Good morning. Thank you for reading your free daily newsletter. Please help support us by reading the following.

If you need assistance, please email [email protected].

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Ephesians 1:7

You’ve saved $1.5 million. Now comes the real test.

Can it produce $10,000 a month, or will that pace drain your portfolio?

Most retirees do not get a clear answer until it is too late.

The issue is not just how much you have. It is whether your portfolio was built to pay you, not just grow.

That difference can determine whether your money lasts decades or starts breaking down early.

Sequence of returns, taxes on withdrawals, healthcare costs, and whether the 4% rule still applies all play a role.

Fiduciary advisors created a breakdown showing what drives sustainable income and why the same $1.5M can produce very different outcomes.

If you have $1M or more invested, do not guess.

See How Long My Money Lasts

Learn More

Heavener.news and this newsletter are completely free — no paywall, no subscription required. We believe everyone in LeFlore County deserves access to local news regardless of their ability to pay.

But local journalism isn’t free to produce. If you find value in what we do, consider helping us keep it going with a small contribution — whatever you’re comfortable with.

Heavener.news has served LeFlore County since 2009.

Support us →

Hall about it

By Craig Hall

For summer, this has been a busy week for the Hall contingent.

No, really. For a couple of people who prefer to stay home when possible, this week we traveled to Tulsa on Tuesday for a doctor visit, which was a waste of time, and Saturday we went to Oklahoma City.

Our trip Saturday was to take Trish the wife to see her nephew at the OU Medical Center. Trish's sister also went with us.

If you have been there before, you will agree that place is massive. I didn't really want to go, as I expected a lot of walking, and that's what I got. So I was sore last night, but I trucked along with my walker, by gosh.

I let them visit Trish's nephew while I hung out in the waiting room. It was an impressive view out the window, as you can see in the picture that accompanies this fine column. I forgot my Kindle, so instead of reading something to pass the time, I watched the television.

That was OK, until World Cup soccer came on. I was looking for a remote to switch the channel to a baseball game, but gasp, no remote. A guy in the waiting room asked me if I liked soccer. I told him I did not understand the game, which is true, and I was nice enough not to say I would rather watch baseball.

But he also liked the real football, so he was obviously a cool guy.

It made for a long day, and we put a lot of miles on Trish's truck.

Even though it was a longer trip than Tulsa, it was the first time I had been to Oklahoma City in several years, and it was not as boring as the trips to Tulsa usually are, because I have been there so many times over the last few years.

The whole back surgery saga has been trying. As I have noted previously, my problems started the last part of last school year. I had an MRI, and it showed I had stenosis in my L4 and L5 vertebrae.

I arranged for a visit to a neurosurgeon in Tulsa. I should have gone with the guy who did my neck operation two years ago, but I went with the doctor whose office called first. That was probably not the best move.

But at the end of the school year, I had a visit with the neurosurgeon in Tulsa and my regular physician and had my A1C checked. It was bad — 8.6 bad. I couldn't have the operation until I got my A1C below 7.5.

About that time, I was working on our pool and was walking on the metal edge I always tell the kids not to walk on, when I got a little too far out. I felt myself start to fall, could not reach anything to steady myself, and crash-landed. Most of my body landed in the pool, which was rather cool since it was May, but the left side of my body hit the edge of the pool.

It caused me to have a massive bruise on the left side of my body and must have damaged my back worse, since I can barely walk and have to use my trusty walker most of the time.

I stopped eating sweets and only ate two meals a day. I did some research and was told it would take three months to get my A1C down below 7.5. Instead, I got it down to 6.8 in a little over a month.

I was ready to get fixed. I called my neurosurgeon's office and had to leave a message, then another message telling them I was good on the A1C. Finally, I got to talk to an actual human, and an appointment was made.

Hurrah, right? Wrong. Last Tuesday, we made another trip to Tulsa to see the doctor and schedule the surgery, since I have to go back to work Aug. 10 and I do not think it is possible until my back is fixed.

