Remember when the news was about what happened, not how to feel about it? 1440's Daily Digest is bringing that back. Every morning, they sift through 100+ sources to deliver a concise, unbiased briefing — no pundits, no paywalls, no politics. Just the facts, all in five minutes. For free.

Read the newsletter trusted by 4.5 million fact-seekers.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Psalms 56:3

Confusing, jargon-packed, and time-consuming. Or quick, direct, and actually enjoyable.

Easy choice.

There’s a reason over 4 million professionals read Morning Brew instead of traditional business media. The facts hit harder, it’s built to be skimmed, and for once, business news is something you actually look forward to reading.

Try Morning Brew’s newsletter for free and realize just how good business news can be.

Check it out

LeFlore County sports scores for Friday.

Friday’s games

Baseball

Pocola 8, Aspire Home School 7

Talihina 13, Depew 1

Talihina 9, Union City 3

Wister 8, Wilburton 6

Saturday’s schedule

Baseball

Poteau at Jay

If you need to make an addition or correction, email [email protected].

The first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament wrapped up on Friday, with a mix of dominant performances, close calls, and one notable upset to keep the bracket intrigue alive.

Top seeds mostly cruised through: No. 1 Arizona dismantled No. 16 Long Island University 92-58, No. 2 Iowa State overwhelmed No. 15 Tennessee State 108-74, No. 3 Virginia held off No. 14 Wright State 82-73, and No. 4 Alabama beat No. 13 Hofstra 90-70. No. 5 Texas Tech handled No. 12 Akron comfortably 91-71.

The day's highlight (and closest call) came in an overtime thriller where No. 7 Kentucky survived No. 10 Santa Clara 89-84, needing extra time to pull away after a back-and-forth battle.

Another mild surprise saw No. 9 Utah State take down No. 8 Villanova 86-76, marking the only real upset from Friday's slate.Other key results included No. 6 Tennessee ending the Cinderella run of No. 11 Miami (Ohio) with a decisive 78-56 victory, while games like UConn edging Furman 82-71 (highlighted by Tarris Reed Jr.'s monster 31-point, 27-rebound performance) and various other matchups rounded out a solid day for favorites.

Combined with Thursday's action—where upsets like No. 12 High Point over No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82, No. 11 VCU over No. 6 North Carolina 82-78 (OT), and wins for No. 1 Duke, No. 1 Michigan, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 2 Houston, No. 4 Nebraska, and others—the field is now set at 32 teams heading into the weekend.Friday delivered fewer shocks than Thursday's chaos, but the tournament's intensity is ramping up as brackets narrow and every game carries higher stakes.

Now, turning to Saturday (all times ET), the second round (Round of 32) begins with eight compelling matchups across multiple sites (including Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, and Portland). Expect physical play, veteran guards stepping up, and potential for more surprises as underdogs look to extend their runs.Key games to watch:

The second round promises elite matchups, defensive battles, and the chance for more bracket-busters. With top seeds like Duke, Michigan, Arizona (advancing Friday), and others still in play, the path to the Sweet 16 starts here—don't miss the action as March Madness heats up.

Sooners Force Rubber Match with Friday Win at LSU 

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 8 Oklahoma evened the series in Baton Rouge Friday evening, beating LSU 4-2 to force a decisive game three Saturday afternoon.  

OU starting right-handed pitcher LJ Mercurius earned his fifth win of the season on the mound, going 5.1 innings and striking out seven while allowing two runs on four hits with two walks.  

OU’s bullpen of Jason Bodin (1.1 IP), Kadyn Leon (1.1) and Jackson Cleveland (1.0) did not allow a run and combined for just three hits to go with six strikeouts. Cleveland earned his fourth save of the season in the ninth, forcing a game-ending double play.  

Following a scoreless first, LSU (16-8, 2-3 SEC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo home run. OU (18-5, 3-2) would score the game’s next three runs via a Jason Walk RBI single, wild pitch that allowed Jaxon Willits to race home and an RBI single from Trey Gambill.  

LSU responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the game to a one-run contest. With the bases loaded in the seventh, Leon forced a fly out to left field to end the Tiger threat. OU added an insurance run at the top of the ninth via Gambill’s single after a double to left from Kyle Branch.  

The Tigers would put the tying run on base in the ninth, but another double play ended the game and forced Saturday’s 2 p.m. CT rubber match. 

Cowboys drop series opener To Baylor 

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State fell short in its conference home opener Friday night as Baylor defeated the Cowboys, 6-4, at O’Brate Stadium. 

