Ada —
Hard feelings abounded recently when a quarter cent sales tax to fund the capital needs of county volunteer firefighters was narrowly defeated. This was as unfortunate as it was inevitable. There are always two sides to an issue and the one who falls short is bound to not like it very much.
It makes it nearly infinitely worse when the ones who came up short are such great human beings. If there is any endeavor more laudable than that of volunteer firefighter it escapes us as to what it might be.
One thing we learned from the experience is that the need is real. It just isn’t equally real for every volunteer fire department, and that was part of the reason this newspaper could not justify a tax that would equally fund all departments. At least one county fire department admitted it did not need additional funds.
Second, common sense dictates that fire departments in the five municipalities of Ada, Byng, Stonewall, Francis and Roff would not see any increased funding because fire tax proceeds would only serve to replace what they were already getting.
But again, needs in some volunteer fire departments are genuine and Ada Jobs Foundation is spearheading a countywide taskforce to assess and fill capital needs by department. Entities listed as joining the effort are Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, Ada Industrial Development Corporation, City of Ada, Pontotoc County, area businesses, rural water districts, Pontotoc County Firefighters Association, Chickasaw Nation, Pontotoc Technology Center, East Central University, public schools, and municipalities in the county.
We encourage these entities to get together sooner rather than later. While it is important to be thorough in analysis it is also important to get the process started as a way of letting those volunteers who put their lives on the line on a weekly basis know their needs have not been dismissed or forgotten.
— The Ada News
Editorials
Jobs Foundation leads effort to help firefighters
- Editorials
-
-
Surviving a tornado while on the road
All Oklahomans know the importance of going to the storm shelter when the tornado sirens sound. But what should a person do when caught in a storm while out on the road?
-
Be a good neighbor with pesticide applications
Being a good neighbor with pesticide applications means thinking first, about what your pesticide application might do to harm your neighbors crops.
- Bench Warrants
-
Cool vs. un-cool musicians
Jokes, we know, are no good if you have to explain them. It has happened in my experience that a certain deadness of expression sets in on some non-musicians’ faces upon hearing them because they aren’t in tune (if you’ll pardon the play on words) with the punch lines. They don’t get them.
-
Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
AP right to be angry about seized phone records
The Obama Justice Department is a wonder. It is a frightening wonder, but a wonder nonetheless. Attorney General Eric Holder, ever eager to give terrorists their day in civilian court and so protective of their rights, has no qualms about stomping on the constitutional rights of the press.
-
Looking through the miscellaneous file
I’ve heard historians say that in the so-called primitive cultures the women bear and raise the children, gather and raise food for the family, and prepare the meals. The men hunt, fish, and tell stories. Many of you will see there is nothing primitive about this except for the lack of hunting and fishing in some areas.
- 5-5-13 sounding board
- This is (not) the end
- Pentagon wrong to clamp down on religious freedom
- More Editorials Headlines
-
Surviving a tornado while on the road
Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
