By Marsha Millermarsha.miller@ardmoreite.com

Saturday night members of Ard-more Police Department’s Accident Reconstruction Team were continu-ing to investigate a single-vehicle crash that injured seven people about 2:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Springdale Road.

Capt. Eric Hamblin, APD, said the preliminary-stage investigation indi-cated a 1999 GMC Yukon was travel-ing at a high rate of speed westbound on Springdale Road. The driver ap-parently lost control of the SUV. The

vehicle ran off the road, just west of Mary Niblack Road and rolled twice, ejecting several of the occupants.

Five of the seven people in the SUV were identified as juveniles.

Hamblin said at least four of the occupants had been airlifted to hos-pitals in Oklahoma City and Dallas with what he described as a “multi-tude” of injuries.

11A

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n First of a three-part series on social networking, Page 1A.

n Injuries reported in wreck on Springdale Road, Page 1A.

n City manager named grand marshall for parade, Page 5A.

News items

Amanda Funderburg clicks the Share but-ton after writing a

sentence about setting up her dog’s kiddie pool.

Funderburg, an eighth-grader at Plainview Middle School, is one of more than 500 million people who use Facebook.

The site, like many others, allows users to tell friends, family and com-plete strangers whatever is on their mind.

However, the posts can

represent much more than a quirky update about innocent summer activi-ties. What is posted on the Internet can have lasting consequences, whether us-ers realize it or not.

“I’ve seen how much it can hurt someone to post something bad about a friend. It can hurt a friend-ship,” Funderburg said.

As Facebook grows, many people are learning to be selective with their posts.

Chad Mitchell of Ard-

more is a recent graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

“I don’t post a lot. I just post what’s on my mind that everyone should hear,” Mitchell said. “I’m very selective. It’s things I care to know and read.”

There is increasing awareness that Facebook is not just for teens and young adults. Teachers and potential employers are also using the site.

Editors’ Note — This is the first of a three-part series on posting on Face-book and other social network websites, privacy issues and repercussions users can face. The second part of the series will be printed in Wednesday’s edition and the final por-tion of the series will be published on Friday.

With ‘Friends’like these ...

By Jennifer Lindsey n jennifer.lindsey@ardmoreite.com

See facebook, 7A

Social networking Internet sites have become increasingly popular as a way to stay in constant contact with family and friends. But traversing the instant communication system isn’t without pitfalls; it can have serious consequences for those who “share all” through messages and photos that can take on a life of their own once they are in cyberspace.

By Jennifer lindseyjennifer.lindsey@ardmoreite.com

Ardmore City Schools Board of Education will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday to discuss and possibly hire a new superintendent.

An amended agenda posted Thursday says the board will meet in executive session to dis-cuss the employment of the su-perintendent, followed by taking action to approve the hiring in open meeting.

The board is expected to hire Nathaniel Sonny Bates Jr. of Wagoner.

According to the Wagoner Tribune, Bates has been the su-perintendent of Wagoner Public Schools since 2008. Prior to that he was the director of curricu-lum and federal programs in the school system for approximately five years.

Efforts to reach Bates were unsuccessful.

If you have any questions for the school board or the new su-perintendent, email them to jen-nifer.lindsey@ardmoreite.com. The Ardmoreite will be your voice.

batesto benamedchief

City worker Lee Gothard kicks up some dry dirt while mowing grass at Regional Park.

Staff and Wire Reports

Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb declared a state of emergency Friday for 33 Oklahoma counties, includ-ing Carter and Love, because of extreme or exceptional drought conditions and associated wild-fires. The executive order is the first step toward seeking federal assistance for victims of fires, should that be necessary.

Lamb issued the declaration at the request of Gov. Mary Fal-lin, who is in Ireland this week attending her daughter’s wed-ding.

Temperatures were expected in the 90s and 100s across Okla-homa this weekend. The Na-tional Weather Service issued a red flag fire warning — meaning conditions were ripe for wildfires — for eight southwestern Okla-homa counties. Much of western Oklahoma also was under heat and wind advisories.

