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Daily Bible verse
Every headline satisfies an opinion. Except ours.
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Psalms 59:16
News
Briefs
Oklahoma
Governor's race: GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei received a third endorsement from President Trump and addressed his stance on the Inola aluminum smelter project, as well as claims he paid for the endorsement.
Disaster response: A six-member Oklahoma City team joined 12 other members of Oklahoma Task Force 1 already assisting with swift water rescue operations following catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country.
Sports/entertainment: UFC returns to Oklahoma City for the first time in nearly 20 years with Saturday's UFC Fight Night.
Arkansas
Data centers: A deputy county attorney warned that data center moratoriums pose legal risk, but two Justices of the Peace argued protecting constituents outweighed that concern.
State finances: The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery raised $114.3 million for college scholarships in fiscal 2026, based on $584.8 million in total revenue.
Agriculture: The Arkansas Plant Board scheduled a special virtual meeting for Tuesday to discuss a feral hog bait product containing warfarin.
Legal: A Fayetteville attorney filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit over Siloam Springs' denial of a proposed subdivision near the airport, on behalf of a group called Save Siloam's Airport.
Weather: Statewide forecast today calls for partly to mostly cloudy skies with a high near 93 in south Arkansas.
Sports
Briefs
Oklahoma
OKC Thunder: Guard Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to re-sign with the Thunder on a three-year, $75 million deal.
OKC Thunder: The Thunder exercised their 2026-27 contract option on guard Luguentz Dort, pushing the team above the NBA's second salary cap apron. General manager Sam Presti has said this won't change the franchise's approach to roster building.
University of Arkansas
Soccer: The Razorbacks held their first official fall practice Wednesday at Razorback Field under 15th-year head coach Colby Hale, who described the team as "hungry" heading into the season. Arkansas returns a strong core from last year's title-winning squad, including four of five All-SEC selections.
Misc.
Weather
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Heat climbs toward high 90s for LeFlore County into next week
Today (Friday) brings a high near 90 degrees for Heavener and LeFlore County, with a 25 percent chance of rain — similar to Thursday's high near 90.
Saturday pushes the heat up further, with a high near 94 degrees and rain chances dropping to 15 percent.
Sunday brings a high near 96 degrees, still with only a 15 percent chance of rain.
By Monday, temperatures climb to a high near 98 degrees with rain chances falling to zero — the hottest day of the stretch so far..
Thursday’s high was 92 with a low of 71. Average temperatures for the date are a high of 94 and low of 66. Records for the date were a high of 109 in 1980 and low of 57 in 1975.
A total of 0.01 inches of rain was recorded, increasing the monthly total to 1.73 inches. Average rainfall for July is 3.10 inches.
LeFlore County calendar of events
Here's what's happening in Heavener and LeFlore County for July including meetings and more.
Friday
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
Tuesday
Poteau Evening Lions Club meets 6 p.m. CASC
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
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:
Event name
Date and time
Location (address or venue name)
Brief description
Contact information or website for more details
A flyer or photo if you have one (attach to email)
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.
7-23-2026 (Thursday)
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC
Heavener VFW bingo 6 p.m.
7-24-2026 (Friday)
7-25-2026 (Saturday)
Poteau basketball fundraiser
Night golf at Choctaw Country Club
7-26-2026 (Sunday)
7-27-2026 (Monday)
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
7-28-2026 (Tuesday)
Poteau Evening Lions Club meets 6 p.m. CASC
7-29-2026 (Wednesday)
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
Rep. Rick West meeting with OTC Executive Director Doug Linehan
7-30-2026 (Thursday)
Fort Coffee voter registration and civic engagement event
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC
Heavener VFW bingo 6 p.m.
7-31-2026 (Friday)
Poteau rodeo
Disneyland opened in 1955
Today in history: July 17
July 17 is the 198th day of 2026, with 167 days remaining in the year.
Disneyland opened its gates in Anaheim, California, in 1955, launching what would become the world's most visited theme park. In 1918, Russia's Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by Bolshevik forces, bringing an end to more than 300 years of Romanov rule. And in 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed off Long Island shortly after takeoff from JFK, killing all 230 people aboard.
Notable events:
1821: Spain formally ceded Florida to the United States.
1918: Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by Bolshevik forces in Yekaterinburg, ending Romanov rule in Russia.
