F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

News
Gift ...

O Continued from Page 1A

allow her to grip objects, to work an
iPhone and to put on her prosthetic
legs.
Without the hands, Dombos
husband, John, has to be with her
most of the time to help her.
Dombo has been working out with
the hands once a week since May at
Peeples Prosthetics so that if the
money ever came through, shed
know how to use the hands, which
retail for about $260,000.
"Ill do what I can," Holden told
her that night at the banquet.
Holden traveled back to
Washington, D.C., told his wife and

Guns ...
O Continued from Page 1A

been strongly opposed to concealed

guns on campus, as have administrators. Earlier this month, elected
representatives of faculty, staff and
students at the University of Kansas
adopted resolutions opposing the
campus concealed carry law.
Joe Harrington, an English
professor who is president of the
University Senate at the school,
called Brownbacks comments

By TIM TALLEY
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA
CITY

Oklahoma liquor retailers are

challenging sweeping voter-approved
guidelines that expand wine and
strong beer sales to grocery and
convenience stores but remain
puzzled about how their businesses
will fit into the new regulatory
landscape if their legal challenge is
unsuccessful.
State law currently allows wine and
strong beer to be sold only at
licensed package liquor stores. But
the law approved in November
would allow grocery and convenience stores to also sell those
products starting on Oct. 1, 2018.
The little liquor store down the
street is now going to have to
compete with the QuickTrip, with
the 7-Eleven, said J.P. Richard,
owner of Cache Road Liquor &
Wine in Lawton. We are put at a
tremendous disadvantage.
Bryan Kerr, president of the Retail
Liquor Association of Oklahoma
and owner of Moore Liquor, said it is
likely that many of the states 600
package liquor stores will be forced
to close if the new regulations go into
effect.
The vast majority of liquor store
owners are figuring out: How do I
survive in this new reality, Kerr said.
You have to kind of change the way
you do business.
Until the retail liquor groups
lawsuit is resolved, Kerr said it is
unlikely any retail package liquor
businesses will expand or new ones
open.
That would be a very bold and

3A

son about Dombo and contacted

someone who knew U.S. Rep. Mike
Pompeo of Wichita. Holden wanted
to see if Pompeo could talk with the
insurance company. But when
Holden attended Phillips sentencing
hearing he learned that Blue Cross
hadnt changed its decision.
"I promise you I will get your sister
the arms," Holden told Dombos
sister Linda. "Were going to get
them."
Holden later told Dombo his wife
wanted to meet her. So the Dombos
invited the Holdens over for lunch
Monday when Mark Holden arrived
carrying two big boxes with the
prosthetic hands he and his wife
bought for her.
Dombo saw the boxes and started
to cry.
"Merry Christmas," Holden said.
disappointing.
Obviously, this is something that
people at the local level, at the
campus level, dont want and thats
being imposed upon us by the state,
Harrington said.
Brownback is a conservative
Republican whos repeatedly backed
policies favored by the National Rifle
Association and other gun-rights
groups, including a 2015 law that
allows adults to carry concealed
weapons without a state permit or
mandatory training.
Im not rethinking my support for
the
Second
Amendment,
Brownback said, referring to the
U.S. Constitution.

Amid court challenge,

Oklahoma liquor
stores plan for change
The retail liquor
groups lawsuit,
filed on Monday
in Oklahoma
County District
Court, asks for a
temporary
restraining order
to block the
commission from
implementing the
new alcohol laws

L&T

news@hpleader.com

bordering-on-foolish move, he said.

The Alcoholic Beverage Laws
Enforcement Commission, which is
for
enforcing
responsible
Oklahomas liquor laws, is moving
ahead with plans to rewrite the
states liquor laws to comply with the
new constitutional amendment.
The measure also gives the state
permission to sell drinks in state
lodges and allows liquor stores to
chill strong beer and sell nonalcoholic items such as ice and
mixers.
Some of Oklahomas liquor laws
date to the Prohibition era, with one
limiting beer sales in grocery stores
to products with an alcohol content
of 3.2 percent or less.
Technically all of it is gone and all
of it is replaced, the alcohol
commissions general counsel,
Steven Barker, said. We have every
intention and plan to accomplish
that.
The commission is asking for a $1
million increase in funding because
of the thousands of retail liquor
applications expected when the new
rules go into effect. The money
would pay for six new enforcement
agents and three administrative staff
members.
The retail liquor groups lawsuit,
filed on Monday in Oklahoma
County District Court, asks for a
temporary restraining order to block
the commission from implementing
the new alcohol laws.
Kerr said the group believes the
rules violate the U.S. Constitution
by giving preferential treatment to
grocery stores, convenience stores
and other out-of-state businesses
over locally-owned retail package
stores.
The group also believes it would
result in higher prices and reduced
selection for the drinking consumer
in Oklahoma.
A hearing on the lawsuit is
scheduled for February.