Fire forces evacuations;residents return — 7A

don alquist/the ardmoreite

carter, Love countiesincluded in state ofemergency declaration

don alquist/the ardmoreite

Nine teens injured in pickup crash — 7A

A two-vehicle wreck on Springdale Road west of Mary Niblack occurred Saturday after-noon. Four people were airlifted from the scene.

Seven injured in crash

See craSh, 7A

7A

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www.ardmoreite.com 7AThe Ardmoreite, Sunday, June 26, 2011 Local/State

▼ C l a r e m o r e▼ o k l a h o m a W i l d f i r e

MEDICINE PARK (AP) — A mas-sive wildfire that destroyed 13 homes in the Medicine Park area was con-tained Saturday, allowing residents to return to their homes.

Firefighters from a few local agen-cies remained on the scene to mop up hot spots, but the fire was under control after crews worked “dili-gently” overnight to contain it, Co-manche County spokesman Chris Killmer said.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Henry Sa-bine, the town’s vice mayor, said the flames came within 500 feet of his two-story wooden house and he was grateful for the firefighters’ work.

“The historic town of Medicine Park was extremely lucky,” he said. “The fire burned through an area

of the town with few residents. It missed the entire historic business district. The firefighters were able to save all but two of the homes on Big Rock. There had to be historic efforts.

“It’s amazing how many homes they were able to save, considering the path of the fire.”

Medicine Park is located at the entrance to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, about 80 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. Sa-bine said most residents “will rest this weekend and Monday, we will do what we always do when there’s a crisis. We’ll pull our bootstraps up and start pulling it all together.”

The fire started Thursday after-noon on the Fort Sill U.S. Army post

and high winds and tinder-dry condi-tions quickly fueled the blaze, which burned about 5,500 acres. About 1,500 people had to be evacuated from their homes, and one firefighter suffered a minor foot injury.

The blaze tore through the Mt. Valley mobile home park, reducing seven mobile homes to a pile of ashy rubble and twisted metal frames. Charred bicycles and children’s toys littered the small neighborhood, along with a minivan completely gutted by flames.

At least two homes were burned to the ground in the nearby Big Rock neighborhood, a collection of larger homes tucked into the rugged foot-hills near the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge.

Blaze under control, residents return

“I try to have a positive view on myself because I think lots of employers are looking into Facebook,” Mitchell said.

Funderburg said she worries about negative posts being connected to her.

“I don’t post anything that would raise concern. I post the happier notes of life,” she said.

Users can also refine their privacy settings so

that only people they have approved can see a post.

“People need to be more careful. Anyone can go on there and look at stuff,” Mitchell said. “I think you should have settings pri-vate so other people can’t see it because even an in-side joke can be misinter-preted.”

On Facebook, users can “Friend” other people to link their profiles. Face-book friends can see each other’s posts that may not be seen by a non-friend.

“Privacy settings are important. Your friends

should be people you know personally,” Mitchell said.

Some people Friend only people they are close to, but many will Friend everyone they know (and some they don’t).

“I don’t Friend every-one I know — only people I want to know what’s go-ing on in my life and that I trust not to tell everyone,” Funderburg said.

Sometimes, even people one knows, are not the best to Friend. Many teens express reservations about Friending their parents, teachers and other adult

figures.“I don’t Friend teach-

ers because I see it ruin-ing that teacher-student aspect. If you know what your teachers are up to and they know what you’re up to, they’re not going to respect you as much,” Fun-derburg said.

Yet, at the end of the day, Funderburg also knows that no matter who sees what she posts, no one can think badly of her for set-ting up the dog’s kiddie pool.

Jennifer Lindsey 221-6536

FACEBOOKContinued from 1A

Three others were taken to Mercy Memorial Health Center. About 8 p.m. Ham-blin said one of three had been admitted to local medical facility.

The other two were be-lieved to have been treated and released.

“At this time we are still attempting to locate family members. We are withhold-ing the names of all of the individuals involved pend-ing notification of their

families,” Hamblin said. While the cause of the

accident remained “under investigation,” Hamblin said members of the recon-struction team “believed that only one seat belt was in use at the time of the ac-cident.”

