The Indian Journal from Eufaula, Oklahoma • 1

1 fl SOe PER COPY i I 10640 200 6397 7397 Historical Building Oklahoca City Ok 73105 jam, vaa.nizr osa (USPS 261-620) VOLUME ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN EUFAULA, MclNTOSH COUNTY. OKLAHOMA 74432 Thursday, November 12, 1992 NO. 46 Petition For Injunction Filed On Distribution Of Tax Funds That distribution of income for maintenance and repairs of roadways with McIntosh County, baaed on mileage, is an Inequitable and improper distribution of tax dollars and therefore the Board of County Commissi onersshouldbe adjoined from distributing more than one-third of the income from the new ono-cent sales tax to each of the three The petition goes on to state: That Mdntoali County receives 80 percent of the gasoline sales tax set aside for county roads for distri-bution to major and minor the gasoline tax is distributed to have distributed that money! based on mileage, and not equally among the districts. The petition claims that since the population of the three districts is virtually equal" the distribution should be equal too. According to informed sources, the Lane petition should not hold up the distribution of the remainder of the one-cent sales tax funds to other agendas and entities.

ThoseincIudethesharifTsdepart-ment, rural fire departments, senior citizens organizations, the countys two libraries, the Fair Board, and others. The approved salsa tax 'also provides Amide for the restoration and repair ofthe county courthouse and a one percent collection fee. Also, under the ground rules for the sales tax, any funds left over at the end of any fiscal year would go back into the general government fund to be used for the next fiscal year. The one-cent sales tax proposal was initially discussed and approved by the county excise board and then passed 2-1 by the county commissioners. Dowling and Robertson, who stands to gain perhaps more from the petition for injunction than the other two commissioners, voted for the proposal and Lane voted against it.

The first funds from the new tax should be coming into Mdntoeh County sometime in eariy December, along with the monthly gasoline tax monies. By Dick Swoboda Eight McIntosh County ineluding District Two Commissioner Robert Lana, have filed a petition in district court for an injunction that would reassess distribution of a one-cant sales tax. County voters approved the one-cant sales tax during the general primary election with 21 percent of the funds going to the county commissioners for maintenance and operation of roads and bridges. The money, as it stands now, would be distributed to the three commissioners districts on a mileage basis. Lane, who was opposed to passage of the tax because of the mileage issue, has claimed the road funds should be distributed traffic counts in each district.

This, along with a freeie on the distribution of the countys gasdline fimds-on the average, about $90,000 monthly is what ha and the others are seeking in their petition. We have never been opposed to the distribution ofthe sales tax funds to the other entities involved. Lane said. But, we have always said that the roads and maintenance money shouldbe distributed by the amount of traffic in each district. After filing the petition on Nov.

4, Lane released traffic count figures indicating the roads in his district have a higher count than thoea in Commissioner Dennis Dowlings district three. The highest traffic count wax in Commissioner Waldo Robertsons districtone. BABY JANE DOE MURDER SCENE McIntosh County Sheriff Bobby Gray ra-viaita the area on the ihoreline of Jakes Lake outside Warner where a year ago on Nov. 12 a couple killed a newborn. Across the lake, atop a ridge, a 23-year-old Stigler man witnessed the murder, but being so far away (see background in photo) he was unable to give law enforcement officers too many details of the couple.

(StafTFhoto By Dick Swobodai) A Year Later, Hunt For Killer Of Baby Jane Doe Continuing Chamber Announces 17th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner November 26 By Dick Swoboda The weather was brisk that day, a year ago now, when a 23-yaarold Stiver man found his way toa ridgs over looking Jakoe Laks when his search for a hunters blind was interrupted by a womans scream. Across ths lake, Joe Bamas looked uptoseeamananda woman and he understood ths sounds i -i jy j. ha moved the baby too. To Sheriff Gray this is the worst erima he's aver heard about, and not to be able to sohra ho obviously upsets him. You would think by now that someone would come forward," ha said.