With the loss, OSU dropped to 14-8 and 0-4 in Big 12 play, while BU improved to 12-9 and 2-2 in conference. 

Brock Thompson and Colin Brueggemann had two hits apiece for the Pokes and Kollin Ritchie homered, but OSU left 15 runners stranded on base in the contest. 

Ethan Lund made his sixth start of the season and struck out 10 batters across six innings while allowing three runs. 

Stormy Rhodes took the loss to fall to 1-1 as he allowed three unearned runs while not recording an out.

 The Bears struck early in the first on a solo home run from Brady Janusek, but Lund struck out the next two batters to finish the inning. 

Lund got into trouble in the second but was able to get a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the frame. 

The southpaw struck out three Bears in the third inning to bring his tally to six. 

In the bottom of the inning, Ritchie deposited his 14^th home run into the right field bleachers. The two-run blast put the Pokes ahead, 2-1. 

Lund struck out two more in the fourth inning but allowed two hits, including a game-tying single to Ty Johnson. 

OSU went back on top in the fifth. With the bases full of Cowboys, Brueggemann stepped to the plate with two outs and slapped shot an opposite field double to left field to score two and make the score 4-2. 

The Bears got a run back in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly, but Lund recorded his 10^th strikeout on his final pitch of the day. 

Rhodes relieved Lund in the seventh but was unable to record an out and walked in the tying run, one of two free passes he issued. Noah Wech inherited a bases loaded, nobody out situation and induced a run-scoring double play to the first batter he saw. However, the next batter hit an RBI double to extend BU’s lead to 6-4. 

The Cowboys loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but Baylor reliever Caleb Bunch struck out a pair to end the rally. They threatened again in the eighth with runners on first third, but Bunch picked up two more strikeouts to avoid any damage. 

Wech worked his third scoreless inning in the ninth to keep the deficit at two. The righty allowed just one hit and struck out five over his three innings. 

Down to their final out, the Cowboys got a single from TP Wentworth and a walk to Garrett Shull to bring the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but Alex Conover grounded out to end the game. 

The two teams return to action Saturday at 6 p.m.

Hogs Blast Gamecocks in 22-Run Onslaught

Online version

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Powered by Maika Niu’s two homers and six RBI, No. 4 Arkansas (17-6, 3-1 SEC) belted six long balls in its 22-6 run-rule win against South Carolina (12-11, 0-4 SEC) in Friday night’s series opener at Founders Park, scoring its second-most runs in an SEC game in program history as well as its most runs in an SEC game in the Dave Van Horn era. 

The Hogs, now 3-1 in league play, go for their second consecutive SEC weekend series win tomorrow. First pitch is 3 p.m. CT Saturday, March 21, on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein (play-by-play) and Grayson Greiner (analyst) on the call. 

Arkansas scored early and often in Friday’s series opener, landing the first punch with four runs in the top of the first before tacking on three in the second, two in the third, eight in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The Razorbacks tagged Gamecock starter Josh Gunther for nine runs on six hits and three walks in 2.1 innings of work. 

After Camden Kozeal’s RBI single opened the scoring in the first, Niu swatted a three-run homer later in the frame to put Arkansas ahead by four. The Hogs never looked back, homering twice more in the second inning on Damian Ruiz and Kozeal’s back-to-back blasts before Kuhio Aloy connected on a two-run shot in the third inning to extend the lead to 9-0. 

Up nine after three innings, the Razorbacks kept their foot on the gas with eight more runs in the top half of the fourth to grow their advantage to 17-0. Following a bases-loaded walk by Zack Stewart, Niu and Reese Robinett each collected two-RBI doubles before Nolan Souza and Ruiz added RBI singles. The eighth and final run of the inning came on an error. 

South Carolina responded to its 17-run deficit with a four-spot in the bottom of the fourth by taking advantage of a one-out error – one of Arkansas’ few miscues on the night. It was the only damage Gabe Gaeckle, who started on the mound for the Hogs, would suffer as he tossed five innings of four-run ball (two earned) with seven strikeouts to earn the win. 

TJ Pompey hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth before Ryder Helfrick added an RBI on a sacrifice fly to center, pushing the Razorbacks’ lead to 20-4. Niu led off the sixth inning with his second home run and sixth RBI of the contest, and Kozeal drew a two-out bases-loaded walk later in the frame as Arkansas’ edge grew to an astounding 22-4. 