Our reward for that trip was a visit with the doctor's LPN. Really. I filled out a form that nobody bothered to look at and was told where the operation would be. I asked when the operation would occur. She had to check with the scheduler.

I was not scheduled yet. I explained the whole go-back-to-work problem. So, no doctor, no answer. Ugh.

I waited a couple of days and called to check on the surgery. Left a message. I must be low on the totem pole, as nobody called back. Then my local physician's office called Friday to say I had to actually visit my physician before he could sign off on the release for surgery.

This would be the same physician I saw in May and see every three months. My A1C is probably even better than it was in late June, so I did not see the need for a checkup, since my last visit was only a couple of months ago.

But a visit we shall have. I hope it's a routine "How you feeling there?" kind of visit, and it's not one of those "We need to have your heart checked out first" kind of one. I had the whole heart workup two years ago, passed, and have never had any problem in that department, so I do not see the need for one.

Hopefully, the surgery will be scheduled soon, and I will have a week or so to recover before I go back to work. If said surgery is delayed, it's a "Houston, we have a problem" kind of deal. I hate to miss work, seriously, but I can't go back in this situation and would have to use sick leave.

One final thought on our recent trips: During Tuesday's trip to Tulsa, we spent a lot of time driving in two lanes on a turnpike we pay to drive on. Then we went to Oklahoma City — no two lanes, four lanes from the turnoff at Sallisaw all the way to Oklahoma City and back. That didn't seem right, since we didn't have to pay to drive to Oklahoma City on better roads, but did to go to Tulsa on a stupid turnpike.

A weekend storm system continues moving through southeast Oklahoma today, bringing scattered showers and a marginal risk of severe storms this afternoon, before a genuine cooldown finally arrives to break the recent heat.

Today, Sunday, July 12 — Light rain and clouds are already moving through LeFlore County this morning, with more scattered showers and thunderstorms expected through the day. A marginal risk of severe storms exists this afternoon, with locally severe wind gusts the main threat. High near 88 — a significant drop from Saturday's 97, and a welcome break after a stretch of dangerous heat. Rain chances sit around 35 percent through the day.

Tonight — Showers gradually taper off overnight as the system pushes east. Low near 70 with lingering cloud cover.

Monday, July 13 — Sunshine returns with a much more comfortable feel. High near 93, but critically, humidity and heat index values should run closer to actual air temperature rather than the oppressive 105-109 degree heat index readings LeFlore County saw over the weekend. Rain chances drop to just 15 percent.

Tuesday, July 14 — Similar conditions continue, with a high near 93 and a 15 percent chance of an isolated afternoon shower. Generally dry and seasonable for mid-July.

Wednesday, July 15 — A better rain chance returns, up to 45 percent, as the next weather system moves into the region. High near 85, continuing the cooler, more comfortable pattern.

The extended outlook: After a brutal stretch of heat advisories and heat index values pushing past 105 to 109 degrees over the past several days, this weekend's storm system marks a genuine, multi-day break in the pattern. Highs settle into the upper 80s to low 90s through the middle of next week, instead of the mid-to-upper 90s LeFlore County has been dealing with. It won't last forever — July in Oklahoma rarely gives up heat for long — but for now, outdoor plans, yard work, and evening activities should be noticeably more comfortable than they've been in weeks.

Safety reminder: Even with cooler air moving in, this afternoon's storms carry a marginal severe risk. Have a way to receive warnings, and avoid being outdoors if thunder is heard nearby. Flash flooding is also possible with locally heavy rainfall in any stronger cells.

Here's what's happening in Heavener and LeFlore County for the next week including meetings  and more.

Event submission form

Sunday

Heavener FBC Bible School

Monday

LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.

Freedom truck tour comes to Poteau

School board meetings

Tuesday

Freedom truck tour comes to Poteau

Poteau Evening Lions Club meets 6 p.m. CASC

Wednesday

Freedom truck tour comes to Poteau

Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC

Thursday

Freedom truck tour comes to Poteau

Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC

Heavener VFW bingo 6 p.m.

