were lined up with runners who planned to finish 26.2 miles in four hours.
I think we looked a little out of place but we look at it now as we got the jump on our group.
After encouraging words from speakers and 168 seconds of silence for the bombing victims the gun sounded and it was time to pound the payment.
Of course since we were lined up with runners, so we started off running.
We sprinted several blocks before slowing to a quick pace. We continued this for three hours and 45 minutes through the charted path of downtown Oklahoma City.
The path took us past the capitol and through neighborhoods.
Along the way we were greeted by volunteers who spent their day handing out water, juice and other energy boosting materials to competitors.
One tasty treat I experienced for the first time was GU Energy Gel. I found the substance pretty tasty, but I have always had weird taste, so I have been told.
Some of the neighborhood areas were like block parties, as rock music played and strangers cheered strangers on to the finish line. Finally after almost four hours of walking, the finish line was in sight.
With my new organic socks about to disintegrate and my five pound digital camera weighing me down I strived for the finish line.
My partners in crime insisted I would get up there and push them out of the way so that I could finish before them, but I was kind and did not do that and as a result I still crossed the finish line before them according to the microchip tracker.
At the end of the line there was all the food you could eat. We chowed on cheeseburgers and Oreos and looked for our ride back to the hotel.
Taking part in a marathon was something I had never planned on doing in my lifetime. I never really had a good attitude about the idea. In fact as of 4 a.m. that day I had no intention of doing it. I didn't think I could and didn't care to try.
But fortunately I pulled myself and my bad attitude out of bed and competed in the names of Aurelia Donna Luster and Robert Lee Luster, who were killed in the bombing while at the Social Security office.
My friends competed for Oleta C. Biddy and 6- month old Antonio Ansara Cooper.
Cooper was in the daycare center and Biddy was a worker at the Social Security office.
In the end it was a positive experience. One I think proves you can do anything you put your mind to. I even went back and did another half marathon in 2010.
My then friends became foes as egos pulled us apart in 2011.
And despite how much I sometimes despise the bad between us, I will always be grateful for the goal I accomplished in their presence. It is because of them I have my two marathon medals.
Update, in 2023, myself and one of the marathon friends were able to exercise forgiveness and are now able to relive this marathon memory. We have both suffered health issues since the marathon, so another competition is probably not in the future unless it is checkers.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Original members of the band Nazareth embroiled in name dispute
PONCA CITY, OK. — When you work as a journalist, you never know who you may end up meeting, interviewing, or talk to on the phone.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
A Visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
 |
| Charlie Hanger tells how he arrested Tim McVeigh |
OKLAHOMA CITY — This years marks the 22nd Anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and many are expected to make the trip to Oklahoma to mark the anniversary with a visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Star Wars Slot Machine comes to Newkirk, Oklahoma
The penny slot offers 30 lines to bet on with the maximum bet totaling $3. Playing the game is like watching the movie as the pay lines are featured on a 19-line color monitor.
At the top of the machine is a silver sphere that resembles the Death Star weapon from the original 1977 movie. When a bonus round is won the sphere will spin.
The machine offers a chance at a progressive jackpot as high as a million dollars. Variety of music and animation is offered with each spin including the popular theme song.
Players of the game will have the chance to visit Luke Skywalker's home planet, Tatoonie when betting between one and four credits.
When five to nine coins are bet per line the gambler is taken to the bar where Luke met Han Solo and Chewbacca.
Betting the maximum amount not only gives the gambler a chance at the progressive jackpot, but also allows the gambler to experience tens from the Death Star Sequence.
A friend and I played the game for the first time and my luck was not that good but the sights and sounds took me back to my childhood when Star Wars debut.
My friend on the other hand hit a bonus round and experienced the spinning of he sphere and the scary Darth Vader invading the screen among other excellent animation.
When Death Star spins, the gambrel wins the amounts on which two of three arrows land. Then the player is taken to different levels of the coins round including one featuring Han Solo battling storm troopers. the gambler will be prompted to select a villain for Solo to destroy. The is action will light up an arrow on top of the Death Star.
The player is then again asked to choose a store trooper for Solo to destroy, thus lighting up an arrow beneath Death Star. Finally spinning of the sphere begins and the bonus round may end or continue.
It is possible to cause the Death Star to explode and walk away with $1,000 extra credits.
Another bonus round is called the Light Saber Bonus round in which the light saber duel between Darth Vader and Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place.
As part of this round, the gambler chooses a character and if here man wins, their bonus is higher.
Regardless if you are playing the game for fun or possible financial gain, the slot offers an enjoyable and somewhat unforgettable gaming experience.
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