South Carolina scored a pair on a two-run blast, its third homer of the game, in the bottom of the seventh, but Arkansas, with the help of Jordan Martin (1.0 IP) and Luke Cornelison (1.0 IP, 2 SO), would ultimately close out its 22-6 run-rule win. The Razorbacks’ 22 runs are their most in an SEC game since Norm DeBriyn’s Hogs won, 30-7, at South Carolina on March 30, 1997, without a run rule, and their 16-run margin of victory is their largest in an SEC road game under DVH. 

Offensively, four Razorbacks finished with multi-hit games in Friday night’s lopsided win, including Ruiz (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI), Kozeal (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI), Niu (3-for-5, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI) and Pompey (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI). Niu, who tied a career high with six RBI, also made a remarkable full-extension diving catch in left center in the bottom of the second inning. 

Hunter Dietz (2-2, 4.18 ERA) will toe the rubber for Arkansas tomorrow against South Carolina in the second game of the weekend series. The Razorback left-hander will go up against Gamecock right-hander Amp Phillips (2-2, 2.62 ERA). 

Arkansas has won five consecutive regular season series against the Gamecocks (2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025), including road series at Founders Park in 2021 and 2024. The Razorbacks have not lost a series in Columbia since 2016. 

Oklahoma State Sends Four Wrestlers to NCAA Finals

CLEVELAND – The Oklahoma State wrestling team sent four wrestlers, who are all freshmen, to the finals of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships Friday night and now sits in second place with one day remaining at the event. OSU’s 111.5 teams points – it’s most through day two since 2005 – trail Penn State by 41.5 points and lead third-place Nebraska by 21 points. 

The Cowboy finalists include true freshmen Jax Forrest at 133 pounds, Sergio Vega at 141 pounds and Landon Robideau at 157 pounds, as well as redshirt freshman Cody Merrill at 197 pounds. It marks the first time in program history that OSU has sent more than two freshmen to the NCAA finals and the only previous years a pair of freshmen went were 1946 and 1947. The Cowboys had just 11 freshmen finalists, including six true freshmen, in school history prior to this year, and none since 2021. 

“These guys are driven,” coach David Taylor said. “I think what I liked most today was that not one of them celebrated about their win. These guys want to be national champions. That’s what they talk about, and that’s what they live their life around. It’s a hard thing to do as a kid, because it’s easy to be excited that they’re going to the finals, but that’s not how they are. We have an awesome group of kids. We had nine new starters this year, almost a brand-new group. It’s been an awesome ride. So, today was a good day, but tomorrow’s going to be a tough day too.” 

It marks the first time the Cowboys have tallied four finalists since 2014. Their All-America honors combined with All-America performances from Troy Spratley (125 pounds), Casey Swiderski (149 pounds), Zack Ryder (184 pounds) and Konner Doucet (heavyweight) gave OSU eight All-Americans for the first time since 2017, matching a school record that’s now been reached eight times. 

That also improves OSU’s all-time All-America total to 500, which is more than 100 more than any other team. 

The undefeated Forrest was the first to punch his ticket to the finals, doing what he’s done the whole tournament with a bonus-point win, this time a 14-3 major decision over No. 4 Aaron Seidel of Virginia Tech. It was a notable improvement from his 10-9 win over Seidel, whose only two losses this season are to Forrest, at Virginia Tech earlier this season. 

“It’s a dream come true,” Forrest said. “I’ve been coming to the national tournament since I was a kid, countless times with my dad and family. Now, not only doing this a lot earlier than I expected, but getting to do it with this team has been awesome. It’s been a really good last couple of days, and I’m excited for a really good one tomorrow.” 

Vega, also undefeated, was next. He got past Nebraska’s No. 3 Brock Hardy with a 5-3 decision to improve his record to 23-0. He trailed 1-0 in the period and used a takedown, escape and riding time point to advance. The win is Vega’s third this season over the four-time All-American. 

“It’s been awesome these past couple of days and even the season,” Vega said. “Finding out how tough I am and what I’m capable of doing has been cool. If you had told me four months ago that I’d be in the national finals, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I told myself I believed I could do it, but I don’t know if I really did. These past couple of months I’ve been wrestling, and now I really believe I can do it.” 

The other two Cowboy finalists provided a pair of upset wins in tiebreakers in two of the most surprising results of the tournament. 

First Robideau, seeded fifth, handed Penn State’s No. 1 PJ Duke his second loss of the season by scoring a reversal in the first half of the tiebreaker to set up a 3-1 win. 

