The Daily Press http://www.poteaudailynews.com http://www.poteaudailynews.com/apfeed.xml--1 Copyright The Daily Press 2012-05-17T09:29:53-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67572012-05-17T09:29:53-04:002012-05-17T09:29:53-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsThe services are being held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in order to accomadate as many people as possible under the direction of Grace Manor Funeral Home in Poteau. Smith passed away Monday following a long battle with Cancer. He leaves behind his wife Ramona, and three boys, Billy Dalton, Joshua Boyd, and Jacob Ryan. An account for the benefit of the children has been opened at The Community State Bank.  In lieu of flowers Donations may be made, to the account at The Community State Bank, P.O. Box 769, Poteau."It's a sad for Poteau and all of law enforcement. B.J. will be missed," said Bob Hendrix. who is scheduled to speak at Smith's services tomorrow along with Terry Collins and Stanley Odom. The service is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Friday and the family will meet with friends tonight from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Grace Manor Funeral Home. According to his obituary, Smith graduated from Poteau High School in 1979.  During his high school years, he excelled at sports and was named to the Tulsa World’s All State Team in 1978, for football. He also played the trombone in the Poteau Marching Band. He went on to attend Missouri Southern State College, now known as Missouri Southern State University, majoring in criminal justice and graduated in May 1984.  At MSSU, he was a four year starter and had earned All-Conference and All-District honors for two years.  His senior year, he made honorable mention in the All America team voting.  He received several sports honors after completing college, including being named to the Poteau High School Hall of Fame, MSSU Silver Anniversary Team, and MSSU Hall of Fame.  Professionally, his career began at the Poteau Police Department in November 1984.  He started as dispatcher and worked his way up through the ranks.  He was sworn in as Chief of Police on December 20, 1994.  He successfully completed classes at the FBI Academy in the fall of 1995.  He served on the LeFlore County Youth Services Board of Directors, on the board of the LeFlore County Child Advocacy Center, Masonic Lodge #46, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security Region 5 Councilmember and other committees throughout the years.  He dedicated many years of service to the City of Poteau and to its community members.  He loved spending time with his family and friends whether it was on the farm, hunting and fishing or just relaxing around the house.Officers with the Poteau Police Department are currently wearing black bands over their badges in remembrance of Smith. Members of the department will serve as pallbearers at the services on Friday. Poteau Assistant Police Chief Ronnie Branscum said that the department has been deeply effected by the loss of Smith. You may leave an on-line greeting to the family at www.gracemanorfh.com.Poteau, OKNo author availableFuneral for chief to be held at Reynolds CenterThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6757Change0Usable2012-05-17T09:29:53-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67492012-05-16T11:14:17-04:002012-05-16T11:14:17-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsPoteau, OKNo author availableAfternoon accident The Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6749Change0Usable2012-05-16T11:14:17-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67452012-05-16T10:27:58-04:002012-05-16T10:27:58-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsAn ad will run on Page 2 of the Wednesday edition of the Poteau Daily News featuring a business profile and special deals associated with the event. Join the CASH MOB Wednesday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.Poteau, OKNo author availableSpring into businessThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6745Change0Usable2012-05-16T10:27:58-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67392012-05-15T15:18:30-04:002012-05-15T15:18:30-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsBroken Bow's Greg Werner was hired to be the new Poteau football coach at Monday night's meeting of the Poteau Public Schools Board of Education.Werner met Monday afternoon with the Pirate players, and met the Poteau Quarterback Club members and fans at the booster club's meeting that night.The reason was twofold why Werner wanted to make himself a candidate for the job.“No. 1, I'm from this area (a Fort Smith Northside graduate),” Werner said. “My mom is 15 minutes away, and my sister is nearby. That's the initial reason why. I also believe there's a great chance of success here. I think there's a great chance of this team having success. That was the big thing that brought me in I'm looking forward to it.”Of course, Werner was able to see what the Pirates had since the Pirates and the Broken Bow Savages have been District 4A-4 rivals for many seasons.“That was a consideration,” he said. “I wasn't going to come here if I didn't think there was going to be a chance of being successful. I kind of know what they've got, but again I really don't want to know what they've got. I want to start over. I want everybody to have a fresh start.”The real Werner era for Poteau Pirate football will begin with this afternoon's high school football practice.“No. 1, I've got to figure out who can do what — who can play,” Werner said. “That's the big thing because I don't know what they can do. I've got to find out what they can do.“We just need to get on the field and get going. We've got to learn everything. We've got to learn the new terminology. We've got to teach how we're going to learn new things. That's going to be very important. We're just ready to get out there.”One positive with Werner's hiring is that his family will be moving here, meaning his soon-to-be senior son, Jay — who is a tight end as well as plays on the defensive side of the ball — will become a Pirate.“The biggest thing is the transition for him,” the new Poteau football coach said. “That's my priority. He's coming to a new school with new kids. It will almost be like going to college a year early. It's like starting over. It's going to be tough, but he'll be all right.”Poteau Pirate fans may want to put down this date — 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26. That is the Week 9 game between the Pirates and the Broken Bow Savages.