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Bridges family honored at street-naming ceremony
A: Main, news
August 27, 2025
Bridges family honored at street-naming ceremony
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR,

The Bridges family has a long and distinguished history in Eufaula.

Brendon Bridges is a Mc-Intosh County District Judge who has spent a lifetime of community service.

His grandmother, the late Marguerite Palmer Bridges Schmitt, helped found the local library and helped keep it alive for more than 30 years.

Her late husband, Max Bridges, was a local businessman for 60 years and also devoted much of his life to the community.

Max’s brother Randy, Brendon’s father, also kept the community service tradition alive during his lifetime.

It is only fitting that the city honor the Bridges family by naming a street in their honor as a show of appreciation for all they have done.

The street chosen by the city is a small portion of First Street, the short block from SH 9 (Selmon Road) north to Pine Street, between the former Family Dollar store and the Bank of Eufaula satellite office/ ATM machines.

A proclamation ceremony was held at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Twenty family members, friends and associates attended the event, hosted by Mayor James Hickman and City Manager Jacob Foos.

Among them were Judge Bridges and his wife Erin and their sons Mavrix and Max. Not there were son Maddox Bridges (off to college) and Joanna Taylor-Bridges.

Erin’s parents Bob and Janette Davis Davis were there.

Also, Teresa Bridges Butler, John Butler, Kathy Hickman; Crystal Newton, Jacee Due and Donna Kaufman.

As well as, Katie Layman, Lisa Rodebush, Tiara Stowers, Deserea Crowley and Rhonda and Craig Urbanavage.

Mayor Hickman declared Aug. 20, 2025, Bridges Family Day in the City of Eufaula and read a proclamation outlining the many accomplishments of the Bridges family through the decades.

Max, a Korean War veteran, opened B&F Furniture in 1968; start-ed the Eufaula Fireworks Show and hosted a community Thanksgiving Dinner; traditions continued by his son Randy.

Randy, also Max, were members of the Chamber of Commerce. Both were instrumental in Eufaula’s Main Street program.

Randy also established the Alumni Hall of Fame and was president of the Alumni Association. And he helped establish a Christmas citywide toy donation program, which continues today through the guidance of Erin Bridges and other community leaders.

“The Bridges family legacy of community service continues to inspire and benefit Eufaula and the Lake Eufaula area,” Hickman read. “The family’s legacy is evident in the knowledge, wisdom and kindness they shared with all who knew them. Their spirit lives through the works and deeds of those they leave behind.”

Following the ceremony, Judge Bridges said: “I want to thank the city for its recognition of my father, my grandfather, and my grandmother. We’re proud members of the community and we hope we can live up to the family legacy.”

Ironheads punch ticket to the Big House with gritty 48-42 win over Chandler
A: Main, sports
Ironheads punch ticket to the Big House with gritty 48-42 win over Chandler
By Rodney Haltom sports EDITOR 
March 11, 2026
The Eufaula Ironheads are headed back to the state tournament after grinding out a hard-fought 48-42 victory over Chandler, securing their place at the OSSAA State Tournament at the Big House in Oklah...
A: Main, news
Deadline to change party affiliation approaches
March 11, 2026
Oklahomans who want to change their party affiliation must submit their change no later than March 31, McIntosh County Election Board Secretary Kim Limbaugh said today. Voters may change their party a...
A: Main, news
Former OSBI investigator sentenced for multiple counts of sexual abuse of a minor
March 11, 2026
MUSKOGEE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jordan Francis Toyne, age 37, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 109 months in prison for ea...
Communities built through faith and determination
A: Main, news
Communities built through faith and determination
By STAFF WRITER 
March 11, 2026
On a cool Saturday morning, Feb. 28, in the closing days of Black History Month, the steeple of Mt. Olive Star Baptist Church in Checotah rose above a quiet gathering devoted to remembrance, faith and...
Community says goodbye to pillar, leader and friend Gary Lee Nichols
A: Main, news
Community says goodbye to pillar, leader and friend Gary Lee Nichols
By Shauna Belyeu General Manager 
March 11, 2026
There are men who build businesses. And there are men who build communities. Gary Lee Nichols did both. For more than five decades, Gary wasn’t just the owner of grocery stores; he was a steady presen...
An All American 18th Annual Chili Cook-Off Success
A: Main, news
An All American 18th Annual Chili Cook-Off Success
By LaDonna Rhodes Staff Writer 
March 11, 2026
The 18th Annual Checotah Chili Cook-Off hosted by the Heartland Heritage Museum & Gallery was a culinary showdown of steaming hot chili along with American patriotism for fun-filled evening of food an...
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Tahlequah resident sentenced for illegal possession of firearm and ammunition
March 11, 2026
MUSKOGEE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Bradley Eugene Davis, a/k/a Bradley Eugene Mefford, age 31, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to ...
Oversight work and deadlines
commentary
Oversight work and deadlines
By REPRESENTATIVE NEIL HAYS (405) 557-7302 
March 11, 2026
This week has been especially active at the Capitol as oversight c ommit tees work through one of the most imp ortant stages of the legislative session. At this point in the process, all remaining Hou...
The ‘prose’ and cons of paragraphs
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March 11, 2026
The House Tourism Committee this week passed House Bill 3263 to establish the morel mushroom as Oklahoma’s state mushroom. Considered a delicacy because of cultivation difficulties, several thousand O...
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Wild Onion Dinner
March 11, 2026
The Eufaula-Canadian Tribal Town will be hosting the annual Wild Onion Dinner on Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Eufaula Indian Community Nutrition Center, 800 Birkes Rd., Eufaula. The co...
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