“I heard people writing me off, and I love that,” Robideau said. “I knew I was going to win. My teammates are the best in the country, and this is why we win. That wasn’t the finals, so I’m not satisfied. I’ve got one more to win.” 

The seventh-seeded Merrill knocked off Little Rock’s No. 3 Stephen Little, a three-time All-American, with long ride in the first half of the tiebreaker to help him earn a 3-2 win. 

“I’ve gone through this season with a couple of losses, but in this tournament I get a fresh start,” Merrill said. “When I first started wrestling, my goal was to become the national champion. Nothing changed at all when I got here. I’ve got the same mentality I had when I got here at the beginning of the season. That’s to take it match by match and refuse to be denied.” 

Spratley also wrestled in the quarterfinals against top-seeded and undefeated Luke Lilledahl of Penn State. Spratley put up a tough fight but fell to the consolation semifinal as Lilledahl won an 8-3 decision. 

Swiderski, Ryder and Doucet also wrestled in the session, each needing wins in the round of 12 to became All-Americans and keep their tournament runs going. 

That’s what each of them did, as Swiderski earned a 4-1 win over No. 21 Gabe Willochell of Wyoming, Ryder earned a medical forfeit over No. 8 Silas Allred of Nebraska and Doucet, a senior, earned his fourth fall of the season against No. 20 Dayton Pitzer of Pittsburgh in 6:22. He had three total falls in his four seasons of competition prior to this one. 

Doucet followed with a 1-0 win over No. 18 Christian Carroll of Wyoming to join Spratley in Saturday morning’s consolation semifinals, while Swiderski and Ryder dropped close decisions to move into Saturday morning’s seventh-place matches. 

The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships wraps up Saturday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with the fifth session scheduled to begin Saturday at 10 a.m. CT on ESPNU and finals scheduled from 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. 

2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships

March 20, 2026 | Rocket Arena | Cleveland, Ohio

Attendance: 17,115 

Session 4 (Friday Night) 

Team Standings After Session 4 (Top 10)

1. Penn State - 153.0

2. Oklahoma State - 111.5

3. Nebraska - 90.5

4. Iowa - 81.0

5. Ohio State - 77.5

6. Stanford - 58.0

7. Iowa State - 52.0

8. Michigan - 48.0

9. Minnesota - 39.5

10. NC State - 37.0 

Semifinals

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. No. 5 Troy Spratley (OSU), 8-3

133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) MD No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT), 14-3

141: No. 2 Sergio Vega (OSU) dec. No. 3 Brock Hardy (NEB), 5-3

157: No. 5 Landon Robideau (OSU) dec. No. 1 PJ Duke (PSU), 3-1, TB-1

197: No. 7 Cody Merrill (OSU) dec. No. 3 Stephen Little (UALR), 3-2, TB-1 

Consolation Fourth Round

149: No. 8 Casey Swiderski (OSU) dec. No. 21 Gabe Willochell (WYO), 4-1

184: No. 22 Zack Ryder (OSU) med. for. No. 8 Silas Allred (NEB)

HWT: No. 7 Konner Doucet (OSU) fall No. 20 Dayton Pitzer (PITT), 6:22 

Consolation Quarterfinals

149: No. 15 Ryder Block (IOWA) dec. No. 8 Casey Swiderski (OSU), 8-5, SV-1

184: No. 10 Caleb Campos (AMER) dec. No. 22 Zack Ryder (OSU), 7-4

HWT: No. 7 Konner Doucet (OSU) dec. No. 18 Christian Carroll (WYO), 1-0 

Finals Bouts (Saturday Night)

133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) vs. No. 2 Ben Davino (OHST)

141: No. 2 Sergio Vega (OSU) vs. No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OHST)

157: No. 5 Landon Robideau (OSU) vs. No. 2 Antrell Taylor (NEB)

197: No. 7 Cody Merrill (OSU) vs. No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) 

Consolation Semifinal Bouts (Saturday Morning)

125: No. 5 Troy Spratley (OSU) vs. No. 12 Vincent Robinson (NCST)

HWT: No. 7 Konner Doucet (OSU) vs. No. 4 AJ Ferrari (NEB) 

Seventh-Place Match (Saturday Morning)

149: No. 8 Casey Swiderski (OSU) vs. No. 3 Cross Wasilewski (PENN)

184: No. 22 Zack Ryder (OSU) vs. No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (WYO)

Record temperatures expected Saturday

Weather forecast for Saturday is for another day of clear skies and record-high temperatures for LeFlore County and the area.

