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Daily Bible verse
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
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HALL ABOUT SPORTS: JULY 1, 2026
Local & Regional: Enjoying the Dead Period on the Water
It remains completely quiet on the high school sports front across Oklahoma. We are right in the middle of the mandatory OSSAA Summer Dead Period, which runs through July 5. With all area gymnasiums and athletic facilities locked down, local coaches and student-athletes from Heavener, Poteau, and surrounding LeFlore County towns are taking a well-earned breather.
For many in the area, that means trading the gridiron and hardwood for the local boat ramps. Fishing continues to dominate the regional sports conversation, especially following the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission's recent implementation of a new 20-fish daily crappie limit at nearby Lake Eufaula.
Oklahoma & Arkansas Regional Updates
Sooners Ramping Up: On the collegiate gridiron, the Oklahoma Sooners are finalizing early preparations for fall camp. Quarterback John Mateer is heavily locked into his second official season handling the starting duties under center as the program prepares for a highly competitive autumn push.
Razorbacks Solidifying Roster: Across the state line, the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball program under Coach John Calipari is celebrating building momentum. Following back-to-back NBA Draft selections for Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas, the Hogs formally finalized their home-and-away SEC matrix, ensuring high-stakes home-and-home series against rival teams like Alabama.
National Sports Headlines
Los Angeles Dodgers Dominate: The Dodgers are absolutely on a tear across the major leagues. Following a decisive road triumph over the Oakland Athletics yesterday, Los Angeles has fully cemented its place at the top of the National League West with a stellar 56-30 record, maintaining the best overall record across Major League Baseball.
World Cup Group Stage Action: The 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage continues to deliver fireworks. High-profile matches yesterday saw Brazil clash with Japan, alongside a crucial match between Germany and Paraguay as the global tournament narrows down its bracket depth.
🏆 MLB Scoreboard (Games Played Tuesday, June 30)
Chicago White Sox 9, Baltimore Orioles 3
Texas Rangers 4, Cleveland Guardians 2
Philadelphia Phillies 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Detroit Tigers 9, New York Yankees 3
New York Mets 3, Toronto Blue Jays 0
Washington Nationals 8, Boston Red Sox 1
St. Louis Cardinals 5, Atlanta Braves 3
Tampa Bay Rays 10, Kansas City Royals 4
Milwaukee Brewers 7, Cincinnati Reds 2
Chicago Cubs 9, San Diego Padres 7
Houston Astros 6, Minnesota Twins 4
Miami Marlins 14, Colorado Rockies 3
Los Angeles Dodgers 9, Athletics 3
Arizona Diamondbacks 8, San Francisco Giants 2
Seattle Mariners 8, Los Angeles Angels 3
📅 Today’s MLB Schedule (Wednesday, July 1)
All times listed in Central Daylight Time (CDT).
Chicago White Sox at Baltimore Orioles – 11:35 AM
Texas Rangers at Cleveland Guardians – 12:10 PM
Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees – 12:35 PM
Washington Nationals at Boston Red Sox – 12:35 PM
San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs – 1:20 PM
New York Mets at Toronto Blue Jays – 2:07 PM
Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies – 5:40 PM
St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves – 6:15 PM
Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals – 6:40 PM
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers – 7:10 PM
Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros – 7:10 PM
Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies – 7:40 PM
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks – 8:40 PM
Los Angeles Dodgers at Athletics – 8:40 PM
Misc.
LeFlore County calendar of events 7-1-2026
Here's what's happening in Heavener and LeFlore County over the next week, including meetings, July 4 celebrations and more.
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
Thursday
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC
Heavener VFW bingo 6 p.m.
Heavener City Council 6 p.m. Heavener City Hall
Friday
Poteau cruise night
Saturday
LeFlore County Historical Society bingo party
Independence Day celebration downtown Poteau
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
Poteau city meetings 5:30 p.m.See the upcoming calendar
Tuesday
Poteau Evening Lions Club meets 6 p.m. CASC
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.
Oklahoma market report
Oklahoma market report for this week.
TODAY IN HISTORY — JULY 1
July 1 has carried enormous weight throughout history — it's the day the deadliest battle of the Civil War began, a turning point for Oklahoma’s borders, and the day portable music changed forever.
🏛️ Local & Regional History
In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court settled the Poteau River border dispute. In the case Oklahoma v. Arkansas, the nation's highest court legally cemented a unique geographic quirk along the Poteau River. The dispute traced back to 19th-century tribal treaties that inadvertently left a small, isolated 57-acre tract of land tucked right up against Fort Smith. Cut off by a loop of the Poteau River, the jurisdictional blindspot became a notorious haven for outlaws and bootleggers, earning the local nickname "Coke Hill." The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the established boundary would stand, keeping that stretch of the river as the permanent border between LeFlore County and Arkansas.
