LeFlore County sales tax revenue showed a significant drop for December of 2025 compared to the same time frame for 2024.

The LeFlore County towns showed a revenue of $987,336.84 for the month, $42,337.67 less than the previous year.

While the revenue was down for county towns, that wasn’t the case for LeFlore County. The county showed a revenue of $933,178;22 for the month, $122,479.51 more than the $810,698.71 that was collected in December of 2025.

Panama showed the largest increase for the month, an increase of $10,395.97 for the month, probably because of the opening of the new Casey’s Store.

Poteau easily had the biggest drop, going from $648,411.98 last year of $600,819.93 this year, a drop of $47,592.05 for the month.

See the report for all of Oklahoma HERE.

Spiro resident pleads guilty to distributing meth 

MUSKOGEE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jessica Marie Campbell, 44, of Spiro was sentenced to 60 months in prison for one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine.   

The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office.

On May 8, 2025, Campbell pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, on June 7, 2023, Campbell sold a baggie containing approximately 117 grams of a crystalline substance which later tested positive for methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. 

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Campbell will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan W. Howanitz and Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.

LCT basketball brackets have been released for the 2026 tournament that will be held Jan. 19-24 with Bokoshe as the hosts.

The Howe girls and Pocola boys are seeded first in their divisions. The top three seeds get byes for the first round.

Basketball

Boys

Sallisaw 59, Heavener 54

Hartshorne 75, Howe 64 (OT)

LeFlore 50, Haileyville 49

Ozark 57, Spiro 32

Talihina 56, Stigler 54

Girls

Sallisaw 70, Heavener 45

Howe 66, Hartshorne 53

LeFlore 37, Haileyville 25

Spiro 40, Ozark 34

Talihina 53, Stigler 47

To make an addition or correction please CONTACT me.

By DAVID SEELEY

Sports Editor/SEQUOYAH COUNT TIMES

The Sallisaw High School basketball teams opened the 2026 portion of their seasons Tuesday night at Paul Post Field House with a sweep of the visiting Heavener squads.

The Lady Diamonds opened the night with a 70-45 victory over the Lady Wolves for Sallisaw’s fifth straight win, then the Black Diamonds used a second-half comeback to defeat the Wolves 59-54 for their third consecutive victory.

Girls

Sallisaw 70, Heavener 45

Trailing 4-3 after a basket by Heavener’s Mia Billings with 5:08 left in the first quarter, the Lady Diamonds (6-2) ended the period on a 14-2 run to take a 17-6 lead into the second quarter.

However, the Lady Wolves (5-5) refused to go into hibernation as they outscored the Lady Diamonds 11-10 in the second period to cut Sallisaw’s lead to 27-17 at halftime.

It was the third quarter that proved to be the deciding period.

The Lady Diamonds outscored the Lady Wolves 34-4 in the third quarter, which included a 22-0 run where the Sallisaw lead went from 36-19 with 6:05 left in the period to a 58-19 advantage at the 1:35 mark of the quarter.

The Lady Diamonds enjoyed two 40-point leads in the second half, the last time coming at 63-23 on Kaycie Girdner’s basket with 7:15 left in the game. The majority of the fourth quarter saw the Sallisaw junior varsity players hit the hardwood.

In defeat, Billings scored 14 points and Jaiklyn Rogers added 10 points to lead Heavener, followed by Anistyn Cartwright with nine points, Zaidi May with six points, Taylea Baker with four points and Lanie Faulkenberry with two points.

Boys

Sallisaw 59, Heavener 54

With the game tied at 49-all with 4:39 left to play, the Black Diamonds (5-3) ended the game with a 10-5 run to get the win.

The first quarter saw the Black Diamonds connect on three 3-point baskets, two of them from Brodi Nickell, as they took a 15-6 lead into the second period.

Another 3-pointer by Asa Ulrich gave Sallisaw an 18-6 lead with 6:45 left before halftime.

However, the Wolves (5-6) ended the first half with a 19-4 run, capped by a basket by Ryland Roberts with 26 seconds remaining in the first half, to put Heavener ahead 25-22 at halftime.

The Wolves built as great as a nine-point lead as a conventional three-point play by Brandon Sanchez upped Heavener’s advantage to 39-30 with 3:01 left in the third quarter.

Then, it was the Black Diamonds’ turn to go on an offensive spurt as Sallisaw ended the period on a 16-6 run, capped by Brodi Nickell’s trey with a second left in the quarter to put Sallisaw back ahead 46-45 going into the final period.