The high is forecast to be 91 with a low of 66 degrees.

Sunrise was 7:20 a.m. Sunset is 7:30 p.m.

See our live weather radar

Friday’s high was 90 with a low of 60. No rain was recorded, leaving the monthly total at 4.16 inches. Average rainfall for March is 5.40 inches.

Average temperatures for March 21 are a high of 67 and low of 38. Records for the date were a high of 83 in 1987 and a low of 20 in 1986.

Calendar of events for the next week for Heavener, LeFlore County, southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The calendar is a free service for our readers. If you know of an event coming up, please CONTACT me.

Saturday

A V Skinner., Jr. service 

Ruby Naylor funeral services

High school baseball: Poteau at Jay;

Funeral service for Mary Lou (Steelman) Odom 

Reichert-Summerfield Volunteer Fire Department chili dinner

Monday

LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.

High school baseball: Heavener at Holland Hall; Warner at Cameron; Haworth at Howe; Poteau at Muldrow; Whitesboro at Smithville

High school softball: Heavener at conference festival (Stigler); Cameron at Whitesboro

Tuesday

High school baseball: Holland Hall at Heavener; Cameron at Talihina; Porum, Clayton at Howe; Muldrow at Poteau; Whitesboro at Okay

High school softball: Heavener at conference festival (Stigler); Howe, Wister at Poteau; LeFlore at Cameron; Whitesboro at Panama; Muldrow at Spiro; Talihina at Stigler in Black Diamond Conference festival; 

High school soccer: Heavener at Hilldale

High school golf: Heavener at Keys Tournament

Poteau Evening Lions Club meet 6 p.m. CASC

Wednesday

Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC

Thursday

Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC

High school baseball: Heavener, Howe at Smithville Tournament; Cameron at Rattan Tournament; Westville at Poteau; Whitesboro vs. Plainview at Sulphur Tournament

High school softball: Heavener at Poteau; Whitesboro at Soper Tournament; Talihina at Webbers Falls Festival; Quinton at Howe;

High school soccer: Heavener girls at Cascia Hall

High school track: Heavener at Wilburton meet

Poteau Chamber of Commerce banquet

Heavener VFW bingo 6

Friday

High school baseball: Heavener, Howe at Smithville Tournament; Cameron at Rattan Tournament’ Poteau vs. Charleston, Ark,, Gore at Roland Tournament

High school softball: Whitesboro at Soper Tournament; Oktaha at Howe; Talihina at Webbers Falls Festival.

March 21: A Day of Renewal, Reckoning, and Remarkable Turns in HistoryMarch 21 often arrives with the whisper of spring.

In much of the Northern Hemisphere, it marks (or sits right beside) the vernal equinox—that perfect moment when day and night stand in perfect balance, symbolizing renewal, hope, and fresh beginnings. It’s no coincidence that this date has long been tied to cultural rebirth: Nowruz (Persian New Year), the International Day of Forests, World Poetry Day, and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Yet woven into that promise of new life are some of history’s most dramatic chapters—tragedies that demanded justice, inventions that changed how the world connects, and ordinary people who became legends.

The story of March 21 stretches across centuries like a grand, unfinished tapestry. Go back to 630 AD, and you find Byzantine Emperor Heraclius triumphantly returning the True Cross to Jerusalem after years of war—a moment of spiritual and political restoration. Fast-forward to the darkness of 1349, when fear during the Black Death sparked horrific pogroms; in Erfurt, Germany, hundreds of Jews were massacred amid baseless accusations. Centuries later, on March 21, 1556, English Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake in Oxford. He had recanted his Protestant beliefs under pressure, only to dramatically renounce those recantations at the last moment, declaring the pope the Antichrist as the flames rose.

The 19th and 20th centuries turned March 21 into a stage for sweeping change.

In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte gave the world the Code Napoléon—a clear, modern civil law code that still influences legal systems from Europe to Latin America and beyond. In 1871, journalist Henry Morton Stanley set off into the African interior with those immortal words: “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” (He actually began the expedition on this date.)Wars and civil rights struggles dominate the 20th century’s March 21 ledger.

On March 21, 1918, Germany launched its massive Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) in World War I, the last desperate gamble to win the war before American troops arrived in force. In 1960, South African police opened fire on peaceful anti-apartheid protesters in the Sharpeville Massacre, killing 69 and wounding hundreds—an event so shocking it helped turn global opinion against apartheid and is now commemorated worldwide as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Just five years later, on March 21, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped off from Selma, Alabama, leading the final, successful march to Montgomery—protected by federal troops after two earlier bloody attempts.

