• The long-running fight against Oklahoma’s revocable permit law for public utility companies came to a pause when the case reached District Judge John H. Norman, who took the matter under advisement. The City of Okmulgee, the Municipal League and attorneys from several towns had argued against the measure, hoping to block the law that affected how utilities operated within municipalities. After days of hearings, the case rested with the court as communities waited for a ruling.

• A lawsuit that aimed at stopping the construction of the Okmulgee-to-Muskogee highway through Morris was dismissed after state and county officials reached an agreement. Although the Morris route added two extra miles compared to a straight eastward road, the highway commission approved it for concrete paving and designated it as Highway 27. With the dispute settled, officials expected to award the contract soon so paving could begin once the spring rains were over.

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• Former Okmulgee residents Mr. and Mrs. Harry West prepared to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Feb. 29 at their home in Wichita, Kansas. Married on February 28, 1916, the couple had lived in Okmulgee for more than twenty years before moving to Wichita in 1975. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren planned to gather for a family celebration in their honor.

• Jerry Dickey, a Henryetta native and Navy veteran, was named the new manager of the Okmulgee Dollar General Store. After serving from 1967 to 1971 and later working for PPG, Dickey completed studies in marketing and management at Oklahoma State Tech before entering retail management. The Okmulgee store was part of the rapidly expanding Dollar General chain, which had grown from