HUA,  city council meet 6 p.m. at Heavener City Hall

See the upcoming calendar

Add your event to the LeFlore County calendar

Got something happening in LeFlore County? Let us know and we'll add it to the Heavener.news community calendar — free of charge.

We list events from across the county, including Heavener, Poteau, Spiro, Talihina, Panama, Wister, Arkoma, Bokoshe and every community in between. If it's open to the public, we want to help get the word out.

What we list:
Community events, church events, school events, government meetings, fundraisers, festivals, sports events, business grand openings, blood drives and more.

What we need from you:

Two ways to submit:

Use our online form below, or email the details directly to [email protected].

We do our best to add events as quickly as possible, but please submit at least two days before the event to ensure it makes the calendar.

Heavener.news reserves the right to decline events that are not open to the public or are outside our coverage area.

July 12 has carried the birth of American conservation science, a political glass ceiling broken, and one of rock and roll's most famous debuts.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY

In 1543, King Henry VIII of England married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, who would outlive him and remarry after his death in 1547.

In 1862, Congress created the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor in combat, awarded by the U.S. Army.

In 1862, special commissioner Albert Pike completed treaties with the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, securing them as allies of the Confederate States of America in Indian Territory — a chapter of history with direct ties to what later became Oklahoma.

In 1933, Buckminster Fuller's three-wheeled, multi-directional Dymaxion car was manufactured in Bridgeport, Connecticut, an early experiment in automotive design decades ahead of its time.

In 1962, the Rolling Stones performed their first public show, billed as "The Rollin' Stones," at the Marquee Club in London.

In 1965, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Frank S. Reasoner was killed by enemy fire in Vietnam. He became the first Marine posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Vietnam, and only the second Marine overall to receive the nation's highest honor for valor during that war.

In 1967, race riots broke out in Newark, New Jersey, after police arrested and beat a Black cab driver, sparking days of unrest that left 26 dead and more than 1,000 injured.

In 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe gained independence from Portugal, with Manuel Pinto da Costa becoming the new nation's first president.

In 1979, the infamous "Disco Demolition Night" took place at Chicago's Comiskey Park, a promotional stunt-turned-riot that became a symbolic turning point for disco's decline in American popular culture.

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale announced Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York as his running mate, making her the first woman ever nominated for vice president by a major U.S. political party.

In 1991, Boris Yeltsin resigned as president of the Russian Federation, in a decision that reshaped Russian politics during the country's turbulent transition after the Soviet collapse.

NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS

Henry David Thoreau (1817) — The American writer, philosopher and naturalist, best known for "Walden," profoundly shaped American environmental and transcendentalist thought.

George Washington Carver (1864) — The pioneering agricultural scientist and inventor developed hundreds of products from peanuts, sweet potatoes and soybeans, transforming Southern farming practices.

Pablo Neruda (1904) — The Chilean poet, diplomat and politician remains one of the most celebrated Latin American writers of the 20th century.

Bill Cosby (1937) — The comedian and actor, once one of the most celebrated entertainers in America for "The Cosby Show," turns 89 today.

Kristi Yamaguchi (1971) — The figure skater won Olympic gold in 1992 and is remembered as one of the sport's most graceful champions. She turns 55 today.

NOTABLE DEATHS

Alexander Hamilton (1804) — The founding father and first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury died from wounds suffered in his duel with Aaron Burr the day before, at age 47 or 49 depending on the disputed birth year.

Desiderius Erasmus (1536) — The Dutch humanist scholar, one of the leading intellectual figures of the northern Renaissance, died in Basel, Switzerland.

Lady Bird Johnson (2007) — The former first lady, widow of President Lyndon B. Johnson and a lifelong advocate for environmental conservation and highway beautification, died at age 94.