CRASHContinued from 1A

▼ P l a n n e d P a r e n t h o o d

Oklahoma one of four states in affiliationThe Associated PressThe Planned Parent-

hood affiliate that covers Iowa and Nebraska has announced plans to merge with one that runs health clinics in Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

Under the merger ex-pected to be complete by Jan. 1, the expanded affili-ate would have about 30 clinics in the four states.

“Our communities de-serve access to affordable quality health care,” said Jill June, president and CEO of Planned Parent-hood of the Heartland, which covers Iowa and Nebraska. “The merger will allow us to expand our

service offerings to more people in need of care.”

The new services would include adoption, educa-tion programs and care for men and for lesbian, gay and transgendered people.

Kathy Sparks, board chairwoman of Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, said the merger will make the multi-state affiliate “stronger and more effi-cient.”

“We are transforming operations to ensure we are here for the women and men who need and want our services,” she said.

June will be the interim

president of the expanded affiliate, which will have its headquarters at Heart-land’s administrative of-fices in Des Moines, Iowa.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland had cov-ered Nebraska and most of Iowa until its recent merger with the South-east Iowa affiliate broad-ened its reach to the en-tire state. Heartland now operates about 20 clinics in Iowa and health centers in Lincoln and Omaha. In April, it announced plans to open 12 more clinics in those states over the next five years.

Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern

Oklahoma, based in Tul-sa, Okla., operates four health centers in eastern Oklahoma and two in Ar-kansas.

CLAREMORE (AP) — Nine teenagers suffered injuries when a pickup in which they were riding hit a sign and ended up in a Rogers County creek bed.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the accident occurred about 4:50 a.m. Saturday on a county road about two miles south of State Highway 66.

Troopers say the driver, 19-year-old Victor Antonio Ramirez, ran the pickup off the right side of the

road in a curve. The pickup hit the sign and a bridge rail before landing in the creek bed.

Seven passengers riding in the pickup’s bed were ejected. Two of those pas-sengers eventually were taken by helicopter to a Tulsa hospital in stable condition.

Two other passengers were taken to a Tulsa hos-pital and four others were treated and released at a Claremore hospital.

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n Part 2 of a three-part series on social network issues, 1A.

n Greater Ardmore Scholarship Foundation golf tourney, 1A.

n Ground broken for Chicka-saw health facility on Tishom-ingo, 10A.

News items

Three event Highlights

1 The Greater Ardmore Scholarship Foundation provides $500 scholarships per semester ($1,000 for junior and senior years) to Carter County high school stu-

dents. Any stu-dent who applies by the deadline and meets the grade-point aver-age and income requirements will

receive the scholarship.

2 Monday’s annual golf tournament and fundraiser included hole sponsorships, raffles and a silent auction. All proceeds go to the scholarship fund. The golf tour-nament featured 21 teams.

3 GASF awarded 90 scholarships to the

class of 2011, and currently awards nearly 300 scholarships to college students from Carter County.

Overheard at the event“This year, we’ve stepped it up with more participants and more teams and busi-nesses stepped up with more silent auc-tion items.” — Roslyn Haile, GASF ex-ecutive director“I think it’s amazing that so many people in the area are willing to help students go to college. It makes me feel good that people come out and support.” — Bree Labeth, 2010 graduate of Wilson High School and scholarship recipient“We appreciate the community support to put this tournament on and the committee that made it happen. It all goes into sup-porting area students.” — Ryan Youde-rian, GASF Board of Trustees

Amanda Baldridge warns students about how postings

on social media sites can turn a job hunt sour.

“Potential employers go out and Google appli-cants. Students may social media themselves out of a job,” she said.

Baldridge is the director of academic advisement at Murray State College and teaches a course on the psychology of adjustment, which features an entire

chapter on technology in the 21st century.

When students ask Bal-dridge for letters of recom-mendation, she checks their Facebook pages.