1945: President Harry Truman, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill began the Potsdam Conference, the final Allied summit of World War II.
1955: Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California.
1959: Anthropologist Mary Leakey discovered ancient skull remains in Tanzania belonging to a previously unknown early human relative species.
1967: Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane died in New York at age 40.
1975: An Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz craft in orbit, the first joint U.S.-Soviet space mission.
1996: TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed off Long Island shortly after departing JFK, killing all 230 people aboard.
2014: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
2020: U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights leader who helped lead the 1965 Selma march, died at age 80.
Born on this day: Actor James Cagney (1899), economist and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel (1954), actor David Hasselhoff (1952), and Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom (1947).
Notable deaths: Economist Adam Smith (1790), mathematician Henri Poincaré (1912), singer Billie Holiday (1959), saxophonist John Coltrane (1967), journalist Walter Cronkite (2009), and Rep. John Lewis (2020).
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Heavener.news has served LeFlore County since 2009.
Obits
Geraldine Duncan memorial
Geraldine Duncan, 77, of Wister, passed away July 13, 2026, at her home.
She was born June 12, 1949, in Wister to Durell and Opal (Midgley) Morgan.
A celebration of life service is 10 a.m. Friday at Ellis Chapel Church in Wister, with Brother Sam Dyer officiating. Burial follows in Ellis Chapel Cemetery in Wister.
Geraldine was a proud mother of two, a devoted grandmother to eight grandchildren, and a loving great-grandmother to 15 great-grandchildren. To her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she was lovingly known as "Granny." She cherished every moment she spent with her family and found great joy in playing with, teasing, and making them laugh whenever she had the chance.
To many of her family and lifelong friends, Geraldine was affectionately known by the nickname "Fat," a name that reflected years of love, laughter, and cherished memories. If you knew her well, you knew the special meaning behind that nickname and the smile it brought. Family meant everything to Geraldine. She loved keeping in touch with her siblings and looked forward to seeing or talking with them almost every day. The close bond they shared was something she treasured throughout her life.
Raised on a farm, Geraldine developed a strong work ethic that stayed with her for her entire life. She held many different jobs over the years and approached each one with dedication and determination. Geraldine was also proud to serve her community as the mayor of Wister, a role she carried out with honor and commitment. One of her proudest moments came in 2023 when she had the privilege of serving as grand marshal of the Wister Christmas Parade alongside fellow former mayor Cissy Gee. It was a special honor that reflected the respect and appreciation her community had for her.
Geraldine's love for her family, her hardworking spirit, and her dedication to her community will always be remembered. Whether you knew her as Granny or Fat, you knew someone with a generous heart, a playful sense of humor, and a love for the people around her. Her legacy of kindness, strength, and love will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.
She is survived by her daughter, Amy Wadley and husband, Roger, of Wister, and her son, Brad Knight and wife, Kendra, of Wister; her grandchildren, Tiffany Wadley of Heavener, Tori Brassfield and husband, Colby, of Stigler, Tarryn Kennell and husband, Andrew, of Heavener, Braden Knight of Wister, Kaylea Miller of Wister, Jeff Wadley and wife, Melanie, of Sidney, Montana, Mike Wadley of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Donald Counts and wife, Alicia, of Lexington; her 15 great-grandchildren, with one great-great-grandchild on the way; and her siblings, Cliff Morgan and wife, Shelly, of Wister, Bud Morgan of Wister, Bess Meeh of Wister, Glenda Shadwick of Wister, Barbara McCollum of Wister, Jo Ann Meeks and husband, Podie, of Wister, and Lana Klein of Sapulpa, along with many other relatives and loved ones.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her great-grandson, Lucas Marshall; her sisters, Donna Fuller and Phyllis Williams; and her brothers-in-law, Larry Meeh, Donny Shadwick, Buddy McCollum, Sam Fuller and Eldon Williams.
Dustin Vaughn, Colby Brassfield and Andrew Kennell. Honorary casket bearers are Bruce Williams, Arlie Williams, Steve Fuller, Steve Kirtley and Blake Fuller.
Online condolences may be left at www.holtfuneralandcremation.com.
Heavener.news and our newsletter post paid obituaries, which includes all the information, and memorials with the main information, plus pictures for both. Obituaries are $25 each while the memorials are a free service for our readers. Obituaries and memorials MUST come from a funeral home. Funeral homes can email [email protected].