In 2024, an ancient piece of LeFlore County's Caddoan heritage was finalized in federal records. The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History officially completed a Notice of Inventory Completion regarding ancestral remains and funerary artifacts excavated back in 1941 from the Hooks Site (34Lf19) in LeFlore County. The registry update marked a significant milestone in preserving the regional archaeological timeline of the early Mississippian and Caddoan cultures that thrived along our local river valleys centuries before statehood.
🌎 On This Date in History
In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began. Confederate General Robert E. Lee, emboldened by his earlier victory at Chancellorsville, decided to invade the North. The three-day battle that followed became the ultimate turning point of the Civil War and remains the bloodiest single battle ever fought on American soil.
In 1867, the autonomous Dominion of Canada was born. A new confederation consisting of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the future provinces of Ontario and Quebec was officially recognized by Great Britain with the passage of the British North America Act. The event is celebrated annually as Canada Day.
In 1963, the U.S. Post Office Department debuted the ZIP code. The launch ushered in the modern age of electronic mail sorting. Once mechanized optical scanners were fully deployed, they could sort 36,000 pieces of mail every hour.
In 1972, the first standalone issue of Ms. Magazine debuted. The groundbreaking feminist publication quickly sold out. Launched during an era when women's magazines focused almost exclusively on beauty and homemaking, Ms. tackled economic inequality and reproductive rights head-on.
In 1979, the Sony Walkman went on sale for the first time. The release of the first personal stereo cassette player sparked a massive revolution in portable personal electronics and completely changed how people listened to music on the go.
In 1984, the PG-13 movie rating was introduced. The Motion Picture Association of America created the new rating to fill a massive content gap between standard PG and R-rated films.
In 1991, the Warsaw Pact was formally disbanded. The defense treaty between eight communist countries, originally formed in 1955 to counterbalance NATO, was officially dissolved in Prague.
🎂 Notable Birthdays
Olivia de Havilland (1916) — The legendary British-American actress appeared in 49 feature films across a career spanning over five decades and was the last major surviving star from Hollywood's Golden Age.
Princess Diana (1961) — The Princess of Wales became one of the most photographed and beloved public figures of the 20th century through her extensive humanitarian work.
Dan Aykroyd (1952) — The Saturday Night Live alumnus, comedian, and actor co-founded the House of Blues and formed the iconic Blues Brothers with John Belushi.
Pamela Anderson (1967) — The Canadian-born actress and model became one of the most recognizable pop-culture figures of the 1990s.
Liv Tyler (1977) — The actress found international stardom playing the Elf maiden Arwen in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
⚰️ Notable Deaths
Marlon Brando (2004) — Widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time, Brando won Academy Awards for his unforgettable roles in The Godfather and On the Waterfront. He died of respiratory failure at age 80.
Renaldo Benson (2005) — The legendary R&B singer-songwriter and original bass singer for the Four Tops, who also co-wrote the timeless hit "What's Going On" with Marvin Gaye, died of lung cancer at 69.
Obits
Andres E. Najar obituary
Funeral services for Andres E. Najar, 81, of Spiro, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Mallory-Martin Funeral Home Chapel in Spiro, with Alex Najar and Pamela King officiating. Burial will follow at New Hope Cemetery in Spiro, under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home.
The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Viewing will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Najar was born Feb. 15, 1945, in Marfa, Texas, to Carmen (Espinosa) Najar and Andres Najar. He passed away June 28, 2026, in Tulsa.
He married Brenda (Boyd) Najar on Nov. 1, 2014, in Spiro.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Paula Olgin; his brothers, Manuel Najar and Jose Najar; and his stepdaughter, April Morton.
Andres was a devoted family man who treasured every opportunity to spend time with those he loved. He especially enjoyed watching his family's softball games and cheering them on from the stands. He had a lifelong love of camping, fishing and country dancing, and he never missed an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. A devoted fan of professional wrestling, Andres could tell you all about his favorite wrestlers, regardless of the brand. He was also a faithful supporter of the Dallas Cowboys and looked forward to every football season. His warm spirit, love of family and enjoyment of life's simple pleasures will be remembered by all who knew him.
Survivors include his wife, Brenda Najar of the home; his sons Eddy Najar and wife Cyndi of Springdale, Arkansas, and Jason Najar and fiancée Monica Cox of Midlothian, Texas; his daughter, Laura Najar of Midland, Texas; his stepson, Wayne Morton of Spiro; sisters Maria Venzor and Refugia Santiago; 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; along with numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
Pallbearers will be Jerrod Najar, Adrian Najar, Ashton Najar, Alex Najar, Jason Najar and Austin Busbee.
You may leave an online message of condolence at www.MalloryMartinFuneralHomeSpiro.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].
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