After Heavener’s Brecken Barnes hit a bucket to regain the lead for the Wolves at 47-46 with 7:48 to play, a free throw by Elijah Hill and a basket by Grayson Griffey put Sallisaw ahead 49-47 with 5:38 remaining in the game.

A basket by Roberts knotted the game at 49-all with 4:39 left, but Sallisaw doubled Heavener’s offensive output the rest of the way to get the home win.

In defeat, Heavener put a trio of players into double figures, led by Geren Palmer's 18 points and 10 points apiece from Roberts and Brandon Sanchez. Julian Sanchez had six points, followed by Mason Standifer with four points and Barnes, Spencer Clubb and Willie DeHart with two points apiece.

To optimize this for Heavener Area News, we want to focus on keywords that Oklahoma sports fans search for: "OSU Basketball," "Big 12 Scores," and "Cowboys vs. UCF."

Here is a version designed to rank well on Google and keep your local readers engaged.

STILLWATER, — Behind a career-defining performance from Parsa Fallah, the Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-2, 1-1 Big 12) secured a massive 87-76 upset victory over the No. 25 UCF Knights on Tuesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cowboys’ offense was firing on all cylinders, led by Parsa Fallah, who racked up 24 points. Kanye Clary proved to be a force on both ends of the court, contributing 18 points and pulling down nine rebounds.

Sharpshooter Anthony Roy also played a pivotal role, coming off the bench to score 15 points, fueled by four critical 3-pointers that kept the Stillwater crowd on its feet.

Oklahoma State’s victory was built on elite shooting and aggressive play in the paint:

The Knights (12-2, 1-1), who recently broke into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2019, saw their 11-game winning streak snapped. Poor shooting efficiency plagued UCF all night, as they finished with a disappointing 38% from the field and a struggling 21% from three-point range.

Riley Kugel led the Knights with 15 points, while Jamichael Stillwell added 13 in the losing effort.

The game hung in the balance midway through the second half when UCF’s George Beale Jr. hit back-to-back triples to trim the OSU lead to 67-64. However, the Cowboys responded with a defensive masterclass, sparking a 13-1 scoring run to push the lead to 80-65 and effectively seal the win.

Funeral services for James Alvin Burton, 84, of Spiro are 2 p.m. Friday at Mallory-Martin Chapel in Spiro with Pastor Lee Rogers officiating. Burial will follow at New Hope Cemetery in Spiro, under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home of Spiro. 

Burial will follow at New Hope Cemetery in Spiro, under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home of Spiro.

James was born on Nov. 22, 1941, in Oklahoma City to Allie Fair Burton (Greenwood) and Albert Allen Burton, and he passed away on Jan. 6, 2026, in Spiro.

He retired from Whirlpool, where he dedicated many years of service. Outside of work, he was a passionate farmer who deeply loved working his cattle and spending time on the land.

Survivors are his daughters Sharon Vise and husband Terry, and Tammy Vigil; grandchildren Chance Vigil and wife Amber, Clay Vigil and wife Cori, and Shianne Vise; great-grandchildren Jaxson, Cainan, Nic, Issac, Paisley, Hadleigh and Kynslee; along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and loved ones. 

James was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Robbie Pipkins; and two brothers, Gene Burton and Don Burton.

You may leave an online message for the family at www.MalloryMartinFuneralHomeSpiro.com.

Graveside services for Avis Pilcher, 98, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, are 1 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2026, at the Spiro City Cemetery with Reverend Vernon Stone officiating. Services are under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home in Spiro.

Avis was born on May 13, 1927 in Harmony, Arkansas to Naomi (Askins) King and Arthur King. She passed away on Jan. 3, 2026, in Pocola.

She attended Beauty College in Fort Smith and later worked for ABF before retiring from Red Ball Motor Freight. Avis was a devoted Christian woman who loved attending church and living her faith daily. She was known as “the mother everyone wanted"; so much so that Keith and Pat’s friends often joked they wished she were their own mother.

Those left to cherish her memory include her daughter Patricia Harris and husband Lonnie; her son Keith Pilcher and wife Jo; granddaughters Stephanie Philpot and husband Heath, and Jaimie May; great-grandson, Slate Philpot; along with numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and loved ones.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Pilcher; and her sisters Erma Hardgrave and Mavis Brown.

You may leave an online message at www.MalloryMartinFuneralHomeSpiro.com