“I've been dreading that with every day,” Werner said. “I'm really not looking forward to that. It's just a game that we're going to play. It's going to be OK.”Poteau, OKNo author availableNew Poteau football coach hired Monday nightThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6739Change0Usable2012-05-15T15:18:30-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67242012-05-14T09:34:32-04:002012-05-14T09:34:32-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsPoteau High School freshman Alyssa Kramer became an internet sensation earlier this year when a video of her saying words backwards went “viral” on the video sharing website Youtube.The video showcased Alyssa's special talent of being able to properly pronounce any common word backwards.Since the initial upload of the video in July of 2011, Alyssa's video received more than three million views and caught the attention of television producers.In February, Alyssa traveled to New York, New York to appear on NBC's Today Show. Since that appearance, Alyssa has appeared on several other television programs including Inside Edition, Dr. Phil, two appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, BBC London, Irish program Elev8, CBS 3 Philadelphia, and a host of others including an appearance on the Nickelodeon game show Figure It Out which is set to air in June. Besides New York, Alyssa and mother Nicole have also traveled to Hollywood, Calif. to showcase Alyssa's talent. Alyssa is also to be featured as part of a British television documentary on people with amazing talents, as well as the Late Show with David Letterman this summer.Having effectively been on the road since February, Alyssa says she has missed nearly 30 days of school, but that officials at Poteau High School are coordinating with her to make up the missed work. Alyssa is an A student and member of the National Honor Society who plays softball and enjoys hunting.Her other activities might have to take a backseat, however, as Alyssa and Nicole will soon be making a temporary move to Hollywood this August after a successful meeting with casting agents from Disney. Alyssa says she has had many offers to appear on shows that air on the Disney family of networks which includes all Disney and ABC networks.Alyssa says that in some ways, the last three months have felt like being in the Twilight Zone, having gone from being a normal high school freshman to being recognized by strangers on the streets of New York and rubbing elbows with television celebrities and meeting rock stars such as Jon Bon Jovi and KISS.“It's been a lot of fun,” says Alyssa, “I've met a lot of cool people.”Despite the dramatic change in her life, Alyssa says she has no regrets and is looking forward to the new opportunities ahead of her.Poteau, OKNo author availableInteresting talent continues to open doorsThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6724Change0Usable2012-05-14T09:34:32-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67142012-05-11T15:41:24-04:002012-05-11T15:41:24-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsNow in its twentieth year, the SOH effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive. In 2011, drive organizers across the country collected more than 70 million pounds of total food donations for the eighth consecutive year.In addition to CSCm the U.S.P.S., the National Association of Letter Carriers and Feeding America, AARP, Valpak, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, the AFL-CIO, United Way and Uncle Bob's Self Storage are supporting the drive this year. To participate in the SOH drive, Poteau residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday. Local letter carriers will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to Kibois Food Pantry.Poteau, OKNo author availableJoin forces to help Stamp out HungerThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6714Change0Usable2012-05-11T15:41:24-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:67042012-05-10T10:27:55-04:002012-05-10T10:27:55-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily News POTEAU - Mother’s Day is a day of expressing even more appreciation and gratitude than usual for mothers everywhere, especially our own and those of our children and grandchildren.Few gifts can last longer or prove more meaningful than giving up tobacco. Doing so is a loving and potentially life-saving act for both mothers and their loved ones who use tobacco, because approximately 6,200 Oklahoma residents die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. Tobacco also can be harmful – even deadly – for non-smokers. About 700 Oklahomans die each year from the effects of secondhand smoke, according to the Oklahoma State Health Department. Secondhand smoke also leads to between 150,000 and 300,000 cases of lower respiratory infections each year among infants age 18 months and younger, and it increases their risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or developing asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis and ear infections. Thus, tobacco use and the tobacco industry that spends billions of dollars to promote it exact a toll on our state, in our communities and within many of our families.Doris Armstrong, Tobacco-free LeFlore County Chairperson, states, “Stopping smoking now betters you chances of celebrating many more Mother’s Days with your loved ones.The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669) can be a valuable resource for mothers or their loved ones who are ready to quit tobacco. The Helpline offers free coaching in tandem with a free patches, gum or lozenges for those who qualify. Last year, nearly 40,000 Oklahomans called the helpline for assistance.Information on tobacco also can be found online at StopsWithMe.com. To learn more about local events and policies, contact BJ Barnes, Coordinator, Tobacco-free LeFlore County, 918) 647-4196.About Tobacco-free LeFlore CountyPoteau, OKNo author availableQuitting Tobacco Makes Lasting and Loving Mother’s Day GiftThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6704Change0Usable2012-05-10T10:27:55-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:66882012-05-08T19:03:48-04:002012-05-08T19:02:10-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsAn ad will run on Page 2 of the Wednesday edition of the Poteau Daily News featuring a business profile and special deals associated with the event.Poteau, OKNo author availableSpring Into Business: Western AutoThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6688Change0Usable2012-05-08T19:02:10-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:66532012-05-08T11:14:51-04:002012-05-04T10:21:36-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsI thank you for your patience during this time. I am doing my best to get this problem sorted out as quickly and efficiently as possible.Poteau, OKDarrel James PDN InternApologies to the E-edition subscribersThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6653Change0Usable2012-05-04T10:21:36-04:00 urn:publicid:dailypress.com:66472012-05-03T22:49:08-04:002012-05-03T22:48:01-04:00Copyright 2010 The Poteau Daily NewsPoteau, OKNo author availableWelcome Home, State ChampsThe Poteau Daily Newsurn:publicid:dailypress.com:6647Change0Usable2012-05-03T22:48:01-04:00