Thats all ws need Just ona person. Aftfftftf flssth (fBlbv Imia- tK deed, then Sheriff eaM, tips end leads eamejjr ajsid.epsifc?:' The woman gavd birth, and only from everywhere, and than this was Ths hunter told lawmen that day momenta after the baby was born expanded when TJnsolvsd Myster- a year ago that the man was white. 4A iuwaWMttd.tim horrified, A knew where they wars going, he said. Of course, I could be wrong. The sensei ese murder of Baby Jane Doe keeps cropping up in the sheriffs conversation.

Why? Why did they do itT The sheriffhopea that on this first anniversary of the murder, some- one will step forward with that ona due.the one that will break the SI The Greater Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce and other vblun-. tears are pleased with the response for assistance in preparing for the 17th annual Thanksgiving dinner November 26th at the Community Center. Aording-to--Chirine n.L WeJ 1 II T. Rahdy Bridges, and Mayor Joe Johnson a recorp crowd is expected to attend this festive event and plenty of traditional food will be ready on Thanksgiving Day. Creek-Approved Company Talking To Kentucky Firm Shut-ins and those not able to get out and attend the dinner may call for cany -out meals at 689-2791, Eufaula Chamber office; or call 689-2171 and ask for Randjt your meals will be delivered to you.

Eufaula Lake area residents. Just pasaing s.9 .1 -I s. I 1 through and ahutdns are welcome. The meal will be served at apprad-. mately 12 noon.

First and High Street Join your friends for a thankful, festivo day. Brooks said. Ha is looking for a firm that will employ at least 126 people at startup and that will eventually employ aa many as 700 persons. think we will gat what wa ere looking for, Brooka said. Tfsjusta matter of time.

Anyone in this ana who would like to contact the tribal company may address letters or proposals to Ralph Brooka, P.O. Box 681101, Tulsa, Okla, 74168, according to Brooks. Continued On Page 6 district hawsver, has asses mnaa IVmi 6ks sftu ku Jl. mors miles than the other two 'y; In ths petition, filed by Lane, Jimmy Wheal ar, Eulua Moaisr, Max Kincaid, Jim Dunford, F. A Naler, Barney Estes and Otto Clayton, it toatifc oitoT" QtaMRfe Qnthm UiumtW nummimii (i Ml ami9ir iNYtonlbf with dark hair and was either in his lata teens or early twenties, about S' 8 and hs described tha woman as being in bar late tsens or eariy twenties, about SB" tall and weighing about 130 pounds.

"But, you have to remember, ha was across ths lake," ths sheriff said. So, ws really dont hava detailed descriptions of them. Meanwhile, a year later today -Jeka'a Lake sit quietly, nestled in ths fall foliage, and there is no traca of the violent crime that took place along its shoreline. Near the murder scene, then is a broken bottle and what looks like ths remains of a deed battery, Ths leaves on the ground an dead, tha ran mocks the landscape and tha search for the killer of Baby Jana Doe goea GAiee iea aind two appeals on its weakly TV time slot. "WaVa had leads from as far away aa Hawaii and from places like Groan Bay, Wisconsin, ha said.

Ths sheriff is convinced that no matter where ths mother and her companion might bo today, they knew about Jake's Lake and how to gotthora. "If a not an easy pi aca to find, and then than is ths pathway down to ths lake, he says. "Why go all tha way down there unless they intended to toss ths body into tha lake? Gray has as many questions today about tha murder as ho did a year ago. So do other law enforee-mant officers who hava worked off end on on ths csss. I still beliavs tha suspects either live in this ana, or did moo, and We are talking to a Brasilian company and a firm from Kentucky, and hope to hava a business lined up before long to locate on our property west of Eufaula, the manager of the first company to incorporate under ths Ckask Nation said this weak.

Ralph Brooks, who represents Asberry, Brooks and Canikdy, Inc. of8and Springs, aimouncad recently the incorporation of tha firm under Creek tribal laws. The tobacco company in Bowling Groan (Kentucky) sounds aa if it might be a better buainesa for us," Stats: Jobless Rate Years Lowest In McIntosh County tha man struck tha child, killing it. Sines that day, Thursday, Nov. 12, 1991, tha Baby Jana Doc murder case has remained as much of a mystery today aa it was than.