That march helped pave the way for the Voting Rights Act later that year.Even quieter milestones carried huge weight. In 1963, the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed its doors forever—not because of daring escapes, but because it was simply too expensive to run.

In 1990, Namibia celebrated its independence from South Africa. And in 2006, a little message popped up on a brand-new platform: “just setting up my twttr.” That first tweet by Jack Dorsey launched Twitter (now X), forever changing how the world communicates, argues, and mobilizes.

en.wikipedia.org

The people born or lost on March 21 add their own verses to the story. On this date in 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach entered the world in Germany—his music would echo through the centuries as the soundtrack of the Baroque era.

In 1806, Benito Juárez was born in Oaxaca, Mexico; the Zapotec lawyer would become president and a towering symbol of Mexican independence and reform. Modern icons include actor Gary Oldman (1958), Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna (1960), and soccer wizard Ronaldinho (1980), whose dazzling smile and even more dazzling footwork lit up stadiums worldwide.

history.com

Tragic departures have also marked the calendar. In 1617, Pocahontas (Rebecca Rolfe) died in England at just 21, far from her Virginia homeland. In 1915, efficiency expert Frederick Winslow Taylor passed away.

More recently, Nigerian literary giant Chinua Achebe died in 2013, and in 2025 the world said goodbye to boxing champion and entrepreneur George Foreman.

en.wikipedia.org

So what makes March 21 special? It is a day that reminds us history rarely moves in straight lines. One March 21 can bring massacre and another can launch a march that bends the arc of justice.

One can close a notorious prison; another can birth a social network that connects billions. One can give the world Bach’s fugues; another can give it Ronaldinho’s no-look passes.

As the equinox tilts the planet toward longer days and warmer light, March 21 whispers an eternal truth: every ending carries the seed of a beginning. Whether it’s a civil rights march, a first tweet, or the quiet genius of a composer born 340 years ago, this date keeps proving that one ordinary day on the calendar can change everything.

Marion McCurtain, 90, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2026, in McAlester. He was born on July 7, 1935, in Howe to Ida (Payne) and Jackson McCurtain.

He served his country in the United States Army, carrying that sense of duty and pride with him throughout his life. 

Services are Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Victory Baptist Church in Talihina with Bro. Danny Harris officiating. Interment will follow at New City Cemetery in Talihina. 

Visitation is Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. at McCarn Funeral Service in Talihina.

Services have been entrusted to McCarn Funeral Service.

John Albert Zeller death notice

John Albert Zeller, 87, of Poteau passed away on March 12, 2026, in Poteau. A direct cremation will be held under the direction of Evans & Miller Funeral Home of Poteau.

He was born on April 24, 1938, in Newton, New Jersey, to Christine (Smith) Zeller and Ernest Zeller.

Survivors are his children John and wife Cheri, Linda and husband Jack, EZ, and Irene and husband Darrell; his grandchildren, Chris Zeller, whom he raised, and Cynthia Massey and husband Jared; eight more grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, seven great great grandchildren, as well as two brothers and four sisters.

He was preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Christine Zeller; his daughter, Tammy; three brothers; and two sisters.

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

^{James Harvey Blan, 83, of Poteau passed away on March 14, 2026, at his home, surrounded}

^{by his family. In accordance with his wishes, no service will be held.} 

^{He was born on June 24, 1942, in McCurtain to Kenneth and Eddie Belle Blan.} 

^{He served two years on active duty in the United States Army at Fort Lee, Virginia. During his service, he earned the Army Good Conduct Medal and qualified as a rifle sharpshooter.} 

^{Survivors are his children Donald Blan of Broken Arrow and Gayla Johnson-Lenski (Phil)}

^{of Lexington, South Carolina; his grandchildren Brenton and Cody Blan, and Jordan, Jake, and Jenna}

^{Johnson; his sisters Naomi “Ruth” Hendrix (Roger) of Poteau, and Nora Stanley (Bob) of}

^{Mustang, and his brother, Michael Ray Blan (Susan), of Tulsa.}

^{He was preceded in death by his parents Kenneth and Eddie Belle Blan; Margret Blan, the mother of}

^{his children; his brothers Kenneth “K.D.” Blan, Joe Robert Blan, Billy Gene Blan and Marcus “Pep” Lee}

^{Blan; and his sister Joyce Blan.} 

^{Online condolences can be made at www.holtfuneralandcremation.com.}