A B O V E : A w o r k e r f r o m L i b e r a l s A s h l e y F u r n i t u r e s to r e , r i g h t , g e t s s o m e s m i l e s f r o m t h e a d u l t s a n d c h i l d r e n o f a f a m i l y l a s t F r i d a y a t
a h o me o n W e s t S e c o n d St r e e t a f t e r h e l p i n g d e l i v e r a b e d t o t h e t w o y o u n g l a d i e s a s p a r t o f t h e c o m p a n y s H o p e t o D r e a m p r o g r a m .
FR O N T P A G E : W o r k e r s a s s e m b l e o n e o f t h e t w o b e d s a t t h e h o u s e a f t e r d e l i v e r i n g i t . S t o r e ma n a g e r Za c h M i l l e r s a i d b e d s w e r e
del iv er e d to 27 ch il dr en i n Li ber a l, P l ai ns, Hu g ot on a nd F or ga n, Okl aho m a, as p ar t of t he p r og r a m. L&T photos/Robert Pierce

Ashley Furniture donates

beds to several local children
Beds are certainly necessary for
dreams and visions of sugar plums
By ROBERT PIERCE
Leader &Times
Christmas Eve is Saturday, and
that means children all over the
world will have visions of sugar
plums dancing in their hands as
they enjoy a long winters nap.
Thanks to Liberals Ashley
Furniture store, some area
children will be doing so on a new
mattress. Through the companys
Hope to Dream program, Ashley
gives boys and girls who are in
need of a bed a new one.
Anytime we sell a mattress,
portions of that sale go towards
the program, said Zach Miller,
manager of Liberals Ashley store.
Ashley likewise has a mattress
called Hope to Dream, and Miller
said when one of those are sold, a
new mattress is automatically
given to a child.
Miller said dozens of beds were
ordered for the program, and
Ashley received nominations from
the internet from school
counselors and people in Liberal
and surrounding communities
telling of young people in need of
beds.
From there, we kind of did an
interview process and selected
some kids that we thought were
the most deserving, most needy
and schedule deliveries for them,
he said.
Miller said children from age 3
to 16 are eligible for the Hope to
Dream program. This was the first
year Liberals Ashley store was
part of the event, and Miller said
27 new beds were given out.
Miller said fellow manager
Kevin Lam went out on some of
the deliveries last Friday, and
along with Ashleys delivery guys,
he saw plenty of excitement from
the children who got some of the
beds.
In Liberals first attempt at
Hope to Dream, Miller said beds

were given to young people in not

only Liberal, but nearby Plains,
Hugoton and Forgan, Oklahoma,
as well.
Were going to be doing this at
least twice a year, maybe three
times, he said. We gave away 27
just because it was our first time.
In the future, well be doing it
more often and try to reach out
into some other communities as
well.
Miller said those wishing to
nominate a child for Hope to
Dream can go to the website
www.ahopetodream.com or come
to the store at 529 S. Kansas in
Liberal.
The local effort to bring a better
place to sleep for young people is
just part of what Ashley has been
doing across the U.S., including
efforts by NFL teams in Dallas
and Jacksonville, Florida.
A lot of communities have
been doing it, Miller said.
Wichita did one a couple of
weeks ago. Its starting to grow
into a bigger deal, which is good.
Though this is Liberals first
time with Hope to Dream, Miller
said beds that have been ordered
have been accrued since the
stores opening about two years
ago.
We added all that up and took
all that into account, he said.
And what better gift to give a
child for Christmas than that of a
restful nights sleep as those

visions of sugar plums continue to

dance in their heads.
The timing of it, a week before
Christmas, we thought was good

to get some of these kids that

might not have any other
Christmas presents a new bed,
Miller said.