McIntosh County Sheriff Bobby Gray and his staff agents from the Oklahoma Stats Bureau of Investigation and tha FBI hava tracked hundreds of tipe and laada. "Unsolved network show, has aired two segments about tha murder and dan to air another ona soon. Still, aa Sheriff Gray says, "Wa don't hava any suspects." Tha csss worries tha sheriff. Ha cant understand a motive behind tha brutal beginning and sudden and of Baby Jana Dos. 1 mean wa hava all tha evidence wa need, but wa dont hava a suspect ora motivs for the al eying, ha says.

"Usually, it is tha other way around. 1 Tha sheriff, discussed ths case with a reporter from tha McIntosh County Publishing Co. has ths pair want to tha scans of tha crime. Driving west from Connora Stats Junior Collage near Warner, ths sheriff parked Ms car off ths paved road, took a well-defined path through nsaiby wooded ana to place where it all began and "Why would they coma down this way to this spot? ha asked. Tha sheriff has no answer to his question, aa ha ones again surveys ths terrain.

"She lost a lot of blood hare, but weVe checked with hospitals and doctors all around and no one sought help that dqy," ho said. Gray looks across tha lake to whan Barnes was standing that November day, and says, "You can see tha distance; it would be hard for him to really sea the people. 1 Barnes told law enforcement officers about tha murder and ha said tha couple certainly must hava seen him. Im pntty sura ha aaw ms," Barnes told officers. The young Stigler hunter rushed around tha lake to where ha hod san the couple, and moved tha baby to a high spot to "hasp it away from animals" end than called authorities.

Comhback up tha trail, the sheriff pointed to a spot "Thatt where lower unemployment rotas while oily tan counties recorded higher rates from August, 1992. Five counties continued to record double-digit unemployment rates, including Hughes, Haskell and Seminole Counties. At the lower and iff the scale, 18 counties had jobless rates of lass than 4 percent Moat of those ware in sparsely populated western Oklahoma Counties, such as Greer and Cimarron. But, Atoka and Harper Counties were also included, with only 22 percent unemployment rats. Comparing September, 1991, to September, 1992, unemployment rates in 65 of Oklahomas 77 counties cams in with lowarsd rates while', 11 counties counties experienced higher rates.

In McIntosh County, tha percentage rates translated into jobs, means 5,980 persons wen employed hr i Sept, 1992 while only 400 were unemployed. 1 "This is certainly good news for McIntosh County and for Eufaula," Mayor Joe Johnson said. Chscotah Mayor Mika Eariywine also expressed delight with the Continued On Page 5 Mclntoeh County had its lowest unemployment rata of tha year in September, according to figures released by tiis Oklahoma Security Commission this past week. Tha 6JJ percent recorded for Sep-' tembar also waa the lowest the county has had in a year. The OSC statistics show the county hada6unsmplcymantrate in September of 1991 and the same rata in August of 1992.

Tha currant percentage looks especially good when compared with nearby counties. Pittsburg County! rata waa percent; Okmulgee's waa 8.4 percent and Haskell Countys rata was 10.6 percent. Only Muakogee County came in with tha same low rats as McIntosh County, according to Mary Jana Carmichael, OSC statistician. Tha overall unemployment rata in Oklahoma showed improvement, declining from 64 to 5J percent. This decline reflects seasonal footers, hot It la encouraging, Carmichael.

Th estate is currently 1.4 pares nt-aga points below the national unemployment rata, which stands at 12 percent for tha month of Sap- tembar. And, 65 counties experienced' THIS MAIN STREET PHOTO of tha Foley Building will be featured in ths Main Street Eufaula, book, EUFAULA A PICTORIAL HISTORY. According to Main St Director Brenda Otia, enough photoe hava been turned in to do the book but "we're really looking for more pictures that show building nv atraatacapaa from earlier daya. Many people hava eent in family photos which ere very interesting but cannot be used for the book. The pictorial history book's baaia is bumneea, churches, or street shots depicting Eufaula's history, she stated.

Tha book had originally been plan for Christmas delivery, but due to various problems it wont be out then. Gift certificates ere available to give to that special person. Anyone interested in purchasingabook should contact Ms. Otis at Eufaula City Hill or call 689-3227..