“If they are constantly negative about life, then I wonder do I really want to write a letter about this person,” she said. “In class, they may be delight-ful and participate, but when they are negative, that plays into my deci-sion to recommend them.

I’m not sure I want to stake my representation on them.”

Many of the students have become her friend on Facebook, which allows her to see nearly all of their posts.

“A lot of times, young adults lose track of who can view their profiles and forget who’s out there when they rant and rave,” Baldridge said.

Editors’ Note — This is the second installment of The Ardmoreite’s three-part series on posting on Facebook and other social network websites, privacy issues and re-percussions users can face. The final part of the series will be printed in Friday’s edition.

Here’s how to not get the job

By Jennifer Lindsey n jennifer.lindsey@ardmoreite.com

See facebook, 11A

bates named superintendent

Sonny Bates

Expectations run high as board votes 4-0 to make hiring officialBy Jennifer Lindseyjennifer.lindsey@ardmoreite.com

Sonny Bates is still looking for the perfect two-story house in Ardmore, but he now has a job in what he called, “a very, very beautiful city.”

In a 4-0 vote Tuesday, the Ard-more City Schools Board of Educa-tion hired Bates as the new super-

intendent.“He’s going to be a very visible

superintendent for both the commu-nity and schools,” said board presi-dent Lucinda Hull. “I think he will help bring this community together and be good for the children and the district.”

After the board made its decision, Bates spoke a few words to a crowd

of administrators, teachers and com-munity members.

“I thank the board for this oppor-tunity. I bring to the table ideas for progression and a deep love of edu-cation,” he said. “I want students to be successful in higher education, industry and whatever else they pursue.”

Bates, who replaces Dr. Ruth Ann

Carr, has been the Wagoner super-intendent for three years and will begin work Friday.

“I want to be as transparent as possible and inform the public of the on-goings of the school district and ask the public for feedback because it will take all of us to accomplish these goals,” he said.

See bates, 10A

Nuclear lab under siegefrom fire;thousands evacuated

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — A wildfire burning near the desert birthplace of the atomic bomb advanced on the Los Alamos labo-ratory and thousands of outdoor drums of plutonium-contaminat-ed waste Tuesday as authorities stepped up efforts to protect the site and monitor the air for radia-tion.

Officials at the nation’s premier nuclear weapons lab gave assur-ances that dangerous materials were safely stored and capable of withstanding flames from the 93-square-mile fire, which as of mid-day was as close as 50 feet from the grounds.

A small patch of land at the laboratory caught fire Monday before firefighters quickly put it out. Teams were on high alert to pounce on any new blazes and spent the day removing brush and low-hanging tree limbs from the lab’s perimeter.

“We are throwing absolutely everything at this that we got,” Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico said in Los Alamos.

The fire has forced the evacua-tion of the entire city of Los Ala-mos, population 11,000, cast giant plumes of smoke over the region and raised fears among nuclear watchdogs that it could reach up to 30,000 55-gallon drums of plu-tonium-contaminated waste.

See fire, 11A

Ryan Youderian looks at silent auction items during the Greater Ardmore Schol-arship Foundation golf tournament.Story and photo by Jennifer Lindsey/The Ardmoreite

Greater Ardmore Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament Drivers urged

to check vehiclesBy steve Biehnsteve.biehn@ardmoreite.com

Motorists who perform simple drive-way inspections could save themselves from the inconvenience of a roadside breakdown this summer.

“No one wants to experience car trouble while on vacation,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “A simple vehicle in-spection can help avoid the inconve-nience and potential safety hazards of breaking down many miles away from home.”

White said motorists can use a sim-ple 10-minute driveway inspection to determine how road ready their ve-hicles are. If problems are identified and maintenance is needed, it can be performed prior to the trip.

See cars, 10A

Social networking Internet sites have become increasingly popular as a way to stay in constant contact with family and friends. But traversing the instant communication system isn’t without pitfalls; it can have serious consequences for those who “share all” through messages and photos that can take on a life of their own once they are in cyberspace.

