News N Briefs

ASCOG Board of Trustees Reconstituted: New ASCOG trustees are Hank Ross, Grady County mayoral rep, replacing Greg Elliott; Mary Hasenmyer, Tillman County citizen-at-large, replacing Tommy Challacombe; and Fred Fitch, mayor of Lawton, replacing John Purcell. ASCOG officers for 2010/2011 are:

President Ron Dinger Cotton County Mayoral Rep

1st Vice Pres Mike Lennier Grady County Commissioner

2nd Vice Pres Terry Wyatt Tillman County Conservation Director

Secretary Gene Brown Stephens County Mayoral Rep

Treasurer Shorty Foster McClain County Commissioner

Additional trustees serving on the executive committee are: Troy Gayle Walling, Caddo County mayoral rep; Ron Kirby, Comanche County commissioner; J. C. Awtrey, Jefferson County citizen-at-large; and Marcel Gigger, Duncan, minority rep for McClain and Stephens Counties.

ASCOG Adopts Budget: the board of trustees adopted a $8,122,348 budget for FY 2011.

Oklahoma Legislature Appropriates $12.4 Million for REAP: ASCOG will receive a tenth of that. There has been a change in the REAP legislation which will necessitate some changes in administration of the program. The new application will be developed as soon as possible and posted to the ASCOG web site: www.ascog.org.

ASCOG Holiday: ASCOG will close Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day.

Area Residents Appointed to Serve on SCOWIB: Chearlene Johnson, Johnson & Johnson, Lawton; Paul Lewis, First National Bank & Trust Co., Chickasha; Cindy Reynolds, Arvest Bank, Duncan; and Chris Smith, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Lawton, have been appointed as SCOWIB directors. Comanche County Commissioner Ron Kirby, chief elected official, appointed them to SCOWIB.

June Employee-of-the-Month: Peggy Rush was named back-up supervisor for managed care one month before the supervisor and seasoned back-up were both unexpectedly out of the office for most of the month. Peggy stepped up and took care of all decisions, case conferences, file audits for day-to-day activities and handled a follow-up audit.

Mayor Receives National Award: Duncan mayor Gene Brown received the Community Service Award, submitted to the state and approved through Washington D.C., from the Duncan Indian Territory Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Brown was nominated for the award for his contributions from the time he moved to Oklahoma to the present.

South Central Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board Elects New Officers: At the meeting on June 10, SCOWIB directors elected Jeff Simpson, Walters, as chair; Rodney Palesano, Anadarko, vice chair; Pat Beck, Lawton, secretary; and Rodney Love, Comanche, treasurer.

Free Ombudsman Training: ASCOG staff will provide free Ombudsman Volunteer training July 14-15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Red River Technology Center, 3300 West Bois D’Arc in Duncan. An Ombudsman advocates for long-term care facilities residents’ rights, quality of care and quality of life. Please contact Ruben Sotelo or Vonn Saltzman for more information.

BRAC Grant Extension Approved: The $2.5M Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Grant Contract "No-Cost" extension, has been approved for an additional year by the U.S. Department of Labor. (ASCOG is fiscal agent on behalf of the Southwest Oklahoma Impact Coalition.) Although no new projects will be undertaken, completion of several projects such as fielding of High-Fidelity Medical Simulators to our regions medical training institutions, creation of an on-line Asset Mapping website of economic and workforce resources in Southwest Oklahoma, and the continuation of educational and occupational training opportunities for BRAC-impacted military service members and their families is now assured. Contact ASCOG’s Clark Southard.

Max Walker, 75, passed away on May 28, 2010. Max was a beloved member of the AAA Advisory Council for many years and was actively involved, along with his wife of 47 years, Marlene, in the ASCOG Silver Haired Legislature, where he also served as the Oklahoma Silver Haired Legislature Alumni Association’s treasurer. Max was born and raised in Hinton and was a much appreciated advocate for seniors in Caddo County.