11A

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www.ardmoreite.com 11AThe Ardmoreite, Wednesday, June 29, 2011 News

▼ C a r t e r C o u n t y

Hotshot crew members walk in line as they prepare to mop up in Pajarito Moun-tain ski area near Los Alamos, N.M., Tuesday. Firefighters battled a vicious wildfire that was spreading Tuesday through the mountains above the northern New Mexico town that is home to a government nuclear laboratory.

the associated press

FIREContinued from 1A

“The concern is that these drums will get so hot that they’ll burst. That would put this toxic ma-terial into the plume. It’s a concern for everybody,” said Joni Arends, executive director of the Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, an anti-nuclear group.

Arends’ organization also worried that the fire could stir up nuclear-con-taminated soil on lab prop-erty where experiments were conducted years ago. Burrowing animals have brought that contamina-tion to the surface, she said.

Lab officials said there was very little risk of the fire reaching the drums of low-level nuclear waste, since the flames would have to jump through canyons first. Officials also stood ready to coat the drums with fire-resistant foam if the blaze got too close.

Lab spokeswoman Lisa Rosendorf said the drums contain Cold War-era waste that the lab sends away in weekly shipments for stor-age. She said the drums were on a paved area with few trees nearby. As of mid-day Tuesday, the flames were about two miles from

the material.“These drums are de-

signed to a safety standard that would withstand a wildland fire worse than this one,” Rosendorf said.

Los Alamos employs about 15,000 people, covers more than 36 square miles, includes about 2,000 build-ings at nearly four dozen sites and plays a vital role in the nation’s nuclear pro-gram.

The lab was created dur-ing World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. It produced the weapons that were dropped on Hiroshi-ma and Nagasaki.

In the decades since, the lab has evolved into a ma-jor scientific and nuclear research facility. It stock-piles aging atomic materi-als, tests warheads, pro-duces triggers for nuclear weapons and operates su-percomputers and particle accelerators.

It also conducts research on such things as climate change and the develop-ment of a scanner for air-ports to detect explosive liquids. The lab’s super-computer was used in de-signing an HIV vaccine.

Lab officials gave assur-ances that buildings hous-ing key research and sci-entific facilities were safe because they have been fireproofed over the years,

especially since a 2000 blaze that raged through the area but caused no damage to the lab. Trees and brush were thinned over the past several years, and key buildings were surrounded with gravel to keep flames at bay.

Many of the buildings were also constructed to meet strict standards for nuclear safety, and aggres-sive wildfires were taken into account, lab spokes-man Kevin Roark said.

“We’ll pre-treat with foam if necessary, but we really want the buildings to stand on their own for the most part. That is ex-actly how they’ve been de-signed. Especially the ones holding anything that is of high value or high risk,” said Deputy Los Alamos County Fire Chief Mike Thompson.

Teams from the Nation-al Nuclear Security Ad-ministration’s Radiological Assistance Program were headed to the scene to help assess any hazards.

Lab officials said they were closely watching at least 60 air monitors for ra-diation and other hazards. The New Mexico Environ-ment Department was also monitoring the air, and Udall said he asked the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency to do the same.

Employers can also find things posted by other people, which can be just as damaging.

“Just because you don’t post pictures about your-self, a friend can,” Bal-dridge said. “Make sure the people you are hang-ing around share the same values as you.”

Employers agree that they look for applicants online.

“Of course, you bet. If they’ve posted something outrageous, it can show poor judgment,” said local attorney David Blanken-ship.

Even companies that don’t currently do searches keep the option in mind.

“We haven’t gotten into looking at employees,” said Jill Day, Ardmore City Schools executive direc-tor for human resources. “It’s nothing we’ve taken on right now, but always a possibility.”

However, the conse-quences of online com-ments can begin much ear-lier than the job hunt.

At Ardmore Middle School, administrators work with the school re-source officer and social worker to monitor inci-dents that begin on Face-book and other social me-dia sites.

Students have been known to post bullying-type messages online.

“When they do it elec-tronically, it rolls over to

school. A threat on a week-end can lead to arguments and fights at school on Monday,” Beach said.

When such posts are seen, school officials take action to help all parties involved receive counsel-ing before the situation can escalate.

On the other side of things, Beach also sees his teachers corresponding and collaborating through Facebook.

“It’s a good tool if used properly or a bad tool if used for bullying,” Beach said. “It goes back to kids learning good morals.”

Online presence can also begin with parents posting things about their children

who are too young to have a page.

Baldridge said she sees children with social media presence before they are even a year old.

“A lot of information is divulged about our kids. We need to think about protecting kids as well,” she said.

At the end of the day, it comes down to people be-ing careful with what they post online.

“Most people are braver behind a keyboard than face to face,” Baldridge said. “They don’t see the consequences of what they say.”

Jennifer Lindsey 221-6536

FACEBOOKContinued from 1A

Tips for Posting OnlineProvided by Murray State College, Southern

Oklahoma Technology Center and Gatehouse News Service

n Remember that once something is posted, it is out there forever

n Know what your friends are posting about you

n Don’t post rants and raves because they could show you have a negative attitude

n Protect your page by adjusting your settings and only allowing personal information to be seen by your friends.

n Watch your spelling and grammarn Don’t accept everyone who asks to be your

friends — make sure you know them and that it is not a spam account

n Don’t post inappropriate photos (if you don’t want your parents to see it, don’t post it).

n Don’t post inappropriate languagen Un-tag yourself from friends’ pictures if nec-

essaryn Remove yourself from any trivial groups you

might belong ton Don’t be excessively negative in status up-

dates

Two men injured in traffic accidentTwo men were injured in

a two-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 77 2.1 miles south of Ardmore Monday afternoon.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Rocky Northcutt’s report indi-cated a 1995 GMC pickup driven by Donald Rich-burg, 63, of Carrollton, Texas, was hit from behind by a 2005 Chevrolet van driven by Danny Pixler, 43, of Ardmore. Richburg’s vehicle was going slower than normal because of mechanical problems.

A 21-year-old Ardmore man, Dakota Ross, who was a passenger in Pix-ler’s van, was pinned in the wreckage for 30 min-utes until he was freed by first responders from the Criner Hills Fire Depart-ment. He was airlifted to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where he was admitted in fair con-dition with leg injuries.

Pixler refused treat-ment at the accident scene, and medics from the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service trans-

ported Richburg to Mercy Memorial Health Center, where he was treated and released.

PRYOR (AP) — The owners of three indepen-dent pharmacies in Pryor say they will begin requir-ing a doctor’s prescription before selling medicines containing pseudoephed-rine.

The ingredient is found in common cold and aller-gy medicines and is a key ingredient in the produc-tion of methamphetamine.

Elliott Plaza Pharmacy owner Drew Turner and Beggs Pharmacy owner Derek Sien tell the Tulsa World they will work with customers to make sure they can get the prescrip-tions they need. Cross Pharmacy owner Randy Quattlebaum said he’ll phase in the restriction over a couple of months to accommodate his custom-ers.

Turner also has restrict-ed pseudoephedrine sales to prescription-only at In-ola Drug and the Catoosa Family Pharmacy, which he also owns.

Some state lawmakers and law enforcement have called for a law limiting the sale of pseudoephedrine to only those with a prescrip-tion, but a bill to do that stalled in the Legislature earlier this year.

Turner said he thinks most customers who buy the drug do so for legiti-mate reasons.

“I pretty much know who my customers are,” he said, adding that he re-cently turned away a ques-tionable-looking pseudo-ephedrine customer whom

he had never seen in his store before.

“If I just make it pre-scription-only, that’ll stop,” he said.

Quattlebaum said he also limits how much pseu-doephedrine his pharmacy sells.

“We could sell a lot more; I’ll be honest,” he said. “We already limit it to people we know, anyway.”

Turner said the new policy could cause some inconvenience for custom-ers but that he thinks they will understand.

“I think the people who know me know I’m doing this for the greater good, and they’ll be willing to maybe go through a little inconvenience,” he said.

▼ S t a t e

Pseudoephedrine prescriptions required